Can postural modification reduce kinetic and kinematic loading during the bowing postures of Islamic prayer?

As stooped postures are known to increase kinematic and kinetic loading on the lumbar spine they can be problematic for people with low back pain and postural task modification is often recommended. For the Muslim with low back pain, the bowing postures during prayer can aggravate low back symptoms. The aims of this study were to describe lumbo-sacral and pelvic tilt kinematics and lumbo-sacral kinetics during the standard bowing postures of Islam and to compare these to kinematic and kinetic data gathered during a clinically recommended modified bowing posture. The study was a repeated measures within subject cross-over design with 33 healthy male Muslim participants. 3-D motion analysis data were gathered to calculate body joint angles during the two bowing postures. A 3-D biomechanical model was then used to calculate spinal loads. Paired t-test analyses showed that the use of the modified posture resulted in significantly less pelvic tilt range of motion and anterior shear force and compressive force L5/S1, at stages 1 and 5 of bowing. Although this study was conducted with healthy young Muslim males, the use of this modified bent knee posture is recommended for all Muslims with low back pain. Clinical trials are being considered to determine the clinical utility of this postural manoeuvre as an intervention. STATEMENT OF RELEVANCE: The presence of low back pain may hinder a Muslim's ability to use the traditional Islamic bowing posture. Muslims who have low back pain may benefit from adopting a modification to the traditional bowing posture, which has been found to reduce the loads and postural demands on the lower back.

Thin Layer Chromatographic Determination of Sterigmatocystin in Cheese

A one-dimensional thin layer chromatographic method has been developed for determining sterigmatocystin in cheese. Cheese is extracted with acetonitrile—4% KC1 (85 + 15). A simplified liquid-liquid partition cleanup is used, and the sample extract is passed through a cupric carbonate column for final purification. Sterigmatocystin is visualized by spraying the plate with aluminum chloride. The fluorescence of the : spot is enhanced 10-fold by additional plate spraying with a silicone- ' ether mixture, enabling sterigmatocystin detection and quantitation at 2 land5 μg/kg, respectively. Average recoveries were 88.3 and 86.4% at the 10 and 25 μg/kg levels, respectively.

Gas chromatographic determination of deoxynivalenol in wheat with electron capture detection

A method is described for the determination of deoxynivalenol (DON) in wheat. The method involves sample extraction with chloroform-ethanol (8 + 2), column chromatographic cleanup on silica gel of small particle size, and derivatization with heptafluorobutyric acid anhydride using 4-dimethylaminopyridine as a catalyst. The derivative DON tris-heptafluorobutyrate is determined by gas chromatography using an electron capture detector. Recoveries of DON added to wheat at levels of 118-1184 ng/g averaged 88% with a coefficient of variation of 8.6%.