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Abstract: Climate is a primary, but non-stationary, driver of tree growth. Climate change is altering the sensitivity of forest growth to water availability and temperature over time. It is considered that pedunculate oak (Quercus robur L.) will cope with the changing climatic conditions in Europe in the near future. However, while species distribution models project expansion zones, they also identify reductions in occurrence at the dry and warm distribution margins. Whereas species distribution models primarily rely on occurrence data, tree rings—given their long-term perspective and their use in empirical models—can provide a mechanistic view of forest growth dynamics, including temporally changing climate responses. Increased climate sensitivity and growth synchrony are key dendroecological indicators of tree stress. Here, we used an unprecedented network of 150 Q. robur sites (over 3300 trees), covering the full projected range of contracting to persistent areas across Europe, to assess the dendroecological indicators over recent decades in relation to species distribution model predictions. We reveal that oaks in areas projected to experience range contraction exhibited greater sensitivity to current growing season climatic conditions, whereas those in persistence areas responded more strongly to previous season conditions. Growth synchrony among trees was higher in the contraction areas, but showed no significant increasing trend over the last 70 years, as expected from ecotone theory. Temporal shifts in climate sensitivity were stronger for temperature and vapor pressure deficit in the persistence areas, whereas the climatic water balance gained importance in the contraction zones. These findings suggest that Q. robur growth is not yet being severely affected by climate change, and that the species is currently coping well with the climate changes, even in regions with projected range contractions, thereby challenging statistically derived scenarios of range shift based on species distribution models.
Keywords: climate change scenarios, climate–growth relationships, climatic water balance, growth synchrony, range contraction, vapor pressure deficit
Published in DiRROS: 04.11.2025; Views: 78; Downloads: 33
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Abstract: This study evaluated the effects of a neuromuscular training (NMT) warm-up program on injury incidence,neuromuscular function, and program adherence, maintenance and acceptance in adolescent basketballplayers. A total of 275 players from 20 Slovenian teams (15 ± 1.7 years of age), were randomized into anintervention group (IG, n=129) and a control group (CG, n=146). Over three months, the IG incorporatedNMT into their warm-ups, while the CG followed their usual practice. Measurements of body anthro-pometry, muscle contractile properties, and balance were taken before and after the intervention. Also,the injury incidence, training adherence and maintenance were reported. Both groups showed improvedbalance, with no significant difference between them. However, IG demonstrated reduced delay times inspecific muscles, indicating improved neuromuscular function. Injury prevalence proportion (%) duringthe whole study period was higher in the control group compared to intervention (IG: 10.9% vs. CG:23.3%), and incidence rate. Moreover, the incidence rate ratio for sustaining an injury was 2.6 on average(ranging from 0.88 to 7.07 for tendon and muscle injuries, respectively), indicating significantly lowerinjury risk in IG than CG. These findings highlight the effectiveness of NMT warm-ups in reducing injuryrisk and enhancing neuromuscular function, emphasizing the value of structured injury preventionstrategies in youth sports.
Keywords: muscle contractile properties, balance, injury prevalence, training adherence
Published in DiRROS: 18.11.2024; Views: 781; Downloads: 438
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Abstract: The cholinergic system has been implicated in postural deficits, in particular falls, in Parkinson’s disease. Falls and freezing of gait typically occur during dynamic and challenging balance and gait conditions, such as when initiating gait, experiencing postural perturbations, or making turns. However, the precise cholinergic neural substrate underlying dynamic postural and gait changes remains poorly understood. The aim of this study was to investigate whether brain vesicular acetylcholine transporter binding, as measured with [18F]-fluoroethoxybenzovesamicolbinding PET, correlates with dynamic gait and balance impairments in 125 patients with Parkinson’s disease (mean age 66.89±7.71 years) using the abbreviated Balance Evaluation Systems Test total and its four functional domain sub-scores (anticipatory postural control, reactive postural control, dynamic gait, and sensory integration). Whole brain false discoverycorrected (P < 0.05) correlations for total abbreviated Balance Evaluation Systems Test scores included the following bilateral or asymmetric hemispheric regions: gyrus rectus, orbitofrontal cortex, anterior part of the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex, dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, cingulum, frontotemporal opercula, insula, fimbria, right temporal pole, mesiotemporal, parietal and visual cortices, caudate nucleus, lateral and medial geniculate bodies, thalamus, lingual gyrus, cerebellar hemisphere lobule VI, left cerebellar crus I, superior cerebellar peduncles, flocculus, and nodulus. No significant correlations were found for the putamen or anteroventral putamen. The four domain-specific sub-scores demonstrated overlapping cholinergic topography in the metathalamus, fimbria, thalamus proper, and prefrontal cortices but also showed distinct topographic variations. For example, reactive postural control functions involved the right flocculus but not the upper brainstem regions. The anterior cingulum associated with reactive postural control whereas the posterior cingulum correlated with anticipatory control. The spatial extent of associated cholinergic system changes were least for dynamic gait and sensory orientation functional domains compared to the anticipatory and reactive postural control functions. We conclude that specific aspects of dynamic balance and gait deficits in Parkinson’s disease associate with overlapping but also distinct patterns of cerebral cholinergic system changes in numerous brain regions. Our study also presents novel evidence of cholinergic topography involved in dynamic balance and gait in Parkinson’s disease that have not been typically associated with mobility disturbances, such as the right anterior temporal pole, right anterior part of the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex, gyrus rectus, fimbria, lingual gyrus, flocculus, nodulus and right cerebellar hemisphere lobules VI and left crus I.
Keywords: Parkinson’s disease, dynamic balance, cholinergic, PET
Published in DiRROS: 30.08.2024; Views: 903; Downloads: 905
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Abstract: Various physiotherapeutic methods and approaches play a significant role in the treatment of patients with Parkinson’s disease, including the use of enriched environments. Virtual reality (VR) as a type of enriched environment has the potential to create multiple sensory experiences and feedback, influencing various aspects of the patient’s information processing and response. The suitability for home use and the considerable impact on motivation highlight its advantages over alternative approaches. The objective of this review is to investigate the impact of VR-based exercise on balance outcomes among individuals with Parkinson’s disease. The inclusion criteria consisted Parkinson’s disease. The comparable improvements in balance observed between the experimental and control groups signify the potential effectiveness of VR-based exercises. This underscores the encouragement for further development in this technology, particularly focusing on fully immersive VR environments, which may yield superior effects in enhancing balance among individuals with Parkinson’s disease. of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that examined the effects of exercise in a VR environment on individuals’ static and dynamic balance outcomes. In order to gather relevant studies, we conducted a comprehensive search across three databases. From a dataset of 625 records, we conducted a comprehensive full-text screening based on specific inclusion and exclusion criteria. This process resulted in the inclusion of 14 RCTs in our review. The emerging evidence regarding exercising in a VR environment does not definitively prove its superiority over standard exercise routines. However, studies have demonstrated that both the experimental and control groups showed comparable improvements in enhancing static and dynamic balance among individuals with
Keywords: virtual reality, Parkinson's disease, balance, rehabilitation
Published in DiRROS: 16.04.2024; Views: 936; Downloads: 541
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