Performance following ability-focused physical therapy intervention in individuals with severely limited physical and cognitive abilities

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Do individuals with severely limited physical and cognitive abilities improve their gross motor abilities when given physical therapy intervention, and does improvement transfer to nontreatment settings? SUBJECTS: The subjects were 24 individuals (10 female, 14 male), aged 3 to 30 years (X = 20.1, SD = 8.1), who were nonambulatory and had limited adaptive behavior. METHODS: Change in gross motor ability during 18 weeks of twice-weekly therapy was measured using goal attainment scaling (GAS). Three gross motor goals were developed for each subject based on individual or caregiver needs, with one goal randomly selected as a control. Physical impairments were treated, and behavioral management principles, low-level communication approaches, high-repetition practice of goals, and a progressive reduction of both physical assistance and multisensory cues were used. An independent rater scored goal level from randomly ordered videotapes recorded during therapy and in recess and home settings. RESULTS: Mean GAS T scores were higher for treatment goals (X = 45.6, SD = 10.5) compared with control goals (X = 34.6, SD = 11.8). When the expected goal level (50) was met during therapy, mean GAS T scores in recess settings ( X = 35.9, SD = 11.5) and home settings (X = 42.2, SD = 12.2) were lower. At the conclusion of therapy, there were no differences in goal levels between treatment and control goals in both the recess and home settings. CONCLUSION AND DISCUSSION: The subjects demonstrated improvement of gross motor abilities practiced during therapy. Level of ability during therapy, however, did not consistently transfer to the recess of home settings. [Brown DA, Effgen SK, Palisano RJ. Performance following ability-focused physical therapy intervention in individuals with severely limited physical and cognitive abilities.     

Induction of native protein reactive antibodies by immunization with peptides containing linear B-cell epitopes defined by anti-porcine ZP3 beta monoclonal antibodies

To identify pertinent target epitopes for contraceptive vaccine development, rabbit polyclonal antibodies were raised against four peptides synthesized from the deduced amino acid (aa) sequence of porcine zona pellucida macromolecule ZP3 beta and coupled to diphtheria toxoid (DT). Synthetic peptides consisted of: P1, 23-37 aa; P2, 164-179 aa with an additional C-terminal cysteine; P3, 246-263 aa with an extra C-terminal cysteine; and P4, 310-321 aa residues corresponding to pZP3 beta precursor protein. Selected sequences were based upon B cell epitopes identified previously by monoclonal antibodies. Immune sera reacted with their respective peptides and DT in an ELISA, and also recognized porcine SIZP and pZP3 beta both in ELISA and Western blot and zona pellucida of porcine oocytes in an indirect immunofluorescence assay. None of the four anti-peptide sera recognized pZP3 alpha in Western blot, emphasizing the specificity of these antibodies to pZP3 beta. The anti-peptide sera, individually, failed to inhibit in vitro attachment of boar sperm to antibody treated zona encased porcine oocytes. However, combinations of immune sera against peptides such as P1 + P4, P2 + P4 and P1 + P2 + P4, did significantly inhibit porcine sperm-oocyte interaction. These results identify combinations of peptides that could potentially be used in the design of an immunocontraceptive vaccine based upon synthetic peptides corresponding to pZP3 beta or its homologues in other species.     

Comparative analgesic efficacy of nimesulide and diclofenac gels after topical application on the skin

Nimesulide is a newer non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) with selective cyclo-oxygenase (COX)-2 blocking property and has demonstrated a potent analgesic and anti-inflammatory activity on oral and rectal administration. However, the Cmax through both these routes is reached only after 3 h of administration. Dose-dependent gastrointestinal side effects also limit the concentration of drug that can be achieved at the site of inflammation when administered through these routes. The present study was conducted to evaluate the antinociception induced by a new gel formulation of nimesulide when applied on the skin. Efficacy of topical nimesulide gel 1% (w/w) was studied on mice in the acetic-acid-induced writhing, tail flick latency (TFL) test and formalin-induced pain models. The antinociceptive effect of nimesulide was compared to diclofenac gel (1% w/w). Both the drugs induced dose-dependent analgesia with peak effect seen between 90 and 120 min after treatment. Greater antinociceptive effect (expressed as percent maximum possible effect) was seen in the writhing test than in the TFL test, indicating the peripheral action of both drugs. Nimesulide evidenced significant protection in the first phase of formalin-induced pain indicating modulation of peripheral nociceptors unlike other conventional NSAIDs. This suggests that COX-2 may be a primary contributor to afferent evoked increase in prostanoid-mediated changes in pain processing. Antinociception seen following drug application on the skin was lower than that seen on intraperitoneal administration, indicating localised action following topical application. The findings of the present study suggest that the transgel formulation of nimesulide provides significant analgesic activity when applied topically.     

Multi-angle compound imaging

This paper reports on a scanning technique, denoted multi-angle compound imaging (MACI), using spatial compounding. The MACI method also contains elements of frequency compounding, as the transit frequency is lowered for the highest beam angles in order to reduce grating lobes. Compared to conventional B-mode imaging MACI offers better defined tissue boundaries and lower variance of the speckle pattern, resulting in an image with reduced random variations. Design and implementation of a compound imaging system is described, images of rubber tubes and porcine aorta are shown and effects on visualization are discussed. The speckle reduction is analyzed numerically and the results are found to be in excellent agreement with existing theory. An investigation of detectability of low-contrast lesions shows significant improvements compared to conventional imaging. Finally, possibilities for improving diagnosis of atherosclerotic diseases using MACI are discussed.