Are mice good models for human neuromuscular disease? Comparing muscle excursions in walking between mice and humans

The mouse is one of the most widely used animal models to study neuromuscular diseases and test new therapeutic strategies. However, findings from successful pre-clinical studies using mouse models frequently fail to translate to humans due to various factors. Differences in muscle function between the two species could be crucial but often have been overlooked. The purpose of this study was to evaluate and compare muscle excursions in walking between mice and humans

Physical training in boys with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy: the protocol of the No Use is Disuse study

Contains fulltext : 89740.pdf (publisher's version ) (Open Access)BACKGROUND: "Use it or lose it" is a well known saying which is applicable to boys with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD). Besides the direct effects of the muscular dystrophy, the increasing effort to perform activities, the fear of falling and the use of personal aids indirectly impair leg and arm functions as a result of disuse. Physical training could oppose this secondary physical deterioration. The No Use is Disuse (NUD) study is the first study in human subjects with DMD that will examine whether a low-intensity physical training is beneficial in terms of preservation of muscle endurance and functional abilities. The study consists of two training intervention studies: study 1 "Dynamic leg and arm training for ambulant and recently wheelchair-dependent boys with DMD and, study 2 "Functional training with arm support for boys with DMD who have been confined to a wheelchair for several years". This paper describes the hypotheses and methods of the NUD study. METHODS: Study 1 is an explorative randomized controlled trial with multiple baseline measurements. Thirty boys with a DNA-established diagnosis of DMD will be included. The intervention consists of a six-months physical training during which boys train their legs and arms with active and/or assisted cycling training equipment. The primary study outcomes are muscle endurance and functional abilities, assessed with a Six-Minute Bicycle Test and the Motor Function Measure. Study 2 has a within-group repeated measurements design and will include ten boys with DMD who have already been confined to a wheelchair for several years. The six-months physical training program consists of 1) a computer-assisted training and 2) a functional training with an arm support. The primary study outcome is functional abilities of the upper extremity, assessed with the Action Research Arm Test. DISCUSSION: The NUD study will fill part of the gap in the current knowledge about the possible effects of training in boys with DMD and will increase insight into what type of exercise should be recommended to boys with DMD. The study will finish at the end of 2010 and results are expected in 2011. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The Netherlands National Trial Register1631

Força de preensão manual de atletas tenistas avaliada por diferentes recomendações de teste

A avaliação da força de preensão manual (FPM) em tenistas competitivos deve ser realizada devido à assimetria que o jogador pode desenvolver. Para avaliar a FPM, profissionais utilizam dois protocolos diferentes (das Sociedades Americana e Europeia). Os objetivos deste estudo foram comparar a FPM usando a técnica do European Test of Physical Fitness Handbook (Eurofit) e da American Society of Hand Therapists (ASHT), bem como verificar a FPM entre o lado dominante/contralateral e comparar a FPM entre as idades em atletas de tênis da categoria infanto-juvenil. Participaram do estudo 137 tenistas do gênero masculino e 45 do feminino, todos com idade entre oito e 18 anos. Para avaliar a FPM, segundo as recomendações da Eurofit e ASHT, foi utilizado um dinamômetro manual (Jamar). Nenhum dos sujeitos avaliados apresentava qualquer lesão que pudesse comprometer o teste. Os resultados mostram que não há diferença na FPM entre os posicionamentos recomendados pela Eurofit e ASHT para medir a FPM independente do gênero. A curva sigmoide foi a que melhor se adequou para regressão da FPM e idade em ambos os gêneros sendo que para o masculino a FPM tem maior inclinação aos 11 anos, já para o feminino a maior inclinação é aos 10 anos. Além disso, a partir dos 14 anos, o lado dominante dos atletas masculinos apresentou maior FPM que o lado não dominante; contudo, essa assimetria não ocorreu no feminino em qualquer idade até os 18 anos