ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Rectus abdominis diastasis (RAD) is an excessive divarication of the rectus abdominis muscle with concurrent stretching and thinning of the linea alba, which occurs due to mechanical and functional disturbances in the anterior abdominal wall and the whole body. The primary objective of this study is a palpation assessment of RAD in postpartum women before and after the application of KT tapes and a subsequent comparison of the results with those from a sham intervention group. METHODS: A randomized clinical trial was conducted in the Physical Therapy Department at Wroclaw Medical University. The participants were randomly assigned to one of two groups: the KT group (intervention), in which KT tapes were applied (48 h intervention) and the sham KT group (control, sham intervention), in which non-stretch tapes were used (cloth surgical tape, 48 h intervention). In all participants, a palpation assessment of RAD was conducted and the inter-recti distance was measured using a digital caliper at three sites: at the umbilicus and 4.5 cm above and below it. Measurements were taken before and after the intervention. RESULTS: The gathered results show a statistically significant reduction in rectus abdominis diastasis at each of the observed sites after the application of KT tapes in the intervention group (p < 0.05). In the intergroup comparison, a statistically significantly lower RAD (at umbilicus) was found after the intervention (p = 0.005) in KT group. CONCLUSIONS: the application of KT tapes using the corrective technique can contribute to reducing RAD in women up to 12 months after delivery.
ABSTRACT
The water-holding capacity (WHC) of meat affects its characteristics and is a crucial criterion for assessing meat quality. However, there is no precise analytical method for determining meat WHC. This study aimed to develop a precise and widely applicable method to determine the WHC of turkey and pork samples. A filter-paper press method was used to present WHC as water content (%) before and after pressing (WHC1) or water content (%) after pressing relative to the fat-free dry matter components of the tested meat (WHC3). In cases where pressing released both fat and muscle juice, procedures to calculate WHC2 or WHC4 were applied. This increased the precision of WHC values calculated using formulas 1 and 3 (for WHC1 and WHC3 values, respectively). Expressing WHC as WHC3 ensured absolute precision in determining WHC. This study successfully developed a reference analytical method for accurately determining meat WHC.
ABSTRACT
The aim of this study was to evaluate wild boar (Sus scrofa scrofa) caecal and colon products of microbial activity including short chain fatty acids (SCFA), ammonia and methane concentrations. The in vitro method was applied to caecal and colon contents after 12 and 24-hour incubation with the substrate (wheat bran), or without any additive (control samples). The pH was also measured in each sample. In samples incubated with the substrate, a lower pH was noted as compared to the control (P < 0.001). In terms of the total SCFA concentration, the hindgut microbial fermentation pattern of wild boar was characterized by a high acetate level, followed by propionate and then butyrate at a ratio of 7:1.5:1. Substrate addition decreased acetate molar proportions (P < 0.001) and increased those of butyrate (P < 0.001) as well as propionate (P < 0.05). The total SCFA level in fresh, unincubated caecal samples (128 mmol/kg) was similar to that in the colon (111 mmol/kg). The ammonia concentrations were at the level of 0.8-1.5 mmol/kg of hindgut content and did not differ between the two investigated hindgut parts. Methanogenesis was also similar in the caecum and colon and after 24h was 2.69 mmol/kg and 2.27 for caecal colon control samples, respectively. The substrate increased total gas production and methane concentration (P < 0.001).