Gluteal muscle activation during rehabilitation exercises in female field hockey players.

Background: Field hockey, a team sport played by both men and women at both recreational and professional levels, requires maintaining a forward flexed posture putting stress on the lumbar spine. Hence, it is necessary to assess the muscles supporting the lumbar spine, especially those surrounding the hip, to inform strengthening exercises for this population.

Objectives: To establish the best body weight rehabilitation exercises shown to produce high muscle activation (≥ 61%MVIC - maximal voluntary isometric contraction) for both the gluteus maximus (Gmax) and medius (Gmed) muscles.

A robust method for the assessment of average bioequivalence in the presence of outliers and skewness.

Purpose: In this paper, we propose a robust Bayesian method for the assessment of average bioequivalence based on data from conventional crossover studies. We evaluate and motivate empirically the need for robust methods in bioequivalence studies by comparing the results of robust and conventional statistical methods in a large data pool of bioequivalence studies.

Methods: Robustness of the statistical methodology is achieved by replacing the normal distributions for residuals in the linear mixed model with skew-t distributions.

The relationship between core stability and athletic performance in female university athletes.

Background: Questions remain as to whether core stability represents single or multiple components, how to assess core stability, and if a relationship exists with athletic performance in different sporting codes.

Objectives: To investigate the relationship between core stability and athletic performance in female university athletes.

Methods: Eighty-three female athletes (hockey, netball, running, soccer and tennis) participated in this quantitative, cross-sectional study.

Morphological and skill-related fitness components as potential predictors of injury in elite netball players: A cohort study.

Background: A limited number of studies on the epidemiology of injuries and fitness profiles of netball players in South Africa have been conducted, but no research on the potential morphological and skill-related fitness predictors of injuries could be located.

Objectives: We investigated whether morphological or skill-related factors measured in the pre-season could predict injuries sustained in-season.

Method: In our cohort study, 77 under-18 (U18), U19, U21 and senior elite netball players underwent pre-season testing including anthropometry, balance, flexibility, explosive power, upper and lower body strength, core strength, speed and agility testing.

Selected wetland soil properties correlate to Rift Valley fever livestock mortalities reported in 2009-10 in central South Africa.

Outbreaks of Rift Valley fever have devastating impacts on ruminants, humans, as well as on regional and national economies. Although numerous studies on the impact and outbreak of Rift Valley fever exist, relatively little is known about the role of environmental factors, especially soil, on the aestivation of the virus. This study thus selected 22 sites for study in central South Africa, known to be the recurrent epicenter of widespread Rift Valley fever outbreaks in Southern Africa.