Development of a Multichannel Vestibular Prosthesis Prototype by Modification of a Commercially Available Cochlear Implant.

Development of a Multichannel Vestibular Prosthesis Prototype by Modification of a Commercially Available Cochlear Implant.

IEEE Trans Neural Syst Rehabil Eng. 2013 May 1;
Valentin N, Hageman K, Dai C, Della Santina C, Fridman G

No adequate treatment exists for individuals who remain disabled by bilateral loss of vestibular (inner ear inertial) sensation despite rehabilitation. We have restored vestibular reflexes using lab-built multichannel vestibular prostheses (MVPs) in animals, but translation to clinical practice may be best accomplished by modification of a commercially available cochlear implant (CI). In this interim report, we describe preliminary efforts toward that goal. We developed software and circuitry to sense head rotation and drive a CI’s implanted stimulator (IS) to deliver up to 1Kpulses/s via 9 electrodes implanted near vestibular nerve branches. Studies in two rhesus monkeys using the modified CI revealed in vivo performance similar to our existing dedicated MVPs. A key focus of our study was the head-worn unit (HWU), which magnetically couples across the scalp to the IS. The HWU must remain securely fixed to the skull to faithfully sense head motion and maintain continuous stimulation. We measured normal and shear force thresholds at which HWU-IS decoupling occurred as a function of scalp thickness and calculated pressure exerted on the scalp. The HWU remained attached for human scalp thicknesses from 3-7.8mm for forces experienced during routine daily activities, while pressure on the scalp remained below capillary perfusion pressure. HubMed – rehab

 

Complications of osteotomies about the knee.

Sports Med Arthrosc. 2013 Jun; 21(2): 113-20
Vena G, D’Adamio S, Amendola A

High tibial osteotomy and distal femoral osteotomy are 2 popular techniques for the treatment of monocompartmental osteoarthritis of the knee joint in young patients. Injury to the popliteal neurovascular bundle is still considered to be the most severe complication during an osteotomy procedure even if the rate of occurrence is very low. Loss of correction and hardware failures are more frequent, but not as devastating. Patella baja and modification of tibial slope are associated with high tibial osteotomy. In contrast, complications most commonly associated with distal femoral osteotomy include nonunion and failure of the internal fixation. In general with evolution of techniques and fixation devices, complication rates seem to be reduced. A summary and literature review of complications associated with knee osteotomies will be discussed in this paper. HubMed – rehab

 

Neural repair and rehabilitation: Fibroblast-derived OPCs-hope for remyelination therapy?

Nat Rev Neurol. 2013 May 7;
Malpass K

HubMed – rehab

 

Radiographic study of patients with ectodermal dysplasia and partial.

Indian J Dent Res. 2012 Nov-Dec; 23(6): 801-5
Rosa RR, Janeiro MM, Afonso Camargo SE, Walter Porto Cde O, Kreich EM, Guimarães Henriques JC

Aim: To investigate the association between gender and type of cleft with hypodontia and to verify if the presence of the cleft interferes with hypodontia of one or more type of teeth in patients with ectodermal dysplasia attending the Hospital for Rehabilitation of Craniofacial Anomalies (HRCA), University of S?o Paulo (USP). Materials and Methods: Panoramic radiographs of 54 patients of both genders (29 males, 25 females), from the files of the oral radiology sector of HRCA/USP, presenting with ectodermal dysplasia and cleft lip and/or palate were evaluated by radiographic observation of hypodontia of one or more types of teeth. Statistical Analysis: We performed descriptive statistics and statistical analysis by Fisher test. Results: Hypodontia was observed in 50% of females and 50.88% of males; 50% for cleft palate and 50.59% for complete cleft lip and palate. Only 22.22% of patients with cleft palate and 6.67% with complete cleft lip and palate presented with hypodontia of one type of teeth, whereas 77.78% of cases with cleft palate and 93.33% with complete cleft lip and palate displayed hypodontia of more than one type of teeth. Conclusion: Based on the present methodology, there were no statistically significant differences in hypodontia of one or more types of teeth between genders or types of cleft. HubMed – rehab