The influence of menstrual cycle phase on isokinetic knee flexor and extensor strength in female soccer players: a pilot study.

The prevalence of anterior cruciate ligament injury in female soccer players has been attributed to hormonal fluctuations during the menstrual cycle (MC), with injury incidence greatest during the follicular phase. Eight, eumenorrheic, collegiate soccer players (19.5 ± 0.

A generic approach to developing human factors-quality assessment tools exemplified by the warehouse error prevention tool.

This study proposes a generic approach for creating human factors-based assessment tools to enhance operational system quality by reducing errors. The approach was driven by experiences and lessons learned in creating the warehouse error prevention (WEP) tool and other system engineering tools. The generic approach consists of 1) identifying tool objectives, 2) identifying system failure modes, 3) specifying design-related quality risk factors for each failure mode, 4) designing the tool, 5) conducting user evaluations, and 6) validating the tool.

Reduced Thalamic γ-Aminobutyric Acid (GABA) in Painless but Not Painful Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy.

Alterations in the structure, function, and microcirculation of the thalamus, a key brain region involved in pain pathways, have previously been demonstrated in patients with painless and painful diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN). However, thalamic neurotransmitter levels including γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) (inhibitory neurotransmitter) and glutamate (excitatory neurotransmitter) in different DPN phenotypes are not known. We performed a magnetic resonance spectroscopy study and quantified GABA and glutamate levels within the thalamus, in a carefully characterized cohort of participants with painless and painful DPN.

Post-Activation Performance Enhancement of Punch Force and Neuromuscular Performance in Amateur Boxing: Toward a More Individualized and "Real-World" Approach.

Finlay, MJ, Greig, M, Bridge, CA, and Page, RM. Post-activation performance enhancement of punch force and neuromuscular performance in amateur boxing: Toward a more individualized and "real-world" approach. J Strength Cond Res 38(6): 1063-1071, 2024-Previous research on post-activation performance enhancement has been applied in several sporting settings, although this is lacking in a boxing setting.

The mechanical response to hockey-specific running gait: implications for the objective monitoring of (p)rehabilitation.

Field hockey is characterized by a unique dribbling position which has been associated with a prevalence of low back pain and lumbar injury. To quantify the biomechanical response of the hockey-specific running gait, twelve field hockey players completed treadmill running at speeds of 6, 9 and 12 km·hr with a normal running gait and whilst manipulating the hockey stick to replicate dribbling. Mechanical loading was quantified using tri-axial accelerometery at L4, and muscular activity was measured for biceps femoris (BF), gluteus medius (GM) and quadratus lumborum (QL) of each limb.

Integrating Internal Fragments in the Interpretation of Top-Down Sequencing Data of Larger Oligonucleotides.

In the context of direct top-down analysis or concerted bottom-up characterization of nucleic acid samples, the waning yield of terminal fragments as a function of precursor ion size poses a significant challenge to the gas-phase sequencing of progressively larger oligonucleotides. In this report, we examined the behavior of oligoribonucleotide samples ranging from 20 to 364 nt upon collision-induced dissociation (CID). The experimental data showed a progressive shift from terminal to internal fragments as a function of size.

Exploring the issue of 'functionality' in isokinetic dynamometry.

Strength is a primary and modifiable contributor to performance, injury risk, and rehabilitative success. The gold standard measure of strength is the isokinetic dynamometer, providing the clinician with the opportunity to manipulate contraction modality, range, and speed about a joint. However, criticism has highlighted a lack of functional relevance, with arbitrary selection of speed across the full range.

Use of Analog and Human Insulin in a European Hemodialysis Cohort With Type 2 Diabetes: Associations With Mortality, Hospitalization, MACE, and Hypoglycemia.

Rationale & Objective: Poor glycemic control may contribute to the high mortality rate in patients with type 2 diabetes receiving hemodialysis. Insulin type may influence glycemic control, and its choice may be an opportunity to improve outcomes. This study assessed whether treatment with analog insulin compared with human insulin is associated with different outcomes in people with type 2 diabetes and kidney failure receiving hemodialysis.

Computer simulation as a macroergonomic approach to assessing nurse workload and biomechanics related to COVID-19 patient care.

This study uses Digital Human Modelling (DHM) and Discrete Event Simulation (DES) to examine how caring for COVID-19-positive (C+) patients affects nurses' workload and care-quality. DHM inputs include: nurse anthropometrics, task postures, and hand forces. DES inputs include: unit-layout, patient care data, COVID-19 status & impact on tasks, and task execution-logic.

Test-retest reliability and sensitivity of senior elite amateur boxers maximal punch force, as quantified by a vertically mounted force plate.

An ecologically valid, reliable and sensitive method of quantifying punch force variables would be useful for coaches and practitioners monitoring combat-specific performance. The present study utilised a vertically mounted force plate to quantify the peak punch force and rate of force development (RFD) of amateur boxers. Ten male senior elite amateur boxers performed maximal jab, cross, and hook punches across two separate days.

The gait abnormality index: A summary metric for three-dimensional gait analysis.

Background: This paper proposes an easy to calculate and adaptable summary gait metric, the Gait Abnormality Index (GAI), which is capable of simultaneously including kinematic and kinetic data, overcoming a key limitation of existing metrics.

Research Question: To determine the validity, reliability and sensitivity of the GAI.

Methods: The GAI is calculated by averaging Gait Abnormality Scores, which are normalised distance metrics used to describe the deviation of pathological gait data from that of healthy controls.

Tri-axial loading response to anti-gravity running highlights movement strategy compensations during knee injury rehabilitation of a professional soccer player.

Anti-gravity treadmills have been used in rehabilitation to manipulate exposure to loading and to prescribe return to outside running. Analysis is typically restricted to the vertical plane, but tri-axial accelerometry facilitates multi-planar analysis with relevance to injury mechanism. In this case a professional male soccer player, 4 weeks post-operative surgery to repair a medial meniscectomy, 8 months after Anterior Cruciate Ligament reconstruction to the same knee, completed anti-gravity treadmill running at 70-95% bodyweight (BW) at 5% increments.

The Development of a Return to Performance Pathway Involving A Professional Soccer Player Returning From A Multi-Structural Knee Injury: A Case Report.

Unlabelled: This case report describes a male professional soccer player returning to match play (English Championship League) following a medial meniscectomy that occurred during the course of rehabilitation after Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) reconstruction. The player underwent a medial meniscectomy eight months into an ACL rehabilitation program and following 10 weeks of rehabilitation successfully returned to competitive first team match play. This report outlines description of the pathology, the rehabilitation progressions, and the sports specific performance requirements of the player as they progressed through the return to performance pathway (RTP).

Preservation of thalamic neuronal function may be a prerequisite for pain perception in diabetic neuropathy: A magnetic resonance spectroscopy study.

Introduction: In this study, we used proton Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (1H-MRS) to determine the neuronal function in the thalamus and primary somatosensory (S1) cortex in different subgroups of DPN, including subclinical- and painful-DPN.

Method: One-hundred and ten people with type 1 diabetes [20 without DPN (no-DPN); 30 with subclinical-DPN; 30 with painful-DPN; and 30 with painless-DPN] and 20 healthy volunteers, all of whom were right-handed men, were recruited and underwent detailed clinical and neurophysiological assessments. Participants underwent Magnetic Resonance Imaging at 1.

Examining human factors and ergonomics aspects in a manufacturing organisation's metrics system: measuring up to stakeholder needs.

This research examines the status of human factors and ergonomics (HF/E) metrics in the case context of product realisation in an electronics manufacturing company. Interactions with 100+ stakeholders over a five year period were thematically analysed for metrics-related views and content. A disconnect between engineering metrics and HF/E metrics was evident.

Antiretroviral APOBEC3 cytidine deaminases alter HIV-1 provirus integration site profiles.

APOBEC3 (A3) proteins are host-encoded deoxycytidine deaminases that provide an innate immune barrier to retroviral infection, notably against HIV-1. Low levels of deamination are believed to contribute to the genetic evolution of HIV-1, while intense catalytic activity of these proteins can induce catastrophic hypermutation in proviral DNA leading to near-total HIV-1 restriction. So far, little is known about how A3 cytosine deaminases might impact HIV-1 proviral DNA integration sites in human chromosomal DNA.

Modelling the impacts of COVID-19 on nurse workload and quality of care using process simulation.

Higher acuity levels in COVID-19 patients and increased infection prevention and control routines have increased the work demands on nurses. To understand and quantify these changes, discrete event simulation (DES) was used to quantify the effects of varying the number of COVID-19 patient assignments on nurse workload and quality of care. Model testing was based on the usual nurse-patient ratio of 1:5 while varying the number of COVID-19 positive patients from 0 to 5.

Postactivation Performance Enhancement of Amateur Boxers' Punch Force and Neuromuscular Performance Following 2 Upper-Body Conditioning Activities.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to assess the efficacy of upper-body punch-specific isometric (ISO) and elastic resistance (ER) conditioning activities (CAs) on the punch force and neuromuscular performance of amateur boxers.

Methods: Ten male senior elite amateur boxers (19.7 [1.

Developing a simulation tool to quantify biomechanical load and quality of care in nursing.

Nursing is a high musculoskeletal disorder (MSD) risk job with high workload demands. This study combines Digital Human Modelling (DHM) and Discrete Event Simulation (DES) to address the need for tools to better manage MSD risk. This novel approach quantifies physical-workload, work-performance, and quality-of-care, in response to varying geographical patient-bed assignments, patient-acuity levels, and nurse-patient ratios.

Adaptability, Interdisciplinarity, Engageability: Critical Reflections on Green Social Work Teaching and Training.

The upward tendencies of global climate change, disasters, and other diverse crises have been urgently calling for green social work (GSW) interventions which engage a holistic approach to explore diverse societal dimensions' compounded influences on inhabitants' individual and collective health and well-being in disaster settings. Though globally gaining more attention, GSW has been slow to develop in the Canadian social work curriculum and professional training. This deficit jeopardizes integrating environmental and climate justice and sustainability in social work research and practice in Canada.

A low-volume Nordic hamstring curl programme improves change of direction ability, despite no architectural, strength or speed adaptations in elite youth soccer players.

Nordic hamstring curls (NHC) are a commonly used injury intervention method in amateur team sports. Seventeen elite male academy soccer players performed an 8-week low volume NHC programme. Pre-post intervention measures of isokinetic eccentric knee flexor (KF) strength, linear speed, COD performance, hamstring muscle thickness, pennation angle and fascicle length were recorded.

The influence of isokinetic dynamometer configuration on eccentric hamstring strength metrics: implications for testing and training.

Isokinetic dynamometry is the clinical gold standard for strength assessment but testing protocols and outcome metrics can lack functional relevance. To quantify the influence of dynamometer configuration on eccentric hamstring strength metrics, 23 trained participants completed isokinetic eccentric knee flexor trials at 180°·s in a seated and extended hip position. The extended position elicited a greater peak torque (P = 0.

Peak instantaneous PlayerLoad metrics highlight movement strategy deficits in professional male soccer players.

To investigate the influence of task, limb dominance and previous injury on single leg hop task performance and loading response, 25 professional male soccer players completed anterior, medial and lateral hop tests with an accelerometer at mid-calf. Performance outcome was defined as hop distance with loading response defined as the magnitude of, and time to peak instantaneous planar PlayerLoad. The performance was sensitive to task and previous injury (P < 0.

The influence of angle-specific torque of the knee flexors and extensors on the angle-specific dynamic control ratio in professional female soccer players.

The purpose of this study was to assess whether dynamic torque ratios (DCR) from isokinetic strength assessments of eccentric knee flexors (eccKF) and concentric knee extensors (conKE) display differences when stratified into specific angle-specific DCR (DCR) groups. Fifty-two professional female soccer players (age 21.30 ± 4.