Acupuncture and sports medicine : effects and application perspectives

Vor dem Hintergrund der gestiegenen medizinischen und sozioökonomischen Relevanz von Akupunktur und Laserakupunktur werden im Rahmen der vorliegenden Arbeit Anwendungsfelder und Forschungsperspektiven in der präventiven und rehabilitativen Sportmedizin skizziert. Hierzu zählen insbesondere die Therapie von Sportverletzungen und Sportschäden, die Steigerung der körperlichen Leistungsfähigkeit, die Unterstützung und Förderung der Regeneration sowie die Vorbeugung von belastungsinduziertem Asthma. Aufbauend auf den aktuellen Forschungsstand werden eigene Originalarbeiten vorgestellt, die sich mit der Evaluation spezifischer Effekte der Akupunktur und Laserakupunktur befassen.Against the background of the increasing medical and socioeconomic importance of acupuncture and laser acupuncture, the present work aims at outlining scientific and practical applications in fields related to preventive and rehabilitative sports medicine. These include, in particular, the treatment of acute and chronic sports injuries, the enhancement of physical performance, the promotion of recovery, as well as the prevention of exercise-induced asthma. Based on current research, the author presents his original investigations dealing with specific effects of acupuncture and laser acupuncture

1000 Norms Project: Protocol of a cross-sectional study cataloging human variation

Background Clinical decision-making regarding diagnosis and management largely depends on comparison with healthy or ‘normal’ values. Physiotherapists and researchers therefore need access to robust patient-centred outcome measures and appropriate reference values. However there is a lack of high-quality reference data for many clinical measures. The aim of the 1000 Norms Project is to generate a freely accessible database of musculoskeletal and neurological reference values representative of the healthy population across the lifespan. Methods/design In 2012 the 1000 Norms Project Consortium defined the concept of ‘normal’, established a sampling strategy and selected measures based on clinical significance, psychometric properties and the need for reference data. Musculoskeletal and neurological items tapping the constructs of dexterity, balance, ambulation, joint range of motion, strength and power, endurance and motor planning will be collected in this cross-sectional study. Standardised questionnaires will evaluate quality of life, physical activity, and musculoskeletal health. Saliva DNA will be analysed for the ACTN3 genotype (‘gene for speed’). A volunteer cohort of 1000 participants aged 3 to 100 years will be recruited according to a set of self-reported health criteria. Descriptive statistics will be generated, creating tables of mean values and standard deviations stratified for age and gender. Quantile regression equations will be used to generate age charts and age-specific centile values. Discussion This project will be a powerful resource to assist physiotherapists and clinicians across all areas of healthcare to diagnose pathology, track disease progression and evaluate treatment response. This reference dataset will also contribute to the development of robust patient-centred clinical trial outcome measures

Does Austerity Cause Polarization?

In recent decades, governments in many Western democracies have shown a remarkable consensus in pursuing fiscal austerity measures during periods of strained public finances. In this paper, we show that these decisions have consequences for political polarization. Our macro-level analysis of 166 elections since 1980 finds that austerity measures increase both electoral abstention and votes for non-mainstream parties, thereby boosting party system polarization. A detailed analysis of selected austerity episodes also shows that new, small and radical parties benefit most from austerity policies. Finally, survey experiments with a total of 8,800 respondents in Germany, Portugal, Spain and the United Kingdom indicate that the effects of austerity on polarization are particularly pronounced when the mainstream right and left parties both stand for fiscal restraint. Austerity is a substantial cause of political polarization and hence political instability in industrialized democracies

Voters and the IMF: Experimental Evidence From European Crisis Countries

IMF interventions are often associated with rising political discontent in countries where the Fund intervenes. Studies examining this relationship, however, face the challenge of disentangling the impact of the IMF from the impact of the crisis that triggered the intervention. To address this challenge, we conduct survey experiments in Greece, Ireland, Portugal, and Spain and directly assess how voters evaluate the costs and benefits of an IMF intervention. We find that voters believe that the crisis will more likely be solved when the IMF intervenes, but they are also critical of the corresponding loss of national sovereignty. Because the former consideration, on average, dominates their assessment, IMF interventions increase the support of voters for unpopular economic policies. Nonetheless, cross-country differences suggest that continued public support for intervention hinges on the IMF’s ability to deliver on its promise to help resolve the crisis

Voters and the IMF: Experimental Evidence From European Crisis Countries

IMF interventions are often associated with rising political discontent in countries where the Fund intervenes. Studies examining this claim, however, face the challenge of disentangling the impact of the IMF from the impact of the crisis that triggered the intervention. To address this challenge, we conduct survey experiments in Greece, Ireland, Portugal, and Spain and directly assess how voters evaluate the costs and benefits of an IMF intervention. We find that voters believe that the crisis is more likely be solved when the IMF intervenes, but they are also critical of the corresponding loss of national sovereignty. Because the former consideration, on average, dominates their assessment, IMF interventions increase support of voters for unpopular economic policies. Nonetheless, cross-country differences suggest that continued public support for intervention hinges on the IMF's ability to deliver on its promise to help resolve the crisis.</p

Supplemental Material - Voters and the IMF: Experimental Evidence From European Crisis Countries

Supplemental Material for Voters and the IMF: Experimental Evidence From European Crisis Countries by Evelyne Hübscher, Thomas Sattler, and Markus Wagner in Comparative Political Studies</p

Contributions of mood, pain catastrophizing, and cold hyperalgesia in acute and chronic low back pain : a comparison with pain-free controls

Objectives: Quantitative sensory testing (QST) has been used to elucidate the peripheral and central mechanisms that underlie changes in pain sensitivity associated with low back pain (LBP). However, it remains unclear to what degree peripheral and central changes contribute to the generation and maintenance of LBP. The aim of this study was to compare thermal pain sensitivity, measured using QST, in participants with acute LBP, chronic LBP, and pain-free controls. Materials and Methods: Participant groups with acute LBP (N=20), chronic LBP (N=30), and pain-free controls (N=30) were assessed by thermal QST. The unique contributions of pain-related psychological and QST variables to predict membership to the acute and chronic pain groups were also determined. Results: We found that participants with chronic LBP demonstrated significantly lower cold pain threshold (CPT) in the primary area of pain (low back) as well as in an area anatomically remote from the primary area of pain (forearm) when compared with controls. Participants with acute LBP did not show significantly elevated pain sensitivity. CPT at the remote site was a significant independent predictor of membership to the chronic pain group, after the adjustment for mood and pain catastrophizing. CPT explained 8% of the total variance of 46% related to group membership. Discussion: We found evidence for localized and generalized cold hyperalgesia in chronic, but not acute LBP. We might speculate that hyperalgesia develops as a consequence of long-lasting LBP, but prospective studies are needed to confirm this assumption.8 page(s