Effect of gender on strength gains after isometric exercise coupled with electromyographic biofeedback in knee osteoarthritis: A preliminary study

AbstractObjectiveThe objective of this trial was to evaluate the effect of gender on strength gains after five week training programme that consisted of isometric exercise coupled with electromyographic biofeedback to the quadriceps muscle.Materials and methodsForty-three (20 men and 23 women) patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA), were placed into two groups based on their gender. Both groups performed isometric exercise coupled with electromyographic biofeedback for five days a week for five weeks.ResultsBoth groups reported gains in muscle strength after five week training. However, the difference was found to be statistically insignificant between the two groups (P=0.224).ConclusionThe results suggest that gender did not affect gains in muscle strength by isometric exercise coupled with electromyographic biofeedback in patients with knee OA

Efficacy of proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation techniques versus traditional prosthetic training for improving ambulatory function in transtibial amputees

The objective of this randomized controlled trial was to evaluate the efficacy of proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (PNF) techniques in comparison to traditional prosthetic training (TPT) in improving ambulatory function in transtibial amputees. Thirty study participants (19 men and 11 women) with unilateral transtibial amputation participated in the study. They were randomly allocated to either the traditional training group (i.e., TPT) (n = 15) or the PNF training group (n = 15). The treatment in the TPT group consisted of weight-bearing, weight-shifting, balance, and gait exercises for 30 minutes daily for 10 treatment sessions. In the PNF group, the same activities were performed by employing PNF principles and techniques. The outcome measures were gait parameters (e.g., stride width, step length, and stride length) and the Locomotor Capabilities Index (LCI). The between-group comparisons at the end of the trial showed that the PNF group showed significant improvement in gait parameters and in the LCI, compared to the TPT group (p < 0.05). The results of the study suggested that prosthetic training based on proprioceptive feedback is more effective than the traditional prosthetic programme in improving ambulatory function

Therapeutic effects of functional electrical stimulation on gait, motor recovery, and motor cortex in stroke survivors

Background: Many stroke survivors continue to experience gait deficits. Functional electrical stimulation may be a viable method to improve gait post-stroke. Objective: The purpose of this parallel group controlled clinical trial was to investigate the therapeutic effect of functional electrical stimulation (FES) on gait, motor recovery, and motor cortex activity. Methods: Adults experiencing foot drop <6 months poststroke were allocated to the FES group (physiotherapy and FES stimulation, n = 14) or the control group (physiotherapy, n = 14). Each group received their respective therapy 5 days/week for 12 weeks. Gait, surface electromyography (sEMG) of the tibialis anterior muscle in the affected leg, and electroencephalogram (EEG) signals from the foot motor area were assessed at baseline and again after the 12-week intervention. Results: The results showed that the FES intervention induced significantly more changes in various gait swing parameters such as foot pulling acceleration (measured in unit of gravitational constant G; net between-group difference: 0.11 ± 0.02 G, p = 0.021), swing power (0.11 ± 0.03 G, p = 0.027) and ground impact (0.12 ± 0.04 G, p = 0.046) than the control group. EEG analysis revealed that the FES group had significantly altered beta-3 mean (0.50 ± 0.09, p = 0.021), beta-4 mean (0.60 ± 0.05, p = 0.024) and alpha peak frequency (0.15 ± 0.02, p = 0.035). Finally, analysis of sEMG data showed a significantly greater increase in amplitude (in root mean square; 13.2 ± 2.11 μV, p = 0.033), mean power frequency (5.5 ± 0.80 Hz, p = 0.024) and median power frequency (6.5 ± 0.90 Hz, p = 0.021) of the tibialis anterior muscle on the affected side in the FES group. Conclusion: FES combined with physiotherapy induced better outcomes in the swing phase of the gait cycle, activation of the affected ankle dorsiflexor muscles and cortical function when compared with conventional physiotherapy alone

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Not AvailableScrutinizing various nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain (NOD)-like receptors (NLR) genes in higher eukaryotes is very important for understanding the intriguing mechanism of host defense against pathogens. The nucleotide-binding domain (NACHT), leucine-rich repeat (LRR) and pyrin domain (PYD) containing protein 3 (Nalp3) is an intracellular innate immune receptor, and is associated with several immune system related disorders. Despite of Nalp3’s protective role during pathogenic invasion, the molecular feature, and structural organization of this crucial protein is poorly understood. Using comparative modeling and molecular dynamics simulations, we have studied the structural architecture of Nalp3 domains, and characterized the dynamic and energetic parameters of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) binding in NACHT and pathogen derived ligands muramyl dipeptide (MDP) and imidazoquinoline with LRR domains. The results anticipated walker A, B and extended walker B motifs as the key ATP binding regions in NACHT that mediates self-oligomerization. Analysis of binding sites of MDP and imidazoquinoline revealed LRR7-9 being the most energetically favored site of imidazoquinoline interaction. However, binding free energy calculations using Molecular Mechanics/Possion-Boltzman Surface Area (MM/PBSA) method advocated that MDP is incompatible for activating Nalp3 molecule in monomeric form and suggest its complex nature with NOD2 or other NLRs for MDP recognition. The high binding affinity of ATP with NACHT is correlated to the experimental data for human NLRs. Our binding site prediction for imidazoquinoline in LRR warrants further investigation via in vivo models. This is the first study that provides ligand(s) recognition in mouse Nalp3 and its spatial structural arrangements.Not Availabl

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International Lung Cancer Consortium: Pooled Analysis of Sequence Variants in DNA Repair and Cell Cycle Pathways

10.1158/1055-9965.EPI-08-0411Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers and Prevention17113081-3089CEBP