Ultrasound Measurement of Local Deformation in the Human Free Achilles Tendon Produced by Dynamic Muscle-Induced Loading: A Systematic Review.

Achilles tendinopathy is the most prevalent lower limb tendinopathy, yet it remains poorly understood, with mismatches between observed structure and reported function. Recent studies have hypothesised that Achilles tendon (AT) healthy function is associated with variable deformation across the tendon width during use, focusing on quantifying sub-tendon deformation. Here, the aim of this work was to synthesise recent advances exploring human free AT tissue-level deformation during use. Following PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines, PubMed, Embase, Scopus and Web of Science were systematically searched. Study quality and risk of bias were assessed. Thirteen articles were retained, yielding data on free AT deformation patterns. Seven were categorised as high-quality and six as medium-quality studies. Evidence consistently reports that healthy and young tendons deform non-uniformly, with the deeper layer displacing 18%-80% more than the superficial layer. Non-uniformity decreased by 12%-85% with increasing age and by 42%-91% in the presence of injury. There is limited evidence of large effect that AT deformation patterns during dynamic loading are non-uniform and may act as a biomarker of tendon health, risk of injury and rehabilitation impact. Better considered participant recruitment and improved measurement procedures would particularly improve study quality, to explore links between tendon structure, function, aging and disease in distinct populations

Development of materials to support parents whose babies cry excessively: findings and health service implications

Aim: To develop evidence-based materials which provide information and support for parents who are concerned about their baby's excessive crying. As well as meeting these parents' needs, the aim was to develop a package of materials suitable for use by the UK National Health Service (NHS). Background: Parents report that around 20% of 1-4 month-old infants in western countries cry excessively without apparent reason. Traditionally, research has focused on the crying and its causes. However, evidence is growing that how parents evaluate and respond to the crying needs to receive equal attention. This focus encompasses parental resources, vulnerabilities, wellbeing, and mental health. At present, the UK NHS lacks a set of routine provisions to support parents who are concerned about their baby's excessive crying. The rationales, methods and findings from a study developing materials for this purpose are reported. Method: Following a literature review, 20 parents whose babies previously cried excessively took part in focus groups or interviews. They provided reports on their experiences and the supports they would have liked when their baby was crying excessively. In addition, they identified their preferred delivery methods and devices for accessing information and rated four example support packages identified by the literature review. Findings: During the period their baby cried excessively, most parents visited a health service professional and most considered these direct contacts to have provided helpful information and support. Websites were similarly popular. Telephones and tablets were the preferred means of accessing online information. Groups to meet other parents were considered an important additional resource by all the parents. Three package elements - a Surviving Crying website, a printed version of the website, and a programme of Cognitive Behaviour Therapy-based support sessions delivered to parents by a qualified practitioner, were developed for further evaluation

Perceived family functioning and friendship quality: cross-sectional associations with physical activity and sedentary behaviours.

This study examined the association of adolescent-reported family functioning and friendship quality with objectively-measured moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA), sedentary time, and self-reported sedentary behaviours.The work of Andrew J Atkin, Kirsten Corder, and Esther M F van Sluijs was supported, wholly or in part, by the Centre for Diet and Activity Research (CEDAR), a UKCRC Public Health Research Centre of Excellence (RES-590-28-0002). Funding from the British Heart Foundation, Department of Health, Economic and Social Research Council, Medical Research Council, and the Wellcome Trust, under the auspices of the UK Clinical Research Collaboration, is gratefully acknowledged. The work of Esther M F van Sluijs, Kirsten Corder, Ulf Ekelund and Soren Brage was supported by the Medical Research Council (MC_UU_12015/7, MC_UU_12015/3). The ROOTS data collection was supported by a programme grant to Ian Goodyer (074296/Z/04/Z) from the Wellcome Trust and by the Medical Research Council Epidemiology Unit and Medical Research Council Human Nutrition Research.This is the final version of the article. It first appeared at http://www.ijbnpa.org/content/12/1/2

Diversity of Tanaidacea (Crustacea: Peracarida) in the World's Oceans – How Far Have We Come?

Tanaidaceans are small peracarid crustaceans which occur in all marine habitats, over the full range of depths, and rarely into fresh waters. Yet they have no obligate dispersive phase in their life-cycle. Populations are thus inevitably isolated, and allopatric speciation and high regional diversity are inevitable; cosmopolitan distributions are considered to be unlikely or non-existent. Options for passive dispersion are discussed. Tanaidaceans appear to have first evolved in shallow waters, the region of greatest diversification of the Apseudomorpha and some tanaidomorph families, while in deeper waters the apseudomorphs have subsequently evolved two or three distinct phyletic lines. The Neotanaidomorpha has evolved separately and diversified globally in deep waters, and the Tanaidomorpha has undergone the greatest evolution, diversification and adaptation, to the point where some of the deep-water taxa are recolonizing shallow waters. Analysis of their geographic distribution shows some level of regional isolation, but suffers from inclusion of polyphyletic taxa and a general lack of data, particularly for deep waters. It is concluded that the diversity of the tanaidomorphs in deeper waters and in certain ocean regions remains to be discovered; that the smaller taxa are largely understudied; and that numerous cryptic species remain to be distinguished. Thus the number of species currently recognized is likely to be an order of magnitude too low, and globally the Tanaidacea potentially rival the Amphipoda and Isopoda in diversity

Mental health and wellbeing in parents of excessively crying infants: prospective evaluation of a support package

Background During the first four months of age, approximately 20% of infants cry a lot without an apparent reason. Most research has targeted the crying and its causes, but there is a need for equal attention to the impact of the crying on parents and subsequent outcomes. This study reports the findings from a prospective evaluation of a package of materials designed to support the wellbeing and mental health of parents who judge their infant to be crying excessively. The resulting ‘Surviving Crying’ package comprised a website, printed materials, and a programme of Cognitive Behaviour Therapy - based support sessions delivered to parents by a qualified practitioner. It was designed to be suitable for National Health Service (NHS) use. Methods Parents were referred to the study by NHS Health Visitors or Community Public Health Nurses. Fifty seven parents of excessively crying babies received the support package and provided rating scale measures of depression, anxiety, frustration because of the crying, and other measures before receiving the support package, together with outcome measures afterwards. Results Significant reductions in depression and anxiety were found with the number of parents meeting clinical criteria for depression or anxiety halving between baseline and outcome. These improvements were not explained by changes in infant crying. Reductions also occurred in the number of parents reporting the crying to be a large or severe problem (from 28 to 3 parents) or feeling very or extremely frustrated by the crying (from 31 to 1 parent). Other findings included increases in parents’ confidence, knowledge of infant crying and improvements in parents’ sleep. Conclusions The findings suggest that the Surviving Crying package may be effective in supporting the wellbeing and mental health of parents of excessively crying babies. Further, large-scale controlled trials of the package in NHS settings are warranted

Objectively measured physical activity and longitudinal changes in adolescent body fatness: an observational cohort study.

BACKGROUND: The data regarding prospective associations between physical activity (PA) and adiposity in youth are inconsistent. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to investigate associations between baseline levels of objectively measured PA and changes in adiposity over 2.5 years from mid-to-late adolescence. METHODS: This was an observational cohort study in 728 school students (43% boys) from Cambridgeshire, United Kingdom. Fat mass index (FMI, kg m(-2) ) was estimated at baseline (mean ± standard deviation age: 15 ± 0.3 years) and follow-up (17.5 ± 0.3 years) by anthropometry and bioelectrical impedance. Habitual PA was assessed at baseline by ≥3 d combined heart rate and movement sensing. Average daily PA energy expenditure (PAEE) and the time (min d(-1) ) spent in light, moderate and vigorous intensity PA (LPA, MPA and VPA, respectively) was estimated. Multilevel models were used to investigate associations between baseline PA and change in FMI (ΔFMI). Adjustment for baseline age, sex, follow-up duration, area-level socioeconomic status, season of PA assessment, sedentary time, energy intake and sleep duration was made; baseline FMI was also added in a second model. RESULTS: FMI increased significantly over follow-up (0.6 ± 1.2 kg m(-2) , P < 0.001). Baseline PAEE and LPA positively predicted ΔFMI in overfat participants (P ≤ 0.030), as did VPA in initially normal fat participants (P ≤ 0.044). There were further positive associations between PAEE and ΔFMI in normal fat participants, and between MPA and ΔFMI in both fat groups, when adjusted for baseline FMI (P ≤ 0.024). CONCLUSIONS: Baseline PAEE and its subcomponents were positively associated with small and unlikely clinically relevant increases in ΔFMI. These counter-intuitive findings may be explained by behavioural changes during the course of study follow-up.This work was supported by the Medical Research Council (Unit Programme number MC_UU_12015/3), the Wellcome Trust (grant 074296/Z/04/Z) and the British Heart Foundation (grant FS/12/58/29709 to KW).This is the final version of the article. It first appeared from Wiley via http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/ijpo.1203

Семантические барьеры в деловой коммуникации

Статья из специализированного выпуска научного журнала "Культура народов Причерноморья", материалы которого объединены общей темой "Язык и Мир" и посвящены общим вопросам Языкознания и приурочены к 80-летию со дня рождения Николая Александровича Рудякова.Стаття із спеціалізованого випуску наукового журналу "Культура народов Причерноморья", матеріали якого поєднані загальною темою "Мова і Світ" і присвячені загальним питанням мовознавства і приурочені до 80-річчя з дня народження Миколи Олександровича Рудякова