Timed limb coordination performance is associated with walking speed in healthy older adults: A cross-sectional exploratory study

Walking speed reflects quality of life, health status and physical function in older adults but interpreting measures of walking speed is affected by several confounders such as gender, age and height. Additionally, walking speed is influenced by neurologic conditions that impair limb coordination. In absence of defined pathology, it is less clear how varying levels of limb coordination influence walking speed. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between limb coordination and walking speed in older adults, controlling for effects of gender, age and height. Sixty-nine healthy, community-dwelling individuals over the age of 60 participated in the study. Participants completed a battery of timed upper and lower limb coordination tests. Normal and fast walking speed were measured over the inner six meters of a 10 m walkway. Correlation and regression analyses were used to examine the relationship between limb coordination performance and walking speed. Controlling for gender, age and height, variance in normal walking speed was accounted for by variance in pronation–supination performance (partial r = ?0.396, partial r² = 0.16) and variance in fast walking speed was accounted for by variance in finger-to-nose performance (partial r = ?0.356, partial r² = 0.13). The findings support our hypothesis that limb coordination performance would correlate with walking speed in healthy older adults. Moreover, limb coordination performance attenuated the effects of gender, age and height on walking speed. Limb coordination may be a modifiable determinant of walking speed in older adults.     

Intraoperative Koronarangioplastie

The intraoperative coronary angioplasty was a first approach towards a combination of classical surgical and interventional techniques within one operative procedure. By this, the spectrum of surgical treatment options was enlarged. However, the intraoperative expenditure as well as the limited number of patients being possible candidates for this procedure stood against a further dissemination, so that the intraoperative coronary angioplasty is practically no longer applied. Instead, interventional/surgical hybrid procedures may be considered some kind of current equivalent and also, it has contributed to an introduction of interventional techniques into cardiovascular surgery.     

Trends of violence among 7th, 8th and 9th grade students in the state of Lara,Venezuela: The Global School Health Survey 2004 and 2008

Background  

Violence by young people is one of the most visible forms of violence and contributes greatly to the global burden of premature death, injury and disability.     

Adenovirus—Extracellular Protein Interactions and Their Impact on Innate Immune Responses by Human Mononuclear Phagocytes

The aim of this review is to highlight how, in a syngeneic system, human mononuclear phagocytes respond to environments containing human adenovirus (HAdV) and soluble extracellular proteins that influence their innate immune response. Soluble extracellular proteins, including immunoglobulins, blood clotting factors, proteins of the complement system, and/or antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) can exert direct effects by binding to a virus capsid that modifies interactions with pattern recognition receptors and downstream signaling. In addition, the presence, generation, or secretion of extracellular proteins can indirectly influence the response to HAdVs via the activation and recruitment of cells at the site of infection.     

Genetic Variation of North American Triatomines (Insecta: Hemiptera: Reduviidae): Initial Divergence between Species and Populations of Chagas Disease Vector

The triatomines vectors of Trypanosoma cruzi are principal factors in acquiring Chagas disease. For this reason, increased knowledge of domestic transmission of T. cruzi and control of its insect vectors is necessary. To contribute to genetic knowledge of North America Triatominae species, we studied genetic variations and conducted phylogenetic analysis of different triatomines species of epidemiologic importance. Our analysis showed high genetic variations between different geographic populations of Triatoma mexicana, Meccus longipennis, M. mazzottii, M. picturatus, and T. dimidiata species, suggested initial divergence, hybridation, or classifications problems. In contrast, T. gerstaeckeri, T. bolivari, and M. pallidipennis populations showed few genetics variations. Analysis using cytochrome B and internal transcribed spacer 2 gene sequences indicated that T. bolivari is closely related to the Rubrofasciata complex and not to T. dimidiata. Triatoma brailovskyi and T. gerstaeckeri showed a close relationship with Dimidiata and Phyllosoma complexes.     

Bile duct carcinoma following abdominal radiation for urologic neoplasms

This report concerns three cases of bile duct carcinoma which occurred 15–40 years after patients received treatment for urogenital neoplasia. All three patients had initially received radiation therapy in addition to urological surgery. Jaundice was the major clinical symptom of the second tumor. Two of the three patients were able to be surgically treated when presenting with their second carcinoma (partial pancreaticoduodenectomy, bile duct resection; central liver resection), whereas the third patient was in such a poor state of health that he was biopsied only and treated with a pigtail drain. All three patients died within 3 months to 3 years following the diagnosis of the second tumor. The more than coincidential occurrence of the rare bile duct carcinoma in our three patients with previous urogenital neoplasia warrants a new discussion concerning the connection between primary carcinoma, radiation therapy, and the occurrence of a second tumor.     

Inactivated Venezuelan equine encephalomyelitis virus vaccine complexed with specific antibody: enhanced primary immune response and altered pattern of antibody class elicited.

Complexes of formalinized Venezuelan equine encephalomyelitis (VEE) virus vaccine and specific IgG formed at antigen-antibody equivalence enhanced the immune responses of rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta). The predomonant class of antibody elicited by complexes was IgG. In contrast, lower titers of antibody and a more biphasic (IgG-IgM) response were observed after exposure of monkeys to the vaccine alone. In comparison to the response of monkeys primed with antigen, a more rapid secondary response was obtained in monkeys primed with the complexes of antigen and antibody formed at equivalence. A sustained level of protection of 88% was afforded mice 24 hr after immunization with antigen-antibody complexes; development of protection after administration of antigen required eight days to reach this level. Passive protection (80%-100%) was conferred by IgG controls for seven to eight days after immunization. This level of protection was not significantly affected by X-irradiation 24 hr prior to administration of IgG; however, protection in mice similarly irradiated prior to immunization with antigen-antibody complexes was significantly decreased. Early protection afforded by the complexes was not nonspecific (interferon) but was mediated by specific immunologic mechanisms and may be caused by an early formation of IgG.