Cigarette smoke (CS) is a well-established risk factor in the development of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). In contrast, the extent to which CS exposure contributes to the development of the systemic manifestations of COPD, such as skeletal muscle dysfunction and wasting, remains largely unknown. Decreased skeletal muscle capillarization has been previously reported in early stag...

In recent years, many experiments have investigated the impact of dietary amino acid supplementation on improvements in muscle strength and endurance capacity. However, it is unclear whether this supplementation causes vascular remodelling in skeletal muscle. This review focused on the effects of L-arginine and/or L-ornithine supplementation on capillary growth in cardiac and skeletal muscles. ...

In this research work, the effectiveness of stainless steel sheet for the production of motor cycle exhaust muffler burn protector was investigated. Energy Dispersive X-Ray fluorescence method was used to determine the chemical composition of the stainless steel materials and exhaust muffler of the motor cycle. The stainless steel sheet was perforated and folded to frustum shape to achieve aero...

The axe kick, in Olympic style taekwondo, has been identified as the most popular scoring technique aimed to the head during full contact competition. The first purpose of this study was to identify and investigate design issues with the current World Taekwondo Federation approved chest protector. A secondary purpose was to develop a novel chest protector addressing the identified design issues...

Laparoscopic surgery is widespread and safe for the management of patients with colorectal cancer (CRC). Although the use of standard surgical techniques can prevent perioperative wound infections, surgical site infections (SSIs) remain an unresolved complication in laparoscopic-assisted colectomy. The present study investigated the ability of plastic wound protectors applied to the extraction ...

BACKGROUND Adequate muscle fibre perfusion is critical for the maintenance of muscle mass; it is essential in the rapid delivery of oxygen, nutrients and growth factors to the muscle, stimulating muscle fibre growth. Muscle fibre capillarization is known to decrease substantially with advancing age. However, whether (relative) low muscle fibre capillarization negatively impacts the muscle hyper...

There has been a significant increase in the number of facial fractures stemming from sport activities in recent years, with the nasal bone one of the most affected structures. Researchers recommend the use of a nose protector, but there is no standardization regarding the material employed. Clinical experience has demonstrated that a combination of a flexible and rigid layer of ethylene vinyl ...

The purpose of this study was to determine if hard and soft rib protector garments have an effect on trunk kinematics and throw performance (accuracy and speed) of experienced quarterbacks during an overhand football pass. Eight quarterbacks completed 10 throws during each of three rib protector conditions (no rib, soft, hard). Protector conditions were compared using non-inferiority testing. N...

Equivocal findings exist on the effect of concurrent strength (S) and endurance (E) training on endurance performance and muscle morphology. Further, the influence of concurrent SE training on muscle fiber-type composition, vascularization and endurance capacity remains unknown in top-level endurance athletes. The present study examined the effect of 16 weeks of concurrent SE training on maxima...