Introduction and Objective: Previously, various stretching techniques were compared to study their effects on the different physiological parameters of hamstring muscles in the elderly population. There is no research that compares the immediate and long-term effects of proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation-contract–relax (PNF-CR) and static stretching (SS) techniques on knee range of motion (ROM), hamstring flexibility, and knee flexor muscle EMG activity in the elderly. This study intends to compare the same. Methods: A total of 30 males aged 55–75 years were randomly assigned into the PNF-CR group (n = 10), SS group (n = 10), and control group (n = 10). The PNF-CR group received four trials of the contract–relax technique, the SS group received passive stretching of an 80 s duration by the therapist, and the control group received no intervention. A total of 12 sessions were given during the four-week period. Knee range of motion, electromyographic activity of the biceps femoris, and the sit-and-reach test were taken for the dominant side thrice: pre-intervention, immediately after stretching, and after the training period. Results: A statistically significant difference was observed in the maximum voluntary isometric contraction (MVIC) of biceps femoris between the PNF and the control groups (p = 0.01) after four weeks of intervention. The knee ROM and hamstring flexibility for the PNF group showed significant improvement immediately post-test (p = 0.01) and after four weeks of training (p = 0.07 and p = 0.001). SS showed significant results for both ROM and flexibility after four weeks of intervention (p = 0.001), and significant immediate post-test improvements were seen for ROM only (p = 0.007). Conclusions: PNF stretching has an immediate, as well as long-term, effect on knee ROM and hamstring flexibility, whereas it has only a long-term effect on muscle electromyographic activity. SS has an immediate, as well as long-term, effect on knee ROM and only a long-term effect on hamstring flexibility, without any immediate or long-term effects on muscle electromyographic activity.

Cardiotonic steroids (CTSs) are NKA α-1 (Na ⁺ /K ⁺ -ATPase α-1) ligands that are increased in volume expanded states and associated with cardiac and renal diseases. Although initiation and resolution of inflammation is an important component of cellular injury and repair in renal disease, it is unknown whether CTS activation of NKA α-1 signaling in this setting regulates this inflammatory response. On this background, we hypothesized that CTS signaling through the NKA α-1–Src kinase complex promotes a proinflammatory response in renal epithelial and immune cells. First, we observed that the CTS telocinobufagin activated multiple proinflammatory cytokines/chemokines in renal epithelial cells, and these effects were attenuated after either NKA α-1 knockdown or with a specific inhibitor of the NKA α-1–Src kinase complex (pNaKtide). Similar findings were observed in immune cells, where we demonstrated that while telocinobufagin induced both oxidative burst and enhanced Nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells activation in macrophages ( P <0.05), the effects were abolished in NKA α-1 ^+/− macrophages or by pretreatment with pNaKtide or the Src inhibitor PP2 ( P <0.01). In a series of in vivo studies, we found that 5/6th partial nephrectomy induced significantly less oxidative stress in the remnant kidney of NKA α-1 ^+/− versus wild-type mice. Similarly, 5/6th partial nephrectomy yielded decreased levels of the urinary oxidative stress marker 8-Oxo-2′-deoxyguanosine in NKA α-1 ^+/− versus wild-type mice. Finally, we found that in vivo inhibition of the NKA α-1–Src kinase complex with pNaKtide significantly inhibited renal proinflammatory gene expression after 5/6th partial nephrectomy. These findings suggest that the NKA α-1–Src kinase complex plays a central role in regulating the renal inflammatory response induced by elevated CTS both in vitro and in vivo.

Taping is widely used in the field of rehabilitation as both a means of treatment and prevention of sports-related injuries. In recent years, the use of Kinesio tape has become increasingly popular; it can be applied to virtually any muscle or joint in the body. Kinesio tape and its strength-enhancing properties have been the focus of recent research based on the neuromuscular facilitator theory. There has been, however, inconclusive evidence to either support or refute this theory. This study investigated the immediate effect of Kinesio taping (KT) on peak torque of shoulder external rotators muscle and shoulder external and internal range of motion (ROM) in healthy individuals. This was a single-blinded, placebo-controlled, randomised trial. A total of 39 participants were randomly allocated into three groups. Two main variables were measured-peak torque of shoulder external rotation at two isokinetic speeds (60°/s and 180°/s) was measured with a Biodex isokinetic dynamometer, and shoulder rotation ROM was measured with a standard goniometer. Dependent variables were measured after the application of three different taping conditions-no taping (NT), KT, and placebo taping (PT)-on each participant with 3-day intervals. The mean peak torque at speeds of 60°/s and 180°/s demonstrated no significant difference among the three taping conditions. No significant difference in external rotation range of motion was detected among the three taping conditions. The PT condition led to a significantly smaller mean internal range of motion value than KT and PT (p <0.016). Overall, KT did not cause significant difference in shoulder external rotation peak torque, and shoulder internal and external range of motion in healthy individuals.

The expression (Estimated - Predicted)/Predicted creatinine generation {(E-P)IP} has been proposed as an index of compliance in continuous peritoneal dialysis (CPD). We attempted to define an (E-P)IP value that can be used as a cut-off for non-compliance and to characterize the relation of (E-P)IP to serum albumin. In 324 clearance studies, (E-P)/P had a normal distribution with a mean of +0.094 and an SD of 0.357. In these studies, there was a weak correlation between (E-P)/P and serum albumin (r=0.12, P<0.05), but (E-P)/P was not a predictor of serum albumin by logistic regression. In 34 CPD patients, who had an increase in the dose of CPD resulting in an increase in measured creatinine clearance from 43.8 ± 14.0 to 66.1 ± 17.6 L/1.73 m² weekly (P<0.001), (E-P)/P increased correspondingly from +0.018 ± 0.284 to +0.153 ± 0.369 (P = 0.018), although all subjects should be in a steady state of creatinine excretion in the second study. The rise in (E-P)/P was statistically significant in the subgroup of 17 subjects who had a decrease in serum albumin, but not in the subgroup of 14 subjects who had an increase in serum albumin from the first to the second clearance study. The (E-P)/P cut-off for a definitive diagnosis of CPD non-compliance may be around +0.400 or +0.500. The findings of this study suggest that non-compliance, as indicated by (E-P)/P, has an adverse effect on serum albumin and that non-compliance increases after a prescribed increase in the dose of CPD.

Injection treatment is one of the most widely used methods for the conservative management of patellar tendinopathy. The objective of this systematic review was to synthesise data from randomised control trails on the effectiveness of various injections used in the management of patellar tendinopathy. An electronic search was conducted in the Web of Science, Scopus, PubMed, and SPORTDiscus databases. To be included in the current systematic review, the study had to be an RCT conducted on human participants that investigated the effect of at least one injection treatment on the management of patellar tendinopathy. Selected studies were required to report either patient-reported outcomes or biological and clinical markers of the tendon healing. The methodological quality of the studies was appraised using the revised Cochrane risk of bias tool for RCTs (RoB 2.0). Nine RCTs on seven types of injections were included in this review, with an overall positive outcome. Pain intensity was measured in all the studies. The VISA P score was the most used outcome measure (n = 8). A wide variety of interventions were compared with injection therapy, including eccentric training, extracorporeal shockwave, and arthroscopy. It can be concluded that the injection treatments can produce promising results in the management of patellar tendinopathy. However, because of the limited number of studies and the disparities in the study populations and protocols, it is not possible to make a firm conclusion on the efficacy of these injection methods, and these results should be inferred with care.