Kinematic Gait Analysis Using Inertial Sensors with Subjects after Stroke in Two Different Arteries

[Purpose] The aim of the present study was described the kinematic characteristics of gait in stroke patients with two different arteries involved. [Subjects and Methods] Two patients who had suffered a basilar (A) or middle (B) cerebral artery ischemic stroke were compared with a control (C). Seventeen inertial sensors were used with acquisition rate of 120 Hz. The participants walked 3 times on a 10 meter walkway. From the raw data, the three gait cycles from the middle of each trial were chosen and analyzed. [Results] During the stance phase, patients A and B had a lower hip angle at initial contact and maximum flexion angle during load response than the control. Patient A and the control subject had similar knee angle values at initial contact, and patient B presented a flexed position in the initial phase of the gait cycle. The maximum flexion angles during loading response were also higher for patient B. The sagittal plane excursion for the ankle joint was lower for patient B in comparison with the other subjects. [Conclusion] Differences during walking between patients who had stroke in different arteries may be related to an alternative compensatory strategy. Patient A and the control subject had similar gait cycle curves at all joints, while patient B showed a rigid synergic pattern.Key words: Stroke, Gait, Kinematic     

Adenosquamous carcinoma of the colon

Two cases of primary adenosquamous carcinomas of the sigmoid colon and rectum are presented. Clinical features and pathologic findings of both primary and metastatic lesions are reported (including immunohistochemistry and electron microscopy). We emphasize that the presence of a metastatic squamous tumor in a patient with an unknown primary does not exclude the possibility of colonic carcinoma. Comparison with other reports in the American medical literature indicates that these are very aggressive tumors that may have a worse prognosis than the more common form of colonic adenocarcinoma. Furthermore, the squamous component, in particular, may have a greater potential for metastasizing and can do so as an undifferentiated-appearing carcinoma. In view of this, the authors suggest that very poorly differentiated areas within colonic adenocarcinomas should be very carefully evaluated by means of immunoperoxidase stains and/or electron microscopy in an attempt to identify squamous features.     

Process development for the mass production of Ehrlichia ruminantium

This work describes the optimization of a cost-effective process for the production of an inactivated bacterial vaccine against heartwater and the first attempt to produce the causative agent of this disease, the rickettsia Ehrlichia ruminantium (ER), using stirred tanks. In vitro, it is possible to produce ER using cultures of ruminant endothelial cells. Herein, mass production of these cells was optimized for stirring conditions. The effect of inoculum size, microcarrier type, concentration of serum at inoculation time and agitation rate upon maximum cell concentration were evaluated. Several strategies for the scale-up of cell inoculum were also tested. Afterwards, using the optimized parameters for cell growth, ER production in stirred tanks was validated for two ER strains (Gardel and Welgevonden). Critical parameters related with the infection strategy such as serum concentration at infection time, multiplicity and time of infection, and medium refeed strategy were analyzed. The results indicate that it is possible to produce ER in stirred tank bioreactors, under serum-free culture conditions, reaching a 6.5-fold increase in ER production yields. The suitability of this process was validated up to a 2-l scale and a preliminary cost estimation has shown that the stirred tanks are the least expensive culture method. Overall, these results are crucial to define a scaleable and fully controlled process for the production of a heartwater vaccine and open "new avenues" for the production of vaccines against other ehrlichial species, with emerging impact in human and animal health.     

Feasibility of a mass vaccination campaign using a two-dose oral cholera vaccine in an urban cholera-endemic setting in Mozambique

We conducted a study to assess the feasibility and the potential vaccine coverage of a mass vaccination campaign using a two-dose oral cholera vaccine in an urban endemic neighbourhood of Beira, Mozambique. The campaign was conducted from December 2003 to January 2004. Overall 98,152 doses were administered, and vaccine coverage of the target population was 58.6% and 53.6% for the first and second rounds, respectively. The direct cost of the campaign, which excludes the price of the vaccine, amounted to slightly over 90,000 dollars, resulting in the cost per fully vaccinated person of 2.09 dollars, which is relatively high. However, in endemic settings where outbreaks are likely to occur, integrating cholera vaccination into the routine activities of the public health system could reduce such costs.     

Use patterns and knowledge of medicinal species among two rural communities in Brazil's semi-arid northeastern region

The present work seeks to quantify the knowledge of two rural communities in the semi-arid region of the state of Pernambuco (northeastern Brazil) concerning two species of native medicinal plants: "aroeira do sert?o", Myracrodruon urundeuva (Engl.) Fr. All. (Anacardiaceae) and "angico", Anadenanthera colubrina (Vell.) Brenan (Mimosaceae). Semi-structured interviews were carried out, combined with a checklist/inventory method, which yielded different indexes for quantifying knowledge and use of these species. In addition, the reliability of local knowledge was tested using analytical techniques to determine actual tannin concentrations. Although both communities possess knowledge concerning these two species, one of them stood out in terms of the diversity of information presented (P < 0.05), a difference that may be related to its lower degree of modernization. In general, older people had a greater variety of information about these plants, although both men and women demonstrated similar knowledge. Of the 101 people interviewed in Riach?o, 85% stated that they knew of uses for both species studied; in Ameixas, of the 55 interviewees, 63% responded that they knew of uses for Myracrodruon urundeuva, and 45% knew of uses for Anadenanthera colubrina. A total of 97 different uses were reported by all informants for the two species studied. Of these, 62 were mentioned in only a single community, confirming our hypothesis of differences in knowledge between them. Informants from both communities knew of a great variety of uses for these plants as well as a number of different collection techniques. We expected that knowledge about the two species would differ in relation to both gender and age, but this was only true for one of the communities. Greater concentrations of tannins were expected to be found consistently in the tree bark, but experimental data demonstrated that tannin concentrations can vary among plant parts during the year.     

Ischemia results 3 months later in altered ERG, degeneration of inner layers, and deafferented tectum: neuroprotection with brimonidine

PURPOSE: To investigate the long-term effects of transient ligature of the ophthalmic vessels (LOV) on the inner and outer retina as well as on retinotectal projection, and whether brimonidine (BMD) has protective effects. METHODS: In adult rats, the left eye was subjected to 90 minutes of LOV. One hour before ischemia, 2 drops of saline alone (vehicle group) or saline containing 0.5% brimonidine (BMD group) were instilled in the left eye. The effects of LOV on the inner and outer retina were assessed with ERG recordings of a- and b-wave amplitudes at 1, 8, and 12 weeks after LOV and with analysis of layer thickness in paraffin sections. The retinotectal projection was orthogradely labeled with cholera toxin subunit B (CTB) injected in the left eye and measured in serial coronal sections of the superior colliculus. RESULTS: There were significant reductions in the mean b-wave amplitudes of the ischemic eyes at 8 and 12 weeks after LOV in the vehicle-treated group of animals, but not in the BMD-treated group. The thickness of the inner nuclear and inner plexiform layers of the vehicle-treated group of retinas had decreased to approximately 71% of the thicknesses in the BMD-treated groups. Three months after LOV, the mean volume of the retinotectal projection in the vehicle- or BMD-treated group of animals had decreased to approximately 54% or 83%, respectively, of the mean values found in the control group of animals. CONCLUSIONS: LOV induces degeneration of the inner retinal layers and the retinotectal projection 3 months after the insult. BMD administration significantly protected against LOV-induced retinal damage and degeneration of retinal projection.     

Leptolide, a new furanocembranolide diterpene from Leptogorgia alba

Six furanocembranolides (1-6) and one pseudopterolide (7) have been isolated from the octocorals Leptogorgia alba and Leptogorgia rigida, collected on the Pacific coast of Panama. Compound 1, named leptolide, has a new structure closely related to the neurotoxin lophotoxin (3). The X-ray structures of 1-3 were determined, and the absolute configurations of 2-7 are discussed. Compounds 1-7 were evaluated in vitro against drug-resistant Plasmodium falciparum.     

Feeding behaviour after injection of α-adrenergic receptor agonists into the median raphe nucleus of food-deprived rats

This study investigated the participation of median raphe nucleus (MnR) α1-adrenergic receptors in the control of feeding behaviour. The α1-adrenergic agonist phenylephrine (PHE) and α2-adrenergic agonist clonidine (CLON) (at equimolar doses of 0, 6 and 20 nmol) were injected into the MnR of: a) rats submitted to overnight fasting (18 h); or b) rats maintained with 15 g of lab chow/day for 7 days. Immediately after the drug injections, the animals were placed in the feeding chamber and feeding and non-ingestive behaviours such as grooming, rearing, resting, sniffing and locomotion were recorded for 30 min. The results showed that both doses of PHE injected into the MnR of overnight fasted animals decreased food intake accompanied by an increase in the latency to start feeding. A reduction in feeding duration was observed only after treatment of the MnR with the 20 nmol dose of PHE. Both locomotion duration and sniffing frequency increased after injection with the highest dose PHE into the MnR. Feeding frequency and the other non-ingestive behaviours remained unchanged after PHE treatment in the MnR. Both doses of PHE injected into the MnR of food-restricted rats decreased food intake. This hypophagic response was accompanied by a decrease in feeding duration only after treatment of the MnR with the highest dose of PHE. The latency to start feeding and feeding frequency were not affected by injection of either dose of PHE into the MnR. While both doses of PHE increased sniffing duration, the highest dose of PHE increased resting duration and resting frequency. Treatment with CLON into the MnR did not affect feeding behaviour in either of the food deprivation conditions. The present results indicate the inhibitory functional role of α1-adrenergic receptors within the MnR on feeding behaviour.