European Journal of Translational Myology最新文献

Excess body weight is associated with increased mortality, low physical fitness and low levels of physical activity. The objective this study to verify the linear and nonlinear (quadratic) relationships between Body Mass Index (BMI) and lower limb strength in children and adolescents of both sexes in a region of Chile. A descriptive (cross-sectional) study was carried out in children and adolescents of school age (6 to 17 years) of both sexes. The sample size was 863 schoolchildren (500 males and 363 females). Weight, height and the Horizontal Jump test (HJ) were evaluated. BMI and BMI z -score were calculated according to age and sex. In males, the explanatory power in the linear model [R= 0.15, R2= 0.02, Root Mean Square Error (RMSE)= 39.6] is lower than the non-linear quadratic model (R= 0.22, R2= 0.05, RMSE= 39.0). In females, the explanatory power in the linear model (R= 0.12, R2= 0.02, RMSE= 23.2) is lower than the quadratic nonlinear model (R= 0.19, R2= 0.04, RMSE= 22.9). In the BMI z-score scale, males presented HJ values of: [Low BMI 145.4±39.5cm, normal 164.2±33.6cm, and high BMI 109.0±23.2cm]. In females it was: [Low BMI 108.0±23.0cm, normal 113.5±36.3cm, and elevated BMI 91.5±30.4cm].  The study verified a curvilinear relationship in the form of a parabola (quadratic) between BMI and the HJ test in children and adolescents of both sexes. Schoolchildren in the extreme BMI categories (low and high BMI) reflected low performance in the HJ in relation to school-children with normal BMI.

Dear Editor, We read with interest the article by Burtscher et al. on hand grip strength measured with a hand dynamometer at various locations along Tyrolean ski slopes in 757 recreational skiers compared to 1021 community residents.1 Most of the male subjects and half of the female subjects had higher grip strength of the dominant hand compared to the control subjects.1The grip strength of the skiers decreased with age to a similar extent as that of the reference population. The relative grip strength correlated positively with physical activity and the number of skiing days per year and negatively with body weight.1 It was concluded that hand grip strength is related to the type, amount and intensity of regular physical activity and that the results support recommendations for training or rehabilitation.1 The study is noteworthy, but several points should be discussed. [...].

Cost-effective and portable ultrasonography offers a promising approach for monitoring skeletal muscle damage and quality in many contexts. However, echogenicity analysis relies on precise transducer orientations and machine parameters, posing challenges for data pooling across different raters and settings. Muscle texture analysis offers a potential means of reducing inter-rater and machine-setting variability. Scans were assessed at nine angles, controlled using a custom transducer shell and software. Scans were performed three times, and different gains were applied. All scans were performed on a muscle tissue-mimicking phantom to eliminate biological variability. Intra-angle and intra-gain variability and internal consistency were assessed via coefficient of variation (CV%) and Cronbach's alpha (αc). Spearman's (ρ) correlations were employed to determine the relationship between echogenicity and each texture feature. Entropy (angle: CV=2.7-7.6%; gain: CV=10.5%; αc=0.86), and inverse difference moment (angle: CV=3.7-9.8%; gain: CV=16.5%; αc=0.87) were less variable than echogenicity (angle: CV=6.4-19.4%; gain: CV=39.0%; αc=0.82). Angular second moment (angle: CV=17.9-116.6%; gain: CV=71.6%; αc=0.68), contrast (angle: CV=7.8-14.7%; gain: CV=41.8%;αc=0.75), and correlation (angle: CV=9.0-13.5%; gain: CV=28.6%; αc=0.49) features were generally more variable. Entropy (ρ=0.82-0.98, p≤0.011) and inverse difference moment (ρ=-0.98--0.83, p≤0.008), were more strongly correlated with echogenicity than angular second moment (ρ=-0.98--0.77, p≤0.016), contrast (ρ=0.53-0.98, p≤0.15), and correlation (ρ=-0.25--0.19, p=0.520-0.631). Entropy and inverse difference moment features may allow data sharing between laboratory and clinical settings with ultrasound machine parameters and raters of varying skill levels. Clinical and mechanistic studies are required to determine if texture features can replace echogenicity assessments.

Transplant recipients are given an immunosuppressive regimen such as tacrolimus to prevent organ rejection. Suprotac® is a generic tacrolimus that is utilized in kidney transplantation regimen in Iran. This post-market study was conducted to evaluate the safety and efficacy of Suprotac® in comparison with Prograf®. In this two-armed, open-label, parallel, active-controlled, and cohort study, de novo kidney transplant recipients aging 18 to 65 years were prescribed Suprotac® or Prograf® as part of the immunosuppressant protocol. The primary outcome was comparing the mean estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) at month 12. The secondary outcomes were the assessment of patient and graft survival, acute rejections during hospitalization, tacrolimus dose, trough concentration, and Trough Concentration/dose (C/D) ratio, and Adverse Events (AEs) during the study period. A total of 201 patients were enrolled in this study. At discharge, the eGFR was lower in the Suprotac® group compared to the Prograf® group (51.70 ml/min/1.73m2 and 57.48 ml/min/1.73m2, respectively; p=0.042). However, at month 12, there was no significant difference in mean eGFR between the two groups (58.94 ml/min/1.73m2 and 59.78 ml/min/1.73m2, respectively; p=0.772). Other outcomes, including patient and graft survival, acute rejection during hospitalization, tacrolimus dose, trough concentration, and C/D ratio, and overall incidence of AEs were similar between the two groups (p >0.05). The efficacy and safety profile of the generic tacrolimus were shown to be comparable to the reference tacrolimus at month 12.

Caring skills are essential in the training of nursing professionals, because they allow them to learn and gain experience in the quality and compassionate care of future patients. The objective is to compare the Caring Skills (CS) in nursing students according to age range, experience and family environment. A descriptive comparative study was carried out. The sample consisted of 176 nursing students from a Peruvian university. The age range was 18 to 27 years. A patient care skills scale was applied. This scale has three indicators (knowledge, courage and patience) and 37 questions. There were no differences in the three indicators (knowledge, courage and patience) when compared by age range (P>0.05). There were significant differences when compared by age range between students living with family and living alone (P<0.05). There was no difference between students who had experience vs. those who had no experience in patient care (P>0.05). It was determined that age and living with family members are determinant in the CS of nursing students of a Peruvian university. There were no differences between experienced and inexperienced students.

The term "local electrical stimulation" means the delivery, for therapeutic purposes, of electric current signals in the areola of the projections of acupuncture points. Among the varieties of this effect are electro- and electroacupuncture, as well as transcutaneous electrical neurostimulation. In the case of electropuncture, minimal skin areas are irritated, outside of the damage, by placing the sensors according to the projections of the points. In the electroacupuncture, current signals are sent to steel needles immersed in tissues, ensuring the activation of not only skin afferents, but also deeper afferents. Percutaneous stimulation consists of irritating large areas of the skin with the help of portable devices. The paper reveals the mechanisms underlying the therapeutic effect of these methods, and puts forward an assumption about the prevailing biological significance of low-intensity stimuli. In addition, specific examples of use of local electrical stimulation in a number of pathological conditions are also presented.

This study aimed to evaluate the role of NLR in predicting outcomes for patients with moderate to severe TBI. A retrospective analysis was conducted from April 2020 to April 2022, including patients aged 16 and older with Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) scores of 8 or below admitted to Shahid Beheshti Hospital, Kashan. Data on NLR and other clinical markers were collected. Rotterdam scores were calculated using CT scan findings. Patients were followed up for six months post-trauma or until death, and associations between NLR and clinical outcomes were analyzed, with significance set at P < 0.05. Among 195 patients, 130 (66%) had unfavorable outcomes at six months. Admission NLR was significantly higher in patients with unfavorable outcomes compared to those with favorable outcomes (P < 0.001). Receiver operating characteristic analysis indicated that NLR had a sensitivity of 82% and specificity of 91% at a threshold of 5.2 for predicting unfavorable outcomes. Elevated admission NLR in patients with severe TBI was linked to unfavorable six-month functional outcomes and mortality. NLR may serve as a readily accessible clinical marker for prognostication in moderate to severe TBI.

Medium-sized scientific conferences held in hotels large enough to accommodate all participants increase opportunities for constructive discussion during breaks, and for evenings that bring together young and senior experts of basic sciences and clinical specialties. Time for group discussions offer opportunities for new collaborations and for jobs for young researchers. Since 1991 the Padova Muscle Days have offered collaborative opportunities that have matured into innovative multidisciplinary results to the point that it came naturally for us to underline it with a neologism now included in the title of the 2025 event: "Mobility Medicine". It is a discipline which developed naturally when we brought together fragmented areas of knowledge into one meeting. The Padua Days on Muscle and Mobility Medicine 2025 (2025Pdm3) will be hosted at the Hotel Petrarca, Euganean Thermae (Padua, Italy) from 25 to 29 March 2025. The list of unique sessions within the included program and the following Collection of Abstracts testify that it is possible to organize valid countermeasures to the inevitable tendencies towards hyper-specialization that the explosive increase in scientific progress brings. The European Journal of Translational Myology and Mobility Medicine (Ejtm3) will accept typescripts on results presented at the 2025Pdm3. Furthermore, an additional option for publication of full original Articles or Reviews is the Special "New Trends in Musculoskeletal Imaging" of the MDPI Journal Diagnostics, because diagnosis is essential to manage and follow-up neuro- metabolic- muscular- disorder and the decay of performances in aging. We hope that many will share our dreams and we make them come true at the 2025 Pdm3 Conference.

It is well-known that swimming purposes to increase the tonic-postural control. Beyond its physiological advantages, swimming also offers an exclusive platform to explore the complex interplay between body biomechanics and posture. The specific aim of this study was to investigate the effects of main swimming styles on postural balance in young athletes. Forty-one participants, aged between 11 and 15 years old (M= 13, SD= 1.47), were recruited. The training schedule usually consisted of 2/3 h (2.4 ± 0.46) per day (five to six weekly workouts). Measures included a postural assessment to identify the presence of postural deficits and a baropodometric stabilometry to evaluate the center of pressure. Measurements were performed before T0 (baseline), after 6 months (T1), and at the end, after 12 months (T2). Beforehand, all participants undertook identification of the swimming style and pain intensity level. Results showed that Breaststroke and Butterfly athletes had clear improvements in postural balance compared to Backstroke and Freestyle athletes. In conclusion, our results suggest that a detailed knowledge of the different swimming styles plays a significant role in improving balance and postural stability in young athletes, highlighting the fundamental role of the kinesiology in sports traumatology.

The intricate relationship between gut microbiota and the brain has emerged as a pivotal area of research, particularly in understanding Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS). This complex condition is characterized by debilitating fatigue, cognitive dysfunction, and a wide array of systemic manifestations, posing significant challenges for diagnosis and treatment. Recent studies highlight the microbiota-gut-brain axis as a crucial pathway in ME/CFS pathophysiology, suggesting that alterations in gut microbial composition may impact immune responses, neurochemical signaling, and neuronal health. This narrative review systematically explores English-language scholarly articles from January 1995 to January 2025, utilizing databases such as PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science. The findings underscore the potential for targeted therapeutic interventions aimed at correcting gut dysbiosis. As research progresses, a deeper understanding of the microbiota-gut-brain connection could lead to innovative approaches for managing ME/CFS, ultimately enhancing the quality of life for affected individuals.