Bed rest has a profoundly negative effect on muscle metabolism, mass, and function in middle-aged adults. Leucine supplementation may partially protect muscle health during relatively brief periods of physical inactivity. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT00968344.

Background Brief periods of physical inactivity can compromise muscle health. Increasing dietary protein intake is potentially beneficial but complicated by difficulties reconciling anabolic potential with a realistic food volume and energy intake. We sought to determine whether increasing dietary protein quality could reduce the negative effects of physical inactivity. Methods Twenty healthy, older men and women completed 7 days of bed rest followed by 5 days of rehabilitation. Volunteers consumed a mixed macronutrient diet (MIXED: N = 10; 68 ± 2 years; 1,722 ± 29 kcal/day; 0.97 ± 0.01 g protein/kg/day) or an isoenergetic, whey-augmented, higher protein quality diet (WHEY: N = 10; 69 ± 1 years; 1,706 ± 23 kcal/day; 0.90 ± 0.01 g protein/kg/day). Outcomes included body composition, blood glucose, insulin, and a battery of physical function tests. Results During bed rest, both groups experienced a 20% reduction in knee extension peak torque (p < .05). The WHEY diet partially protected leg lean mass (−1,035 vs. −680 ± 138 g, MIXED vs. WHEY; p = .08) and contributed to a greater loss of body fat (−90 vs. −233 ± 152 g, MIXED vs. WHEY; p < .05). Following rehabilitation, knee extension peak torque in the WHEY group fully recovered (−10.0 vs. 2.2 ± 4.1 Nm, MIXED vs. WHEY; p = .05). Blood glucose, insulin, aerobic capacity, and Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB) changes were similar in both dietary conditions (p > .05). Conclusions Improving protein quality without increasing total energy intake has the potential to partially counter some of the negative effects of bed rest in older adults.

Introduction. High incidences of mental health issues in the undergraduate and graduate students are reported nationwide. The purpose of this study was to assess the Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) students' depression, anxiety, and stress levels using the 21-item Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS-21) to investigate how mental and physical behaviors correlate with DPT students' mental health and to identify the coping strategies of DPT students to guide the intervention strategies of PT programs. Methods. A 49-item survey with demographic questions and 3 open-ended questions was developed to assess the students' mental and health behaviors. The DASS-21 was imbedded in the survey. Email invitations to 136 DPT students from one DPT program in the Southwestern region of the United States resulted in 59 responses. Results. Most students had normal DASS-21 scores for stress (66%), anxiety (64%), and depression (73%). However, only 46% had normal ranges for all 3 scales and a concerning number of students scored in the moderate and severe ranges for stress (19%), anxiety (25%), depression (12%), and previous suicide ideation (7%). No correlation was found between the DASS-21 scores and the gender or relationship status. No significant difference was found between the years in the program in the subscores of stress (P = .189), anxiety (P = .095), or depression (P = .149). All subscores of the DASS-21 were inversely correlated with hours of sleep: stress (r = −0.317, P = .014), anxiety (r = −0.467, P ≤ .005), and depression (r = −0.310, P = .017). Depression subscores were associated with lower frequency of aerobic (r = −0.335, P = .01) and strengthening exercises (r = −0.259, P = .049). Discussion and Conclusions. Physical therapist education programs should address the mental health issues of students by providing education on how to incorporate active positive coping strategies into their very busy lives. Students in this study are aware of healthy physical and mental strategies but do not use them consistently.

Responses to questionnaires were received from 31 owners of horses or ponies treated for chronic grass sickness (dysautonomia). Contrary to previous opinions the respondents indicated that the majority of the animals were capable of strenuous work, had regained the weight they had lost and, apart from a few residual problems such as difficulty in coping with dry fibrous food, had returned to a normal life. They had recovered slowly and had involved the owners in considerable extra work, but all the owners indicated that they considered the effort to have been worthwhile.

The results indicate that the Metrecom provides reliable length measurements (distance between two points) on inanimate objects and that two different test modes produce consistent measurements. Further study of the validity and reliability of length measurements obtained with the Metrecom on humans under applied conditions is needed before the results of this study can be generalized to applied settings.

The purpose of this investigation was to examine the intrasession and interrater reliability of rehabilitative ultrasound imaging (RUSI) to measure the deep neck flexors (DNF). Two investigators traced the DNF muscle borders in eight female subjects aged 33 ± 11.2 years. Of the eight subjects, five subjects reported a greater than 6-month history of neck pain, and three subjects were asymptomatic healthy controls. Cross-sectional area (CSA) (cm(2)) of right and left muscle groups were calculated. The intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) for CSA measures were 0.67 (95% CI: 0.27-0.87) for rater 1 with a standard error of measurement (SEM) of 0.06 cm(2); 0.87 (95% CI: 0.65-0.96) for rater 2 with an SEM of 0.09 cm(2); and 0.68 (95% CI: 0.44-0.87) for interrater reliability between rater 1 and rater 2 with an SEM of 0.11 cm(2). The mean difference between CSA (cm(2)) measures were 0.00 ± 0.10 cm(2) for rater 1 and 0.09 ± 0.13 cm(2) for rater 2. The mean differences for CSA were 0.04 ± 0.12 cm(2). This pilot investigation suggests that RUSI could be used to reliably assess the size of the deep neck flexors.

Introduction. Entry-level Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) programs in the United States (US) have developed admission criteria (AC) to identify applicants most capable of program success; however, there is little evidence to support these criteria. The purpose of this study was to 1) gather data on the use and weighting of AC, 2) explore the perceptions of the value of AC, 3) explore a possible discrepancy between the use of AC and their perceived value, 4) determine whether differences in AC exist between programs with higher versus lower licensure pass rates, higher versus lower student retention rates, and across geographic regions in the US. Subjects. All DPT programs (N = 218) in the US accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Physical Therapy Education were eligible for recruitment in this study. The survey was completed by a program director, an admission committee chair, or a faculty member familiar with the program's admission process. Of the 218 programs invited to complete the survey, 73 responded with a response rate of 33.5%. Methods. An anonymous, 30-item survey was used for data collection. Descriptive and comparative statistical methods were used on the data as a whole and by subgroups. Results. Undergraduate overall grade point average (GPA), math/science GPA, or verbal and quantitative Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores were weighted heavily in admission decisions. The personal essay, volunteer hours, and letters of recommendation were not considered predictive of program success. There were significant differences in the proportion of programs that use the verbal and quantitative GRE scores when subdivided by licensure pass rate, either ≥95% or <95% (P = .005 and P = .049, respectively). There were no proportional differences in the utilization or weighting of criteria when programs were divided by student retention rate, either ≥95% or <95%. Geographic differences were found in the use and weighting of AC when comparing the West region with other parts of the US. Conclusion. Previous literature suggests that undergraduate GPA is the best predictor of success in a DPT program; however, this study found no significant differences between the use or weight given to the GPA on licensure examination pass rates or student retention rates. Programs may wish to reconsider requiring a number of criteria that were not weighted heavily or considered to be a top predictor of success in a DPT program, particularly those criteria that are resource intensive.

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