Differences in injury risk and characteristics between Dutch amateur and professional soccer players

Objectives: To compare the incidence and characteristics of injuries between Dutch amateur and professional male soccer players during one entire competition season. Design: A prospective two-cohort design. Methods: During the 2009-2010 season, 456 Dutch male amateur soccer players and 217 professional players were prospectively followed....

Results of monitoring large carbon fiber post-tensioning systems in a balanced Cantilever Bridge (Dintelharbour Bridge, The Netherlands)

Steel post-tensioning systems and stay cables are susceptible to corrosion. Carbon fiber systems are not. However, there was no experience on the long term behavior of such post-tensioned elements. Four external tendons (75 m long), stressed to a load of 2650 kN, were applied in a large balanced cantilever bridge and monitored for over 10 years....

Achilles tendinosis: Changes in biochemical composition and collagen turnover rate

Background: Understanding biochemical and structural changes of the extracellular matrix in Achilles tendinosis might be important for developing mechanism-based therapies. Hypothesis: In Achilles tendinosis, changes occur in biochemical composition and collagen turnover rate. Study Design: Descriptive laboratory study. Methods: From 10 patients...

Extracellular matrix compositon of the equine superficial digital flexor tendon: Relationship with age and anatomical site

The objectives of the present study were to test the hypotheses that: (1) the composition of the extracellular matrix of the equine superficial digital flexor tendon (SDFT) shows great functional similarities with articular cartilage, i.e. that significant differences exist in biochemical composition of differently loaded areas (which in the...

Functional adaptation through changes in regional biochemical characteristics during maturation of equine superficial digital flexor tendons

Objective - To quantify and compare biochemical characteristics of the extracellular matrix (ECM) of specimens harvested from tensional and compressive regions of the superficial digital flexor tendon (SDFT) of horses in age classes that include neonates to mature horses. Sample population - Tendon specimens were collected on postmortem...

The AGE of the matrix: Chemistry, consequence and cure

Accumulation of advanced glycation endproducts (AGEs) plays a crucial part in the development of age-related diseases and diabetic complications. AGEs are formed in vivo via the so-called Maillard reaction: a reducing sugar reacts with a protein to form a labile Amadori product that is subsequently stabilized, producing an irreversible, non...

Lysylhydroxylation and non-reducible crosslinking of human supraspinatus tendon collagen: Changes with age and in chronic rotator cuff tendinitis

Objectives - To investigate age related and site specific variations in turnover and chemistry of the collagen network in healthy tendons as well as the role of collagen remodelling in the degeneration of the supraspinatus tendon (ST-D) in rotator cuff tendinitis. Methods - Collagen content and the amount of hydroxylysine (Hyl),...

Sensitive fluorimetric quantitation of pyridinium and pentosidine crosslinks in biological samples in a single high-performance liquid chromatographic run

A high-performance liquid chromatographic assay was developed for pyridinium crosslinks and pentosidine in mature collagen of a wide variety of connective tissue hydrolysates by a simple two-step isocratic assay using a reversed-phase column. The crosslinks (including the internal standard pyridoxine) were optimally detected by their native...