Joint pain, physical function, and balance self-confidence in acromegaly versus nonfunctioning pituitary adenoma patients.

Context: Patients with acromegaly (PWA) experience balance issues, despite achieving biochemical remission, that may significantly impair their quality of life.

Objective: We sought to assess the prevalence of falls and balance self-confidence in PWA in comparison with a control group. Furthermore, we investigated the effect of joint pain and function as predictors for their balance self-confidence.

Effect of travel direction and wheelchair position on the ease of a caregiver getting an occupied wheelchair across a soft surface: a randomized crossover trial.

Purpose: To test the hypotheses that, in comparison with pushing an occupied upright manual wheelchair forward, pulling backward on the push-handles improves the objective and subjective ease with which a caregiver can get the wheelchair across a soft surface (e.g., grass, mud, sand, gravel); and the ease with which a caregiver can get the wheelchair across a soft surface improves if the wheelchair is tipped back into the wheelie position.

The validation of a low-cost inertial measurement unit system to quantify simple and complex upper-limb joint angles.

The purpose of this research was to validate the use of a low-cost IMU system to measure upper-limb joint angles by comparing it to passive optical motion capture measures. Fifteen participants (five females; 25.9 ± 4.

Pacing strategies and relationships between speed and stroke parameters for elite sprint kayakers in single boats.

The study aimed to determine the pacing strategies of elite single-boat sprint kayakers, as well as the relationships between stroke parameters (stroke rate (SR) and stroke length (SL)) and kayak speed throughout the race. High-resolution split speed and stroke parameter data from men's (MK1) and women's (WK1) single-boat A- and B-finals in 2016-2017 international sprint kayak competitions were analysed. Correlation coefficients were calculated between SR-speed and SL-speed during each split for each race group.

Using principal component analysis to investigate pacing strategies in elite international canoe kayak sprint races.

The aim of this research was to use principal component analysis (PCA) to investigate the current pacing strategies of elite canoe kayak sprint athletes and to determine if there are differences in pacing patterns between medallists and non-medallists at major international competitions. Velocity data collected using global positioning systems (GPS) from all a-finals of major international competitions in 2016-2017 (including canoe and kayak, single and crew boat, and male and female) were downloaded from the International Canoe Federation's website. Data were normalised by the average velocity within each race and organised by race distance.

Using the Portapres for the measurement of toe arterial blood pressure during movement: is it valid and reliable?

The aim of the study was to assess the validity and reliability of using the Portapres to measure toe blood pressure during rest and exercise. Construct validity, concurrent validity, and interday reliability were assessed by measuring toe (Portapres) and brachial blood pressure in 16 nondisabled participants on consecutive days. Construct validity was assessed by pedaling on a cycle ergometer (6 revolutions per minute) and comparing the measured toe blood pressure to an estimated value based on orthostatic factors.

Electrochemical red-ox therapy of prostate cancer in nude mice.

Minimally invasive therapies are increasingly in demand for organ-confined prostate tumors. Electrochemical therapy (EChT) is attractive, as it relies on locally-induced reduction-oxidation reactions to kill tumor cells. Its efficacy for prostate cancer was assessed in human PC-3 and LNCaP tumor xenografts growing subcutaneously in nude mice (n = 80) by applying 2 Stainless Steel vs.

Kinematic adaptations of spinal cord-injured subjects during obstructed walking.

Study Design: A case-control study of walking over obstacles.

Objective: To characterize and compare the kinematic, anticipatory locomotor adjustments used by people with incomplete spinal cord injuries (SCIs).

Methods: The angular and linear kinematics of the lower limb when going over obstacles of low height (0.

The effects of long-term FES-assisted walking on intrinsic and reflex dynamic stiffness in spastic spinal-cord-injured subjects.

The effects of long-term functional electrical stimulation (FES)-assisted walking on ankle dynamic stiffness were examined in spinal cord-injured (SCI) subjects with incomplete motor function loss. A parallel-cascade system identification method was used to identify intrinsic and reflex contributions to dynamic ankle stiffness at different ankle positions while subjects remained relaxed. Intrinsic stiffness dynamics were well modeled by a linear second-order model relating intrinsic torque to joint position.

The effect of locomotor training combined with functional electrical stimulation in chronic spinal cord injured subjects: walking and reflex studies.

With the new developments in traumatology medicine, the majority of spinal cord injuries sustained are clinically incomplete and the proportion is likely to continue to rise. Thus, it is necessary to continue to develop new treatment and rehabilitation strategies and understand the factors that can enhance recovery of walking following spinal cord injury (SCI). One new development is the use of functional electrical stimulation (FES) device to assist locomotion.

Increase in tibialis anterior motor cortex excitability following repetitive electrical stimulation of the common peroneal nerve.

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether repetitive electrical stimulation of the common peroneal nerve (CPN) is associated with changes in the motor response of the tibialis anterior (TA) muscle elicited by focal magnetic stimulation of the motor cortex. Motor evoked potentials (MEP) with a stimulation intensity of 125% of the threshold of the relaxed right TA were obtained before, during, and after repetitive electrical stimulation of the CPN (trains of five pulses of 1 ms, at a frequency of 200 Hz, repeated every second with a 30-min duration). The MEP of the TA muscle elicited after repetitive electrical stimulation were increased by 104% (range: 18-263%), and the increase was maintained for up to 110 min (range: 15-110 min) after the end of nerve stimulation.