THE EFFECTS OF KNEE BRACING ON REACTIVE AGILITY PERFORMANCE AND EMG ACTIVITY IN HEALTHY SOCCER PLAYERS – A PILOT STUDY

This pilot study examined differences between braced and non-braced soccer players on measures of reactive agility time and electromyographic (EMG) activity of the gluteus medius (GM), biceps femoris (BF), and vastus lateralis (VL) muscles during the acceleration and change of direction phases of the Y-shaped reactive agility test. Twenty-four participants completed a Y-shaped reactive agility test under two conditions including wearing no knee brace and wearing a Playmaker II knee brace (DonJoy®, Lewisville, Texas) on their dominant leg. Although higher muscle activation was found in the GM and BF muscles during the change of direction phase compared to the acceleration phase, bracing did not statistically significantly affect agility time and EMG muscle activity. This outcome suggests that preventative bracing does not seem to hinder an athlete’s performance

The Effect of Ankle Taping on the Kinematics of the Lower Extremity While Running on Level, Inclined, and Declined Slopes

Topics in Exercise Science and Kinesiology Volume 2: Issue 1, Article 8, 2021. Therapeutic taping is often prescribed as a treatment for various overuse injuries in the lower extremity. Researchers believe that taping may control the position and alter alignment of the calcaneus to correct foot pathologies when applied to the ankle in runners, however, the utility and specific mechanical effects of different taping techniques remains unclear. The purpose of this study was to explore the effect of ankle taping (no tape (NT), Kinesiotape® (KT), or Leukotape® (LT)) across different slope conditions (level, inclined, and declined) on the kinematics of the hip, knee, and ankle joints. Forty healthy participants (males=18, females=22) ran on a treadmill under different taping and slope conditions. Lower extremity kinematics at the hip, knee, and ankle were analyzed using a Contemplas Templo® 3D motion capture system. Data were analyzed using two-way repeated measures analyses of variance (ANOVAs; p\u3c0.05) for each kinematic variable, respectively. Data analysis revealed no significant interactions effects between taping conditions and slope on kinematics measured across joints. The results, however, revealed a significant main effect for type of tape for peak knee flexion angle during the stance phase of running with the application of LT, which produced less knee flexion when compared to KT. The results also revealed a significant main effect regarding slope conditions which identified an increase in stride length (SL) while running on a declined slope compared to an inclined slope. Finally, a significant main effect concerning slope conditions was found which identified a decrease in stride frequency (SF) while running on a declined slope compared to a level and inclined slope. The results of this study suggested that the application of LT affected knee flexion during the stance phase of running. This tape outcome may have implications for clinicians, coaches, and patients because they suggest that the application of LT may potentially reduce the risk of overuse injury due to repetitive flexion at the knee joint while running. Additionally, slope outcomes suggest that increased SL and decreased SF may reduce impact forces while running on a declined slope. Future research is required to further explore these preliminary results

THE IMPACT OF THERAPEUTIC ANKLE TAPING AND FOOT POSTURE ON THE KINEMATICS OF THE KNEE AND ANKLE WHILE RUNNING

Overpronation is a misalignment of the calcaneus, contributing to overuse injuries in runners. Taping may control the position of the calcaneus to correct foot pathologies associated with overpronation. The purpose of this study was to explore the effect of therapeutic ankle taping and foot posture on the kinematics of the knee and ankle during running in participants with neutral and pronated foot types. Forty healthy participants ran on a treadmill with the application of Kinesio Tape®, Leuko Tape®, and no tape. A significant main effect for foot posture indicated that participants with a pronated foot type (p=.03) ran with a decreased amount of plantarflexion at the toe off phase of running when compared to a neutral foot type for all taping conditions. As plantarflexion occurs at toe off to propel the runner to the swing phase, a more rigid taping technique may be beneficial to provide support to the calcaneus

Trazado de mapas medios anuales de energía solar global, directa, difusa y Tilt, usando la base de datos de SWERA : Caso de estudio: provincias de Salta y Jujuy

En este trabajo se presentan los mapas de energía solar media anual correspondientes a la radiación solar global, directa normal al haz, difusa y Tilt, para las provincias de Salta y Jujuy. Los mapas se trazaron utilizando los datos de la base satelital SWERA, cuyas celdas son cuadrados de 40 km. de lado, a través del método geoestadístico del kriging y un variograma lineal. Se compararon las distribuciones de irradiación (energía) solar con las provincias fitogeográficas y la distribución de las lluvias anuales en la provincia de Salta, encontrándose una rápida correlación con una de ellas. Los mapas se presentan como una herramienta inicial para el estudio de la distribución de la radiación solar en el Norte de Argentina.In this paper we present the maps of annual average solar energy corresponding to the global solar radiation, beam normal, diffuse and Tilt, for the provinces of Salta and Jujuy. The maps were plotted using the satellite-based database SWERA, whose cells are squares of 40 km. long side, through the geostatistical method of kriging and linear variogram. We compared the distributions of solar radiation (energy) with the phytogeographic provinces and distribution of annual rainfall in the province of Salta, and a fast correlation was found with one of them. The maps are presented as an initial screening tool to study the distribution of solar radiation in northern Argentina.Asociación Argentina de Energías Renovables y Medio Ambiente (ASADES

Social sciences research in neglected tropical diseases 2: A bibliographic analysis

The official published version of the article can be found at the link below.Background There are strong arguments for social science and interdisciplinary research in the neglected tropical diseases. These diseases represent a rich and dynamic interplay between vector, host, and pathogen which occurs within social, physical and biological contexts. The overwhelming sense, however, is that neglected tropical diseases research is a biomedical endeavour largely excluding the social sciences. The purpose of this review is to provide a baseline for discussing the quantum and nature of the science that is being conducted, and the extent to which the social sciences are a part of that. Methods A bibliographic analysis was conducted of neglected tropical diseases related research papers published over the past 10 years in biomedical and social sciences. The analysis had textual and bibliometric facets, and focussed on chikungunya, dengue, visceral leishmaniasis, and onchocerciasis. Results There is substantial variation in the number of publications associated with each disease. The proportion of the research that is social science based appears remarkably consistent (<4%). A textual analysis, however, reveals a degree of misclassification by the abstracting service where a surprising proportion of the "social sciences" research was pure clinical research. Much of the social sciences research also tends to be "hand maiden" research focused on the implementation of biomedical solutions. Conclusion There is little evidence that scientists pay any attention to the complex social, cultural, biological, and environmental dynamic involved in human pathogenesis. There is little investigator driven social science and a poor presence of interdisciplinary science. The research needs more sophisticated funders and priority setters who are not beguiled by uncritical biomedical promises

Comparing Fatigue when Using Large Horizontal and Vertical Multi-Touch Interaction Displays

We report on a user study that compared muscle fatigue experienced when using a large multi-touch display in horizontal and vertical configurations over a one-hour period. Muscle fatigue is recognized as the reduction in a muscle’s capacity to generate force or power output and was measured objectively and subjectively before and after a puzzle-solving task. While subjective measures showed a significant level of overall arm muscle fatigue after the task for both configurations, objective measures showed a significant level of muscle fatigue on the middle deltoids and the non-dominant extensor digitorum for the vertical configuration only. We discuss the design implications of these findings and suggest relevant future areas of investigation

Tamoxifen Is Effective in the Treatment of Leishmania amazonensis Infections in Mice

Leishmaniasis is an antropozoonotic disease with a wide range of clinical manifestations. In humans, signs of disease vary from skin and mucosal ulcers to enlargement of internal organs such as the liver and spleen. The unicellular parasite Leishmania amazonensis is able to infect humans and cause localized or diffuse skin lesions. The treatment for this disease is difficult, as it requires prolonged and painful applications of toxic drugs that are poorly tolerated. Therefore, a key area in leishmaniasis research is the study of new therapeutic schemes and less toxic drugs. The present report is based on the investigation of tamoxifen's activity (a compound that has been in clinical use since the 1970s for the treatment of breast cancer) in the treatment of mice experimentally infected with L. amazonensis. We observed that infected mice treated with 20 mg/kg/day of tamoxifen for 15 days showed a significant clinical and parasitological response, with reduction in the size of lesions and ulcers and decreased numbers of parasites. These promising results pave the way for further testing of this drug as a new alternative in the chemotherapy of leishmaniasis

In vitro activity of ten medicinal plants on ten Streptococcus pneumoniae strains

Introducción: El portador sano es el principal diseminador de las infecciones neumocócicas por la nasofaringe. Una alternativa para combatirlo son las plantas medicinales. Objetivos: Determinar la efectividad de diez plantas medicinales frente a Streptococcus pneumoniae. Diseño: Estudio experimental in vitro. Material biológico: Plantas medicinales y cepas de Streptococcus pneumoniae. Intervenciones: Los extractos de 10 plantas medicinales fueron puestos en contacto in vitro con 10 cepas de Streptococcus pneumoniae. Principales medidas de resultados: Actividad de las plantas medicinales sobre las cepas de Streptococcus pneumoniae. Resultados: almendro y Bellaco caspi fueron las únicas plantas que dieron pequeño halo de inhibición con algunas cepas; con almendro se inhibió dos cepas y con Bellaco caspi, se inhibió siete cepas y tres resultaron resistentes. Estos resultados no tuvieron relación con el serotipo de neumococo ni con los antibióticos utilizados en los antibiogramas realizados previamente. Conclusiones: El Bellaco caspi podría ser una alternativa para atacar al neumococo en la nasofaringe. Pero, por haber presentado resistencia a tres cepas de Streptococcus pneumoniae, antes de usarlo sería conveniente desarrollar un antibiograma de los neumococos contra las plantas medicinales.Introduction: The healthy carrier is the main disseminator of pneumococcal infections through nasopharynx; an alternative for treatment is a medicinal plant. Objectives: To determine the effectivity of ten medicinal plants against Streptococcus pneumoniae. Design: In vitro experimental study. Biologic materials: Medicinal plant extracts and Streptococcus pneumoniae strains. Interventions: Ten medicinal plant extracts were put in contact in vitro with 10 different Streptococcus pneumonia strains. Main outcome measures: Medicinal plant extracts activity against Streptococcus pneumoniae strains. Results: Only almendro y Bellaco caspi showed small inhibition halos with some strains; with almendro two of 10 Pneumococcus strains were inhibited and with Bellaco caspi seven strains were inhibited and three were resistant. These results had no relation either with Pneumococcus serotype or with antibiotics used according to antibiograms. Conclusions: Bellaco caspi could be an alternative for treating nasopharynx Pneumococcus, but due to resistance to three Streptococcus pneumonia strains there is no total guarantee and an antibiogram for pneumococci against medicinal plants is needed