PENGARUH LATIHAN FLEKSIBILITAS METODE PNF TERHADAP PENINGKATAN FLEKSIBILITAS PANGGUL DAN KECEPATAN TENDANGAN SABIT DALAM CABANG OLAHRAGA BELADIRI PENCAK SILAT

Latihan fleksibilitas dengan menggunakan metode PNF merupakan salah satu faktor yang sangat penting dalam olahraga pencak silat untuk meningkatkan fleksibilitas panggul dan kecepatan tendangan sabit. Penelitian ini dilatar belakangi oleh suatu pemikiran bahwa atlet yang memiliki fleksibilitas panggul yang baik maka akan menghasilkan kecepatan tendangan sabit dengan hasil maksimal. Metode penelitian yang digunakan adalah metode eksperimen. Populasi dalam penelitian ini adalah siswa yaang mengikuti ekstrakulikuler pencaksilat di SMA PGII 2 yang berjumlah 11 orang, sedangkan sampel yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini terdiri dari 11 orang atlet pencak silat, teknik pengambilan sempel dalam penelitian ini menggunakan total sampling. Instrumen penelitian yang digunakan adalah fleksibilitas panggul dengan menggunakan slide splite dan teknik kecepatan tendangan sabit tujuannya untuk mengetahui sudah sejauh mana kualitas fleksibilitas panggul dan kemampuan teknik kecepatan tendangan sabit. Berdasarkan pengolahan data dan analisis data, di temukan pengaruh yang siginifikan latihan fleksibilitas dengan metode PNF terhadap peningkatan fleksibilitas panggul dan kecepatan tendangan sabit pada atlet pencak silat. Saran yang diberikan terkait dengan hasil penelitian ini, untuk meningkatkan kualitas fleksibilitas dan teknik tendangan sabit di butuhkan latihan fleksibilitas metode PNF, karena dengan latihan fleksibilitas metode PNF ruang gerak sendi pada panggul akan menjadi lebih luas dalam pergerakannya dan akan berpengaruh terhadap kecepatan teknik tendangan sabit yang di hasilkan ; A flexibility training using PNF method plays a crucial role in increasing the pelvis flexibility and the crescent kick speed in Pencak Silat. An idea stating that an athlete with good pelvis flexibility can potentially produce maximum speed of the crescent kick is the background of this present study. This study employs experimental method. The population of this study consists of 11 students of SMA PGII 2 who take Pencak Silat extracurricular; while the samples of this study consist of 11 Pencak Silat athletes. The data is collected using total sampling. The instruments of this study are the pelvis flexibility using slide splite and the technique of the crescent kick speed; these instruments reveal the quality of the pelvis flexibility and the technique of the crescent kick being used. Based on the analysis, it shows that the flexibility training of PNF method significantly influences the increase of the pelvis flexibility and the crescent kick speed in Pencak Silat. Based on this result, this study suggests that the flexibility training of PNF method is supposed to be employed if the athlete wants to improve his/her flexibility quality and the technique of the crescent kick speed. The pelvis flexibility training can facilitate the movement of the hip joint which in turn it will influence the technique of the crescent kick being produce

E-PTFE (Gore-Tex) implant with or without low-dosage mitomycin-C as an adjuvant in penetrating glaucoma surgery: 2 year randomized clinical trial.

Purpose: To test the expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE) as a new adjuvant in trabeculectomy. Methods: Consecutive glaucoma surgical inpatients were observed at the Department of Ophthalmology of Palermo University. Sixty patients (60 eyes)were randomly assigned to undergo trabeculectomy (T), trabeculectomy with mitomycin-C (TMMC), with ePTFE (TG) or with mitomycin-C and ePTFE (TGMMC). Postoperative visits were scheduled at 24 hr, 7 days, 1, 3, 6, 12, 18 and 24 months. Complete success and qualified success were assessed at two target intraocular pressure (IOP) levels – £21 and £17 mmHg – by Kaplan–Meier curves. Results: The postoperative IOP reduction was significant (P < 0.01) at the endpoint in all groups, with a mean IOP of 16.9 (±2.9), 16.2 (±2.7), 15.3 (±3.4) and 15.2 (±4.3) mmHg in T, TMMC, TG and TGMMC eyes, respectively. No intergroup difference was found at either IOP targets. The Kaplan–Meier curves relating to either the £21 mmHg or the £17 mmHg target IOP did not show significant intergroup differences for complete and qualified success rate. When ePTFE was used, a trend favouring the medium-term survival rate was noted. No adverse reaction to the ePTFE was present, and no membrane extrusion or conjuctival erosion were noted in any cases. Hypotony was significantly more frequent (P = 0.035) in groups without ePTFE. Moreover, the late MMC-related complications were more frequent when MMC was applied. Conclusion: Expanded polytetrafluoroethylene implant in trabeculectomy is well tolerated and could act as a filtration modulating device. Therefore, it is useful in reducing early hypotony-related complications and contributes to attaining medium-term IOP control that is comparable to the low-dosage MMC

Thyroid surgery in geriatric patients: a literature review.

BACKGROUND: Thyroid disease is common in the elderly population. The incidence of hypothyroidism and multinodular goitre gradually increases with age. In view of a growth of aging population, we performed a literature review about the feasibility of thyroid surgery in the elderly. METHODS: We conducted a literature search in the PubMed database in September 2012 and all English-language publications on thyroidectomy in geriatric patients since 2002 were retrieved. The potential original articles mainly focusing on thyroidectomy in elderly patients were all identified and full texts were obtained and reviewed for further hand data retrieving. RESULTS: We retrieved five papers based on different primary end-point. Four were retrospective non randomized studies and one was prospective non randomized study. At last 65, 70, 75 and 80 years were used as an age cut-off. All studies evaluate the indications of thyroidectomy in geriatric patients, postoperative morbility and mortality. Only one study specifically assesses the rate of the rehospitalization after thyroidectomy among the elderly. CONCLUSIONS: Thyroid nodules are particularly important in elderly patients, as the incidence of malignancy increases and they are usually more aggressive tumors. An age of at least 70 years is an independent risk factor for complications after general surgery procedures. Thyroid surgery in patients aged 70 years or older is safe and the relatively high rate of thyroid carcinoma and toxic goiter may justify an aggressive approach. A programmed operation with a careful pre-operative evaluation and a risk stratification should make the surgical procedures less hazardous, specially in 80 years old patients with an high ASA score

GLI ANTICHI MAIS DEL PIEMONTE

Il libro descrive le caratteristiche agronomiche ma anche culturali della coltivazione del mais effettuata in Piemonte nel secolo scorso, nonchè le possibilità di valorizzazione e di miglioramento delle cultivar tradizionali destinate all'alimentazione umana ed il loro ruolo nella tutela della biodiversità rurale. Nel libro si descrive inoltre il lavoro attuato dal CRAB (Centro di riferimento per l'Agricoltura Biologica, Provincia di Torino) per il recupero e la caratterizzazione delle cultivar locali di mais, che ha portato alla costituzione di un associazione di produttori e alla formazione di un gruppo di "agricoltori custodi" per la coltivazione in purezza delle sementi di queste antiche varietà maidicole

PROVE DI COLTIVAZIONE BIOLOGICA DELLA PATATA IN AREALI MONTANI

Il mantenimento delle attività agricole nelle aree montane è indispensabile per tutelare la stabilità del paesaggio e dell’assetto idrogeologico, ed è possibile realizzarlo attraverso il rilancio della coltivazione della patata. Il sito di coltivazione montano e le varietà autoctone sono in grado di indurre un significativo miglioramento delle caratteristiche qualitative ed organolettiche del prodotto. Questo può essere ulteriormente valorizzato da elementi quali la tipicità e la coltivazione biologica

Tuber borchii fruit body: 2-dimensional profile and protein identification

The formation of the fruit body represents the final phase of the ectomycorrhizal fungus T. borchii life cycle. Very little is known concerning the molecular and biochemical processes involved in the fructification phase. 2-DE maps of unripe and ripe ascocarps revealed different protein expression levels and the comparison of the electropherograms led to the identification of specific proteins for each developmental phase. Associating micropreparative 2-DE to microchemical approaches, such as N-terminal sequencing and 2-D gel-electrophoresis mass-spectrometry, proteins playing pivotal roles in truffle physiology were identifie

Let Me In, Immigration Man: An Overview of Intercountry Adoption and the Role of the Immigration and Nationality Act

As the number of intercountry adoptions increases, it becomes important for countries like the United States to address the immigration needs of foreign children entering the country as the sons and daughters of its residents. This note provides an overview of the history of intercountry adoption in the United States. It gives examples of how the intercountry adoption process works, using China and Russia as examples of the complexity of the current process and the interplay between foreign and domestic law. The author also analyzes the impact of the Convention on Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption and concludes by advocating further reform to U.S. law, in particular the Immigration and Nationality Act

Liquid-Based Cytology: A 25-Year Bridge between the Pap Smear and Molecular Cytopathology

Liquid-based cytology (LBC), was first applied to gynecological cytology almost twenty-five years ago (1). A few years before, the conventional Pap smear, after decades of unquestionable success proven by the drop of morbidity and mortality due to cervical carcinoma in the countries that had adopted it in national screening programs, met some criticism in international media. Because of a reported rate of false negatives and some inefficiencies, the Pap test was openly discussed and criticized on journals that were not usually devoted to specific scientific issues (2,3). The following and timely introduction of the LBC aimed to improve the efficiency of the gynecological cytology through procedure standardization, sample quality improvement, screening support and speeding-up, quality controls, as well as by storing the residual material for possible repetitions and/or the application of ancillary techniques. Whereas LBC seems to be neither more sensitive nor more specific than the conventional Pap test, mainly in the detection of high grade cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (4), overall it achieved the above reported goals, being its additional costs compensated by reported advantages. As consequence, LBC has replaced the conventional Pap smear in many labs in industrialized countries and promises to survive the era of cervical HPV testing and vaccination. Since its introduction, many labs started to apply LBC to exfoliative and aspiration non-gynecological cytology, aiming to exploit the same advantages on different samples. In fact, LBC is well suited to meet the requirements of ancillary techniques and their routine application in pathology labs, with specific reference to procedure standardization, purification and storage of diagnostic material. As a matter of fact, method standardization and the opportunity to store cells are a significant benefit of non-gynecologic LBC, which can be used in different organs, for different applications. Whereas the advantages of gynecological LBC have been immediately obtained on respiratory cytology (5), the same features of LBC have limited, in some cases, the diagnostic criteria typical of traditional cytology. For instance, the additional value of collected material and the time saved from the cytological assistance, mainly in CT, EUS, and EBUS-guided and other time-consuming FNA techniques, may hamper or even exclude the possibility to perform rapid on-site evaluation (ROSE) and the immediate repetition of inadequate samples. Moreover, at diagnostic level, the clean and purified background that improves and enhances cellular details in the gynecologic LBC or in bronchial washing-brushing, in thyroid and breast FNAs bereaves or reduces colloid and myoepithelial cells, as well as stroma fragments, which represent additional diagnostic criteria for goiter and fibroadenoma, respectively. Nonetheless, beyond the microscopic diagnostic criteria, procedure standardization and cell storage is the great advantage of non-gynecologic LBC that can be exploited in different cytological fields for different requests and applications. In this issue of Acta Cytologica, readers are provided with a comprehensive and critical overview of LBC applied to different non-gynecologic samples and different technical procedures. In the article by Ren et al. (6), basic LBC technical procedures and cytological features of different samples of exfoliative and aspirative cytology are clearly and synthetically reported, providing a LBC taxonomic handout. Remarkably, some thin-layer (TL)-specific cytological features that highlight their differences from conventional smears (CS), such as lymphocytes artificial aggregation or fragmentation of cohesive epithelial cells, are clearly reported (6) and the possible final reconversion of residual material in cell-blocks is also described. Breast FNA has been significantly reduced after the introduction of core needle biopsy; in addition to the impossibility to distinguish in-situ from invasive tumors or to correct diagnose papillary lesions, the main limitation of breast FNA is the operator dependency, and LBC provides the opportunity to overcome this latter limitation. In the article by Gerhard and Schmitt (7), specific cytological criteria and diagnostic performances of breast LBC are analytically reported showing that breast LBC sensitivity and specificity is equal to or, in some cases, even higher than CS values (7). The diagnostic “equality” between LBC and CS is overcome by the advantages offered by LBC in terms of antigen preservation, and the good reproducibility of HER-2 status by FISH or CISH in TL and histological controls. As far as thyroid FNA is concerned, follicular lesions of undetermined significance (FLUS) may be considered the Achilles’ heel of the otherwise most successful thyroidal FNA. In the article by Rossi et al (8), a comprehensive overview on the usage of HBME and galectin-3 on FLUS is reported, where LBC proves to be an excellent tool for this purpose. With reference to molecular procedures, LBC has been conveniently used on thyroidal FNAs for tests that evaluate a wide panel of mutations (9,10). Moreover, the next generation sequencing procedures that promise to further increase diagnostic sensitivity and specificity of thyroidal FNA, will probably use routine LBC samples too (11). As reported above, LBC may require different diagnostic criteria from those utilized on CS, and this is the case of salivary gland tumors. In the article by Rarick et al (12), LBC diagnostic criteria for salivary gland tumors are exhaustively described. Once more, LBC advantages may be exploited when FNA is performed by non-cytopathologists and liquid suspended cells may be alternatively used for LBC or cell blocks when ROSE is performed (10). Micronuclei (MN) are chromosome fragments or whole chromosomes that are excluded from the nucleus during mitosis. MN can be identified by the same nuclear staining and used to evaluate chromosomal instability in cancerous and pre-cancerous lesions. MN evaluation of exfoliated buccal cells has been performed since the eighties (13) mainly on people exposed to different environmental genotoxic agents. Ramos et al. (14) studied MN on exfoliated buccal cells in workers exposed to carcinogenic agents and demonstrated that LBC is an excellent tool for MN evaluation (14). Lung cytology has been the first non-gynecological application of LBC (4). Because of the similarities that bronchial washing and brushing share with gynecological cytology samples, LBC lung cytology has exploited the same advantages (5,15). In the article by Michael and Bedrossian (15), a detailed and analytical overview of LBC lung cytology is reported, including the evaluation and cost comparison of both Thin-prep and Tripath. Additional advantages of LBC lung cytology include the possible application of almost all the ancillary techniques; in the article by Bellevicine et al (16) the authors confirmed evidences generated by a previous validation studies (17). They reported the experience of an academic centralized laboratory demonstrating that LBC is suitable for EGFR analysis to select patients for targeted therapy in lung cancer. (16). In fact, in their practice EGFR testing performance features on LBC, such as the rates of sample adequacy and and of mutant, overlapped with those generated by direct smears. (17) Finally, the article by Abedi-Ardekani and Vielh (18) provides an in-depth analysis by summarizing and critically reviewing the most important applications of molecular techniques to LBC (18). In conclusions, non-gynecologic LBC has an increasingly important role in diagnostic cytopathology. LBC has a similar or better diagnostic accuracy than CS, provided that specific diagnostic criteria are applied. The possibility of storing additional material, useful for molecular procedures, provides LBC a great advantage that promises to be further exploited by the next-generation sequencing technology, and promotes LBC as a reliable alternative tool to surgical or core needle biopsies in cancer diagnosis, prognosis and prediction

Transforming tenderness and eating quality in tropical sweetcorn through introgression of tender germplasm

The sweetcorn breeding program conducted by Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries (DAF), has contributed significantly to the Australian sweetcorn industry by breeding hybrids that can produce standard sweetcorn for both processing and fresh consumption. The DAF program has focused primarily on tropical sweetcorn. Snowy River Seeds Ltd has one of the largest private sweetcorn breeding programs in the southern hemisphere and develops hybrids suitable for production in tropical, subtropical and temperate environments. The most significant aspect of the tropical germplasm developed by DAF is better disease resistance compared to the tenderer, temperate germplasm. Tropical germplasm has bigger plant stature that makes is less efficient in terms of productivity. Quite often, tropical germplasm also requires longer growing periods making it less flexible in terms of planting and harvesting. There is very limited genetic variation for ear and cob related characteristics. There is more genetic variability in terms of tenderness in temperate sweet corn than in tropical germplasm collections held by DAF. Introgression of tender Snowy River germplasm to the tropical gene pool should improve the chance of combining superior agronomy with improved eating quality. Combining improved eating quality with superior resistance to diseases e.g. northern corn blight (turcicum leaf blight), Johnson grass mosaic virus (JGMV), polysora rust (Puccinia polysora or southern rust) will be of significant benefit to the sweetcorn industry at Gatton, Bowen and in the Burdekin where temperate hybrids are the varieties of choice in the main part of the growing season. This project is aimed to develop tropical hybrids with significantly improved eating quality and disease resistance, thus expanding production areas and planting windows