Antagonism of 5-HT receptors attenuates self-sustained firing of human motor units.

5-HT receptors on motoneurones play a critical role in facilitating persistent inward currents (PICs). Although facilitation of PICs can enhance self-sustained firing after periods of excitation, the relationship between 5-HT receptor activity and self-sustained firing in human motor units (MUs) has not been resolved. MU activity was assessed from the tibialis anterior of 10 healthy adults (24.

Deep phenotyping of post-infectious myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome.

Post-infectious myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (PI-ME/CFS) is a disabling disorder, yet the clinical phenotype is poorly defined, the pathophysiology is unknown, and no disease-modifying treatments are available. We used rigorous criteria to recruit PI-ME/CFS participants with matched controls to conduct deep phenotyping. Among the many physical and cognitive complaints, one defining feature of PI-ME/CFS was an alteration of effort preference, rather than physical or central fatigue, due to dysfunction of integrative brain regions potentially associated with central catechol pathway dysregulation, with consequences on autonomic functioning and physical conditioning.

Personal Workplace Relationships: Unifying an Understudied Area of Organizational and Personal Life.

Relationships that cross the work-life domain have long been of interest to scholars in multiple disciplines, including Communication, Management, and Psychology. Close relationships that span work-life borders are called . Personal workplace relationships are voluntary informal relationships between two members of the same organization.

ACTIVE STRIDES-CP: protocol for a randomised trial of intensive rehabilitation (combined intensive gait and cycling training) for children with moderate-to-severe bilateral cerebral palsy.

Introduction: For children with cerebral palsy (CP), who are marginally ambulant, gross motor capacity peaks between 6 and 7 years of age with a subsequent clinical decline, impacting their ability to engage in physical activity. Active Strides-CP is a novel package of physiotherapy targeting body functions, activity and participation outcomes for children with bilateral CP. This study will compare Active Strides-CP to usual care in a multisite randomised waitlist-controlled trial.

Blockade of 5-HT receptors suppresses motor unit firing and estimates of persistent inward currents during voluntary muscle contraction in humans.

Serotonergic neuromodulation contributes to enhanced voluntary muscle activation. However, it is not known how the likely motoneurone receptor candidate (5-HT ) influences the firing rate and activation threshold of motor units (MUs) in humans. The purpose of this study was to determine whether 5-HT receptor activity contributes to human MU behaviour during voluntary ramped contractions of differing intensity.

Maintenance of Functional Gains Following a Goal-Directed and FES-Assisted Cycling Program for Children With Cerebral Palsy.

Purpose: This study investigated whether the functional improvements associated with functional electrical stimulation-assisted cycling, goal-directed training, and adapted cycling in children with cerebral palsy were maintained 8 weeks after the intervention ceased.

Methods: The intervention (2 × 1-hour supervised sessions and 1-hour home program/week) ran for 8 weeks. Primary outcomes were the Gross Motor Function Measure (GMFM-88) and the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM).

Kinematic differences in the presentation of recurrent congenital talipes equinovarus (clubfoot).

Background: The tibialis anterior tendon transfer (TATT) is the suggested surgical intervention in the Ponseti method for treatment of dynamic recurrent congenital talipes equinovarus (clubfoot) presenting as hindfoot varus and forefoot supination during the swing phase of gait. The indication for surgery, however, is typically based on visual assessment, which does not sufficiently examine the variability of foot motion in this cohort.

Research Question: The aim of this research was to determine whether subgroups, based on foot model kinematics, existed within a clubfoot cohort being considered for TATT surgery.

Blockade of 5-HT receptors suppresses rate of torque development and motor unit discharge rate during rapid contractions.

Serotonin (5-HT) is a neuromodulator that is critical for regulating the excitability of spinal motoneurons and the generation of muscle torque. However, the role of 5-HT in modulating human motor unit activity during rapid contractions has yet to be assessed. Nine healthy participants (23.

Time to Be Negative About Acceleration: A Spotlight on Female Football Players.

Griffin, J, Horan, S, Keogh, J, Andreatta, M, and Minahan, C. Time to be negative about acceleration: A spotlight on female football players. J Strength Cond Res 36(11): 3264-3271, 2022-Women's football requires players to perform frequent changes in velocity (i.

Plantar load transfer in children: a descriptive study with two pathological case studies.

Background: Typical gait is often considered to be highly symmetrical, with gait asymmetries typically associated with pathological gait. Whilst gait symmetry is often expressed in symmetry ratios, measures of symmetry do not provide insight into how these asymmetries affect gait variables. To fully understand changes caused by gait asymmetry, we must first develop a normative database for comparison.

Lower limb kinematics of single-leg squat performance in patients with anterior cruciate ligament deficiency.

[Purpose] This study investigated the parameters that characterize the knee, hip, and pelvic kinematics during a single-leg squat in preoperative anterior cruciate ligament rupture injury. [Participants and Methods] Overall, 15 patients with unilateral anterior cruciate ligament deficiency were enrolled in this study. For each single-leg squat, data from two-dimensional video cameras and three-dimensional motion analysis were collected.

Acceleration and High-Speed Running Profiles of Women's International and Domestic Football Matches.

Acceleration and deceleration are important given football is an intermittent sport with constant changes in velocity and direction. It is unclear, however, if the accelerations and decelerations performed by players differ between competition levels. The aim of the present study was to compare the acceleration, deceleration, and high-speed running profiles of players during international and domestic matches and to determine if differences were apparent across playing positions (defenders, midfielders, and attackers).

Dynamic muscle-tendon length following zone 2 calf lengthening surgery in two populations with equinus gait: Idiopathic Toe Walkers and Cerebral Palsy.

Background: Two populations commonly presenting with equinus gait are Idiopathic Toe-Walkers and children with Cerebral Palsy. Surgical intervention to treat equinus is defined by three zones. Zone three surgery, performed at the Achilles tendon, is most commonly used clinically.

A qualitative analysis of the experiences of children with cerebral palsy and their caregivers in a goal-directed cycling programme.

Purpose: This qualitative thematic analysis aimed to capture the experiences of children with cerebral palsy (CP) and caregivers who completed an 8-week goal-directed cycling programme, to provide insights on engagement and programme feasibility.

Methods: Children with CP (6-18 years, Gross Motor Function Classification Scale (GMFCS) levels II-IV) and caregivers completed semi-structured interviews at the end of the training programme. Interview transcripts were coded by two investigators and systematically organised into themes.

Functional electrical stimulation cycling, goal-directed training, and adapted cycling for children with cerebral palsy: a randomized controlled trial.

Aim: To test the efficacy of functional electrical stimulation (FES) cycling, goal-directed training, and adapted cycling, compared with usual care, to improve function in children with cerebral palsy (CP).

Method: The intervention was delivered between 2017 and 2019 and included three sessions per week for 8 weeks (2×1h sessions at a children's hospital, and 1h home programme/week). Hospital sessions included 30 minutes of FES cycling and 30 minutes of goal-directed training.

Why Family Communication Matters: the Role of Co-rumination and Topic Avoidance in Understanding Post-Disaster Mental Health.

Although families can be a source of support post-disaster, depending on how they communicate about their stress, their attempts at support can be helpful or harmful. This study explored the moderating role of topic avoidance and co-rumination on post-disaster mental health (MH) in a sample of 485 parent-child dyads following severe floods affecting Texas. Parents (69.

Contextual factors influencing the characteristics of female football players.

Women's football participation rates are projected to increase to 60 million worldwide by 2026, doubling the current participation. Growing investment and the increase in research in women's football has had a positive effect on the level of performance over the last 10 years. The present review aimed to examine the literature on the physical and physiological characteristics of female football players from 2010 to 2019 to reflect the recent changes in professionalism.

Machine learning to quantify habitual physical activity in children with cerebral palsy.

Aim: To investigate whether activity-monitors and machine learning models could provide accurate information about physical activity performed by children and adolescents with cerebral palsy (CP) who use mobility aids for ambulation.

Method: Eleven participants (mean age 11y [SD 3y]; six females, five males) classified in Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) levels III and IV, completed six physical activity trials wearing a tri-axial accelerometer on the wrist, hip, and thigh. Trials included supine rest, upper-limb task, walking, wheelchair propulsion, and cycling.

Women's Football: An Examination of Factors That Influence Movement Patterns.

Griffin, J, Larsen, B, Horan, S, Keogh, J, Dodd, K, Andretta, M, and Minahan, C. Title: Women's football: An examination of factors that influence movement patterns. J Strength Cond Res 34(8): 2384-2393, 2020-The popularity and professionalism of women's football has increased in conjunction with participation rates over the last 10 years, with projected female participation rates to double worldwide by 2026.

The effect of replacing 1 week of content teaching with an intensive simulation-based learning activity on physiotherapy student clinical placement performance.

Background: Simulation-based learning (SBL) activities are increasingly used to replace or supplement clinical placements for physiotherapy students. There is limited literature evaluating SBL activities that replace on-campus teaching, and to our knowledge, no studies evaluate the role of SBL in counteracting the negative impact of delay between content teaching and clinical placements. The aims of this study were to (i) determine the effect on clinical placement performance of replacing 1 week of content teaching with a SBL activity and (ii) determine if a delay between content teaching and clinical placement impacted clinical placement performance.

Deceptive Affectionate Messages: Mate Retention Deployed Under the Threat of Partner Infidelity.

Deceptive affectionate messages (DAMs) have been proposed to act as relational maintenance techniques and, as such, might be part of a greater repertoire of mate retention behaviors. We analyzed data from 1,993 Mechanical Turk participants to examine the relations between DAMs and mate retention, and whether these relations were mediated by the perceived risk of partner infidelity. In line with predictions, frequency of DAMs positively predicted general mate retention and cost-inflicting mate retention through the perceived risk of partner infidelity.

Effects of a training programme of functional electrical stimulation (FES) powered cycling, recreational cycling and goal-directed exercise training on children with cerebral palsy: a randomised controlled trial protocol.

Introduction: Children with cerebral palsy (CP) experience declines in gross motor ability as they transition from childhood to adolescence, which can result in the loss of ability to perform sit-to-stand transfers, ambulate or participate in leisure activities such as cycling. Functional electrical stimulation (FES) cycling is a novel technology that may provide opportunities for children with CP to strengthen their lower limbs, improve functional independence and increase physical activity participation. The proposed randomised controlled trial will test the efficacy of a training package of FES cycling, adapted cycling and goal-directed functional training to usual care in children with CP who are susceptible to functional declines.

Efficacy of cycling interventions to improve function in children and adolescents with cerebral palsy: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to determine the efficacy of cycling to improve function and reduce activity limitations in children with cerebral palsy; the optimal training parameters for improved function; and whether improvements in function can be retained.

Method: Six databases were searched (until February 2019) and articles were screened in duplicate. Randomized or quasi-randomized controlled trials and pre-post studies were included.

Recovery of layered tissue optical properties from spatial frequency-domain spectroscopy and a deterministic radiative transport solver.

We present a method to recover absorption and reduced scattering spectra for each layer of a two-layer turbid media from spatial frequency-domain spectroscopy data. We focus on systems in which the thickness of the top layer is less than the transport mean free path   (  0.1  -  0.