Normalisation method can affect gluteus medius electromyography results during weight bearing exercises in people with hip osteoarthritis (OA): a case control study.

Surface electromyography (sEMG) is used to assess muscle activation during therapeutic exercise, but data are significantly affected by inter-individual variability and requires normalisation of the sEMG signal to enable comparison between individuals. The purpose of this study was to compare two normalisation methods, a maximal method (maximum voluntary isometric contraction (MVIC)) and non-maximal peak dynamic method (PDM), on gluteus medius (GMed) activation using sEMG during three weight-bearing exercises in people with hip osteoarthritis (OA) and healthy controls. Thirteen people with hip OA and 20 controls performed three exercises (Squat, Step-Up, Step-Down). Average root-mean squared EMG amplitude based on MVIC and PDM normalisation was compared between groups for both involved and uninvolved hips using Mann-Whitney tests. Using MVIC normalisation, significantly higher normalised GMed EMG amplitudes were found in the OA group during all Step-up and down exercises on the involved side (p=0.02-0.001) and most of the Step exercises on the uninvolved side (p=0.03-0.04), but not the Squat (p\u3e0.05), compared to controls. Using PDM normalisation, significant between-group differences occurred only for Ascending Squat (p=0.03) on the involved side. MVIC normalisation demonstrated higher inter-trial relative reliability (ICCs=0.78-0.99) than PDM (ICCs=0.37-0.84), but poorer absolute reliability using Standard Error of Measurement. Normalisation method can significantly affect interpretation of EMG amplitudes. Although MVIC-normalised amplitudes were more sensitive to differences between groups, there was greater variability using this method, which raises concerns regarding validity. Interpretation of EMG data is strongly influenced by the normalisation method used, and this should be considered when applying EMG results to clinical populations

#RCSIPulseCheck

The project, #RCSIPulseCheck was a virtual paediatric physical activity and health education project that came about during the COVID19 global pandemic. As the student partner in this project, my preparations and plan-ning began prior to the pandemic and initially the project was supposed to be delivered face-to-face. Building on the concept of student engagement, I proposed the original project to RCSI staff members who provided guidance on how best to deliver an impactful project while empowering my student voice (NStEP, 2021). Due to the extension of Level 5 COVID19 restrictions and ongoing remote schooling, it became apparent that roll out of a face-to-face project in its original format would be a challenge. It became necessary to review the project and shape it into a format that could achieve our aims and be deliverable with our school partners. This deci-sion to pivot into a virtual project required student-staff collaboration to reach our end goal. During this collab-orative effort, it became apparent that the project was suitable for funding from the RCSI Student Engagement and Partnership Programme which provided further impetus for the project. Social media (e.g. Twitter, Instagram) was a facilitator in reaching our target audience, in this case the teachers of school children between the ages of 8-11 years attending 3 Dublin based DEIS schools. The principal issue that this project was trying to address was that of physical activity promotion and health education among the paediatric population of Ireland. 1 in 5 children in Ireland are overweight (Behan et al, 2018) and a 2019 Dublin City University study of over 2,000 children demonstrated that 78% performed very poorly or below average on fundamental movement testing (Healthy Ireland, 2016). Poor fundamental move-ment skills may have negative implications for children wishing to participate in physical activity, further con-tributing to a potentially more unhealthy society. Physical inactivity has deleterious consequences. According to the World Health Organisation, physical inactivity is estimated to be the principle cause for 21-25% of breast and colon cancers, 27% of diabetes and approximately 30% of ischaemic heart disease burden (WHO, 2019). The aims of the project were to promote physical activity among schoolchildren attending 3 Dublin DEIS schools (aged 8-11 years) using evidence-based medicine while adhering to Level 5 COVID19 government restrictions. Using online platforms, e.g. RCSI Engage Twitter account, we posted 5 days of age-appropriate, varied and fun physical activities for schoolchildren to complete in an effort to promote physical activity among this population.</p

Characterization of Brazilian spring wheat germplasm and its potential for increasing wheat genetic diversity in Canada

In the present era of climate instability, Canadian wheat production has been frequently affected by abiotic stresses and by dynamic populations of pathogens and pests that are more virulent and aggressive over time. Genetic diversity is fundamental to guarantee sustainable and improved wheat production. In the past, the genetics of Brazilian cultivars, such as Frontana, have been studied by Canadian researchers and consequently, Brazilian germplasm has been used to breed Canadian wheat cultivars. The objective of this study was to characterize a collection of Brazilian germplasm under Canadian growing conditions, including the reaction of the Brazilian germplasm to Canadian isolates/pathogens and to predict the presence of certain genes in an effort to increase genetic diversity, improve genetic gain and resilience of Canadian wheat. Over 100 Brazilian hard red spring wheat cultivars released from 1986 to 2016 were evaluated for their agronomic performance in eastern Canada. Some cultivars showed good adaptability, with several cultivars being superior or statistically equal to the highest yielding Canadian checks. Several Brazilian cultivars had excellent resistance to leaf rust, even though only a few of these tested positive for the presence of either Lr34 or Lr16, two of the most common resistance genes in Canadian wheat. Resistance for stem rust, stripe rust and powdery mildew was variable among the Brazilian cultivars. However, many Brazilian cultivars had high levels of resistance to Canadian and African - Ug99 strains of stem rust. Many Brazilian cultivars had good Fusarium head blight (FHB) resistance, which appears to be derived from Frontana. In contrast FHB resistance in Canadian wheat is largely based on the Chinese variety, Sumai-3. The Brazilian germplasm is a valuable source of semi-dwarf (Rht) genes, and 75% of the Brazilian collection possessed Rht-B1b. Many cultivars in the Brazilian collection were found to be genetically distinct from Canadian wheat, making them a valuable resource to increase the disease resistance and genetic variability in Canada and elsewhere