Performance measures of NCAA baseball tryouts obtained from the new 60-yd run-shuttle.

The ability to accelerate, decelerate, and change directions quickly is a well-known asset to athletic performance. Determination of basic movement skills may be accomplished by timing the athlete's ability to move through a prescribed course. The purpose of this investigation was (a) to describe and compare 4 distinct segments of a new agility test called "JJ Shuttle," and (b) to describe the agility and kinetic factors obtained from young men (age 18-22 years) who were competing for a limited number of positions on the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division II team.

Kinetic energy factors in evaluation of athletes.

It is established that speed and agility are critical attributes of sports performance. Performance timing of runs during agility course testing can be used to estimate acceleration, speed, or quickness. The authors of this research effort also report the energy of motion, or kinetic energy of the athlete, which considers not only the speed but also the mass of the athlete.

The progression of inflammation parallels the dermal angiogenesis in a keratin 14 IL-4-transgenic model of atopic dermatitis.

The role angiogenesis plays in atopic dermatitis is not well understood. The authors previously demonstrated ultrastructurally dermal microvascular angiogenesis in the IL-4-transgenic mouse model of atopic dermatitis. Here, they determine the angiogenic factors involved in dermal microvascular angiogenesis, regulatory function of inflammatory cytokines on the VEGF-A production, and microvascular permeability in this model.

Targeting TNFalpha rapidly reduces density of dendritic cells and macrophages in psoriatic plaques with restoration of epidermal keratinocyte differentiation.

Background: The cytokine network theory for psoriasis postulates a key role for TNFalpha in mediating inflammation and altered epidermal differentiation.

Objective: This study defines responses following administration of adalimumab, a TNFalpha inhibitor, in pre-psoriatic skin (PN) and lesional psoriatic plaques (PP) skin.

Methods: PN and PP skin before and after treatment were biopsied at days 2, 7, 28 and 84 (n=6 different patients).

Lessons learned from psoriatic plaques concerning mechanisms of tissue repair, remodeling, and inflammation.

Following injury, skin establishes a balance between too little inflammation increasing risk of infection, and excessive inflammation contributing to delayed wound healing and scarring. Mounting evidence indicates both initiation and termination of inflammation involve active mechanisms. Not only does inflammation itself seem to be a paradox because inflammatory responses are both essential and potentially detrimental, but one chronic inflammatory skin disease (e.