The Effect of Hip Taping on Hip and Knee Muscle Activity

Background and Purpose: It has been hypothesized that patellofemoral pain may be precipitated by weak hip abductor musculature that does not pull the pelvis and femurs into correct alignment during gait activities. The misalignment at the pelvis leads to misalignment down the kinetic chain, eventually affecting the knees. It is theorized that hip taping may aid in supporting the pelvis, thus reducing the EMG activity of the hip abductors and normalizing the alignment of the knees. The purpose of this study is to describe muscle activity and joint motion during a step-down test in subjects with and without the hip tape in place. Methods: Twenty healthy subjects (9 men, 11 women) with no history of hip or knee pathology performed a step-down test with and without hip tape in place. The EMG activity of the gluteus medius and the tensor fascia lata was recorded via surface electrodes while tibio-femoral joint valgus angles were measured using video-analysis. Data was analyzed using a paired samples t-test. Results: There was no significant difference in EMG activity of the gluteus medius for males (p=.603), females (p=.2S6), or males and females together (p=.840). There was also no significant difference in the EMG activity of the tensor fascia lata for males (p=.221), females (p=.876), or males and females together (p=.239). There was no significant difference in hip adduction values between taped and non-taped males (p=.060). There were, however, significant differences in hip adduction values between taped and non-taped females (p=.OOO) and taped and non-taped males and females together (p=.OOO). Conclusion: Hip taping may reduce the amount of hip adduction in patients and allow for a more efficient action at the patella, thus reducing anterior knee pain in patients. More studies, employing larger sample sizes, are needed to support the efficacy of hip taping in decreasing anterior knee pain

A Functional oriT in the Ptw Plasmid of Burkholderia cenocepacia Can Be Recognized by the R388 Relaxase TrwC

Burkholderia cenocepacia is both a plant pathogen and the cause of serious opportunistic infections, particularly in cystic fibrosis patients. B. cenocepacia K56-2 harbors a native plasmid named Ptw for its involvement in the Plant Tissue Watersoaking phenotype. Ptw has also been reported to be important for survival in human cells. Interestingly, the presence of PtwC, a homolog of the conjugative relaxase TrwC of plasmid R388, suggests a possible function for Ptw in conjugative DNA transfer. The ptw region includes Type IV Secretion System genes related to those of the F plasmid. However, genes in the adjacent region shared stronger homology with the R388 genes involved in conjugative DNA metabolism. This region included the putative relaxase ptwC, a putative coupling protein and accessory nicking protein, and a DNA segment with high number of inverted repeats and elevated AT content, suggesting a possible oriT. Although we were unable to detect conjugative transfer of the Ptw resident plasmid, we detected conjugal mobilization of a co-resident plasmid containing the ptw region homologous to R388, demonstrating the cloned ptw region contains an oriT. A similar plasmid lacking ptwC could not be mobilized, suggesting that the putative relaxase PtwC must act in cis on its oriT. Remarkably, we also detected mobilization of a plasmid containing the Ptw oriT by the R388 relaxase TrwC, yet we could not detect PtwC-mediated mobilization of an R388 oriT-containing plasmid. Our data unambiguously show that the Ptw plasmid harbors DNA transfer functions, and suggests the Ptw plasmid may play a dual role in horizontal DNA transfer and eukaryotic infection