The influence of voluntary upper body exercise on the performance of stimulated paralysed human quadriceps

In this study the influence of voluntary upper body exercise on the performance of stimulated paralysed human quadriceps was investigated in five subjects with spinal cord lesions in the thoracic spine. The experimental setup consisted of computer-controlled stimulation of the quadriceps using electrodes on the surface of the skin, a dynamometer for isometric or isokinetic loading of the lower leg, and a rowing ergometer for upper body exercise. In all subjects, quadriceps fatigue tests were conducted to study the influence of upper body exercise on knee torque during sustained continuous or intermittent stimulation of quadriceps. The relative asymptotic torque appeared to be significantly higher with the presence of upper body exercise than without. This was consistently found both between trials (starting with or without upper body exercise) as well as within trials, when upper body exercise was started or stopped during the trial. No significant influence of upper body exercise on the time constant of initial torque decline was found

The influence of the reciprocal cable linkage in the advanced reciprocating gait orthosis on paraplegic gait performance

A wide variety of mechanical orthoses is available to provide ambulation to paraplegic patients. Evaluation of energy cost during walking in each of these devices has been acknowledged as an important topic in this field of research. In order to investigate the benefits of a ballistic swing on gait performance in the Advanced Reciprocating Gait Orthosis (ARGO) a study was conducted in which the ARGO was compared with an orthosis with freely swinging legs. This Non Reciprocally linked Orthosis (NRO) was obtained by removing the reciprocal linkage in the subjects' own ARGOs. Subsequently, flexion/extension limits were mounted to permit adjustment of stride length. Six male paraplegic subjects with lesions ranging from T4 to T12 were included in the study. A single case experimental design (B-A-B-A) was conducted in order to improve internal validity. Biomechanical and physiological parameters were assessed and the subjects' preference for either ARGO or NRO was determined.\ud \ud It was found that large inter-individual differences produced insufficient evidence in this study to draw general conclusions about difference in energy expenditure between both orthoses. However, individual analysis of the results showed a reduction of oxygen cost (range: 4%-14%) in the NRO in T9 and T12 lesions, while oxygen cost in subjects with T4 lesions increased markedly (22% and 40%). It is concluded that patients with low level lesions could benefit in terms of oxygen lost from removing the reciprocal cable linkage in the ARGO. However, only one subject preferred the NRO for walking, whereas none of the subject chose the NRO for use in daily living activities. Removal of the reciprocal cable linkage in the ARGO may not be desirable for these patients

The influence of frontal alignment in the advanced reciprocating gait orthosis on energy cost and crutch force requirements during paraplegic gait

Reduction of energy cost and upper body load during paraplegic walking is considered to be an important criterion in future developments of walking systems. A high energy cost limits the maximum walking distance in the current devices, whereas wrist and shoulder pathology can deteriorate because of the high upper body load. A change in alignment of the mechanical brace in the frontal plane, i.e. abduction, can contribute to a more efficient gait pattern with sufficient foot clearance with less pelvic lateral sway. A decrease in pelvic lateral sway after aligning in abduction results in a shift of the centre of mass to the swing leg crutch which may result in a decrease in required crutch force on stance side to maintain foot clearance. Five paraplegic subjects were provided with a standard Advanced Reciprocating Gait Orthosis (ARGO) and an ARGO aligned in 4 different degrees of abduction (0°, 3°, 6° and 9°). After determining an optimal abduction angle for each of the subjects, a cross over design was used to compare the ARGO with the individually optimised abducted orthosis. An abduction angle between 0° and 3° was chosen as optimal abduction angle. Subjects were not able to walk satisfactory with abduction angles 6° and 9°. A significant reduction in crutch peak force on stance side was found (approx. 12% , p < 0.01) in the abducted orthosis. Reduction in crutch force time integral (15%) as well as crutch peak force on swing side (5%) was not significant. No differences in oxygen uptake as well as oxygen cost was found. We concluded that an abduction angle between 0° and 3° is beneficial with respect to upper boHy load, whereas energy requirements did not change

Two new species in the Micarea prasina group from Western Europe

Peer reviewe

A systematic analysis on tomato powder quality prepared by four conductive drying technologies

Four pilot-scale conductive dryers, namely a vacuum drum dryer (VDD), a drum dryer (DD), an agitated thin film dryer (ATFD) and a refractance window dryer (RWD), were used to dry tomato puree. Drying induced colour differences between the reconstituted puree and the original puree and strongly affected the volatile and non- volatile profiles of the powders. Principal component analysis (PCA) identified four separated groups corresponding to the different drying methods, indicating that the drying methods caused significant variance in compound profiles. Subsequently, pairwise comparison of different dried powders was performed by partial least square discriminant analysis (PLS-DA). This resulted in a selection of discriminative volatile and non-volatile markers. RWD and VDD produced powders with high volatile markers that may be related to aroma retention. Conversely, DD dried products contained more non-volatile markers that can be related to taste perception. ATFD processed powders had a lower level of discriminant compounds. Industrial relevance: Tomato products are frequently thermally processed and dehydrated. However, processing negatively affects the sensory quality of tomato products. In this study, four conductive drying processes, i.e. vacuum drum drying (VDD), drum drying (DD), agitated thin film drying (ATFD) and refractance window drying (RWD) were studied for being energy-efficient drying methods, while suitable for mild (e.g. due to the reduced pressure) drying of pastes and slurries, such as tomato puree. The pilot-scale drying experiments and subsequent statistical analyses of results on quality markers contributed to unravel the impact of the different conductive drying technologies on tomato powder quality. This study may be considered a starting point for selection of conductive drying technologies for the efficient production of high quality tomato powders and other vegetable powders

Efficacy of Stem Cell Therapy for Tendon Disorders:A Systematic Review

Background: Stem cell therapy is an emerging treatment for tendon disorders. Purpose: To systematically review the efficacy of stem cell therapy for patients with tendon disorders. Study Design: Systematic review; Level of evidence, 4. Methods: MEDLINE/PubMed, EMBASE, CINAHL, CENTRAL, PEDro, and SPORTDiscus; trial registers; and gray literature were searched to identify randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and non-RCTs, cohort studies, and case series with 5 or more cases. Studies investigating any type of stem cell therapy for patients with tendon disorders were eligible if they included patient-reported outcome measures or assessed tendon healing. Risk of bias was assessed through use of the Cochrane risk of bias tools. Results: This review included 8 trials (289 patients). All trials had moderate to high risk of bias (level 3 or 4 evidence). In Achilles tendon disorders, 1 trial found that allogenic-derived stem cells led to a faster recovery compared with platelet-rich plasma. Another study found no retears after bone marrow-derived stem cell therapy was used in addition to surgical treatment. There were 4 trials that studied the efficacy of bone marrow-derived stem cell therapy for rotator cuff tears. The controlled trials reported superior patient-reported outcomes and better tendon healing. A further 2 case series found that stem cell therapy improved patient-reported outcomes in patients with patellar tendinopathy and elbow tendinopathy. Conclusion: Level 3 evidence is available to support the efficacy of stem cell therapy for tendon disorders. The findings of available studies are at considerable risk of bias, and evidence-based recommendations for the use of stem cell therapy for tendon disorders in clinical practice cannot be made at this time. Stem cell injections should not be used in clinical practice given the lack of knowledge about potentially serious adverse effects

Recent developments in functional bakery products and the impact of baking on active ingredients

[EN] Active ingredients can be supplemented into a bakery product to produce functional food. However, the preservation of the functionality of these active ingredients during baking remains a challenge for food industry. A deeper understanding of the underlying interactions between functionality and baking is highly desired for developing innovative functional bakery products with significant health benefits and high product quality. In this work, recent advances in the development of functional bakery products are reviewed. The interactions between the baking process and the functionality of the supplemented active ingredients are discussed and the perspective of future research is addressed.Zhang, L.; Boom, R.; Chen, X.; Schutyser, M. (2018). Recent developments in functional bakery products and the impact of baking on active ingredients. En IDS 2018. 21st International Drying Symposium Proceedings. Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. 667-674. https://doi.org/10.4995/IDS2018.2018.7593OCS66767

The influence of the reciprocal hip joint link in the advanced reciprocating gait orthosis on standing performance in paraplegia

The effect of reciprocally linking the hip hinges of a hip-knee-ankle-foot orthosis on standing performance was studied in a comparative trial of the Advanced Reciprocating Gait Orthosis (ARGO) and an ARGO in which the Bowden cable was removed (A_GO). Six male subjects with spinal cord injury (SCI) at T4 to T12 level participated in the study, which was conducted using a single case experimental design. Standing balance, the ability to handle balance disturbances (standing stability), and the performance of a functional hand task during standing were assessed in both orthosis configurations in the order A_GO-ARGO-A_GO-ARGO. No significant differences with respect to standing performance were found for the two orthosis configurations. However, the results indicate that the crutch force needed for maintaining balance during various tasks, especially for quiet standing with two crutches, may be much higher in the orthosis without Bowden cable. Therefore, it is very likely that the reciprocal hip joint link in the ARGO provides a substantial and clinically relevant reduction of upper body effort required for standing under functional conditions

Climate warming may affect the optimal timing of reproduction for migratory geese differently in the low and high Arctic

Rapid climate warming is driving organisms to advance timing of reproduction with earlier springs, but the rate of advancement shows large variation, even among populations of the same species. In this study, we investigated how the rate of advancement in timing of reproduction with a warming climate varies for barnacle goose (Branta leucopsis) populations breeding at different latitudes in the Arctic. We hypothesized that populations breeding further North are generally more time constrained and, therefore, produce clutches earlier relative to the onset of spring than southern populations. Therefore, with increasing temperatures and a progressive relief of time constraint, we expected latitudinal differences to decrease. For the years 2000-2016, we determined the onset of spring from snow cover data derived from satellite images, and compiled data on egg laying date and reproductive performance in one low-Arctic and two high-Arctic sites. As expected, high-Arctic geese laid their eggs earlier relative to snowmelt than low-Arctic geese. Contrary to expectations, advancement in laying dates was similar in high- and low-Arctic colonies, at a rate of 27% of the advance in date of snowmelt. Although advancement of egg laying did not fully compensate for the advancement of snowmelt, geese laying eggs at intermediate dates in the low Arctic were the most successful breeders. In the high Arctic, however, early nesting geese were the most successful breeders, suggesting that high-Arctic geese have not advanced their laying dates sufficiently to earlier springs. This indicates that high-Arctic geese especially are vulnerable to negative effects of climate warming

Understanding the evolution of phenotypical characters in the Micarea prasina group (Pilocarpaceae) and descriptions of six new species within the group

peer reviewe