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Background and objectiveFactors related to muscle architecture may lead to functional limitations in activities of daily living in the older adults. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between quadriceps femoris (QF) architecture and physical function in older adults community-dwelling people.MethodsThe study included 25 community-dwelling older adults participants aged over 60 years (14 women and 11 men) who were not engaged in regular physical activity. The rectus femoris (RF) and vastus intermedius (VI) muscle thicknesses as well as the RF cross-sectional area (CSA) were assessed using 2D ultrasonography. The 30 Seconds Chair Stand test (30sCST) and Timed Up and Go Test (TUG) were used to assess lower body muscle power and functional mobility, respectively.ResultsThe QF muscle architecture showed moderate and large correlations with the 30sCST (r range = 0.45–0.67, p

The present study was conducted to create reference values of common iliac arteries (CIA) for the diagnosis of vascular diseases such as aneurysm and atherosclerosis and to contribute to preoperative evaluation and the literature for open or endovascular interventions. Abdominal computed tomography angiography (CTA) images of 299 (156 F, 143 M) patients which were taken for various reasons at Gaziantep University Faculty of Medicine Hospital between 2015 and 2023 and which met the criteria were selected. The mean age of the patients included in the study was 49.85±18.74 years. Diameter measurements were made on two-dimensional images, while length and angle measurements were made on three-dimensional images. As a result of the analysis, the mean right CIA (RCIA) anteroposterior diameter was 1.12±0.66 cm and the mean transverse diameter was 1.21±0.74 cm; while the mean left CIA (LCIA) value was 1.12±0.68 cm in the anteroposterior axis and 1.13±0.73 cm in the transverse axis. In terms of length measurements, the mean right common iliac artery (RCIA) was found as 5.63±1.61 cm and the mean LCIA was found as 6.19±1.65 cm; in angle measurements of right and left CIA with the abdominal aorta (AA), mean RCIA was found as 23.3±9.84° and mean LCIA was found as 19.66±9.18°. While a significant difference was found between genders in terms of diameter values (p0.05). In terms of correlations with age, correlation was found in diameter values of both sides and RCIA angle. It is thought that morphometric measurements of the common iliac arteries will contribute to interventional radiologists, vascular surgeons and the literature. [Med-Science 2023; 12(4.000): 1030-5]

In humans, prenatal testosterone exposure affects a sexually dimorphic feature called the second-to-fourth digit ratio (2D:4D). Our research sought to better understand the connections among 2D:4D, Internet addiction (IA), and smartphone addiction (SPA) among middle school students. The study included 104 students aged between 10 and 14 years (mean age for girls: 11.3, the mean age for boys: 11.6), with 48 male and 56 female participants. Measurements of 2D:4D, hand length, and hand width were taken from the participants' hands. IA was assessed using the Young Internet Addiction Scale (YIAS), and SPA was assessed using the Smartphone Addiction Scale-Short Form (SAS-SF). In male participants, a negative correlation was found between the 2D:4D ratio and IA, while no correlation was observed in female participants. Both male and female participants showed a high correlation between IA and SPA. The study concludes that 2D:4D is an easily measurable and reliable marker for gender differentiation. It was found that male participants had higher levels of IA compared to female participants and that IA and SPA are strongly correlated in both genders. [Med-Science 2023; 12(3.000): 981-6]

Abstract The aim of this study was to test the morphometric features affecting 20-m sprint performance in children at the first level of primary education using machine learning (ML) algorithms. In this study, 130 male and 152 female volunteers aged between 6 and 11 years were included. After obtaining demographic information of the participants, skinfold thickness, diameter and circumference measurements, and 20-m sprint performance were determined. The study conducted three distinct experiments to determine the optimal ML technique for predicting outcomes. Initially, the entire feature space was utilized for training the ML models to establish a baseline performance. In the second experiment, only significant features identified through correlation analysis were used for training and testing the models, enhancing the focus on relevant predictors. Lastly, Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was employed to reduce the feature space, aiming to streamline model complexity while retaining data variance. These experiments collectively aimed to evaluate different feature selection and dimensionality reduction techniques, providing insights into the most effective strategies for optimizing predictive performance in the given context. The correlation-based selected features (Age, Height, waist circumference, hip circumference, leg length, thigh length, foot length) has produced a minimum Mean Squared Error (MSE) value of 0.012 for predicting the sprint performance in children. The effective utilization of correlation analysis in the selection of relevant features for our regression model suggests that the features selected exhibit robust linear associations with the target variable and can be relied upon as predictors.

Abstract This research endeavors to prognosticate gender by harnessing the potential of skull computed tomography (CT) images, given the seminal role of gender identification in the realm of identification. The study encompasses a corpus of CT images of cranial structures derived from 218 male and 203 female subjects, constituting a total cohort of 421 individuals within the age bracket of 25 to 65 years. Employing deep learning, a prominent subset of machine learning algorithms, the study deploys convolutional neural network (CNN) models to excavate profound attributes inherent in the skull CT images. In pursuit of the research objective, the focal methodology involves the exclusive application of deep learning algorithms to image datasets, culminating in an accuracy rate of 96.4%. The gender estimation process exhibits a precision of 96.1% for male individuals and 96.8% for female individuals. The precision performance varies across different selections of feature numbers, namely 100, 300, and 500, alongside 1000 features without feature selection. The respective precision rates for these selections are recorded as 95.0%, 95.5%, 96.2%, and 96.4%. It is notable that gender estimation via visual radiography mitigates the discrepancy in measurements between experts, concurrently yielding an expedited estimation rate. Predicated on the empirical findings of this investigation, it is inferred that the efficacy of the CNN model, the configurational intricacies of the classifier, and the judicious selection of features collectively constitute pivotal determinants in shaping the performance attributes of the proposed methodology.

Background and Study Aim. The relationship between the 2nd digit (2D) and the 4th digit (4D) provides much preliminary information about the physiological, psychological, and psychomotor characteristics of individuals. Although there are many studies on the 2D:4D ratio, the number of studies investigating the ratio in different sports is limited. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to determine the relationship between the 2D:4D ratio, posterior thigh muscle length, and handgrip strength in different sports. Material and Methods. 63 athletes aged 18-29 years from football, volleyball and basketball participated in this study (nFutbol=20, nVoleybol=21, nBasketbol=22). Right and left hand width and length, 2D, 4D, 2D:4D ratio, grip strength, and hamstring muscle length of the participants were determined. When examining the relationship between the parameters, hand grip strength and hamstring muscle length, Pearson correlation analysis was performed. Results. In the study, there was a high correlation between right and left hand width, length, 2D, and 4D measurements and handgrip strength of volleyball and basketball players (p

Purpose: This study aims to evaluate the effects of kinesio taping (KT) in addition to conventional physiotherapy methods, on visual reaction time (VRT) and auditory reaction time (ART), pain, handgrip strength (HGS), and upper extremity function in patients with lateral epicondylitis (LE). Materials and Methods: 70 patients diagnosed with LE by a physician in a university hospital were included in the study. Patients with LE were randomly divided into “Inhibitory KT” (IKT) and “Sham KT” (SKT) groups. Visual Analog Scale (VAS) measures were made at rest (VAS-R), with movement (VAS-M), and at night (VAS-N) separately. Hubbard Scientific reaction timer for VRT-ART assessment, quick disability of the arm, shoulder, and hand questionnaire (Quick DASH) for the functional state, and Jamar hand dynamometer measurements for HGS were recorded for pre-treatment and post-treatment comparisons. Results: In pre-treatment and post-treatment group comparison, it was found that both groups showed statistically significant recov-ery in all parameters (p

Background: We aimed to compare the physical activity, kinesiophobia, and fatigue levels of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) patients and healthy individuals in terms their somatotypes. Methods: A total of 165 individuals were enrolled referred to the Department of Chest Diseases Sleep Disorders Center Outpatient Clinic of Inonu University, Malatya, Turkey in 2018. The somatotype analysis was conducted using the Heath-Carter method, the fatigue level was assessed using the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy (FACIT) fatigue scale, the kinesiophobia level was assessed using the Tampa Scale for Kinesiophobia (TSK), and the physical activity level was assessed using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ). Results: The results of the somatotype analysis revealed 3 different somatotypes in the healthy individuals and the OSAS patients’ mesomorph endomorph, endomorphic mesomorph, and mesomorphic endomorph. When comparing the somatotypes of the healthy individuals and the OSAS patients, statistically significant differences were found in the FACIT scores of the mesomorph endomorphs, the IPAQ and FACIT scores of the endomorphic mesomorphs, and the TSK and FACIT scores of the mesomorphic endomorphs (P