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Equinus and toe walking are common locomotor disorders in children with cerebral palsy (CP) walking barefoot or with normal shoes. We hypothesized that, regardless of the type of footwear, the plantar flexors do not cause early equinus upon initial foot contact but decelerate ankle dorsiflexion during weight acceptance (WA). This latter action promoted by early flat-foot contact is hypothesized to be functional. Hence, we performed an instrumented gait analysis of 12 children with CP (Gross Motor Function Classification System class: I or II; mean age: 7.2 yr) and 11 age-matched typically developing children. The participants walked either barefoot, with unmodified footwear (4° positive-heel shoes), or with 10° negative-heel shoes (NHSs). In both groups, wearing NHSs was associated with greater ankle dorsiflexion upon initial foot contact, and greater tibialis anterior activity (but no difference in soleus activity) during the swing phase. However, the footwear condition did not influence the direction and amplitude of the first ankle movement during WA and the associated peak negative ankle power. Regardless of the footwear condition, the CP group displayed 1) early flattening of the foot and ample dorsiflexion (decelerated by the plantar flexors) during WA and 2) low tibialis anterior and soleus activities during the second half of the swing phase (contributing to passive equinus upon foot strike). In children with CP, the early action of plantar flexors (which typically decelerate the forward progression of the center of mass) may be a compensatory mechanism that contributes to the WA's role in controlling balance during gait. NEW & NOTEWORTHY Adaptation to walking in negative-heel shoes was similar in typically developing children and children with cerebral palsy: it featured ankle dorsiflexion upon initial contact, even though (in the latter group) the soleus was always spastic in a clinical examination. Hence, in children with cerebral palsy, the early deceleration of ankle dorsiflexion by the plantar flexors (promoted by early flattening of the foot, and regardless of the type of footwear) may have a functional role. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A method based on the coupling of a calixarene column used for the preconcentration of actinides to a quadrupole ICP-MS was developed for the separation of actinides and their on-line detection. First, a flow injection system was developed for aqueous U, Pu and Am on-line ICP-MS analysis. Then, chromatography parameters such as the column diameter and flow rates were optimised using the theoretical plate model. The detection limits achieved are 0.6 ng (7 μBq) for 238U, 16 pg (37 mBq) for 239Pu and 0.21 pg (27 mBq) for 241Am. The signal improvement achieved by this coupling method was discussed and compared to “dilute and shoot” analysis. Finally, this method was validated on certified reference materials of 238U, 239Pu and 241Am, at concentration levels close to the detection limits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The difficulties confronted by amputees during overground walking are rarely investigated. In this study, we evaluated, in real-world situations, the influence of ground surface on walking in young, active amputees by measuring temporal and spatial gait parameters (free walking speed [FWS], step length [SL], step rate), energy expenditure (EE) (e.g., oxygen uptake, oxygen cost [O(2)C]), and Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE). Ten active transtibial amputees and ten nondisabled control subjects walked at self-selected speeds on three types of ground surface (asphalt, mown lawn, and high grass). No significant differences were observed between the two groups on asphalt and mown lawn. Differences between nondisabled subjects and amputees occurred for FWS (p = 0.03) and O(2)C (p = 0.04) on asphalt and mown lawn and for all variables in high grass. When amputees (even though very active) were exposed to a particularly difficult environment, their FWS decreased (p = 0.008) and their EE and RPE increased (p = 0.005) compared with nondisabled subjects. In high grass, both groups reduced their self-selected speeds (-15% for control subjects and -16% for amputees). Control subjects reduced their velocity by reducing both SL (-8.7%) and cadence (-7.1%), whereas amputees reduced their velocity by reducing SL (-17%) only. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

La legitimidad de la justicia en Colombia pasa por uno de los momentos más desfavorables en la historia del país, debido a los altos niveles de corrupción y la falta de imparcialidad y credibilidad de las instituciones y actores llamados a preservarla. Una opción primordial para su restablecimiento está en la Academia, debido a su vocación de investigar objetivamente, con base en métodos y teorías con fundamento científico que no obedecen a poderes particulares. En este artículo se presenta un estudio de la producción de la academia en Colombia sobre la justicia, a partir del uso de herramientas bibliométricas, en contraste con los ocho factores determinados por el Proyecto de Justicia Mundial, para identificar el valor de sus aportes, su pertinencia y las dificultades a superar.

Investigates the role of muscular afferent fiber stimulation on the duration of reflex apnea triggered by laryngeal stimulation (LS) on anesthetized sheep. Increase in the metabolic rate and ventilation by electrically induced contractions (EIC); Reduction of apnea triggered by LS during EIC; Negligible role of chemical drive in the reinitiation of breathing after LS.

Cytology and the rapid urease test on gastric biopsies may diagnose Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection within an hour. We evaluated the sensitivity and reproducibility of touch cytology (imprints from biopsies). In 19 patients with duodenal ulcer, biopsies were obtained from the antrum, fundus, and bulb. H. pylori was diagnosed in 42 sites on smears: 28 by culture and 23 by histology. H. pylori was present in the antrum and fundus in 16 and in the bulb in 11. Assessment of paired antral biopsies in 29 additional patients with or without touch cytology (imprints) before specimens were sent for histology or culture revealed no difference for the presence of H. pylori. A second reading of the 58 smears by a second observer revealed agreement on the presence or absence of H. pylori in 53 (91%). In conclusion, touch cytology is a simple rapid, sensitive, and reproducible diagnostic method for H. pylori that does not alter the quality of biopsies for subsequent culture or histologic examination. For the first time, diagnostic methods have been compared on the same biopsies, eliminating sampling variation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article demonstrates the compensatory mechanism of the hip on the non-affected side during gait in unilateral trans-tibial amputees. It discusses the alteration of the prosthetic foot transverse alignment to tend to alter homolateral knee dynamic. The article hypothesizes that the nonaffected side had to compensate more with an increase of total knee work.

The article demonstrates the compensatory mechanism of the hip on the non-affected side during gait in unilateral trans-tibial amputees. An increase in total hip work on non-affected side at beginning of stance phase in response to alteration of the prosthetic foot transverse alignment has been hypothesized.

Presents a study which examined the effects of shoe design on foot and knee dynamics during walking in patients with a tibio-talar arthrodesis. Assumption on degenerative osteoarthritis in subtalar and midtarsal joints occurring after tibio-talar arhtrodesis; Material and method; Discussion and conclusion.

Objectives/hypothesis: The purpose of this research was to study the associations of postural activities and knowledge of the voice of opera singers, recognized in the literature for the specificity of their posture. Additionally, the link between vocal pathologies and body pains on one hand, and posture control on the other hand was investigated., Methods: A questionnaire including 90 questions was distributed to singers in France and overseas during 6 months. Ninety-eight opera singers participated in the survey. Data were analyzed using Excel and Stata software., Results: The results showed that the singers who paid more attention to posture, postural work while singing, had knowledge of anatomy and postural role in singing voice, healthy lifestyle, and good body habits, had less vocal discomfort and pathologies, a better vocal preservation, and used more costo-abdominal breathing. On the other hand, knowledge of postural role and postural work was linked with pain and vocal fatigue. Furthermore, a preventive need was revealed concerning the providing of knowledge and skills to singers, but also to singing teachers, speech therapists, and stage workers., Conclusion: Our study shows that benefits were found in the voice quality of opera singers with anatomical and postural knowledge and who work on posture as part of their vocal work compared to others. Postural work and knowledge increase attention to body pain and vocal fatigue. These results can inform health care providers, opera singers, and their teachers and performers of the benefits of posture on operatic voice quality. Accordingly, this study sparks new ideas for postural work and therapy in lyric voice., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The research was conducted without funding. None of the authors reported any conflict of interest in connection with this article., (Copyright © 2024 The Voice Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: In children with cerebral palsy (CP), with impaired trunk control and toe-walking, trunk-focused rehabilitation (TFR) based on postural activities was hypothesized to improve trunk postural control, early trunk deceleration, and ankle dorsiflexion braking during walking. Methods: Seventeen children with CP (5-12 years) walking autonomously were randomly assigned to TFR and then usual rehabilitation (TFR-UR) or vice versa (UR-TFR)., Results: Only after TFR was significant improvements in (i) the Trunk Control Measurement Scale score, postural sway on an unstable sitting device and standing, and (ii) early sternal and sacral decelerations and coupled negative ankle power due to plantar flexors., Conclusion: TFR improves trunk dynamics and consequently improves coupled toe-walking.

Background: Singers are unique musicians because they use their whole body as a musical instrument. Posture and proprioception are key components for a robust and healthy voice., Objective: This study aimed to analyze the postural control of lyric singers in different sensorimotor conditions., Methods: Seventeen lyric singers were compared to a control group of 12 participants in static postural control test in eyes open (C1) and eyes closed (C2) conditions. Postural control of singers was also assessed in four specific singing conditions: singing posture eyes open (C3) and eyes closed (C4), vocalization (C5) and free aria (C6), low values being representative of good postural control. Singers also completed the Singing Voice Handicap Index (SVHI) French version, low scores reflecting a good SVHI result., Results: No significant difference was observed between the two groups in C1 and C2. Postural control of singers was more accurate in C3 than in C1. Increased values in all postural parameters were seen in the singing conditions. Scores obtained at the SVHI were correlated to the area covered by the center of foot pressure in C5, low scores at the SVHI being correlated with low area values in this postural condition., Conclusions: Singing is a multitask situation which involves several movements including breathing, and management of factors such as stress. This can affect balance and so rigorous work on posture and proprioception is required as soon as a singer begins to perform in order to take care of the voice., (Copyright © 2020 The Voice Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: Traumatic brain injury occurs frequently worldwide. Half of traumatic brain injuries are related to falls or motor vehicle accidents. The term "concussion" is often used to describe a minor form of traumatic brain injury. These often involve decelerative events to the head (e.g., flexion/extension injury) and can also cause damage to the vestibular system of the inner ear., Materials and Methods: The European Society for Clinical Evaluation of Balance Disorders meets yearly and has proposed an investigation and analysis of the vestibular consequences of traumatic brain injury. This review paper outlines these discussions., Results: The Society discussed all aspects of trauma-induced vestibular disorders along with diagnosis and management. They also assessed the diagnostic tests available to investigate these disorders., Conclusion: Trauma-induced vestibular disorders are difficult to manage, as our level of understanding of the pathology can be poor and anatomical localization can also be difficult. Accordingly, a definitive diagnosis cannot be pinpointed in many patients, but an extensive history taking is crucial to determine the nature and extent of vestibular involvement. Trauma can not only result in microtrauma to the central nervous system but can also significantly affect peripheral vestibular structures, particularly the otolith organs. The committee hopes that better understanding of trauma to the vestibular system, along with improvements in the field of radiology and vestibular assessments, will aid in more precise techniques of pinpointing pathology in order to develop an adapted treatment plan.

Background: Sensorimotor control of axial segments, which develops during childhood and is not mature until adolescence, is essential for the development of balance control during motor activities. Children with cerebral palsy (CP) have deficits in postural control when standing or walking, including less stabilization of the head and trunk which could affect postural control., Research Question: Is dynamic stabilization of axial segments during an unstable sitting task deficient in children with CP compared to typically developing children? Is this deficit correlated with the deficit of postural control during standing?, Method: Seventeen children with CP (GMFCS I-II) and 17 typically-developing children from 6 to 12 years old were rated on the Trunk Control Measurement Scale (TCMS). In addition, posturography was evaluated in participants while they maintained their balance in stable sitting, unstable sitting, and quiet standing, under "eyes open" and "eyes closed" conditions. In sitting tasks, the participants had to remain stable while being prevented from using the lower and upper limbs (i.e. to ensure the involvement of axial segments alone)., Results: Children with CP compared to TD children had significantly larger surface area, mean velocity and RMS values of CoP displacements measured during the unstable sitting task and the standing task, under both "eyes open" and "eyes closed" conditions. No significant group effects were observed during the stable sitting task. The TCMS total score was significantly lower, indicating trunk postural deficit, in the CP group than in the TD group and was significantly correlated with postural variables in the sitting and standing tasks., Significance: Children with CP indeed have a specific impairment in the postural control of axial segments. Since the postural control of axial segments is important for standing and walking, its impairment should be taken into account in rehabilitation programs for children with CP., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Postural control continues to develop during middle childhood as shown by the decrease in body sway in stance between the ages of 5 and 11. Although head and trunk control is crucial for balance control during both static and dynamic activities, evaluating its specific development and its contribution to overall postural control is methodologically challenging. Here, we used an unstable sitting device adapted to ensure that only the axial segments could control the balance of the device and thus the balance of the upper body. This study aimed to assess the development of the postural stabilization of axial body segments during middle childhood. Thirty-six children (in three age groups: 6-7yo, 8-9yo, and 10-11yo) and 11 adults sat on the unstable sitting device and had to stabilize their axial segments under several conditions: a moderate vs. high level of balance challenge, and eyes open vs. eyes closed. Upper-body postural sway (area, mean velocity and root mean square (RMS) of the center of pressure (CoP) displacement) decreased progressively with age (6-7yo > 8-9yo > 10-11yo > adults), and this effect was accentuated when the balance challenge was high (for CoP area) or in the "eyes closed" condition (for CoP area and RMS). The stabilization strategies were assessed by anchoring indexes computed from three-dimensional kinematics. A progressive shift was showed, from an "en bloc" pattern at 6-7 years of age toward a more articulated (i.e. adult-like) pattern at 10-11. A head-on-space stabilization strategy first emerged at the age of 8-9. Middle childhood is an important period for the development of axial segment stabilization, which continues to mature until adulthood. This development might be related to the introduction and progressive mastery of feedforward sensorimotor processes and might contribute strongly to the development of overall postural control., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest None., (Copyright © 2020. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Degenerative osteoarthritis in subtalar and midtarsal joints occurring after tibiotalar arthrodesis may be related to biomechanical factors. For patients with tibiotalar arthrodesis walking with their everyday shoes, the ground reaction force is posterior at heel-off and the maximal foot-tibia dorsiflexion is at its upper limit. We hypothesized that increasing the instep of the shoes would improve these abnormalities. Three-dimensional gait analysis was done in nine patients with ankle arthrodesis fused in the neutral position and for 10 control subjects. Four conditions of walking were tested: barefoot, wearing everyday shoes, wearing everyday shoes with the instep increased by 1 cm, and wearing everyday shoes with the instep increased by 2 cm. In the arthrodesis group, the two modified delayed heel-off shoe conditions shifted the ground reaction force closer to the metatarsal heads at heel-off to a normal range, and reduced the maximal foot and tibia dorsiflexion angle. Based on these results, patients with a tibiotalar arthrodesis in the neutral sagittal position may be advised to choose shoes with an instep of approximately 25 mm.

Foot anatomy and lower limb function were analyzed in 11 children (aged 6.5-12.5 y) 5 years after removal of one or two second toes for digital reconstruction. In addition to physical examination and x-rays, postural balance and three-dimensional measurements of gait were analyzed. Among the 15 operated feet, five had bridle scars, three had claw deformities of the third toe, five had pain in the first intermetatarsal space, and seven had overt or early-stage hallux valgus (including five after unilateral toe removal). Hallux valgus deformation was also observed in three nonoperated feet. Maintenance of balance and rate of displacement of the center of pressure when standing on one foot with eyes closed were significantly altered for operated limbs compared with nonoperated limbs. Gait was rapid because of increased step cadence. Foot progression angle and ankle and knee joint sagittal kinematics during walking were normal. Although children appeared to not be affected in their daily life by the removal of the second toe(s), related foot anatomic and functional modifications require further follow-up.

Airway dilation is one of the many autonomic responses to exercise. Two neural mechanisms are believed to evoke these responses: central command and the muscle reflex. Previously, we found that activation of central command, evoked by electrical and chemical stimulation of the mesencephalic locomotor region, constricted the airways rather than dilated them. In the present study we examined in decerebrate paralyzed cats the role played by the hypothalamic locomotor region, the activation of which also evokes central command, in causing the airway dilator response to exercise. We found that activation of the hypothalamic locomotor region by electrical and chemical stimuli evoked fictive locomotion and, for the most part, airway constriction. Fictive locomotion also occurred spontaneously, and this too, for the most part, was accompanied by airway constriction. We conclude that central command plays a minor role in the airway dilator response to exercise.

Microinjection of a substance P analogue (1 mM; 7 or 10 nl) into laminae I and II of the L7 dorsal horn of decerebrate cats significantly potentiated (P < 0.05) the increase in arterial pressure evoked by microinjection of L-glutamate (109 mM; 7 or 10 nl) into these spinal sites. Microinjection of the substance P analogues (i.e., GR73638 and [Sar9,Met(O2)11]-substance P) which were selective NK-1 receptor agonists, had no impact on the cardioacceleration evoked by microinjection of L-glutamate (P > 0.05). In addition, microinjection of these analogues had no effect on the modest and non-significant increase in phrenic nerve discharge evoked by L-glutamate. We conclude that stimulation of NK-1 receptors in the superficial laminae of the dorsal horn potentiates the pressor responses to microinjection of L-glutamate.

The apnea triggered by laryngeal stimulation (LS) is associated with a redistribution of blood flow towards the heart and the brain that depends upon peripheral vasoconstriction. The circulatory component of the response to LS has been shown to be reduced following injection of large dose of beta-adrenergic agonist that more intriguingly blunted the ventilatory response as well. To test whether the reduction of LS-induced apnea could be related to the decreased magnitude of the peripheral vasoconstruction, the effects of the alpha-adrenergic antagonist urapidil on the ventilatory and blood pressure responses to LS were studied in 6 adult rabbits. alpha-Adrenergic blockade reduced both the rise in blood pressure and the magnitude of hypopnea induced by LS. These results suggest that the circulatory component of the laryngeal chemoreflex, i.e. the peripheral vasoconstruction, contributes to the magnitude of the ventilatory depression.

The aim of this study was to evaluate plasma levels of beta-endorphins in babies with gastroesophageal reflux (GOR) admitted for acute life-threatening episodes (ALTE). In case of ALTE (n = 15), beta-endorphin levels were significantly increased compared to sudden infant deaths syndrome siblings with GOR of a similar gravity evaluated for risk factors (n = 13). beta-Endorphin levels are decreased following successful treatment of GOR. Studies of ventilation suggest that changes in the central respiratory drive are associated with a reduction in plasma beta-endorphin levels.