A Quantitative Study of Intervertebral Disc Morphologic Changes Following Plasma‐Mediated Percutaneous Discectomy

Objective To quantitatively evaluate interval magnetic resonance imaging ( MRI ) changes in disc morphology following plasma‐mediated percutaneous discectomy. Design/Setting A retrospective comparison of pretreatment and posttreatment MRIs at a single university spine clinic. Subjects From a group of 60 consecutively treated patients, 15 met the study inclusion and exclusion criteria. All had either failed treatment or had other clinical reasons for a posttreatment MRI . Methods Two independent physicians electronically measured disc protrusion size and disc height at the treatment discs and adjacent discs on pre‐ and posttreatment MRI scans. Additionally, images were compared for gross anatomic changes including disc degeneration by P firrman classification, new disc herniations, high intensity zone ( HIZ ), vertebral endplate changes, post‐contrast enhancement, and changes in segmental alignment. P earson r correlation was used to determine interobserver reliability between the two physicians' MRI measurements. Paired t ‐tests were calculated for comparisons of pre‐ and posttreatment MRI measurements, and an ANOVA was performed for comparison of pre‐ to posttreatment changes in disc height measurements at treatment levels relative to adjacent levels. Results Correlation was high for measurement of disc height change ( r  = 0.89; P  < 0.0001) and good for anteroposterior protrusion size change ( r  = 0.51; P  = 0.0512). Disc height at treated discs demonstrated a small but statistically significant mean interval reduction of 0.48 mm ( P  = 0.0018). This remained significant when compared with the adjacent control discs ( P  < 0.0001). Pretreatment mean disc protrusion size (4.74 mm; range 3.75–6.55 mm) did not differ significantly ( P  = 0.1145) from posttreatment protrusion size (4.42 mm; range 2.55–7.95 mm). Gross anatomic changes at treatment levels included reduced disc protrusion size (N = 6), enlarged protrusion (N = 3), resolution of HIZ (N = 3), and improvement in endplate signal changes (N = 1). Also, 11/15 posttreatment MRIs included post‐contrast images that showed epidural fibrosis (N = 1), rim enhancement (N = 2), and enhancement of the posterior annulus (N = 4). Conclusions Based on MRI examinations, subtle anatomic changes may occur following plasma‐mediated percutaneous discectomy. Further study is required to determine the clinical relevance of these changes.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/109360/1/pme12525.pd

OS NOVOS ARRANJOS FAMILIARES, AFETO E SEXUALIDADE NOS TRIBUNAIS: A EVOLUÇÃO DA FAMÍLIA BRASILEIRA E OS DESAFIOS DA JURISDIÇÃO

O artigo a seguir busca contextualizar o mais variados arranjos familiares na atual sociedade contemporânea, dirimindo duvidas e questões sobre o modo como os novos modelos familiares são tratados e pleiteados nos tribunais judiciários, aprofundando como a psicologia jurídica poderia contribuir para sanar melhor a compreensão sobre a aplicação da psicologia no âmbito do direito de família, elucidando assim, conflitos em questão. O artigo em questão foi proposto com base em estudos, através de livros científicos, sites relacionados ao tema, e demais meios para se obter informações. Através dos meios obtidos para estudo do tema proposto, verificou-se grande avanço da sociedade com relação as novas configurações familiares, obtendo-se assim, vasto conhecimento do tema proposto.

Pre-competition habits and injuries in Taekwondo athletes

BACKGROUND: Over the past decade, there has been heightened interest in injury rates sustained by martial arts athletes, and more specifically, Taekwondo athletes. Despite this interest, there is a paucity of research on pre-competition habits and training of these athletes. The purpose of this pilot study was to assess training characteristics, competition preparation habits, and injury profiles of Taekwondo athletes. METHODS: A retrospective survey of Canadian male and female Taekwondo athletes competing in a national tournament was conducted. Competitors at a Canadian national level tournament were given a comprehensive survey prior to competition. Items on training characteristics, diet, and injuries sustained during training and competition were included. Questionnaires were distributed to 60 athletes. RESULTS: A response rate of 46.7% was achieved. Of those that responded, 54% dieted prior to competition, and 36% dieted and exercised pre-competition. Sixty-four percent of the athletes practised between 4–6 times per week, with 54% practicing 2 hours per session. Lower limb injuries were the most common (46.5%), followed by upper extremity (18%), back (10%), and head (3.6%). The majority of injuries consisted of sprains/strains (45%), followed by contusions, fractures, and concussions. More injuries occurred during training, including 59% of first injuries. CONCLUSION: More research needs to be conducted to further illustrate the need for appropriate regulations on weight cycling and injury prevention

On the Implications of a Sex Difference in the Reaction Times of Sprinters at the Beijing Olympics

Elite sprinters offer insights into the fastest whole body auditory reaction times. When, however, is a reaction so fast that it represents a false start? Currently, a false start is awarded if an athlete increases the force on their starting block above a given threshold before 100 ms has elapsed after the starting gun. To test the hypothesis that the fastest valid reaction times of sprinters really is 100 ms and that no sex difference exists in that time, we analyzed the fastest reaction times achieved by each of the 425 male and female sprinters who competed at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. After power transformation of the skewed data, a fixed effects ANOVA was used to analyze the effects of sex, race, round and lane position. The lower bounds of the 95, 99 and 99.9% confidence intervals were then calculated and back transformed. The mean fastest reaction time recorded by men was significantly faster than women (p<0.001). At the 99.9% confidence level, neither men nor women can react in 100 ms, but they can react in as little as 109 ms and 121 ms, respectively. However, that sex difference in reaction time is likely an artifact caused by using the same force threshold in women as men, and it permits a woman to false start by up to 21 ms without penalty. We estimate that female sprinters would have similar reaction times to male sprinters if the force threshold used at Beijing was lowered by 22% in order to account for their lesser muscle strength

Injuries at a Canadian National Taekwondo Championships: a prospective study

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this prospective study was to assess the injury rates in male and female adult Canadian Taekwondo athletes relative to total number of injuries, type and body part injured. METHODS: Subjects (219 males, 99 females) participated in the 1997 Canadian National Taekwondo Championships in Toronto, Canada. Injuries were recorded on an injury form to documents any injury seen and treatment provided by the health care team. These data were later used for this study. The injury form describes the athlete and nature, site, severity and mechanism of the injury. RESULTS: The overall rate of injuries was 62.9/1,000 athlete-exposures (A-E). The males (79.9/1,000 A-E) sustained significantly more injuries than the females (25.3/1,000 A-E). The lower extremities were the most commonly injured body region in the men (32.0 /1,000 A-E), followed by the head and neck (18.3/1,000 A-E). Injuries to the spine (neck, upper back, low back and coccyx) were the third most often injured body region in males (13.8/1,000 A-E). All injuries to the women were sustained to the lower extremities. The most common type of injury in women was the contusion (15.2/1,000 A-E). However, men's most common type of injury was the sprain (22.8/1,000 A-E) followed by joint dysfunction (13.7/1,000A-E). Concussions were only reported in males (6.9/1,000 A-E). Compared to international counterparts, the Canadian men and women recorded lower total injury rates. However, the males incurred more cerebral concussions than their American colleagues (4.7/1,000 A-E). CONCLUSIONS: Similar to what was found in previous studies, the current investigation seems to suggest that areas of particular concern for preventive measures involve the head and neck as well as the lower extremities. This is the first paper to identify spinal joint dysfunction

Pratica della Curia Romana : che comprende la Giurisdizione de' Tribunali di Roma ... : con una recolta di Costituzioni, editi, riforme ..

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Howell, Mich. street scene

verso: Things reached a fever pitch in 1915 as the Wolverine Paved Way was nearing completion. A brick road from Detroit to Lansing would be finished and the town's main street would finally be paved. In this photograph autos had started from Lansing and picked up others in all the small towns on the way to Howell for the big celebration. As you can see, they didn't worry about parking. They stopped their cars in the street and left them. Before Prohibition, Howell was known as the fun city of Southern Michigan, and there is said to have been 13 bars in the main four blocks of town. All the travelling men made it a point to stay over in Howell whenever possible. It was said that you could not fall down on the main street of town without falling into the doorway of a bar. This probably explains the empty cars after a long dusty trip. Notice, too, that about half the cars are still right hand drive

Ex-Governor Ferris, founder of Ferris State University, speaks at a large rally with hundreds of listeners.

On verso: Political speeches really drew a crowd. Here Ex. Governor Ferris, founder of Ferris State Univ., speaks at a large rally with hundreds of interested listeners, even on the roof of the she

Interpretation of Contrast Dispersal Patterns by Experienced and Inexperienced Interventionalists

Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/147025/1/pmr255.pd