On the measurement of skeletal muscle anisotropic permittivity property with a single cross-shaped needle insertion.

Application of minimally invasive methods to enable the measurement of tissue permittivity in the neuromuscular clinic remain elusive. This paper provides a theoretical and modeling study on the measurement of the permittivity of two-dimensional anisotropic tissues such as skeletal muscle with a multi-electrode cross-shaped needle. For this, we design a novel cross-shaped needle with multiple-electrodes and analyse apparent impedance corresponding to the measured impedance. In addition, we propose three methods of estimate anisotropic muscle permittivity. Compared to existing electrical impedance-based needle methods that we have developed, the new needle design and numerical methods associated enable estimating in vivo muscle permittivity values with only a single needle insertion. Being able to measure muscle permittivity directly with a single needle insertion could open up an entirely new area of research with direct clinical application, including using these values to assist in neuromuscular diagnosis and to assess subtle effects of therapeutic intervention on muscle health.

How do we deliver our findings? Analysis of podium presentations at shoulder meetings.

BACKGROUND: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the time structure of oral presentations delivered at three shoulder congresses: shoulder sessions at the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) Meeting, European Foundation of National Associations of Orthopaedics and Traumatology (EFORT) Congress, and International Congress of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery (ICSES). METHODS: A total of 160 oral presentations at the 2016 AAOS Annual Meeting, 17th EFORT Congress, and 13th ICSES were included. Podium presentations were categorized by topic, congress, inclusion of video support, and nationality of the speaker. Total time and time dedicated to each section of the presentation (introduction, methods, results, discussion and conclusions) were collected for all podium presentations. RESULTS: Approximately 34% of speakers exceeded time constraints. No differences were found in the times that presenters used for the introduction, methods, results, and conclusions sections (p > 0.05). However, when extended introductions were delivered, the results and conclusions sections were shortened (r = - 0.2 and r = - 0.21, respectively). Inclusion of video support tended to result in exceedance of time limits (p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: One third of the shoulder surgeons exceeded time constraints in their conference presentations, and no distinctions were found in time allocations for different sections of the presentations. Longer introductions may lead to time restriction in the results and conclusions sections.

Nurturing the Seeds of Change: Strengthening the Lifestyle Medicine Movement With the Donald A. Pegg Student Leadership Award.

Student-led Lifestyle Medicine Interest Groups (LMIGs) empower the next generation of healthcare professionals to tackle the pandemic of lifestyle-related chronic diseases and provide important pathways to increasing the visibility of Lifestyle Medicine (LM) in health professions schools. Each year, the Donald A. Pegg Student Leadership Award offers four allied health students a seed grant to start or support LMIGs at their schools as well as financial assistance to attend the annual American College of Lifestyle Medicine (ACLM) conference. The 2017 student winners were Paresh Jaini, Albert Barrera, Alyssa Greenwell, and Alicja Baska. With the support of the Pegg Award, the awardees and their faculty advisors have made great strides in LM at their institutions in the areas of research, community outreach, student education, and global networking. Their LMIG activities have included students presenting research at national conferences, initiating a chapter of the national organization Walk with a Doc, hosting educational lectures on LM principles, sponsoring plant-based cooking sessions, facilitating stress management workshops, and hosting a national-level LM congress in Europe. Through the ACLM, the Pegg Award generates an atmosphere of growth for LMIGs, fostering the expansion, vision, and integration of LM into the education of health professions students worldwide.