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At least 667 records · Page 37Linked to original sources

Age-related declines in anaerobic muscular performance: weightlifting and powerlifting.

PURPOSE: One approach to studying the effects of aging on physiological functional capacity (PFC) in humans is to analyze the peak physical performance of trained athletes with increasing age. The primary aim of the present study was to determine weightlifting and powerlifting performance with increasing age in both men and women. METHODS: We performed a retrospective analysis of top age-group weightlifting and powerlifting records compiled from the U.S. Weightlifting and U.S. Powerlifting Organizations. RESULTS: Regression analyses showed that in both men and women weightlifting and powerlifting performance declined curvilinearly and linearly, respectively. The rate and the overall magnitude of declines in performance with age were markedly greater (P < 0.05) in weightlifting than in powerlifting. The rates of age-related decline in muscular power were not different between upper body (bench press) and lower body (squat). Similarly, the age-related declines were not different between snatch and clean and jerk in weightlifting events. The magnitude of the declines with age was greater (P < 0.05) in women than in men in weightlifting; no such sex-related differences were observed in powerlifting performance. CONCLUSIONS: The findings in this cross-sectional study indicate that 1) peak anaerobic muscular power, as assessed by peak lifting performance, decreases progressively even from earlier ages than previously thought; 2) the overall magnitude of decline in peak muscular power appears to be greater in tasks requiring more complex and powerful movements; 3) the age-related rates of decline are greater in women than in men only in the events that require more complex and explosive power; and 4) upper- and lower-body muscular power demonstrate similar rate of decline with age.

Adult↗

Incidence of injury and physical performance adaptations during military training.

OBJECTIVE: Strenuous physical activity, such as military training, is known to demand a high degree of physical performance and to cause overuse injuries. However, the exact relation between injury incidence and physical fitness level and the influence of military training on measures of functional performance, such as intermittent endurance capacity and maximal jump performance, are not fully described. METHODS: A total of 330 military conscripts were prospectively followed during military basic training. They were divided into 4 self-assessed physical fitness level groups (well trained, trained, less trained, and untrained) and underwent physical performance tests together with registration of injury incidence. RESULTS: Twelve weeks of military basic training was found to result in an overall injury rate of 28%, with an inverse relation between physical fitness level and incidence of overuse injury (P < 0.0001). Furthermore a fourfold higher injury rate was observed in the previously untrained soldiers compared with the well-trained soldiers. An increase in intermittent endurance capacity (20-m intermittent shuttle run test) was seen in all groups, (13 to 62%, P < 0.05), whereas only the previously untrained group of soldiers improved in aerobic capacity (8 and 16%, P < 0.05; maximal oxygen uptake and Coopers 12-minute running test). Maximal jump performance, both with and without backpack loading (15 kg), decreased (5 to 13%, P < 0.05) in 93% of the soldiers despite weight loss. CONCLUSIONS: Military basic training has a positive effect on intermittent endurance capacity but a detrimental effect on jump performance. Furthermore, low levels of physical fitness are strongly associated with proneness toward overuse injury development in soldiers going through intense training.

Adaptation, Physiological↗

Multi-Resolution FOCUSS: a source imaging technique applied to MEG data.

A variety of techniques are available for imaging magnetoencephalographic (MEG) data to the corresponding cortical structures. Each performs a functional optimization that includes mathematical and physical restrictions on source activity. Unlike other imaging techniques, MR-FOCUSS (Multi-Resolution FOCal Underdetermined System Solution) utilizes a wavelet statistical operator that allows spatial resolution to be chosen appropriately for focal or extended sources. Control of focal imaging properties is achieved by specifying P in an l(P) norm distribution template used to construct the wavelets. In addition, incorporation of a multi-resolution wavelet operator desensitizes the mathematical algorithm to noise, (regularization). Like the FOCUSS imaging technique, an initial estimate of cortical activity is recursively enhanced to obtain the final high resolution imaging results. Studies of model MEG data representing all regions of a realistic cortical model are performed to quantify MR-FOCUSS imaging properties. These modeled data studies included single and multiple dipole sources as well as an extended source model. Thus, MR-FOCUSS is found to be very effective for imaging language processing for pre-surgical planning and provides a high-resolution method to image sequential activation of multiple correlated sources involved in language processing.

Algorithms↗

Physical function and social class among Swedish oldest old.

The relationship between physical ability and social class in later life was explored through an interview survey conducted on a nationally representative sample of persons aged 77-98 (N = 537). Physical ability was measured with activities of daily living, an index of mobility, and performance tests. Social class was measured according to previous occupation. Physical function was found to be correlated with social class, that is, former white-collar workers had better function than blue-collar workers. The differences were significant for all three measures of physical function.

Activities of Daily Living↗

Physical performance capacity of children in Norway. V. The influence of social isolation on the rate of growth in body size and composition and on the achievement in lung function and maximal aerobic power of children in a rural community.

This paper tested the hypothesis that social isolation of children brings about a reduced pattern of habitual physical activity, influences body composition during growth, and hampers development of physical performance capacity. Two cohorts of children were studied, one living at or close to the center, the other living in the periphery of the community of Lom in Southern Norway. The two cohorts of children differed in their patterns of physical behavior, but were otherwise similar in genetic traits, nutrition, and environmental conditions. During a 4-year period the two cohorts of children were tested annually. The center children were leaner, and their maximal oxygen uptake and forced expiratory volume were greater in all years of growth when related to body size.

Adipose Tissue↗

Skeletal muscle mass and muscle strength in relation to lower-extremity performance in older men and women.

OBJECTIVE: Low muscle strength is associated with poorer physical function, but limited empirical evidence is available to prove the relationship between muscle mass and physical function. We tested the hypothesis that persons with lower muscle mass or muscle strength have poorer lower-extremity performance (LEP). DESIGN: A cross-sectional, population-based study. PARTICIPANTS: A cohort of 449 men and women aged 65 years and older living in Amsterdam and its surroundings participating in the second examination (1995-1996) of the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam. MEASUREMENTS: Leg skeletal muscle mass was measured using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). Grip strength was used as an indicator of muscle strength. Timed functional performance tests, including walking and repeated chair stands, were used to assess LEP. RESULTS: After adjustment for body height and age, leg muscle mass was positively associated with LEP in men (regression coefficient 0.178 [95% confidence interval 0.013-0.343], P = .035). In women an inverse association was observed, which became positive after additional adjustment for body mass index (BMI) (0.202 [-0.001-0.405], P = .052). Grip strength was positively associated with LEP in men and women. After additional adjustment for behavioral, physiological, and psychological variables, the associations between leg muscle mass and LEP disappeared, whereas grip strength remained to be independently associated with LEP in men (0.079 [0.042-0.116], P = .0001), with a tendency in women (0.046 [-0.009-0.101], P = .11). Results were similar when quartiles of leg muscle mass or grip strength were used. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that low muscle strength, but not low muscle mass, is associated with poor physical function in older men and women. However, prospective studies are needed to investigate the association between loss of muscle mass and physical function.

Absorptiometry, Photon↗

Ultrasonography for thyroid screening after head and neck irradiation in childhood cancer survivors.

We prospectively used ultrasonography to detect thyroid abnormalities in 96 long-term survivors of childhood cancer, who received head and neck radiation therapy at a median age of 8.9 years. The median time interval since irradiation was 10.8 years (range 5.6-22.8 years). Most survivors of leukemia received 24 Gy cranial irradiation for central nervous system prophylaxis; patients with solid tumors received between 20 and 66 Gy (median 37.5 Gy). The total evaluation included clinical history, physical examination, thyroid function tests, and thyroid ultrasonography; radionuclide scans were performed in patients whose abnormalities persisted on subsequent ultrasound exams. Clinical history and physical examination revealed thyroid abnormalities in 14 patients (15%), but ultrasound detected abnormalities in 42 patients (44%). These findings included inhomogeneity (n = 29), cysts (n = 15), and nodules (n = 22) and occurred in nearly half of patients treated with 15 Gy or more directly to the thyroid gland. Radionuclide scans confirmed the presence of thyroid nodules in 13 of 15 patients with ultrasonographic evidence of nodules. Six patients had thyroid neoplasia, including one case of papillary carcinoma. All patients with neoplasia had nodules demonstrated on ultrasonography. Our experience suggests that in childhood cancer survivors, ultrasonography is a sensitive, affordable, and noninvasive means of detecting subtle parenchymal abnormalities. We recommend thyroid ultrasonography for childhood cancer survivors who received head and neck irradiation. A baseline study should be obtained within 1 year of completion of therapy. The frequency of subsequent examinations should be based on the radiation dose and the patient's age at the time of irradiation.

Adolescent↗

D-dimer and inflammatory markers as predictors of functional decline in men and women with and without peripheral arterial disease.

OBJECTIVES: To determine whether higher circulating levels of inflammatory and thrombotic markers are associated with greater decline in lower extremity performance. DESIGN: Prospective cohort. SETTING: Academic medical center. PARTICIPANTS: Three hundred thirty-seven men and women with lower extremity peripheral arterial disease (PAD) and 215 without PAD. MEASUREMENTS: Objective measures of leg function, including the 6-minute walk and Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB), were obtained at baseline and annually for 3 years. D-dimer, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, serum amyloid A, and fibrinogen levels were measured at baseline. Participants were categorized into one of three groups, ranging from low to high levels of inflammation, depending on the number of individual blood factors in the lowest and highest tertiles for each corresponding blood factor. RESULTS: Adjusting for age, sex, race, ankle brachial index, comorbidities, and other confounders, greater inflammation was associated with greater decline in the SPPB (P=.008). Results were similar when repeated in participants with and without PAD separately (P for trend=.04 for participants with PAD and .07 for participants without PAD). In fully adjusted analyses, there were no significant associations between inflammation group and decline in 6-minute walk performance. CONCLUSION: Higher baseline levels of inflammatory markers and D-dimer were associated with greater decline in the SPPB at 3-year follow-up in persons with and without PAD.

Activities of Daily Living↗

Open versus closed kinetic chain exercises for patellofemoral pain. A prospective, randomized study.

The goal of this prospective study was to evaluate the efficacy of open versus closed kinetic chain exercises in the nonoperative management of patellofemoral pain. Sixty patients were randomized into a 5-week program that consisted of only closed kinetic chain exercises or only open kinetic chain exercises. Muscle characteristics, subjective symptoms, and functional performance were evaluated in this study at the time of the initial physical examination, at the end of the treatment period, and 3 months later. Both groups experienced a statistically significant decrease in pain and an increase in functional performance. This study shows that both open and closed kinetic chain exercise programs lead to an improved subjective and clinical outcome in patients with anterior knee pain. The few significantly better functional results for some of the tested parameters in the closed kinetic chain group suggest that this type of treatment is a little more effective than the open kinetic chain program in the treatment of these patients.

Adolescent↗

Assessment of the reliability of protein-protein interactions and protein function prediction.

As more and more high-throughput protein-protein interaction data are collected, the task of estimating the reliability of different data sets becomes increasingly important. In this paper, we present our study of two groups of protein-protein interaction data, the physical interaction data and the protein complex data, and estimate the reliability of these data sets using three different measurements: (1) the distribution of gene expression correlation coefficients, (2) the reliability based on gene expression correlation coefficients, and (3) the accuracy of protein function predictions. We develop a maximum likelihood method to estimate the reliability of protein interaction data sets according to the distribution of correlation coefficients of gene expression profiles of putative interacting protein pairs. The results of the three measurements are consistent with each other. The MIPS protein complex data have the highest mean gene expression correlation coefficients (0.256) and the highest accuracy in predicting protein functions (70% sensitivity and specificity), while Ito's Yeast two-hybrid data have the lowest mean (0.041) and the lowest accuracy (15% sensitivity and specificity). Uetz's data are more reliable than Ito's data in all three measurements, and the TAP protein complex data are more reliable than the HMS-PCI data in all three measurements as well. The complex data sets generally perform better in function predictions than do the physical interaction data sets. Proteins in complexes are shown to be more highly correlated in gene expression. The results confirm that the components of a protein complex can be assigned to functions that the complex carries out within a cell. There are three interaction data sets different from the above two groups: the genetic interaction data, the in-silico data and the syn-express data. Their capability of predicting protein functions generally falls between that of the Y2H data and that of the MIPS protein complex data. The supplementary information is available at the following Web site: http://www-hto.usc.edu/-msms/AssessInteraction/.

Computational Biology↗

An Italian model of dementia special care unit: results of a pilot study.

A small feasibility study was performed in Italy to evaluate whether the special care unit (SCU) model could minimize behavioral disturbances in demented patients. In a nursing home an area was selected to provide an appropriate environment for individuals with dementia. The physical environment was adapted, and the staff was trained to meet the needs of demented patients. Sixteen residents were transferred from traditional wards to the SCU. Functional status, cognitive performance, behavioral symptoms, and use of psychotropic drugs or physical restraints were assessed before and 6 months after admission to the SCU. Our findings show that transferring demented persons from traditional nursing home wards to an SCU significantly lessens behavioral problems but does not improve functional abilities or cognitive status after a short period of follow-up. Changes in caring strategies (in particular the use of physical restraints) seem to be important in reducing behavioral problems. The regional government of Lombardia (8.5 million inhabitants) decided to open small (20-bed) SCUs in 60 nursing homes (corresponding to 3.5% of the total nursing home beds in our region) and to reserve these units for demented patients with a high level of behavioral disturbances.

Aged↗

Bone mineral density and walking ability of elderly patients with hip fracture: a strategy for prevention of hip fracture.

The main risk factors for proximal femoral fracture include the hazard of falling and osteoporosis. The change in walking ability of patients before injury was evaluated over the last 10 years in a rapidly advancing aging society in Tokyo, Japan. The bone quality of patients was clarified in order to develop a strategy for prevention of hip fractures. The subjects were 157 women with proximal femoral fractures treated between 1989 and 1993 (group A) and 216 women treated between 1999 and 2003 (group B). Bone mineral density (BMD) of the radius of the patients showed slightly lower values than those of the elderly general population, but no statistically significant difference was observed in each age group except for the 75-79-year-old age group (p<0.05). Many patients had problems in walking, and 27% of patients in group A and 44% in group B could not walk outdoors or go shopping alone before the injury, and their bone mineral density was reduced. For the prevention of hip fractures, it is important to improve the physical function to avoid falls, which directly cause hip fracture. Patients who have difficulty performing effective physical exercise because of reduced walking ability require medication for osteoporosis.

Accidental Falls↗

Is cosmetic surgery an effective psychotherapeutic intervention? A systematic review of the evidence.

PURPOSE: Elective cosmetic surgery (ECS) in the absence of physical indications is often performed to improve psychosocial function. Third-party funders need evidence of its effectiveness if they are to respond in an evidence-based way to increasing demand in the context of constrained resources. Our first aim was to review recent evidence of psychosocial outcome in a way that was systematic with respect to study inclusion and methodological evaluation. Our second aim was to review evidence for the validity of currently used selection criteria. METHOD: Electronic and manual literature and database search identified prospective cohort or controlled studies of psychosocial outcomes of surgery performed for appearance reasons reported in English from 1992 to 2004. Data were extracted to describe outcomes and evaluate methodological quality. RESULTS: Twenty-three reports of 22 separate studies were reviewed. All were prospective observational studies and most provided low standards of evidence because of the absence of comparison groups, short follow-up periods and loss to follow-up. The evidence suggests that breast reduction improves health-related quality of life, but does not indicate enduring improvement in quality of life after other procedures, or enduring improvement in mental health, self-esteem or body image after any procedure. Similarly, there was insufficient evidence for the validity of criteria for patient selection. The negative conclusions reflect, not the existence of negative evidence, but methodological limitations of published research. CONCLUSION: The problem for third-party funders is that, although evidence does not justify the continued general provision of ECS in the absence of physical need, it is not strong enough to justify withholding such treatment. Even though randomised controlled trials are probably impractical, we identify several improvements in design whereby future prospective cohort studies could provide higher standards of evidence.

Body Image↗

[The science of medical training].

The medical science of training (MST) is the theoretical basis for a proper advice in problems of physical performance in healthy and people with chronic diseases. This is comparable with the pharmacology as a basis for the advice in internal medicine. The MST deals with the rules, which are valid for improving the physical performance by training, changing the morphology and function of organ systems. Basis of MST is the knowledge of the effects of each training measure and the knowledge of a relation between the doses and the effect of training. Out of 5 basic motoric properties, endurance, strength, coordination, flexibility and fastness, the MST deals with endurance and strength. These 2 basic motoric properties are determined by the morphology and function of organ systems and are changeable by training. Endurance is defined as the faculty of resynthesizing ATP which was consumed by muscular activity. According to the type of resynthesis two aerobic types, extensive aerobic endurance and intensive aerobic endurance, and 2 anaerobic types, lactacide anaerobic endurance and a lactacide anaerobic endurance can be distinguished. These 4 types of endurance are defined biochemically and the methods of training are described, proved and evaluated for use in preventive and therapeutic training. Strength is defined as the faculty of the muscle to produce tension. The methods of training are described, proved physiologically, and evaluated for use in preventive and therapeutic training. General and special rules for sport medical advice for people with enhanced health risk and or chronic diseases are presented.

Humans↗

Evaluation of the functional equivalence of crospovidone NF from different sources. I. Physical characterization.

In the past two decades, three categories of newer disintegrants have come into widespread use. These substances are a synthetic polymer (crospovidone), chemically modified starch (sodium starch glycolate) and cellulose (croscarmellose sodium). Multiple suppliers are now available for each category. Current NF monographs do not provide tests which reflect on their functionality and one cannot assume reliable performance of disintegrants from different sources meeting NF standards. The objective of this study was to identify differences in physical properties thought to be related to functionality among crospovidones from multiple sources. Physical properties examined included particle size and distribution, surface area, porosity and surface morphology. Disintegration and dissolution were performed on a model tablet formulation using either an insoluble or a soluble filler. Substantial differences in particle size and distribution, surface area, porosity and surface morphology were observed which correlated with differences in disintegration time and dissolution rate of the model drug from an insoluble tablet core. None of the differences in physical properties resulted in any differences in the disintegration or dissolution of the model drug from a soluble tablet core.

Particle Size↗