Reliability and validity of an app-assisted tissue compliance meter in measuring tissue stiffness on a phantom model.

Background: Most methods for soft tissue stiffness assessment require high financial resources, significant technical effort, or extensive therapist training. The PACT Sense device was developed to be used in a wide range of applications and user groups. However, to date, there are no data on its validity and reliability.

Assessing reliability and validity of different stiffness measurement tools on a multi-layered phantom tissue model.

Changes in the mechanical properties (i.e., stiffness) of soft tissues have been linked to musculoskeletal disorders, pain conditions, and cancer biology, leading to a rising demand for diagnostic methods.

Influence of Rolfing Structural Integration on Active Range of Motion: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Background: Recent work has investigated significant force transmission between the components of myofascial chains. Misalignments in the body due to fascial thickening and shortening can therefore lead to complex compensatory patterns. For the treatment of such nonlinear cause−effect pathology, comprehensive neuromusculoskeletal therapy such as the Rolf Method of Structural Integration (SI) could be targeted.

Expert Consensus on the Contraindications and Cautions of Foam Rolling-An International Delphi Study.

Background: Foam rolling is a type of self-massage using tools such as foam or roller sticks. However, to date, there is no consensus on contraindications and cautions of foam rolling. A methodological approach to narrow that research gap is to obtain reliable opinions of expert groups.

The Stiffness Comparison Test: A pilot study to determine inter-individual differences in palpatory skill related to gender, age, and occupation-related experience.

Background: Manual palpation is a core skill in physical examination. Assessing elastic properties such as tissue stiffness has the potential for being an important diagnostics tool in the detection of cancer and other diseases.

Objective: The study describes the newly developed Stiffness Comparison Test (SCT).

Chromatographic property classification of narrowly distributed ZnS quantum dots.

Although optimized synthesis methods for nanoparticles (NPs) on small scale can lead to narrow particle size distributions (PSDs) and thus defined optical properties, in particular during scale-up, an additional classification step must be applied to adjust the particle properties according to the needs of the later application. NP chromatography is a promising separation method, which can be potentially transferred to preparative and industrial scale. Herein, we demonstrate that remarkable classification of ZnS quantum dots (QDs) with respect to the fundamental band gap energy is achieved by chromatography although the PSD of the feed material is already very narrow (1.

Dose-response relationship between physical activity and mortality in people with non-communicable diseases: a study protocol for the systematic review and meta-analysis of cohort studies.

Introduction: This study protocol outlines our planned systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of postdiagnosis physical activity and mortality in people with non-communicable diseases (NCDs).

Methods And Analysis: This study is based on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis for Protocols. A systematic literature search will be conducted in various databases-namely, PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science-by two researchers in order to identify prospective observational studies that investigate postdiagnosis physical activity or activity-related energy expenditure and mortality in individuals with NCDs.

Labeling exercise fat-burning increases post-exercise food consumption in self-imposed exercisers.

The goal of the study was to determine whether the label given to an exercise bout affects immediate post-exercise food intake. The authors hypothesized that explicitly labeling an exercise bout 'fat-burning' (vs. labeling an exercise bout 'endurance' exercise) would increase post-exercise food intake in individuals who self-impose physical activity, because they are more likely to see the label as signal of activated fat metabolism and license to reward oneself.