Fangchao Ma

Care coordination and telemedicine improves glycaemic control in ethnically diverse veterans with diabetes

We conducted a pilot study of a care-coordination programme involving daily monitoring and education of elderly diabetic veterans from different racial/ethnic groups. A telephone-based, in-home messaging device was used for patient monitoring and education. Sixty-nine patients were enrolled in the study and HbA1c values were obtained both before and after the telemedicine intervention in 41 of them. The mean HbA1c before enrolment was 7.6% and the mean value 9 months later was 7.3% (P = 0.09). The greatest fall in HbA1c occurred in African-Americans (0.65%, P = 0.05). The total number of hospital admissions decreased from 31 pre-enrolment to 25 post-enrolment (P = 0.0002). Bed days of care decreased from 368 to 149 (P = 0.0002). Care coordination, facilitated by telemedicine, appeared to improve glycaemic control in veterans with diabetes from diverse ethnic backgrounds, particularly African-Americans. This may reduce health-care resource utilization.

The Impact of Foot Position on Electromyographical Activity of the Superficial Quadriceps Muscles During Leg Extension

This study investigated variations in electromyographic (EMG) responses of the vastus lateralis (VL), rectus femoris (RF), and vastus medialis (VM) due to foot position during leg extension. Twenty-four men and women (23.67 ± 4.02 years) performed 8 repetitions at 70% of 8 repetition maximum with their leg medially rotated, laterally rotated, and neutral. Repeated-measures analyses of variance indicated that the highest normalized root mean square (NrmsEMG) for the VM and VL occurred with medial rotation, and the highest NrmsEMG for the RF occurred with lateral rotation. Significant NrmsEMG increases and median power frequency decreases occurred across repetitions regardless of foot position. Therefore, medial rotation produced the greatest muscle activation for the VL and VM, whereas lateral rotation produced the greatest activation in the RF. These findings are applicable to athletes or bodybuilders who are seeking to selectively increase either the size or performance of a specific muscle of the quadriceps group.

The impact of seatback angle on electromyographical activity of the lower back and quadriceps muscles during bilateral knee extension

This study investigated variations in electro-myographic (EMG) responses of the erector spinae (ES), vastus medialis (VM), rectus femoris (RF), and vastus lateralis (VL) to different seatback angles during leg extension. Twenty men and women (10 men, 10 women; age 27.49 6 6.16 years) performed 8 repetitions at 70% of 8 repetition maximum at seatback angles of 1.57, 1.75, and 1.92 radius (rad). Analyses using repeated-measures analysis of variance indicated the greatest root square mean of the EMG (rmsEMG) and integrated EMG (intEMG) for the ES were at 1.92 rad, and the greatest for the VM (concentric) and VL (eccentric) were at 1.57 rad. No differences were observed among seat angles for the RF except for a higher normalized intEMG at 1.92 than 1.75 rad (concentric). Throughout all sets for all conditions and muscles, rmsEMG and intEMG significantly increased and median power frequency significantly decreased. These data indicate that a seatback angle of 1.57 rad is best for a leg extension machine, because this angle maximizes quadriceps activity while minimizing stress on the lower back muscles.