Electromyographic Comparison of Internal and External Obliques Using a Modified Version of Kendall\u27s Strength Test Positions for Upper and Lower Abdominals

The purpose of this study was to examine the activity of the internal obliques (upper abdominals) versus the external obliques (lower abdominals) during a modified version of Kendall\u27s upper and lower abdominal strength tests using surface electromyography on adults. The study was not correlated to Kendall\u27s theory due to the necessity to have the internal oblique electrode placed on the anterior abdomen. Twenty-four women and sixteen men participated in the study. All subjects were taught two positions ( easy and hard ) for both abdominal tests and performed eight trials. A normalized ratio was generated by dividing one hard trial by the mean of three easy trials for each position. A t-test revealed no significant difference between the activity of the external and internal oblique muscles in the two modified tests. There were no direct conclusions made regarding Kendall\u27s abdominal tests. In conclusion, further research is needed with appropriate electrode placement on the lateral abdomen to examine muscle activity in KendalI\u27s test positions for the upper and lower abdominals

Trypanosoma cruzi-infected Panstrongylus geniculatus and Rhodnius robustus adults invade households in the Tropics of Cochabamba region of Bolivia

BACKGROUND: There are hardly any data available on the relationships between the parasite and the vector or regarding potential reservoirs involved in the natural transmission cycle of Trypanosoma cruzi in the Tropics of Cochabamba, Bolivia. Local families from communities were responsible for the capture of triatomine specimens, following a strategic methodology based on entomological surveillance with community participation developed by the National Chagas Programme of the Ministry of Health of Bolivia. FINDINGS: We describe the collection of adult Panstrongylus geniculatus and Rhodnius robustus naturally infected with Trypanosoma cruzi from houses and from the hospital of Villa Tunari municipality. The flagellates found in the digestive tract of P. geniculatus belong to genetic lineages or DTUs TcI and TcIII, whereas only lineage DTU TcI was found in R. robustus. The detection of these vectors infected with T. cruzi reveals the vulnerability of local communities. CONCLUSION: The results presented here highlight the risk of Chagas disease transmission in a region previously thought not to be endemic, indicating that the Tropics of Cochabamba should be placed under permanent entomological and epidemiological surveillance