Bob and Kae Andry

Bob and Kae Andry, co-founders of Save Rodman Reservoir, interviewed by Chris Brooks and Clayton Galloway on November 13, 201

Influence of activities in the comprehensive community sport clubs on the mental health of children : With special reference to the enjoyment

textabstractThis study deals primarily with the stability of the base of the spine. The sacroiliac joints are vulnerable to shear loading on account of their predominantly flat surfaces. This raises the question of what mechanisms are brought into action to prevent dislocation of the sacroiliac joints when they are loaded by the weight of the upper part of the body and by trunk muscle forces. First a model is introduced to compare load transfer in joints with spherical and with flat joint surfaces. Next we consider a biomechanical model for the equilibrium of the sacrum under load, describing a self-bracing effect that protects the sacroiliac joints against shear according to ‘the sacroiliac joint compression theory’, which has been demonstrated in vitro. The model shows joint stability by the application of bending moments and the configuration of the pelvic arch. The model includes a large number of muscles (e.g. the gluteus maximus and piriformis muscles), ligaments (e.g. the sacrotuberous, sacrospinal, and dorsal and interosseous sacroiliac ligaments) as well as the coarse texture and the ridges and grooves of the joint surfaces

Transfer of lumbosacral load to iliac bones and legs Part 2: Loading of the sacroiliac joints when lifting in a stooped posture

We developed a biomechanical model of load transfer by the sacroiliac joints in relation to posture. A description is given of two ways in which the transfer of lumbar load to the pelvis in a stooped posture can take place. One way concerns ligament and muscle forces that act on the sacrum, raising the tendency of the sacrum to flex in relation to the hip bones. The other refers to ligament and muscle forces acting on the iliac crests, raising the tendency of the sacrum to shift in caudal direction in relation to the hip bones. Both loading modes deal with the self-bracing mechanism that comes into action to prevent shear in the sacroiliac joints. When a person is lifting a load while in a stooped posture, the force raised by gravity acting in a plane perpendicular to the spine and the sacrum becomes of interest. In this situation a belt such as used by weight lifters may contribute to the stability of the sacroiliac joints. Verification of the biomechanical model is based on anatomical studies and on load application to human specimens. Magnetic resonance imaging pictures have been taken to verify geometry in vivo

Oblique abdominal muscle activity in standing and in sitting on hard and soft seats

The activity of the oblique abdominal muscles was investigated with the trunk in unconstrained, symmetrical and static postures. Electromyographic recordings in six healthy subjects revealed that in all subjects the activity of both the internal and the external obliques is significantly higher in unconstrained standing than in supine posture. Activity of the internal oblique was higher than that of the external oblique abdominal. The sacrospinal, gluteus maximus and biceps femoris muscles showed practically no activity in unconstrained erect posture. During unconstrained sitting both oblique abdominals are active. In most subjects the activity of the oblique abdominals was significantly smaller when sitting on a soft car seat than when sitting on an office chair with a hard seat. The possibility is discussed that contraction of the oblique abdominals in unconstrained standing and sitting may help in stabilizing the basis of the spine and particularly the sacroiliac joints. During standing and sitting the oblique abdominal muscles apparently have a significant role in sustaining gravity loads

Understanding peripartum pelvic pain: Implications of a patient survey

Study Design. An analysis was made of the self-reported medical histories of patients with peripartum pelvic pain. Objectives. To compile an inventory of the disabilities of patients with peripartum pelvic pain, analyze factors associated with the risk for development of the disease, and to formulate a hypothesis on pathogenesis and specific preventive and therapeutic measures. Summary of Background Data. Pregnancy is an important risk factor for development of chronic low back pain. Understanding the pathogenesis of pelvic and low back pain during pregnancy and delivery could be useful in understanding and managing nonspecific low back pain. Methods. By means of a questionnaire, background data were collected among patients of the Dutch Association for Patients With Pelvic Complaints in Relation to Symphysiolysis. Results were compared with the general population. Subgroups were compared with each other. Results. Peripartum pelvic pain seriously interferes with many activities of daily living such us standing, walking, sitting, and all other activities in which the pelvis is involved. Most patients experience a relapse around menstruation and during a subsequent pregnancy. Occurrence of peripartum pelvic pain was associated with twin pregnancy, first pregnancy, higher ago at first pregnancy, larger weight of the baby, forceps or vacuum extraction, fundus expression, and a flexed position of the woman during childbirth; a negative association was observed with cesarean section. Conclusions. It is hypothesized that peripartum pelvic pain is caused by strain of ligaments in the pelvis and lower spine resulting from a combination of damage to ligaments (recently or in the past), hormonal effects, muscle weakness, and the weight of the fetus

Fascial deformation in the lateral elbow region: A conceptual approach

Abstract In embalmed preparations, the antebrachial fascia in the lateral elbow region is shown to be deformed by load application to the triceps muscle. From this fascia, muscles arise which are primarily concerned with the extension of wrist and fingers. In the case of lateral epicondylitis (tennis elbow), the superficial site of attachment of these extensors at the lateral epicondyle is extremely painful. Triceps training may help to diminish (or prevent) this pain by altering the forces acting at the lateral epicondyle

Mechanical tension in the median nerve: The effects of joint positions

Stretch tests are attractive in the diagnosis of nerve root or peripheral nerve lesion. Interpretation of the test results is often difficult since the distribution of tensile forces along the nerve caused by the test manoeuvre is not known. In this study the effect on median nerve tension of 22 positions of the arm was measured with ‘buckle’ force transducers. With the elbow in full extension and the hand in neutral position, altering the position of the shoulder significantly influenced tension in the proximal part of the median nerve; tension in the distal part was not influenced. With the shoulder in 90 ° abduction, dorsiflexion of the hand combined with an extended elbow resulted in an increased tension in both distal and proximal parts of the median nerve. Dorsiflexion of the hand combined with flexion of the elbow caused an increase in tension only in the distal part. At all sites of the median nerve the median nerve upper limb tension test caused a significantly higher tension than the radial and ulnar nerve upper limb tension tests. This study provides insight in the normal distribution of tensile forces along the median nerve and can have clinical consequences. For differentiating nerve root from peripheral nerve lesions a specific provocative tension test for the median nerve is advocated. The results of this study provide a theoretical basis for differentiating between lesions in the proximal and distal parts of the median nerve

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textabstractVarious joint positions of the upper extremity were used to study the tensile forces on the median nerve. To analyse the effect of embalmment, tensile forces were measured in situ in unembalmed and embalmed human bodies. A positive correlation was found between tensile force data from unembalmed and embalmed nerves. This finding justifies, for comparative studies, the use of embalmed human bodies, although the absolute tensile forces are higher

On the dynamics of nitrite, nitrate and other biomarkers of nitric oxide production in inflammatory bowel disease

Nitrite and nitrate are frequently used surrogate markers of nitric oxide (NO) production. Using rat models of acute and chronic DSS-induced colitis we examined the applicability of these and other NO-related metabolites, in tissues and blood, for the characterization of inflammatory bowel disease. Global NO dynamics were assessed by simultaneous quantification of nitrite, nitrate, nitroso and nitrosyl species over time in multiple compartments. NO metabolite levels were compared to a composite disease activity index (DAI) and contrasted with measurements of platelet aggregability, ascorbate redox status and the effects of 5-aminosalicylic acid (5-ASA). Nitroso products in the colon and in other organs responded in a manner consistent with the DAI. In contrast, nitrite and nitrate, in both intra- and extravascular compartments, exhibited variations that were not always in step with the DAI. Extravascular nitrite, in particular, demonstrated significant temporal instabilities, ranging from systemic drops to marked increases. The latter was particularly evident after cessation of the inflammatory stimulus and accompanied by profound ascorbate oxidation. Treatment with 5-ASA effectively reversed these fluctuations and the associated oxidative and nitrosative stress. Platelet activation was enhanced in both the acute and chronic model. Our results offer a first glimpse into the systemic nature of DSS-induced inflammation and reveal a greater complexity of NO metabolism than previously envisioned, with a clear dissociation of nitrite from other markers of NO production. The remarkable effectiveness of 5-ASA to abrogate the observed pattern of nitrite instability suggests a hitherto unrecognized role of this molecule in either development or resolution of inflammation. Its possible link to tissue oxygen consumption and the hypoxia that tends to accompany the inflammatory process warrants further investigation

Pan-Cancer Analysis of lncRNA Regulation Supports Their Targeting of Cancer Genes in Each Tumor Context

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are commonly dys-regulated in tumors, but only a handful are known toplay pathophysiological roles in cancer. We inferredlncRNAs that dysregulate cancer pathways, onco-genes, and tumor suppressors (cancer genes) bymodeling their effects on the activity of transcriptionfactors, RNA-binding proteins, and microRNAs in5,185 TCGA tumors and 1,019 ENCODE assays.Our predictions included hundreds of candidateonco- and tumor-suppressor lncRNAs (cancerlncRNAs) whose somatic alterations account for thedysregulation of dozens of cancer genes and path-ways in each of 14 tumor contexts. To demonstrateproof of concept, we showed that perturbations tar-geting OIP5-AS1 (an inferred tumor suppressor) andTUG1 and WT1-AS (inferred onco-lncRNAs) dysre-gulated cancer genes and altered proliferation ofbreast and gynecologic cancer cells. Our analysis in-dicates that, although most lncRNAs are dysregu-lated in a tumor-specific manner, some, includingOIP5-AS1, TUG1, NEAT1, MEG3, and TSIX, synergis-tically dysregulate cancer pathways in multiple tumorcontexts