Insulin resistance in the obese is closely related with cardiovascular diseases and their risk factors not only in adults but also in children and adolescents. We aimed to elucidate whether insulin resistance in non-obese adolescents is... more
Insulin resistance in the obese is closely related with cardiovascular diseases and their risk factors not only in adults but also in children and adolescents. We aimed to elucidate whether insulin resistance in non-obese adolescents is related with these conditions. A total of 74 non-obese high-school students (38 boys and 36 girls) were recruited. Anthropometry, blood pressure, fasting serum chemistry and insulin activity were measured. Subjects with a homeostasis model assessment-insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) level greater than the 75th percentile (> 2.25 for boys and > 2.89 for girls) were defined as insulin resistant. Non-obese boys with impaired insulin sensitivity had higher systolic blood pressure, lower HDL-cholesterol concentration, and fewer hours of vigorous exercise during weekdays, while non-obese girls with impaired insulin sensitivity had higher systolic blood pressure than their peers with normal insulin sensitivity. By multiple stepwise regression analysis, sy...
Hopson, Nathan. “‘A Bad Peace?’ – The 1937 Nagoya Pan-Pacific Peace Exhibition.” Japanese Studies, September 2018. https://doi.org/10.1080/10371397.2018.1467730. Originally planned as a city branding and regional promotion event, the... more
Originally planned as a city branding and regional promotion event, the March-May 1937 Nagoya Pan-Pacific Peace Exhibition (NPPPE) was supposed to showcase Nagoya as an industrial and cultural center of the empire, prospering in free-trade, capitalist peace. Concessions made to the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA) to ensure the survival of the NPPPE—from a national defense hall to live-fire demonstrations—made the event appear a cynical misappropriation of the concept of “peace.” The expo was a “mega-event,” intended to disseminate elite ideologies but ultimately large, inclusive, and complex enough to permit alternative interpretations, resistance, and even discord. Looking past Nagoya’s accommodations to the IJA suggests that even on the eve of all-out war, local business and government elites clung to a 1920s-style vision of peace through international trade and intercourse rather than through autarky and military force. While Nagoya was unable to prevent military interference in the peace expo, the city’s commitment to an agenda that did not square with that of the IJA or Tokyo is an indication of the continued internal diversity of Japan in the 1930s.
A 6-month, twice weekly, well-rounded exercise program (47 sessions in total) comprised of a combination of aerobic, resistance and flexibility training was provided for institutionalized older adults aged 60 to 93. We analyzed the data... more
A 6-month, twice weekly, well-rounded exercise program (47 sessions in total) comprised of a combination of aerobic, resistance and flexibility training was provided for institutionalized older adults aged 60 to 93. We analyzed the data of 18 older adults who could stand and had attended more than 10% of the classes (mean participation rate: 54%) to examine changes in activities of daily living (ADL), physical fitness tests and depressive moods. The mean (+/- standard deviation, range) age of the participants was 71.3 (+/- 15.6, 60-93) in men and 85.9 (+/- 5.8, 72-93) in women. Significant improvement in ADL of the hand manipulation domain and borderline significant improvement in ADL of the mobility domain were observed (McNemar test p = 0.011 and 0.072, respectively). A 6-minute walk distance increased significantly from 151.6 m to 236.6 m (p = 0.01, paired t-test), and the result of the Soda Pop test, which tests hand-eye coordination, also improved significantly from 35.2 sec to...
