Self-Report Measures of Physical Activity.

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Exploring the anthelmintic properties of Australian native shrubs with respect to their potential role in livestock grazing systems

We measured in vitro anthelmintic activity in extracts from 85 species of Australian native shrub, with a view to identifying species able to provide a degree of worm control in grazing systems. Approximately 40% of the species showed significant activity in inhibiting development of Haemonchus contortus larvae. The most active extracts showed IC50 values of 60–300 mg/ml. Pre-incubation with polyvinylpolypyrrolidine removed the activity from some extracts, implicating tannins as the bioactive agent, while in other cases the pre-incubation had no effect, indicating the presence of other anthelmintic compounds. Plant reproductive maturity (onset of flowering or fruiting) was associated with increasing anthelmintic activity in some species. Variability was observed between plants of the same species growing in different environments, while variation between individual plants of the same species within a single field suggests the existence of distinct chemotypes. Significant activity against adult H. contortus worms in vitro was also demonstrated in a limited number of extracts tested against this life stage. Our study indicates that there is potential for Australian native shrubs to play an anthelmintic role in grazing systems, and highlights some plant biology factors which will need to be considered in order to maximize any anthelmintic effects.A. C. Kotze, J. O’Grady, J. Emms, A. F. Toovey, S. Hughes, P. Jessop, M. Bennell P. E. Vercoe and D. K. Revel

Psychological factors not strength deficits are associated with severity of gluteal tendinopathy: a cross-sectional study

Gluteal tendinopathy is the most common lower limb tendinopathy presenting to general practice. It has a high prevalence amongst middle-aged women and impacts on daily activities, work participation and quality of life. The aim was to compare physical and psychological characteristics between subgroups of severity of pain and disability.A multicentre cross-sectional cohort of 204 participants (mean age 55\ua0years, 82% female) who had a clinical diagnosis of gluteal tendinopathy with magnetic resonance imaging confirmation were assessed. A range of physical and psychosocial characteristics were recorded. Pain and disability were measured with the VISA-G questionnaire. A cluster analysis was used to identify mild, moderate and severe subgroups based on total VISA-G scores. Between-group differences were then evaluated with a MANCOVA, including sex and study site as covariates, followed by a Bonferroni post hoc test. Significance was set at 0.05.There were significantly higher pain catastrophizing and depression scores in the more severe subgroups. Lower pain self-efficacy scores were found in the severe group compared to the moderate and mild groups. Greater waist girth and body mass index (BMI), lower activity levels and poorer quality of life were reported in the severe group compared to the mild group. Hip abductor muscle strength and hip circumference did not differ between subgroups of severity.Individuals with severe gluteal tendinopathy present with psychological distress, poorer quality of life, greater BMI and waist girth. Given these features, the consideration of psychological factors in more severe patients may be important to optimize patient outcomes and reduce healthcare utilization.Patients with severe gluteal tendinopathy exhibit greater psychological distress, poorer quality of life and greater waist girth and BMI when compared to less severe cases. This implies that clinicians ought to consider psychological factors in the management of more severe gluteal tendinopathy

The foot posture index, ankle lunge test, Beighton scale and the lower limb assessment score in healthy children: a reliability study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Outcome measures are important when evaluating treatments and physiological progress in paediatric populations. Reliable, relevant measures of foot posture are important for such assessments to be accurate over time. The aim of the study was to assess the intra- and inter-rater reliability of common outcome measures for paediatric foot conditions.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A repeated measures, same-subject design assessed the intra- and inter-rater reliability of measures of foot posture, joint hypermobility and ankle range: the Foot Posture Index (FPI-6), the ankle lunge test, the Beighton scale and the lower limb assessment scale (LLAS), used by two examiners in 30 healthy children (aged 7 to 15 years). The Oxford Ankle Foot Questionnaire (OxAFQ-C) was completed by participants and a parent, to assess the extent of foot and ankle problems.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The OxAFQ-C demonstrated a mean (SD) score of 6 (6) in adults and 7(5) for children, showing good agreement between parents and children, and which indicates mid-range (transient) disability. Intra-rater reliability was good for the FPI-6 (ICC = 0.93 - 0.94), ankle lunge test (ICC = 0.85-0.95), Beighton scale (ICC = 0.96-0.98) and LLAS (ICC = 0.90-0.98). Inter-rater reliability was largely good for each of the: FPI-6 (ICC = 0.79), ankle lunge test (ICC = 0.83), Beighton scale (ICC = 0.73) and LLAS (ICC = 0.78).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The four measures investigated demonstrated adequate intra-rater and inter-rater reliability in this paediatric sample, which further justifies their use in clinical practice.</p

Exercise therapy with or without other physical therapy interventions versus placebo interventions for osteoarthritis - systematic review

Objective To evaluate whether exercise therapy, with or without other physical therapy interventions, is superior to placebo intervention for osteoarthritis (OA). Design Systematic review and meta-analysis. Data sources: MEDLINE and EMBASE via OVID, CINAHL and SPORTDiscus via EBSCO were searched from inception to February 2021. Study selection: Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) of adults with OA investigating an intervention involving exercise therapy with a placebo comparator. Data extraction and analysis: Data were extracted and checked for accuracy and completeness by pairs of reviewers. Primary outcomes were self-reported pain, function and quality of life (QoL). Comparative treatment effects were analysed by random effects model for short- and longer-term follow up. Methodological quality was evaluated using the Cochrane risk of bias tool, and the Grading of Recommendations Assessment system was used to evaluate the certainty of evidence. Results 13 RCTs involving 1079 patients were identified and included. Meta-analysis demonstrated improved pain (10 studies (GRADE low certainty), SMD -1.1 (95%CI -1.7 to −0.4)) and function (8 studies (GRADE low certainty), SMD -0.8 (95%CI -1.5 to −0.2)) in the short-term with exercise versus placebo, but no significant difference in the longer-term (pain 3 studies; function 3 studies). Conclusion Current evidence demonstrates that exercise therapy is superior to placebo in the short-term for pain and function in OA. The certainty of this evidence is low to very low and further research is very likely to have an important impact on our confidence in the estimate of effects