Gold Open-Access
Refine
Year of publication
Document Type
- Article (108)
- Review (3)
- Other (2)
- Monograph/Edited Volume (1)
Is part of the Bibliography
- yes (114)
Keywords
- exercise (6)
- Adaptive Force (5)
- maximal isometric Adaptive Force (5)
- training (5)
- adolescents (4)
- athletic performance (4)
- depression (4)
- gait (4)
- holding capacity (4)
- muscle strength (4)
- neuromuscular control (4)
- reliability (4)
- resistance training (4)
- strength training (4)
- human physical conditioning (3)
- isometric muscle action (3)
- low back pain (3)
- motivation (3)
- motor control (3)
- physical fitness (3)
- DXA (2)
- EMG (2)
- HIV (2)
- Kinder (2)
- Physical activity (2)
- SARS-CoV-2 (2)
- Youth (2)
- adaptive force (2)
- anxiety (2)
- athletes (2)
- balance (2)
- children (2)
- eccentric training (2)
- elite athletes (2)
- exercise intensity (2)
- fatigue (2)
- high-intensity-interval training (2)
- inflammation (2)
- loading rate (2)
- matched time (2)
- metabolic disease (2)
- muscle physiology (2)
- muscle spindle (2)
- muscle stability (2)
- muscle weakness (2)
- neuromuscular functioning (2)
- performance (2)
- perturbation (2)
- physical activity (2)
- psychosocial moderators (2)
- regulatory physiology (2)
- relationship (2)
- time (2)
- validity (2)
- weight loss (2)
- youth sports (2)
- Acceleration (1)
- Aging (1)
- Ankle sprain (1)
- Ankles (1)
- App (1)
- Artificial intelligence (1)
- Attention (1)
- COVID-19 (1)
- Cardiac rehabilitation (1)
- Cardiorespiratory endurance (1)
- Cognitive skills (1)
- Cohort study (1)
- Computer Software (1)
- Conditioning activity (1)
- Decannulation (1)
- Defensive actions (1)
- Depression (1)
- Depressive disorder (1)
- Digital Health (1)
- Diseases (1)
- EEG (1)
- EGCG (1)
- EMOTIKON (1)
- ERP (1)
- Electromyography (1)
- Electronic Health (1)
- Emotional valence (1)
- Emotions (1)
- Flat feet (1)
- Footwear (1)
- Functional ankle instability (1)
- Functional weakness (1)
- General population (1)
- Ground reaction force (1)
- HOMA-IR (1)
- Health care (1)
- Hip (1)
- Holding (1)
- Holding capacity (1)
- Hypertriglyceridemia (1)
- Imaginations (1)
- Indicators of socioeconomic status (1)
- Isometric Adaptive Force (1)
- Jugendliche (1)
- Kick (1)
- Kindergarten (1)
- Kinematics (1)
- Knees (1)
- Kreativitätstest (1)
- Legs (1)
- Linear mixed models (1)
- Linear regression analysis (1)
- Long COVID (1)
- Malnutrition (1)
- Manual muscle test (1)
- Martial arts (1)
- Maximalkraft (1)
- Mechanical ventilation (1)
- Metabolic syndrome (1)
- MiSpEx (1)
- Mobile Health (1)
- Mobile diagnostics (1)
- Motion (1)
- Motor control (1)
- Motor skills (1)
- Muscle power (1)
- Muscle strength (1)
- Musculoskeletal injury (1)
- Negative life events (1)
- Neurology (1)
- Neuroscience (1)
- Nordic walking (1)
- Nutrition (1)
- O2C spectrophotometer (1)
- Octogenarians (1)
- OptoGait (1)
- Orthopedics (1)
- PHQ-4 (1)
- Paediatrics (1)
- Pathologies (1)
- Pavlovian-to-instrumental transfer (1)
- Physical fitness (1)
- Physical training (1)
- Physiology (1)
- Positive life events (1)
- Postural stability (1)
- Prevention (1)
- Principal component analysis (1)
- Prognosis (1)
- Psychometric evaluation (1)
- Punch (1)
- RBP4 (1)
- RDoC (1)
- RSI (1)
- Research Domain Criteria (1)
- Rural health (1)
- Sars-CoV-2 (1)
- Scanning electron microscopy (1)
- Schnellkraft (1)
- Short‐term effect (1)
- Skeletal joints (1)
- Social functioning (1)
- Sport medicine (1)
- Sports injury (1)
- Stretch-shortening cycle (1)
- Swimming performance (1)
- TRP channels (1)
- TRPA1 (1)
- TRPC6 (1)
- TRPV1 (1)
- TRPV2 (1)
- TRPV4 (1)
- TTR (1)
- Tanz (1)
- Team sports (1)
- Telehealth (1)
- Telemedicine (1)
- Test (1)
- Test-retest (1)
- Testmanual (1)
- Time-motion analysis (1)
- Tracheostomy (1)
- Translation (1)
- Type 2 diabetes (1)
- Velocity (1)
- Walking (1)
- Widerstandstraining (1)
- Workability (1)
- Young swimmers (1)
- Zebris (1)
- achilles tendinopathy (1)
- activation (1)
- acute effects (1)
- acute encephalopathy (1)
- acute exercise (1)
- adaptations (1)
- adaptive holding capacity (1)
- addiction (1)
- advanced dynamic flow (1)
- aerobic endurance (1)
- aerobic exercise (1)
- aerobic metabolism (1)
- affect (1)
- age (1)
- aged (1)
- aggrecanases (1)
- aging (1)
- alcohol (1)
- allostatic load (1)
- allostatic load index (1)
- alternative rewards (1)
- amygdala (1)
- animal and computational models (1)
- anthropometry (1)
- anticholinergic (1)
- antihypertensives (1)
- anxiety disoders (1)
- apoptosis (1)
- app (1)
- applied physiology (1)
- artistic gymnastics (1)
- assessment (1)
- attitudes (1)
- australian football (1)
- automatic evaluation (1)
- automaticity (1)
- back-pain screening (1)
- barbell velocity (1)
- basic psychological need frustration (1)
- beliefs (1)
- biomechanical parameter (1)
- biomechanics (1)
- blind source separation (1)
- blood flow (1)
- blood lactate; (1)
- bone remodeling (1)
- canonical correlations analysis (1)
- capillary recruitment (1)
- cardiomyopathy (1)
- cardiovascular disease (1)
- cardiovascular diseases (1)
- case report (1)
- change of direction speed (1)
- childhood (1)
- chronic back pain (1)
- chronic effects (1)
- cognition (1)
- cognitive impairment (1)
- cognitive-behavioral control (1)
- collagen (1)
- combat sports (1)
- combined training (1)
- community child health (1)
- comorbidity (1)
- competence (1)
- computational modeling (1)
- concentric training (1)
- coordination (1)
- core (1)
- core exercise (1)
- core stability (1)
- craving and relapse (1)
- creativity test (1)
- dance (1)
- data pipeline (1)
- decision-making (1)
- deep learning (1)
- degenerative disc disease (1)
- delirium (1)
- diabetes (1)
- diabetic (1)
- digitalization in (1)
- disease severity (1)
- drug delivery (1)
- dual career (1)
- dual-process models (1)
- eccentric (1)
- eccentric muscle action (1)
- echo intensity (1)
- education (1)
- electrical muscle stimulation (1)
- electroencephalography (EEG) (1)
- electromyography (1)
- electrospraying (1)
- elite athlete (1)
- elite sport (1)
- emotional imagery (1)
- emotions (1)
- exercise induced muscle damage (1)
- exercise intervention (1)
- exercise movement techniques (1)
- exercise test (1)
- exercise therapy (1)
- exercise treatments (1)
- exercise-cognition (1)
- external perturbations (1)
- eye-tracking (1)
- field test (1)
- fitness (1)
- flat feet (1)
- flat foot (1)
- football (1)
- force (1)
- force profiles (1)
- free moment (1)
- freedom (1)
- functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) (1)
- gait analysis algorithm (1)
- gait speed (1)
- gender differences (1)
- general practitioners (1)
- geriatric (1)
- geriatrics (1)
- habit (1)
- habit formation (1)
- hair cortisol (1)
- handheld device (1)
- health (1)
- health inequality (1)
- health policy (1)
- hemoglobin amount (1)
- hierarchical Bayesian model (1)
- high risk drinkers (1)
- high-intensity interval training (1)
- holding (1)
- holding (HIMA) and pushing (PIMA) isometric muscle action (1)
- holding capability (1)
- holding isometric muscle action (HIMA) (1)
- hydroxymethyl-glutaryl-coenzyme A reductase inhibitors;online survey (1)
- hypocortisolemic symptom triad (1)
- hypoxic conditioning (1)
- identification (1)
- ill-being (1)
- immigrant (1)
- implicit (1)
- inclusion (1)
- income (1)
- individualized pulsed electromagnetic field (1)
- inertial measurement unit (1)
- injectable biomaterial (1)
- injury mechanisms (1)
- injury prevention (1)
- instability (1)
- inter-brain synchronization (1)
- inter-muscle-brain synchronization (1)
- interleukin-6 (1)
- internleukin-10 (1)
- interpersonal muscle action (1)
- isokinetics (1)
- isometric muscle action (HIMA) (1)
- job position (1)
- juvenile obesity (1)
- kinematic parameters (1)
- kinetic parameters (1)
- kinetics (1)
- lactate (1)
- language (1)
- late childhood (1)
- leg (1)
- lengthening contractions (1)
- load (1)
- load-velocity (1)
- long COVID fatigue (1)
- long-term effects (1)
- longitudinal analysis (1)
- lower limb mechanics (1)
- manual muscle test (1)
- manual muscle testing (1)
- maximal voluntary contraction (1)
- mechanical tendinous oscillations (1)
- mechanisms (1)
- mechanomyography (MMG) (1)
- mechanotendography (1)
- mental health (1)
- miRNAs (1)
- microRNA (1)
- microparticles (1)
- mid-portion achilles tendinopathy (1)
- mobile app; (1)
- mobility disability (1)
- monitoring (1)
- mood (1)
- movement (1)
- movement patterns (1)
- multicollinearity (1)
- multidisciplinary intervention (1)
- muscle (1)
- muscle fatigue (1)
- muscle function (1)
- muscle growth (1)
- muscle instability (1)
- muscle oxygen saturation (1)
- muscle power (1)
- muscle quality (1)
- muscle tissue (1)
- muscle-to-fat ratio (1)
- muscular holding capacity (1)
- musculoskeletal and neural physiological phenomena (1)
- musculoskeletal ultrasound (1)
- music (1)
- music therapy (1)
- need satisfaction (1)
- neovascularization (1)
- neural inefficiency (1)
- neural-control (1)
- neuroimaging (1)
- neuromuscular adaptation (1)
- neuromuscular diagnostics (1)
- neuromuscular functionality (1)
- oscillations (1)
- osteoblast (1)
- osteoclast (1)
- overhead athlete (1)
- oxygen consumption (1)
- paralympic sport (1)
- partial least squares (1)
- peak height velocity (1)
- periodization (1)
- phase angle (1)
- physical inactivity (1)
- physiological strain (1)
- piezo-based measurement system (1)
- pipe (1)
- pleasant and unpleasant imagery (1)
- plyometric training (1)
- polygenic risk (1)
- post COVID syndrome (1)
- post-COVID syndrome (1)
- postoperative (1)
- postural control (1)
- power training (1)
- prefrontal cortex (1)
- primary care (1)
- principles (1)
- pro-inflammatory cytokines (1)
- proprioception (1)
- public dataset (1)
- public health (1)
- pulling isometric muscle action (PIMA) (1)
- pushing isometric muscle action (PIMA) (1)
- quality of life (1)
- race (1)
- range of motion (1)
- rating of perceived exertion (1)
- reflexes (1)
- reinforcement learning (1)
- repeatability (1)
- repeated adaptive isometric–eccentric muscle action (1)
- repeated bout effect (1)
- representation (1)
- representational similarity analysis (1)
- reproducibility (1)
- resistance (1)
- rotator cuff (1)
- running (1)
- sarcopenia (1)
- sarcopenic obesity (1)
- school performance (1)
- sedentary (1)
- self-diagnosis (1)
- self-triage (1)
- sensorimotor control (1)
- sensorimotor parameters (1)
- shoulder strength (1)
- situated processes (1)
- social behavior; (1)
- socioeconomic status (1)
- somatic variables (1)
- sonography (1)
- split-belt treadmill (1)
- sports (1)
- sportsmen (1)
- sprint interval training (1)
- statins (1)
- strength vs. endurance athletes (1)
- stress types (1)
- stretch shortening cycle exercise; (1)
- stretch-shortening cycle (1)
- striking combat sports (1)
- stroke rehabilitation (1)
- stumbling (1)
- subtle and blatant prejudice (1)
- surgery (1)
- surveillance (1)
- sustainability (1)
- symptom checker (1)
- symptom checker apps (1)
- synchronization (1)
- talent identification (1)
- task failure (1)
- teaching (1)
- team sports (1)
- tendinosis (1)
- tendons (1)
- test (1)
- test manual (1)
- therapy (1)
- training adaptation (1)
- training intervention (1)
- training load (1)
- transdiagnostic (1)
- translation-reliability (1)
- treadmill (1)
- trunk muscles (1)
- trunk stability (1)
- tumor necrosis factor-α (1)
- ultrasound (1)
- unstable resistance training (1)
- unstable walkway (1)
- upper secondary school (1)
- variability (1)
- vestibular (1)
- walking (1)
- water (1)
- water sports (1)
- wavelet coherence (1)
- work-rate distribution (1)
- yellow flags (1)
- young athletes (1)
- youth athletes (1)
- youth soccer (1)
- youth sports [MeSH] (1)
Institute
- Department Sport- und Gesundheitswissenschaften (114) (remove)
Background/Purpose
Muscular reflex responses of the lower extremities to sudden gait disturbances are related to postural stability and injury risk. Chronic ankle instability (CAI) has shown to affect activities related to the distal leg muscles while walking. Its effects on proximal muscle activities of the leg, both for the injured- (IN) and uninjured-side (NON), remain unclear. Therefore, the aim was to compare the difference of the motor control strategy in ipsilateral and contralateral proximal joints while unperturbed walking and perturbed walking between individuals with CAI and matched controls.
Materials and methods
In a cross-sectional study, 13 participants with unilateral CAI and 13 controls (CON) walked on a split-belt treadmill with and without random left- and right-sided perturbations. EMG amplitudes of muscles at lower extremities were analyzed 200 ms after perturbations, 200 ms before, and 100 ms after (Post100) heel contact while walking. Onset latencies were analyzed at heel contacts and after perturbations. Statistical significance was set at alpha≤0.05 and 95% confidence intervals were applied to determine group differences. Cohen’s d effect sizes were calculated to evaluate the extent of differences.
Results
Participants with CAI showed increased EMG amplitudes for NON-rectus abdominus at Post100 and shorter latencies for IN-gluteus maximus after heel contact compared to CON (p<0.05). Overall, leg muscles (rectus femoris, biceps femoris, and gluteus medius) activated earlier and less bilaterally (d = 0.30–0.88) and trunk muscles (bilateral rectus abdominus and NON-erector spinae) activated earlier and more for the CAI group than CON group (d = 0.33–1.09).
Conclusion
Unilateral CAI alters the pattern of the motor control strategy around proximal joints bilaterally. Neuromuscular training for the muscles, which alters motor control strategy because of CAI, could be taken into consideration when planning rehabilitation for CAI.
Background
Artificial intelligence (AI) is one of the most promising areas in medicine with many possibilities for improving health and wellness. Already today, diagnostic decision support systems may help patients to estimate the severity of their complaints. This fictional case study aimed to test the diagnostic potential of an AI algorithm for common sports injuries and pathologies.
Methods
Based on a literature review and clinical expert experience, five fictional “common” cases of acute, and subacute injuries or chronic sport-related pathologies were created: Concussion, ankle sprain, muscle pain, chronic knee instability (after ACL rupture) and tennis elbow. The symptoms of these cases were entered into a freely available chatbot-guided AI app and its diagnoses were compared to the pre-defined injuries and pathologies.
Results
A mean of 25–36 questions were asked by the app per patient, with optional explanations of certain questions or illustrative photos on demand. It was stressed, that the symptom analysis would not replace a doctor’s consultation. A 23-yr-old male patient case with a mild concussion was correctly diagnosed. An ankle sprain of a 27-yr-old female without ligament or bony lesions was also detected and an ER visit was suggested. Muscle pain in the thigh of a 19-yr-old male was correctly diagnosed. In the case of a 26-yr-old male with chronic ACL instability, the algorithm did not sufficiently cover the chronic aspect of the pathology, but the given recommendation of seeing a doctor would have helped the patient. Finally, the condition of the chronic epicondylitis in a 41-yr-old male was correctly detected.
Conclusions
All chosen injuries and pathologies were either correctly diagnosed or at least tagged with the right advice of when it is urgent for seeking a medical specialist. However, the quality of AI-based results could presumably depend on the data-driven experience of these programs as well as on the understanding of their users. Further studies should compare existing AI programs and their diagnostic accuracy for medical injuries and pathologies.
The relevance for in vitro three-dimensional (3D) tissue culture of skin has been present for almost a century. From using skin biopsies in organ culture, to vascularized organotypic full-thickness reconstructed human skin equivalents, in vitro tissue regeneration of 3D skin has reached a golden era. However, the reconstruction of 3D skin still has room to grow and develop. The need for reproducible methodology, physiological structures and tissue architecture, and perfusable vasculature are only recently becoming a reality, though the addition of more complex structures such as glands and tactile corpuscles require advanced technologies. In this review, we will discuss the current methodology for biofabrication of 3D skin models and highlight the advantages and disadvantages of the existing systems as well as emphasize how new techniques can aid in the production of a truly physiologically relevant skin construct for preclinical innovation.
Adaptive Force (AF) reflects the capability of the neuromuscular system to adapt adequately to external forces with the intention of maintaining a position or motion. One specific approach to assessing AF is to measure force and limb position during a pneumatically applied increasing external force. Through this method, the highest (AFmax), the maximal isometric (AFisomax) and the maximal eccentric Adaptive Force (AFeccmax) can be determined. The main question of the study was whether the AFisomax is a specific and independent parameter of muscle function compared to other maximal forces. In 13 healthy subjects (9 male and 4 female), the maximal voluntary isometric contraction (pre- and post-MVIC), the three AF parameters and the MVIC with a prior concentric contraction (MVICpri-con) of the elbow extensors were measured 4 times on two days. Arithmetic mean (M) and maximal (Max) torques of all force types were analyzed. Regarding the reliability of the AF parameters between days, the mean changes were 0.31–1.98 Nm (0.61%–5.47%, p = 0.175–0.552), the standard errors of measurements (SEM) were 1.29–5.68 Nm (2.53%–15.70%) and the ICCs(3,1) = 0.896–0.996. M and Max of AFisomax, AFmax and pre-MVIC correlated highly (r = 0.85–0.98). The M and Max of AFisomax were significantly lower (6.12–14.93 Nm; p ≤ 0.001–0.009) and more variable between trials (coefficient of variation (CVs) ≥ 21.95%) compared to those of pre-MVIC and AFmax (CVs ≤ 5.4%). The results suggest the novel measuring procedure is suitable to reliably quantify the AF, whereby the presented measurement errors should be taken into consideration. The AFisomax seems to reflect its own strength capacity and should be detected separately. It is suggested its normalization to the MVIC or AFmax could serve as an indicator of a neuromuscular function.
Transient receptor potential (TRP) channels have emerged as potential sensors and transducers of inflammatory pain. The aims of this study were to investigate (1) the expression of TRP channels in intervertebral disc (IVD) cells in normal and inflammatory conditions and (2) the function of Transient receptor potential ankyrin 1 (TRPA1) and Transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) in IVD inflammation and matrix homeostasis. RT-qPCR was used to analyze human fetal, healthy, and degenerated IVD tissues for the gene expression of TRPA1 and TRPV1. The primary IVD cell cultures were stimulated with either interleukin-1 beta (IL-1) or tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-) alone or in combination with TRPA1/V1 agonist allyl isothiocyanate (AITC, 3 and 10 mu M), followed by analysis of calcium flux and the expression of inflammation mediators (RT-qPCR/ELISA) and matrix constituents (RT-qPCR). The matrix structure and composition in caudal motion segments from TRPA1 and TRPV1 wild-type (WT) and knock-out (KO) mice was visualized by FAST staining. Gene expression of other TRP channels (A1, C1, C3, C6, V1, V2, V4, V6, M2, M7, M8) was also tested in cytokine-treated cells. TRPA1 was expressed in fetal IVD cells, 20% of degenerated IVDs, but not in healthy mature IVDs. TRPA1 expression was not detectable in untreated cells and it increased upon cytokine treatment, while TRPV1 was expressed and concomitantly reduced. In inflamed IVD cells, 10 mu M AITC activated calcium flux, induced gene expression of IL-8, and reduced disintegrin and metalloproteinase with thrombospondin motifs 5 (ADAMTS5) and collagen 1A1, possibly via upregulated TRPA1. TRPA1 KO in mice was associated with signs of degeneration in the nucleus pulposus and the vertebral growth plate, whereas TRPV1 KO did not show profound changes. Cytokine treatment also affected the gene expression of TRPV2 (increase), TRPV4 (increase), and TRPC6 (decrease). TRPA1 might be expressed in developing IVD, downregulated during its maturation, and upregulated again in degenerative disc disease, participating in matrix homeostasis. However, follow-up studies with larger sample sizes are needed to fully elucidate the role of TRPA1 and other TRP channels in degenerative disc disease.
This study aimed at examining physiological responses (i.e., oxygen uptake [VO2] and heart rate [HR]) to a semi-contact 3 x 3-min format, amateur boxing combat simulation in elite level male boxers. Eleven boxers aged 21.4 +/- 2.1 years (body height 173.4 +/- 3.7, body mass 74.9 +/- 8.6 kg, body fat 12.1 +/- 1.9, training experience 5.7 +/- 1.3 years) volunteered to participate in this study. They performed a maximal graded aerobic test on a motor-driven treadmill to determine maximum oxygen uptake (VO2max), oxygen uptake (VO2AT) and heart rate (HRAT) at the anaerobic threshold, and maximal heart rate (HRmax). Additionally, VO2 and peak HR (HRpeak) were recorded following each boxing round. Results showed no significant differences between VO2max values derived from the treadmill running test and VO2 outcomes of the simulated boxing contest (p > 0.05, d = 0.02 to 0.39). However, HRmax and HRpeak recorded from the treadmill running test and the simulated amateur boxing contest, respectively, displayed significant differences regardless of the boxing round (p < 0.01, d = 1.60 to 3.00). In terms of VO2 outcomes during the simulated contest, no significant between-round differences were observed (p = 0.19, d = 0.17 to 0.73). Irrespective of the boxing round, the recorded VO2 was >90% of the VO2max. Likewise, HRpeak observed across the three boxing rounds were >= 90% of the HRmax. In summary, the simulated 3 x 3-min amateur boxing contest is highly demanding from a physiological standpoint. Thus, coaches are advised to systematically monitor internal training load for instance through rating of perceived exertion to optimize training-related adaptations and to prevent boxers from overreaching and/or overtraining.
In animals and humans, behavior can be influenced by irrelevant stimuli, a phenomenon called Pavlovian-to-instrumental transfer (PIT). In subjects with substance use disorder, PIT is even enhanced with functional activation in the nucleus accumbens (NAcc) and amygdala. While we observed enhanced behavioral and neural PIT effects in alcohol-dependent subjects, we here aimed to determine whether behavioral PIT is enhanced in young men with high-risk compared to low-risk drinking and subsequently related functional activation in an a-priori region of interest encompassing the NAcc and amygdala and related to polygenic risk for alcohol consumption. A representative sample of 18-year old men (n = 1937) was contacted: 445 were screened, 209 assessed: resulting in 191 valid behavioral, 139 imaging and 157 genetic datasets. None of the subjects fulfilled criteria for alcohol dependence according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-IV-TextRevision (DSM-IV-TR). We measured how instrumental responding for rewards was influenced by background Pavlovian conditioned stimuli predicting action-independent rewards and losses. Behavioral PIT was enhanced in high-compared to low-risk drinkers (b = 0.09, SE = 0.03, z = 2.7, p < 0.009). Across all subjects, we observed PIT-related neural blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) signal in the right amygdala (t = 3.25, p(SVC) = 0.04, x = 26, y = -6, z = -12), but not in NAcc. The strength of the behavioral PIT effect was positively correlated with polygenic risk for alcohol consumption (r(s) = 0.17, p = 0.032). We conclude that behavioral PIT and polygenic risk for alcohol consumption might be a biomarker for a subclinical phenotype of risky alcohol consumption, even if no drug-related stimulus is present. The association between behavioral PIT effects and the amygdala might point to habitual processes related to out PIT task. In non-dependent young social drinkers, the amygdala rather than the NAcc is activated during PIT; possible different involvement in association with disease trajectory should be investigated in future studies.
The manual muscle test (MMT) is a flexible diagnostic tool, which is used in many disciplines, applied in several ways. The main problem is the subjectivity of the test. The MMT in the version of a “break test” depends on the tester’s force rise and the patient’s ability to resist the applied force. As a first step, the investigation of the reproducibility of the testers’ force profile is required for valid application. The study examined the force profiles of n = 29 testers (n = 9 experiences (Exp), n = 8 little experienced (LitExp), n = 12 beginners (Beg)). The testers performed 10 MMTs according to the test of hip flexors, but against a fixed leg to exclude the patient’s reaction. A handheld device recorded the temporal course of the applied force. The results show significant differences between Exp and Beg concerning the starting force (padj = 0.029), the ratio of starting to maximum force (padj = 0.005) and the normalized mean Euclidean distances between the 10 trials (padj = 0.015). The slope is significantly higher in Exp vs. LitExp (p = 0.006) and Beg (p = 0.005). The results also indicate that experienced testers show inter-tester differences and partly even a low intra-tester reproducibility. This highlights the necessity of an objective MMT-assessment. Furthermore, an agreement on a standardized force profile is required. A suggestion for this is given.
Locally delivered anti-inflammatory compounds can restore the homeostasis of the degenerated intervertebral disc (IVD). With beneficial effects on IVD cells, epigallocatechin 3-gallate (EGCG) is a promising therapeutic candidate. However, EGCG is prone to rapid degradation and/or depletion. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to develop a method for controlled EGCG delivery in the degenerated IVD. Primary IVD cells were isolated from human donors undergoing IVD surgeries. EGCG was encapsulated into microparticles by electrospraying of glutaraldehyde-crosslinked gelatin. The resulting particles were characterized in terms of cytocompatibility and anti-inflammatory activity, and combined with a thermoresponsive carrier to produce an injectable EGCG delivery system. Subsequently, electrospraying was scaled up using the industrial NANOSPIDER (TM) technology. The produced EGCG microparticles reduced the expression of inflammatory (IL-6, IL-8, COX-2) and catabolic (MMP1, MMP3, MMP13) mediators in pro-inflammatory 3D cell cultures. Combining the EGCG microparticles with the carrier showed a trend towards modulating EGCG activity/release. Electrospray upscaling was achieved, leading to particles with homogenous spherical morphologies. In conclusion, electrospray-based encapsulation of EGCG resulted in cytocompatible microparticles that preserved the activity of EGCG and showed the potential to control EGCG release, thus favoring IVD health by downregulating local inflammation. Future studies will focus on further exploring the biological activity of the developed delivery system for potential clinical use.