POSITION AND ALIGNMENT OF FLEX ZONES IN RUNNING SHOES

The right position and alignment of forefoot flexibility zones in running shoes represents a precondition to avoid overuse injuries of the foot and leg. The goal of this study was to determine foot anthropometries, in order to set up construction guidelines for the positioning and alignment of the flex zones in running shoes. The foot anthropometries of 471 runners were measured with a 2D scanning system under static conditions. The metatarsal-length-indices (MU) were calculated for each ray. The calculated MUs do not indicate the necessity for a grading pattern regarding different shoe sizes, gender dimorphism and different regions. To consider the anthropometrical variance of the MUs it is suggested to apply flex zones instead of only flex grooves. The results suggest the application of a transversal, a longitudinal and a diagonal flex zone in running shoes

Longitudinal changes of psychological distress among childhood cancer survivors: The Swiss Childhood Cancer Survivor Study.

BACKGROUND Childhood cancer survivors may experience psychological distress due to the disease, cancer treatments, and potential late effects. Limited knowledge exists regarding longitudinal changes in psychological distress after childhood cancer. We aimed to determine changes in psychological distress over time and explore determinants of changes. METHODS The Swiss Childhood Cancer Survivor Study collected data at baseline (2007-2009) and follow-up (2010-2012). Psychological distress was measured using the Brief Symptom Inventory 18 (BSI-18), including three symptom scales (somatization, depression, anxiety) and an overall distress index (Global Severity Index, GSI). Sum-scores were T-standardized (mean = 50; standard deviation [SD] = 10). Survivors with a score ≥57 on the GSI or two symptom scales were classified as cases with distress. We used linear mixed effects regression to identify potential sociodemographic and clinical determinants of change in psychological distress. RESULTS We analyzed 696 survivors at baseline (mean age = 24 years [SD = 4], 49% females, mean time since diagnosis = 16 years [SD = 4]). On follow-up (2.4 years, SD = 1), 317 survivors were analyzed, including 302 participants with repeated measures. We found that 13% (39/302) were cases at baseline, and 25% (76/302) were cases on follow-up. Those older at study and longer since diagnosis, females, diagnosed with central nervous system (CNS) tumors, and those reporting late effects were more likely to experience higher levels of distress. Females and unemployed are at higher risk for developing or persisting psychological distress than males and those who are employed or in training. CONCLUSION We observed an increase in psychological distress score over time, with higher proportion of psychological distress on follow-up. Anticipatory guidance and screening should be implemented in regular follow-up care

Longitudinal changes of psychological distress among childhood cancer survivors: The Swiss Childhood Cancer Survivor Study

Background Childhood cancer survivors may experience psychological distress due to the disease, cancer treatments, and potential late effects. Limited knowledge exists regarding longitudinal changes in psychological distress after childhood cancer. We aimed to determine changes in psychological distress over time and explore determinants of changes. Methods The Swiss Childhood Cancer Survivor Study collected data at baseline (2007–2009) and follow‐up (2010–2012). Psychological distress was measured using the Brief Symptom Inventory 18 (BSI‐18), including three symptom scales (somatization, depression, anxiety) and an overall distress index (Global Severity Index, GSI). Sum‐scores were T‐standardized (mean = 50; standard deviation [SD] = 10). Survivors with a score ≥57 on the GSI or two symptom scales were classified as cases with distress. We used linear mixed effects regression to identify potential sociodemographic and clinical determinants of change in psychological distress. Results We analyzed 696 survivors at baseline (mean age = 24 years [SD = 4], 49% females, mean time since diagnosis = 16 years [SD = 4]). On follow‐up (2.4 years, SD = 1), 317 survivors were analyzed, including 302 participants with repeated measures. We found that 13% (39/302) were cases at baseline, and 25% (76/302) were cases on follow‐up. Those older at study and longer since diagnosis, females, diagnosed with central nervous system (CNS) tumors, and those reporting late effects were more likely to experience higher levels of distress. Females and unemployed are at higher risk for developing or persisting psychological distress than males and those who are employed or in training. Conclusion We observed an increase in psychological distress score over time, with higher proportion of psychological distress on follow‐up. Anticipatory guidance and screening should be implemented in regular follow‐up care

Brain multiplexes reveal morphological connectional biomarkers fingerprinting late brain dementia states

Accurate diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) before conversion to Alzheimer\u27s disease (AD) is invaluable for patient treatment. Many works showed that MCI and AD affect functional and structural connections between brain regions as well as the shape of cortical regions. However, \u27shape connections\u27 between brain regions are rarely investigated -e.g., how morphological attributes such as cortical thickness and sulcal depth of a specific brain region change in relation to morphological attributes in other regions. To fill this gap, we unprecedentedly design morphological brain multiplexes for late MCI/AD classification. Specifically, we use structural T1-w MRI to define morphological brain networks, each quantifying similarity in morphology between different cortical regions for a specific cortical attribute. Then, we define a brain multiplex where each intra-layer represents the morphological connectivity network of a specific cortical attribute, and each inter-layer encodes the similarity between two consecutive intra-layers. A significant performance gain is achieved when using the multiplex architecture in comparison to other conventional network analysis architectures. We also leverage this architecture to discover morphological connectional biomarkers fingerprinting the difference between late MCI and AD stages, which included the right entorhinal cortex and right caudal middle frontal gyrus

A New Horned Crocodile from the Plio-Pleistocene Hominid Sites at Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania

BACKGROUND: The fossil record reveals surprising crocodile diversity in the Neogene of Africa, but relationships with their living relatives and the biogeographic origins of the modern African crocodylian fauna are poorly understood. A Plio-Pleistocene crocodile from Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania, represents a new extinct species and shows that high crocodylian diversity in Africa persisted after the Miocene. It had prominent triangular "horns" over the ears and a relatively deep snout, these resemble those of the recently extinct Malagasy crocodile Voay robustus, but the new species lacks features found among osteolaemines and shares derived similarities with living species of Crocodylus. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: The holotype consists of a partial skull and skeleton and was collected on the surface between two tuffs dated to approximately 1.84 million years (Ma), in the same interval near the type localities for the hominids Homo habilis and Australopithecus boisei. It was compared with previously-collected material from Olduvai Gorge referable to the same species. Phylogenetic analysis places the new form within or adjacent to crown Crocodylus. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: The new crocodile species was the largest predator encountered by our ancestors at Olduvai Gorge, as indicated by hominid specimens preserving crocodile bite marks from these sites. The new species also reinforces the emerging view of high crocodylian diversity throughout the Neogene, and it represents one of the few extinct species referable to crown genus Crocodylus

Klinische und biomechanische Ergebnisse nach Achillessehnen-Naht in Klöppeltechnik

Allday's Waltzer - W116 - photographed July 2011

Hypothalamic innate immune reaction in obesity.

Findings from rodent and human studies show that the presence of inflammatory factors is positively correlated with obesity and the metabolic syndrome. Obesity-associated inflammatory responses take place not only in the periphery but also in the brain. The hypothalamus contains a range of resident glial cells including microglia, macrophages and astrocytes, which are embedded in highly heterogenic groups of neurons that control metabolic homeostasis. This complex neural-glia network can receive information directly from blood-borne factors, positioning it as a metabolic sensor. Following hypercaloric challenge, mediobasal hypothalamic microglia and astrocytes enter a reactive state, which persists during diet-induced obesity. In established mouse models of diet-induced obesity, the hypothalamic vasculature displays angiogenic alterations. Moreover, proopiomelanocortin neurons, which regulate food intake and energy expenditure, are impaired in the arcuate nucleus, where there is an increase in local inflammatory signals. The sum total of these events is a hypothalamic innate immune reactivity, which includes temporal and spatial changes to each cell population. Although the exact role of each participant of the neural-glial-vascular network is still under exploration, therapeutic targets for treating obesity should probably be linked to individual cell types and their specific signalling pathways to address each dysfunction with cell-selective compounds

The impact of legislative deterrence measures on the number of asylum applications in Switzerland (1986-1995)

In the late eighties and early nineties, almost all Western European nations adopted an increasingly restrictive policy towards the growing number of asylum seekers. We develop a push-and-pull model and evaluate whether these newly created deterrence measures had a significant impact on the number of asylum applications in Switzerland. The statistical tests in the form of Box-Tiao intervention analyses shows that states are only partially able to control global migration. We particularly demonstrate that only one of the unilateral measures adopted by the Swiss government reached the main goal and led to a substantial reduction in the number of applications in 1990. Further, legal reforms did not affect the number of asylum requests of refugees fleeing from a violent conflict in the neighborhood of the host country