Effect of Strength Training on Jump-Landing Biomechanics in Adolescent Females.

Background: Sex-based differences in neuromuscular characteristics relevant to anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury risk may arise as compensation for divergent strength development during puberty. Strength training during this period may prevent the development of these undesirable neuromuscular characteristics.

Hypothesis: Strength-trained middle school girls will have improved jump-landing biomechanics compared with control participants.

Weak Hip Strength Increases Dynamic Knee Valgus in Single-Leg Tasks of Collegiate Female Athletes.

Clinical Scenario: Dynamic knee valgus (DKV) is a mechanical alteration in the knee that leads to increased risk of injury. Weakness of hip musculature in hip abduction (HABD), extension (HEXT), and external rotation (HER) may contribute to increased DKV in single-leg landing tasks. Focused Clinical Question: Is decreased hip strength associated with an increase in DKV during a single-leg landing task in collegiate female athletes? Summary of Key Findings: Three studies were included: One randomized control trial (RCT), one cohort study, and one case-control.

Reducing Fear of Reinjury and Pain Perception in Athletes With First-Time Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstructions by Implementing Imagery Training.

The anterior cruciate ligament is one of the major stabilizing ligaments of the knee joint by preventing anterior translation of the femur in the closed kinetic chain. A ruptured anterior cruciate ligament may require reconstructive surgery for patients who wish to return to physical activity. For the most part, surgeries are successful at repairing the ruptured ligament and restoring ligamentous function; the percentage of athletes that return to a competitive level of physical activity is only 44%, and 24% of patients report a main factor of preventing their return is fear of reinjury and pain.

Active ankle motion may result in changes to the talofibular interval in individuals with chronic ankle instability and ankle sprain copers: a preliminary study.

Introduction: Alterations in talocrural joint arthrokinematics related to repositioning of the talus or fibula following ankle sprain have been reported in radiological and clinical studies. It is unclear if these changes can result from normal active ankle motion. The study objective was to determine if active movement created changes in the sagittal plane talofibular interval in ankles with a history of lateral ankle sprain and instability.

Exergaming and static postural control in individuals with a history of lower limb injury.

Context: Therapeutic exercise programs that incorporate real-time feedback have been reported to enhance outcomes in patients with lower extremity joint injuries. The Wii Fit has been purported to improve balance, strength, flexibility, and fitness.

Objective: To determine the effects of Wii Fit rehabilitation on postural control and self-reported function in patients with a history of lower limb injury.

Immediate effects of anterior to posterior talocrural joint mobilizations following acute lateral ankle sprain.

Restrictions in ankle dorsiflexion range of motion (ROM) have been associated with decreased posterior talar glide in individuals with an acute lateral ankle sprain. Talocrural joint mobilizations may be used to restore joint arthrokinematics. Our purpose was to examine the effects of a single bout of anterior to posterior (AP) talocrural joint mobilization on self-reported function, dorsiflexion ROM, and posterior talar translation in individuals with an acute lateral ankle sprain.

Hip and knee muscle function following aerobic exercise in individuals with patellofemoral pain syndrome.

Patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS) is a commonly experienced knee disorder that can result in altered muscle activation of the surrounding musculature. There is little evidence on effects of aerobic exercise on quadriceps torque and EMG activation of the vastus medialis obliquus (VMO), vastus lateralis (VL), and gluteus medius (GM). In this study 20 healthy individuals and 20 patients with PFPS had measures of torque and muscle activation taken following aerobic exercise.

Clinical assessment of ankle injury outcomes: case scenario using the foot and ankle ability measure.

Unlabelled: PATIENT SCENARIO: A 20-y-old male Division 1 college basketball player sustained a grade 2 inversion ankle sprain during preseason that is preventing him from practicing and competing. CLINICAL OUTCOMES ASSESSMENT: The Foot and Ankle Ability Measure (FAAM) was administered to the injured athlete as an evaluative tool to provide the clinician with valuable subjective information on the patient's self-reported function. The FAAM consists of 2 subscales: the activities of daily living (ADL) subscale and the sports subscale.

Lower extremity neuromuscular control immediately after fatiguing hip-abduction exercise.

Context: Fatigue of the gluteus medius (GMed) muscle might be associated with decreases in postural control due to insufficient pelvic stabilization. Men and women might have different muscular recruitment patterns in response to GMed fatigue.

Objective: To compare postural control and quality of movement between men and women after a fatiguing hip-abduction exercise.

Computer-aided radiation therapy simulation: image intensifier spatial distortion correction for large field of view digital fluoroscopy.

An accurate method of correcting spatial distortion in digital fluoroscopy images has been developed for generating fluoroscopy-based large field of view images for computer-aided radiation therapy simulation. This method is applicable to arbitrary gantry rotations and arbitrary shifts of the image intensifier relative to the central axis of the x-ray beam. It is therefore suitable for conventional radiation therapy simulation techniques that involve the arbitrary positioning of the image intensifier by the operator.

Toxicology of maternally ingested trichloroethylene (TCE) on embryonal and fetal development in mice and of TCE metabolites on in vitro fertilization.

Trichloroethylene (TCE), an industrial solvent, is a soil and ground water contaminant found across the United States. The metabolism and carcinogenic potential of TCE have been studied extensively in the past 15 years yet there is little information on the chemical's possible effects on reproduction. No reference to the reproductive effects in mice of TCE by oral administration exists in the literature.

The enhancement of radiotherapy verification images by an automated edge detection technique.

Adaptive histogram equalization techniques are known to be effective for the enhancement of contrast in portal images acquired during radiotherapy treatments. A significant drawback is the loss of definition on the edges of the treatment field. Analysis of this problem shows that it can be remedied by separating the treatment field from the background prior to the enhancement, and using only the pixels within the field boundary in the enhancement procedure.

Microencapsulation of single, multiple, and zona pellucida-free mouse preimplantation embryos in sodium alginate and their development in vitro.

Preimplantation embryos obtained from immature superovulated B6D2F1 female mice were microencapsulated in sodium alginate singly, in multiples of 2 or 3, or denuded of their zona pellucida. Encapsulated embryos developed in vitro at a rate similar to control embryos. Development of zona pellucida-free embryos was significantly less than that of intact embryos, but there was no difference between encapsulated and non-encapsulated zona pellucida-free embryos.

An adaptive technique for digital noise suppression in on-line portal imaging.

Two complementary approaches to the noise suppression problem in on-line portal imaging have been analysed. Temporal filtering by image summation can substantially reduce the amount of noise in an image. In many cases, however, movements of the patient or the radiation source limit the time period over which the averaging can be done.