Search results for " Architect"

2019

Muscle architecture is an important component of muscle function, and recent studies have shown changes in muscle architecture with fatigue. The stretch-shortening cycle is a natural way to study human locomotion, but little is known about how muscle architecture is affected by this type of exercise. This study investigated potential changes in medial gastrocnemius (MG) muscle architecture after exhaustive stretch-shortening cycle exercise. Male athletes (n = 10) performed maximal voluntary contractions (MVC) and maximal drop jump (DJ) tests before and after an exercise task consisting of 100 maximal DJs followed by successive rebound jumping to 70% of the initial maximal height. The exerci…

The timeout procedure in pediatric surgery - effective tool or lip service? A randomized prospective observational study

2020

ABSTRACTBackgroundFor over a decade, the preoperative timeout procedure has been implemented in most pediatric surgery units. In our hospital, a standardized team-timeout is performed before every operation. However, the impact of this intervention has not been systematically studied.PurposeThis study evaluates whether purposefully-introduced errors during the timeout routine are picked up by the operating team members.MethodsAfter ethics board approval and informed consent, deliberate errors were randomly and clandestinely introduced into the timeout routine for elective surgical procedures by a pediatric surgery attending. Errors were randomly selected among wrong name, site, side, allerg…

Dual task cost in balance control and stability in children from 4–7 years old

2019

This study analyzed the development of postural control and the cost of the cognitive task on postural control in the bipedal standing position during childhood. Sixty-six normally developed childr...

Visual acuity and contrast sensitivity screening with a new iPad application

2016

We present a new iPad application (app) for a fast assessment of Visual Acuity (VA) and Contrast Sensitivity (CS) whose reliability and agreement was evaluated versus a commercial screening device (Optec 6500). The measurement of VA was programmed in the app in accordance with the Amblyopia Treatment Study protocol. The CS was measured with sinusoidal gratings of four different spatial frequencies: 3, 6, 12 and 18 cpd at the same contrast values of the Functional Acuity Contrast Test (FACT) included in the Optec 6500. Forty-five healthy subjects with monocular corrected visual acuities better than 0.2 logMAR participated in the agreement study. Bland-Altman analyses were performed to assess…

Genetic analyses of the QT interval and its components in over 250K individuals identifies new loci and pathways affecting ventricular depolarization…

2021

AbstractThe QT interval is an electrocardiographic measure representing the sum of ventricular depolarization (QRS duration) and repolarization (JT interval). Abnormalities of the QT interval are associated with potentially fatal ventricular arrhythmia. We conducted genome-wide multi-ancestry analyses in >250,000 individuals and identified 177, 156 and 121 independent loci for QT, JT and QRS, respectively, including a male-specific X-chromosome locus. Using gene-based rare-variant methods, we identified associations with Mendelian disease genes. Enrichments were observed in established pathways for QT and JT, with new genes indicated in insulin-receptor signalling and cardiac energy meta…

REGIONAL DIFFERENCES IN BICEPS FEMORIS FASCICLE LENGTH AND PENNATION ANGLE AFTER A SIMULATED SOCCER MATCH

2017

Background Hamstring Strain Injuries (HSIs) represent 12% of all injuries in soccer players, and their incidence has increased in recent years. Between 53%-84% of HSIs involve the Biceps femoris muscle (BF). Recent studies have shown that soccer players with shorter BF fascicle length (FL) suffer more HSIs and exhibit regional differences in FL and pennation angle (PA) along BF. It is unclear whether there is any regional difference in the degree of change of these parameters after a soccer match. Objective Describe changes in BF muscle architecture after a simulated soccer match. Design Controlled laboratory study. Pre and Post single session. Setting Laboratory. Amateur Level. Participant…

Early cortical processing of vection-inducing visual stimulation as measured by event-related brain potentials (ERP)

2019

Abstract Visual motion stimuli can induce the perception of self-motion in stationary observers (known as vection). In the present study, we investigated the sensory processing underlying vection by measuring the human event-related brain potentials (ERPs) elicited by the movement onset of a visual stimulus. We presented participants a visual stimulus consisting of alternating black-and-white vertical bars that moved in horizontal direction, creating the sensation of vection. The stimulus was presented on a screen that was divided into a central and a surrounding peripheral visual area. Both areas moved independently from each other, resulting in four different movement patterns: the periph…

Rapid Assessment of COVID-19 Screening Program for Travelers in Iran: A Qualitative Study

2022

AbstractObjective:Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) screening stations set up by Iranian Red Crescent Society have been available for 17 d with the aim of identifying and treating people with coronavirus, reducing road trips, and sensitizing people to the problem. This study aims to investigate the challenges of the procedure.Methods:A qualitative study was used to find the challenges of the COVID-19 screening centers. Volunteers, branch managers, and headquarter managers of the Iranian Red Crescent Society participated in this study applying snowball sampling. Data were collected by means of in-depth semi-structured telephone interviews in April 2020 after completion of the fever screeni…

Predictors of visually induced motion sickness in women

2019

Abstract Background Visually induced motion sickness (VIMS) is commonly experienced when visual motion information is in conflict with motion information provided by the vestibular system and/or tactile and kinesthetic senses. According to some studies, women experience higher levels of VIMS than men, whereas other studies do not find this to be the case. Hypothesis This study investigated whether gender differences can be attributed to changes in VIMS-susceptibility due to the menstrual cycle and perceived menstrual pain. We hypothesized that higher perceived menstrual pain correlates positively with VIMS susceptibility. Methods We measured the influence of estimated concentrations of four…

Mediterranean transcriptions in Sicily

2014

In Sicilia, terra di confronto e d’incontro tra culture, la migrazione e la mutazione si pongono come condizioni essenziali per la costruzione di quella sintesi espressa nello stupefacente palinsesto culturale offerto dall’orizzonte mediterraneo. Si tratta di una sintesi del tutto originale che, grazie all’attitudine all’ascolto, ha spesso fatto tesoro della compresenza di contrasti stridenti, ricomponendoli in inedite unità. I luoghi “mediterranei” di Sicilia, luoghi del paradosso per eccellenza, vivono di questi contrasti e ci mostrano la loro forza essenziale nel rivelare quella particolare circolarità temporale che li permea, che li ha strutturati nel tempo e nello spazio e che consente…