BACKGROUND muscle strength is essential for physical functions and an indicator of morbidity and mortality in older adults. Among the factors associated with muscle strength loss with age, ethnicity has been shown to play an important role. OBJECTIVE to examine the patterns and correlates of muscle strength change with age in a population-based cohort of middle-aged and older Afro-Caribbean m...

In wood engineering, lower quantile estimation is vital to the safety of the construction with wood materials. In this thesis, we will first study the censored Weibull maximum likelihood estimate (MLE) of the lower quantile as in the current industrial standard D5457 (ASTM, 2004a) from a statistical point of view. According to our simulations, the lower quantile estimated by the censored Weibul...

[Purpose] The objective of this study was to examine the effect of step climbing exercise on the walking ability of stroke patients. [Subjects and Methods] Among hospitalized stroke patients, 24 were selected based on the study criteria and randomly divided into two groups: an experimental group (12 patients) and a control group (12 patients). The patients in both groups participated in 15-minu...

PURPOSE This randomized controlled study was designed to investigate the effects of a 4-month whole body vibration-intervention on muscle performance and body balance in young, healthy, nonathletic adults. METHODS Fifty-six volunteers (21 men and 35 women, aged 19-38 yr) were randomized to either the vibration group or control group. The vibration-intervention consisted of a 4-month whole bod...

Patellofemoral pain (PFP) is a frequent knee condition. The aim of this study was to investigate strength, flexibility and postural control in people with without PFP. Fifty-five participants between 14 54 years age (PFP = 18, group 37) were included. Strength for all trunk, hip, ankle muscle groups measured along outcomes. Analyses conducted based on the “affected” “non-affected” leg within-gr...

OBJECTIVE To analyse the influence of chronic pain on muscle strength. DESIGN Muscle strength of patients with unilateral nonspecific chronic pain, in an upper or lower limb, were measured according to a standardized protocol using a hand-held dynamometer. Before and after muscle strength measurement, a visual analogue scale for pain intensity was assessed. RESULTS Forty patients were measu...

[Purpose] The goal of this study was to investigate the efficacy of stepping-in-place training using a foot lifting assist device on the walking gait of chronic hemiparetic stroke patients. [Subjects] Seven patients with chronic hemiplegic stroke (age 80.9±4.9 years) who were attending a local adult daycare facility participated in this study. [Methods] The participants had 2 or 16 weeks of int...