Physical Therapy and Complementary and Alternative Medicine: An Educational Tool for Enhancing Integration

In an outpatient rehabilitation setting, both patients’ use and therapists’ knowledge of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) varies widely. Based on this observation and a recognition of CAM as an emerging practice area for rehabilitation professionals, it was felt that a thorough and consistent approach to the education and orientation of physical therapists to the world of CAM and integrative care was needed. This special interest paper will describe one center’s approach, development, and use of a unique and comprehensive training manual designed to provide both a structured and standardized approach for educating physical therapists about CAM and related therapeutic modalities. This innovative teaching tool allows for multiple methods of content delivery within a multidisciplinary format and can be used for those who practice currently or desire to practice in an integrative care environment.     

Knowledge, attitudes and practices about blood donation. A sociological study among the population of Lomé in Togo]

GOALS: 1) analyse the knowledge, attitudes and practices of Lome population about blood donation; 2) identify obstacles to blood donation among the population of Lome; 3) suggest some solutions to improve the performance of the National Blood Transfusion Centre (CNTS). METHODOLOGY: We have conducted a sample survey among the population of Lome from the 6th to 21st October 2003. Three hundred persons filled a questionnaire. RESULTS: In the sample, 183 (61%) were males. Their age ranged from 18 to 67 years with 2/3 of young peoples between 18 and 37 years. Pupils/students were 24,33%, wage-earners, 55% and the unemployed, 17,67%. More than the half of the investigated persons (54,67%) were unmarried and 96, 33% persons were literate. Nearly all the people (96,33%) knew about blood donation in Lome and they have received information mainly from friends, media and sensitization by the CNTS. Sixty-one percent of the investigated knew where blood is donated. All the investigated were unanimous about the vital role of blood. Whatever their religion, they recognized its sacred nature. The majority of the investigated (85%) were willing to donate blood. Only 95 people were donors. The reasons for non-donation were mainly related to the fear of catching diseases (31,71%) especially the HIV (9,76%), the lack of information (25,37%), the religious beliefs (19,51%) and the fear of knowing the result of one's HIV test. 277 people (92,33%) said that blood should be donated without remuneration. CONCLUSION: There is a growing interest in the blood donation among the population of Lome but new strategies must be elaborated to inform the population and motivate blood donors.     

Resolution of primary murine listeriosis and acquired resistance to lethal secondary infection can be mediated predominantly by Thy-1+ CD4- CD8- cells.

Mice depleted of CD4+, CD8+, Thy-1+ CD4- CD8-, or all three types of cells by appropriate monoclonal antibody treatment were tested for their ability to express resistance against a primary and secondary Listeria monocytogenes infection. It was found that mice depleted of CD8+, CD4+, or both of these subsets of T cells remained capable of controlling and then resolving both a primary infection and a secondary infection lethal for normal animals. In contrast, depleting mice of a population of Thy-1+ CD8- CD4- cells that remain after CD4+ and CD8+ T cells had been removed, rendered them incapable of resolving a sublethal primary infection or of expressing acquired immunity to a lethal secondary infection. The results point to the possibilities that Thy1+ CD4- CD8- alpha beta T cells, Thy1+ CD4- CD8- gamma delta T cells, Thy-1+ NK cells, or all three types of these host cells are involved in anti-L. monocytogenes resistance.     

Spatiomotor cueing in unilateral left neglect: three case studies of its therapeutic effects.

Limb activation contralateral to a cerebral lesion seems to reduce visual neglect, though whether this is due to perceptual cueing or hemispheric activation is controversial. Three case studies are presented which attempt to use this experimental finding therapeutically in the rehabilitation of unilateral left neglect. The first study used a combination of perceptual anchoring training with left arm activation procedures and produced improvements. The second used the same method, but stimulated left arm activation using an avoidance conditioning procedure, again with positive results. The third case treatment focused on cueing for left arm activation without explicit instructions for perceptual anchoring, with positive results.     

超声心动图定量犬冬眠心肌的方法学研究

目的:建立经胸小剂量多巴酚丁胺超声心动图激发试验(Dobu-UCG)评价犬冬眠心肌定量的方法学。材料和方法:成功建立冬眠心肌犬7条3～6个月后进行DoBu-UCG试验,测量Dobu-UCG后的心肌梗死区运动幅度(wall motion amplitude of area with myocardium infarction,MMI)和非梗死区心内膜运动幅度(wall mo-tion amplititude of areas with non myocardium infarction,MNMI)的比值(MMI/MNMI),以及试验后MMI/MNMI与试验前MMI/MNMI的差值(D值);并与实验后测量组织切片的冬眠心肌面积(the area oftotal alive myocardium,ATAM)和梗死区总面积(the area of total infarction myocardium,ATIM)的比值(ATAM/ATIM)进行比较。结果:Dobu-UCG激发试验后MMI/MNMI比值、D值分别与ATAM/ATIM进行对比分析,显示两者均高度相关(r=0.83～0.90,P分别为<0.05和<0.001)。结论:测量Dobu-UCG激发试验后MMI/MNMI比值,以及试验后、前MMI/MNMI差值(D)是定量梗死区内冬眠心肌的较好方法。