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The purpose of this study was to investigate the specificity of the effects of massage (petrissage) on spinal motoneuron excitability as measured by changes in the peak-to-peak amplitude of H-reflex recordings. H-reflexes (and M-responses) were recorded from the distal aspects of the right triceps surae muscle of 8 men and 8 women, aged 20 to 37 years, with no neuromuscular impairments of the lower extremities. The H-reflexes were recorded during five control and four experimental conditions (20 trials at each condition). The control conditions (C1-C5) preceded and followed each experimental condition, providing a measure of the stability of the H-reflex. Each experimental condition consisted of a 4-minute period of massage of the ipsilateral and contralateral triceps surae and hamstring muscle groups (ITS, CTS, IHS, and CHS, respectively). The mean peak-to-peak amplitude of the H-reflex was found to be stable (range = 1.91-1.95 mV) across the five control conditions. H-reflex amplitudes recorded during the experimental conditions indicate that massage of the ITS resulted in a reduction of the H-reflex (0.83 mV) in comparison with the pretest control condition (C1) and the remaining experimental conditions (range = 1.77-2.23 mV). This difference was significant, and subsequent Newman-Keuls tests indicated a specificity of the effects of massage on the muscle group being massaged. [Sullivan SJ, Williams LRT, Seaborne DE, Morelli M. Effects of massage on alpha motoneuron excitability.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of massage on neuromuscular excitability, as measured by changes in Hoffmann reflex (H-reflex) amplitudes. Nine healthy subjects (= 25.2 years; 2 males, 7 females), with no history of neurological disease, participated in the study. H-reflexes were elicited from the right soleus muscle by delivering square wave impulses (Grass S48 stimulator) of 1 msec duration to the posterior tibial nerve of the same leg. H-reflex peak to peak amplitudes were measured at 10 sec intervals, and a total of 10 recordings were made during each of five separate conditions (C1, C2, MASS, C3, and C4). Two pretreatment control (C1 and C2) conditions, separated by a 5-minute pause in the recordings, were immediately followed by the massage condition (MASS). H-reflex recordings were also made during the first 2 minutes of a 3-minute massage application to the right triceps surae muscle group. One post-treatment control (C3) condition was introduced immediately following the termination of the massage, and a second (C4) after a 5 minute delay. A one-way repeated measures analysis of variance revealed a significant difference among conditions (F4,32 = 32.26, p < 0.01) for individual means. Newman Keuls post hoc procedures for pair-wise comparisons revealed that all massage-control pairings were statistically different (p < 0.01). No other pairings (control-control) were significantly different. A 71% decrease in H-reflex amplitudes was observed during the massage, followed by a return to baseline levels immediately following the termination of the massage. These results suggest the use of massage as an alternative to other therapeutic modalities such as passive muscle stretching and tendon pressure to decrease spinal motoneuron excitability. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther 1990;12(2):55-59.

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C-peptide was associated with cardiovascular mortality independently of known diabetes status in a cohort of patients with chronic atherosclerotic disease. Future studies using C-peptide into a reclassification approach might be undertaken to consider its potential as a cardiovascular disease biomarker.

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Equinus deformity of the foot is a common feature of hemiplegia, which impairs the gait pattern of patients. The aim of the present study was to explore the role of ankle-foot deformity in gait impairment. A hierarchical cluster analysis was used to classify the gait patterns of 49 chronic hemiplegic patients with equinus deformity of the foot, based on temporal-distance parameters and joint kinematic measures obtained by an innovative protocol for motion assessment in the sagittal, frontal, and transverse planes, synthesized by parametrical analysis. Cluster analysis identified five subgroups of patients with homogenous levels of dysfunction during gait. Specific joint kinematic abnormalities were found, according to the speed of progression in each cluster. Patients with faster walking were those with less ankle-foot complex impairment or with reduced range of motion of ankle-foot complex, that is with a stiff ankle-foot complex. Slow walking was typical of patients with ankle-foot complex instability (i.e., larger motion in all the planes), severe equinus and hip internal rotation pattern, and patients with hip external rotation pattern. Clustering of gait patterns in these patients is helpful for a better understanding of dysfunction during gait and delivering more targeted treatment.

O objetivo deste estudo foi analisar o perfil morfológico de culturistas brasileiros de elite que competiram no XXVII Campeonato Brasileiro de Culturismo-Musculação. Um total de 28 atletas (27,0 ± 7,4 anos; 78,2 ± 8,7kg; 170,1 ± 6,9cm), do sexo masculino, foram voluntariamente estudados. Medidas antropométricas (massa corporal, estatura, espessura de dobras cutâneas, perímetros e diâmetros) foram coletadas de todos os sujeitos no período da manhã, no dia da competição. Os valores estimados da composição corporal dos atletas foram os seguintes: gordura corporal relativa, 5,8 ± 0,5%; massa corporal magra, 73,6 ± 8,2kg; massa muscular, 54,3 ± 6,7kg; área muscular do braço, 108,51 ± 15,19cm². Por outro lado, o somatótipo médio encontrado foi: endomorfia, 1,11 ± 0,29; mesomorfia, 8,26 ± 0,67; ectomorfia, 0,95 ± 0,53 (mesomorfo balanceado). Além de os culturistas apresentarem elevados níveis de desenvolvimento muscular (~70%) e baixos depósitos de gordura corporal, verificou-se uniformidade nos acúmulos de gordura localizada. A predominância do componente mesomorfo confirmou a estrutura muscular acentuadamente desenvolvida encontrada nos atletas investigados. Portanto, os resultados do presente estudo demonstram que atletas de culturismo de elite apresentam no dia da competição grande volume muscular, bem como excelente definição muscular, proporcionalidade e simetria.