Diastasis recti abdominis (DRA) refers to the separation of the 2 recti abdominis muscles, and is quantified by the inter-recti distance (IRD). DRA can occur in women at the later stages of pregnancy 4,11 and remain immediately 4,8,16 and early postpartum. 4,6,9,11,16 Published case reports indicate a partial resolution of the DRA at 4 weeks, 11 8 weeks, 11 or 12 weeks postpartum. 16 Coldron et al 9 also reported that most of the recovery of IRD occurred by 8 weeks. 9 No further improvement was noted at the end of the first year, 9 suggesting that partial recovery of DRA happens after childbirth but is incomplete even after 1 year.The linea alba, separating the 2 recti abdominis, is a fibrous raphe extending from the xiphoid process to the pubic symphysis, and is formed by the interlacing aponeurotic fibers of the oblique and transverse muscles. 2,30 DRA, in pregnant women, might result from progressive stretching of the abdominal wall with T T STUDY DESIGN: A prospective longitudinal study. T T BACKGROUND: Diastasis recti abdominis(DRA) is defined as an increase in the inter-recti distance (IRD), or width of the linea alba. It is a common occurrence in women postpartum. Little information exists on the short-and long-term recovery of IRD and the relationship between changes in IRD and the functional performance of the abdominal muscles. T T OBJECTIVES:To investigate the natural recovery of IRD and abdominal muscle strength and endurance in women between 7 weeks and 6 months postpartum, and to examine the relationship between IRD and abdominal muscle function. T T METHODS:Forty postpartum (25-37 years of age) and 20 age-matched, nulliparous females participated. IRD was measured at 4 locations (upper and lower margin of the umbilical ring, and 2.5 cm above and below the umbilical ring) with a 7.5-MHz linear ultrasound transducer. Trunk flexion and rotation strength and endurance were measured with manual muscle testing and curl-ups. Evaluation was conducted at 4 to 8 weeks and 6 to 8 months after childbirth in postpartum women, and only once for the nulliparous female controls. T T RESULTS:During follow-up, the IRD at 2.5 cm above the umbilical ring and at the upper margin of the umbilical ring decreased (P = .013 and P = .002, respectively). The strength and static endurance of the abdominal muscles improved over time (P<.05). A negative correlation between IRD and abdominal muscle function at 7 weeks and 6 months postpartum was found (r = 0.34 to 0.51; P<.05, except for trunk flexion strength at 6 months postpartum [P = .064]). In addition, IRD changes between 7 weeks and 6 months postpartum were correlated with improvement in trunk flexion strength (Spearman rho = 0.38, P = .040). At 6 months after childbirth, postpartum women had greater mean  SD IRDs at all 4 locations (from cranial to caudal: 1.80  0.72, 2.13  0.65, 1.81  0.62, and 1.16  0.58 cm) than those of nulliparous females (0.85  0.26, 0.99  0.31, 0.65  0.23, and 0.43  0.17 cm) (all P<.001). All abdominal strength and endurance measurements...

The present review confirms that sedentary lifestyle by itself is not associated with LBP.

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Antiangiogenesis is a promising strategy of cancer treatment. Vascular endothelial growth factor receptor [fetal liver kinase/ kinase-inserting domain-containing receptor (KDR)] is a tyrosine kinase receptor and has been strongly implicated in tumor angiogenesis. In this study, we report that 2Ј,4Ј-dihydroxy-6Ј-methoxy-3Ј,5Ј-dimethylchalcone (ON-III), extracted from the dried flower Cleistocalyx operculatus, used in traditional Chinese medicine, reversibly inhibited KDR tyrosine kinase phosphorylation, but epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase phosphorylation was unaffected under the same concentrations of ON-III. ON-III also inhibited mitogenactivated protein kinase (MAPK) and AKT activation of KDR signal transduction in downstream molecules without reduced total MAPK and AKT. The results in vitro showed that ON-III inhibited growth of human vascular endothelial HDMEC cells in the presence of VEGF preferentially, compared with epidermal growth factor. Systemic administration of ON-III at nontoxic doses in nude mice resulted in inhibition of subcutaneous tumor growth of human hepatocarcinoma Bel7402 and lung cancer GLC-82 xenografts. The tumor vessel density decreased, as determined by immunohistochemical staining, for CD31 after ON-III treatment. These results indicated that ON-III inhibited KDR tyrosine kinase, shut down KDR-mediated signal transduction, and inhibited tumor growth of human xenografts in vivo.