Anthropometric and physical characteristics allow differentiation of young female volleyball players according to playing position and level of expertise

The aim of our study was to determine the differences in some anthropometric and physical performance variables of young Croatian female volleyball players (aged 13 to 15) in relation to playing position (i.e., independent variable) and performance level within each position (i.e., independent variable). Players were categorized according to playing position (i.e., role) as middle blockers (n=28), opposite hitters (n=41), passer-hitters (n=54), setters (n=30), and liberos (n=28). Within each position, players were divided into a more successful group and a less successful group according to team ranking in the latest regional championship and player quality within the team. Height and body mass, somatotype by the Heath-Carter method, and four tests of lower body power, speed, agility and upper body power (i.e., dependent variables) were assessed. Players in different positions differed significantly in height and all three somatotype components, but no significant differences were found in body mass, body mass index or measured physical performance variables. Players of different performance level differed significantly in both anthropometric and physical performance variables. Generally, middle blockers were taller, more ectomorphic, less mesomorphic and endomorphic, whereas liberos were shorter, less ectomorphic, more mesomorphic and endomorphic than players in other positions. More successful players in all positions had a lower body mass index, were less mesomorphic and endomorphic, and more ectomorphic than less successful players. Furthermore, more successful players showed better lower body power, speed, agility and upper body power. The results of this study can potentially provide coaches with useful indications about the use of somatotype selection and physical performance assessment for talent identification and development

Track running shoes: a case report of the transition from classical spikes to "super spikes" in track running

Research on high-tech running shoes is increasing but few studies are available about the use of high-tech track spike shoes (super spikes), despite their growing popularity among running athletes. The aim of this case study was to investigate kinematics, kinetics, and plantar pressures of an Olympic running athlete using two different types of shoes, to provide an easy and replicable method to assess their influence on running biomechanics. The tested athlete performed six running trials, at the same speed, wearing a pair of normal spikes shoes (NSS) and a super spikes shoe (SSS), in random order. SSS increased contact time, vertical impact, and swing force (Effect Size 3.70, 7.86, and 1.31, respectively), while it reduced foot-strike type and vertical ground reaction force rate (Effect Size 3.62 and 7.21, respectively). Moreover, a significant change was observed in medial and lateral load, with SSS inducing a more symmetrical load distribution between the left and right feet compared to the NSS (SSS left medial load 57.1 +/- 2.1%, left lateral load 42.9 +/- 1.4%, right medial load 55.1 +/- 2.6%, right lateral load 44.9 +/- 2.6%; NSS left medial load 58.4 +/- 2.6%, left lateral load 41.6 +/- 2.1%, right medial load 49.2 +/- 3.7%, right lateral load 50.8 +/- 3.7%). The results of this case study suggest the importance of using individual evaluation methods to assess shoe adaptations in running athletes, which can induce biomechanical modifications and should be considered by coaches to ensure optimal running performance

Age and gender influence on HIDRAdisk outcomes in adalimumab-treated hidradenitis suppurativa patients

Background Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a chronic relapsing inflammatory skin disease characterized by a significant impairment of patients' quality of life (QoL). It has been recently found that clinical severity of HS does not correlate well with QoL. Therefore, it is important to enhance the evaluation of severity considering the disease burden on QoL. Recently, a new graphical tool able to better describe HS burden, the so-called HIDRAdisk, has been introduced. Objective To investigate the utility of HIDRAdisk in clinical practice before and after treatment and to analyse whether specific factors such as age and gender may influence the outcomes in patients with moderate-to-severe HS. Methods A single-centre retrospective study on 24 patients (13F/11M, mean age 38 +/- 15 years) with moderate-to-severe HS was performed. Clinical data (disease severity and quality of life) were collected at baseline and after 12 weeks of adalimumab. Results HIDRAdisk showed significantly better improvements in males (69.8 +/- 6.2-49.6 +/- 10.8) compared to females (80.7 +/- 6.0-72.3 +/- 6.7), P <0.001. A significant correlation was found in the total population between HS severity values measured through the modified Sartorius score (mSS) and QoL measured through HIDRAdisk. As regards the relationship between disease outcomes and age, a trend for better HIDRAdisk outcomes in younger patients (<40 years) compared to older ones was observed. Conclusions HIDRAdisk appears as a complete and informative tool which can easily measure the global burden of HS, guiding treatment choice and evaluating its efficacy

Intradermal Indocyanine Green for In Vivo Fluorescence Laser Scanning Microscopy of Human Skin: A Pilot Study

BACKGROUND: In clinical diagnostics, as well as in routine dermatology, the increased need for non-invasive diagnosis is currently satisfied by reflectance laser scanning microscopy. However, this technique has some limitations as it relies solely on differences in the reflection properties of epidermal and dermal structures. To date, the superior method of fluorescence laser scanning microscopy is not generally applied in dermatology and predominantly restricted to fluorescein as fluorescent tracer, which has a number of limitations. Therefore, we searched for an alternative fluorophore matching a novel skin imaging device to advance this promising diagnostic approach. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Using a Vivascope®-1500 Multilaser microscope, we found that the fluorophore Indocyanine-Green (ICG) is well suited as a fluorescent marker for skin imaging in vivo after intradermal injection. ICG is one of few fluorescent dyes approved for use in humans. Its fluorescence properties are compatible with the application of a near-infrared laser, which penetrates deeper into the tissue than the standard 488 nm laser for fluorescein. ICG-fluorescence turned out to be much more stable than fluorescein in vivo, persisting for more than 48 hours without significant photobleaching whereas fluorescein fades within 2 hours. The well-defined intercellular staining pattern of ICG allows automated cell-recognition algorithms, which we accomplished with the free software CellProfiler, providing the possibility of quantitative high-content imaging. Furthermore, we demonstrate the superiority of ICG-based fluorescence microscopy for selected skin pathologies, including dermal nevi, irritant contact dermatitis and necrotic skin. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Our results introduce a novel in vivo skin imaging technique using ICG, which delivers a stable intercellular fluorescence signal ideal for morphological assessment down to sub-cellular detail. The application of ICG in combination with the near infrared laser opens new ways for minimal-invasive diagnosis and monitoring of skin disorders

Mechanical and metabolic profile of locomotion in adults with childhood-onset GH deficiency

Objective: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the energy cost and the mechanical work of locomotion in a group of adults with childhood- onset GH deficiency (GILD). Subjects: Eight males with childhood-onset GHD (mean age ± S.D.: 31.7 ± 3.6 years; mean height: 145.1 ± 6.7 cm) and six age-, sex- and exercise-matched normal subjects were studied. Design: GHD patients and healthy controls were requested to walk and run in the speed range of 2-11 km h-1. For each condition, simultaneous mechanical and metabolic measurements were taken. Methods: Oxygen consumption, and mechanical internal and external work of locomotion were evaluated with standard open-circuit respirometry and three-dimensional motion analysis respectively. Results: External work was not significantly different between GHD patients and healthy controls, while internal work was higher for patients at all speeds. In walking, the relationships between both the mechanical energy recovery and the metabolic cost with speed were shifted towards lower speeds in patients. As a consequence, the optimal speed of walking, i.e. the speed at which the cost of locomotion is minimum, was lower for GHD patients. Stride frequency was significantly higher (11.2-11.3%) for GHD patients at all speeds of walking and running. GHD patients were unable to run at speeds higher than 8 km h-1 for the time needed to reach a metabolic steady state. Conclusion: It appears that both the mechanics and energetics of locomotion in short-statured adults with childhood-onset GHD are not strikingly different from those of healthy controls, thus demonstrating a substantial 'normality' in this group of GHD patients at metabolically attainable speeds. The 'harmonic' body structure and the adherence to allometric transformations in these patients do not exclude the possibility of a different metabolic role of GH in normally statured adults with childhood-onset GHD and in those with acquired GHD, taking into account the well recognized heterogeneity of the adult GHD syndrome

Dual atmosphere study of the K41X stainless steel for interconnect application in high temperature water vapour electrolysis

High temperature water vapour electrolysis (HTE) is one of the most efficient technologies for mass hydrogen production. A major technical difficulty related to high temperature water vapour electrolysis is the development of interconnects working efficiently for a long period. Working temperature of 800 °C enables the use of metallic materials as interconnects. High temperature corrosion behaviour and electrical conductivity of a commercial stainless steel, K41X (AISI 441), were tested in HTE dual atmosphere (95%O2-5%H20/10%H2-90%H2O) at 800 °C. The alloy exhibits a very good oxidation resistance compared to single atmosphere tests. However, a supplied electrical current significantly changes the nature of the oxides that form during the test. A very good Area Specific Resistance (ASR) parameter was measured in dual atmosphere, much lower than the values obtained in single atmosphere tests

Pygmy locomotion

The hypothesis that Pygmies may differ from Caucasians in some aspects of the mechanics of locomotion was tested. A total of 13 Pygmies and 7 Caucasians were asked to walk and run on a treadmill at 4-12 km.h-1. Simultaneous metabolic measurements and three-dimensional motion analysis were performed allowing the energy expenditure and the mechanical external and internal work to be calculated. In Pygmies the metabolic energy cost was higher during walking at all speeds (P < 0.05), but tended to be lower during running (NS). The stride frequency and the internal mechanical work were higher for Pygmies at all walking (P < 0.05) and running (NS) speeds although the external mechanical work was similar. The total mechanical work for Pygmies was higher during walking (P < 0.05), but not during running and the efficiency of locomotion was similar in all subjects and speeds. The higher cost of walking in Pygmies is consistent with the allometric prediction for smaller subjects. The major determinants of the higher cost of walking was the difference in stride frequency (+9.45, SD 0.44% for Pygmies), which affected the mechanical internal work. This explains the observed higher total mechanical work of walking in Pygmies, even when the external component was the same. Most of the differences between Pygmies and Caucasians, observed during walking, tended to disappear when the speed was normalized as the Froude number. However, this was not the case for running. Thus, whereas the tested hypothesis must be rejected for walking, the data from running, do indeed suggest that Pygmies may differ in some aspects of the mechanics of locomotion

STUDY ON CELL MEDIATED IMMUNE RESPONSE INDUCED BY CONCURRENT VACCINATIONS TO PRRSV AND PCV2 IN NATURALLY INFECTED PIGS

Objective - This field trial was aimed at assessing the immune efficacy of the concurrent use of PCV2 + PRRS vaccinations in comparison with the effects of both single vaccinations (PRRS and PCV2 alone) and with negative non-vaccinated control pigs by measuring IFN-γ-specific SC. Materials and Methods - This double-blinded trial was carried out in a farrow to finish 2000-sow-herd affected by PCVD and infected by PRRSV in nursery and growing phase (stable herds). PCV2 and PRRS vaccinations have been never applied prior to this trial. At weaning (22.5±1.3 days of age) 800 piglets individually identified were equally distributed to 4 different groups as follow: A (concurrent vaccination with Porcilis PRRS - right side of the neck, + Porcilis PCV - left side); B (Porcilis PRRS only); C ( Porcilis PCV only); D (Placebo -adjuvant/control). Blood samples (20 pigs/group) were taken every 2 weeks for the whole duration of the trial in order to perform immunological exams to evaluate specific immune response to PCV2 and PRRSV. PRRS natural infection occurred from 8 to 18 weeks of age and PCV2 infection from 16 weeks of age onward. Data were statistically evaluated by using ANOVA (analysis of variance) and Dunnett’s test. Results - After PCV2 vaccination both vaccinated groups (A and C) developed an increase of the number of IFN-g SC. Conversely, in non PCV2 vaccinated groups the amount of SC stayed at basal level. After infection all groups showed an increase of IFN-g SC especially in concurrently vaccinated pigs. After PRRS vaccination the number of IFN-g SC in concurrently vaccinated and group B increased promptly reaching higher level than the non-vaccinated groups. Conclusions - In the condition of this study, the results show that concurrent vaccination to PRRS and PCV2 is safe and does not interfere with the stimulation of the cell mediated immunity to the specific antigen and shows some improvement of cell mediated response to PCV2

Peak running speed can be used to monitor neuromuscular fatigue from a standardized running test in team sport athletes

This study compared the sensitivity of peak running speed (PRS) measured during a submaximal run test (SRT) with a countermovement jump (CMJ) test to provide an alternate method of measuring neuromuscular fatigue (NMF). The study involved 20 semi-professional academy soccer players who performed a SRT and CMJ test, 24-hours pre-match, 24-, 48-, 72- and 96-hours post-match. Moderate decreases (effect-size (ES) ± 90% confidence intervals) were observed 24-hours post-match for CMJH; ES -0.70&nbsp;± 0.19, CMJPV; ES -0.92&nbsp;± 0.27 and PRS; ES -0.58&nbsp;± 0.11 with small decreases in CMJH; ES -0.36&nbsp;± 0.13 and PRS; ES -0.27&nbsp;± 0.23 still evident 48-hours post-match before returning to baseline 72-hours post-match. The results confirm PRS as an inexpensive alternate method of measuring NMF which, allows instantaneous real-time feedback on NMF. This can allow changes to be made immediately on-field within the post-match recovery phase without the need for further analysis or equipment