1,721,028 research outputs found
Home-based motor imagery intervention improves functional performance following total knee arthroplasty in the short term: A randomized controlled trial
Full text linkBackground: Motor imagery (MI) is effective in improving motor performance in the healthy asymptomatic adult population. However, its possible effects among older orthopaedic patients are still poorly investigated. Therefore, this study explored whether the addition of motor imagery to routine physical therapy reduces the deterioration of quadriceps muscle strength and voluntary activation (VA) as well as other variables related to motor performance in patients after total knee arthroplasty (TKA). Methods: Twenty-six patients scheduled for TKA were randomized to either MI practice combined with routine physical therapy group (MIp) or to a control group receiving physical therapy alone (CON). MIp consisted of maximal voluntary isometric contraction (MViC) task: 15 min/day in the hospital, then 5 times/week in their homes for 4 weeks. MViC and VA of quadriceps muscle, knee flexion and extension range of motion, pain level, along with a Timed Up-and-Go Test (TUG) and self-reported measure of physical function (assessed using the Oxford Knee Score questionnaire [OKS]) were evaluated before (PRE) and 1 month after surgery (POST). Results: Significantly better rehabilitation outcomes were evident on the operated leg for the MIp group compared to CON: at POST, the MIp showed lower strength decrease (p = 0.012, η 2 = 0.237) and unaltered VA, significantly greater than CON (p = 0.014, η 2 = 0.227). There were no significant differences in knee flexion and extension range of motion and pain level (p > 0.05). Further, MIp patients performed better in TUG (p < 0.001, η 2 = 0.471) and reported better OKS scores (p = 0.005, η 2 = 0.280). The non-operated leg showed no significant differences in any outcomes at POST (all p > 0.05). In addition, multiple linear regression analysis showed that failure of voluntary activation explained 47% of the quadriceps muscle strength loss, with no significant difference in perceived level of pain. Conclusion: MI practice, when added to physical therapy, improves both objective and subjective measures of patients' physical function after TKA, and facilitates transfer of MI strength task on functional mobility. Trial registration: Retrospectively registered on ClinicalTrials.gov NCT0368414
Role of skeletal muscles impairment and brain oxygenation in limiting oxidative metabolism during exercise after bed rest
No full text"Central" and "peripheral" limitations to oxidative metabolism during exercise were evaluated in 10 young males following a 35-day horizontal bed rest (BR). Incremental exercise (IE) and moderate- and heavy-intensity constant-load exercises (CLE) were carried out on a cycloergometer before and 1-2 days after BR. Pulmonary gas exchange, cardiac output (Q; by impedance cardiography), skeletal muscle (vastus lateralis), and brain (frontal cortex) oxygenation (by near-infrared spectroscopy) were determined. After BR, "peak" (values at exhaustion during IE) workload, peak O(2) uptake (Vo(2 peak)), peak stroke volume, Q(peak), and peak skeletal muscle O(2) extraction were decreased (-18, -18, -22, -19, and -33%, respectively). The gas exchange threshold was approximately 60% of Vo(2 peak) both before and after BR. At the highest workloads, brain oxygenation data suggest an increased O(2) extraction, which was unaffected by BR. Vo(2) kinetics during CLE (same percentage of peak workload before and after BR) were slower (time constant of the "fundamental" component: 31.1 +/- 2.0 s before vs. 40.0 +/- 2.2 s after BR); the amplitude of the "slow component" was unaffected by BR, thus it would be greater, after BR, at the same absolute workload. A more pronounced "overshoot" of skeletal muscle O(2) extraction during CLE was observed after BR, suggesting an impaired adjustment of skeletal muscle O(2) delivery. The role of skeletal muscles in the impairment of oxidative metabolism during submaximal and maximal exercise after BR was identified. The reduced capacity of peak cardiovascular O(2) delivery did not determine a "competition" for the available O(2) between skeletal muscles and brain
Assessing Cardiac Electro-Mechanical Deconditioning during Bed Rest Using Smartphone's Inertial Sensors
No full textThis study evaluated the potential of using smartphone-acquired seismocardiographic (SCG) signals for monitoring cardiac deconditioning after prolonged bed rest (BR). Ten healthy volunteers were enrolled in a 10-day BR. By positioning a smartphone on subject's chest, 1-minute SCG was acquired before the BR (PRE), on the 10th day of BR (BR10), and one day after reambulation (R+1). Signals were pre-processed and automatic beat identification was performed. Heart rate and variability indices (SDAO-AO, RMSSD, SDAO-AO/RMSSD) were calculated. Isovolumetric contraction (IVC), aortic valve opening (AO) and closure (AC) points were identified on the SCG, from which amplitude difference (AMPAO-IVC) and slope were derived. Finally, linear (iKlin) and rotational (iKrot) kinetic energies were calculated. At BR10 sympathetic modulation at awakening increased. Also, SCG morphology was affected, with increased AMPAO-IVC and IVC-AO slope. Further, at BR10 changes in morphology recovered, while iKlin/iKrot ratio increased. These findings support smartphones' potential as portable and non-invasive cardiac health monitoring devices for cardiac deconditioning
EFFECTS OF PROLONGED IMMOBILIZATION ON SEQUENTIAL CHANGES IN MINERAL AND BONE DISEASE PARAMETERS
No full textBone demineralization due to immobilization was associated with transient increases in plasma/urinary Ca and a sustained PTH suppression which, in turn,
induced secondary changes in plasma P and 1,25-(OH)2 vitamin D
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Pathophysiological mechanisms of reduced physical activity: Insights from the human step reduction model and animal analogues
No full textPhysical inactivity represents a heavy burden for modern societies and is spreading worldwide, it is a recognised pandemic and is the fourth cause of global mortality. Not surprisingly, there is an increasing interest in longitudinal studies on the impact of reduced physical activity on different physiological systems. This narrative review focuses on the pathophysiological mechanisms of step reduction (SR), an experimental paradigm that involves a sudden decrease in participants' habitual daily steps to a lower level, mimicking the effects of a sedentary lifestyle. Analogous animal models of reduced physical activity, namely, the "wheel-lock" and the "cage reduction" models, which can provide the foundation for human studies, are also discussed. The empirical evidence obtained thus far shows that even brief periods of reduced physical activity can lead to substantial alterations in skeletal muscle health and metabolic function. In particular, decrements in lean/muscle mass, muscle function, muscle protein synthesis, cardiorespiratory fitness, endothelial function and insulin sensitivity, together with an increased fat mass and inflammation, have been observed. Exercise interventions seem particularly effective for counteracting these pathophysiological alterations induced by periods of reduced physical activity. A direct comparison of SR with other human models of unloading, such as bed rest and lower limb suspension/immobilisation, is presented. In addition, we propose a conceptual framework aiming to unravel the mechanisms of muscle atrophy and insulin resistance in the specific context of reduced ambulatory activity. Finally, methodological considerations, knowledge gaps and future directions for both animal and human models are also discussed in the review
Variations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Full text linkWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
Effect of 5 weeks horizontal bed rest on human muscle thickness and architecture of weight bearing and non-weight bearing muscles.
No full text- …
