Vertical Ridge Augmentation of an Atrophic Posterior Mandible With an Inlay Technique and Cancellous Equine Bone Block: A Case Report.

Vertical Ridge Augmentation of an Atrophic Posterior Mandible with an Inlay Technique and Cancellous Equine Bone Block: A Case Report.

Int J Periodontics Restorative Dent. 2013 Mar; 33(2): 159-166
Felice P, Piana L, Checchi L, Corvino V, Nannmark U, Piattelli M

This report describes a successful implant prosthetic rehabilitation in an atrophic left posterior mandible in a 62-year-old man using a cancellous equine bone block as grafting material. Four months later, two bone specimens were retrieved for histologic evaluation and two dental implants were placed. Computed tomography and conventional radiography showed a 5-mm mean vertical bone gain. The biopsies showed new bone formation within the cancellous portion of the blocks and no foreign body reaction. Cancellous equine bone grafts may be an effective alternative to autogenous bone and inorganic bovine bone grafting for reconstruction of the posterior mandible using the inlay technique. HubMed – rehab

 

Developing a Gait Enhancing Mobile Shoe to Alter Over-Ground Walking Coordination.

IEEE Int Conf Robot Autom. 2012 May; 2012: 4124-4129
Handzic I, Vasudevan E, Reed KB

This paper presents a Gait Enhancing Mobile Shoe (GEMS) that mimics the desirable kinematics of a split-belt treadmill except that it does so over ground. Split-belt treadmills, with two separate treads running at different speeds, have been found useful in the rehabilitation of persons with asymmetric walking patterns. Although in preliminary testing, beneficial after-effects have been recorded, various drawbacks include the stationary nature of the split-belt treadmill and the inability to keep a person on the split-belt treadmill for an extended period of time. For this reason, the after-effects for long-term gait training are still unknown. The mobile ability of the GEMS outlined in this paper enables it to be worn in different environments such as in one’s own house and also enables it to be worn for a longer period of time since the GEMS is completely passive. Healthy subject testing has demonstrated that wearing this shoe for twenty minutes can alter the wearer’s gait and will generate after-effects in a similar manner as a split-belt treadmill does. HubMed – rehab

 

A Functionally Relevant Tool for the Body following Spinal Cord Injury.

PLoS One. 2013; 8(3): e58312
Pazzaglia M, Galli G, Scivoletto G, Molinari M

A tool such as a prosthetic device that extends or restores movement may become part of the identity of the person to whom it belongs. For example, some individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI) adapt their body and action representation to incorporate their wheelchairs. However, it remains unclear whether the bodily assimilation of a relevant external tool develops as a consequence of altered sensory and motor inputs from the body or of prolonged confinement sitting or lying in the wheelchair. To explore such relationships, we used a principal component analysis (PCA) on collected structured reports detailing introspective experiences of wheelchair use in 55 wheelchair-bound individuals with SCI. Among all patients, the regular use of a wheelchair induced the perception that the body’s edges are not fixed, but are instead plastic and flexible to include the wheelchair. The PCA revealed the presence of three major components. In particular, the functional aspect of the sense of embodiment concerning the wheelchair appeared to be modulated by disconnected body segments. Neither an effect of time since injury nor an effect of exposure to/experience of was detected. Patients with lesions in the lower spinal cord and with loss of movement and sensation in the legs but who retained upper body movement showed a higher degree of functional embodiment than those with lesions in the upper spinal cord and impairment in the entire body. In essence, the tool did not become an extension of the immobile limbs; rather, it became an actual tangible substitution of the functionality of the affected body part. These findings suggest that the brain can incorporate relevant artificial tools into the body schema via the natural process of continuously updating bodily signals. The ability to embody new essential objects extends the potentiality of physically impaired persons and can be used for their rehabilitation. HubMed – rehab