The impact of short duration, high intensity exercise on cardiac troponin release.

The aim of this study was to assess the appearance of cardiac troponins (cTnI and/or cTnT) after a short bout (30 s) of 'all-out' intense exercise and to determine the stability of any exercise-related cTnI release in response to repeated bouts of high intensity exercise separated by 7 days recovery. Eighteen apparently healthy, physically active, male university students completed two all-out 30 s cycle sprint, separated by 7 days. cTnI, blood lactate and catecholamine concentrations were measured before, immediately after and 24 h after each bout. Cycle performance, heart rate and blood pressure responses to exercise were also recorded. Cycle performance was modestly elevated in the second trial [6·5% increase in peak power output (PPO)]; there was no difference in the cardiovascular, lactate or catecholamine response to the two cycle trials. cTnI was not significantly elevated from baseline through recovery (Trial 1: 0·06 ± 0·04 ng ml(-1) , 0·05 ± 0·04 ng ml(-1) , 0·03 ± 0·02 ng ml(-1) ; Trial 2: 0·02 ± 0·04 ng ml(-1) , 0·04 ± 0·03 ng ml(-1) , 0·05 ± 0·06 ng ml(-1) ) in either trial. Very small within subject changes were not significantly correlated between the two trials (r = 0·06; P>0·05). Subsequently, short duration, high intensity exercise does not elicit a clinically relevant response in cTnI and any small alterations likely reflect the underlying biological variability of cTnI measurement within the participants

A Review of Non-Invasive Techniques to Detect and Predict Localised Muscle Fatigue

Muscle fatigue is an established area of research and various types of muscle fatigue have been investigated in order to fully understand the condition. This paper gives an overview of the various non-invasive techniques available for use in automated fatigue detection, such as mechanomyography, electromyography, near-infrared spectroscopy and ultrasound for both isometric and non-isometric contractions. Various signal analysis methods are compared by illustrating their applicability in real-time settings. This paper will be of interest to researchers who wish to select the most appropriate methodology for research on muscle fatigue detection or prediction, or for the development of devices that can be used in, e.g., sports scenarios to improve performance or prevent injury. To date, research on localised muscle fatigue focuses mainly on the clinical side. There is very little research carried out on the implementation of detecting/predicting fatigue using an autonomous system, although recent research on automating the process of localised muscle fatigue detection/prediction shows promising results

Synthesis of shape-controlled magnetic nanoparticles and a novel route for their surface modification in suspension for biomedical applications

Superparamagnetic nanoparticles (SNPs) have many potential biomedical applications, for instance as MRI contrast agents, which was of specific interest in this work. Various techniques were used to synthesise spherical and non-spherical SNPs of a desired size in suspension. The size, shape and composition of the resulting NPs were characterised by DLS, TEM, TGA, ICP-MS, elemental analysis and IR spectroscopy. Magnetic properties of the NPs in solid form were characterised by VSM and SQUID, and further discussed within the context of their size, shape, crystallinity and the synthetic methods used to produce the NPs. Langevin function fitting to M-H curves yielded the magnetic moment of the particles (μ) and a magnetic domain size (d). Magnetic resonance properties of the NPs in suspension were characterised through NMRD measurements, and further analysed according to a well-accepted superparamagnetic theory. Finally, the magnetometry results were compared with those obtained from NMRD analysis. Competitive stabiliser desorption (CSD)-based cluster growth in the presence of silica was exploited in this thesis. A series of experiments were performed in order to gain an understanding of the mechanism of this process. Parameters which govern the CSD-based growth of clusters were identified. Next, a novel CSD-ligand exchange method performed on the surface of iron oxide nanoparticle (IONP) clusters and discrete particles in suspension was successfully developed. Various secondary ligands were trialled which rendered the NPs dispersible in more polar solvents. A new molecule, 2-azido-2-methyl-propionic acid 2-phoshonooxy-hexyl ester (C6), was synthesised and used in the CSD-ligand exchange process. ATR-IR spectroscopy was appointed as an effective method for the pre-selection of a potential secondary ligand which could be utilised during the CSD-ligand exchange procedure. Various experimental vessels were developed in order to scale up the CSD-cluster growth and ligand exchange experiments, and to address some technical issues that arose while performing the experiments on a small scale. The results of the CSD-cluster growth and ligand exchange procedures performed in these vessels were presented and discussed. Moreover, a glass vessel with a Teflon holder for TLC plates was successfully developed and used for both CSD-cluster growth and ligand exchange procedures. This approached not only enabled the scale-up of the experiments, but also allowed an advantageous change from silica gel to silica gel-covered TLC plates

The influence of elbow joint angle on different phases of force development during maximal voluntary contraction

Le but de cette étude est d'identifier l'angle du coude permettant aux fléchisseurs du coude de produire volontairement le maximum de force et de comparer cet angle à celui procurant la plus rapide progression de force

Treatment of tibial shaft fractures in sheep using interlocking nails, Schanz screws and type I external fixators

This paper presents the results of a study of the treatment of transverse tibial shaft fractures in six sheep with the use of interlocking nails and type I extemal fixators. During surgery, tibial osteotomy was performed to induce an experimental fracture which was stabilized using a type I extemal fixator. Osteosynthesis was monitored for nine weeks by performing clinical tests, observing the degree of lameness and subjecting the patients to weekly radiological examinations. After nine weeks, the animals were euthanized, and samples of bone callus were sampled for histopathological analyses. Weight bearing on the fractured limb began on day 2 to 4 after treatment. Limb function was fully restored around five weeks after surgery. Radiograms taken during the observation period revealed gradual hyperplasia and progressing mineralization of bone callus at different stages of healing. The histopathological picture of the bone callus was characteristic of the phase of bone turnover and remodeling

Treatment of comminuted tibial shaft fractures in four dogs with the use of interlocking nail connected with type I external fixator

The treatment of comminuted tibial shaft fractures in canine patients is burdened by significant risk which involves bone healing complications, such as delayed bone union. Complications may result from iatrogenic damage to blood vessels during fracture stabilization. To minimize this risk, treatment methods increasingly often rely on the concept of biological osteosynthesis. One of such methods involves the treatment of fractures with the use of new hybrid fixator consisted of an interlocking nail connected with type I external fixator. Connection of the nail with external fixator has been recently developed to maximize treatment efficiency. This manner of stabilization increases bone-fixator construct strength on forces acting in the place of fracture. It also enables fracture fixation with minimal damage of the blood supply of bone fragments. This article describes surgical procedure of stabilization of comminuted tibial bone fractures in four dogs by the use of interlocking nail connected with external fixator type I, discusses and evaluates the results of clinical treatment with the involvement of the said fixator. To control bone consolidation process the radiograms were taken in 6 and 8 week of healing. In all cases, the reviewed methods of clinical treatment were successful in producing bone union after eight week of healing. During the whole period of observations no complication was observed. In all cases the intramedullary nail were left in the medullary canal after the healing process was finished. The fixator supported quick restoration of limb function after treatment

Most commonly used sequences and clinical protocols for brain and spine magnetic resonance imaging allowing better identification of pathological changes in dogs

Magnetic resonance imaging is the best imaging modality for the brain and spine. Quality of the received images depends on many technical factors. The most significant factors are: positioning the patient, proper coil selection, selection of appropriate sequences and image planes. The present contrast between different tissues provides an opportunity to diagnose various lesions. In many clinics magnetic resonance imaging has replaced myelography because of its noninvasive modality and because it provides excellent anatomic detail. There are many different combinations of sequences possible for spinal and brain MR imaging. Most frequently used are: T2-weighted fast spin echo (FSE), T1- and T2-weighted turbo spin echo, Fluid Attenuation Inversion Recovery (FLAIR), T1-weighted gradient echo (GE) and spin echo (SE), high-resolution three-dimensional (3D) sequences, fat-suppressing short tau inversion recovery (STIR) and half-Fourier acquisition single-shot turbo spin echo (HASTE). Magnetic resonance imaging reveals neurologic lesions which were previously hard to diagnose antemortem