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Biomedical subjects

Roger D Adams

Publications and source records attributed to Roger D Adams.

21 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Effects of forearm venous drainage on responses to the volume provocation test.

The volume provocation test (VPT) has been shown to induce a transitory increase of forearm and hand volume. Although these changes have been quantified in previous studies, the postulated mechanism underlying the VPT required further investigation. This study used a test-retest design in which the VPT was applied to 20 subjects before and during blood donation. During the standard VPT, the experimental arm was cuffed for 4 minutes at 15 mm Hg less than diastolic blood pressure, but a cannula siphoned blood from a superficial forearm vein during blood donation. Subjects rated the level of discomfort for each protocol, and reported data regarding symptom quality and location. Discomfort data during the VPT (1.95/10) was higher (p(1-tailed) < 0.005) than during blood donation (1.1/10), and subjects reported fewer volume-related symptoms during blood donation. These findings support the hypothesis that the VPT operates through a vascular mechanism, which is milder during blood donation.

Adult↗

Vascular factors in carpal tunnel syndrome.

An increase in hand and forearm volume was induced without hand movement in ten subjects who had carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). A tester, unaware of sides affected by CTS, performed the Volume Provocation Test (VPT) by inflating a sphygmomanometer cuff around the upper arm to 15 mm Hg less than diastolic pressure for four minutes. Pre- and post-test volumes, intensity of discomfort, and quality and distribution of produced symptoms were recorded. The VPT induced significant increases of segment volumes bilaterally (P1 tailed <0.05), but not more on the side of strongest symptoms compared to the less affected, or asymptomatic side (P1 tailed = 0.07). Mean discomfort on the side of strongest symptoms (5.4/10) was significantly higher (P1 tailed <0.01) than on the contralateral side (2.4/10). In 44% of the affected arms, some or all of the subjects' nocturnal symptoms were reproduced after volume increase, suggesting that CTS is a vascular phenomenon in these patients.

Adult↗

Effects of hand shape on maximal isometric grip strength and its reliability in teenagers.

Hands can be classified by their shape; width divided by length. This study examined the impact of shape of the hand (as relatively long, average, or square shaped) on maximal voluntary isometric grip strength and test-retest reliability in a group of healthy teenagers aged 13 to 17 years. When 116 boys and 112 girls were measured with a GripTrack (a computer-linked Jamar-like isometric hand grip dynamometer; JTech Medical Industries, Salt Lake City, UT), boys were significantly stronger than girls (by 11.02 kg force, p < 0.01), and dominant hands were significantly stronger than nondominant hands (by 2.53 kg force, p < 0.01). There were no significant differences due to hand shape. To examine the reliability of the grip strength test, 74 boys and 75 girls were retested, with a mean retest time interval of 15.5 days. There was a small but significant improvement in grip strength (by 0.62 kg force, p < 0.01). Regarding male subjects, the test-retest intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC 3,1) for both hands of the three hand-shape groups were excellent, with ICC values ranging from 0.954 to 0.973. For the female subjects, however, reliability values declined across the three hand-shape groups from long to square (ICC 0.920-0.476), such that compared with their male counterparts, strength test reliability examined by the 95% confidence intervals (CIs) was significantly lower for average and square hand shapes. Although there may be several factors contributing to this difference between boys and girls in strength test reliability for different hand-shape groups, it is possible that Jamar-like handgrip dynamometers have a handle shape that impedes those girls with relatively square hands from giving reliable grip strength readings over time.

Adolescent↗