The effect on haemoglobin saturation was higher in the CRet group than in the HP group. In addition, the CRet intervention warmed deep tissue more effectively than HP intervention.

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the functional movement screen (FMS) could predict running injuries in competitive runners. Eighty-four competitive male runners (average age = 20.0 ± 1.1 years) participated. Each subject performed the FMS, which consisted of 7 movement tests (each score range: 0-3, total score range: 0-21), during the preseason. The incidence of running injuries (time lost because of injury ≤ 4 weeks) was investigated through a follow-up survey during the 6-month season. Mann-Whitney U-tests were used to investigate which movement tests were significantly associated with running injuries. The receiver-operator characteristic (ROC) analysis was used to determine the cutoff. The mean FMS composite score was 14.1 ± 2.3. The ROC analysis determined the cutoff at 14/15 (sensitivity = 0.73, specificity = 0.54), suggesting that the composite score had a low predictability for running injuries. However, the total scores (0-6) from the deep squat (DS) and active straight leg raise (ASLR) tests (DS and ASLR), which were significant with the U-test, had relatively high predictability at the cutoff of 3/4 (sensitivity = 0.73, specificity = 0.74). Furthermore, the multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that the DS and ASLR scores of ≤3 significantly influenced the incidence of running injuries after adjusting for subjects' characteristics (odds ratio = 9.7, 95% confidence interval = 2.1-44.4). Thus, the current study identified the DS and ASLR score as a more effective method than the composite score to screen the risk of running injuries in competitive male runners.

Sarcopenia was associated with pre-frailty and frailty, whereas cognitive decline was associated only with frailty.

The results suggest that cognitive impairment, especially that in executive function, is associated with the absence of fear of falling in community-dwelling frail older adults. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2017; 17: 232-238.

No abstract

The results showed that high health literacy was associated with non-frailty. This result implies that comprehensive health literacy might play a salient role in maintaining good health status in community-dwelling older adults in Japan. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2017; 17: 804-809.

Objectives Chronic low back pain (LBP) is known to cause various disorders compared with acute LBP. However, there was no study evaluating presenteeism due to LBP divided into subcategories by the duration of LBP. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the relationship between acute or chronic LBP and presenteeism in hospital nursing staff. Methods Overall, 1100 nurses filled in a questionnaire on basic attributes, LBP symptoms, depression symptoms, and work productivity. The subjects were divided into three groups based on the period of LBP and the compared work productivity. Work Limitation Questionnaire Japanese version (WLQ‐J) was used for the assessment of work productivity. The effects of acute and chronic LBP on presenteeism were evaluated through multiple regression analysis models. Results In total, 765 subjects, without missing values, were included. The overall prevalence of LBP was 64.6% (acute LBP 47.5%, chronic LBP 17.1%). On multiple regression analysis, acute pain and presenteeism were not associated. Conversely, chronic LBP was associated with time management (adjusted β = −2.3, 95% CI: −4.5 to −1.1), mental‐interpersonal relationship (adjusted β = −2.8, 95% CI: −5.1 to −0.6), and output (adjusted β = −2.7, 95% CI: −5.4 to 0.0) after adjustment for sex and career years. When depression was included in the adjustment factors, chronic LBP and WLQ subscales were not associated. Conclusions It became obvious that Chronic LBP in nurses was significantly related to time management, mental‐interpersonal relationship, and output. The importance of preventing a decline in work productivity by taking precautions to prevent chronic LBP and depression was suggested.

[Purpose] This study investigated the association between floating toe and toe grip strength. [Subjects and Methods] A total of 635 Japanese children aged 9–11 years participated in this study. Floating toe was evaluated using footprint images, while toe grip strength was measured using a toe grip dynamometer. All 1,270 feet were classified into a floating toe group and a normal toe group according to visual evaluation of the footprint images. Intergroup differences in toe grip strength were analyzed using the unpaired t-test and logistic regression analysis adjusted for age, gender, and Rohrer Index. [Results] There were 512 feet (40.3%) in the floating toe group. Mean toe grip strength of the feet with floating toe was significantly lower than that of normal feet (floating toe group, 12.9 ± 3.7 kg; normal toe group, 13.6 ± 4.1 kg). In addition, lower toe grip strength was associated with floating toe on logistic regression analysis after adjustment for age, gender, and Rohrer Index (odds ratio, 0.954; 95% confidence interval, 0.925–0.984). [Conclusion] This study revealed that lower toe grip strength was significantly associated with floating toe. Therefore, increasing toe grip strength may play a role in preventing floating toe in school age children.