Association of Bone Mineral Measurements With Peak Impact and Sport-Specific Muscle Loads in Elite Youth Artistic Swimmers.

Purpose: Bone mineral measurements and their association with peak impact and sport-specific, persistent muscle loads were examined in 10 elite artistic swimmers age 15-19 years.

Methods: Bone mineral density (BMD) and bone mineral content (BMC) of total body, total body less head, spine, and dominant and nondominant limbs were assessed by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Peak ground-reaction forces of 2 dry jumps (countermovement jump and frog jump) were measured on a force plate.

Relative Age Effect for Different Playing Positions in Adolescent Female Volleyball Players.

Understanding the Relative Age Effect (RAE) in female volleyball can provide a deeper insight into potential developmental advantages and selection biases between playing positions and volleyball-related performance characteristics. This study aimed to investigate the occurrence of the RAE in adolescent female volleyball players according to the playing position and the possible differences in anthropometric and performance characteristics between the relative age groups. The study involved 193 young female volleyball players from 12 different regions and 108 sports clubs from all over Greece, with an average age of 14.

Assessment of Hip and Lumbar Spine Range of Motion After Total Hip Arthroplasty Using a Single Camera Markerless System.

Background: Total hip arthroplasty (THA) is one of the most cost-effective and successful procedures in orthopedics. However, assessing the post-operative range of motion (ROM) remains a challenge due to the limitations of traditional measurement methods. This study aimed to evaluate hip and spine ROM post-operatively and single-leg balance, using a single-camera markerless motion capture system, and compare outcomes with pre-operative ROM and with an age-matched healthy control group.

Liposomes against Alzheimer's Disease: Current Research and Future Prospects.

Alzheimer's disease, the most common neurodegenerative disease, affects more than 60 million people worldwide, a number that is estimated to double by 2050. Alzheimer's disease is characterized by progressive memory loss, the impairment of behavior, and mood changes, as well as the disturbed daily routine of the patient. Although there are some active molecules that can be beneficial by halting the progression of the disease, the blood-brain barrier and other physiological barriers hinder their delivery and, consequently, the appropriate management of the disease.

Cross-cultural adaptation, reliability and validity of the Greek version of the Spinal Appearance Questionnaire (SAQ) in patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis.

Purpose: The Spinal Appearance Questionnaire (SAQ) is a widely validated tool for assessing perceptions of spinal deformity in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) patients. This study aimed to develop and validate a Greek version of the SAQ (GR-SAQ).

Methods: A cross-cultural adaptation of the SAQ following international guidelines was performed.

Ηand dexterities assessment in stroke patients based on augmented reality and machine learning through a box and block test.

A popular and widely suggested measure for assessing unilateral hand motor skills in stroke patients is the box and block test (BBT). Our study aimed to create an augmented reality enhanced version of the BBT (AR-BBT) and evaluate its correlation to the original BBT for stroke patients. Following G-power analysis, clinical examination, and inclusion-exclusion criteria, 31 stroke patients were included in this study.

Excessive Knee Internal Rotation during Grand Plié in Classical Ballet Female Dancers.

Classical ballet dancers are exposed daily to physically demanding movements. Among these, the Grand Plié stands out for its biomechanical complexity, particularly the stress applied to the knee joint. This study investigates the knee kinematics of healthy professional classical ballet dancers performing the Grand Plié.

Unraveling the "golden ratio": a pilot study investigating acute-to-chronic workload ratio in breast cancer patients undergoing active treatment.

Training load monitoring is a common practice in sports medicine for supporting athletes' health and performance. Despite progress in exercise oncology research for breast cancer patients, training load monitoring is underutilized. This study retrospectively investigated the relationship between maintained training load within a defined range and physical and health outcomes of ten breast cancer patients during active anticancer treatment who underwent a 12-week exercise program.

Pre- and Postoperative Exercise Effectiveness in Mobility, Hemostatic Balance, and Prognostic Biomarkers in Hip Fracture Patients: A Study Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial.

Hip fractures are a major health concern, particularly for older adults, as they can reduce life quality, mobility loss, and even death. Current evidence reveals that early intervention is recommended for endurance in patients with hip fractures. To our knowledge, preoperative exercise intervention in patients with hip fractures remains poorly researched, and no study has yet applied aerobic exercise preoperatively.

The Acute and Chronic Effects of Resistance and Aerobic Exercise in Hemostatic Balance: A Brief Review.

Hemostatic balance refers to the dynamic balance between blood clot formation (coagulation), blood clot dissolution (fibrinolysis), anticoagulation, and innate immunity. Although regular habitual exercise may lower the incidence of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) by improving an individual's hemostatic profile at rest and during exertion, vigorous exercise may increase the risk of sudden cardiac death and venous thromboembolism (VTE). This literature review aims to investigate the hemostatic system's acute and chronic adaptive responses to different types of exercise in healthy and patient populations.

Lumbar Kinematics Assessment of Patients with Chronic Low Back Pain in Three Bridge Tests Using Miniaturized Sensors.

Lumbar muscle atrophy, diminished strength, stamina, and increased fatigability have been associated with chronic nonspecific low back pain (LBP). When evaluating patients with LBP, trunk or core stability, provided by the performance and coordination of trunk muscles, appears to be essential. Several clinical tests have been developed to identify deficiencies in trunk performance, demonstrating high levels of validity and reproducibility.

How Minimally Invasive Treatments Can Render a Subsequent Face Lift More Difficult.

Background: Minimally invasive antiaging procedures are often misused or overused, creating difficulties when the patient later decides to have a face lift. The goal of this study was to examine the most common problems that the senior author (G.S.

The Correlation Between the Strength of the Shoulder and Trunk Muscular Systems in Elite Adolescent Water Polo Athletes.

Introduction Water polo is a competitive team sport played in the water between two teams of seven players each. Water polo players must have swimming speed, strong abdominal and back muscles, and strong shoulder muscles to cope with this sport's special conditions. In this study, we investigate the possible association of shoulder and trunk muscle systems in adolescent water polo athletes of high demands.

The Impact of Obesity on the Fitness Performance of School-Aged Children Living in Rural Areas-The West Attica Project.

This study aimed to investigate the relationship of body mass index (BMI) with muscle and cardiorespiratory fitness in children living within rural areas (regional unit of West Attica) in Greece. Participants included 399 students (187 boys, 212 girls), ages 8-12 years old, and were evaluated in physical performance tests. The point prevalence of overweight and obesity was 21.

Effect of a home-based exercise training program on anthropometric characteristics and exercise performance during Covid-19 quarantine in young high-level kayak athletes.

Purpose: The Covid-19 restriction exposed most athletes to insufficient training stimuli leading to detraining. This study investigated whether a home-based exercise training program could preserve body composition and exercise performance in young high-level kayak athletes during Covid-19 restriction.

Methods: Seventeen healthy young high-level kayak athletes (10 males and 7 females), aged 14.

Evaluation of Live Surgery Meetings: Our Experience with the "Live Makeover Aesthetic Surgery Symposium".

Unlabelled: Live Surgery Meetings have been established as a vey effective means to demonstrate certain surgical techniques and intraoperative decision-making. However, many authors still question the ethics of this approach. We present our experience as organizers of the Live Makeover Aesthetic Surgery Symposium, an annual international live surgery meeting taking place in Athens, Greece.

Revision and Secondary Facelift: Problems Frequently Encountered.

Unlabelled: Revision facelift is a very challenging operation. The goal of our study was to examine the most common problems that the facelift surgeon has to face in a revision case and to suggest ways of solving them.

Methods: A review of all patients from 2012 to 2017 in whom rhytidectomy was performed by the senior author was conducted.

An extensive case study on the dispersion parameters of HI-assisted reduced graphene oxide and its graphene oxide precursor.

The formation of highly concentrated and stable graphene derivatives dispersions remains a challenge towards their exploitation in various applications, including flexible optoelectronics, photovoltaics, 3D-printing, and biomedicine. Here, we demonstrate our extensive investigation on the dispersibility of graphene oxide (GO) and reduced graphene oxide (RGO) in 25 different solvents, without the use of any surfactant or stabilizer. Although there is a significant amount of work covering the general field, this is the first report on the dispersibility of: a) RGO prepared by a HI/AcOH assisted reduction process, the method which yields RGO of higher graphitization degree than the other well-known reductants met in the literature, b) both GO and RGO, explored in such a great range of solvents, with some of them not previously reported.

3D-printed microfluidic chip for the preparation of glycyrrhetinic acid-loaded ethanolic liposomes.

18-α-Glycyrrhetinic acid (GA) is a bioactive compound extracted from licorice that exhibits many biological and pharmacological effects such as anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities on the skin. However, its lipophilic nature results in poor bioavailability that limits clinical applications. Liposomes, presenting the ability to carry both hydrophobic and hydrophilic payloads and a good cytocompatibility, are effective to overcome this barrier.

Microparticles-in-Thermoresponsive/Bioadhesive Hydrogels as a Novel Integrated Platform for Effective Intra-articular Delivery of Triamcinolone Acetonide.

Intra-articular (IA) injection of thermoresponsive hydrogels coupled with microparticles (MPs) possess the benefit of sustaining the anti-inflammatory drug effect within the joint cavity for rheumatoid arthritis treatment. Star-shaped thermoresponsive poly(polyethylene glycol) methacrylate [Poly(PEGMA)] copolymers were synthesized using free radical polymerization technique and fully characterized. Triamcinolone acetonide (TA)-loaded PLA/mPEG-PDL MPs, previously optimized, were integrated into the synthesized copolymer solutions at various concentrations and tested for their gelation temperatures.

Incorporation of PEGylated δ-decalactone into lipid bilayers: thermodynamic study and chimeric liposomes development.

Liposomes have been on the market as drug delivery systems for over 25 years. Their success comes from the ability to carry toxic drug molecules to the appropriate site of action through passive accumulation, thus reducing their severe side effects. However, the need for enhanced circulation time and site and time-specific drug delivery turned research focus on other systems, such as polymers.

Polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA): applications in drug delivery and tissue engineering.

Introduction: The applications of naturally obtained polymers are tremendously increased due to them being biocompatible, biodegradable, environmentally friendly and renewable in nature. Among them, polyhydroxyalkanoates are widely studied and they can be utilized in many areas of human life research such as drug delivery, tissue engineering, and other medical applications.

Areas Covered: This review provides an overview of the polyhydroxyalkanoates biosynthesis and their possible applications in drug delivery in the range of micro- and nano-size.

Multifunctional doxorubicin-loaded magnetoliposomes with active and magnetic targeting properties.

Multifunctional magnetoliposomes (MLs) with active and magnetic targeting potential are evaluated as platform systems for drug targeting applications. USPIO-encapsulating MLs are prepared by freeze drying/extrusion, decorated with one or two ligands for brain or cancer targeting (t-MLs), and actively loaded with Doxorubicin (DOX). MLs have mean diameters between 117 and 171 nm.

Chitosan Loaded into a Hydrogel Delivery System as a Strategy to Treat Vaginal Co-Infection.

Polymeric hydrogels are common dosage forms designed for the topical administration of antimicrobial drugs to treat vaginal infections. One of the major advantages of using chitosan in these formulations is related to the intrinsic and broad antimicrobial activity exerted on bacteria and fungi by this natural polymer. Most vaginal yeast infections are caused by the pathogenic fungus .