The Effect of Kinesio Tape on Scapular Kinematics in Collegiate Baseball Players

Introduction Baseball is a repetitive overhead sport requiring coordinated shoulder movements with great speed and power, placing a high amount of stress on the shoulder complex Baseball players\u27 throwing shoulders demonstrate altered scapular kinematics compared to their non-throwing shoulder We hypothesize that kinesio tape application will significantly alter the scapular kinematics of the throwing shoulder in collegiate baseball players Participants 15 current or former Division 2 and 3 collegiate baseball players from Concordia University, St. Paul and Hamline University Inclusion Criteria: Subjects had played collegiately within the last 5 years Exclusion Criteria: Extrinsic conditions or underlying pathology that effects the kinematics of the scapula, recent surgery, referred symptoms, or allergy to adhesive Methods Kinesio tape was applied to the dominant throwing shoulder 3D motion of the humerous and scapula were measured using the G4 electromagnetic motion capture system and MotionMonitor software Shoulder flexion, abduction, and scapular plane elevation were performed on the dominant arm with, then without, tape; then once again on the non-dominant arm without tape Repeated-measures ANOVA and matched paired t-tests Results Fifteen collegiate Division 2 and Division 3 baseball players participated, 12 of which were right hand dominant. Ages ranged from 18-24; an average of 20.9 plus or minus 1.8. No participants were excluded. During humerothoracic elevation in the scapular plane, there were no significant differences in scapular motion. During humerothoracic abduction, dominant arm with KT was statistically significant for change in posterior tilting (Table 1). The results of the matched pairs t tests demonstrated that Dominant KT was statistically significant from Dominant No-KT and non-dominant (Table 2). This indicated that Dominant KT resulted in increased posterior tilting. Conclusion KT application resulted in increased scapular posterior tilting of the throwing shoulder during abduction Increased upward rotation and posterior tilting contributes to increased subacromial space Future recommendations would include further research on symptomatic baseball players Clinical Relevance The use of kinesio tape is a potential avenue to decreasing shoulder pain in collegiate baseball players based on the loss of posterior tilting associated with subacromial impingement

Forschung über Evaluation in der Schweiz: Stand und Aussichten

Seit einiger Zeit hat sich die Forschung, die sich mit Evaluation befasst, klar intensiviert. Dieser Beitrag soll einen Überblick zur Forschung über Evaluation in der Schweiz geben, wobei das Was und Wie der Forschung und nicht die Befunde im Zentrum stehen. Dazu werden die Forschungstätigkeiten in ausgewählten Evaluationsfeldern und zu feldübergreifenden Fragen (wie Nachfrage oder Nutzung) beschrieben. Der Überblick verdeutlicht die zentrale Bedeutung der Evaluationsfachlichkeit: Wird anerkannt, dass Evaluationen neben einer thematischen auch eine eigenständige evaluationsfachliche Expertise erfordern, erhält die Forschung über Evaluation einen höheren Stellenwert

Minimally invasive computer-navigated total hip arthroplasty, following the concept of femur first and combined anteversion: design of a blinded randomized controlled trial

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Impingement can be a serious complication after total hip arthroplasty (THA), and is one of the major causes of postoperative pain, dislocation, aseptic loosening, and implant breakage. Minimally invasive THA and computer-navigated surgery were introduced several years ago. We have developed a novel, computer-assisted operation method for THA following the concept of "femur first"/"combined anteversion", which incorporates various aspects of performing a functional optimization of the cup position, and comprehensively addresses range of motion (ROM) as well as cup containment and alignment parameters. Hence, the purpose of this study is to assess whether the artificial joint's ROM can be improved by this computer-assisted operation method. Second, the clinical and radiological outcome will be evaluated.</p> <p>Methods/Design</p> <p>A registered patient- and observer-blinded randomized controlled trial will be conducted. Patients between the ages of 50 and 75 admitted for primary unilateral THA will be included. Patients will be randomly allocated to either receive minimally invasive computer-navigated "femur first" THA or the conventional minimally invasive THA procedure. Self-reported functional status and health-related quality of life (questionnaires) will be assessed both preoperatively and postoperatively. Perioperative complications will be registered. Radiographic evaluation will take place up to 6 weeks postoperatively with a computed tomography (CT) scan. Component position will be evaluated by an independent external institute on a 3D reconstruction of the femur/pelvis using image-processing software. Postoperative ROM will be calculated by an algorithm which automatically determines bony and prosthetic impingements.</p> <p>Discussion</p> <p>In the past, computer navigation has improved the accuracy of component positioning. So far, there are only few objective data quantifying the risks and benefits of computer navigated THA. Therefore, this study has been designed to compare minimally invasive computer-navigated "femur first" THA with a conventional technique for minimally invasive THA. The results of this trial will be presented as soon as they become available.</p> <p>Trial registration number</p> <p>DRKS00000739</p

Long-Term Effects of Self-Administered Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation in Episodic Migraine Prevention: Results of a Randomized Controlled Trial.

peer reviewed[en] BACKGROUND: Migraine is a multifactorial neurovascular disorder, which affects about 12% of the general population. In episodic migraine, the visual cortex revealed abnormal processing, most likely due to decreased preactivation level. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is able to modify cortical excitability and might result in an alleviation of migraine occurrence if used repetitively. OBJECTIVE: To test the hypothesis that self-administered anodal tDCS over the visual cortex significantly decreases the number of monthly migraine days in episodic migraine. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study was single-blind, randomized, and sham-controlled. Inclusion criteria were age 18-80 years and an ICHD-3 diagnosis of episodic migraine. Exclusion criteria were pregnancy, presence of a neurodegenerative disorder, a contraindication against MRI examinations, and less than two migraine days during the 28-day baseline period. Patients in whom the baseline period suggested chronic migraine were excluded. After baseline, participants applied daily either verum (anodal-1 mA to 20 min) or sham tDCS (anodal-1 mA to 30 sec) at Oz (reference Cz electrode) for 28 days. Headache diaries were used to record the number of migraine days at baseline, during the stimulation period, and during four subsequent 28-day periods. RESULTS: Twenty-eight patients were included; two were excluded after the baseline period because less than two migraine days occurred; three were excluded because their headache diaries suggested the diagnosis of chronic migraine. Twenty-three datasets were taken for further analysis. Compared to sham tDCS (n = 12), verum tDCS (n = 11) resulted in a lower number of migraine days (p = 0.010) across all follow-up periods. We found no significant change in total headache days (p = 0.165), anxiety (p = 0.884), or depression scores (p = 0.535). No serious adverse events occurred; minor side effects were similar in both groups. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides Class II evidence that self-administered anodal tDCS over the visual cortex in episodic migraine results in a significantly lower number of monthly migraine days. However, it has neither an immediate nor a long-term effect

Inflammatory biomarkers in Alzheimer's disease plasma

Introduction:Plasma biomarkers for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) diagnosis/stratification are a“Holy Grail” of AD research and intensively sought; however, there are no well-established plasmamarkers.Methods:A hypothesis-led plasma biomarker search was conducted in the context of internationalmulticenter studies. The discovery phase measured 53 inflammatory proteins in elderly control (CTL;259), mild cognitive impairment (MCI; 199), and AD (262) subjects from AddNeuroMed.Results:Ten analytes showed significant intergroup differences. Logistic regression identified five(FB, FH, sCR1, MCP-1, eotaxin-1) that, age/APOε4 adjusted, optimally differentiated AD andCTL (AUC: 0.79), and three (sCR1, MCP-1, eotaxin-1) that optimally differentiated AD and MCI(AUC: 0.74). These models replicated in an independent cohort (EMIF; AUC 0.81 and 0.67). Twoanalytes (FB, FH) plus age predicted MCI progression to AD (AUC: 0.71).Discussion:Plasma markers of inflammation and complement dysregulation support diagnosis andoutcome prediction in AD and MCI. Further replication is needed before clinical translatio

Relatório de estágio em farmácia comunitária

Relatório de estágio realizado no âmbito do Mestrado Integrado em Ciências Farmacêuticas, apresentado à Faculdade de Farmácia da Universidade de Coimbr

Reducing the environmental impact of surgery on a global scale: systematic review and co-prioritization with healthcare workers in 132 countries

Abstract Background Healthcare cannot achieve net-zero carbon without addressing operating theatres. The aim of this study was to prioritize feasible interventions to reduce the environmental impact of operating theatres. Methods This study adopted a four-phase Delphi consensus co-prioritization methodology. In phase 1, a systematic review of published interventions and global consultation of perioperative healthcare professionals were used to longlist interventions. In phase 2, iterative thematic analysis consolidated comparable interventions into a shortlist. In phase 3, the shortlist was co-prioritized based on patient and clinician views on acceptability, feasibility, and safety. In phase 4, ranked lists of interventions were presented by their relevance to high-income countries and low–middle-income countries. Results In phase 1, 43 interventions were identified, which had low uptake in practice according to 3042 professionals globally. In phase 2, a shortlist of 15 intervention domains was generated. In phase 3, interventions were deemed acceptable for more than 90 per cent of patients except for reducing general anaesthesia (84 per cent) and re-sterilization of ‘single-use’ consumables (86 per cent). In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for high-income countries were: introducing recycling; reducing use of anaesthetic gases; and appropriate clinical waste processing. In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for low–middle-income countries were: introducing reusable surgical devices; reducing use of consumables; and reducing the use of general anaesthesia. Conclusion This is a step toward environmentally sustainable operating environments with actionable interventions applicable to both high– and low–middle–income countries

A Distributed Control System for a Self-Contained Bipedal Robot

Self-contained bipedal robots are emerging in our daily environment. As their tasks grow in complexity, controlling such robots will become a demanding endeavour. In the course of this dissertation a novel control infrastructure has been developed, im- plemented and successfully tested. The infrastructure distinguishes itself through a distributed architecture, using wireless communication and consistent deployment of many-core processors based on field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs). The overall benefits comprise spared mass combined with vast computational power of five nodes of which each runs up to 40 truly parallel tasks in real-time with cus- tom communication structures. Reducing mass is crucial as in a human environment a lightweight robot is safer as it requires smaller forces to move its own mass and inflicts far less damage in case of an accident. The distributed approach avoids blind communication of large amounts of raw data throughout the robot. The sensors are located on the limbs in order to capture their angles and motions. And the valves and actuators of a pneumatic robot are ideally situated directly on the limbs, too. Mounting a controller on each of the shins, thighs and on the hips enables to colocate the controllers with the sensors and actuators there – in the course of this the wiring of the sensors effectively vanishes. Through the resulting degree of local processing the nodes become essentially autonomous, rendering robot- wide transmission of sensor data and valve control largely unnecessary. Using a wireless body area network (WBAN) to connect the distributed controllers on the robot’s limbs eases the robot’s construction and spares mass. Moreover, wireless technology enables each node to connect directly to each other node (N -to-N network), without quadratic growth of the hardware requirements. Despite the distributed architecture, the system remains straightforward and manage- able through the use of an integrated software/hardware co-design tool (ETHZ’s Active Cells) – and the high-level control becomes more concise, due to the abstraction inher- ently introduced by the distribution