Rehab Centers: Effects of PFM Rehabilitation on PFM Function and Morphology in Older Women.

Effects of PFM rehabilitation on PFM function and morphology in older women.

Filed under: Rehab Centers

Neurourol Urodyn. 2013 Jan 28;
Madill SJ, Pontbriand-Drolet S, Tang A, Dumoulin C

AIMS: The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of a pelvic floor muscle (PFM) rehabilitation program on incontinence symptoms, PFM function, and morphology in older women with SUI. METHODS: Women 60 years old and older with at least weekly episodes of SUI were recruited. Participants were evaluated before and after a 12-week group PFM rehabilitation intervention. The evaluations included 3-day bladder diaries, symptom, and quality of life questionnaires, PFM function testing with dynamometry (force) and electromyography (activation) during seven tasks: rest, PFM maximum voluntary contraction (MVC), straining, rapid-repeated PFM contractions, a 60?sec sustained PFM contraction, a single cough and three repeated coughs, and sagittal MRI recorded at rest, during PFM MVCs and during straining to assess PFM morphology. RESULTS: Seventeen women (68.9?±?5.5 years) participated. Following the intervention the frequency of urine leakage decreased and disease-specific quality of life improved significantly. PFM function improved significantly: the participants were able to perform more rapid-repeated PFM contractions; they activated their PFMs sooner when coughing and they were better able to maintain a PFM contraction between repeated coughs. Pelvic organ support improved significantly: the anorectal angle was decreased and the urethrovescial junction was higher at rest, during contraction and while straining. CONCLUSIONS: This study indicated that improvements in urine leakage were produced along with improvements in PFM co-ordination (demonstrated by the increased number of rapid PFM contractions and the earlier PFM activation when coughing), motor-control, pelvic organ support. Neurourol. Urodynam. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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The effects of GATA-1 and NF-E2 deficiency on bone biomechanical, biochemical, and mineral properties.

Filed under: Rehab Centers

J Cell Physiol. 2013 Jan 28;
Kacena MA, Gundberg CM, Kacena WJ, Landis WJ, Boskey AL, Bouxsein ML, Horowitz MC

Mice deficient in GATA-1 or NF-E2, transcription factors required for normal megakaryocyte (MK) development, have increased numbers of MKs, reduced numbers of platelets, and a striking high bone mass phenotype. Here we show the bone geometry, microarchitecture, biomechanical, biochemical, and mineral properties from these mutant mice. We found that the outer geometry of the mutant bones was similar to controls, but that both mutants had a striking increase in total bone area (up to a 35% increase) and trabecular bone area (up to a 19% increase). Interestingly, only the NF-E2 deficient mice had a significant increase in cortical bone area (21%) and cortical thickness (27%), which is consistent with the increase in bone mineral density (BMD) seen only in the NF-E2 deficient femurs. Both mutant femurs exhibited significant increases in several biomechanical properties including peak load (up to a 32% increase) and stiffness (up to a 13% increase). Importantly, the data also demonstrate differences between the two mutant mice. GATA-1 deficient femurs break in a ductile manner whereas NF-E2 deficient femurs are brittle in nature. To better understand these differences, we examined the mineral properties of these bones. Although none of the parameters measured were different between the NF-E2 deficient and control mice, an increase in calcium (21%) and an increase in the mineral/matrix ratio (32%) was observed in GATA-1 deficient mice. These findings appear to contradict biomechanical findings, suggesting the need for further research into the mechanisms by which GATA-1 and NF-E2 deficiency alter the material properties of bone. J. Cell. Physiol. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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[Creativity in cannabis-users and in drug addicts in maintenance treatment and in rehabilitation.]

Filed under: Rehab Centers

Neuropsychiatr. 2013 Jan 29;
Bliem B, Unterrainer HF, Papousek I, Weiss EM, Fink A

The main aim of this study was to investigate potential differences between different groups of drug addicts (patients in maintenance treatment, n?=?14; patients in rehabilitation, n?=?12) and Cannabis-Users (n?=?13), along with a healthy control group (n?=?18), with respect to verbal and figural creativity and general cognitive ability. Participants worked on different measures for the assessment of different facets of creativity, intelligence and experienced psychiatric symptoms. The results indicated that patients in maintenance and, to some extent Cannabis-Users scored higher regarding verbal creativity than patients in rehabilitation. With respect to figural creativity we observed no differences between the experimental groups. Concerning the Big Five personality traits, patients in maintenance treatment scored highest on Neuroticism while on a purely descriptive level Cannabis-Users achieved the highest scores with respect to openness to ?experience and extraversion.
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The Use of a Bone-Anchored Device as a Hard-Wired Conduit for Transmitting EMG Signals from Implanted Muscle Electrodes.

Filed under: Rehab Centers

IEEE Trans Biomed Eng. 2013 Jan 23;
Al-Ajam Y, Lancashire H, Pendegrass C, Kang N, Dowling R, Taylor S, Blunn G

The use of a bone-anchored device to transmit electrical signals from internalised muscle electrodes was studied in a sheep model. The bone-anchored device was used as a conduit for the passage of a wire connecting an internal epimysial electrode to an external signal-recording device. The boneanchored device was inserted into an intact tibia and the electrode attached to the adjacent M. peroneus tertius. Physiological signals with low signal to noise ratios were successfully obtained over a 12-week period by walking the sheep on a treadmill. Reliable transmission of multiple muscle signals across the skin barrier is essential for providing intuitive, biomimetic upper-limb prostheses. This technology has the potential to provide a better functional and reliable solution for upper-limb amputee rehabilitation: attachment and control.
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