THE THROWING PERFORMANCE AND TRUNK KINEMATICS OF QUARTERBACKS DURING A FOOTBALL THROW WHILE WEARING RIB

The purpose of this study was to determine if hard and soft rib protector garments have an effect on trunk kinematics and throw performance (accuracy and speed) of experienced quarterbacks during an overhand football pass. Eight quarterbacks completed 10 throws during each of three rib protector conditions (no rib, soft, hard). Protector conditions were compared using non-inferiority testing. None of the rib protectors displayed performance or kinematics conclusively inferior to the control condition. However, the CIs of the rib protectors for two variables overlapped the noninferiority margin. In addition, among individual participants, mixed results were demonstrated. Overall, for performance and kinematics, we recommend the soft rib protector, as it did not negatively affect any throw performance variables analyzed

UPPER TRUNK-PELVIS AXIAL ROTATION COORDINATION DURING TREADMILL RUNNING

The purpose of our study was to assess the effect of running speed on upper trunk-pelvis coordination of axial rotation during running. A 7-camera Vicon system (120 Hz) was used to capture motions of 20 participants running on a treadmill at three speeds. Upper trunk and pelvis segmental angles were calculated and used in cross-correlation analysis and vector coding methodology to quantify upper trunk-pelvis phase lag and coordination patterns, respectively. Multilevel modeling was used to test running speed effect on those variables. Upper trunk motion preceded pelvic motion and the phase lag increased with running speed. Running speed could also contribute to changes in coordination pattern. Knowledge of upper trunk-pelvis coordination may potentially change our understanding of the roles of axial motions during running

Living with rheumatic heart disease at the intersection of biomedical and Aboriginal worldviews

Rheumatic heart disease (RHD) significantly impacts the lives of First Nations Australians. Failure to eliminate RHD is in part attributed to healthcare strategies that fail to understand the lived experience of RHD. To rectify this, a PhD study was undertaken in the Northern Territory (NT) of Australia, combining Aboriginal ways of knowing, being and doing with interviews (24 participants from clinical and community settings) and participant observation to privilege Aboriginal voices, including the interpretations and experiences of Aboriginal co-researchers (described in the adjunct article). During analysis, Aboriginal co-researchers identified three interwoven themes: maintaining good feelings; creating clear understanding (from good information); and choosing a good djalkiri (path). These affirm a worldview that prioritises relationships, positive emotions and the wellbeing of family/community. The findings demonstrate the inter-connectedness of knowledge, choice and behaviour that become increasingly complex in stressful and traumatic health, socioeconomic, political, historical and cultural contexts. Not previously heard in the RHD domain, the findings reveal fundamental differences between Aboriginal and biomedical worldviews contributing to the failure of current approaches to communicating health messages. Mitigating this, Aboriginal co-researchers provided targeted recommendations for culturally responsive health encounters, including: communicating to create positive emotions; building trust; and providing family and community data and health messages (rather than individualistic)

LOWER EXTREMITY BIOMECHANICS OF AN ANKLE 'GIVING WAY' CASE DURING THE DROP LANDlNG

The purpose of our study was to present an accidental ankle 'giving way' case of a participant with chronic ankle instability (CAI) during drop landing test and compare lower extremity biomechanics with that of the participant's normal landing trials. A 7-camera Vicon system was used to capture motions of the participant drop landing from a 30-cm high box. Ground reaction forces were collected using two force plates. Lower extremity joint angles and moments were generated. Subjective comparisons were made between the giving way trial and normal trials. For the giving way trial, the participant exhibited greater ankle inversion, internal rotation and less hip abduction angle in pre-landing phase compared to the normal trials. In addition, the ankle exhibited greater eversion moment and external rotation moment in the landing phase. Center of pressure was more lateral in the giving way trial. We suggest that a more inverted and internally rotated ankle position before landing may place ankle at a high risk of giving way and sprain for CAI individuals

The effect of real-time context-aware feedback on occupants' heating behaviour and thermal adaptation

Studies have shown that building energy demand in identical dwellings could vary by a factor of three. Differences in occupant behaviour – i.e. purchase, operation and maintenance – have been implicated as a strong source of these differences. The literature suggests that feedback on energy use to building occupants – particularly real-time feedback – can be used to prompt lower operation-related energy behaviours. This is particularly true for thermal demand which, in cold countries, accounts for four times as much energy use as non-thermal demand. However, there is little evidence to support this claim. Further, there are concerns that the actions that allow occupants to lower heating energy use could negatively impact their comfort by lowering indoor temperatures or air quality below acceptable thresholds. We report results from a winter field study that used in-depth energy, environmental and motion sensing to generate real-time context-aware feedback through a smartphone application. Subjective data and clothing levels were concurrently collected through questionnaires. Our results suggest that real-time feedback could lower radiator and room temperatures without significantly affecting occupant thermal comfort. The results also show that real time feedback could contribute to an increase in occupant perceived environmental control (a key variable in the theory of adaptive thermal comfort) while prompting lower heating energy behaviours

Human Metapneumovirus Infection among Children Hospitalized with Acute Respiratory Illness

Recent studies have associated human Metapneumovirus (HMPV) infection in children with respiratory disease of similar severity as respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection. We studied 668 banked swab specimens (one per admission) collected from a population-based, prospective study of acute respiratory illness among inpatient children from two U.S. cities. Specimens were tested for HMPV, RSV, influenza, and parainfluenza viruses by reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction assays. Twenty-six (3.9%) were positive for HMPV; 125 (18.7%) for RSV; 45 (6.7%) for parainfluenza 1, 2, or 3; and 23 (3.4%) for influenza. HMPV-positive children were significantly older than RSV-positive children. HMPV-positive children required medical intensive care and received supplemental oxygen in similar frequencies to RSV-positive children. Among children hospitalized with respiratory illness, the incidence of HMPV infection was less than RSV, but clinical disease severity mirrored that of RSV infection. Further investigations to better characterize HMPV infection and its clinical effect are needed

Physical activity attenuates the influence of FTO variants on obesity risk: A meta-analysis of 218,166 adults and 19,268 children

Background: The FTO gene harbors the strongest known susceptibility locus for obesity. While many individual studies have suggested that physical activity (PA) may attenuate the effect of FTO on obesity risk, other studies have not been able to confirm this interaction. To confirm or refute unambiguously whether PA attenuates the association of FTO with obesity risk, we meta-analyzed data from 45 studies of adults (n = 218,166) and nine studies of children and adolescents (n = 19,268). Methods and Findings: All studies identified to have data on the FTO rs9939609 variant (or any proxy [r2>0.8]) and PA were invited to participate, regardless of ethnicity or age of the participants. PA was standardized by categorizing it into a dichotomous variable (physically inactive versus active) in each study. Overall, 25% of adults and 13% of children were categorized as inactive. Interaction analyses were performed within each study by including the FTO×PA interaction term in an additive model, adjusting for age and sex. Subsequently, random effects meta-analysis was used to pool the interaction terms. In adults, the minor (A-) allele of rs9939609 increased the odds of obesity by 1.23-fold/allele (95% CI 1.20-1.26), but PA attenuated this effect (pinteraction= 0.001). More specifically, the minor allele of rs9939609 increased the odds of obesity less in the physically active group (odds ratio = 1.22/allele, 95% CI 1.19-1.25) than in the inactive group (odds ratio = 1.30/allele, 95% CI 1.24-1.36). No such interaction was found in children and adolescents. Concl

Hair Cortisol in Twins : Heritability and Genetic Overlap with Psychological Variables and Stress-System Genes

A. Palotie on työryhmän jäsen.Hair cortisol concentration (HCC) is a promising measure of long-term hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis activity. Previous research has suggested an association between HCC and psychological variables, and initial studies of inter-individual variance in HCC have implicated genetic factors. However, whether HCC and psychological variables share genetic risk factors remains unclear. The aims of the present twin study were to: (i) assess the heritability of HCC; (ii) estimate the phenotypic and genetic correlation between HPA axis activity and the psychological variables perceived stress, depressive symptoms, and neuroticism; using formal genetic twin models and molecular genetic methods, i.e. polygenic risk scores (PRS). HCC was measured in 671 adolescents and young adults. These included 115 monozygotic and 183 dizygotic twin-pairs. For 432 subjects PRS scores for plasma cortisol, major depression, and neuroticism were calculated using data from large genome wide association studies. The twin model revealed a heritability for HCC of 72%. No significant phenotypic or genetic correlation was found between HCC and the three psychological variables of interest. PRS did not explain variance in HCC. The present data suggest that HCC is highly heritable. However, the data do not support a strong biological link between HCC and any of the investigated psychological variables.Peer reviewe

New genetic loci link adipose and insulin biology to body fat distribution.

Body fat distribution is a heritable trait and a well-established predictor of adverse metabolic outcomes, independent of overall adiposity. To increase our understanding of the genetic basis of body fat distribution and its molecular links to cardiometabolic traits, here we conduct genome-wide association meta-analyses of traits related to waist and hip circumferences in up to 224,459 individuals. We identify 49 loci (33 new) associated with waist-to-hip ratio adjusted for body mass index (BMI), and an additional 19 loci newly associated with related waist and hip circumference measures (P < 5 × 10(-8)). In total, 20 of the 49 waist-to-hip ratio adjusted for BMI loci show significant sexual dimorphism, 19 of which display a stronger effect in women. The identified loci were enriched for genes expressed in adipose tissue and for putative regulatory elements in adipocytes. Pathway analyses implicated adipogenesis, angiogenesis, transcriptional regulation and insulin resistance as processes affecting fat distribution, providing insight into potential pathophysiological mechanisms

The trans-ancestral genomic architecture of glycemic traits

Glycemic traits are used to diagnose and monitor type 2 diabetes and cardiometabolic health. To date, most genetic studies of glycemic traits have focused on individuals of European ancestry. Here we aggregated genome-wide association studies comprising up to 281,416 individuals without diabetes (30% non-European ancestry) for whom fasting glucose, 2-h glucose after an oral glucose challenge, glycated hemoglobin and fasting insulin data were available. Trans-ancestry and single-ancestry meta-analyses identified 242 loci (99 novel; P < 5 x 10(-8)), 80% of which had no significant evidence of between-ancestry heterogeneity. Analyses restricted to individuals of European ancestry with equivalent sample size would have led to 24 fewer new loci. Compared with single-ancestry analyses, equivalent-sized trans-ancestry fine-mapping reduced the number of estimated variants in 99% credible sets by a median of 37.5%. Genomic-feature, gene-expression and gene-set analyses revealed distinct biological signatures for each trait, highlighting different underlying biological pathways. Our results increase our understanding of diabetes pathophysiology by using trans-ancestry studies for improved power and resolution. A trans-ancestry meta-analysis of GWAS of glycemic traits in up to 281,416 individuals identifies 99 novel loci, of which one quarter was found due to the multi-ancestry approach, which also improves fine-mapping of credible variant sets.Peer reviewe