The effects of Tai Chi on peripheral somatosensation, balance, and fitness in Hispanic older adults with type 2 diabetes:a pilot and feasibility study

Peripheral neuropathy and loss of somatosensation in older adults with type 2 diabetes can increase risk of falls and disability. In nondiabetic older adult population Tai Chi has been shown to enhance balance and fitness through improvements in somatosensation and neuromuscular control, and it is unclear if Tai Chi would elicit similar benefits in older adults with diabetes. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of an 8-week, three-hour-per-week Tai Chi intervention on peripheral somatosensation in older adults with type 2 diabetes. Participants were eight Hispanic older adults with type 2 diabetes who participated in the Tai Chi intervention and a convenience sample of Hispanic older adults as a referent group. Baseline and postintervention assessments included ankle proprioception, foot tactile sense, plantar pressure distribution, balance, and fitness. After intervention, older adults with type 2 diabetes showed significant improvements in ankle proprioception and fitness and decreased plantar pressure in the forefoot, with no statistical effect noted in balance or tactile sensation. Study results suggest that Tai Chi may be beneficial for older adults with diabetes as it improves ankle proprioception; however, study findings need to be confirmed in a larger sample size randomized controlled trial

Associations of region-specific foot pain and foot biomechanics: the framingham foot study

BACKGROUND. Specific regions of the foot are responsible for the gait tasks of weight acceptance, single-limb support, and forward propulsion. With region foot pain, gait abnormalities may arise and affect the plantar pressure and force pattern utilized. Therefore, this study’s purpose was to evaluate plantar pressure and force pattern differences between adults with and without region-specific foot pain. METHODS. Plantar pressure and force data were collected on Framingham Foot Study members while walking barefoot at a self-selected pace. Foot pain was evaluated by self-report and grouped by foot region (toe, forefoot, midfoot, or rearfoot) or regions (two or three or more regions) of pain. Unadjusted and adjusted linear regression with generalized estimating equations was used to determine associations between feet with and without foot pain. RESULTS. Individuals with distal foot (forefoot or toes) pain had similar maximum vertical forces under the pain region, while those with proximal foot (rearfoot or midfoot) pain had different maximum vertical forces compared to those without regional foot pain (referent). During walking, there were significant differences in plantar loading and propulsion ranging from 2% to 4% between those with and without regional foot pain. Significant differences in normalized maximum vertical force and plantar pressure ranged from 5.3% to 12.4% and 3.4% to 24.1%, respectively, between those with and without regional foot pain. CONCLUSIONS. Associations of regional foot pain with plantar pressure and force were different by regions of pain. Region-specific foot pain was not uniformly associated with an increase or decrease in loading and pressure patterns regions of pain

TEACHING BIOMECHANICS FOR CONCEPTUAL LEARNING

Biomechanics education is a vital component of kinesiology and physical education undergraduate coursework. However, little research exists regarding effective teaching strategies for biomechanics. Therefore, the purpose of the study was to evaluate various teaching methods utilizing the Just-in-Time Teaching (JiTT) framework over eight courses of undergraduate biomechanics and included 283 students. Students pre- and post-performance on the Biomechanics Concept Inventory (BCI) were used to evaluate student learning. The results indicated significantly higher learning gains and better conceptual understanding in the JiTT course, relative to No JiTT and a modified version of the JiTT. These results suggest JiTT may be an effective method for engaging undergraduate students and promoting learning in biomechanics courses

SHOULDER STABILITY TRAINING AND SHOULDER AILMENTS IN HIGH SCHOOL SWIMMERS

The purpose of this study was to explore how specific shoulder stabilizing exercises influenced the shoulder strength balance, incidence of practice time lost due to shoulder ailments and swim performance. Two US high school varsity swim teams participated in the study. The treatment team (N = 59) performed thrice weekly 20-minute dryland activities to improve shoulder and scapular stability, whereas the control team (N = 68) did not explicitly train their athletes in this manner. In addition to the shoulder ailment incidence and lost practice time, we also monitored changes in athletic performance. The results indicate that shoulder-stabilizing exercises reduce the incidence and duration of shoulder ailments in swimmers, without being detrimental to swim performance

The effect of air velocity and temperature on growth performance and stress indicators of weanling pigs

Four environmental chambers were constructed for subjecting weanling pigs to various air velocities and temperatures. In this study, 128 pigs were subjected to various combinations of air velocity and temperature for a 2 week period (from 3-5 weeks of age). Air velocity ranged from 0.11 m/s to 0.40 m/s and air temperature ranged from 24 C to 35 C. Responses monitored were growth productivity, pig behavior, time of digesta passage, and blood indicators;ADG increased with a decrease in temperature and with a decrease in air velocity for the range tested. ADI increased with a decrease in temperature and was not greatly influenced by air velocity. G/F had no significant trends. The SF was not significantly affected by air temperature or velocity. The HF and FPA were significantly affected by the thermal environment and PLA was more responsive than HF. TDP was also significantly affected by air temperature and velocity and was most affected by air velocity at high temperatures. The CBC parameters were not good indicators of environmental stress or health status

Endomarketing aplicado na organização como um instrumento para auxiliar na motivação de funcionários

Orientador: Joao Carlos da CunhaMonografia (Especialização) - Universidade Federal do Paraná, Setor de Ciências Sociais Aplicadas, Curso de Especialização em Administração de Pessoa