Journal of Physiological Anthropology

BACKGROUND: We examined whether an aerobic exercise intervention in young women with cold sensitivity symptoms improves sleep quality and decreases cold complaints. Furthermore, we examined the association with increased foot skin temperature (Tsk) before falling asleep and decrease in sensitivity to cold in the brain. METHODS: We recruited 16 female adult volunteers who had cold sensitivity and were not engaged in daily exercise training, and they were divided into an exercise group (EXE) and a control group (CON)...

BACKGROUND: Height loss starting in middle age was previously shown to be associated with high cardiovascular mortality in later life. However, the factors associated with height loss remain unknown. Since low serum albumin levels are reported to be associated with high mortality caused by cardiovascular disease, they may also contribute to height loss. METHODS: To clarify the association between serum albumin and height loss, we conducted a retrospective study of 7637 Japanese workers who participated in general health check-ups from 2008 to 2019...

BACKGROUND: Passive body heating before sleep is well known to lead to improved sleep. However, the effects of the degree of change in body temperature by bathing on sleep quality are unclear. The present study aimed to clarify the effects on sleep of bathing-induced changes in body temperature. METHODS: Twenty-three healthy males and females in their 20 s to 50 s bathed in their homes 1.5-2 h before bedtime under three bathing conditions: showering only; short bathing in a bathtub; and long bathing in a bathtub...

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to examine the effect of others' gaze on an observer's microsaccades. We also aimed to conduct preliminary investigations on the relationship between the microsaccadic response to a gaze and a gazer's facial expression and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) tendencies. METHODS: Twenty healthy undergraduate and graduate students performed a peripheral target detection task by using unpredictable gaze cues. During the task, the participants' eye movements, along with changes in pupil size and response times for target detection, were recorded...

BACKGROUND: Alexithymia, a personality trait characterized by difficulties in identifying and expressing their emotions despite having a range of emotional experiences, can impact individuals' stress coping mechanisms. While many studies have investigated brain functions associated with specific tasks in relation to emotion processing, research focusing on resting-state brain functions has been limited. Thus, the aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between alexithymia and brain function by analyzing arterial spin labeling (ASL) data obtained during the resting state...

BACKGROUND: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most common cancers in the world. Some dietary factors such as fat intake have been identified as the risk factors for CRC. This study aimed to investigate the effect of fat mass and obesity-associated (FTO) gene rs9939609 polymorphism on the association between CRC and different types of dietary fats. METHODS: This case-control study was performed on 135 CRC cases and 294 healthy controls in Tehran, Iran. Data on demographic factors, anthropometric measurements, physical activity, the intake of different types of dietary fats, and FTO gene rs9939609 polymorphism was collected from all participants...

BACKGROUND: Sarcopenia commonly occurs in older adults with motor disorders requiring long-term care, and the clinical features of sarcopenia are associated with locomotive syndrome. Dynapenia is the age-related loss of muscle strength. However, the association of sarcopenia and dynapenia with the onset and progression of locomotive syndrome in older adults remains unknown. The current study aimed to determine the association of sarcopenia, pre-sarcopenia, and dynapenia with the onset and progression of locomotive syndrome in Japanese older adults...

AIM: The aim of the present study is to evaluate the reduction of the distal teeth towards the medial ones in one functional dental group in southern Bulgarian population. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study included 232 Bulgarians aged 20-40 years. Mesiodistal dimensions of the teeth were measured by Dentistry Sliding Vernier Caliper and analyzed with SPSS 23.0. Four interdental indices were calculated: inter-incisive, premolar, upper, and lower molar indices...

BACKGROUND: Muscle thickness (MT) and echo intensity (EI) measurements are ultrasound alternatives to magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for evaluating muscle quantity and quality. The vastus medialis (VM) is a clinically important muscle, and assessment methods that most accurately reflect its quantity and quality are required. This study aimed to examine the correlation between MT and EI measured in the supine and sitting postures with corresponding MRI-measured muscle quantity and quality indices...

BACKGROUND: Hope and love are popular themes of literature and art in many human societies. The human physiology of love and hope is less well understood. This review presents evidence that the lack of love and/or hope delays growth disturbs development and maturation and even kills. MAIN BODY: Love and hope intersect in promoting healthy human development. Love provides a sense of security and attachment, which are necessary for healthy physical, cognitive, and emotional development...

BACKGROUND: Although softball players are often required to play in hot environments, scarce evidence is available regarding the effects of ice slurry ingestion on body temperature and pitching performance in softball pitchers in a hot environment. Thus, this study investigated the effects of ice slurry ingestion before and between innings on body temperature and softball pitching performance in a hot environment. METHODS: In a randomized crossover design, seven heat-acclimatized amateur softball pitchers (four males and three females) completed simulated softball games consisting of 15 best-effort pitches per inning for seven innings with between-pitch rest intervals of 20 s...

Physiological effects of light exposure in humans are diverse. Among them, the circadian rhythm phase shift effect in order to maintain a 24-h cycle of the biological clock is referred to as non-visual effects of light collectively with melatonin suppression and pupillary light reflex. The non-visual effects of light may differ depending on age, and clarifying age-related differences in the non-visual effects of light is important for providing appropriate light environments for people of different ages. Therefore, in various research fields, including physiological anthropology, many studies on the effects of age on non-visual functions have been carried out in older people, children and adolescents by comparing the effects with young adults...

BACKGROUND: Synchronous finger tapping to external sensory stimuli is more stable for audiovisual combined stimuli than sole auditory or visual stimuli. In addition, piano players are superior in synchronous tapping and manipulating the ring and little fingers as compared to inexperienced individuals. However, it is currently unknown whether the ability to synchronize to external sensory stimuli with the ring finger is at the level of the index finger in piano players. The aim of this study was to compare the effect of piano experience on synchronization stability between the index and ring fingers using auditory, visual, and audiovisual combined stimuli...

BACKGROUND: In endurance running, elite Kenyan runners are characterized by longer thigh, shank, and Achilles tendon (AT) lengths combined with shorter fascicles and larger medial gastrocnemius (MG) pennation angles than elite Japanese runners. These muscle-tendon characteristics may contribute to the running performance of Kenyans. Furthermore, these specific lower-leg musculoskeletal architectures have been confirmed not only in elite Kenyan runners but also in non-athletic Kenyans since early childhood...

BACKGROUND: There are many conflicting findings on the gaze cueing effect (GCE) of emotional facial expressions. This study aimed to investigate whether an averted gaze, accompanied by a fearful expression of different durations, could enhance attentional orientation, as measured by a participant's eye movements. METHODS: Twelve participants (3 females) completed the gaze cue task, reacting to a target location after observing changes in the gaze and expression of a face illustrated on a computer screen...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

This review focuses on the effects of different body positions on intracranial fluid dynamics, including cerebral arterial and venous flow, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) hydrodynamics, and intracranial pressure (ICP). It also discusses research methods used to quantify these effects. Specifically, the implications of three types of body positions (orthostatic, supine, and antiorthostatic) on cerebral blood flow, venous outflow, and CSF circulation are explored, with a particular emphasis on cerebrovascular autoregulation during microgravity and head-down tilt (HDT), as well as posture-dependent changes in cerebral venous and CSF flow, ICP, and intracranial compliance (ICC)...

BACKGROUND: Acute mountain sickness (AMS) affects around 30% of people climbing Mt. Fuji, but its pathogenesis is incompletely understood. The influence of a rapid ascent to high altitude by climbing and summiting Mt. Fuji on cardiac function in the general population is unknown, and its association with altitude sickness has not been clarified. METHODS: Subjects climbing Mt. Fuji were included. Heart rate, oxygen saturation, systolic blood pressure, cardiac index (CI) and stroke volume index were measured multiple times at 120 m as baseline values and at Mt...

BACKGROUND: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has reduced people's physical activity. It is essential to accumulate knowledge regarding the influence of COVID-19 on the stimulation of physical fitness and physical functions. Several studies have reported the effects of COVID-19 on physical fitness; however, there are very few reports regarding preschoolers. This study aimed to compare the physical fitness of preschoolers before and during the COVID-19 pandemic to clarify the effects of curtailment of outings implemented to control the pandemic on physical fitness among preschoolers...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.