Locomotor Systems Research Articles

Anisotropic x-ray scattering and orientation fields in cardiac tissue cells

X-ray diffraction from biomolecular assemblies is a powerful technique which can provide structural information about complex architectures such as the locomotor systems underlying muscle contraction. However, in its conventional form, macromolecular diffraction averages over large ensembles. Progress in x-ray optics has now enabled to probe structures on sub-cellular scales, with the beam confined to a distinct organelle. Here, we use scanning small angle x-ray scattering (scanning SAXS) to probe the diffraction from cytoskeleton networks in cardiac tissue cells. In particular, we focus on actin-myosin composites, which we identify as the dominating contribution to the anisotropic diffraction patterns, by correlation with optical fluorescence microscopy. To this end, we use a principal component analysis approach to quantify direction, degree of orientation, nematic order, and the second moment of the scattering distribution in each scan point. We compare the fiber orientation from micrographs of fluorescently labeled actin fibers to the structure orientation of the x-ray dataset and thus correlate signals of two different measurements: the native electron density distribution of the local probing area versus specifically labeled constituents of the sample. Further, we develop a robust and automated fitting approach based on a power law expansion, in order to describe the local structure factor in each scan point over a broad range of the momentum transfer . Finally, we demonstrate how the methodology shown for freeze dried cells in the first part of the paper can be translated to alive cell recordings.

Skin Manifestations Associated with Brucellosis

Brucellosis is a zoonotic infectious disease of worldwide distribution and is still endemic in some developing countries. Brucellosis is a systemic disease in which any organ or system of the body can be involved. The most commonly affected systems are the locomotor, gastrointestinal, genitourinary, haematological, cardiovascular, respiratory, and central nervous systems. Cutaneous manifestations are rare in brucellosis and the lesions are not specific to the disease. Skin involvement is reported to range between 0.4% and 17.0% of the patients with brucellosis. The cutaneous manifestations in brucellosis are seen because of the direct inoculation of bacteria into the skin, hypersensitivity phenomena, deposition of immune complexes in the skin, and invasion of the skin via a haematogenous route of spread of the micro-organism. Papulonodular and maculopapular eruptions, and erythema nodosum-like lesions are the most frequently encountered cutaneous lesions in brucellosis. Brucellosis should be kept in mind by clinicians in the diagnosis of patients with complaints of fever and eruptions, especially in endemic regions.

HEALTH STATUS OF ATHLETES ENGAGED IN PLAYING KINDS OF SPORT BY RESULTS OF MEDICAL EXAMINATION

Introduction. A high level of physical, psychoemotional and social load in conditions of modern sport negatively influences the health of young athletes and can cause the development of somatic pathology. When planning sport activity, it is necessary to pay attention to serious medical examination, aimed at early diagnosis and prevention of diseases and injuries. Aim. To study health and functional status of young athletes, who are engaged in playing kinds of sport and not observed in the structure of medical and physical culture dispensary. Materials and methods. Sixty eight young athletes from the city of Perm (aged 12,8 ± 3,2 years); 47 men and 21 women engaged in the following kinds of sport: basketball, ice hockey, volleyball. Results. Harmonic physical development was detected in 55 athletes (80,8 %), disharmonic physical development - in 13 athletes (19,2 %). Associated pathology was not revealed in 11 athletes (16,1 %), pathology was available in 57 (83,8 %) athletes. Two and more nosological forms of chronic diseases per one athlete were registered in 57,3 % (39 athletes) of cases. Conclusions. High incidence rate of diseases is observed among young athletes, who are engaged in playing kinds of sport and not observed in the structure of medical and physical culture dispensary. In the structure of young athletes’ diseases there prevail pathologies of locomotor, cardiovascular and nervous systems.

Mechanical properties of striped bass fish skin: Evidence of an exotendon function of the stratum compactum

Teleost fish skin is a multifunctional natural material with high penetration resistance owing to specialized puncture mechanisms of both the individual scale and the intact scaled integument. In this paper, we explore the possible additional role of the skin in fish undulatory locomotion by examining the structural and mechanical properties of the dermal stratum (s.) compactum layer of striped bass (Morone saxatilis) skin. The structure, mechanical response and function of s. compactum was investigated by combining several methods: optical microscopy and histology, tensile tests on descaled skin specimens in different anatomical locations and orientations, puncture tests, and flexural tests on whole fish with disruption of the s. compactum. Local histological features of the s. compactum, such as collagen fiber angle and degree of crimping, were shown to explain corresponding patterns determined for the tensile properties of the skin along the long axis of the fish, including changes in stiffness, strength and locking strain at stiffening. The fish bending tests demonstrated a tendon-like response of the whole fish and a significant contribution of the s. compactum to the flexural stiffness of the fish. Collectively, the findings show that the s. compactum is a strong tissue with a tendon-like nonlinear response, and which provides an appreciable mechanical protection against sharp puncture and lacerations. Our results also support the theory of an exotendon function of the s. compactum in teleost fish skin. These findings may inspire the design of new multifunctional protective and locomotory systems for a variety of engineering applications.

A Bigger Picture: Organismal Function at the Nexus of Development, Ecology, and Evolution: An Introduction to the Symposium.

Over the past 40 years of research, two perspectives have dominated the study of ecomorphology at ontogenetic and evolutionary timescales. For key anatomical complexes (e.g., feeding apparatus, locomotor systems, sensory structures), morphological changes during ontogeny are often interpreted in functional terms and linked to their putative importance for fitness. Across larger timescales, morphological transformations in these complexes are examined through character stability or mutability during cladogenesis. Because the fittest organisms must pass through ontogenetic changes in size and shape, addressing transformations in morphology at different time scales, from life histories to macroevolution, has the potential to illuminate major factors contributing to phenotypic diversity. To date, most studies have relied on the assumption that organismal form is tightly constrained by the adult niche. Although this could be accurate for organisms that rapidly reach and spend a substantial portion of their life history at the adult phenotype (e.g., birds, mammals), it may not always hold true for species that experience substantial growth after one or more major fitness filters during their ontogeny (e.g., some fishes, reptiles). In such circumstances, examining the adult phenotype as the primary result of selective processes may be erroneous as it likely obscures the developmental configuration of morphology that was most critical to early survival. Given this discrepancy-and its potential to mislead interpretations of how selection may shape a taxon's phenotype-this symposium addresses the question: how do we identify such ontogenetic "inertia," and how do we integrate developmental information into our phylogenetic, ecological, and functional interpretations of complex phenotypes?

Similarities and Differences for Swimming in Larval and Adult Lampreys.

The spinal locomotor networks controlling swimming behavior in larval and adult lampreys may have some important differences. As an initial step in comparing the locomotor systems in lampreys, in larval animals the relative timing of locomotor movements and muscle burst activity were determined and compared to those previously published for adults. In addition, the kinematics for free swimming in larval and adult lampreys was compared in detail for the first time. First, for swimming in larval animals, the neuromechanical phase lag between the onsets or terminations of muscle burst activity and maximum concave curvature of the body increased with increasing distance along the body, similar to that previously shown in adults. Second, in larval lampreys, but not adults, absolute swimming speed (U; mm s(-1)) increased with animal length (L). In contrast, normalized swimming speed (U'; body lengths [bl] s(-1)) did not increase with L in larval or adult animals. In both larval and adult lampreys, U' and normalized wave speed (V') increased with increasing tail-beat frequency. Wavelength and mechanical phase lag did not vary significantly with tail-beat frequency but were significantly different in larval and adult animals. Swimming in larval animals was characterized by a smaller U/V ratio, Froude efficiency, and Strouhal number than in adults, suggesting less efficient swimming for larval animals. In addition, during swimming in larval lampreys, normalized lateral head movements were larger and normalized lateral tail movements were smaller than for adults. Finally, larval animals had proportionally smaller lateral surface areas of the caudal body and fin areas than adults. These differences are well suited for larval sea lampreys that spend most of the time buried in mud/sand, in which swimming efficiency is not critical, compared to adults that would experience significant selection pressure to evolve higher-efficiency swimming to catch up to and attach to fish for feeding as well as engage in long-distance migration during spawning. Finally, the differences in swim efficiency for larval and adult lampreys are compared to other animals employing the anguilliform mode of swimming.

Adaptive plasticity of spino-extraocular motor coupling during locomotion in metamorphosing Xenopus laevis.

During swimming in the amphibian ITALIC! Xenopus laevis, efference copies of rhythmic locomotor commands produced by the spinal central pattern generator (CPG) can drive extraocular motor output appropriate for producing image-stabilizing eye movements to offset the disruptive effects of self-motion. During metamorphosis, ITALIC! X. laevisremodels its locomotor strategy from larval tail-based undulatory movements to bilaterally synchronous hindlimb kicking in the adult. This change in propulsive mode results in head/body motion with entirely different dynamics, necessitating a concomitant switch in compensatory ocular movements from conjugate left-right rotations to non-conjugate convergence during the linear forward acceleration produced during each kick cycle. Here, using semi-intact or isolated brainstem/spinal cord preparations at intermediate metamorphic stages, we monitored bilateral eye motion along with extraocular, spinal axial and limb motor nerve activity during episodes of spontaneous fictive swimming. Our results show a progressive transition in spinal efference copy control of extraocular motor output that remains adapted to offsetting visual disturbances during the combinatorial expression of bimodal propulsion when functional larval and adult locomotor systems co-exist within the same animal. In stages at metamorphic climax, spino-extraocular motor coupling, which previously derived from axial locomotor circuitry alone, can originate from both axial and ITALIC! de novohindlimb CPGs, although the latter's influence becomes progressively more dominant and eventually exclusive as metamorphosis terminates with tail resorption. Thus, adaptive interactions between locomotor and extraocular motor circuitry allows CPG-driven efference copy signaling to continuously match the changing spatio-temporal requirements for visual image stabilization throughout the transitional period when one propulsive mechanism emerges and replaces another.

The Human Body and Modern Harms – Itinerant Anatomy Museum (IAM)

INTRODUCTIONTechnological evolution allowed countless benefits for modern society, despite it's mischiefs to health. Thus, the Itinerant Anatomy Museum (IAM), which introduces elementary and middle school students and teachers, as well as disabled and blind people to anatomical models and plastinated body parts, promotes an innovative education, to create a better knowledge on the human body and aware people about the harms that modern habits and contemporary behaviors cause to the organism. Our goal was to cover different contents in order to help understanding human body organization and function, and matching them to Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STD), early pregnancy and contraception, legal and illegal drugs, latter‐day habits, locomotor, circulatory and nervous systems and senses alterations, due to harmful modern habits.MATERIALS AND METHODSThis project covers ten visits to two public schools in Salvador, Bahia State, Brazil. The IAMs were done in two steps: lecture followed by correlated anatomical models exposition. At first, a pre‐test containing 10 questions was given to the ones above 18 years old which signed the informed consent; after, a lecture was ministered and then a post‐test containing the first 10 and 5 new questions. The anatomical models exposition comprised plastinated body parts and anatomical teaching aids related to the IAM's topic. Three IAM editions were done so far: the first IAM's topics were STD, early pregnancy and contraception, the second were legal and illegal drugs and the third was latter‐day habits.RESULTSIAM overcame its initial purpose of spreading the scientific knowledge, through inclusive education and by presenting the students a new way to learn about STD, drugs and latter‐day habits. A mean of 17 students answered the pre‐tests during the first, second and third IAM's editions, obtaining a mean of 61.9%, 64.3% and 75.7% in each, respectively, with a worse result on topics of female reproductive system, AIDS/HIV infection; harms of cigarette, weed and alcohol; and use of mobile phone and presbyopia. A mean of 15 students answered the post‐tests during the first, second and third IAM's editions, achieving a mean of 70.5%, 66.3% and 79.3% in each, respectively, with a worse result on topics of anatomy and significantly improved on STD and pregnancy prevention; had worse results on the effects of cocaine but improved on the effects of alcohol abuse; were worse on harms of computer use and had a remarkable improvement on recommended use for the computer keyboard.CONCLUSIONThe tests revealed that entertaining, didactic teaching methods, when adequate to teenagers’ age bracket, are effective in enriching knowledge and suggesting positive behavioural changes. Thus, perceiving anatomy through plastinated body parts and resin anatomical models made it easier to realize how risky behaviours impact in humans lives. IAM's visits value can be assigned to the facilitators’ age group to be similar to the students’ one; but also the curiosity about the novelty anatomical models exposition.Support or Funding InformationSupported by PROEXT MEC 2015 ‐ ProEXT Número: 4336.2.554.22042014 and FAPESB Edital 28/2012 ‐ Pedido 70/2013

Paradoxical acclimation responses in the thermal performance of insect immunity.

Winter is accompanied by multiple stressors, and the interactions between cold and pathogen stress potentially determine the overwintering success of insects. Thus, it is necessary to explore the thermal performance of the insect immune system. We cold-acclimated spring field crickets, Gryllus veletis, to 6 °C for 7 days and measured the thermal performance of potential (lysozyme and phenoloxidase activity) and realised (bacterial clearance and melanisation) immune responses. Cold acclimation decreased the critical thermal minimum from -0.5 ± 0.25 to -2.1 ± 0.18 °C, and chill coma recovery time after 72 h at -2 °C from 16.8 ± 4.9 to 5.2 ± 2.0 min. Measures of both potential and realised immunity followed a typical thermal performance curve, decreasing with decreasing temperature. However, cold acclimation further decreased realised immunity at low, but not high, temperatures; effectively, immune activity became paradoxically specialised to higher temperatures. Thus, cold acclimation induced mismatched thermal responses between locomotor and immune systems, as well as within the immune system itself. We conclude that cold acclimation in insects appears to preferentially improve cold tolerance over whole-animal immune performance at low temperatures, and that the differential thermal performance of physiological responses to multiple pressures must be considered when predicting ectotherms' response to climate change.

Noninvasive method to control the human spinal locomotor systems

The mechanism of interactions between receptor activation in the musculoskeletal system and stimulation of the spinal cord in the regulation of locomotor behavior was studied in healthy subjects. Afferent stimulation was tested for effect on the patterns of stepping movements induced by percutaneous stimulation of the spinal cord. A combination of percutaneous spinal cord stimulation and vibratory stimulation was shown to increase the amplitude of leg movements. It was demonstrated that vibratory stimulation of limb muscles at a frequency of less than 30 Hz can be used to control involuntary movements elicited by noninvasive stimulation of the spinal cord.

Adult Neurogenic and Antidepressant Effects of Adiponectin: A Potential Replacement for Exercise?

Physical exercise has long been recognized to benefit locomotor and cardiovascular systems. Although an increasing body of evidence also suggests it to be an effective non-medicinal remedy for mental disorders such as depression, the underlying mechanisms remain elusive. A recent study has demonstrated that increases of the adipocyte-secreted hormone adiponectin in the central nervous system following exercise may be responsible for these neuropsychological changes, including enhanced generation of neurons in the adult hippocampus, as well as mitigation of depressive severity. The present review introduces the previously-reported functions of adult hippocampal neurogenesis and adiponectin, and discusses the potential relevance of adiponectin signaling in exercise-induced neural changes. Revealing these novel biological effects of adiponectin in the brain may help hunt reliable biomarkers to better guide the anti-depressive therapy with exercise intervention; meanwhile, pharmaceutical agents that raise endogenous levels of adiponectin or mimic its biological effects might serve as a replacement for physical exercise.

Neurofibromatosis And The Lung : An Interesting Case

Neurofibromatosis is an inherited disease, having a predilection for tumour formation. [1] These diseases were previously referred to as “phakomatoses” or neurocutaneous syndromes. The clinical spectrum of these diseases usually involves the nervous, locomotor and cutaneous systems. However the involvement of the nervous system is very dangerous, and is often the leading cause of mortality in this condition. It disturbs cell growth in the nervous system which leads to the formation of tumours, either malignant or benign, on nerve tissue. The involvement of the respiratory system in these patients is very rare. We present an interesting case of a patient with neurofibromatosis induced diffuse parenchymal lung disease.

Low doses of ivermectin cause sensory and locomotor disorders in dung beetles.

Ivermectin is a veterinary pharmaceutical generally used to control the ecto- and endoparasites of livestock, but its use has resulted in adverse effects on coprophilous insects, causing population decline and biodiversity loss. There is currently no information regarding the direct effects of ivermectin on dung beetle physiology and behaviour. Here, based on electroantennography and spontaneous muscle force tests, we show sub-lethal disorders caused by ivermectin in sensory and locomotor systems of Scarabaeus cicatricosus, a key dung beetle species in Mediterranean ecosystems. Our findings show that ivermectin decreases the olfactory and locomotor capacity of dung beetles, preventing them from performing basic biological activities. These effects are observed at concentrations lower than those usually measured in the dung of treated livestock. Taking into account that ivermectin acts on both glutamate-gated and GABA-gated chloride ion channels of nerve and muscle cells, we predict that ivermectin’s effects at the physiological level could influence many members of the dung pat community. The results indicate that the decline of dung beetle populations could be related to the harmful effects of chemical contamination in the dung.

Ultrastructure of dragonfly wing veins: composite structure of fibrous material supplemented by resilin.

Dragonflies count among the most skilful of the flying insects. Their exceptional aerodynamic performance has been the subject of various studies. Morphological and kinematic investigations have showed that dragonfly wings, though being rather stiff, are able to undergo passive deformation during flight, thereby improving the aerodynamic performance. Resilin, a rubber-like protein, has been suggested to be a key component in insect wing flexibility and deformation in response to aerodynamic loads, and has been reported in various arthropod locomotor systems. It has already been found in wing vein joints, connecting longitudinal veins to cross veins, and was shown to endow the dragonfly wing with chordwise flexibility, thereby most likely influencing the dragonfly's flight performance. The present study revealed that resilin is not only present in wing vein joints, but also in the internal cuticle layers of veins in wings of Sympetrum vulgatum (SV) and Matrona basilaris basilaris (MBB). Combined with other structural features of wing veins, such as number and thickness of cuticle layers, material composition, and cross-sectional shape, resilin most probably has an effect on the vein's material properties and the degree of elastic deformations. In order to elucidate the wing vein ultrastructure and the exact localisation of resilin in the internal layers of the vein cuticle, the approaches of bright-field light microscopy, wide-field fluorescence microscopy, confocal laser-scanning microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy were combined. Wing veins were shown to consist of up to six different cuticle layers and a single row of underlying epidermal cells. In wing veins of MBB, the latter are densely packed with light-scattering spheres, previously shown to produce structural colours in the form of quasiordered arrays. Longitudinal and cross veins differ significantly in relative thickness of exo- and endocuticle, with cross veins showing a much thicker exocuticle. The presence of resilin in the unsclerotised endocuticle suggests its contribution to an increased energy storage and material flexibility, thus to the prevention of vein damage. This is especially important in the highly stressed longitudinal veins, which have much lower possibility to yield to applied loads with the aid of vein joints, as the cross veins do. These results may be relevant not only for biologists, but may also contribute to optimise the design of micro-air vehicles.

Investigating cardiolocomotor synchronization during running in trained and untrained males

Introduction This study aims at investigating the coupling of the cardiac and locomotor systems during running in trained and untrained males. Methods Sixteen healthy young males subjects were submitted to an anthropometric evaluation, followed by a treadmill test at 70% to 75% of heart rate reserve. Based on the average velocity, they were divided into two groups of eight, trained group (TG) and untrained group (UT). The electrocardiogram and the electromyogram of the vastus lateralis muscle of the right thigh were digitized at a sampling rate of 1000 Hz, and processed off-line. Each cardiac and electromyographic cycle was detected to further investigate the coupling between cardiac and running rates in time domain, using the cross-correlation, and in the frequency domain, using a phase synchronization measure based on the Hilbert transform. A Shannon entropy index and magnitude squared coherence were also applied to improve analysis. Results Both groups presented low cross-correlation (0.18 ± 0.07 TG and 0.15 ± 0.08 UG) values between these signals, and only four from 16 subjects presented short epochs of phase synchronization (4.1 ± 8.6% TG and 3.2±7.3% UG) between signals, occurring at a low frequency band and random phase differences. The low to moderate coherence (0.67 ± 0.16 TG and 0.64 ± 0.16 UG) observed at 0.1 Hz appears to be an effect of the simultaneous action of sympathetic system over both cardiac and muscular rhythms. Conclusion The combined results suggest that the chosen exercise protocol was not able to cause cardiolocomotor synchronization.

Identification of a vertical hopping robot model via harmonic transfer functions

A common approach to understanding and controlling robotic legged locomotion is the construction and analysis of simplified mathematical models that capture essential features of locomotor behaviours. However, the representational power of such simple mathematical models is inevitably limited due to the non-linear and complex nature of biological locomotor systems. Attempting to identify and explicitly incorporate key non-linearities into the model is challenging, increases complexity, and decreases the analytic utility of the resulting models. In this paper, we adopt a data-driven approach, with the goal of furnishing an input–output representation of a locomotor system. Our method is based on approximating the hybrid dynamics of a legged locomotion model around its limit cycle as a Linear Time Periodic (LTP) system. Perturbing inputs to the locomotor system with small chirp signals yield the input–output data necessary for the application of LTP system identification techniques, allowing us to estimate harmonic transfer functions (HTFs) associated with the local LTP approximation to the system dynamics around the limit cycle. We compare actual system responses with responses predicted by the HTF, providing evidence that data-driven system identification methods can be used to construct models for locomotor behaviours.

Divergent cardio-ventilatory and locomotor effects of centrally and peripherally administered urotensin II and urotensin II-related peptides in trout.

The urotensin II (UII) gene family consists of four paralogous genes called UII, UII-related peptide (URP), URP1 and URP2. UII and URP peptides exhibit the same cyclic hexapeptide core sequence (CFWKYC) while the N- and C-terminal regions are variable. UII, URP1, and URP2 mRNAs are differentially expressed within the central nervous system of teleost fishes, suggesting that they may exert distinct functions. Although the cardiovascular, ventilatory and locomotor effects of UII have been described in teleosts, much less is known regarding the physiological actions of URPs. The goal of the present study was to compare the central and peripheral actions of picomolar doses (5–500 pmol) of trout UII, URP1, and URP2 on cardio-ventilatory variables and locomotor activity in the unanesthetized trout. Compared to vehicle, intracerebroventricular injection of UII, URP1 and URP2 evoked a gradual increase in total ventilation (VTOT) reaching statistical significance for doses of 50 and 500 pmol of UII and URP1 but for only 500 pmol of URP2. In addition, UII, URP1 and URP2 provoked an elevation of dorsal aortic blood pressure (PDA) accompanied with tachycardia. All peptides caused an increase in locomotor activity (ACT), at a threshold dose of 5 pmol for UII and URP1, and 50 pmol for URP2. After intra-arterial (IA) injection, and in contrast to their central effects, only the highest dose of UII and URP1 significantly elevated VTOT and ACT. UII produced a dose-dependent hypertensive effect with concomitant bradycardia while URP1 increased PDA and heart rate after injection of only the highest dose of peptide. URP2 did not evoke any cardio-ventilatory or locomotor effect after IA injection. Collectively, these findings support the hypothesis that endogenous UII, URP1 and URP2 in the trout brain may act as neurotransmitters and/or neuromodulators acting synergistically or differentially to control the cardio-respiratory and locomotor systems. In the periphery, the only physiological actions of these peptides might be those related to the well-known cardiovascular regulatory actions of UII. It remains to determine whether the observed divergent physiological effects of UII and URPs are due to differential interaction with the UT receptor or binding to distinct UT subtypes.

Физиологическое значение различных колебаний и ритмов (обзор литературы)

The review highlights the issues of functioning of self-oscillating systems in the human body, the importance of resonance in the life, the conformity physiological parameters to the principles of fractals, the Golden section and Fibonacci dependencies. The authors described natural and forced vibrations. Conjugation biosphere Schumann resonance with the functioning of organs and body systems, in particular, the normalization of melatonin-serotonin balance is demonstrated in this work. The authors have identified the value of the vibra-tions and rhythms in physiological processes of locomotor and cardiovascular systems. The parameters of life were evaluated from the viewpoint of the theory of chaos and self-organization of complex systems.

Divergent ontogenies of trophic morphology in two closely related haplochromine cichlids.

Fish develop morphological specializations in their trophic and locomotor systems as a result of varying functional demands in response to environmental pressures at different life stages. These specializations should maximize particular performances in specialists, adapting them to their trophic and habitat niches at each ontogenetic stage. Because differential growth rates of the structural components comprised in the head are likely to be linked to the diet of a fish throughout its development, we investigated the ontogenetic development of two haplochromine cichlid species belonging to different trophic guilds. We employed geometric morphometric techniques to evaluate whether starting from morphologically similar fry they diverge into phenotypes that characterize trophic guilds and locomotor types. Our examination of overall body shape shows that certain specialized morphological features are already present in fry, whereas other traits diverge through ontogeny due to differences in species-specific allometric variation. Allometric shape variation was found to be more relevant for the biter specialist than for the sucker morphotype. Our results confirm that phenotypic changes during ontogeny can be linked to dietary and habitat shifts in these fish. Furthermore, evidence for an integrated development of trophic and locomotor specializations in morphology was observed.

Mini Trampoline Exercises And The Functional Capacity Of Patients With Spinal Pain

Abstract Introduction . One of the reasons for the lower quality of life of ageing patients has to do with the chronic pain they experience due to disorders of the locomotor and nervous systems. These disorders include osteoarthritis, and in particular degenerative-deforming changes in the spine, which increase the patients’ tendency to fall and to suffer increasingly severe consequences as a result. Financial resources, both in Poland and in many other countries, are mainly allocated to treating patients, and it seems that measures which would help prevent falls are not being taken to a sufficient extent, bearing in mind how important fall prevention is for dealing with old age-related health issues. According to the latest medical expertise, falls can be effectively prevented if multi-disciplinary prevention programmes are implemented. These programmes consist of specially designed and varied exercises using machines and other equipment which help improve joint mobility and restore balance control. The aim to the study was to determine what impact exercises using a mini trampoline had on the functional capacity of a group of middle-aged subjects who participated in the study. Material and methods . The study was conducted at the KRUS “GRANIT” Farmers’ Rehabilitation Centre in Szklarska Poręba on a group of 80 persons aged 45-55 years (67% of them were women and 33% were men), who completed a mini trampoline exercise programme as part of a 21-day rehabilitation course. Before the subjects started the programme and after they completed it, basic somatic measurements were taken, tests were conducted in order to diagnose the subjects’ functional capacity and the subjective level of pain experienced by the subjects was measured using a pain rating scale (VAS). Results . It was found that the regular mini trampoline exercises had had an impact on the functional capacity of the subjects and the training had significantly reduced pain in the lumbar region of the spine.