The effects of locomotor training in children with spinal cord injury: a systematic review

Purpose: Discuss the effectiveness of locomotor training (LT) in children following spinal cord injury (SCI). This intervention was assessed following an exhaustive search of the literature using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta- Analyses: The PRISMA Statement as a guideline.

Method: Six databases were searched including PubMed, PEDro, CINAHL, Cochrane, PsycINFO, and Web of Knowledge in January 2016 and November 2016, without date restrictions. Inclusion criteria were: studies in English and peer-reviewed and journal articles with a primary intervention of LT in children following SCI.

Results: Twelve articles, reporting eleven studies, were included. A systematic review assessing locomotor training in children with SCI published in April 2016 was also included. Participants were ages 15 months to 18 years old. Forms of LT included body-weight supported treadmill or over ground training, functional electrical stimulation, robotics, and virtual reality. Protocols differed in set-up and delivery mode, with improvements seen in ambulation for all 41 participants following LT.

Conclusion: Children might benefit from LT to develop or restore ambulation following SCI. Age, completeness, and level of injury remain the most important prognostic factors to consider with this intervention. Additional benefits include improved bowel/ bladder management and control, bone density, cardiovascular endurance, and overall quality of life. Looking beyond the effects LT has just on ambulation is crucial because it can offer benefits to all children sustaining a SCI, even if restoration or development of walking is not the primary goal. Further rigorous research is required to determine the overall effectiveness of LT.     

Burn survivors injured as children exhibit resilience in long-term community integration outcomes: A life impact burn recovery evaluation (LIBRE) study

IntroductionThere is limited understanding of how burn injuries at different ages are associated with normal growth and development as well as the burn recovery process. This study provides new useful insights by comparing social participation outcomes among burn survivors injured in childhood compared with injuries sustained in middle age, and older adulthood.MethodsItems from the development of the LIBRE profile were administered to 601 adult burn survivors with ≥5% TBSA burned or burns to critical areas (hands, feet, face, or genitals). Each item was answered on a 5-point Likert scale with higher scores denoting better outcomes. Mean scores for the 6 LIBRE profile scales (sexual relationships, family and friends, social interactions, social activities, work and employment, and romantic relationships) were compared between those burned as children (<18 years) and those burned as adults (≥18 years). Regression analyses were used to assess differences between groups with adjustment for demographic and clinical characteristics.ResultsOf the 597 burn survivors having complete data on age at injury, 165 (27.6%) sustained burn injuries as a child. Those burned as children were more frequently female than those burned as adults (57% vs 47%) and were also more frequently white non-Hispanic (89% vs 77%). Marital status and education level were similar in the two groups. Those who were burned as children had slightly higher scores on the social activities, work and employment and romantic relationships scales. However, these differences did not persist in adjusted regression analyses.ConclusionsBurn survivors who sustained injuries as a child fared at least as well as those burned as adults in a broad range of long-term social participation outcomes. The impact on long-term social participation outcomes of burn survivors was not significantly different between individuals with burns sustained during important developmental stages at young ages and those injured later in life.     

Modelling human pathology of traumatic brain injury in animal models

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is caused by a head impact with a force exceeding regular exposure from normal body movement which the brain normally can accommodate. People affected include, but are not restricted to, sport athletes in American football, ice hockey, boxing as well as military personnel. Both single and repetitive exposures may affect the brain acutely and can lead to chronic neurodegenerative changes including chronic traumatic encephalopathy associated with the development of dementia. The changes in the brain following TBI include neuroinflammation, white matter lesions, and axonal damage as well as hyperphosphorylation and aggregation of tau protein. Even though the human brain gross anatomy is different from rodents implicating different energy transfer upon impact, especially rotational forces, animal models of TBI are important tools to investigate the changes that occur upon TBI at molecular and cellular levels. Importantly, such models may help to increase the knowledge of how the pathologies develop, including the spreading of tau pathologies, and how to diagnose the severity of the TBI in the clinic. In addition, animal models are helpful in the development of novel biomarkers and can also be used to test potential disease‐modifying compounds in a preclinical setting.     

多种放射性肺损伤动物模型的建立和效应评价研究

放射性肺损伤是胸部肿瘤放疗后常见并发症,随着对放射性肺炎研究不断深入,如何为基础研究和药物干预寻求最佳的动物模型和效应评价已成为当前亟待解决的难题之一。通过检索近10年文献,对不同放射性肺损伤模型动物及放射部位的选择、照射剂量的确定、照射方法的比较和动物模型效应评价进行了对比研究,以期寻找建立放射性肺损伤动物模型的稳定方法和较为明确的效应机制,为防护和减缓放射性肺损伤的发生发展而进行的基础研究和药物研制提供可靠的方法。     

The Presence of a Psychiatric Condition is Associated With Undergoing Hip Arthroscopy for Femoroacetabular Impingement: A Matched Case-Controlled Study

Background

We sought to examine the association between having a psychiatric condition and undergoing hip arthroscopy for femoroacetabular impingement (FAI).