Soft-Tissue Techniques in Sports Injuries Prevention and Rehabilitation

Participation in sports, in addition to its positive effects, leads to injuries caused by contact with the opponent or the high loads that develop on the musculoskeletal structures during the sports activities. Sports injuries mainly include (a) acute injuries such as muscle strains and ligament sprains, tendon injuries, dislocations and subluxations, fractures, and skin injuries but also (b) overuse injuries such as tendinopathies and painful myofascial syndromes. Many therapeutic techniques are used to treat these injuries, such as therapeutic exercise, various electrotherapy procedures and soft tissue techniques. Soft tissue techniques aim to promote health and well-being through their mechanical effects on the body’s soft tissues such as friction, compression, tissues sliding and myofascial release. Sports soft-tissue procedures are applied either directly with the hands of therapists such as classical massage or with the use of special equipment such as tools made of stainless steel (ERGON instrument-assisted soft tissue mobilization), elastic ischemic bandages (Kinetic flossing technique) and cups (cupping therapy). The following chapter analyzes the therapeutic effects of the above therapeutic interventions by presenting recent scientific evidence that supports their effects on the soft tissue’s dysfunctions of the human body and various pathological conditions

Blood Flow Restriction Training in Cardiovascular Disease Patients

Over the past two decades, blood flow restriction training (BFRT) has gained popularity not only in athletic performance training, but also with many researchers and physical therapists as an innovative rehabilitation tool. Blood flow restriction (BFR) exercise is a novel exercise modality in clinical settings, which induces muscle hypertrophy and increases strength with low to moderate training intensity through increased anabolic processes mediated by BFR (usually with cuff inflation). BFR limits arterial and venous blood flow and leads to blood pooling, which could increase the effects of exercise-induced training. Strength training at lower intensities (20–40% of maximum strength) in combination with BFR showed similar effects on muscle hypertrophy as training at 70% strength level without BFR. In this context, considering that periods of immobilization (or reduced functionality) due to pathology, injury, or surgery cause harmful effects on muscle mass and strength in both young and old people, muscular adaptations of occlusion exercise could be beneficial to the elderly and post-operative patients in rehabilitation regarding muscle regeneration. Furthermore, as this type of exercise does not require high loads, it might be a feasible method in cardiac rehabilitation. Therefore, this chapter aims to review all recent literature regarding the impact of low-load BFR resistance training in patients with cardiovascular pathologies on muscle strength and hypertrophy, vascular function, safety, cardiovascular responses, and inflammatory markers

The prognostic value of electroencephalography in epilepsy: a long-term follow-up study

Predicting the evolution of epilepsy is of obvious importance for patients and their families. Value of electroencephalography (EEG) is extensively used in the diagnosis of epilepsy yet its role as a prognostication method remains unclear. The aim of the present retrospective study is to investigate the relationship between serial EEG recordings and long-term clinical and social outcomes in a cohort of patients with epilepsy. Thirty-nine epileptic patients were monitored clinically and with repeat EEG recordings for more than 15 years. All patients who initially had epileptiform discharges ended up with poor or moderate seizure control whereas more than half of the patients with normal initial recordings had good clinical outcomes and satisfactory social adjustment. Deterioration of the recordings over time was associated with unfavourable results in a significant proportion of patients (90 %), while stable or improved EEG findings predicted a favourable outcome. It is concluded that serial EEG recordings can be used in the prognostic evaluation of epilepsy

Brain Oscillations Elicited by the Cold Pressor Test: A Putative Index of Untreated Essential Hypertension

Objective. Essential hypertension is associated with reduced pain sensitivity of unclear aetiology. This study explores this issue using the Cold Pressor Test (CPT), a reliable pain/stress model, comparing CPT-related EEG activity in first episode hypertensives and controls. Method. 22 untreated hypertensives and 18 matched normotensives underwent 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM). EEG recordings were taken before, during, and after CPT exposure. Results. Significant group differences in CPT-induced EEG oscillations were covaried with the most robust cardiovascular differentiators by means of a Canonical Analysis. Positive correlations were noted between ABPM variables and Delta (1–4 Hz) oscillations during the tolerance phase; in high-alpha (10–12 Hz) oscillations during the stress unit and posttest phase; and in low-alpha (8–10 Hz) oscillations during CPT phases overall. Negative correlations were found between ABPM variables and Beta2 oscillations (16.5–20 Hz) during the posttest phase and Gamma (28.5–45 Hz) oscillations during the CPT phases overall. These relationships were localised at several sites across the cerebral hemispheres with predominance in the right hemisphere and left frontal lobe. Conclusions. These findings provide a starting point for increasing our understanding of the complex relationships between cerebral activation and cardiovascular functioning involved in regulating blood pressure changes

Variations in seasonal solar insolation are associated with a history of suicide attempts in bipolar I disorder

Background: Bipolar disorder is associated with circadian disruption and a high risk of suicidal behavior. In a previous exploratory study of patients with bipolar I disorder, we found that a history of suicide attempts was associated with diferences between winter and summer levels of solar insolation. The purpose of this study was to confrm this fnding using international data from 42% more collection sites and 25% more countries. Methods: Data analyzed were from 71 prior and new collection sites in 40 countries at a wide range of latitudes. The analysis included 4876 patients with bipolar I disorder, 45% more data than previously analyzed. Of the patients, 1496 (30.7%) had a history of suicide attempt. Solar insolation data, the amount of the sun's electromagnetic energy striking the surface of the earth, was obtained for each onset location (479 locations in 64 countries). Results: This analysis confrmed the results of the exploratory study with the same best model and slightly better statistical signifcance. There was a signifcant inverse association between a history of suicide attempts and the ratio of mean winter insolation to mean summer insolation (mean winter insolation/mean summer insolation). This ratio is largest near the equator which has little change in solar insolation over the year, and smallest near the poles where the winter insolation is very small compared to the summer insolation. Other variables in the model associated with an increased risk of suicide attempts were a history of alcohol or substance abuse, female gender, and younger birth cohort. The winter/summer insolation ratio was also replaced with the ratio of minimum mean monthly insolation to the maximum mean monthly insolation to accommodate insolation patterns in the tropics, and nearly identical results were found. All estimated coefcients were signifcant at p<0.01. Conclusion: A large change in solar insolation, both between winter and summer and between the minimum and maximum monthly values, may increase the risk of suicide attempts in bipolar I disorder. With frequent circadian rhythm dysfunction and suicidal behavior in bipolar disorder, greater understanding of the optimal roles of daylight and electric lighting in circadian entrainment is needed. Keywords: Bipolar disorder, Suicide, Sunlight, Solar insolation, Psychiatry, Circadian, Seasonal variatio

Variations in seasonal solar insolation are associated with a history of suicide attempts in bipolar I disorder

Background Bipolar disorder is associated with circadian disruption and a high risk of suicidal behavior. In a previous exploratory study of patients with bipolar I disorder, we found that a history of suicide attempts was associated with differences between winter and summer levels of solar insolation. The purpose of this study was to confirm this finding using international data from 42% more collection sites and 25% more countries. Methods Data analyzed were from 71 prior and new collection sites in 40 countries at a wide range of latitudes. The analysis included 4876 patients with bipolar I disorder, 45% more data than previously analyzed. Of the patients, 1496 (30.7%) had a history of suicide attempt. Solar insolation data, the amount of the sun's electromagnetic energy striking the surface of the earth, was obtained for each onset location (479 locations in 64 countries). Results This analysis confirmed the results of the exploratory study with the same best model and slightly better statistical significance. There was a significant inverse association between a history of suicide attempts and the ratio of mean winter insolation to mean summer insolation (mean winter insolation/mean summer insolation). This ratio is largest near the equator which has little change in solar insolation over the year, and smallest near the poles where the winter insolation is very small compared to the summer insolation. Other variables in the model associated with an increased risk of suicide attempts were a history of alcohol or substance abuse, female gender, and younger birth cohort. The winter/summer insolation ratio was also replaced with the ratio of minimum mean monthly insolation to the maximum mean monthly insolation to accommodate insolation patterns in the tropics, and nearly identical results were found. All estimated coefficients were significant at p < 0.01. Conclusion A large change in solar insolation, both between winter and summer and between the minimum and maximum monthly values, may increase the risk of suicide attempts in bipolar I disorder. With frequent circadian rhythm dysfunction and suicidal behavior in bipolar disorder, greater understanding of the optimal roles of daylight and electric lighting in circadian entrainment is needed.Peer reviewe

Association between solar insolation and a history of suicide attempts in bipolar I disorder

In many international studies, rates of completed suicide and suicide attempts have a seasonal pattern that peaks in spring or summer. This exploratory study investigated the association between solar insolation and a history of suicide attempt in patients with bipolar I disorder. Solar insolation is the amount of electromagnetic energy from the Sun striking a surface area on Earth. Data were collected previously from 5536 patients with bipolar I disorder at 50 collection sites in 32 countries at a wide range of latitudes in both hemispheres. Suicide related data were available for 3365 patients from 310 onset locations in 51 countries. 1047 (31.1%) had a history of suicide attempt. There was a significant inverse association between a history of suicide attempt and the ratio of mean winter solar insolation/mean summer solar insolation. This ratio is smallest near the poles where the winter insolation is very small compared to the summer insolation. This ratio is largest near the equator where there is relatively little variation in the insolation over the year. Other variables in the model that were positively associated with suicide attempt were being female, a history of alcohol or substance abuse, and being in a younger birth cohort. Living in a country with a state-sponsored religion decreased the association. (All estimated coefficients p <0.01). In summary, living in locations with large changes in solar insolation between winter and summer may be associated with increased suicide attempts in patients with bipolar disorder. Further investigation of the impacts of solar insolation on the course of bipolar disorder is needed.Peer reviewe

Variations in seasonal solar insolation are associated with a history of suicide attempts in bipolar I disorder

Background: Bipolar disorder is associated with circadian disruption and a high risk of suicidal behavior. In a previous exploratory study of patients with bipolar I disorder, we found that a history of suicide attempts was associated with differences between winter and summer levels of solar insolation. The purpose of this study was to confirm this finding using international data from 42% more collection sites and 25% more countries. Methods: Data analyzed were from 71 prior and new collection sites in 40 countries at a wide range of latitudes. The analysis included 4876 patients with bipolar I disorder, 45% more data than previously analyzed. Of the patients, 1496 (30.7%) had a history of suicide attempt. Solar insolation data, the amount of the sun’s electromagnetic energy striking the surface of the earth, was obtained for each onset location (479 locations in 64 countries). Results: This analysis confirmed the results of the exploratory study with the same best model and slightly better statistical significance. There was a significant inverse association between a history of suicide attempts and the ratio of mean winter insolation to mean summer insolation (mean winter insolation/mean summer insolation). This ratio is largest near the equator which has little change in solar insolation over the year, and smallest near the poles where the winter insolation is very small compared to the summer insolation. Other variables in the model associated with an increased risk of suicide attempts were a history of alcohol or substance abuse, female gender, and younger birth cohort. The winter/summer insolation ratio was also replaced with the ratio of minimum mean monthly insolation to the maximum mean monthly insolation to accommodate insolation patterns in the tropics, and nearly identical results were found. All estimated coefficients were significant at p &lt; 0.01. Conclusion: A large change in solar insolation, both between winter and summer and between the minimum and maximum monthly values, may increase the risk of suicide attempts in bipolar I disorder. With frequent circadian rhythm dysfunction and suicidal behavior in bipolar disorder, greater understanding of the optimal roles of daylight and electric lighting in circadian entrainment is needed

Indication of Disrupted Temporal Structure in the Case of Thought Blocks in Schizophrenia: The Role of the Metastable Balance

This study is aimed at investigating probable disruption of the metastable balance relevant to a disruption of the mental processes observed in the neurophenomenal level. This disruption was found to occur under dense auditory verbal hallucinations (AVHs) which are accompanied by thought blocking (TB) phenomena. The entropy that quantifies the complexity of the spontaneous coupling has been used to describe the observed transitions. According to our findings, the high synchrony-derived entropy (SE) defines a metastable state, where formations of cortical areas are able to coordinate transiently under the demands of stimulus-oriented processes or other internal cognitive associations. It was also found that the disruption of the sensitive balance to the side of oversynergy (overconnectedness) rather than the side of independence (coincidental coupling) is relevant with functional fixations under the specific symptom of schizophrenia. An introduced measure relative to the persistence of coupling indicated that the overcoupled brain areas exhibit a kind of “stiffness” in processing incoherent phasic components. Our consideration enhances the understanding of the role the metastability plays in the interpretation of deeply subjective phenomena, such as AVHs and TBs that affect the normal information routing in the brain

A CONTRIBUTION TO THE INTERPRITATION OF NEUROGENIC CONTROL OF CEREBRAL CIRCULATION

TO TEST THE HYPOTHESIZED ROLE OF GAMMA-AMINOBUTYRIC ACID (GABA) ON THE CEREBRAL CIRCULATION, WE USED A PRESSURE MICRO-INJECTION SYSTEM TO SIMULTANEOUSLY ADMINISTER VARIOUS CONCENTRATIONS OF GABA AND MEASURE THE TISSUE PO22 USING AN ADJACENT PO2 MICROELECTRODE. GABA INJECTED DIRECTLY INTO THE MONGOLIAN GERBIL (MERIONES UNGUICULATUS) HIPPOCAMPUS PRODUCED AN IMMEDIATE, REVERSIBLE INCREASE IN LOCAL TISSUE PO2. CONTROL INJECTIONS OF PHOSPHATE BUFFER (PH=7.4) HAD NO SIGNIFICANT EFFECT ON TISSUE PO2. THE INDUCED INCREASE IN TISSUE PO2 OCCURED WITHIN SECONDS AFTER MICRO-INJECTION OF GABA. THE DURATION OF THE EFFECT WAS DEPENDENT UPON THE DOSE OF GABA WHICH WAS ADMINISTERED. THESE RESULTS SHOW A MODULATION OF TISSUE PO2 BY GABA, AND THEY AGREE WITH THE PROPOSED ROLE OF GABA AS A VASODILATOR IN THE REGULATION OF CEREBRAL MICROCIRCULATION.ΓΙΑ ΤΗ ΜΕΛΕΤΗ ΤΟΥ Γ-ΑΜΙΝΟΒΟΥΤΥΡΙΚΟΥ ΟΞΕΟΣ ΣΤΗΝ ΕΓΚΕΦΑΛΙΚΗ ΜΙΚΡΟΚΥΚΛΟΦΟΡΙΑ ΕΠΙΝΟΗΘΗΚΕ ΚΑΙ ΚΑΤΑΣΚΕΥΑΣΤΗΚΕ ΕΝΑ ΣΥΣΤΗΜΑ "ΜΙΚΡΟΗΛΕΚΤΡΟΔΙΟ ΟΞΥΓΟΝΟΥ/ΠΙΠΕΤΤΑ" ΤΟ ΟΠΟΙΟ ΠΡΟΣΑΡΜΟΣΤΗΚΕ ΣΕ ΕΝΑ "ΜΙΚΡΟΠΙΕΣΤΙΚΟ ΕΓΧΥΤΙΚΟ" ΣΥΣΤΗΜΑ ΜΕΣΩ ΤΟΥ ΟΠΟΙΟΥ ΧΟΡΗΓΕΙΤΟ GABA ΣΕ ΠΟΙΚΙΛΕΣ ΣΥΓΚΕΝΤΡΩΣΕΙΣ, ΕΝΩ ΤΑΥΤΟΧΡΟΝΑ ΚΑΤΑΓΡΑΦΟΝΤΑΝ ΟΙ ΜΕΤΑΒΟΛΕΣ ΤΗΣ ΙΣΤΙΚΗΣ ΤΑΣΗΣ ΟΞΥΓΟΝΟΥ ΣΤΟΝ ΙΠΠΟΚΑΜΠΟ ΓΕΡΒΙΛΩΝ (MERIONES UNQUICULATUS) ΜΕ ΤΗΝ ΠΟΛΑΡΟΓΡΑΦΙΚΗ ΜΕΘΟΔΟ. Η ΕΓΧΥΣΗ GABA ΣΤΟΝ ΙΠΠΟΚΑΜΠΟ ΤΟΥ ΕΓΚΕΦΑΛΟΥ ΓΕΡΒΙΛΩΝ ΠΡΟΚΑΛΕΣΕ ΑΜΕΣΗ ΚΑΙ ΑΝΤΙΣΤΡΕΠΤΗ ΑΥΞΗΣΗ ΣΤΗΝ ΤΟΠΙΚΗ ΙΣΤΙΚΗ ΡΟ2, ΕΝΩ Η ΕΓΧΥΣΗΔΙΑΛΥΜΑΤΟΣ 0.15 Μ NACL ΠΑΡΑΣΚΕΥΑΣΜΕΝΟ ΣΕ 0.05 Μ ΦΩΣΦΟΡΙΚΟ ΡΥΘΜΙΣΤΙΚΟ (ΡΗ=7.4)ΣΕ ΜΑΡΤΥΡΕΣ, ΔΕΝ ΕΠΕΦΕΡΕ ΚΑΜΙΑ ΣΗΜΑΝΤΙΚΗ ΜΕΤΑΒΟΛΗ. Η ΑΥΞΗΣΗ ΤΗΣ ΡΟ2 ΠΑΡΑΤΗΡΗΘΗΚΕ ΔΕΥΤΕΡΟΛΕΠΤΑ ΜΕΤΑ ΤΗΝ ΕΓΧΥΣΗ ΤΟΥ GABA, ΕΝΩ Η ΔΙΑΡΚΕΙΑ ΤΗΣ ΜΕΤΑΒΟΛΗΣ ΤΗΣ ΙΣΤΙΚΗΣ ΤΑΣΗΣ ΤΟΥ ΟΞΥΓΟΝΟΥ ΕΞΑΡΤΙΟΤΑΝ ΑΠ'ΤΗ ΔΟΣΗ ΤΟΥ ΧΟΡΗΓΟΥΜΕΝΟΥ GABA. ΑΥΤΑ ΤΑΑΠΟΤΕΛΕΣΜΑΤΑ ΔΕΙΧΝΟΥΝ ΤΡΟΠΟΠΟΙΗΣΗ ΤΗΣ ΙΣΤΙΚΗΣ ΡΟ2 ΑΠΟ ΤΟ GABA ΚΑΙ ΣΥΜΦΩΝΟΥΝ ΜΕ ΤΟΝ ΠΡΟΤΕΙΝΟΜΕΝΟ ΑΠ'ΤΑ ΠΕΙΡΑΜΑΤΙΚΑ ΔΕΔΟΜΕΝΑ ΤΗΣ ΒΙΒΛΙΟΓΡΑΦΙΑΣ ΡΟΛΟ ΤΟΥ GABA ΣΑΝ ΑΓΓΕΙΟΔΙΑΣΤΟΛΕΑ ΣΤΗΝ ΕΓΚΕΦΑΛΙΚΗ ΜΙΚΡΟΚΥΚΛΟΦΟΡΙΑ