Electrophysiologic features of ulnar neuropathy in childhood and adolescence

Objective

To analyze patterns of nerve injury in pediatric ulnar neuropathy (PUN).

肌电生物反馈疗法在重症手足口病患儿康复中的对照研究

目的观察肌电生物反馈疗法在重症手足口病患者康复中的作用。方法将36例重症手足口病伴急性迟缓性瘫痪患儿随机分为肌电生物反馈治疗组和对照组。2组均予运动疗法、等速肌力训练、引导式教育、普通针刺等治疗,肌电生物反馈治疗组加用MyoTrac肌电生物反馈系统。分别在治疗前、治疗后1个月对患儿进行被动踝关节关节活动度(ROM)测量、胫骨前肌表面肌电检测。结果治疗后2组踝关节ROM增加、自主收缩时胫骨前肌肌电积分(iEMG)均较治疗前提高,差异有统计学意义(P0.05);治疗后2组间对比,肌电生物反馈治疗组患儿踝关节ROM及胫骨前肌的iEMG均优于对照组(P0.05)。结论肌电生物反馈疗法能显著提高重症手足口病伴急性迟缓性瘫痪患儿的下肢运动功能,可作为该类患儿下肢功能康复的一种有效治疗方法。     

Clinical features and prognosis with Guillain-Barr�� syndrome

Background:

Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) is an acute inflammatory polyneuropathy commonly characterized by rapidly progressive, symmetric weakness and areflexia.

Materials and Methods:

We retrospectively assessed the clinical manifestations, results of electrodiagnostic tests, functional status and prognosis of 36 children diagnosed with GBS.

Results:

Based on clinical and electrophysiological findings, the patients were classified as having acute inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy (AIDP) (n = 25), acute motor axonal neuropathy (AMAN) (n = 10) and acute motor-sensory axonal neuropathy (AMSAN) (n = 1). Twenty (55.5%) patients were males and 16 (44.5%) patients were females. The mean age of the 36 patients was 68.1 ± 45.01 months (range, 6–180 months). Five (13.8%) patients were younger than 2 years. The most common initial symptoms were limb weakness, which was documented in 34 (94.4%) patients. In our study, 18 patients (51.4%) showed albuminocytological dissociation (raised protein concentration without pleocytosis) on cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) examination. Three patients (8.3%) required mechanical ventilation therapy during hospitalization. Unfortunately, three (8.3%) patients died; one patient had AIDP and two patients had axonal involvement (one case was AMAN and another case was AMSAN). When we compared the cases of residual sequel/dead and cases of complete recovery for neural involvement type including AIDP, AMAN and AMSAN, we did not find a statistically significant difference between the groups (P > 0.05).

Conclusion:

Our findings showed that cases of GBS was not uncommon in children younger than 2 years of age, and CSF protein level might be found high in the first week of the disease in about one half of the patients, with a higher rate of morbidity and mortality in patients with axonal involvement than in those with AIDP.     

改良复制义齿技术用于全口义齿修复及疗效评价

目的将改良复制义齿技术用于需要更换全口义齿的患者,观察其使用效果。方法 对9例需要更换全口义齿的患者,应用本课题设计的复制全口义齿技术进行修复,戴义齿1周、2周、1个月内进行问卷调查、肌电图和多筛法咀嚼效能检测。结果患者主观评分较高,在8.5～9.5之间。随着戴义齿时间的延长,最大咬合力咬合下和咀嚼运动中嚼肌和颞肌前束的肌电活动有所增加,嚼肌的增幅较明显,戴义齿1个月后与戴义齿初相比,差异有统计学意义（P〈0.05）;20秒的咀嚼次数有所增加,第一次吞咽前的咀嚼次数、时间有所减少。咀嚼后食物颗粒的颗粒直径中位数X50下降（P〈0.05）。结论此技术切实可行,在修复后短期内即能出现良好的临床效果。     

The effect of glycogen depletion and supercompensation on the physical working capacity at the fatigue threshold

Summary The purpose of this investigation was to determine the effect of glycogen depletion and super-compensation on the physical working capacity at the fatigue threshold (PWC_FT). Ten adult males (mean age 23 years, SD 3) volunteered as subjects for this study. During the first laboratory visit the subjects performed a maximal bicycle ergometer test for the determination of maximum oxygen consumption . Between 48 and 72 h later, the subjects pedaled to exhaustion at a power output which corresponded to a mean of 76% of (range, 72–80%) for the purpose of glycogen depletion. For the next 3 days, the subjects were fed a 10.5 MJ · day^–1 low carbohydrate diet which consisted of 7.5% carbohydrates, 22.0% protein and 70.5% fat. The subjects then performed an incremental cycle ergometer test to the onset of fatigue or PWC_FT, which was estimated from integrated electromyographic voltages of the vastus lateralis muscle. For the next 3 days the subjects were fed a 10.5 MJ high carbohydrate diet which consisted of 72.2% carbohydrates, 12.4% protein and 15.4% fats for the purpose of glycogen supercompensation. The subjects then performed a second PWC_FT test. A paired t-test indicated that there was no significant (p > 0.05) difference between the means of the PWC_FT values (depletion 246 W, SD 30; supercompensation 265 W, SD 28) and they were highly correlated atr=0.884. The results of this investigation suggested that the methods commonly used to affect glycogen depletion or supercompensation had no effect on PWC_FT.     

Spinal Myoclonus After Spinal Cord Injury

Abstract

Background/Objective: In the course of examining spinal motor function in many hundreds of people with traumatic spinal cord injury, we encountered 6 individuals who developed involuntary and rhythmic contractions in muscles of their legs. Although there are many reports of unusual muscle activation patterns associated with different forms of myoclonus, we believe that certain aspects of the patterns seen with these 6 subjects have not been previously reported. These patterns share many features with those associated with a spinal central pattern generator for walking.

Methods: Subjects in this case series had a history of chronic injury to the cervical spinal cord, resulting in either complete (ASIA A; n = 4) or incomplete (ASIA D; n = 2) quadriplegia. We used multi-channel electromyography recordings of trunk and leg muscles of each subject to document muscle activation patterns associated with different postures and as influenced by a variety of sensory stimuli.

Results: Involuntary contractions spanned multiple leg muscles bilaterally, sometimes including weak abdominal contractions. Contractions were smooth and graded and were highly reproducible in rate for a given subject (contraction rates were 0.3-0.5 Hz). These movements did not resemble the brief rapid contractions (ie, "jerks") ascribed to some forms of spinal myoclonus. For all subjects, the onset of involuntary muscle contraction was dependent upon hip angle; contractions did not occur unless the hips (and knees) were extended (ie, subjects were supine). In the 4 ASIA A subjects, contractions occurred simultaneously in all muscles (agonists and antagonists) bilaterally. In sharp contrast, contractions in the 2 ASIA D subjects were reciprocal between agonists and antagonists within a limb and alternated between limbs, such that movements in these 2 subjects looked just like repetitive stepping. Finally, each of the 6 subjects had a distinct pathology of their spinal cord, nerve roots, distal trunk, or thigh; in 4 of these subjects, treatment of the pathology eliminated the involuntary movements.

Conclusion: The timing, distribution, and reliance upon hip angle suggest that these movement patterns reflect some elements of a central pattern generator for stepping. Emergence of these movements in persons with chronic spinal cord injury is extremely rare and appears to depend upon a combination of the more rostrally placed injury and a pathologic process leading to a further enhancement of excitability in the caudal spinal cord.     

Sciatic Neuropathy: Case Report and Discussion of the Literature on Postoperative Sciatic Neuropathy and Sciatic Nerve Tumors

Sciatic nerve injury and dysfunction is not an uncommon cause of lower extremity symptoms in a musculoskeletal practice. We present the case of a man who presented with lower extremity weakness, pain, and cramps, and was initially diagnosed at an outside institution with bilateral S1 radiculopathies and recommended for spine surgery. He came to us for a second opinion. Electrodiagnostic testing revealed an isolated sciatic neuropathy and the patient was referred for imaging, which showed a sciatic nerve sheath tumor. Review of the literature on sciatic neuropathies shows that there can be many possible etiologies of sciatic nerve dysfunction, but that hip arthroplasty continues to be the leading risk factor. Sciatic nerve tumors are not commonly described in the literature and their definitive management remains unclear.     

吸入不同浓度异氟醚对喉返神经肌电活动的影响

目的观察不同浓度的异氟醚吸入对喉返神经肌电活动的影响。方法30例择期甲状腺手术患者,ASAⅠ～Ⅱ级,采用异氟醚吸入复合静脉麻醉。于分离甲状腺前诱导恢复自主呼吸,调整异氟醚呼出浓度为0.1、0.2、0.3、0.4、0.5、0.6、0.7MAC时,观察血压、心率及喉返神经肌电活动波的振幅变化,记录喉返神经肌电波形振幅等于100μV时的异氟醚呼出浓度。结果当异氟醚呼出浓度为0.1、0.2、0.3、0.4MAC时,喉返神经肌电活动显示良好,当异氟醚呼出浓度为0.5、0.6、0.7MAC时,喉返神经肌电活动振幅降低,随异氟醚吸入浓度增高直至消失。结论低浓度异氟醚吸入,基本不会影响喉返神经功能的监控。     

Variation in costs among surgeons for lumbar spinal stenosis

Background Context

Lumbar spinal stenosis is a common condition in the elderly for which costs vary substantially by region. Comparing differences between surgeons from a single institution, thereby omitting regional variation, could aid in identifying factors associated with higher costs and individual drivers of costs. The use of decision aids (DAs) has been suggested as one of the possible tools for diminishing costs and cost variation.