Therapists’ cues influence lower limb muscle activation and kinematics during gait training in subacute stroke

Abstract

Purpose: Symmetrical gait is a key goal of rehabilitation post-stroke. Therapists employ techniques such as verbal instruction and haptic cues to increase activation of paretic muscles. We examined whether verbal or tactile cueing altered spatiotemporal gait parameters, kinematics and electromyography (EMG) of lower limb muscles on the more-affected side within a training session.

Materials and methods: Patients (n?=?10) were recruited from rehabilitation services (<9?months post-stroke). Tactile (to the hip muscles) or verbal cues were provided on two testing days, 7–10?days apart (randomized order). Gait and angular kinematics were recorded using a Vicon motion capture system and muscle activation using EMG; at baseline (PRE), during the cue, directly afterwards without a cue (POST) and 20?min later without a cue (RETEST).

Results: Both verbal and tactile cueing significantly increased muscle activity in paretic muscles but with no immediate effect on step length asymmetry. Tactile cues, more than verbal, temporarily altered gait speed, cadence and time in double support. Verbal cues caused more robust increases in muscle activation of vastus lateralis at weight acceptance and medial gastrocnemius activity from toe off to midswing.

Conclusions: Within a treatment session, tactile cues more effectively altered cadence and double support time while verbal cues more consistently increased vastus lateralis and medial gastrocnemius activity. The effectiveness of these methods in fostering motor relearning in the longer term is an important area for future research.

• Implications for Rehabilitation

• Therapist cueing alters muscle activity on hemiparetic side with no effects on symmetry.

• Tactile cues, more so than verbal cues, increase cadence and reduce time in double support.

• Verbal cues are more effective at increasing vastus lateralis and plantarflexor muscle activity.

     

宁夏贝母化学成分的研究

从宁夏贝母(Frdillapia taipaiensis P. Y. Li var. ningxiaensis Y. K. Yang et. J. K. Wu)的鳞茎中分得六个异甾体生物碱成分,鉴定为宁贝素(taipaienine,Ⅰ)、川贝酮(chuanbeinone,Ⅱ)、西贝素(imperialine,Ⅲ)、贝母乙素(verticinone,Ⅳ)、贝母辛(peimissine,Ⅴ)和异贝母甲素(isoverticine,Ⅵ).其中T为一新C-去甲-D-高甾生物碱。应用波谱分析(IR,MS,¹HNMR和¹³CNMR)等确定了它们的化学结构。     

Chemistry of acronycine IV. Minor constituents of acronine and the phytochemistry of the genus Acronychia

In the course of isolating acronycine (1) from an alkaloid fraction of the bark of Acronychia baueri (Rutaceae), five alkaloids, 1,2,3-trimethoxy-10-methyl-acridone (9), 1,3,4-trimethoxy-10-methyl-acridone (10), des-N-methyl acronycine (14), normelicopine (5), and noracronycine (2), were isolated. Four of the isolates are new to the genus, and phytochemical analysis of the genus Acronychia is presented.     

Viruses as an Aid to Cancer Therapy: Regression of Solid and Ascites Tumors in Rodents After Treatment with Bovine Enterovirus

Treatment of ascites and solid tumors in mice (Sarcoma-1 and Ehrlich ascites carcinoma) with bovine enterovirus-1 resulted in regression of the tumors without any pathological effect on the animals. Death of mice with lymphatic-leukemia L4946 was delayed after such treatment. The oncolytic specificity of the virus does not appear to involve the production of interferon, but requires specific adsorption of virus to the tumor cells. The specificity of killing extends to cells in culture, since viral-transformed cells and oncogenic cells are susceptible to the virus, in contrast to cells of untransformed lines and cells of primary cultures, which are resistant.The possibility of utilizing the specificity of nonvirulent viruses in therapeutic treatment of human cancers is considered.     

Early Alzheimer disease-like histopathology increases in frequency with age in mice transgenic for beta-APP751.

beta-Amyloid deposition and neurofibrillary tangle formation are two histopathological features of Alzheimer disease. We have previously reported that beta-amyloid immunoreactive deposits form in the brains of transgenic mice programmed for neuronal expression of the 751-amino acid isoform of human beta-amyloid precursor protein (beta-APP751) and now describe that these animals also display Alz50 intraneuronal immunoreactivity similar to that seen in early Alzheimer disease. This suggests that abnormal beta-APP expression and/or beta-amyloid deposition promotes pathogenic alterations in tau protein. The frequency of both beta-amyloid deposition and Alz50-positive neurons was twice as prevalent in brains from old (22 months) as compared to young (2-3 months) beta-APP751 transgenic mice. This increase in histopathology with age in beta-APP751 transgenic mice parallels the time-dependent progression seen in the human disease.     

Chemistry of acronycine. IX. Formation of dimers of noracronycine--mechanistic studies

The mechanisms of two acid-mediated coupling reactions of noracronycine (2) have been studied using deuterium-labeled acids. Dimerization of noracronycine (2) using D2SO4 afforded AB-1-d4 (8), whereas coupling 2 and dihydronoracronycine (3) in 10N DCl/MeOD (1:2.5) afforded dihydro AB-2-d8 (15). In addition, in the dimerization reaction of 2 using D2SO4-CH3OD (1:1) followed by dilution with D2O, AB-1-d16 (19) was obtained instead of 8. Initial protonation at the C2 position of noracronycine (2) was verified during these studies.