The influence of early aging on eye movements during motor simulation

Movement based interventions such as imagery and action observation are used increasingly to support physical rehabilitation of adults during early aging. The efficacy of these more covert approaches is based on an intuitively appealing assumption that movement execution, imagery and observation share neural substrate; alteration of one influences directly the function of the other two. Using eye movement metrics this paper reports findings that question the congruency of the three conditions. The data reveal that simulating movement through imagery and action observation may offer older adults movement practice conditions that are not constrained by the age-related decline observed in physical conditions. In addition, the findings provide support for action observation as a more effective technique for movement reproduction in comparison to imagery. This concern for imagery was also seen in the less congruent temporal relationship in movement time between imagery and movement execution suggesting imagery inaccuracy in early aging

A systematic review of randomised controlled trials assessing effectiveness of prosthetic and orthotic interventions.

BACKGROUND: Assistive products are items which allow older people and people with disabilities to be able to live a healthy, productive and dignified life. It has been estimated that approximately 1.5% of the world's population need a prosthesis or orthosis. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to systematically identify and review the evidence from randomized controlled trials assessing effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of prosthetic and orthotic interventions. METHODS: Literature searches, completed in September 2015, were carried out in fourteen databases between years 1995 and 2015. The search results were independently screened by two reviewers. For the purpose of this manuscript, only randomized controlled trials which examined interventions using orthotic or prosthetic devices were selected for data extraction and synthesis. RESULTS: A total of 342 randomised controlled trials were identified (319 English language and 23 non-English language). Only 4 of these randomised controlled trials examined prosthetic interventions and the rest examined orthotic interventions. These orthotic interventions were categorised based on the medical conditions/injuries of the participants. From these studies, this review focused on the medical condition/injuries with the highest number of randomised controlled trials (osteoarthritis, fracture, stroke, carpal tunnel syndrome, plantar fasciitis, anterior cruciate ligament, diabetic foot, rheumatoid and juvenile idiopathic arthritis, ankle sprain, cerebral palsy, lateral epicondylitis and low back pain). The included articles were assessed for risk of bias using the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool. Details of the clinical population examined, the type of orthotic/prosthetic intervention, the comparator/s and the outcome measures were extracted. Effect sizes and odds ratios were calculated for all outcome measures, where possible. CONCLUSIONS: At present, for prosthetic and orthotic interventions, the scientific literature does not provide sufficient high quality research to allow strong conclusions on their effectiveness and cost-effectiveness

Avaliação do torque passivo de flexão plantar e torque ativo de flexão dorsal em ginastas rítmicas e não atletas

O treinamento realizado por atletas de elite acarreta demandas funcionais específi cas que produzem mudanças nos tendões e nas propriedades musculares. Nas atletas de ginástica rítmica (GR) há uma exigência maior de controle motor em posições extremas de fl exão plantar. Esta demanda pode alterar o torque passivo dos fl exores plantares bem como infl uenciar na amplitude de movimento (ADM) de fl exão dorsal e torque dos dorsifl exores. No presente estudo foi comparada a ADM de fl exão dorsal de GR e meninas não atletas (MNA), e determinada a correlação entre o torque passivo dos fl exores plantares (TPFP) e o torque ativo dos fl exores dorsais (TAFD). O estudo incluiu 10 GR e 10 MNA. A ADM de fl exão dorsal foi medida com um goniômetro. O TPFP e TAFD foram avaliados por meio de um dinamômetro isocinético em cinco ângulos articulares (20º, 10º, 0º, -10º e -20º). O teste T para amostras independentes foi utilizado para a comparação entre os grupos (α = 0,05). O coefi ciente de correlação de Pearson indicou uma correlação negativa alta e moderada entre o TPFP e TAFD para as GR e NA, respectivamente. GR apresentaram menor ADM de fl exão dorsal comparadas às MNA. O TPFP foi signifi cativamente maior nas GR comparado as MNA. Por outro lado, o TAFD foi maior nas MNA. A correlação do TPFP com o TAFD foi de r = -0,82; p < 0,01 e r = -0,68; p < 0,01 para GR e MNA, respectivamente. Os resultados sugerem que a alta demanda mecânica nos fl exores plantares na GR aumenta o TPFP que pode infl uenciar negativamente na ADM dos fl exores dorsais e no TAFD.The training performed by elite athletes leads to specifi c functional demands, producing changes on tendon and muscle properties. In the rhythmic gymnastics (RG) athletes there is a higher motor control demand in extreme plantarfl exed positions. This functional demand can change the passive torque produced by the plantarfl exors, as well as infl uence the dorsifl exion range of motion (ROM) and maximal dorsifl exion torque. We compared the dorsifl exor ROM and the infl uence of the passive plantarfl exion torque (PPT) on the active dorsifl exion torque (ADT) between RG and nonathletes (NA) girls. The study included 10 RG and 10 NA. The dorsifl exor ROM was measured with a goniometer. The PPT and ADT were evaluated through isokinetic dynamometry at fi ve ankle joint angles (20º, 10º, 0º, -10º, -20º). Independent T test was used to comparison between groups (α = 0.05). Pearson correlation coeffi cients indicated a high and moderate negative correlation between PPT and ADT for RG and NA, respectively. RG had a smaller dorsifl exion ROM than NA. The PPT was signifi cantly higher in RG compared NA. In contrast, the ADT was higher in NA. The PPT correlation to ADT was r = -0.82; p < 0.01 and r = -0.68; p < 0.01, for RG and NA, respectively. Results suggest that higher mechanical loading on plantarfl exors in the RG increase the PPT that infl uence negatively in the dorsifl exor ROM and ADT

Two families with sibling recurrence of the 17q21.31 microdeletion syndrome due to low-grade mosaicism

Item does not contain fulltextThe 17q21.31 microdeletion syndrome is characterised by intellectual disability, epilepsy, distinctive facial dysmorphism, and congenital anomalies. To date, all individuals reported with this syndrome have been simplex patients, resulting from de novo deletions. Here, we report sibling recurrence of the 17q21.31 microdeletion syndrome in two independent families. In both families, the mother was confirmed to be the parent-of-origin for the 17q21.31 deletion. Fluorescence in situ hybridisation analyses in buccal mucosa cells, of the mother of family 1, identified monosomy 17q21.31 in 4/50 nuclei (8%). In mother of family 2, the deletion was identified in 2/60 (3%) metaphase and in 3/100 (3%) interphase nuclei in peripheral lymphocytes, and in 7/100 (7%) interphase nuclei in buccal cells. A common 17q21.31 inversion polymorphism predisposes to non-allelic homologous recombination and hereby to the 17q21.31 microdeletion syndrome. On the basis of the 17q21.31 inversion status of the parents, we calculated that the probability of the second deletion occurring by chance alone was 1/14,438 and 1/4812, respectively. If the inversion status of the parents of a child with the 17q21.31 microdeletion syndrome is unknown, the overall risk of a second child with the 17q21.31 microdeletion is 1/9461. We conclude that the presence of low-level maternal somatic-gonadal mosaicism is associated with the microdeletion recurrence in these families. This suggests that the recurrence risk for parents with a child with a 17q21.31 microdeletion for future pregnancies is higher than by chance alone and testing for mosaicism in the parents might be considered as a helpful tool in the genetic counselling.01 juli 201

Explosive hamstrings-to-quadriceps force ratio of males versus females

Purpose: Females are known to exhibit a greater risk of ACL injury compared to males. Lower explosive hamstrings-to-quadriceps (H/Q) force ratio in the first 150 ms from activation onset could reflect an impaired capacity for knee joint stabilisation and increased risk of ACL injury. However, the explosive H/Q force ratio has not been compared between the sexes.\ud \ud Methods: The neuromuscular performance of untrained males and females (20 of each) was assessed during a series of isometric knee flexor and extensor contractions, specifically explosive and maximum voluntary contractions of each muscle group. Force, in absolute terms and normalised to body mass, and surface EMG of the hamstrings and quadriceps were recorded. Hamstrings force was expressed relative to quadriceps force to produce ratios of explosive H/Q force and H/Q maximum voluntary force (MVF). For the explosive contractions, agonist electromechanical delay (EMD) and agonist neural activation were also assessed.\ud \ud Results: The H/Q MVF ratio was greater in males (56 %) than females (50 %; P < 0.001). However, the explosive H/Q force ratio was similar between the sexes at each time point (25–150 ms) from activation onset. Explosive hamstrings, but not quadriceps, force relative to body mass was greater for males compared to females. There were no sex differences in EMD or agonist activation for either of the muscle groups.\ud \ud Conclusions: The lack of a sex difference in early phase isometric explosive H/Q force ratio suggests other factors might be more important in determining the substantially higher knee injury rates of females