Asymmetric changes in foot anthropometry with pregnancy may be related to onset of lower limb and low back pain.

Introduction: Fifty percent of pregnant females experience pain with 20% reporting long-term pain post-partum. Pregnant females undergo changes in foot anthropometry, lower extremity alignment, and joint laxity. It is unknown if asymmetric alterations may be related to development of pain.

Arch Stiffness Does Not Determine Running Economy in Recreational Runners.

The primary purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between foot length, arch stiffness, and running economy in recreational runner at low running velocities. Sixteen trained endurance (age 20.5 ± 0.

Interspecific introgression reveals a role of male genital morphology during the evolution of reproductive isolation in Drosophila.

Rapid divergence in genital structures among nascent species has been posited to be an early-evolving cause of reproductive isolation, although evidence supporting this idea as a widespread phenomenon remains mixed. Using a collection of interspecific introgression lines between two Drosophila species that diverged approximately 240,000 years ago, we tested the hypothesis that even modest divergence in genital morphology can result in substantial fitness losses. We studied the reproductive consequences of variation in the male epandrial posterior lobes between Drosophila mauritiana and Drosophila sechellia and found that divergence in posterior lobe morphology has significant fitness costs on several prefertilization and postcopulatory reproductive measures.

Torso kinematics during gait and trunk anthropometry in pregnant fallers and non-fallers.

Background: Pregnant women experience numerous physiological and biomechanical alterations which may be associated with their increased risk of experiencing a fall. Gait alterations in other populations who fall include increased step width and mediolateral trunk motion. It is not known if pregnant women who have fallen exhibit these alterations.

The Effect of Fatigue on Leg Muscle Activation and Tibial Acceleration During a Jumping Task.

Context: Lower-extremity stress fractures (SFx) are a common occurrence during load-bearing activities of jumping and landing. To detect biomechanical changes during jumping postinjury, a fatigue model could be used.

Objective: To evaluate muscle activation in the lower leg and tibial accelerations (TAs) prefatigue to postfatigue following a jumping task in those with and without a history of SFx.

Resveratrol Enhances Exercise-Induced Cellular and Functional Adaptations of Skeletal Muscle in Older Men and Women.

Older men (n = 12) and women (n = 18) 65-80 years of age completed 12 weeks of exercise and took either a placebo or resveratrol (RSV) (500 mg/d) to test the hypothesis that RSV treatment combined with exercise would increase mitochondrial density, muscle fatigue resistance, and cardiovascular function more than exercise alone. Contrary to our hypothesis, aerobic and resistance exercise coupled with RSV treatment did not reduce cardiovascular risk further than exercise alone. However, exercise added to RSV treatment improved the indices of mitochondrial density, and muscle fatigue resistance more than placebo and exercise treatments.

Feasibility of detecting orthopaedic screw overtightening using acoustic emission.

A preliminary study of acoustic emission during orthopaedic screw fixation was performed using polyurethane foam as the bone-simulating material. Three sets of screws, a dynamic hip screw, a small fragment screw and a large fragment screw, were investigated, monitoring acoustic-emission activity during the screw tightening. In some specimens, screws were deliberately overtightened in order to investigate the feasibility of detecting the stripping torque in advance.

Caliper Method Versus Digital Photogrammetry for Assessing Arch Height Index in Pregnant Women.

Background: Foot anthropometry may be altered during pregnancy. Pregnant women often report lower-extremity pain that may be related to these alterations. The Arch Height Index Measurement System is a common method of foot arch assessment; however, the required calipers are costly and are not widely available.

Validation of Maximal Heart Rate Prediction Equations Based on Sex and Physical Activity Status.

The purpose of the study was to determine if measured maximal heart rate (HR) was affected by sex or aerobic training status, and to determine the accuracy of three common clinical age-prediction maximal heart rate regression equations used to predict HR: · . Fifty-two participants in total, 30 of which were in the active group (15 M, 15 F) and 22 subjects in the sedentary group (9 M, 13 F), within the age range of 18-25 years and with a normal BMI (18.5-24.

Structural characterisation and transdermal delivery studies on sugar microneedles: experimental and finite element modelling analyses.

Dissolving microneedles are especially attractive for transdermal drug delivery as they are associated with improved patient compliance and safety. Furthermore, microneedles made of sugars offer the added benefit of biomolecule stabilisation making them ideal candidates for delivering biological agents such as proteins, peptides and nucleic acids. In this study, we performed experimental and finite element analyses to study the mechanical properties of sugar microneedles and evaluate the effect of sugar composition on microneedle ability to penetrate and deliver drug to the skin.

The pregnant "waddle": an evaluation of torso kinematics in pregnancy.

Unlabelled: Although pregnant women are anecdotally said to "waddle" during gait, researchers have not quantified the kinematics of these gait alterations. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of pregnancy on thoracic and pelvic kinematics during gait.

Methods: Data were collected on 29 pregnant subjects in the mid-second and third trimesters and on 40 control women.

A comparison of prediction equations for the estimation of body fat percentage in non-obese and obese older Caucasian adults in the United States.

Objectives: The predictive capabilities of skinfold regression equations are limited across populations and current equations may not be well suited for the prediction of body fat in older adults or obese Americans. The goal of this study was to compare percent body fat (%BF) predicted by several skinfold regression equations to %BF determined by Dual-Energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DXA) in obese and non-obese Caucasian men and women in the United States over the age of 65 years.

Design: A block design was used with two blocks: obesity (non-obese/obese) and gender (male/female).

Ground reaction forces during stair locomotion in pregnant fallers and non-fallers.

Background: More than 27% of pregnant women fall. Approximately 40% of falls occur during staircase locomotion. The purpose of this study was to examine ground reaction forces in pregnant fallers, pregnant non-fallers, and non-pregnant controls to determine if pregnant fallers display alterations to ground reaction forces that increase their risk of falling on stairs.

Theoretical and experimental indicators of falls during pregnancy as assessed by postural perturbations.

Throughout pregnancy, women experience physical, physiological, and hormonal alterations that are often accompanied by decreased postural control. According to one study, nearly 27% of pregnant women fell while pregnant. This study had two objectives: (1) to characterize the postural responses of pregnant fallers, nonfallers, and controls to surface perturbations, and (2) to develop a mathematical model to gain insights into the postural control strategies of each group.

Ground reaction forces during stair locomotion in pregnancy.

Unlabelled: Pregnant women experience numerous physical alterations during pregnancy which may place them at an increased risk of falls. The purpose of this study was to examine ground reaction forces (GRFs) during staircase locomotion in pregnant and non-pregnant women.

Methods: Data were collected on 29 pregnant women in their second and third trimesters, and on 40 control women.

Competitive athletic participation, thigh muscle strength, and bone density in elite senior athletes and controls.

The relationship between participation in highly competitive exercise, thigh muscle strength, and regional and total body bone mineral density (BMD) in elite senior athletes and healthy elderly controls was investigated. One hundred and four elite senior athletes (age: 72.6 ± 6.

Decreased neuromuscular function in Crohn's disease patients is not associated with low serum vitamin D levels.

Background: Neuromuscular fatigue is a common complaint in Crohn's disease (CD) patients. A correlation between serum vitamin D concentrations and neuromuscular function has been found in the elderly or non-ambulant populations.

Aims: The aim of this study was to determine whether CD patients exhibit impaired neuromuscular function and if so, is there a link between vitamin D and neuromuscular function.

Resistance exercise reduces skeletal muscle cachexia and improves muscle function in rheumatoid arthritis.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic, systemic, autoimmune, inflammatory disease associated with cachexia (reduced muscle and increased fat). Although strength-training exercise has been used in persons with RA, it is not clear if it is effective for reducing cachexia. A 46-year-old woman was studied to determine: (i) if resistance exercise could reverse cachexia by improving muscle mass, fiber cross-sectional area, and muscle function; and (2) if elevated apoptotic signaling was involved in cachexia with RA and could be reduced by resistance training.

Differences in geriatric anthropometric data between DXA-based subject-specific estimates and non-age-specific traditional regression models.

Age, obesity, and gender can have a significant impact on the anthropometrics of adults aged 65 and older. The aim of this study was to investigate differences in body segment parameters derived using two methods: (1) a dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) subject-specific method (Chambers et al., 2010) and (2) traditional regression models (de Leva, 1996).

Ground reaction forces during gait in pregnant fallers and non-fallers.

Unlabelled: Pregnant women are at a high risk of experiencing a fall. To our knowledge, ground reaction forces (GRFs) in pregnant fallers and non-fallers have not been reported.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of pregnancy and fall history on GRFs during walking.

Dynamic postural stability during advancing pregnancy.

Unlabelled: Pregnant women are at an increased risk of experiencing a fall. Numerous anatomical, physiological, and hormonal alterations occur during pregnancy, but the influence of these factors on dynamic postural stability has not been explored. The purpose of this study was to examine dynamic postural stability in pregnant women during their second and third trimesters as well as in a group of non-pregnant control women.

Dynamic postural stability in pregnant fallers and non-fallers.

Objective: To compare dynamic postural stability in pregnant women who have fallen during their pregnancies with those who have not, and with a group of non-pregnant women.

Design: The study was both longitudinal and cross-sectional. A cohort of pregnant women were followed through their second and third trimesters.

The effect of obesity and gender on body segment parameters in older adults.

Background: Anthropometry is a necessary aspect of aging-related research, especially in biomechanics and injury prevention. Little information is available on inertial parameters in the geriatric population that account for gender and obesity effects. The goal of this study was to report body segment parameters in adults aged 65 years and older, and to investigate the impact of aging, gender and obesity.

Thigh muscle strength in senior athletes and healthy controls.

Exercise is commonly recommended to counteract aging-related muscle weakness. While numerous exercise intervention studies on the elderly have been performed, few have included elite senior athletes, such as those who participate in the National Senior Games. The extent to which participation in highly competitive exercise affects muscle strength is unknown, as well as the extent to which such participation mitigates any aging-related strength losses.

A comparison of muscle activations during traditional and abbreviated tennis serves.

The abbreviated tennis serve is a relatively novel modification of the traditional serve that has been reported to provide performance advantages over the traditional technique. However, there are limited objective data regarding the benefits and biomechanics of the abbreviated serve; no data exist that describe shoulder muscle activations during the abbreviated serve. The purpose of this study was to compare muscle activations between the traditional and abbreviated serves.