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- Sheep Gait Biomechanics and the Assessment of Musculoskeletal Conditions: A Systematic ReviewPublication . Silva, Rui; Dimas, Ivo Santos; Fernandez, Justin W.; Alves, Nuno; Morouço, Pedro; Maurício, Ana Colette; Veloso, António; Sandra, AmadoIn recent years, sheep have been reported as the ideal animal model to study osteoporosis, hence it is important to identify instruments, tools and ideal parameters needed to assess the effects of different treatments. In previous studies conducted in other animal models with osteoporosis, the most common parameters used for evaluation concerned primarily bone properties, such as the dual X-ray absorptiometry. However, biomechanical gait analysis as an integrative functional parameter and a non-invasive method, will be an important tool in research and clinical applications. This research review was performed using the PubMed database and included studies related to sheep with outcome measures concerning functional performance assessed during gait in vivo; and excluded studies related with cardiovascular disease and sperm properties, which include other animal species, with outcomes not related with functional locomotor evaluation. Only studies related with bone properties were analyzed. The most frequent and relevant included parameters were the following: mean peak vertical ground force reaction, gait cycle and stance/swing phase duration, percentage of stance/swing phase in a gait cycle, stride length and the stifle joint angles during a gait cycle. Gait biomechanical parameters have been established for the assessment of some clinical orthopedic condition using sheep models but not currently for osteoporosis.
- A review of additive manufacturing studies for producing customized ankle-foot orthosesPublication . Silva, Rui; Veloso, António; Alves, Nuno; Fernandes, Cristiana; Morouço, PedroAnkle-foot orthoses (AFO) are prescribed to improve the patient’s quality of life. Supporting weak muscles or restraining spastic muscles leads to smoother and more stable locomotion. Commonly, AFO are made using thermoplastic vacuum forming, which requires a long time for production and has limited design options. Additive manufacturing (AM) can solve this problem, leading to a faster and cheaper solution. This review aimed to investigate what is the state-of-art using AM for AFO. Evaluating the used manufacturing processes, customization steps, mechanical properties, and biomechanical features in humans would provide significant insights for further research. The database searches combined AM and AFO with no year or publication type restrictions. Studies must have examined outcomes on human participants with the orthoses built by AM. Other types of orthotic devices or different manufacturing techniques were excluded. Nineteen studies met the inclusion criteria. As stated by having all studies conducted in the last nine years, this is a very recent domain. Different AM processes have been used, with the majority relying on Fused Deposition Modeling. Overall, the manuscripts’ quality is deficient, which is critical to promoting further studies with higher samples. Except for one paper, AM-printed AFO was comparable or superior to the thermoplastic vacuum forming AFO in mechanical tests, kinematics, kinetics, and participant feedback.
- Biomechanics modeling for functional analysis: Sheep modelPublication . Silva, Rui; Amado, Sandra; João, Filipa; Morouço, Pedro; Pascoal-Faria, Paula; Alves, Nuno; Veloso, AntónioThe aim of the present manuscript was to provide information on the suitability of using ovine as models for conducting in vivo bone tissue engineering studies, regarding the biomechanical considerations. Despite the need of knowledge of the animal model used for bone tissue research a good planning and study design is equal important. The purpose of this review is to contribute to extrapolation of reliable data for those who pretend to use the ovine model in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine.
- Evaluation of anthropometric characteristics and physical abilities in a soccer season: comparison between U-15, U-17 and U-19Publication . Silva, Rui; Morouço, PedroThe aim of this study was to examine the development of anthropometric characteristics and physical capacities in a sports season, in young soccer players. A total of 50 players, U-15 (n= 16, 14.0±0.1 years), U-17 (n= 14, 15.6±0.5 years) and U-19 (n= 20, 17.2±0.7 years) were monitored in 3 different moments: after the preparation period (pre-season), after the 1st competitive phase (mid-season) and after the 2nd competitive phase (post-season). To the anthropometric analysis, the height, body mass, muscle mass, fat mass and body girths were evaluated. The aerobic resistance, the work developed by the lower limbs during a vertical jump, the power of the lower limbs during a sprint, the agility and the flexibility were evaluated for the physical capacity analysis. Along the season, there was an increase in body mass and a stabilization of the fat mass due to an increase of the muscle mass. In general, regardless the age group, physical abilities improved from pre-season to mid-season, and then stabilized till the post-season. Understanding the variations through a season, according to the competitive environment and their developmental age, may be a useful tool for control and evaluation of the training process.