Descriptive Strength and Range of Motion in Youth Baseball Players

# Background There are limited studies reporting descriptive strength and range of motion in youth baseball players 12 years of age or younger. # Purpose To establish normative data for external (ER) and internal (IR) rotation range of motion (ROM), total arc range of motion (TROM), and isometric rotator cuff strength in youth baseball players, and to compare between the dominant throwing arm (D) to the non-dominant arm (ND). # Study Design Cross-sectional # Methods Patient population included 50 (5 to 12-year-old) uninjured, healthy athletes. ROM measurements were performed preseason using a goniometer for IR and ER in the supine position with the shoulder in 90 degrees of abduction (abd) with scapular stabilization. Isometric strength measurements for IR and ER were collected in both neutral and 90 degrees (deg) of abduction with the use of a hand-held dynamometer and recorded in pounds (lbs) utilizing a “make” test. Descriptive statistics were obtained for all measures. # Results All data were analyzed as a single group (average age: 9.02). No significant difference in average total arc of PROM (ER+IR=Total Arc) on the D side compared to the ND side (136.7 ± 12.7 deg vs. 134.3 ± 12.3 deg). There were statistically significant differences between ER ROM (102.2 ± 7.7 deg vs. 96.8 ± 7.4 deg) and IR ROM (34.4 ± 9.0 deg vs. 37.5 ± 9.5 deg) between D versus ND arms (p= .000, .006 respectively). Mean ER strength in neutral (13.6 ± 3.4 and 12.8 ± 3.6 lbs) and 90 deg abduction (12.3 ± 3.4 and 12.5 ± 4.3 lbs) did were not significantly different between D and ND arms, respectively. Mean IR strength in neutral (18.0 ± 6.0 and 15.7 ± 4.7 lbs) and 90 deg abd (16.4 ± 5.6 and 15.0 ± 5.7 lbs) was significantly greater in the D arm vs ND arm, respectively (p=.000, .001). # Conclusion These data can provide descriptive information for clinicians who treat very young baseball players. These data show sport specific adaptations occur at very young ages (5-12) and are similar to prior reports on adolescent, high school and professional baseball players regarding upper extremity ROM and rotator cuff strength. # Level of Evidence

Are Reports of Psychological Stress Higher in Occupational Studies? A Systematic Review across Occupational and Population Based Studies

This study was funded by the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD)

“As the Church Gets Big, We Have to Get Small”: A Program Evaluation of Montrose Church’s LifeGroups Program

While small churches often provide intimate support to their congregants, large churches have needed to develop programmatic strategies to encourage interpersonal relationships and community. Past research has shown that small group programs have been effective at encouraging spiritual growth as well as commitment to the church, as long as the program has adequate support and structure. The current study is a program evaluation of the LifeGroups program at Montrose Church, a Church of the Nazarene located in northern Glendale. The LifeGroups program intends to foster belonging, connection to the larger church, growth in faith, and service to others. Participants were all current LifeGroup members. Fifty LifeGroup members were given four measures: the Group Climate Questionnaire, the Brief Multidimensional Measure of Religion/Spirituality, the Helping Attitudes Scale, and a LifeGroup Goals Survey. The scales were administered twice, five months apart, with no controlled intervention. It was hypothesized that LifeGroup members would show significant improvements in group cohesion, faith experience, service to others, and specific LifeGroups goal areas. No significant differences were found on any measure between the two administrations of the test. Correlational analyses found several significant relationships among measures. Implications and limitations of these preliminary findings and future research directions are discussed

Up the down escalator? Health at Work implementation programmes; an evaluation and frameworks for understanding

SIGLEAvailable from British Library Document Supply Centre-DSC:99/37146 / BLDSC - British Library Document Supply CentreGBUnited Kingdo

Organizing the community; a review of practical principles,

"Selected bibliography": p. [243]-251.Mode of access: Internet

Expression and self-assembly of virus-like particles from two genotypes of marine vesiviruses and development of an ELISA for the detection of antibodies

Sequences encoding the major and minor capsid proteins (VP1 and VP2) from two marine vesivirus isolates (Steller sea lion viruses V810 and V1415) were engineered for expression of virus-like particles (VLPs) in the baculovirus system. The resulting VLPs were morphologically similar to native vesivirus virions. Purified VLPs were probed in immunoblots with pooled antisera specific for nine San Miguel sea lion virus (SMSV) types, and a predominant protein of approximately 60 kDa was detected. An enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for the detection of antibodies was developed in which the VLPs served as antigen. The VLPs were adsorbed to the wells of a microplate, and the specificity of the ELISA was established with hyperimmune sera raised against 24 serotypes of the genus Vesivirus. The ELISA was used to screen for the presence of vesivirus specific antibodies in the sera of free-ranging Steller sea lions. The ELISA results demonstrated that Steller sea lions that inhabit the Pacific Ocean waters of southeast Alaska are widely exposed to antigenically related marine vesiviruses, while no previous exposure could be demonstrated using VLP antigens in 17 Steller sea lions from the Aleutian Islands. The broad reactivity of these VLPs and their non-infectious nature will facilitate global sero-epidemiological studies aimed at determining the incidence and prevalence of marine vesiviruses in mammals that inhabit the Pacific and Atlantic oceans as well as susceptible terrestrial animals

Changeable naevi in people at high risk for melanoma

Background and Objectives: Naevi may change in size, shape and colour due to multiple inherent and external factors. We observed naevi changing size in adults at high risk of melanoma, and assessed associations of change with demographic factors, skin type, sites of naevi and history of melanoma. Methods: In total, 29 participants with a personal or first-degree family history of melanoma or those deemed at high risk with multiple naevi of variable morphologies had all melanocytic naevi 0.5-1cm imaged and their maximum diameter recorded. Maximum diameters from repeat imaging of naevi 12 months later were compared to baseline measurements. Newly appearing naevi ≥5mm and naevi that grew or decreased in size by 20% or more were defined as changeable naevi. Associations between changeable naevi and participants' age, sex, skin type, body sites of naevi and personal and family history of melanoma were assessed. Results: There was no difference in changeable naevus rates among sex, age or skin type. Among the body sites, the head and neck were most likely to have changeable naevi, and the upper limbs the least likely. A family history of melanoma almost tripled the likelihood of having changeable naevi compared with those without both personal and family melanoma history. Conclusions: Naevi can continue to change in size throughout adulthood, showing both increases and decreases in size as well as the appearance of new naevi. This has important clinical implications, in particular for sequential body imaging used for the detection of melanoma