Comparison of shoulder rotation range of motion in professional tennis players with and without history of shoulder pain

A glenohumeral internal rotation deficit of the dominant shoulder relative to the non-dominant shoulder (GIRD) is considered a risk factor for shoulder injury in overhead athletes. The aim of this study was to investigate whether professional tennis players with a history of self-reported shoulder pain show differences in rotation range of motion (ROM) of the dominant and non-dominant shoulder compared to asymptomatic controls. Forty-seven professional tennis players belonging to the Association of Tennis Professionals World Tour took part in the study: 19 with shoulder pain history and 28 without. Passive shoulder ROM was measured using a process of photography and software calculation of angles. The dominant shoulder had reduced internal rotation (IR) ROM and total rotation ROM, and increased external rotation (ER) ROM compared to the non-dominant side. These differences did not correlate significantly with years of tennis practice, years of professional play, nor the players' age. However, glenohumeral rotation ROMs correlated negatively with the duration of tennis practice and players' age. Although tennis players with shoulder pain history showed less IR ROM in both shoulders compared with the no-pain group, no significant differences between groups were found for ER ROM, side-to-side ROM asymmetries, years of tennis practice or years of professional play. In professional tennis players, limited IR ROM rather than a GIRD, seems to be associated with shoulder pain history, duration of tennis practice and the players' age, when compared to a similar cohort with no history of shoulder pain

Activity monitoring in professional soccer goalkeepers during training and match play

The purpose of the present study was to quantify the external load of professional soccer goalkeepers. Twenty professional goalkeepers participated in the study. Data were classified according to the number of days before or after the match day (MD) as follows: MD-4, MD-3, MD-2, MD-1 for the sessions before the match, and MD+1 for the session after the match. The total running distance covered (TD), the high metabolic load (HMLD), the number of high metabolic load efforts (HMLE) were progressively reduced from MD-4 to MD-1 but the values of these variables were always inferior to MD (ES: -3.79 to −1.11). There was a tendency for a progressive reduction in the number of high-intensity accelerations (ACC) and decelerations (DEC) from MD-4 to MD-1 although the values of ACC/DEC were superior to MD (ES: 0.19 to 2.05). Overall, MD-2 was the day with the lowest external load. During training sessions, starter goalkeepers performed more TD (ES: 0.36) and more HMLE (ES: 0.29) than non-starters. External load was progressively decreased in the days before match play for goalkeepers which is reflective of appropriate recovery and preparation practices within the cohort analysed. However, habitual goalkeepers training has an excess of accelerations/decelerations and a lack of running actions performed at high metabolic loads

In vitro tau fibrillization: Mapping protein regions

AbstractWe have investigated the propensity to form fibrillar aggregates of a variety of fragments and variants of the tau protein under the influence of a tau fibrillization inducer: coenzyme Q0. To better identify fibrillization hotspots, we compare the polymerization propensity of tau fragments containing the sequence of putative hotspots with that of tau variants with that same sequence deleted. We also investigate the effects of biologically occurring modifications such as phosphorylation and deamidation. We found that residues 305 to 335 are essential for in vitro tau fibrillization. Residues 306 to 311 facilitate in vitro assembly, but are not sufficient to mimic the in vivo fibrillization of tau. Furthermore, the propensity of the 306–311 sequence to form fibrils is highly decreased by chemical modifications of tyrosine 310 that are commonly found in vivo

Influence of a football match on landing biomechanics and jump performance in female football players

This study aimed to assess the acute effect of a competitive football match on jump performance and kinematic parameters during jump landing in semiprofessional female football players. Twenty-two semiprofessional players (20 ± 3 years) underwent a drop jump task for a posterior video analysis of the landing phase. These measurements were obtained at (1) baseline, (2) after, and (3) 48 h after a competitive football match. A one-way ANOVA with repeated measures was employed to detect differences over the time. There was a main effect of time for maximal knee flexion angle during drop landing (p = 0.001). In comparison with baseline, maximal knee flexion angle was reduced immediately post-match and was still reduced 48 h after the match (63.4 ± 8.6 vs 57.0 ± 11.7 vs 48.9 ± 19.1, p ≤ 0.038). There was also a main effect of time for drop jump height (p < 0.001). Drop jump height was reduced immediately post-match and remained low 48 h after the match in comparison with baseline (27.3 ± 3.6 vs 24.5 ± 2.8 ~ 25.5 ± 3.0 cm, p ≤ 0.002). There was a main effect of time on hip flexion angle during landing (p = 0.001), but the pairwise comparison revealed that this variable was not affected immediately post-match but was lower 48 h after the match than at baseline (50.1 ± 10.1 ~ 50.8 ± 13.2 vs 38.1 ± 17.8 °, p ≤ 0.005). A competitive football match worsened jump performance and several landing biomechanical parameters in female football players, which were still decreased in comparison with baseline even 48 h after the match

Estrategia para el control háptico, basado en electromiografía, de un exoesqueleto de mano para neurorehabilitación

[ES] RobHand es un sistema de neuro-rehabilitación para la mano de sujetos que han sufrido un ACV y deben recuperar la movilidad perdida como consecuencia del mismo. El sistema incluye un exoesqueleto de mano, un interfaz con el paciente para la realización de terapias basadas en un entorno virtual y un sistema de gestión de toda la información asociada a los pacientes y las terapias. Es un desarrollo financiado por el CDTI y se lleva a cabo en colaboración por la empresa CyL ImasD (Salamanca), el grupo de Robótica Médica del ITAP (UVa) y el servicio de rehabilitación del Hospital Clínico Universitario (HCU) de Valladolid. Soporta tanto terapias de tipo pasivo, en las cuales el sujeto no ejerce ninguna fuerza y toda la responsabilidad es del sistema, como otras de tipo activo asistido en las que se busca conseguir un comportamiento de tipo asistencia a medida (assist as needed) en el que el sistema detecta la fuerza realizada por el paciente y la complementa hasta el nivel de desempeño deseado. El trabajo presenta el planteamiento y el estado de desarrollo de la arquitectura de control del sistema. Está adopta un esquema jerárquico en tres niveles de los que el nivel intermedio L2 implementa una estrategia de interacción háptica con control de admitancia. Para ello planteamos utilizar registros de EMGs del paciente y el consumo de corriente de los motores para adaptar dinámicamente el nivel de asistencia a la situación del paciente. Se ha desarrollado un hardware específico para el registro y tratamiento de las señales de EMG y los algoritmos de control se ejecutan en un DSP para favorecer la autonomía del dispositivo. En la actualidad se están realizando pruebas de las terapias pasivas con 5 pacientes en el HCU y en breve comenzarán las pruebas con terapias activas.[EN] RobHand is a neuro rehabilitation system for the hand and wrist of subjects who have suffered a stroke and must recover the mobility lost. It includes a hand exoskeleton, an interface with the patient for performing therapies based on a virtual environment and a management system for the information associated with patients and therapies. In this paper we present the approach and the development status of the control architecture of the hand exoskeleton integrated in the rehabilitation system. Their kinematic and dynamic models, and the sEMG based bio-operative controller that implements active-assisted therapies tailored to the patient are described.El trabajo reflejado en está comunicación está siendo realizado gracias a la financiación del Centro para el Desarrollo Tecnológico Industrial (CDTI, referencia IDI 2017 0263) y de la empresa CyL ImasD.Cisnal, A.; Moreno, V.; Pérez Turiel, J.; Alonso, R.; Fraile Marinero, JC.; Lobo, V. (2019). Estrategia para el control háptico, basado en electromiografía, de un exoesqueleto de mano para neurorehabilitación. En 11º Simposio CEA de Bioingeniería. Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. 164-178. https://doi.org/10.4995/CEABioIng.2019.10038OCS16417

Statistical relationship between RMS and QP spectra of voltage measurements in the 9–150 kHz range

The main objective of this work is to obtain an empirical relationship between the root-mean-square and the quasi-peak spectra of voltage recordings in the electrical grid, based on a statistical analysis of a set of on-field measurements for the CISPR Band A (9–150 kHz). The lack of a relationship between the weighting root-mean-square and quasi-peak detectors implies the impossibility of calculating quasi-peak (QP) spectra from root-mean-square (RMS) measurements. It is of great interest that quasi-peak values can be estimated by simple calculations from RMS values, so that comparison to compatibility levels could be applied. This work defines an empirical relationship between the statistical variation of instantaneous RMS values over time, the maximum RMS value of these instantaneous values and the QP output. This relationship is described in the form of a simple equation that can be applied to RMS provided by the RM-A method, specifically developed for the CISPR Band A. A method for the fast assessment of QP values from simple RMS receivers is proposed as a potential application of the numerical RMS-QP relationship. Both the numerical RMS-QP relationship and its application as a simple and fast assessment method are evaluated with disturbances recorded in the low voltage grid.This project (18NRM05) has received funding from the EMPIR program co-financed by the Participating States and from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program. This work was funded in part by the Basque Government under the grants IT1436–22 and PRE_2022_2_0074. This work was supported in part through grant PID2021–124706OB-I00 funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and by ERDF A way of making Europe

On the suitability of the CISPR 16 method for measuring conducted emissions in the 2–150kHz range in low voltage grids

The IEC 61000–2–2 standard defines the compatibility levels to evaluate the conducted disturbances in the low voltage grid for the 2-150 kHz range. For frequencies 9–150 kHz, they are defined in terms of quasi peak values measured according to CISPR 16–1–1 standard, but no clear guidance is given on how to apply this standard to grid measurements. The definition of the method in CISPR 16–1–1 accepts a wide range of different implementations, all of them fulfilling the compliance requirements. The reasons are that the standard does not propose a fixed implementation but a ‘black-box’ approach, and some of the proposed configuration values are non-normative and/or wide tolerances are allowed. In this context, some parameters have a pivotal role in the results provided by the method. The impact of variation of these parameters on the measurement results is addressed in this work. In particular, the accuracy requirements and the reproducibility issues of the standard are studied. For that purpose, a high number of different compliant implementations have been developed and the influence of different features of the CISPR 16–1–1 method on the results of these implementations is identified and analyzed. The results show that the wide tolerances allowed by the CISPR 16 specification impede the comparison of results provided by measuring receivers based on different implementations of the standard. Results of the study also show that reproducibility issues for the same input signal may be relevant and generate inconsistences. Moreover, a fixed specific configuration does not ensure that uncertainty issues are solved, as the technical approach used in the implementation of the damped meter has a strong influence on the outputs. An unambiguous guidance of digital implementation of the standard could fix these issues

The influence of a badminton competition with two matches in a day on muscle damage and physical performance in elite junior badminton players

To investigate the effects of a badminton competition with 2 matches in a day on hip strength and range of motion (ROM) and exercise-induced muscle damage in elite junior badminton players. Twenty players (age: 17±0.8 years; body mass: 62.9±6.5 kg, height: 173.8±8.9 cm) participated in this study. Passive hip internal (IR) and external rotation (ER), abduction (ABD) and adduction (ADD) hip ROM, isometric hip ADD and ABD muscle strength, countermovement vertical jump (CMJ) height and blood creatine kinase concentration (CK) were measured before and after a badminton competition during an international tournament. Blood samples were collected 24 h after the end of the last match. Compared to baseline values, hip IR and ER ROM were significantly decreased at post-competition in the dominant (IR=-9.0%; p=0.007 and ER=-15.2%; p=0.002) and non-dominant limbs (IR=-9.08%; p=0.004 and ER=-19.4%; p<0.001). In contrast, hip ADD (13.5%; p<0.001) and ABD (14.6%; p<0.001) strength increased significantly after the competition in the dominant limb and ABD strength increased significantly in the non-dominant limb (9.2%; p=0.001). From baseline values, CK increased after the competition (430.1%) and values remained elevated over baseline values 24 h later (160.4%). Although hip muscle strength increased, a badminton competition with two consecutive matches reduced hip ROM and increased blood CK concentration. This study suggests the necessity of investigating recovery strategies after a badminton competition to return hip ROM to basal values before the next day of the competition.Funding received from Badminton World Federation (BWF), Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia)

Impact of primary care nursing workforce characteristics on the control of high-blood pressure: A multilevel analysis

Objective: To determine the impact of Primary Health Care (PHC) nursing workforce characteristics and of the clinical practice environment (CPE) perceived by nurses on the control of high-blood pressure (HBP). Design: Cross-sectional analytical study. Setting: Administrative and clinical registries of hypertensive patients from PHC information systems and questionnaire from PHC nurses. Participants: 76 797 hypertensive patients in two health zones within the Community of Madrid, North- West Zone (NWZ) with a higher socioeconomic situation and South-West Zone (SWZ) with a lower socioeconomic situation, and 442 reference nurses. Segmented analyses by area were made due to their different socioeconomic characteristics. Primary outcome measure: Poor HBP control (adequate figures below the value 140/90 mm Hg) associated with the characteristics of the nursing workforce and selfperceived CPE. Results: The prevalence of poor HBP control, estimated by an empty multilevel model, was 33.5% (95% CI 31.5% to 35.6%). In the multilevel multivariate regression models, the perception of a more favourable CPE was associated with a reduction in poor control in NWZ men and SWZ women (OR=0.99 (95% CI 0.98 to 0.99)); the economic immigration conditions increased poor control in NWZ women (OR=1.53 (95% CI 1.24 to 1.89)) and in SWZ, both men (OR=1.89 (95% CI 1.43 to 2.51)) and women (OR=1.39 (95% CI 1.09 to 1.76)). In all four models, increasing the annual number of patient consultations was associated with a reduction in poor control (NWZ women: OR=0.98 (95% CI0.98 to 0.99); NWZ men: OR=0.98 (95% CI 0.97 to 0.99); SWZ women: OR=0.98 (95% CI 0.97 to 0.99); SWZ men: OR=0.99 (95% CI 0.97 to 0.99). Conclusions: A CPE, perceived by PHC nurses as more favourable, and more patient–nurse consultations, contribute to better HBP control. Economic immigration condition is a risk factor for poor HBP control. Health policies oriented towards promoting positive environments for nursing practice are neededThe results presented here form part of a study that has been funded partially with the First Prize for National Research in Nursing (12th edition) from Hospital Universitario Marqués de Valdecilla (Santander) in 2010

Categorization of Mining Materials for Restoration Projects by Means of Pollution Indices and Bioassays

Sulfide mining wastes may lead to severe environmental and human health risks. This study aims to use geochemical and ecotoxicological indicators for the assessment of the ecological risks of potentially toxic elements (PTEs) in the San Quintín mining group to categorize wastes prior to mining restoration. Ecotoxicity was evaluated using crustacean (Dahpnia magna, Thamnocephalus platyurus) and algae (Raphidocelis subcapitata) bioassays. The geochemical and mineralogical results suggested that the mining residues underwent intense weathering processes, with active processes of acidity generation and metal mobility. Total PTEs concentrations indicated that the mining materials were extremely polluted, with Pb, Zn and Cd geoaccumulation index (Igeo) values higher than 5 in more than 90% of the samples. The pollution load index (PLI) showed average values of 18.1, which classifies them as very highly polluted. The toxicity tests showed a higher toxicity for plants than crustaceans, being the highest values of toxicity related to toxic elements (Pb, Cd and Zn), electrical conductivity and to pH. This paper presents for the first time the combination of indices in the categorization of mining waste prior to its restoration. The combination of them has made it possible to categorize the waste and adapt the restoration and remediation procedures.Depto. de Mineralogía y PetrologíaFac. de Ciencias GeológicasTRUEMinisterio de Ciencia e Innovaciónpu