Diversities in the place of delivery choice: a study among expectant mothers in Ghana.

Background: In this study, the factors that influence the choice of place of delivery among expectant mothers in both rural and urban settings in the northern part of Ghana were identified and compared using the conceptual framework provided by Thaddeus and Maine.

Methods: A mixed-method study was used to examine expectant mothers and their responses related to factors that affect their choice of place of delivery through a concurrent triangulation using health professional interviews and a detailed participant survey. The sample consisted of 552 expectant mothers between the ages of 15 and 49 years.

Predictors of Obesity Among Nigerian Immigrants in the United States.

Obesity is a highly prevalent cardiovascular disease risk factor globally and in African-descent populations. A cross-sectional study of obesity among a Nigerian immigrant sample population in the United States was conducted. Data was obtained through a web-based survey.

Kinematics and kinetics of elite windmill softball pitching.

Background: A significant number of time-loss injuries to the upper extremity in elite windmill softball pitchers has been documented. The number of outings and pitches thrown in 1 week for a softball pitcher is typically far in excess of those seen in baseball pitchers. Shoulder stress in professional baseball pitching has been reported to be high and has been linked to pitching injuries.

Female athlete triad.

Although eating disorders have received much attention over the last few years in athletics, its prevalence was not always well appreciated. Over the years, professional organizations began to pay close attention to the effects of eating disorders, and with this heightened awareness, professionals as well as the general public began to recognize eating disorders as a major problem in our society. In the early 1990s, the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) convened the Task Force on Women's Issues in Seattle, Washington .

Effects of Pronated and Supinated Foot Postures on Static and Dynamic Postural Stability.

Context: The foot is the most distal segment in the lower extremity chain and represents a relatively small base of support on which the body maintains balance (particularly in single-leg stance). Although it seems reasonable that even minor biomechanical alterations in the support surface may influence postural-control strategies, the implications of a hypermobile or hypomobile foot on balance have received little attention to date.Objective: To determine if supinated and pronated foot types influence measures of static and dynamic balance.

Treatment of stress fractures in athletes with intravenous pamidronate.

Objective: To determine if the use of a second-generation biphosphonate, pamidronate, is an effective treatment option for stress fractures in intercollegiate athletes. Pamidronate is successfully used to increase bone mass in patients with Charcot arthropathy and osteoporosis.

Design: Case series.

Patellar tracking during simulated quadriceps contraction.

The current study compared patella tracking during simulated concentric and eccentric quadriceps contractions in 12 knees from cadavers using a three-dimensional electromagnetic tracking system. The patella shifted (translated) and tilted medially during approximately the initial 22 degrees tibiofemoral flexion. The patella then shifted and tilted laterally for the remaining arc of tibiofemoral flexion (90 degrees).

Rotator Cuff Impingement Syndrome in Sports.

In brief Activities such as pitching, swimming, and serving a tennis ball, which involve overhead movement of the arm, can cause pain around the shoulder. Rotator cuff impingement syndrome is confusing for physicians to diagnose, so the physical examination must be done systematically. Young athletes with the syndrome usually have an insidious onset of soreness in the shoulder that becomes more severe if they continue the offending activity.