RESUMO
Objective: To examine the psychometric properties of four common hamstring muscle flexibility tests involving the straight leg raise (SLR), passive knee extension (PKE), sit and reach test (SRT) and toe touch test (TTT) in young adults. Methods: Forty-three young healthy adults (mean age 27.4 years) were recruited for 3 repeated sessions of hamstring flexibility assessments using the 4 tests mentioned above and the subsequent isokinetic examinations. The first two sessions (S1 and S2) were conducted by two different raters randomly on the first day (D1), and the third session (S3) was conducted by the same rater as S1 3 days later (D4). The next day (D5), the isokinetic performances of knee extensors and flexors of the dominant leg were assessed. To evaluate the interrater (S1 vs. S2) and test-retest (S1 vs. S3) reliability of hamstring flexibility tests, intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs), standard errors of measurement, and the minimum detectable differences were calculated. Correlation analyses were performed to study the association of each hamstring flexibility test with the isokinetic muscle function of the knee flexors (H) and extensors (Q), including the peak torque (PT), total amount of work (TW) and average power (AP). Results: Excellent interrater and test-retest reliability of hamstring flexibility tests involving the SLR, PKE, SRT and TTT were confirmed with ICCs ranging from 0.923 to 0.986. Fair correlations were found between the 4 hamstring flexibility tests and the H/Q for the PT at angular speeds of 180°/s (Pearson's r at 0.330-0.449). In addition, the PKE was fairly correlated with the AP of the hamstring (Pearson's r = 0.320) and the H/Q for the TW (Pearson's r = 0.345) and AP (Pearson's r = 0.386) at angular speeds of 180°/s. Conclusions: This study confirmed that the SLR, PKE, SRT and TTT were reliable flexibility tests for hamstring muscles in young healthy adults, and the PKE might be a more valid outcome measure to predict hamstring injury.
RESUMO
PURPOSE: The aim of our meta-analysis was to compare the efficacy and safety of radiofrequency ablation (RFA) versus surgical resection for patients with small hepatocellular carcinoma (SHCC). METHODS: Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) or retrospective studies comparing the RFA with surgical resection for patients with SHCC published from 2004 to 2014 were selected from database of PubMed, EMBASE and Cochrane library. The outcomes including overall survival rate, recurrence-free survival rate, recurrence rate and complications (mortality rate and morbidity rate) were abstracted. Individual and pooled odds ratio with 95% confidence interval of each outcome was analyzed. RESULTS: Three RCTs and twenty retrospective studies were included with a total of 15,482 patients. The 1-, 3- and 5-year overall survival rate and recurrence-free survival rate of surgical resection were significantly higher than RFA. The 2- and 3-year but not 1-year recurrence rate of RFA was significantly higher than surgical resection. The morbidity rate of complication in surgical resection group was higher than it in RFA group, but the mortality was not different between the two groups. CONCLUSION: Surgical resection led to a higher overall survival and recurrence-free survival rate in treating SHCC. However, RFA led to a lower morbidity rate of complication than surgical resection.