Objectives. To conduct a systematic review comparing the effects of Kinesio taping with McConnell taping as a method of conservative management of patients with patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS). Methods. MEDLINE, PUBMED, EMBASE, AMED, and the Cochrane Central Register of Control Trials electronic databases were searched through July 2014. Controlled studies evaluating the effects of Kinesio or McConnell taping in PFPS patients were retrieved. Results. Ninety-one articles were selected from the articles that were retrieved from the databases, and 11 articles were included in the analysis. The methods, evaluations, and results of the articles were collected, and the outcomes of patellar tapings were analyzed. Kinesio taping can reduce pain and increase the muscular flexibility of PFPS patients, and McConnell taping also had effect in pain relief and patellar alignment. Meta-analysis showed small effect in pain reduction and motor function improvement and moderate effect in muscle activity change among PFPS patients using Kinesio taping. Conclusions. Kinesio taping technique used for muscles can relieve pain but cannot change patellar alignment, unlike McConnell taping. Both patellar tapings are used differently for PFPS patients and substantially improve muscle activity, motor function, and quality of life.

Objective. Autologous fat injection laryngoplasty is ineffective for some patients with iatrogenic vocal fold paralysis, and additional laryngeal framework surgery is often required. An acoustically measurable outcome predictor for lipoinjection laryngoplasty would assist phonosurgeons in formulating treatment strategies. Methods. Seventeen thyroid surgery patients with unilateral vocal fold paralysis participated in this study. All subjects underwent lipoinjection laryngoplasty to treat postsurgery vocal hoarseness. After treatment, patients were assigned to success and failure groups on the basis of voice improvement. Linear prediction analysis was used to construct a new voice quality indicator, the number of irregular peaks (NIrrP). It compared with the measures used in the Multi-Dimensional Voice Program (MDVP), such as jitter (frequency perturbation) and shimmer (perturbation of amplitude). Results. By comparing the [i] vowel produced by patients before the lipoinjection laryngoplasty (AUC = 0.98, 95% CI = 0.78–0.99), NIrrP was shown to be a more accurate predictor of long-term surgical outcomes than jitter (AUC = 0.73, 95% CI = 0.47–0.91) and shimmer (AUC = 0.63, 95% CI = 0.37–0.85), as identified by the receiver operating characteristic curve. Conclusions. NIrrP measured using the LP model could be a more accurate outcome predictor than the parameters used in the MDVP.

BackgroundCaffeine (CAF) has been shown to improve performance during early phase of repeated sprint exercise; however some studies show that CAF also increases the magnitude of physical stress represented by augmented blood lactate, glucose, and cortisol concentrations during latter phase of repeated sprint exercise. No studies have investigated the efficacy of combined carbohydrate (CHO) and CAF consumption during repeated sprint exercise (RSE) in female athletes. Thus, the purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of CAF with CHO supplementation on RSE and agility.MethodsEleven female athletes completed four experimental trials performed 7 d apart in a double-blind, randomized, and counter-balanced crossover design. Treatments included CAF + PLA (placebo), CAF + CHO, PLA + CHO, and PLA + PLA. Participants ingested capsules containing 6 mg · kg−1 of CAF or PLA 60-min prior to RSE, and 0.8 g · kg−1 of CHO solution or PLA immediately before the RSE, which consisted of ten sets of 5 × 4-s sprints on the cycle ergometer with 20-s active recovery. The agility T-test (AT-test) was performed before and after the RSE. Blood samples were acquired to assess glucose, lactate, testosterone, and cortisol.ResultsDuring Set 6 of RSE, peak power and mean power were significantly higher in PLA + CHO than those in CAF + PLA and PLA + PLA, respectively (p < .05). Total work was significantly increased by 4.8% and 5.9% with PLA + CHO than those of CAF + CHO and CAF + PLA during Set 3. PLA + CHO also increased total work more than CAF + PLA and PLA + PLA did during Set 6 (p < .05). No significant differences in AT-test performance either before or after the RSE were occurred among treatments (p > .05). Blood lactate and glucose concentrations were significantly higher under CAF + CHO, CAF + PLA, and PLA + CHO versus PLA + PLA (p < .05), but no differences in testosterone or cortisol levels were found (p > .05).ConclusionsFindings indicate that CAF + PLA or CAF + CHO ingestion did not improve repeated sprint performance with short rest intervals or agility. However, CHO ingested immediately prior to exercise provided a small but significant benefit on RSE performance in female athletes.

The aim of this study was to compare major voice indicators in different sub-categories, the outcome of lipoinjection for patients might be refined and some voice prognostic factors could be more particularized in specific sub-groups. This is an observational study, and sub-grouped UVFP patients into 3 categories: male vs female, BMI ≥ 24 vs BMI < 24, Age ≥ 60 vs Age < 60 for more detailed exploring whether sub-categories affected voice diagnostic and prognostic parameters. Patients’ voice data is recorded before and after the autologous fat injection laryngoplasty by a multidimensional voice program. Overall, 73 patients’ voice performance were improved 12 months later by vocal fold lipoinjection. In the comparison of the male with female revealed female obtained better Jita than male by surgery (Female: 174.50 ± 100.58 Hz; Male: 294.82 ± 253.65 Hz; P < .05). BMI ≥ 24 vs BMI < 24 showed no statistical difference. Patients aged under 60 demonstrated better Highest F0, lowest F0, NHR and ShdB than elder ones 12 months after receiving vocal fold lipoinjection. Thus, Noise-to-harmonics ratio (NHR), voice turbulence index (VTI), and ShdB (Absolute shimmer, dB) may be the major post-operative evaluating markers of patients’ age under 60. Voice parameters showed no significant correlation with BMI. Female patients performed lower Jita (Absolute jitter, μsec) than male patients 1 year after receiving treatment. The experimental results in this study showed UVFP patients’ gender and age may stand as significant categories on analyzing clinical voice prognostic indicators, ShdB and Jita of autologous injection laryngoplasty.

Objectives. The aim of this study was to assess the relationships between functional movement screen (FMS), star excursion balance test (SEBT), agility T test, and vertical jump test scores and sports injury risk in junior athletes. We compared these assessments and the differences between groups with high and low risks of sports injury. Subjects and Methods. Eleven volleyball, 12 basketball, and 9 handball athletes were recruited. All participants followed the routine training in school sports teams. Weekly training schedules followed a similar pattern. The 32 junior athletes (age=16.06±0.21 years; height=167.28±6.32 cm; and body mass=68.45±9.67 kg) were assessed using the FMS, SEBT, agility T test, and vertical jump test in random order. The correlations of composite and individual item scores of these assessments were analyzed, and the differences between groups with high and low risks of sports injury were compared. Results. All participants completed the study protocol. No significant differences were observed between FMS, SEBT, agility T test, and vertical jump test scores in groups with high and low risks of sports injuries. Fair and moderate-to-good correlations were observed for anterior reach maximum of SEBT and deep squat (r=0.47, P=0.02) as well as inline lunge (r=0.53, P=0.01) of FMS. The hurdle step of FMS also exhibited moderate-to-good (r=0.52, P=0.01) and fair (r=0.42, P=0.04) correlations with posterior medial and posterior lateral reach maximum of SEBT, respectively. A fair correlation was observed between posterior lateral reach maximum of SEBT and rotary stability of FMS (r=−0.23, P=0.03). Fair and moderate-to-good correlations were identified for agility T test and maximum anterior reach in the SEBT (r=−0.42, P=0.04) and trunk stability push-up in the FMS, respectively (r=−0.57 and P=0.006). Conclusions. Junior athletes with a high risk of sports injury did not exhibit differences in terms of FMS, SEBT, and physical fitness test scores. Deep squat, hurdle step, inline lunge, and rotary stability scores in the FMS were correlated with the item scores in the SEBT, which may be due to the use of similar movement patterns. Scores for anterior reach maximum in the SEBT and trunk stability push-up in the FMS were correlated with agility T test scores, suggesting a similar task requirement of trunk stability and dynamic weight shifting ability.

AimIn this study, the effects of cigarette smoking on maximal aerobic capacity, anaerobic capacity, and heart rate variability among female university students were investigated.Materials and methodsTwelve smokers and 21 nonsmokers participated in this study. All participants performed an intermittent sprint test (IST) and a 20 m shuttle run test to measure their anaerobic capacity and maximal aerobic capacity. The IST was comprised of 6 × 10-second sprints with a 60-second active recovery between each sprint. Heart rate variability was recorded while the participants were in a supine position 20 minutes before and 30 minutes after the IST.ResultsThe total work, peak power, and heart rate of the smokers and nonsmokers did not differ significantly. However, the smokers’ average power declined significantly during sprints 4 to 6 (smokers versus nonsmokers, respectively: 95% confidence interval =6.2–7.2 joule/kg versus 6.8–7.6 joule/kg; P<0.05), and their fatigue index increased (smokers versus nonsmokers, respectively: 35.8% ± 2.3% versus 24.5% ± 1.76%; P<0.05) during the IST. The maximal oxygen uptake of nonsmokers was significantly higher than that of the smokers (P<0.05). The standard deviation of the normal to normal intervals and the root mean square successive difference did not differ significantly between nonsmokers and smokers. However, the nonsmokers exhibited a significantly higher normalized high frequency (HF), and significantly lower normalized low frequency (LF), LF/HF ratio, and natural logarithm of the LF/HF when compared with those of the smokers (P<0.05).ConclusionSmoking may increase female smokers’ exercise fatigue and decrease their average performance during an IST, while reducing their maximal aerobic capacity. Furthermore, smoking reduces parasympathetic nerve activity and activates sympathetic cardiac control.

Objectives. To examine what changes are caused in the activity of the vastus medialis oblique (VMO) and vastus lateralis (VL) at the time of sling-based exercises in patients with patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS) and compare the muscular activations in patients with PFPS among the sling-based exercises. Methods. This was a cross-over study. Sling-based open and closed kinetic knee extension and hip adduction exercises were designed for PFPS, and electromyography was applied to record maximal voluntary contraction during the exercises. The VMO and VL activations and VMO : VL ratios for the three exercises were analyzed and compared. Results. Thirty male (age = 21.19 ± 0.68 y) and 30 female (age = 21.12 ± 0.74 y) patients with PFPS were recruited. VMO activations during the sling-based open and closed kinetic knee extension exercises were significantly higher (P = 0.04 and P = 0.001) than those during hip adduction exercises and VMO : VL ratio for the sling-based closed kinetic knee extension and hip adduction exercises approximated to 1. Conclusions. The sling-based closed kinetic knee extension exercise produced the highest VMO activation. It also had an appropriate VMO : VL ratio similar to sling-based hip adduction exercise and had beneficial effects on PFPS.

Hip muscle strengthening and knee extensor strengthening are common training exercises for patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS). PFPS engendered by insufficient hip abductor and external rotator muscle strength has been of interest, but these exercise movements may increase the lateral vector force of the patella warrants clarification. So, the purpose of this study was to assess muscular activations of vastus lateralis (VL), vastus medialis oblique (VMO), and gluteus medius muscles in electromyographic analysis during hip abduction and external rotator movements and open and closed kinetic chain knee extension movements.The gluteus medius, VMO, and VL muscles, in addition to the ratio of the VL and VMO muscles, were assessed through surface electromyography in 4 movements. Each muscle's amplitude expressed as a percent of maximum voluntary contraction (MVC). The differences on MVC at the terminal joint angle and during the movements were compared.Thirty female patients with PFPS were recruited. During hip abduction and external rotation movements, the MVC of the gluteus medius muscle increased, and those of the VMO and VL muscles increased in the open and closed kinetic chain knee extension movements. The MVCs of VL in the hip abduction and external rotation movements were significantly higher than those of the VMO muscle (P < .05). The ratios of the VL and VMO muscles in the open and closed kinetic chain knee extension movements approached 1, and they were significantly higher than those in the hip abduction and external rotation movements (P < .05). The highest MVC of the VMO muscle was observed at the terminal joint angle in the closed kinetic chain knee extension movement.Selective gluteus medius muscle activation was induced during the hip abduction and external rotation movements, accompanied by an increase in VL muscle activation. In open and closed kinetic chain knee movements, the ratios of the VL and VMO muscles approached 1. More selective VMO muscle activation was induced during the closed kinetic chain knee movements.