Bacterial culture and susceptibility of samples taken from septic foot lesions of adult beef cattle.

Background: Lameness is an economically important and common disease of cattle, and foot disease is the most common cause of lameness in cattle. Limited data is available regarding lameness in cow-calf operations.

Objectives: Describe the bacteria most commonly isolated from septic lesions of the feet of adult beef cattle and the antimicrobial susceptibility patterns of the isolated bacteria.

Effects of spring- versus fall-calving on perinatal nutrient availability and neonatal vigor in beef cattle.

To determine the effect of calving season on perinatal nutrient availability and neonatal beef calf vigor, data were collected from 4 spring- (average calving date: February 14; = 203 total) and 4 fall- (average calving date: September 20; = 179 total) calving experiments. Time to stand was determined as minutes from birth to standing for 5 s. After birth, calf weight and size (length, heart and abdominal girth, and cannon circumference) were recorded.

Fundamentals of Systems Thinking.

A system is a set of interconnected elements that are organized in such a way to achieve a purpose. Structure and feedback are fundamental properties of all systems and determine system behavior-whether successful or failed. Systems thinking is a methodology used to create structural explanations for why things are happening so we are in a better position to identify long-term strategies that will fundamentally improve system performance.

Incorporating reproductive management of beef heifers into a veterinary practice.

Veterinarians play an important role in reproductive management of dairy herds across the United States; however, in many cases, their involvement in reproductive management of beef herds has been limited. The reasons for this vary; however, there are ways for veterinarians to become more actively involved in reproductive management of US beef herds. Veterinarians can have an impact on producers' profits by implementing their skills and knowledge to beef heifer development programs.

Setting the stage for long-term reproductive health.

This article discusses some of the aspects of heifer development that contribute to long-term health and productivity, such as disease prevention and control. Nutrition is also an important component of long-term health, and body condition score is discussed as a way to determine whether the nutrient demands of heifers are being met.

Foot posture and patellar tendon pain among adult volleyball players.

Objective: We hypothesized that individuals with a normal foot posture would be less likely to experience patellar tendon pain and pathology than those with a pronated or supinated foot.

Design: Observational study.

Setting: Field-based study among competing athletes.

Lateral wedge insoles for medial knee osteoarthritis: 12 month randomised controlled trial.

Objective: To assess the effect of lateral wedge insoles compared with flat control insoles on improving symptoms and slowing structural disease progression in medial knee osteoarthritis.

Design: Randomised controlled trial.

Setting: Community in Melbourne, Australia.

Immediate effect of foot orthoses on plantar force timing during running: A repeated measures study.

Background: Despite evidence supporting the use of foot orthoses in the prevention and treatment of several running related conditions, the physical effects of these devices during running is currently unclear. This limitation has clinical consequences in relation to dispensing foot orthoses, as the presumed biomechanical action may not be produced as intended. The aim of this study was therefore to investigate the effect of foot orthoses on plantar force timing during running.

The association between foot-care self efficacy beliefs and actual foot-care behaviour in people with peripheral neuropathy: a cross-sectional study.

Background: People with diabetes and peripheral neuropathy often do not implement the foot-care behavioural strategies that are suggested by many health professionals. The concept of self-efficacy has been shown to be an effective predictor of behaviour in many areas of health. This study investigated the relationships between foot-care self-efficacy beliefs, self-reported foot-care behaviour and history of diabetes-related foot pathology in people with diabetes and loss of protective sensation in their feet.

Effect of foot orthoses on lower extremity kinetics during running: a systematic literature review.

Background: Throughout the period of one year, approximately 50% of recreational runners will sustain an injury that disrupts their training regimen. Foot orthoses have been shown to be clinically effective in the prevention and treatment of several running-related conditions, yet the physical effect of this intervention during running remains poorly understood. The aim of this literature review was therefore to evaluate the effect of foot orthoses on lower extremity forces and pressure (kinetics) during running.

Effects of estrogen on the mechanical behavior of the human Achilles tendon in vivo.

The purpose of this study was to elucidate the effect of normal fluctuating [non-monophasic oral contraceptive pill (MOCP) users] and low, consistent (MOCP users) endogenous plasma estrogen levels on the strain behavior of the Achilles tendon in vivo. Twenty women (age 28.0 +/- 4.

Lateral wedges in knee osteoarthritis: what are their immediate clinical and biomechanical effects and can these predict a three-month clinical outcome?

Objective: To assess immediate effects of laterally wedged insoles on walking pain, external knee adduction moment, and static alignment, and whether these immediate effects together with age, body mass index, and disease severity predict clinical outcome after 3 months of wearing insoles in medial knee osteoarthritis.

Methods: Forty volunteers (mean age 64.7 years, 16 men) were tested in random order with and without a pair of 5 degrees full-length lateral wedges.

Effects of laterally wedged insoles on symptoms and disease progression in medial knee osteoarthritis: a protocol for a randomised, double-blind, placebo controlled trial.

Background: Whilst laterally wedged insoles, worn inside the shoes, are advocated as a simple, inexpensive, non-toxic self-administered intervention for knee osteoarthritis (OA), there is currently limited evidence to support their use. The aim of this randomised, double-blind controlled trial is to determine whether laterally wedges insoles lead to greater improvements in knee pain, physical function and health-related quality of life, and slower structural disease progression as well as being more cost-effective, than control flat insoles in people with medial knee OA.

Methods/design: Two hundred participants with painful radiographic medial knee OA and varus malalignment will be recruited from the community and randomly allocated to lateral wedge or control insole groups using concealed allocation.

Relationship between positive clinical outcomes of foot orthotic treatment and changes in rearfoot kinematics.

Background: Previous two-dimensional kinematic studies that assessed the effect of foot orthoses on rearfoot motion have yielded mixed results regarding whether control of rearfoot motion is related to symptom relief.

Methods: We sought to determine the effect of foot orthoses on rearfoot motion and to correlate these changes with the degree of symptom improvement in 22 individuals with excessive rearfoot pronation (17 women and 5 men; mean +/- SD age, 44.3 +/- 16.

The effect of foot wedging on electromyographic activity in the erector spinae and gluteus medius muscles during walking.

The use of foot orthoses for treatment of low back pain (LBP) has received some attention in the literature, mainly from a clinical or theoretical perspective. It has been proposed that this treatment alleviates pain by altering muscle activity in the area of the low back but there is no direct evidence of such an effect. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of different types of foot wedging on the bilateral surface electromyographic activity of erector spinae (ErSp) (L3 level) and gluteus medius (GlMed) of 13 participants without LBP.

Static stance response to different types of foot orthoses.

Many different types of foot orthoses are used to treat biomechanical dysfunction of the foot. Little evidence is available to guide clinicians in the selection of foot orthoses. The aim of this project was to determine whether resistance of the foot to supination or the Foot Posture Index could predict the static stance response to different types of prefabricated foot orthoses.

The reliability of the manual supination resistance test.

Several decisions need to be made when prescribing foot orthoses for abnormal foot pronation. One of these decisions is how much force is needed from orthoses to supinate the foot. The supination resistance test has been described as one technique to help determine the amount of force needed.

Position of the subtalar joint axis and resistance of the rearfoot to supination.

Determination of the position of the subtalar joint axis is being more widely used clinically to facilitate the prescription of foot orthoses and the understanding of foot function, but clinical determination of the axis has not been widely investigated. The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between clinical determination of the subtalar joint axis and the amount of force needed to supinate the foot. The transverse plane position of the subtalar joint axis was determined in 47 subjects.

Variability of neutral-position casting of the foot.

Neutral-position casting of the foot is used for the manufacture of functional foot orthoses, and an accurate cast is widely assumed to be a prerequisite for a good orthotic device. The primary aim of this study was to determine the variability of casting between inexperienced and experienced clinicians and the variability of one experienced clinician taking multiple casts. Ten inexperienced and ten experienced clinicians took a cast of the right foot of a single subject, and a single experienced clinician took ten casts of the same foot.

Determinants of plantar pressures in the diabetic foot.

The aim of this study was to determine, by the use of regression analysis, the factors that are associated with the increased plantar pressure in the diabetic foot. In-shoe plantar pressure measurements using the Novel Pedar were carried out on 50 subjects with diabetes. Variables measured were age, body weight, duration of diabetes, a number of selected structural radiographic angles, soft tissue thickness, plantarflexion, and dorsiflexion strength at the ankle and first metatarsophalangeal joint, Neuropathy Symptom Score, and the Michigan Neuropathy Disability Score.

Sensitivity and specificity of the functional hallux limitus test to predict foot function.

Functional hallux limitus is an underrecognized entity that generally does not produce symptoms but can result in a variety of compensatory mechanisms that can produce symptoms. Clinically, hallux limitus can be determined by assessing the range of motion available at the first metatarsophalangeal joint while the first ray is prevented from plantarflexing. The aim of this study was to determine the sensitivity and specificity of this clinical test to predict abnormal excessive midtarsal joint function during gait.