The aim of this study was to determine the effects of an eight-week weight bearing exercise program coupled with whole body vibration (WBV) on gross motor function, functional mobility and spasticity in hemiplegic type cerebral palsied school going children. The experimental group was compared to a control group undergoing the same exercise program. The control group excluded WBV training. Fifteen children participated in the study nine females and six males. There were eight children with right hemiplegia and seven with left hemiplegia; all children had gross motor classification (GMFCS) of Level 1. Significant improvements were seen in both groups for gross motor function. There was no difference in the amount of change seen between the two groups. A decline was noticed in the functional mobility assessment. The findings of this study demonstrated that both the children in the control and the experimental groups showed significant improvements in the GMFM scores after a weight bearing exercise program. The children in the experimental group who received WBV while exercising showed significant improvement from baseline to completion of the study compared to the group that did weight bearing exercise alone; better carry over effect in this group from WBV. Time up and down stairs (TUDS) and modified ashworth scale (MAS) scores showed less convincing results and need further investigation. Further research is required to determine the most effective and efficient way of managing children with cerebral palsy in a resource poor area.

No description available.

The brain requires a continuous supply of oxygen and nutrients, and even a short period of reduced oxygen supply can cause severe and lifelong consequences for the affected individual. The unborn baby is fairly robust, but there are of course limits also for these individuals. The mostsensitive and most important organ is the brain. When the brain is deprivedof oxygen, a process can start that ultimately may lead to the death of braincells and irreparable brain damage. This process has two phases; one more orless immediate and one delayed. There is a window of time of up to 24 hourswhere action can be taken to prevent the delayed secondary damage. One recently clinically available technique is to reduce the metabolism and thereby stop the secondary damage in the brain by cooling the baby.It is important to be able to quickly diagnose hypoxic injuries and to followthe development of the processes in the brain. For this, the electroencephalogram (EEG) is an important tool. The EEG is a voltage signal that originates within the brain and that can be recorded easily andnon-invasively at bedside. The signals are, however, highly complex and require special competence to interpret, a competence that typically is not available at the intensive care unit, and particularly not continuously day and night. This thesis addresses the problem of automatic classification ofneonatal EEG and proposes methods that would be possible to use in bedside monitoring equipment for neonatal intensive care units.The thesis is a compilation of six papers. The first four deal with the segmentation of pathological signals (burst suppression) from post-asphyctic full term newborn babies. These studies investigate the use of various classification techniques, using both supervised and unsupervised learning.In paper V the scope is widened to include both classification of pathologicalactivity versus activity found in healthy babies as well as application of thesegmentation methods on the parts of the EEG signal that are found to be of the pathological type. The use of genetic algorithms for feature selection isalso investigated. In paper VI the segmentation methods are applied onsignals from pre-term babies to investigate the impact of a certain medication on the brain.The results of this thesis demonstrate ways to improve the monitoring of the brain during intensive care of newborn babies. Hopefully it will someday be implemented in monitoring equipment and help to prevent permanent brain damage in post asphyctic babies.

Receptor-mediated phosphoinositide hydrolysis was studied in 3H-myo-inositol labelled rat cerebral cortical slices. Several CNS neurotransmitter receptor agonists stimulated the hydrolysis of inositol phospholipid(s). Maximal responses to receptor stimulation showed the order, muscarinic cholinergic > adrenergic > serotonergic > histaminergic. Potassium ion depolarisation and a Ca2+ ionophore also stimulated the accumulation of 3H-inositol phosphate(s). The metabolic sequence of muscarinic receptor-mediated phosphoinositide breakdown was examined in detail. Carbachol stimulated the sustained accumulation (> 45 min.) of 3H-Ins P1, 3H-Ins P1, 3H-Ins P2, 3H-Ins P3 and of a novel 3H-inositol phosphate identified as Ins-1,3,4,5-P4. Kinetic studies showed that muscarinic receptor activation results in the rapid (< 5 sec.) increased accumulation of 3H-Ins P2, 3H-Ins P3 and 3H-Ins P4 while the onset of 3H-Ins P1 accumulation is delayed. Using hplc, the Ins P3 fraction was resolved into two components with the retention times of Ins-1,3,4-P3 and Ins-1,4,5-P3. Stimulated accumulation of Ins-1,3,4-P3 was preceded by that of the other polyphosphates. The probable formation of Ins-1,3,4-P3 via Ins-1,3,4,5-P4 dephosphorylation is discussed. A phospholipid precursor for Ins-1,3,4,5-P4 could not be identified but production of this molecule via an ATP-dependent, Ins-1,4,5-P3 3-kinase was confirmed. Studies of the rates at which the separate 3H-inositol phosphates are hydrolysed in stimulated tissue suggest considerable flux through this kinase reaction and indicate that the majority of the 3H-Ins P1, and 3H-Ins P2 accumulating in response to agonist result from 3H-tris- and 3H-tetrakisphosphate metabolism. Pharmacological data support these conclusions for conditions of both high and low receptor occupancy. Lithium ions markedly affected muscarinic receptor-mediated 3H-inositol phosphate metabolism, dose-dependently potentiating stimulated 3H-Ins P3, and 3H-Ins P2 accumulations while concomitantly attenuating those of 3H-Ins P3 and particularly 3H-Ins P4. The latter effects were half-maximal at 1 mM Li+, exhibited a delayed onset, were not related to receptor desensitization but may be indirect consequences of Ins P1 phosphomonoesterase inhibition. The significance of these actions is discussed in the context of the potential second messenger roles of Ins-1,4,5-P3 and Ins-1,3,4,5-P4.

No description available.

published_or_final_version / abstract / Medicine / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

published_or_final_version / abstract / Anatomy / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

Seven cerebral palsied children living in the home and their mothers were involved in this study. The mothers attended eight weekly sessions and were instructed in basic nutrition and feeding skill development. A Food and Nutrition Education Curriculum was developed for this instruction. Each of the eight lessons in the curriculum included discussions of nutrition based on the Basic Four Food Groups and the development of a feeding skill. Certain measurements were made before and after the nutrition education intervention to determine the benefits to the cerebral palsied children. These included a 24-hour dietary recall, food frequency check, height and weight measurements and a feeding evaluation. The mothers' nutrition knowledge was determined before and after the nutrition classes by way of a practical nutrition quiz. Nutrient intakes were compared to the 1974 Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA). Intakes above 67% of the RDA were considered adequate. Energy intakes were compared to a suggested requirement based on height in centimeters. Height and weight measurements were plotted on the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) Growth Charts (1976). Five subjects, three girls and two boys fell below the 5th percentile on the NCHS Growth Charts. Intakes of five subjects exceeded two-thirds of the RDA for protein, calcium, iron, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin and ascorbic acid both before and after the nutrition education classes for their mothers. Protein and vitamin A intakes exceeded 100% of the RDA in many cases. The feeding evaluation was divided into three categories: gross motor skills, oral skills and eye-hand coordination. All seven subjects made improvements in the post test. The group as a whole made significant improvements (P <. 05) in gross motor skills. Significant improvements (P <. 05) were made by the mothers as a group in the practical nutrition quiz post test. / Graduation date: 1977

No description available.

No description available.