COMPETITION ANALYSIS OF SPEED SKATING USING IMU’S

For feedback to be effective, we must first identify relevant performance indicators for speed skating. We instrumented the skating of 10 junior elite Dutch speed skaters with two inertial measurement units during two competition events. Contact time, stroke frequency and other parameters were derived from collected IMU data and related to performance (finish times). The manner and timing in which the skater initiates a race in the first 100 m, is predictive of the final finish time. A significant correlation was found between finish times and 1) a decrease in stroke frequency and 2) an increase of the contact time of the skate and the ice over the first 100 m of a race. These relations were robust against variations in race distances (i.e., 100, 300, 500 and 1500 m), while the directionality of the relation differed qualitatively between the 100 m sprint and the other distances. We concluded that progression in stroke frequency and contact time are relevant feedback parameters for enhancing performance in speed skating

Reply to: Association Between Alendronate and All-Cause Mortality and Cardiovascular Mortality Among Hip Fracture: An Alternative Explanation.

To the Editor: We are thankful to Prof. Nguyen and Dr. Tran for their interest in our study and we appreciate the opportunity to respond to their comments. As Prof. Nguyen and Dr. Tran suggested that censoring patients at the time of switching medications might have inflated the effect size, we investigated this potential bias by excluding patients with switching of medications. Of the 3,081 alendronate-treated patients, 281 patients (9.1%) switched the therapy during the study period. After excluding these patients, we observed similar findings (Table), suggesting that bias due to treatment of censoring data should be minimal in our study

Analysis of in competition speed skating using IMU's

For feedback to be effective, we must first identify relevant performance indicators for speed skating. We instrumented the skating of 10 junior elite Dutch speed skaters with two inertial measurement units during two competition events. Contact time, stroke frequency and other parameters were derived from collected IMU data and related to performance (finish times). The manner and timing in which the skater initiates a race in the first 100 m, is predictive of the final finish time. A significant correlation was found between finish times and 1) a decrease in stroke frequency and 2) an increase of the contact time of the skate and the ice over the first 100 m of a race. These relations were robust against variations in race distances (i.e., 100, 300, 500 and 1500 m), while the directionality of the relation differed qualitatively between the 100 m sprint and the other distances. We concluded that progression in stroke frequency and contact time are relevant feedback parameters for enhancing performance in speed skating.Biomechatronics & Human-Machine Contro

Surgical stabilization of rib fractures versus nonoperative treatment in patients with multiple rib fractures following cardiopulmonary resuscitation: An international, retrospective matched case-control study

BACKGROUND: The presence of six or more rib fractures or a displaced rib fracture due to cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) has been associated with longer hospital and intensive care unit (ICU) length of stay (LOS). Evidence on the effect of surgical stabilization of rib fractures (SSRF) following CPR is limited. This study aimed to evaluate outcomes after SSRF versus nonoperative management in patients with multiple rib fractures after CPR. METHODS: An international, retrospective study was performed in patients who underwent SSRF or nonoperative management for multiple rib fractures following CPR between January 1, 2012, and July 31, 2020. Patients who underwent SSRF were matched to nonoperative controls by cardiac arrest location and cause, rib fracture pattern, and age. The primary outcome was ICU LOS. RESULTS: Thirty-nine operatively treated patient were matched to 66 nonoperatively managed controls with comparable CPR-related characteristics. Patients who underwent SSRF more often had displaced rib fractures (n = 28 [72%] vs. n = 31 [47%]; p = 0.015) and a higher median number of displaced ribs (2 [P 25 -P 75 , 0-3] vs. 0 [P 25 -P 75 , 0-3]; p = 0.014). Surgical stabilization of rib fractures was performed at a median of 5 days (P 25 -P 75 , 3-8 days) after CPR. In the nonoperative group, a rib fixation specialist was consulted in 14 patients (21%). The ICU LOS was longer in the SSRF group (13 days [P 25 -P 75 , 9-23 days] vs. 9 days [P 25 -P 75 , 5-15 days]; p = 0.004). Mechanical ventilator-free days, hospital LOS, thoracic complications, and mortality were similar. CONCLUSION: Despite matching, those who underwent SSRF over nonoperative management for multiple rib fractures following CPR had more severe consequential chest wall injury and a longer ICU LOS. A benefit of SSRF on in-hospital outcomes could not be demonstrated. A low consultation rate for rib fixation in the nonoperative group indicates that the consideration to perform SSRF in this population might be associated with other nonradiographic or injury-related variables. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic/Care Management; Level III

Male breast cancer in BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation carriers: pathology data from the Consortium of Investigators of Modifiers of BRCA1/2

Abstract Background BRCA1 and, more commonly, BRCA2 mutations are associated with increased risk of male breast cancer (MBC). However, only a paucity of data exists on the pathology of breast cancers (BCs) in men with BRCA1/2 mutations. Using the largest available dataset, we determined whether MBCs arising in BRCA1/2 mutation carriers display specific pathologic features and whether these features differ from those of BRCA1/2 female BCs (FBCs). Methods We characterised the pathologic features of 419 BRCA1/2 MBCs and, using logistic regression analysis, contrasted those with data from 9675 BRCA1/2 FBCs and with population-based data from 6351 MBCs in the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database. Results Among BRCA2 MBCs, grade significantly decreased with increasing age at diagnosis (P = 0.005). Compared with BRCA2 FBCs, BRCA2 MBCs were of significantly higher stage (P for trend = 2 × 10−5) and higher grade (P for trend = 0.005) and were more likely to be oestrogen receptor–positive [odds ratio (OR) 10.59; 95 % confidence interval (CI) 5.15–21.80] and progesterone receptor–positive (OR 5.04; 95 % CI 3.17–8.04). With the exception of grade, similar patterns of associations emerged when we compared BRCA1 MBCs and FBCs. BRCA2 MBCs also presented with higher grade than MBCs from the SEER database (P for trend = 4 × 10−12). Conclusions On the basis of the largest series analysed to date, our results show that BRCA1/2 MBCs display distinct pathologic characteristics compared with BRCA1/2 FBCs, and we identified a specific BRCA2-associated MBC phenotype characterised by a variable suggesting greater biological aggressiveness (i.e., high histologic grade). These findings could lead to the development of gender-specific risk prediction models and guide clinical strategies appropriate for MBC management