Variables Associated With Knee Valgus in Male Professional Soccer Players During a Single-Leg Vertical Landing Task.

Prior studies have explored the relationship between knee valgus and musculoskeletal variables to formulate injury prevention programs, primarily for females. Nonetheless, there is insufficient evidence pertaining to professional male soccer players. Here, the aim was to test the correlation of lateral trunk inclination, hip adduction, hip internal rotation, ankle dorsiflexion range of motion, and hip isometric strength with knee valgus during the single-leg vertical jump test. Twenty-four professional male soccer players performed a single-leg vertical hop test, hip strength assessments, and an ankle dorsiflexion range of motion test. A motion analysis system was employed for kinematic analysis. Maximal isometric hip strength and ankle dorsiflexion range of motion were tested using a handheld dynamometer and a digital inclinometer, respectively. The correlation of peak knee valgus with peak lateral trunk inclination was .43 during the landing phase (P = .04) and with peak hip internal rotation was -.68 (P < .001). For knee valgus angular displacement, only peak lateral trunk inclination presented a moderate positive correlation (r = .40, P = .05). This study showed that trunk and hip kinematics are associated with knee valgus, which could consequently lead to increased knee overload in male professional soccer players following a unilateral vertical landing test.

Metais pesados em amostras biológicas de bovinos / Heavy metals in cattle biological samples

O objetivo deste trabalho foi determinar a concentração de metais pesados no sangue (Pb, Ni e Cd), soro (Cu e Zn), pelo e leite (Pb, Ni, Cd, Cu e Zn) de bovinos criados em área industrializada (com siderúrgicas) e não-industrial do Estado de Minas Gerais, em amostras coletadas em duas épocas (inverno e verão), buscando avaliar a contaminação em animais em função do ambiente de exposição e da estação do ano. O local de criação dos animais afetou significativamente somente a concentração de Cu obtida nas amostras de soro, com maiores valores determinados no grupo de bovinos da região industrializada. A época de amostragem afetou a concentração dos metais Cu (soro), Zn (soro e leite), Pb (sangue) e Cd (sangue e pelo), com as determinações efetuadas no verão proporcionando maiores teores do que as executadas no inverno, à exceção do Cd avaliado no pelo. Interações significativas (P<0,05) entre área de criação e época do ano foram verificadas para Cu (pelo e leite), Zn (pelo) e Ni (soro, pelo e leite). Os resultados obtidos indicam que a presença de siderúrgicas em determinada região não implica, necessariamente, incrementos nas concentrações de metais pesados em matrizes biológicas de bovinos. Pode haver influência da sazonalidade nas concentrações de metais pesados obtidas nessas matrizes, fato que deve ser considerado em programas de monitoramento ambiental.

The aim of this research was to determine the heavy metals concentration in blood (Pb, Ni and Cd), serum (Cu and Zn), hair and milk (Pb, Ni, Cd, Cu and Zn) of cattle raised in industrial (with steel mill) and non-industrial areas in Minas Gerais, Brazil. The samples were collected during summer and winter, aiming to verify animals contamination related to environment and year season. The environment significantly influenced the concentration of Cu obtained on serum samples, with higher values for cattle from the industrialized area. The sampling time affected the concentration of Cu (serum), Zn (serum and milk), Pb (blood) and Cd (blood and hair), with higher values for summer, except for Cd measured on hair. Meaningful interactions (P<0.05) between environment and year season were identified for Cu (hair and milk), Zn (hair) and Ni (serum, hair and milk). The results obtained show that the presence of steel mills in a determined area does not mean, necessarily that higher concentration of heavy metals will be found in cattle biological matrices. The seasonality can influence the heavy metal concentration obtained from these matrices, fact that should be considered in environment monitoring programs.