To investigate whether the direct application of vibratory stimuli inhibits spasticity in the hemiplegic upper limbs of post-stroke patients.
A randomized controlled study.
Thirty-six post-stroke ...patients.
Patients were randomly allocated to the "Rest group", "Stretch group", or "Direct application of vibratory stimuli group". After relaxing in a supine posture for 30 min, subjects received the interventions for 5 min. The Modified Ashworth Scale scores and F-wave parameters were recorded before, immediately after and 30 min after each intervention.
The Rest group showed no significant changes in F-wave parameters and Modified Ashworth Scale scores. The Stretch group showed a tendency to decrease in F-wave amplitude and F/M ratio immediately after the intervention, but not 30 min later. The Direct application of vibratory stimuli group showed significant improvements in F-wave parameters and Modified Ashworth Scale scores immediately after the intervention, which remained 30 minutes later. The changes in F-wave parameters and Modified Ashworth Scale scores observed in the Direct application of vibratory stimuli group significantly differed from those in the Rest group and the Stretch group.
The direct application of vibratory stimuli has anti-spastic effects in the hemiplegic upper limbs of post-stroke patients.
To investigate whether multiple sessions of 1-Hz repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) facilitates the effect of repetitive facilitation exercises on hemiplegic upper-limb function in ...chronic stroke patients.
Randomized double-blinded crossover study.
Eighteen patients with hemiplegia of the upper limb.
Patients were assigned to 2 groups: a motor-before-sham rTMS group, which performed motor rTMS sessions for 2 weeks followed by sham rTMS sessions for 2 weeks; or a motor-following-sham rTMS group, which performed sham rTMS sessions for 2 weeks followed by motor rTMS sessions for 2 weeks. Patients received 1-Hz rTMS to the unaffected motor cortex for 4 min and performed repetitive facilitation exercises for 40 min during motor rTMS sessions. The Fugl-Meyer Assessment, Action Research Arm Test (ARAT) and Simple Test for Evaluating Hand Function were used to evaluate upper-limb function. The Modified Ashworth Scale and F-wave were measured to evaluate spasticity.
Motor function improved significantly during the motor, but not sham, rTMS sessions. ARAT score gains were 1.5 (0-4.0) (median, interquartile range) during the motor rTMS session, and 0 (-0.8-1.8) during the sham rTMS session (p = 0.04). Spasticity did not significantly change during either session.
Multiple sessions of 1-Hz rTMS facilitated the effects of repetitive facilitation exercises in improving motor function of the affected upper limb, but did not change spasticity.
We present a novel concept for x-ray waveguiding based on electromagnetism in photonic crystals, using a waveguide consisting of a pair of claddings sandwiching a core with a periodic structure. By ...confining the x rays undergoing multiple interference in the core by total reflection, a characteristic waveguide mode whose field distribution matches the periodicity of the core is formed. The distinctively low propagation loss enables the single-mode propagation of x rays. This concept opens broad application possibilities in x-ray physics from coherent imaging to x-ray quantum optics.
Objective
Disruption of the third zinc finger domain of specificity protein 6 (SP6) presents an enamel‐specific defect in a rat model of amelogenesis imperfecta (AMI rats). To understand the ...molecular basis of amelogenesis imperfecta caused by the Sp6 mutation, we established and characterized AMI‐derived rat dental epithelial (ARE) cells.
Materials and Methods
ARE cell clones were isolated from the mandibular incisors of AMI rats, and amelogenesis‐related gene expression was analyzed by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT‐PCR). Localization of wild‐type SP6 (SP6WT) and mutant‐type SP6 (SP6AMI) was analyzed by immunocytochemistry. SP6 transcriptional activity was monitored by rho‐associated protein kinase 1 (Rock1) promoter activity with its specific binding to the promoter region in dental (G5 and ARE) and non‐dental (COS‐7) epithelial cells.
Results
Isolated ARE cells were varied in morphology and gene expression. Both SP6WT and SP6AMI were mainly detected in nuclei. The promoter analysis revealed that SP6WT and SP6AMI enhanced Rock1 promoter activity in G5 cells but that enhancement by SP6AMI was weaker, whereas no enhancement was observed in the ARE and COS‐7 cells, even though SP6WT and SP6AMI bound to the promoter in all instances.
Conclusion
ARE cell clones can provide a useful in vitro model to study the mechanism of SP6‐mediated amelogenesis imperfecta.
Consensus is lacking about the clinical importance of aortic root dilatation in assessment of the risk of cardiovascular disease. In this study, correlations between aortic root diameter and ...echocardiographic features of left ventricular (LV) diastolic function were investigated in 333 patients with at least one cardiovascular risk factor (hypertension, diabetes or dyslipidaemia) and preserved LV systolic function. Aortic root diameter was measured by M-mode echocardiography, and LV diastolic function was evaluated by measuring the peak velocity of early (E) and late (A) diastolic transmitral blood flow and peak early diastolic mitral annular velocity (E′) by Doppler echocardiography. Linear regression analysis showed that, in men, age was no related to aortic root diameter but hypertension and LV hypertrophy were, whereas the converse was true in women. The parameters E, E/A ratio and E′, were related to aortic root diameter in both sexes. Stepwise multiple regression analysis confirmed that E in women and E′ in men were independently associated with aortic root diameter. It is concluded that aortic root dilatation might be a useful marker of subclinical LV diastolic dysfunction. Patients with preserved systolic function showing aortic root dilatation should, therefore, be given preventative therapy against LV diastolic heart failure.
Left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy (LVH) may be eccentric or concentric (2 × LV posterior wall thickness relative to LV end-diastolic dimension ≤ 0.42 or > 0.42, respectively). The LV diastolic ...function between age-matched hypertensive patients with eccentric and concentric LVH was compared in the present study. Echocardiography was used to measure LV mass index (LV mass/body surface area; LVMI) as an index of LVH. LV diastolic function was assessed by measurements of peak early transmitral flow velocity (E)/peak late transmitral flow velocity (A) (the E/A ratio), peak early diastolic mitral annular velocity (e′) and the E/e′ ratio. Although LVMI, E/A and e′ did not differ between the two groups, E/e′ was significantly higher (worse) in patients with concentric LVH (13.4 ± 5.4) than in those with eccentric LVH (11.1 ± 3.6). Among hypertensive patients with LVH, those with concentric LVH may, therefore, have more severe LV diastolic dysfunction than those with eccentric LVH even if their LVMIs, which reflect the degree of LVH, are similar.
The previously isolated cDNA encoding human adenylate kinase (AK) isozyme 3 was recently renamed AK4. Consequently, human AK3 cDNA remains to be identified and we have little information about the ...functional relationship between human AK3 and AK4. In pursuit of the physiological roles of both the AK3 and AK4 proteins, we first isolated an authentic human AK3 cDNA and compared their expression. Nucleotide sequencing revealed that the cDNA encoded a 227-amino-acid protein, with a deduced molecular mass of 25.6 kDa, that shares greater homology with the AK3 cDNAs isolated from bovine and rat than that from human. We named the isolated cDNA AK3. Northern-blot analysis revealed that AK3 mRNA was present in all tissues examined, and was highly expressed in heart, skeletal muscle and liver, moderately expressed in pancreas and kidney, and weakly expressed in placenta, brain and lung. On the other hand, we found that human AK4 mRNA was highly expressed in kidney, moderately expressed in heart and liver and weakly expressed in brain. Western-blot analysis demonstrated expression profiles of AK3 and AK4 that were similar to their mRNA expression patterns in each tissue. Over expression of AK3, but not AK4, in both Escherichia coli CV2, a temperature-sensitive AK mutant, and a human embryonic kidney-derived cell line, HEK-293, not only produced significant GTP:AMP phosphotransferase (AK3) activity, but also complemented the CV2 cells at 42 degrees C. Subcellular and submitochondrial fractionation analysis demonstrated that both AK3 and AK4 are localized in the mitochondrial matrix.
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