Questionnaires of self-perception poorly correlate with instability elicited by walking balance perturbations.

Rehabilitation to prevent falls should not only directly address intrinsic and extrinsic factors, but also the neuropsychology of falls to promote safe and independent mobility in our aging population. The purpose of this study was to determine the relation between falls self-efficacy and objective responses to a series of walking balance perturbations. 29 healthy younger adults and 28 older adults completed four experimental trials, including unperturbed walking and walking while responding to three perturbations: mediolateral optical flow, treadmill-induced slips, and lateral waist-pulls; and three self-reported questionnaires: Activity-specific Balance Confidence, Falls Efficacy Scale, and the Fear of Falling Questionnaire-Revised.

Effects of spray-dried plasma on performance, carcass parameters, tibia quality and Newcastle disease vaccine efficacy in broiler chicken fed corn-soy diets with two varying levels of digestible amino acids and AMEn density.

This study aimed to determine the effects of spray dried plasma (SDP) on growth performance, carcass traits, tibia quality, and hemagglutination inhibition titers in broilers fed two nutritional strategies with high or low nutrient density. In the study, 816 one-day-old Ross 308 male broiler chickens were divided into a 2 × 2 factorial arrangements consisting of four treatment groups with 12 replicates (17 birds/replicate) based on diets with high nutrient density (HND) or low nutrient density (LND) from d 0 to 42 and receiving either control or 1% SDP diets during d 0 to 10. The results showed that feed intake (FI) and body weight gain (BWG) were increased (P < 0.

Immediate and Short-Term Effects of In-Shoe Heel-Lift Orthoses on Clinical and Biomechanical Outcomes in Patients With Insertional Achilles Tendinopathy.

Background: Physical therapists frequently employ heel lifts as an intervention to reduce Achilles tendon pain and restore function.

Purpose: To determine the short-term effect of heel lifts on clinical and gait outcomes in participants with insertional Achilles tendinopathy (IAT).

Study Design: Case series; Level of evidence, 4.

Treadmill-based system for postural studies: Design and validation.

Computer-controlled treadmills are common in many gait labs and offer great potential for conducting perturbation-based postural studies. However, the time-course of these disturbances can be too brief to be controlled manually through product software. Here we present a system that combines a Bertec® split-belt treadmill with custom hardware and software to deliver postural disturbances during standing and record data from multiple sources simultaneously.

Does the effect of walking balance perturbations generalize across contexts?

Balance perturbations are used to study locomotor instability. However, these perturbations are designed to provoke a specific context of instability that may or may not generalize to a broader understanding of falls risk. The purpose of this study was to determine if the effect of balance perturbations on instability generalizes across contexts.

A pelvis-oriented margin of stability is robust against deviations in walking direction.

The Margin of Stability (MOS) is often assessed relative to the intended, linear path of walking progression. When an unanticipated or irregular change in direction occurs, such as during a sudden turn or during activities of daily living, distinguishing the lateral from anteroposterior MOS can be challenging. The purpose of this study was to assess an anatomically orientated method of calculating the MOS using the pelvic orientation to define lateral and anteroposterior directions.

Subthreshold electrical noise alters walking balance control in individuals with cerebral palsy.

Background: Sensory deficits in individuals with cerebral palsy (CP) play a critical role in balance control. However, there is a lack of effective interventions that address sensory facilitation to improve walking balance. Stochastic Resonance (SR) stimulation involves delivering sub threshold noise to improve balance in patients with sensory deficits by enhancing the detection of sensory input.

Effects of feeding spray-dried plasma to broiler breeders and their progeny on broiler performance under stressful rearing conditions of coccidial challenge and heat stress.

A total of 216 Cobb 500 broiler breeder hens were randomly distributed across 2 dietary treatments with 0 or 1% spray-dried plasma (SDP) resulting in 27 replications/treatment and 4 birds/replication. In addition, 36 roosters were divided between the same treatments and housed, in individual pens, being each bird considered a replicate. Experimental diets were fed from 26 wk until 65 wk of age.

Skin-to-skin contact after birth: Developing a research and practice guideline.

Aim: Skin-to-skin contact immediately after birth is recognised as an evidence-based best practice and an acknowledged contributor to improved short- and long-term health outcomes including decreased infant mortality. However, the implementation and definition of skin-to-skin contact is inconsistent in both practice and research studies. This project utilised the World Health Organization guideline process to clarify best practice and improve the consistency of application.

A novel method to quantify individual limb contributions to standing postural control.

Background: Understanding individual limb contributions to standing postural control is valuable when evaluating populations with asymmetric function (e.g., stroke, amputations).

Susceptibility to walking balance perturbations in young adults is largely unaffected by anticipation.

Despite progress in understanding the mechanisms governing walking balance control, the number of falls in our older adult population is projected to increase. Falls prevention systems and strategies may benefit from understanding how anticipation of a balance perturbation affects the planning and execution of biomechanical responses to mitigate instability. However, the extent to which anticipation affects the proactive and reactive adjustments to perturbations has yet to be fully investigated, even in young adults.

Implementing the evidence: Routine screening for depression and anxiety in primary care.

Primary care providers are qualified to treat, diagnose, and manage common mental health issues like anxiety and depression. Anxiety and depression are common among college age students, with the average age of onset occurring in one's late teens to early 20s. Screening tools are commonly used to recognize patients who may be at risk for anxiety and depression.

Effect of porcine plasma on growth and health of Holstein calves.

The objective of this trial was to compare the health and performance of calves provided high feeding rates of a whey-based all-milk-protein calf milk replacer (MR) with those fed an MR containing either 5% or 10% porcine plasma, which replaced, respectively, either 15% or 30% of the whey-based proteins in the MR formula. A total of 320 male Holstein calves weighing a mean (± SD) of 47.8 ± 4.

Implementing a Resilience Bundle for Emergency Nurses: An Evidence-Based Practice Project.

Introduction: Resilience bundles are designed to work within and enhance existing routines. In the wake of COVID-19, nurses are reporting high levels of burnout and are leaving the field at an alarming rate. Hospital system leaders across the country are working to develop wellness programs to improve nurse morale, decrease burnout, and enhance resilience.

Association Between Collision Sport Career Duration and Gait Performance in Male Collegiate Student-Athletes.

Background: Investigations of estimated age of first exposure to repetitive head impacts from collision and contact sports have shown no associations with neurocognitive or neurobehavioral function at the collegiate level, but the effect of career duration may be a more comprehensive factor. Understanding whether longer career duration influences gait performance would provide insights into potential neurological impairment.

Purpose: To examine the relationship between career duration of collision sports and single/dual-task gait performance in collegiate student-athletes.

Knee biomechanics and contralateral knee osteoarthritis progression after total knee arthroplasty.

Background: Despite the success rate of Total Knee Arthroplasty (TKA), many patients undergo contralateral TKA. It is possible that altered gait mechanics after unilateral TKA play a role in the progression of contralateral OA progression.

Research Question: The purpose of this study was to identify biomechanical predictors of radiographic OA progression in the contralateral (non-surgical) knee after unilateral (primary/initial) TKA.

Outdoor walking exhibits peak ankle and knee flexion differences compared to fixed and adaptive-speed treadmills in older adults.

Background: Walking mechanics recorded with a traditional treadmill may not be the same as the mechanics exhibited during activities of daily living due to constrained walking speeds. Adaptive-speed treadmills allow for unconstrained walking speeds similar to outdoor walking. The aim of this study was to determine differences in kinematic walking parameters of older adults between adaptive-speed treadmill (AST), fixed-speed treadmill (FST) and outdoor walking.

Measuring health professionals' beliefs about skin-to-skin care during a cesarean.

Women and their newborns are at risk of delayed or withheld skin-to-skin care (SSC) during a caesarean, which is about one-third of births, worldwide. To date, no instrument exists to assess health professionals' (HPs) beliefs, and potential barriers and strategies for implementing SSC during a cesarean. The study aims were to (1) develop an instrument, Health Professionals' Beliefs about Skin-to-Skin Care During a Cesarean (SSC ), (2) establish its validity and reliability and (3) describe HPs' beliefs about SSC during a caesarean.

Effect of spray-dried porcine plasma in peripartum sow feed on subsequent litter size.

Background: Nutritional strategies for sows designed to reduce peripartum stress are suggested to support postpartum recovery and productivity. Spray-dried plasma (SDP) in sow feed has been reported to benefit sow and litter performance. Stressed animals fed diets with SDP have a more efficient immune response supporting animal recovery and health.

The construct and concurrent validity of brief standing sway assessments in children with and without cerebral palsy.

Background: Standing postural sway is often quantified from center of pressure trajectories. During assessments of longer durations, children may fidget, thus limiting the feasibility and validity of sway recordings.

Research Question: Do postural sway sample durations less than 30 s maintain construct and concurrent validity?

Methods: In this case-control, observational study, we measured postural sway in 41 children (age 5-12 years, 23 typically developing (TD); 18 with spastic cerebral palsy (CP), 13 diplegic and 5 hemiplegic, 11 GMFCS level I and 7 level II) for 30-second eyes-opened and eyes-closed conditions.

Posterior fall-recovery training applied to individuals with chronic stroke: A single-group intervention study.

Background: To assess the effects of the initial stepping limb on posterior fall recovery in individuals with chronic stroke, as well as to determine the benefits of fall-recovery training on these outcomes.

Methods: This was a single-group intervention study of 13 individuals with chronic stroke. Participants performed up to six training sessions, each including progressively challenging, treadmill-induced perturbations from a standing position.

Relationships of Linear and Non-linear Measurements of Post-stroke Walking Activity and Their Relationship to Weather.

Stroke survivors are more sedentary than the general public. Previous research on stroke activity focuses on linear quantities. Non-linear measures, such as Jensen-Shannon Divergence and Lempel-Ziv Complexity, may help explain when and how stroke survivors move so that interventions to increase activity may be designed more effectively.