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Biomedical subjects

J G Hay

Publications and source records attributed to J G Hay.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Critical characteristics of technique in throwing the discus.

The purpose of this study was to identify those characteristics of the techniques used by elite discus throwers that are most closely related to the distances they record. The subjects were the competitors in the discus throw events at two major meetings. Two S-VHS video cameras were used to record the performances of the subjects; the direct linear transformation (DLT) procedure was used to obtain three-dimensional data from these records. For the males, the change in speed of the discus during the second double support phase was more influential than the change in speed during any other phase in accounting for differences in the distances of the throws recorded. For the females, the changes in speed during the flight phase and during the second double support phase were about equally influential in accounting for differences in the distance thrown. The findings suggest that emphasis placed on achieving a large change in the speed of the discus during the second double support phase is well founded; that the speed of release is the most influential determinant of the distance of the throw; and that, in most cases, the aerodynamic forces exerted on the discus during the flight increase the distance of the throw.

Acceleration

Human CC10 gene expression in airway epithelium and subchromosomal locus suggest linkage to airway disease.

The CC10 gene encodes the Clara cell 10-kDa protein, which is expressed in airway epithelial cells. Quantification of CC10 gene expression in freshly isolated human proximal airway epithelial cells demonstrated very high mRNA levels, approximately fivefold greater than gamma-actin mRNA, and in situ hybridization localized CC10 mRNA to nonciliated airway epithelial cells. Sequence analysis demonstrated that the human CC10 gene is comprised of three short exons separated by a long first and short second intron, and with a 5' flanking region typical of a regulated gene. Three Alu repeats were observed in intron 1 and one in intron 2. Two polymorphic regions within the introns were identified. First, a microsatellite was localized 5' to the third Alu repeat in intron 1 with a variable number of 4- and 5-base pair (bp) repeats and a heterozygosity of 0.71. Second, in 3% of the 168 chromosomes examined, there was the insertion of a human-specific Alu repeat in intron 2, 45 bp 3' to the exon 2-intron junction. In three Centre d'Etude du Polymorphisme Humain families, meiotic breakpoint analysis using these two polymorphic loci localized the CC10 gene to 11 p12-q13 between markers D11S16 and D11S97, a region recently linked to atopy and to the beta-subunit of the high-affinity immunoglobulin E receptor. The observations in the present study of high-level expression of the CC10 gene in the epithelium of conducting airways and a subchromosomal localization of the gene to a region potentially linked to inflammatory airway disease, together with the reported anti-inflammatory and immune-modulating properties of the protein, suggest the CC10 gene product may be important in modulating inflammation within the airways. If so, the highly heterozygous microsatellite described in the present study should facilitate analysis of a possible linkage of the CC10 gene with an inherited susceptibility to asthma.

Asthma

Administration of an adenovirus containing the human CFTR cDNA to the respiratory tract of individuals with cystic fibrosis.

We have administered a recombinant adenovirus vector (AdCFTR) containing the normal human CFTR cDNA to the nasal and bronchial epithelium of four individuals with cystic fibrosis (CF). We show that this vector can express the CFTR cDNA in the CF respiratory epithelium in vivo. With doses up to 2 x 10(9) pfu, there was no recombination/complementation or shedding of the vector or rise of neutralizing antibody titres. At 2 x 10(9) pfu, a transient systemic and pulmonary syndrome was observed, possibly mediated by interleukin-6. Follow-up at 6-12 months demonstrated no long term adverse effects. Thus, it is feasible to use an adenovirus vector to transfer and express the CFTR cDNA in the respiratory epithelium of individuals with CF. Correction of the CF phenotype of the airway epithelium might be achieved with this strategy.

Adenoviridae

The biomechanics of the triple jump: a review.

The purpose of this paper is to review the published opinions of coaches and the findings of scientists concerning the techniques used in the triple jump, and to identify promising avenues for future research on the subject. A model is developed to identify those factors that have a causal role in determining the official distance of a triple jump. This model is then used as a basis for the subsequent review. The review itself considers each of the biomechanical factors identified in the model, some additional factors reported in the literature, and selected characteristics of triple jumping techniques. It is concluded that research on triple jump techniques has been sparse and has had little impact on practice. Identification of the individual attributes that determine the optimum ratio of the phase distances for a given athlete, the loads to which the supporting legs are subjected and the control of balance during a triple jump are seen as challenging and potentially useful topics of future research.

Biomechanical Phenomena

Comparison of three different methods used to achieve local anesthesia for fiberoptic bronchoscopy.

A patient's tolerance of fiberoptic bronchoscopy depends on the effectiveness of local anesthesia. This study compares the three different methods of local anesthesia in common use After sedation, patients (n = 53) received either 4 ml of 2.5 percent cocaine by intratracheal injection (TI) (n = 18), by bronchoscopic injection (BI) (n = 19), or had 4 ml of 4 percent lidocaine delivered by nebulizer 20 min before the procedure (NEB) (n = 16). Patients and bronchoscopists scored the procedure using visual analog (VAS) and severity scales. Objective measurements of cough counts and episodes of stridor were recorded by phonopneumography. Patients' VAS scores showed a clear preference for the transtracheal method compared with either bronchoscopically injected cocaine (p less than 0.001) or nebulized lidocaine (p less than 0.001). Patients also reported that the TI method produced less cough during intubation of the larynx and inspection of the airways (BI and NEB, p less than 0.01). The TI method was also preferred by the bronchoscopists (BI and NEB, p less than 0.001); they reported less cough and easier tracheal intubation. The mean cough count was significantly lower for the TI group, 49 (43) compared with 95 (52) for BI (p less than 0.01), and 81 (43) for the NEB group (p less than 0.05). Patients' and bronchoscopists' VAS showed significant correlation with cough (r = 0.63-69, p less than 0.01). Stridor occurred in only two patients after TI, compared with 15 in the other two groups. Extra local anesthesia was required by 16 patients after BI, by all the NEB group, but by only one patient after TI. Subjective and objective measurement shows that 4 ml of 2.5 percent cocaine injected into the trachea produced excellent local anesthesia for fiberoptic bronchoscopy, there were no extra complications, and it was the method preferred by both patients and bronchoscopists.

Aerosols

Bronchodilator reversibility, exercise performance and breathlessness in stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Partial bronchodilator reversibility can be demonstrated in many patients with stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), but its relevance to exercise capacity and symptoms is uncertain. Previous data suggest that anticholinergic bronchodilators do not improve exercise tolerance in such patients. We studied 32 patients with stable COPD, mean age 65 yrs, in a double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over trial of the inhaled anticholinergic drug, oxitropium bromide. From the within and between day placebo spirometry, we derived the spontaneous variation in forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) and forced vital capacity (FVC) of this population (FEV1 140 ml; FVC 390 ml) and considered responses beyond this to be significant. Oxitropium bromide increased baseline FEV1 from 0.70 (0.28) l (mean (SD)) to 0.88 (0.36) l. The 6 min walking distance increased by 7% compared with placebo, whilst resting breathlessness scores fell from 2.0 to 1.23 at rest and 4.09 to 3.28 at the end of exercise after the active drug. Improvements in walking distances and symptoms were unrelated to changes in either FEV1 or FVC, indicating that routine reversibility testing is not a good predictor of symptomatic benefit in these patients.

Aged

Techniques used by elite long jumpers in preparation for takeoff.

It was hypothesized that some characteristics of the positions adopted by long jumpers during the final strides of the approach are significantly related to the distance of the jump, and that they are so related only by virtue of their relationships with the horizontal velocity at touchdown and/or the vertical velocity at takeoff. Trials by 20 male and 26 female long jumpers were recorded cinematographically and subsequently analyzed. The takeoff distance for the fourth-last stride, the landing distance for the last stride, and the height of the center of gravity (CG) at takeoff into the jump were significantly correlated with the distance of the jump. These three position variables were significantly related to the distance of the jump, through their relationships with the velocity of the approach and the vertical velocity of the CG at takeoff into the jump. Considered alone, they were not influential in determining the distance of the jump.

Biomechanical Phenomena

Flow visualization of competitive swimming techniques: the tufts method.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the use of tufts to visualize the flow of water around the trunk and limbs of a swimmer. Numerous pilot studies were conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of different tuft materials, dimensions and methods of attachment for recording the characteristics of the flow around a swimmer performing various strokes and drills. Differences in the patterns of flow made visible by the tufts suggested that this method of flow visualization may well be useful in resolving both basic and applied questions concerning swimming techniques.

Biomechanical Phenomena

Measurement of nasal potential difference in adult cystic fibrosis, Young's syndrome, and bronchiectasis.

Previous work confirmed the abnormal potential difference between the undersurface of the inferior nasal turbinate and a reference electrode in cystic fibrosis, but the technique is difficult and the results show overlap between the cystic fibrosis and the control populations. In the present study the potential difference from the floor of the nose has therefore been assessed in normal subjects, as well as in adult patients with cystic fibrosis, bronchiectasis and Young's syndrome. Voltages existing along the floor of the nasal cavity were recorded. The mean potential difference was similar in controls (-18 (SD 5) mv) and in patients with bronchiectasis (-17 (6) mv) and Young's syndrome (-20 (6) mv). The potential difference in cystic fibrosis (-45 (8) mv) was significantly different from controls (p less than 0.002) and there was no overlap between the cystic fibrosis values and values obtained in normal and diseased controls. This simple technique therefore discriminates well between patients with cystic fibrosis and other populations, raising the possibility of its use to assist in diagnosis.

Adolescent

Development of acute lung injury after the combination of intravenous bleomycin and exposure to hyperoxia in rats.

Pulmonary toxicity is an important adverse effect of bleomycin treatment. Very little is known of the mechanisms underlying the development of lung injury, especially after intravenous administration, or how it can be modulated. In this study acute lung injury induced by bleomycin has been examined in rats by assessment of alveolar lavage cell profiles, histological examination, and measurement of the total pulmonary extravascular albumin space. Intratracheal instillation of bleomycin 1.5 mg resulted in a severe pneumonitis with influx of inflammatory cells into the alveoli as assessed by alveolar lavage, oedema of the alveolar walls, and up to an eight fold increase in the total pulmonary extravascular albumin space, maximal at 72 hours. Intravenous bleomycin 0.15-5 mg produced no detectable injury when assessed in these ways. Exposure to hyperoxia (40-90%) after intravenous bleomycin, however, induced lung injury similar to that produced by intratracheal bleomycin. A much more severe injury followed administration of intravenous bleomycin after an exposure to hyperoxia, which itself resulted in lung injury; but lung injury was still detectable after bleomycin when the exposure to hyperoxia was insufficient to induce changes in control animals. Lung injury was not observed when the exposure to hyperoxia preceded bleomycin treatment. These results indicate the importance of oxygen in the pathways leading to acute lung injury following intravenous bleomycin. We conclude that exposure to oxygen might induce lung injury during and after bleomycin treatment, and suggest that in these circumstances oxygen therapy should be kept to a minimum.

Animals

The effects of iron and desferrioxamine on the lung injury induced by intravenous bleomycin and hyperoxia.

The development of acute lung injury in rats following the intravenous injection of bleomycin was assessed by measuring the total pulmonary extravascular albumin space. Intravenous bleomycin alone produced no evidence of lung injury, yet when combined with a simultaneous exposure to hyperoxia or simultaneous tracheal instillation of ferric iron or ascorbate a severe lung injury evolved. Neither ferric iron or ascorbate alone produced lung injury when assessed in this manner, and ferrous iron, ferritin and haemoglobin did not potentiate bleomycin induced lung injury. A continuous subcutaneous infusion of desferrioxamine enhanced hyperoxia induced lung injury, and had no modulating effect on the lung injury produced by combined intravenous bleomycin and hyperoxia. These results indicate that ferric iron can potentiate bleomycin induced lung injury, and that the metal chelator desferrioxamine can have adverse effects on the development of acute lung injury.

Animals

The techniques of elite male long jumpers.

A model was developed to identify the characteristics of long jumping technique that determine the distance of the jump. The performances of the finalists in the TAC (U.S. national) Championships were recorded cinematographically and the best trials analyzed. The results indicated that the relative lengths of the last two strides of the approach are poor indicators of success in the event. Maximum horizontal velocities were usually attained at takeoff into the third- or second-last stride and not exclusively during the second-last stride, as previously reported. None of the subjects had either a zero or upward vertical velocity of the center of gravity at touchdown of the foot for takeoff into the jump, contrary to an argument occasionally advanced. The greatest percentages of the variance in the distance of the jump were accounted for by the horizontal velocity at takeoff into the fourth-last stride, the change in horizontal velocity during the next support phase, the horizontal and resultant velocities at takeoff and the flight distance.

Male

The biomechanics of the long jump.

The preceding review has been based on over 200 publications in Czech, English, French, German, Japanese, Polish, and Russian. Even a cursory perusal of these materials is sufficient to show that much has been done to try and obtain a scientific understanding of long jump techniques. It is clear, too, that still more remains to be done. Much of the work to date has been focused on just a few aspects of long jump technique. Other important aspects have received relatively little attention. The latter include the accuracy of the approach, the techniques used during the final strides of the approach, the role of elastic energy in the takeoff, the initiation and control of the jumper's angular momentum, and the techniques used in the landing. Future research efforts might well be directed towards resolving major issues concerning these aspects of long jump technique. The methods used to gather data in the studies reviewed have been rather unimaginative. Two-dimensional cinematography has been used in the vast majority of the studies and force platforms in a few. Other data-gathering procedures like three-dimensional cinematography, electromyography and accelerometry have rarely, if ever, been used. In only one or two studies was anything remotely approaching experimental or technological innovation in evidence. The methods used to analyze data have also been very limited. With the notable exception of a study by Ballreich, few papers have involved anything more sophisticated than means, standard deviations, correlation coefficients and an occasional multiple regression equation. Given these facts, it is hard to avoid the conclusion that our knowledge of long jump techniques might be greatly improved if the full range of available and appropriate procedures were turned to the purpose. Finally, no review of the literature on long jump techniques would be complete without reference to the level of scholarship displayed in the works under consideration. With only a few exceptions, the level shown in the scientific papers reviewed here left much to be desired. Time and again, variables were not defined, crucial measurement techniques were not described and major results were not presented or discussed. In addition, much of the data presented in tables and graphs were patently in error. In light of all this, it is clear that unless the level of scholarship improves, future progress in this area of sports biomechanics is likely to be very slow.

Biomechanical Phenomena

Relationships among anthropometric and stroking characteristics of college swimmers.

A theoretical model was developed to identify anthropometric variables relevant to success in swimming. Frontal areas, cross-sectional areas (XSA), and lengths of body segments were measured on twelve members of a men's college team using a photographic procedure. Motion-picture films were taken of the subjects competing in freestyle events and were analyzed to determine the average stroke length (SL), average stroke frequency (SF), and average stroking speed (S). Correlation and multiple regression procedures were used to determine the relationships among the anthropometric variables and SL, SF, and S, respectively. Of the 21 anthropometric variables selected with the aid of the theoretical model, 6 were found to be significantly related to one or more of the measures of swimming performance when the influence of event distance was partialled out (P less than or equal to 0.05). The anthropometric variables characterizing the subjects accounted for 89% (SL), 41% (SF), and 17% (S) of the variances in the measured characteristics of their strokes. The axilla XSA was shown to have the largest influence on both SL and SF, accounting for 57% of the variance in the SL and 24% in the SF. These results suggest that although S is little influenced by the physique of a swimmer, the combination of SL and SF used to attain a given S is very much a function of his physique.

Anthropometry

Transepithelial potential difference in cystic fibrosis.

In cystic fibrosis the potential difference between interstitial fluid and the surface of respiratory and sweat duct epithelia is abnormally large. This study attempted to confirm this finding and investigate its value for a diagnostic test. With a subcutaneous reference electrode the mean potential difference of the inferior turbinate was -25 mv in 19 patients with cystic fibrosis, which was significantly greater than the difference of -13 mv in 22 normal subjects (p less than 0.02). Of the observations in the patients with cystic fibrosis, 67% were greater than the largest potential difference observed in normal individuals. Potential differences from the lip and forearm were also significantly greater in cystic fibrosis than in normal subjects, but there was considerable overlap. Changes in the electrical properties of nasal epithelium and skin have been confirmed in cystic fibrosis, but these have limited use for diagnosis.

Adult

Premedication for fibreoptic bronchoscopy.

A randomised, double-blind trial of atropine, atropine plus papaveretum, and atropine plus diazepam given intramuscularly as premedication for fibreoptic bronchoscopy in 60 patients showed no difference between the three regimens as assessed by bronchoscopist or patient. Bronchoscopists frequently attributed a sedative action to atropine alone and their assessment of tolerance and sedation was more optimistic than that of the patients. In a second study comparing intravenous diazepam (10 mg) with saline, after prior intramuscular atropine (0.6 mg), both the bronchoscopists and the patients noted a significant sedative effect of diazepam, and coughing was reduced by diazepam.

Atropine

Biomechanical considerations in the modeling of muscle function.

The instantaneous functional role of a voluntary muscle in the neighborhood of a joint is often described in clinical terms (e.g. flexor; abductor; external rotator; agonist; contracting concentrically and isokinetically) that seen sufficiently explicit and clear in certain simple situations, but have not yet been carefully defined in precise biomechanical terminology for the general case. In order to describe the functional role of a voluntary muscle as its acts to change and/or maintain the configuration of a joint, it is necessary to make certain modeling assumptions. These include modeling the joint, modeling the muscle force line of action in the joint neighborhood, and establishing the location and orientation of the three joint axes for all possible joint configurations. Modeling the joint as a point leads to simple and sensible definitions which are consistent with clinical practice. The straight line model is most conveniently used to establish the muscle force line of action. A RHO coordinate system embedded in the distal joint segment with origin at the joint center point, and with intersecting axes coincident with the F/E, A/A and I/XR axes when the joint is in the anatomical position, is the joint coordinate system of choice to describe the turning effects of the muscle about the joint. Sensible and simple biomechanical definitions for clinical terms describing muscular contractions (i.e. concentric; eccentric; isometric; isokinetic; isotonic) were presented and appear to be relatively uncontroversial. Alternative biomechanical definitions for agonistic and antagonistic muscular activity were also presented, as were arguments for choosing a simple definition based on using the joint resultant moment as the criterion measure relative to which the individual muscle's moment about J should be compared. Biomechanical definitions for determining when a muscle functions as a joint flexor or extensor, abductor or adductor, and internal or external rotator were also presented. These definitions were based on the classical concept where the muscle's instantaneous turning effect is determined by its moment about the joint center. The algebraic signs and relative magnitudes of the components of the muscle's moment about J were used to determine not only the functional behavior of the muscle (e.g. flexor vs. extensor), but also the relative contributions of the muscle to producing rotations about the three joint axes through J. A detailed critique of the restricted functional classification scheme proposed by Molbech and Carlsöö was also presented.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Biomechanical Phenomena