Sixty seconds of foam rolling does not affect functional flexibility or change muscle temperature in adolescent athletes

Background: Physiotherapists and other practitioners commonly prescribe foam rolling as an intervention, but the mechanistic effects of this intervention are not known. Purpose: The aim of this investigation was to establish if a single bout of foam rolling affects flexibility, skeletal muscle contractility and reflected temperature. Methods: Twelve adolescent male squash players were evaluated on two separate occasions (treatment and control visits) and were tested on both legs for flexibility of the hip flexors and quadriceps, muscle contractility (as measured by tensiomyography) and temperature of the quadriceps (assessed via thermography) at repeated time points pre- and post a 60s rolling intervention (pre-, immediately post, 5, 10, 15, and 30 minutes post). They rolled one leg on the treatment visit and did not perform rolling on the control visit. Results: The main outcome measure was the flexibility of hip flexor and quadriceps at repeated time points up to 30 minutes post intervention. The average foam rolling force was 68% of subject’s body weight. This force affected the combination of hip and quadriceps flexibility (p=0.03; 2.4 degrees total increase with foam rolling) but not each muscle independently (p = 0.05 – 0.98) following a single 60s bout. Muscle contractility is not affected (p = 0.09 – 0.93) and temperature is not increased by foam rolling across time points (p=0.19). Conclusions: A single sixty-second bout of rolling applied to the quadriceps induces a small significant change in flexibility that is of little practical relevance, while muscle contractility and temperature remain unchanged. Investigation of larger doses of rolling is merited in athletic populations to justify current practice

Changes in perceived mental fatigue, physical fatigue and mood state during a 4-day national junior orienteering competition preparation camp

Mental fatigue (MF) has been shown to acutely impair the psychological responses and endurance running performance of orienteers. This study aimed to explore MF levels experienced by orienteers during a 4-day competition preparation camp that consisted of simulated sprint, middle-distance, long-distance, relay and night races. Eleven national junior orienteers participated in the study (age: 15–17 years, height: 1.69 ± 0.07 m and body mass: 59.9 ± 5.22 kg). Subjective ratings of MF, motivation, stress, physical fatigue (PF) and tiredness were measured using a 100-mm visual analogue scale. The Brunel Mood Scale (BRUMS) was utilized to assess the mood state of the orienteers. The self-report measures were taken within 30 min of waking, immediately after the post-training session, and after 24 and 48 h following the final training session. The pre–post orienteering training combined analysis showed that there was a moderate increase in perceived MF (ES = 1.06 [0.66, 1.45]), PF (ES = 1.07 [0.69, 1.45]) and BRUMS fatigue (ES = 0.74 [0.4, 1.1]) after orienteering training. At 48 h post the final training session, MF remained moderately elevated (ES = 0.86 [−0.07, 1.75]), while PF also remained elevated to a small extent (ES = 0.46 [−0.46, 1.39]) compared to the pre-training values. A moderate impairment was still observed in BRUMS vigor (ES = −1.02 [−1.65, −0.36]), but BRUMS confusion scores were moderately lower (ES = −0.85 [−1.71, 0.04]) than pre-training values. This study found that orienteering training induced acute MF, persisting for at least 48 h after the final session

Seven naturally variant loci serve as genetic modifiers of Lamc2jeb induced non-Herlitz junctional Epidermolysis Bullosa in mice.

Epidermolysis Bullosa (EB) is a group of rare genetic disorders that compromise the structural integrity of the skin such that blisters and subsequent erosions occur after minor trauma. While primary genetic risk of all subforms of EB adhere to Mendelian patterns of inheritance, their clinical presentations and severities can vary greatly, implying genetic modifiers. The Lamc2jeb mouse model of non-Herlitz junctional EB (JEB-nH) demonstrated that genetic modifiers can contribute substantially to the phenotypic variability of JEB and likely other forms of EB. The innocuous changes in an \u27EB related gene\u27, Col17a1, have shown it to be a dominant modifier of Lamc2jeb. This work identifies six additional Quantitative Trait Loci (QTL) that modify disease in Lamc2jeb/jeb mice. Three QTL include other known \u27EB related genes\u27, with the strongest modifier effect mapping to a region including the epidermal hemi-desmosomal structural gene dystonin (Dst-e/Bpag1-e). Three other QTL map to intervals devoid of known EB-associated genes. Of these, one contains the nuclear receptor coactivator Ppargc1a as its primary candidate and the others contain related genes Pparg and Igf1, suggesting modifier pathways. These results, demonstrating the potent disease modifying effects of normally innocuous genetic variants, greatly expand the landscape of genetic modifiers of EB and therapeutic approaches that may be applied

Crops, Rumps and Woolly Jumpers: An Innovative Extension Approach Enabling the Complexities of Mixed Farming to Be Shared and Understood

The sheep-wheat belt of southern Australia accounts for about 19% and 57% of total Australian beef and sheep production, respectively. Most farm businesses in this zone are family owned and contain a mix of livestock and cropping enterprises. While the focus of most research, development and extension for mixed farming systems focuses on single components of the system (lamb, wool, beef, pastures, crops), the systems are complex and dynamic and cannot be understood by analysing the components in isolation. The enterprise synergies are dependent on economic, environmental and social factors. The farmers themselves are best equipped to explain the system function and the interplay between the components. The traditional conference format with technical experts presenting their findings was deemed to be inadequate to relay the complexity of mixed farming systems, stifling two-way information flow and the opportunity for experts to acquire tacit knowledge held by farmers. This paper out-lines an innovative extension approach based on story telling, video footage and discussion, providing technical experts with an opportunity to appreciate the complexity and farmer decision processes. This approach fostered audience participation and interaction, leading to a better understanding of the complexities of mixed farming and how conflicts between diversification and specialisation may be resolved by the management team. Facilitated discussion also highlighted potential areas of research, development and extension

The Ontario Pharmacy Evidence Network Atlas of Smoking Cessation Services

Introduction Tobacco smoking is a significant public health concern. It is estimated that more than 40,000 deaths and $6.5 billion in direct health care costs are attributable to tobacco smoking in Canada each year. Individuals who smoke tobacco or who are exposed to second-hand smoke are at increased risk of respiratory disease, cardiovascular disease and cancer. It is well known that quitting smoking can improve immediate and long-term health, yet nicotine dependence is a significant barrier to smoking cessation. Multimodal approaches that include medication and counselling services promote successful smoking cessation

Diverse dystonin gene mutations cause distinct patterns of

Loss-of-function mutations in dystonin (DST) can cause hereditary sensory and autonomic neuropathy type 6 (HSAN-VI) or epidermolysis bullosa simplex (EBS). Recently, DST-related diseases were recognized to be more complex than previously thought because a patient exhibited both neurological and skin manifestations, whereas others display only one or the other. A single DST locus produces at least three major DST isoforms: DST-a (neuronal isoform), DST-b (muscular isoform) and DST-e (epithelial isoform). Dystonia musculorum (dt) mice, which have mutations in Dst, were originally identified as spontaneous mutants displaying neurological phenotypes. To reveal the mechanisms underlying the phenotypic heterogeneity of DST-related diseases, we investigated two mutant strains with different mutations: a spontaneous Dst mutant (Dstdt-23Rbrcmice) and a gene-trap mutant (DstGt mice). The Dstdt-23Rbrc allele possesses a nonsense mutation in an exon shared by all Dst isoforms. The DstGt allele is predicted to inactivate Dst-a and Dst-bisoforms but not Dst-e There was a decrease in the levels of Dst-a mRNA in the neural tissue of both Dstdt-23Rbrc and DstGt homozygotes. Loss of sensory and autonomic nerve ends in the skin was observed in both Dstdt-23Rbrc and DstGt mice at postnatal stages. In contrast, Dst-e mRNA expression was reduced in the skin of Dstdt-23Rbrc mice but not in DstGt mice. Expression levels of Dst proteins in neural and cutaneous tissues correlated with Dst mRNAs. Because Dst-e encodes a structural protein in hemidesmosomes (HDs), we performed transmission electron microscopy. Lack of inner plaques and loss of keratin filament invasions underneath the HDs were observed in the basal keratinocytes of Dstdt-23Rbrc mice but not in those of DstGt mice; thus, the distinct phenotype of the skin of Dstdt-23Rbrc mice could be because of failure of Dst-e expression. These results indicate that distinct mutations within the Dst locus can cause different loss-of-function patterns among Dst isoforms, which accounts for the heterogeneous neural and skin phenotypes in dt mice and DST-related diseases

The PLUNGE randomized controlled trial:Evaluation of a games-based physical activity professional learning program in primary school physical education

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of the Professional Learning for Understanding Games Education (PLUNGE) program on fundamental movement skills (FMS), in-class physical activity and perceived sporting competence. Methods: A cluster-randomized controlled trial involving one year six class each from seven primary schools (n = 168; mean age = 11.2 years, SD = 1.0) in the Hunter Region, NSW, Australia. In September (2013) participants were randomized by school into the PLUNGE intervention (n = 97 students) or the 7-week wait-list control (n = 71) condition. PLUNGE involved the use of Game Centered curriculum delivered via an in-class teacher mentoring program. Students were assessed at baseline and 8-week follow-up for three object control FMS (Test of Gross Motor Development 2), in-class physical activity (pedometer steps/min) and perceived sporting competence (Self-perception Profile for Children). Results: Linear mixed models revealed significant group-by-time intervention effects (all p < 0.05) for object control competency (effect size: d = 0.9), and in-class pedometer steps/min (d = 1.0). No significant intervention effects (p > 0.05) were observed for perceived sporting competence. Conclusions: The PLUNGE intervention simultaneously improved object control FMS proficiency and in-class PA in stage three students