Throwing velocity and jump height in female water polo players: performance predictors.

Throwing velocity and vertical jumping ability are essential components for shooting and passing in water polo. The purpose of this study was to determine whether there is a relationship between throwing velocity and water jump height in highly skilled female water polo players. Throwing velocity and head height at ball release were measured in twenty-two female players (age 20.41 years (6.16); weight 68.28 kg (8.87)) with two 50 frames per second cameras while shooting at goal. Water jump height was also measured with a modified Yardstick device. Multiple regression analyses showed that peak lower limb power was the most significant predictor of maximal velocity. Power alone accounted for 62% of the variance in maximum velocity (p<0.001). Once power was entered into the model none of the other physical characteristics (lean mass, fat mass, land jump height and anthropometry) made a significant contribution to throwing velocity. After controlling for the effect of power, head height at ball release accounted for an additional significant proportion of the variance in maximal velocity (R(2) change 7%; p=0.049). Lower body power was a significant predictor of higher throwing velocity in highly skilled female water polo players. Players with relatively higher underlying levels of lower limb power who are able to generate greater elevation out of the water are able to throw the ball faster.

Inflammatory responses in the rat brain in response to different methods of intra-cerebral administration.

Direct intra-cerebral administration of substances into the brain parenchyma is a common technique used by researchers in neuroscience. However, inflammatory responses to the needle may confound the results obtained following injection of these substances. In this paper we show that the use of a glass micro-needle for intra-cerebral injection reduces mechanical injury, blood-brain barrier breakdown and neutrophil recruitment in response to the injection of vehicle or interleukin-1, compared to using a 26-gauge Hamilton syringe. Therefore, the use of a glass micro-needle to inject substances intra-cerebrally appears to cause minimal injection artefact and should be the method of choice.