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Biomedical subjects

H A Daanen

Publications and source records attributed to H A Daanen.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

Decrease in back strength in asymmetric trunk postures.

The extension force against resistance was recorded in 23 postures for 12 subjects to find explanations for the decrease in back strength in asymmetric postures. A reduction in muscle force in asymmetric postures was found up to 40%, but was strongly dependent on the plane in which asymmetry occurred, and on the posture to which it referred. A quantitative relationship between the forces exerted in different asymmetric postures is discussed, as a basis for formulating universal ergonomic guidelines for optimal working postures. The reduction in force in different asymmetric postures can be explained by length of the muscle, the activation of the muscle, and the moment angle of the muscle.

Adult

Comparison of four noninvasive rewarming methods for mild hypothermia.

Four noninvasive rewarming techniques for mildly hypothermic subjects were compared. Seven subjects were cooled in a water bath of 15 degrees C for 2 h to an average esophageal temperature (Tes) of 36 degrees C. Thereafter, the subjects were rewarmed by immersion of the body in a water bath of 42 degrees C (Method 1), the body but not the extremities in water of 42 degrees C (Method 2), only the extremities in water of 42 degrees C (Method 3), or spontaneous rewarming in blankets (Method 4). Method 1 showed the highest rewarming rate in Tes (10.1 degrees C/h) and an afterdrop in Tes of 0.18 degrees C. Method 2 showed the same afterdrop, but a lower rewarming rate (7.5 degrees C/h). In Method 3, the heat uptake of the extremities was too low to rewarm the subjects effectively. The afterdrop and rewarming rate were 0.38 degrees C and 0.8 degrees C/h, respectively. Method 4 had the lowest rewarming rate (0.2 degrees C/h), and an afterdrop (0.14 degrees C) which was not significantly lower than that of Method 1 or 2. Therefore, Method 1 is recommended for rewarming mild hypothermic subjects because of its high rewarming rate and small afterdrop.

Adult

Physiological responses of the human extremities to cold water immersion.

Five subjects immersed their hands and feet twice during 1 hour sessions in a calorimeter bath, filled with water at 25 degrees C. Before immersion the hand (33.0 +/- 2.2 degrees C) was warmer than the foot (30.6 +/- 2.1 degrees C) and so was the blood flow: respectively 5.8 +/- 5.2 versus 0.7 +/- 0.3 ml.min-1.100 mo tissue-1 as determined by strain gauge plethysmography and 10.8 +/- 5.1 versus 6.7 +/- 5.3 by the doppler method. At the end of the immersion period the blood flow had decreased a factor of 2.9 (doppler) and 4.3 (plethysmography). The local heat transfer, determined by heat flux transducers, was highest immediately after immersion. The maximum was higher at the ventral sides than at the dorsal sides of the hand (225 +/- 93 versus 186 +/- 61 W.m-2 and the foot (178 +/- 53 versus 160 +/- 57 W.m-2). The total heat transferred to the water by hand or foot during the 60 minutes of immersion, determined by calorimetry, was 47 +/- 21 and 36 +/- 36 kJ respectively and was not statistically different due to considerable interindividual differences. Interindividual differences were also found for heat flux, rectal and local skin temperature and blood flow. These differences will have to be taken into account if a comparison is made with data from subjects with local cold injuries.

Adolescent

Reproducibility of the mean power frequency of the surface electromyogram.

There is evidence in the literature that the decrease of mean power frequency (MPF) during exercise is greater as a muscle become more fatigued. After strenuous exercise this phenomenon can last several days. It is usually assumed, however, that the MPF has a good reproducibility. In this study the reproducibility of the MPF of the surface electromyogram of the biceps brachii muscle was investigated for five subjects on 5 successive days. Force level, muscle length and skin temperature were kept constant. The results show that interindividual differences in MPF were large (SD 11.5 Hz). However, during these 5 days, the range in MPF for individual subjects was small. The SD of the trials within subjects and days was 2.0 Hz, while the SD trials excluded). It is hypothesized that this SD may be due to variations in the electrode replacement. It is concluded that the variability in MPF for a subject is small compared to the decrease of the MPF associated with muscle fatigue and which can therefore be determined reliably during longitudinal studies.

Adult

Shock absorption of below-knee prostheses: a comparison between the SACH and the Multiflex foot.

Shock waves were measured during walking on a treadmill on the metal tube of a below-knee KBM prosthesis, provided either with a SACH foot or with a Multiflex foot. Accelerations were measured in the axial direction and the dorso-ventral direction, about 160 mm proximal to the sole of the shoe. The accelerations had comparable amplitudes to those measured on normal legs. Dorso-ventral amplitudes (order of magnitude 4 g) were generally higher than the axial amplitudes. For some patients, the SACH foot gave much higher axial accelerations than the Multiflex foot did. In the dorso-ventral direction, the SACH foot showed a moderate resonance phenomenon in the autospectral density function in the range of 40-50 Hz. The Multiflex foot showed a more variable behaviour. For both types of feet, components above 65 Hz were negligible.

Adult