KINEMATICS OF GIANT SWINGS ON THE PARALLEL BARS

The purpose of this study was to investigate the kinematics of giant swings on the parallel bars. A secondary purpose was to compare giants executed from a cast to the giants following, and to compare skilled vs. unskilled performances. A total of eight giants were studied. Results showed that, with few exceptions, giant swings performed on the parallel bars exhibit similar motion patterns to giants performed on other apparatuses. Between-apparatus differences in motion patterns at the knee (quantified), elbow and radioulnar (not quantified due to substantial out-at-plane components) joints were attributed to limitations mostly imposed by apparatus design. Skilled vs. unskilled differences-most pronounced at the shoulder joint-were related to both timing and ROM issues

TEMPORAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THOMAS FLAIRS ON THE POMMEL AND FLOOR

To perform successfully on any apparatus, gymnasts must execute skills with creativity and virtuosity. Whereas creativity is demonstrated by introducing new skills, combining existing ones, or adapting skills to different apparatuses, virtuosity is expressed by executing skills with exceptional technique (Prassas et al. 2006). The Thomas Flairs (Fig. 1), originally introduced and performed on the pommel horse, have been adapted on other apparatuses including the floor. Understanding the timing of the different phases of the skill and what effect the different physical characteristics of the two apparatuses may impose on that timing, would be valuable to coaches and gymnasts seeking to improve performance, judges evaluating gymnastic routines, and scientists studying motor skills

ANALYSIS OF DROP JUMPS WITH AND WITHOUT CONTROL OF CONTACT TIME

The purpose of this study was to compare drop jumping from various heights with and without controlling for contact time. Twenty healthy individuals performed drop jumps from various. Preliminary EMG, power, and kinematic results showed some changes in motion patterns when controlling for contact time. Those patterns, however, did not significantly alter the height jumped

THOMAS FLAIRES ON THE POMMEL AND FLOOR: A CASE STUDY

To win bonus points, gymnasts must execute skills with creativity, virtuosity, and consistency. Creativity is demonstrated by introducing new skills, combining existing ones, or adapting skills that were initially performed in a particular apparatus to other ones. Virtuosity is expressed by executing skills with exceptional technique. The Thomas Flaires (circles performed with the legs split as shown in Figure 1) were originally introduced and performed on the pommel horse, but have since been adapted on other apparatuses including the floor exercises and parallel bars. Understanding the complexity by which consecutive Thomas Flaires are performed and what effect—if any—the different physical characteristics of the two apparatuses may impose on the execution of the skill would be valuable to coaches and gymnasts seeking to improve performance, judges evaluating gymnastics routines, and scientists studying motor skills

ELECTROMYOGRAPHIC (EMG) ACTIVITY OF LOWER EXTREMITY MUSCULATURE DURING DROP JUMPING FROM DIFFERENT HEIGHTS

The purpose of this study was to determine EMG activation patterns of the lower extremity musculature during drop jumping from different heights. Ten subjects participated in the study. EMG activity of the rectus femoris, biceps femoris, and gastrocnemious muscles as well as ground reaction forces were simultaneously recorded during drop jumping from 20, 30, and 40cm. Sagittal video data were also recorded and synchronized to the analog data. Results show similar jump height and EMG activation patterns for the 20 and 40cm drop jumps, but not for the 60cm. It was concluded that activation patterns of the lower extremity musculature varies when the drop height exceeds certain limits. The activation pattern of gastrocnemious deviated from the one described in the literatur

CHANGES OF FORCE AND SPEED CHARACTERISTICS IN MALES AND FEMALES EIGHT TO FIFTY YEARS OLD

The purpose of this study was to determine changes of force and speed characteristics in male and female subjects from eight to 50 years old. Four hundred and eighteen sedentary subjects grouped by age from eight to 50 years old were tested for several force and speed indicators. One-way ANOVA revealed that the majority (four out of six) of force and speed characteristics showed significant increases in subjects up to 30 years of age and subsequent significant decreases. The remaining two indicators showed continuous decline throughout the tested lifespan. It is suggested that these results may be used as a criterion which may assist in promoting physical activity and sport beyond the age of 30 years

Questioning Classic Patient Classification Techniques in Gait Rehabilitation: Insights from Wearable Haptic Technology

Classifying stroke survivors based on their walking abilities is an important part of the gait rehabilitation process. It can act as powerful indicator of function and prognosis in both the early days after a stroke and long after a survivor receives rehabilitation. This classification often relies solely on walking speed; a quick and easy measure, with only a stopwatch needed. However, walking speed may not be the most accurate way of judging individual’s walking ability. Advances in technology mean we are now in a position where ubiquitous and wearable technologies can be used to elicit much richer measures to characterise gait. In this paper we present a case study from one of our studies, where within a homogenous group of stroke survivors (based on walking speed classification) important differences in individual results and the way they responded to rhythmic haptic cueing were identified during the piloting of a novel gait rehabilitation technique

A Gait Rehabilitation pilot study using tactile cueing following Hemiparetic Stroke

Recovery of walking function is a major goal of post-stroke rehabilitation. Audio metronomic cueing has been shown to improve gait, but can be impractical and inconvenient to use in a community setting, for example outdoors where awareness of traffic is needed, as well as being unsuitable in environments with high background noise, or for those with a hearing impairment. Silent lightweight portable tactile cueing, if similarly successful, has the potential to take the benefits out of the lab and into everyday life. The Haptic Bracelets, designed and built at the Open University originally for musical purposes, are self- contained lightweight wireless devices containing a computer, Wi-Fi chip, accelerometers and low-latency vibrotactiles with a wide dynamic range. In this paper we outline gait rehabilitation problems and existing solutions, and present an early pilot in which the Haptic Bracelets were applied to post-stroke gait rehabilitation

A pilot study using tactile cueing for gait rehabilitation following stroke

Recovery of walking function is a vital goal of post-stroke rehabilitation. Cueing using audio metronomes has been shown to improve gait, but can be impractical when interacting with others, particularly outdoors where awareness of vehicles and bicycles is essential. Audio is also unsuitable in environments with high background noise, or for those with a hearing impairment. If successful, lightweight portable tactile cueing has the potential to take the benefits of cueing out of the laboratory and into everyday life. The Haptic Bracelets are lightweight wireless devices containing a computer, accelerometers and low-latency vibrotactiles with a wide dynamic range. In this paper we review gait rehabilitation problems and existing solutions, and present an early pilot in which the Haptic Bracelets were applied to post-stroke gait rehabilitation. Tactile cueing during walking was well received in the pilot, and analysis of motion capture data showed immediate improvements in gait

Kallikrein-related peptidase 6 regulates epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition and serves as prognostic biomarker for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma patients

Background: Dysregulated expression of Kallikrein-related peptidase 6 (KLK6) is a common feature for many human malignancies and numerous studies evaluated KLK6 as a promising biomarker for early diagnosis or unfavorable prognosis. However, the expression of KLK6 in carcinomas derived from mucosal epithelia, including head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), and its mode of action has not been addressed so far. Methods: Stable clones of human mucosal tumor cell lines were generated with shRNA-mediated silencing or ectopic overexpression to characterize the impact of KLK6 on tumor relevant processes in vitro. Tissue microarrays with primary HNSCC samples from a retrospective patient cohort (n = 162) were stained by immunohistochemistry and the correlation between KLK6 staining and survival was addressed by univariate Kaplan-Meier and multivariate Cox proportional hazard model analysis. Results: KLK6 expression was detected in head and neck tumor cell lines (FaDu, Cal27 and SCC25), but not in HeLa cervix carcinoma cells. Silencing in FaDu cells and ectopic expression in HeLa cells unraveled an inhibitory function of KLK6 on tumor cell proliferation and mobility. FaDu clones with silenced KLK6 expression displayed molecular features resembling epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition, nuclear β-catenin accumulation and higher resistance against irradiation. Low KLK6 protein expression in primary tumors from oropharyngeal and laryngeal SCC patients was significantly correlated with poor progression-free (p = 0.001) and overall survival (p < 0.0005), and served as an independent risk factor for unfavorable clinical outcome. Conclusions: In summary, detection of low KLK6 expression in primary tumors represents a promising tool to stratify HNSCC patients with high risk for treatment failure. These patients might benefit from restoration of KLK6 expression or pharmacological targeting of signaling pathways implicated in EMT