Asymmetry in internal oblique muscle thickness: Not the key to a cricket fast bowler's performance

Purpose Previous studies found that trunk muscle asymmetry may play a role in preventing injury in cricket fast bowlers, while the association with bowling performance has not been investigated. This study aims to describe the side-to-side differences in trunk muscle thickness and determine the association between bowling performance and these side-to-side differences in trunk muscle thickness in adolescent fast bowlers. Methods In this observational cross-sectional study, bowling performance, namely ball release speed and bowling accuracy, was recorded in adolescent fast bowlers. Ultrasound imaging measured external oblique, internal oblique, transversus abdominis and lumbar multifidus muscle thickness. Results Fast bowlers (n = 46) with a mean age of 15.9 (±1.2) years participated. On the non-dominant side, the external oblique and internal oblique at rest were thicker than on the dominant side (external oblique: p = 0.011, effect size = 0.27; internal oblique: p < 0.0001, effect size = 0.40), while the transversus abdominus ( p = 0.72, effect size = 0.19) and lumbar multifidus ( p = 0.668, effect size = 0.04) were symmetrical. Weak correlations existed between bowling performance and the side-to-side differences in the thickness in all muscles, except for two moderate correlations: 1. The smaller the side-to-side difference in absolute thickness of the external oblique when contracted, the faster the ball release speed (Spearman's (ρ) = −0.455, p = 0.002). 2. Also, a smaller side-to-side difference in external oblique contraction ratio (Spearman's (ρ) = −0.495, p = 0.0001) was associated with faster ball release speed. Conclusions No relationship between bowling performance and side-to-side differences in internal oblique muscle thickness could be established, while more symmetrical external oblique muscles may be linked to faster ball release speeds.

PHARMACY CONSULTING: NEW DRUG FORMS AND NEW OPPORTUNITIES

Pain syndrome of various origins and varying intensity is the most common and leading reason for seeking medical care in the world. The main drugs for the relief of both acute and chronic pain syndrome from the 20th century to the present are non- steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). More than 30 million people worldwide receive them every day. Along with pain, other common indications for NSAIDs are fever and inflammation. All NSAIDs differ in the degree of effectiveness, form of release, speed of onset of clinical effect and dosage. That is why one of the fundamental tasks of the pharmacist, in the framework of pharmacy counseling, is to provide the patient with quality medicines and teach them how to use them rationally. With the rapid development of medical and information technologies in the modern world, the fulfillment of this task becomes more and more important, complex and responsible action. The appearance, on the pharmaceutical market innovative NSAIDs in accelerated-release dosage’s forms (for example, Ketorol® Express), makes it possible to expand the pharmacy list.

CNN-LSTM Hybrid Model for Kinematic Feature Analysis and Parabolic Radian Prediction in Basketball Videos

With the improvement of living standards around the world, people's love for sports has also increased; basketball is especially loved by people. It is of great importance to provide sound motor instruction for basketball. To this end, this paper comprehensively investigates the dependence between the optimal release conditions and the corresponding shooting arm movements in basketball players. We carry out kinematic feature analysis of basketball sports videos, propose a hybrid CNN-LSTM model that can predict the arc of the shooting parry, and identify the key movements of the arm joint that produce optimal release velocity, angle, and backspin in short-, mid-, and long-range shots. The experiment demonstrates that the model has three rigid planar links with rotational joints that mimic the shoulder, elbow, and wrist joints of the upper arm, forearm, and hand, which are better at guiding the optimal ball release speed, angle, and backspin for different players with the fastest ball speed being about 4.6 m/s and the slowest being about 1.7 m/s.

Assessment of amentoflavone loaded sub-micron particle preparation using supercritical antisolvent for its antitumor activity

Introduction: The amentoflavone (AMF) loaded polymeric sub-micron particles were prepared using supercritical antisolvent (SAS) technology with the aim of improving the anticancer activity of AMF. Materials and Methods: Zein and phospholipid mixtures composed of hydrogenated phosphatidylcholine (HPC) and egg lecithin (EPC) were used as carrier materials and, the effects of carrier composition on the product morphology and drug release behavior were investigated. When the mass ratio of Zein/HPC/EPC was 7/2/1, the AMF loaded particles were spherical shape and sub-micron sized around 400 nm, with a drug load of 4.3±0.3 w% and entrapment efficacy of 87.8±1.8%. The in vitro drug release assay showed that adding EPC in the wall materials could improve the dispersion stability of the released AMF in an aqueous medium, and the introduction of HPC could accelerate the drug release speed. Results: MTT assay demonstrated that AMF-loaded micron particles have an improved inhibitory effect on A375 cells, whose IC50 was 37.39μg/ml, compared with that of free AMF(130.2μg/ml). Conclusion: It proved that the AMF loaded sub-micron particles prepared by SAS were a prospective strategy to improve the antitumor activity of AMF, and possibly promote the clinical use of AMF preparations.

Effects of a self-training program on shooting performance and kinematics in young basketball players: a case study (Efectos de un programa de autoentrenamiento sobre el rendimiento y cinemática de tiro en jóvenes jugadores de baloncesto: un caso de estu

The current study intended to investigate the effects of a self-training program on shooting performance and kinematics of young basketball players. Fourteen male basketball players aged 16.64±.50 years, divided in control group (n=7) and experimental group (n=7), were assessed on free-throw, two-point and three-point shooting performance and on four kinematic parameters (release height, release angle, release speed and trajectory variability), before and after a five-week training program. During the five-week period, the experimental group accomplished a shooting training program that included 600 shots per week. Both groups maintained their regular basketball practice. The results show that the experimental group significantly increased their shooting performance on three-point (p<.05) and on free-throw (p<.05). Moreover, a significant decrease in three-point ball release angle (p<.05) and a significant increase in free-throw ball release height (p<.05) were observed in the experimental group, while the control group significantly increased the two-point ball release speed (p<.05). In conclusion, self-shooting basketball practice, in addition to formal practice, significantly improves shooting performance of young basketball players. In contrast, the reduced changes on the analysed kinematic parameters caused by the self-training program are most likely a consequence of the absence of external feedback during training process. Resumen. El propósito del presente estudio fue investigar los efectos de un programa de autoentrenamiento en el rendimiento y cinemática de tiro de jóvenes jugadores de baloncesto. Catorce jugadores de baloncesto masculinos, de 16.64±0.50 años, divididos en grupo de control (n=7) y grupo experimental (n=7), fueron evaluados en el rendimiento de tiro libre, de dos puntos y de tres puntos y en cuatro parámetros cinemáticos (altura de liberación, ángulo de liberación, velocidad de liberación y variabilidad de la trayectoria), antes y después de un programa de entrenamiento de cinco semanas. Durante el período de cinco semanas, el grupo experimental realizó un programa de entrenamiento de tiro que incluía 600 tiros por semana. Ambos grupos mantuvieron su práctica regular de baloncesto. Los resultados muestran que el grupo experimental aumentó significativamente su rendimiento en el tiro de tres puntos (p<.05) y en el tiro libre (p<.05). Además, se observó, en el grupo experimental, una disminución significativa del ángulo de liberación en el tiro de tres puntos (p<.05) y un aumento significativo de la altura de liberación en el tiro libre (p<.05), mientras que el grupo de control aumentó significativamente la velocidad de liberación en el tiro de dos pontos (p<.05). En conclusión, la autopráctica de tiro en baloncesto, además de la práctica formal, mejora significativamente el rendimiento de tiro de los jugadores jóvenes. Por el contrario, los cambios reducidos en los parámetros cinemáticos analizados son probablemente una consecuencia de la ausencia de corrección externa durante el proceso de autoentrenamiento.

Path filling quality analysis using concavity coefficient

The processing ability of the sorting hill depends on the sorting park, where the accumulation of wagons takes place. Changing the longitudinal profile of the sorting fleet path leads to an deposition and uncoupling of wagons due to commercial malfunctions, which increases the hill interval. One of the methods for calculating the impact of changes in the longitudinal profile of the track on the quality of the sorting system is simulation. Despite the high accuracy of this method, its implementation is quite complicated. The possibility of using the concavity coefficient of the longitudinal profile of the sorting park path to analyze the quality of its filling is considered.The developed simulation model of filling the paths of the sorting park “SortPark 2” was applied, taking into account the moving of the trailer from the place after the stop; the error in the operation of control devices and setting the release speed of the couplers from the park brake position to the path; the movement of cars in the collision with them of the next release. Studies have shown that the concavity coefficient can be used as a numerical criterion in assessing the deviation of the profile from standard values. There is a relationship between the concavity coefficient and the path fill quality index. The results can be used to assess the effectiveness of straightening the profile of the path.