Foot and Ankle Muscle Isometric Strength in Nonrearfoot Compared With Rearfoot Endurance Runners.

peer reviewed[en] BACKGROUND: Transitioning to a forefoot strike pattern can be used to manage running-related knee injuries. However, adopting a nonrearfoot strike induces a higher load on foot and ankle structures than rearfoot strike. Sufficient foot muscle strength is also necessary to prevent excessive longitudinal arch (LA) deformation when running with nonrearfoot strike. The aim of this study was to investigate the potential differences in foot-ankle muscle strength between RF and NRF runners. METHODS: A cross-sectional study including 40 RF and 40 NRF runners was conducted. The foot posture and the maximal voluntary isometric strength (MVIS) of 6 foot-ankle muscles were measured. The footstrike pattern was determined using a 2-D camera during a self-paced run on a treadmill. RESULTS: NRF had higher MVIS for ankle plantar flexor (+12.5%, P = .015), ankle dorsiflexor (+17.7%, P = .01), hallux flexor (+11%, P = .04), and lesser toe flexor (+20.8%, P = .0031). We found a small positive correlation between MVIS of ankle plantar flexor with MVIS of hallux flexor (r = 0.26; P = .01) and lesser toe flexor (r = 0.28; P = .01). CONCLUSION: In this cross-sectional study, we found that NRF runners on average have a higher MVIS of hallux and lesser toe flexor compared with RF runners. NRF runners also have a higher MVIS of ankle plantar flexor and dorsiflexor than RF runners. We found only a small correlation between ankle plantar flexor and foot muscle strength. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level III, case-control study

Label-free higher order structure and dynamic investigation method of proteins in solution using an enzymatic reactor coupled to electrospray high-resolution mass spectrometry

peer reviewe

A whole-plant functional scheme predicting the early growth of tropical tree species: evidence from 15 tree species in Central Africa

Key message: This study highlighted the consistency of a functional scheme integrating leaf, stem and root traits, biomass allocation and stem anatomy for 15 tropical tree species at the seedling stage. This functional scheme was shaped by the trade-offs for resource use and the hydraulics of the plants and was found to determine seedling growth. Abstract: Functional traits determine plant functioning, performance and response to the environment and define species functional strategy. The functional strategy of 15 African tree species was assessed by (1) highlighting the structure of traits covariance and the underlying functional trade-offs, (2) inferring a whole-plant functional scheme and (3) testing the correlation of the functional scheme with plant performance for two early developmental stages (seedlings and saplings). We selected 10 seedlings for each of the 15 species studied from a nursery in south-eastern Cameroon and measured 18 functional traits, including leaf, stem and root traits, biomass allocation and stem anatomy. We assessed the height and diameter growth of the seedlings and the DBH growth and survival for the saplings of nearby plantations. Multivariate analyses highlighted the covariations among the functional traits of the leaf/stem/root, biomass allocation ratios and stem anatomy. The major trait covariation axes were driven by two trade-offs, first between resource acquisition and conservation and second between hydraulic safety and efficiency. The axes were integrated into a Bayesian network inferring a functional scheme at the whole-plant scale, which was found to predict the growth of the seedlings but not the performance of the saplings. The functional strategies of the seedlings were determined by an integrated whole-plant scheme reflecting the trade-offs for resource use and plant hydraulics. The scheme predicted the growth of the seedlings through mechanistic pathways from the wood stem to all the plant traits, but it appeared to shift at the stage of the saplings. © 2018, Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature

Investigation of structure-stabilizing elements in proteins by ion mobility mass spectrometry and collision-induced unfolding

peer reviewe

Current perception and practice of athletics coaches about the modification of footstrike pattern in endurance runners: A survey

peer reviewedPurpose To date, the relationship between footstrike pattern and performance, as well as with injury incidence in endurance running remains unclear. For these reasons, it is currently not recommended to modify footstrike pattern in an uninjured long-distance runner. The purpose of this study was to analyse whether athletic coaches apply these current scientific recommendations with their endurance runners on the field. Methods A Delphi method study was used to develop an online survey that was administered to French-speaking athletic coaches in Belgium. The survey comprised three sections: 1) coaches’ profile, 2) coaches’ perception of footstrike patterns, 3) practices pertaining to footstrike patterns. Results One hundred and fourteen respondents completed the entire questionnaire. Ninety-six (84%) athletic coaches reported modifying the footstrike pattern of their endurance runners. They reported that they modify their runners’ rearfoot and forefoot strike more often than a midfoot strike (P < 0.0001) to prevent injury (83%) and to improve performance (66%). According to them, midfoot strike is considered as the best landing pattern for endurance performance (47%) and injury prevention (36%) whereas rearfoot strike is considered as the worst (respectively, 50% and 52%). Summary and conclusion This study highlights the disparities between scientific recommendations and athletic coaches’ field practices for modifying footstrike patterns in endurance runners. Contrary to current scientific literature recommendations, a large proportion of coaches modify the natural footstrike pattern of their endurance runners towards a midfoot strike pattern to improve performance and prevent injury

Comment implémenter et favoriser l’introduction d’un nouveau protocole de prise en charge multifactorielle de chute au sein d’une MRPA-MRS.

Contenu : La population belge ne cesse de vieillir et les avancées médicales augmentent de plus en plus l’espérance de vie. La chute à domicile est un phénomène présent chez 30 à 50% des personnes âgées de 65 ans et plus. Ce taux tend à croître lorsque la personne est institutionnalisée. Il n’y a que peu d’intervention proposée dans la littérature pour les résidents de MRPA-MRS, comparé au nombre de programmes présents pour les personnes âgées vivant à domicile. Nous avons développé un protocole reprenant les facteurs de chute les plus recommandés. Notre objectif a ensuite été de déterminer la faisabilité, l’acceptabilité ainsi que les différentes difficultés à l’implémentation d’un tel outil au sein de notre résidence. Méthodologie : 10 travailleurs en maison de repos, de professions différentes ont été interrogés lors d’entretiens semi-dirigés à l’aide d’un guide. Les entretiens ont été enregistrés puis retranscrits grâce à une grille d’analyse qui classait les informations. Résultats : Il a pu ressortir des entretiens que les obstacles à la mise en place sont d’une part, la démotivation, le manque de professionnalisme et de conscience professionnelle. D’autre part, la perte de stabilité, de repères et de relations de confiance envers les supérieurs est problématique dans l’institution. Ensuite, la transmission d’informations et la communication ressort également comme un obstacle. Enfin, la répartition des tâches et l’aménagement de travail apparaît être également un frein important à la mise en route d’un tel projet. Des pistes d’amélioration ont pu être développées comme par exemple, la création d’un poste de coordinateur du protocole. Il aurait pour fonction d’assurer la gestion des évaluations et de mettre en route des interventions.Mémoire de master [120] en sciences de la santé publique, Université catholique de Louvain, 201

Contribution of ion mobility for structural analysis and analytical chemistry: Use of selective IMS shift reagents (SSR)

Ion mobility is a gas phase separation technique based on the Collisional Cross Section (CCS) of ions. It discriminates isobaric and isomeric ions provided their CCS difference is larger than the instrumental resolution. This work proposes a new method to overcome this limitation while providing additional structural information. A Selective Shift Reagent (SSR) is a ligand specifically modifying the CCS of ions. Indeed specific non-covalent complexes can be form with a suitable SSR to reach the required selectivity and the CCS induced shift. A CID dissociation of the complex may be used after IMS separation to produce specific MS/MS spectra of the targeted analyte. This concept paves the way for new analytical strategies by ion mobility based on non-covalent complex formation