The effects of a plyometric training program on the latency time of the quadriceps femoris and gastrocnemius short-latency responses

Aim: The purpose of this study was to determine if a plyometric training program can affect the latency time of the quadriceps femoris and gastrocnemius short-latency responses (SLRs) of the stretch reflex. Methods: Sixteen healthy subjects (12 female and 4 male) were randomly assigned to either a control or a plyometric training group. Maximum vertical jump height (VJ) and SLRs of both quadriceps femoris and gastrocnemius were measured before and after a four week plyometric training program. Results: Plyometric training significantly increased VJ (mean+/-SEM) by 2.38+/-0.45 cm (P\u3c0.05) and non-significantly decreased the latency time of the quadriceps femoris SLR (mean+/-SEM) 0.363+/-0.404 ms (P\u3e0.05) and gastrocnemius SLR (mean+/-SEM) 0.392+/-0.257 ms (P\u3e0.05). VJ results support the effectiveness of plyometric training for increasing VJ height. Conclusions:The non-significant changes in the latency time of the quadriceps femoris and gastrocnemius SLRs seen in the training group suggest that performance improvements following a four-week plyometric training program are not mediated by changes in the latency time of the short-latency stretch reflex

\u3ci\u3eMedicine Meets Virtual Reality 16\u3c/i\u3e

Chapter, Validating Advanced Robot-Assisted Laparoscopic Training Task in Virtual Reality, co-authored by Nicholas Stergiou, UNO faculty member. We humans are tribal, grouping ourselves by a multitude of criteria: physical, intellectual, political, emotional, etc. The Internet and its auxiliary technologies have enabled a novel dimension in tribal behavior during our recent past. This growing connectivity begs the question: will individuals and their communities come together to solve some very urgent global problems? At MMVR, we explore ways to harness information technology to solve healthcare problems – and in the industrialized nations we are making progress. In the developing world however, things are more challenging. Massive urban poverty fuels violence and misery. Will global networking bring a convergence of individual and tribal problem-solving? Recently, a barrel-shaped water carrier that rolls along the ground was presented, improving daily life for many people. Also the One Laptop per Child project is a good example of how the industrialized nations can help the developing countries. They produce durable and simple laptops which are inexpensive to produce. At MMVR, we focus on cutting-edge medical technology, which is generally pretty expensive. While the benefits of innovation trickle downward, from the privileged few to the broader masses, we should expand this trickle into a flood. Can breakthrough applications in stimulation, visualization, robotics, and informatics engender tools as ingeniously as the water carrier or laptop? With some extra creativity, we can design better healthcare for the developing world too.https://digitalcommons.unomaha.edu/facultybooks/1234/thumbnail.jp

Validated robotic laparoscopic surgical training in a virtual-reality environment

BackgroundA robotic virtual-reality (VR) simulator has been developed to improve robot-assisted training for laparoscopic surgery and to enhance surgical performance in laparoscopic skills. The simulated VR training environment provides an effective approach to evaluate and improve surgical performance. This study presents our findings of the VR training environment for robotic laparoscopy. Methods Eight volunteers performed two inanimate tasks in both the VR and the actual training environment. The tasks were bimanual carrying (BC) and needle passing (NP). For the BC task, the volunteers simultaneously transferred two plastic pieces in opposite directions five times consecutively. The same volunteers passed a surgical needle through six pairs of holes in the NP task. Both tasks require significant bimanual coordination that mimics actual laparoscopic skills. Data analysis included time to task completion, speed and distance traveled of the instrument tip, as well as range of motion of the subject’s wrist and elbow of the right arm. Electromyography of the right wrist flexor and extensor were also analyzed. Paired t-tests and Pearson’s r were used to explore the differences and correlations between the two environments. Results There were no significant differences between the actual and the simulated VR environment with respect to the BC task, while there were significant differences in almost all dependent parameters for the NP task. Moderate to high correlations for most dependent parameters were revealed for both tasks. Conclusions Our data shows that the VR environment adequately simulated the BC task. The significant differences found for the NP task may be attributed to an oversimplification in the VR environment. However, they do point to the need for improvements in the complexity of our VR simulation. Further research work is needed to develop effective and reliable VR environments for robotic laparoscopic training