Balance and gait improved in patients with MS after physiotherapy based on the Bobath concept

Background and Purpose . Patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) tend to have movement difficulties, and the effect of physiotherapy for this group of patients has been subjected to limited systematic research. In the present study physiotherapy based on the Bobath concept, applied to MS patients with balance and gait problems, was evaluated. The ability of different functional tests to demonstrate change was evaluated. Method . A single‐subject experimental study design with ABAA phases was used, and two patients with relapsing–remitting MS in stable phase were treated. Tests were performed 12 times, three at each phase: A (at baseline); B (during treatment); A (immediately after treatment); and A (after two months). The key feature of treatment was facilitation of postural activity and selective control of movement. Several performance and self‐report measures and interviews were used. Results . After intervention, improved balance was shown by the Berg Balance Scale (BBS) in both patients, and improved quality of gait was indicated by the Rivermead Visual Gait Assessment (RVGA). The patients also reported improved balance and gait function in the interviews and scored their condition as ‘much improved’. Gait parameters, recorded by an electronic walkway, changed, but differently in the two patients. Among the physical performance tests the BBS and the RVGA demonstrated the highest change, while no or minimal change was demonstrated by the Rivermead Mobility Index (RMI) and Ratings of Perceived Exertion (RPE). Conclusion . The findings indicate that balance and gait can be improved after physiotherapy based on the Bobath concept, but this should be further evaluated in larger controlled trials of patients with MS. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Bioreductive activation of quinones: A mixed blessing

Quinones can be metabolized by various routes: substitution or reductive addition with nucleophilic compounds (mainly glutathione and protein thiol groups), one-electron reduction (mainly by NADPH: cytochrome P-450 reductase) and two-electron reduction (by D,T-diaphorase). During reduction semiquinone radicals and hydroquinones are formed, which can transfer electrons to molecular oxygen, resulting in the formation of reactive oxygen intermediates and back-formation of the parent quinone (redox cycling). Reaction of semiquinones and reactive oxygen intermediates with DNA and other macromolecules can lead to acute cytotoxicity and/or to mutagenicity and carcinogenicity. The enhanced DNA-alkylating properties of certain hydroquinones are exploited in the bioreductive alkylating quinones. Acute cytotoxicity of quinones appears to be related to glutathione depletion and to interaction with mitochondria and subsequent disturbance of cellular energy homoeostasis and calcium homoeostasis. These effects can to a certain extent be predicted from the electron-withdrawing and electron-donating effects of the substituents on the quinone nucleus of the molecule. Prediction of cytostatic potential remains much more complicated, because reduction of the quinones and the reactivity of the reduction products with DNA are modulated by the prevailing oxygen tension and by the prevalence of reducing enzymes in tumour cells.This article is based on a lecture given at the 16th LOF Symposium, 27 October 1989, Utrecht, the Netherlands.     

纳米锶磷灰石的体外细胞毒性研究

目的对纳米锶磷灰石进行体外细胞毒性试验,评价其生物安全性,为将其应用于骨折临床修复奠定基础。方法将不同浓度的纳米锶磷灰石浸提液与小鼠成纤维细胞L929体外共培养2d、4d、7d,倒置相差显微镜下观察细胞的形态变化;用四氮唑盐比色法(MTT)检测,计算细胞相对增殖度,用六级毒性分类法进行评级。结果培养期细胞贴壁生长,形态良好,随着培养天数的增加细胞大量增殖,毒级为0～1级。相同时间点不同浓度的纳米锶磷灰石浸提液的吸光度值无明显差异性(p>0.05)。结论初步证实纳米锶磷灰石具有人体应用的生物安全基础,无细胞毒性。     

COPD机械通气病人下呼吸道感染致病菌分布特点

①目的 探讨慢性阻塞性肺病(COPD)病人机械通气后下呼吸道感染致病菌的特点。②方法 取32例COPD并发呼吸衰竭行机械通气病人下呼吸道分泌物做痰细菌学培养，同时做药物敏感试验。③结果 32例病人共分离出菌株76株，阳性率71．7％，其中混合感染10例次。其中革兰阴性杆菌(GNB)58株，占76．3％；阳性球菌10株，占13．2％；真菌8株，占10．5％。常见致病菌以铜绿假单胞菌、鲍曼不动杆菌和肺炎杆菌为主，GNB中铜绿假单胞菌和不动杆菌的耐药率高。④结论 COPD应用机械通气病人下呼吸道感染以革兰阴性杆菌为主，耐药性高。     

老年人肺功能与年龄增长的关系

目的: 探讨60岁以上老人动态肺功能随年龄增长的变化规律及机制.方法: 用日本PM-81型胸描仪对60岁以上老人动态肺功能的各项指标进行测量和分析.结果: 60岁以上老人动态肺功能各项指标均随年龄增加而降低,差异有高度显著性(P<0.01).结论: 60岁以上老人动态肺功能随年龄的增加而降低.其机制主要是呼吸中枢的功能降低,肺和胸廓的弹性阻力、呼吸道的非弹性阻力增加所致.     

Chemical composition and cytotoxic activity of the leaf essential oil of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Eugenia zuchowskiae</Emphasis> from Monteverde,Costa Rica

The leaf essential oil of Eugenia zuchowskiae from Monteverde, Costa Rica, has been obtained by hydrodistillation and analyzed by GC–MS. The principal constituents of E. zuchowskiae leaf oil were α-pinene (28.3%), β-caryophyllene (13.2%), α-humulene (13.1%), and α-copaene (8.1%). The leaf essential oil of E. zuchowskiae showed pronounced in-vitro cytotoxic activity against MCF-7, MDA-MB-468, and UACC-257 human tumor cell lines. The major components showed cytotoxic activities comparable to doxorubicin (LC₅₀ 14–70 μg/ml).     

茶色素对冠心病及高血压病病人血小板功能的影响

目的：探索茶色素对冠心病、高血压病病人血小板功能的影响。方法：冠心病病人３６例（男性２１例，女性１５例；年龄６４±ｓ４ａ）；高血压病病人３０例（男性１８例，女性１２例；年龄５８±８ａ）。采用茶色素２５０ｍｇ，ｐｏ，ｔｉｄ，３０ｄ为一个疗程。结果：治疗后ＴＸＢ２下降，６－ｋｅｔｏ－ＰＧＰ１α上升，ＴＸＢ２／６－ｋｅｔｏ－ＰＧＦ１α比值下降（Ｐ＜０．０１或Ｐ＜０．０５），ＧＭＰ－１４０下降（Ｐ＜０．０５），ＰａｇＴ，ＰａｄＴ下降（Ｐ＜０．０５）。结论：茶色素具有降低血小板表面活性作用，抑制血小板聚集和粘附，抗血栓形成，改善微循环，对冠心病和高血压病病人起到积极的防治作用。     

绿茶对小鼠Lewis肺癌生长的抑制及免疫调节

为了研究茶叶防癌作用，以接种Ｌｅｗｉｓ肺癌细胞的Ｃ５７／ＢＬ６Ｊ小鼠为实验模型，研究绿茶对带瘤小鼠肿瘤生长的抑制及免疫调节作用。结果表明，接种Ｌｅｗｉｓ肺癌细胞后，Ｃ５７／ＢＬ６Ｊ小鼠胸腺重量及其指数减轻，Ｔ淋巴细胞ＣＤ４亚群阳性百分数及ＣＤ＋４／ＣＤ＋８比值下降，外周血白细胞本底化学发光降低，受酵母多糖刺激产生的化学发光增高以及脾ＩｇＭ抗体生成细胞数减少。绿茶对小鼠体内Ｌｅｗｉｓ肺癌的生长有明显抑制作用，并对上述各项指标的不良改变有不同程度的保护效果     

An alternative method for significance testing of waveform difference potentials

Guthrie and Buchwald (1991) proposed an ad hoc procedure for assessing the statistical significance of waveform difference potentials that may arise in a variety of psychophysiology research contexts. In our paper, an alternative method is presented and demonstrated that has fewer underlying assumptions than does the Guthrie-Buchwald test and may, therefore, produce better results in some situations. In particular, the test proposed here (a) is distribution free, (b) requires no assumption of an underlying correlation structure (e.g., first-order autoregressive), (c) requires no estimate of the population autocorrelation coefficient, (d) is exact, (e) produces p values for any number of subjects and time points, and (f) is highly intuitive as well as theoretically justifiable. This procedure may be used to carry out multiple comparisons with exact specification or experimentwise error, however, this test is based on permutation principles and may require large amounts of computer time for its implementation.     

Diagnosis and treatment of thoracic outlet syndrome

Patients who develop symptoms of thoracic outlet syndrome (TOS) have a predisposing anatomic abnormality. In most patients with TOS, the symptoms are caused by entrapment of the brachial plexus and they do not arise from compression of the subclavian artery, as was previously thought. The tests advocated for diagnosing this common syndrome (i.e., evaluating the positional compression of the artery when the arms are raised, the neck is turned, or the shoulders are braced) cannot accurately diagnose this syndrome. There are two reasons for this. The symptoms of TOS are not related to the compression of the artery in the outlet in 98% of patients, and 75% of normal individuals without symptoms show diminished radial pulse on various provocation tests. We employed four timed provocation tests (minute tests) to diagnose TOS: the timed Morley test, timed Wright test, timed Eden test, and elevated arm stress exercise, all of which are very sensitive. In normal individuals without symptoms, 20% experience transitional symptoms such as slight pain and tiredness, on these tests indicating a subclinical state. TOS is treated by keeping the thoracic outlet wide, this being done either conservatively or surgically. In 1993 and 1994, we conservatively treated 418 of 422 patients with TOS by means of active exercise, a brace, and by block therapy. These measures did not reduce the symptoms in 23 of these patients, so surgical treatment was indicated. In the remaining 4 of the 422 patients, conservative treatment was not indicated and surgery was performed directly. All the patients showed significant clinical improvement of varying degree. Presented at the 69th Annual Meeting of the Japanese Orthopaedic Association, Tokyo, April 12, 1996