M.Tech. / Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate the relative effectiveness of the application of soft tissue massage to the posterior neck muscles before, and after, chiropractic adjustment to the cervical spine in the treatment of cervical facet syndrome. To determine the most effective treatment protocol; the patient‟s perceptions and objective findings were used. These findings were assessed by completing a Visual Analogue Scale, a McGill Pain Questionnaire and a Vernon-Mior Neck Pain and Disability Index, and measuring the cervical spine range of motion using a Cervical Range of Motion goniometer. The questionnaires were completed and the ROM readings taken prior to treatment on the first, fourth and seventh visits. Method: Forty participants who met the inclusion criteria were randomly allocated to two different groups of twenty each. One group received soft tissue massage to the posterior neck musculature prior to the application of chiropractic adjustments to the subluxations of the cervical spine. The second group received the chiropractic adjustments to subluxations of the cervical spine that was followed by soft tissue massage to the posterior neck. Treatment took place over a period of three weeks, and participants were treated six times out of a total of seven visits. Procedure: Subjective data was collected at the first and fourth visit prior to treatment, as well as on the seventh visit by means of a Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), McGill Pain Questionnaire as well as a Vernon-Mior Neck Pain and Disability Index to assess pain and disability levels. Objective data was collected at the first and fourth visit prior to treatment, and at the seventh visit by means of a Cervical Range of Motion goniometer (C.R.O.M.). Data collected was analysed by STATCON. Results: Both groups improved well over time subjectively and objectively but none more superior. Statistically significant improvements in group 1 and group 2 were noted over the duration of the study with regards to pain, disability, and cervical spine range of motion.

京都大学 / 0048 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(理学) / 甲第22229号 / 理博第4543号 / 新制||理||1653(附属図書館) / 京都大学大学院理学研究科生物科学専攻 / (主査)教授 濱田 穣, 准教授 平﨑 鋭矢, 教授 髙井 正成 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Science / Kyoto University / DGAM

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

Dinosaurs are the largest animals to ever walk on the continents and some reached body sizes of up to 70 tons. Observation of their closest living relatives, birds and crocodylians, could never allow for prediction of gigantic dinosaurian forms. Therefore, the fossil record is crucial to understanding the evolutionary changes of these animals through time, including body size trends. The reptile group Archosauria encompasses living and extinct birds and crocodylians as well as non-avian dinosaurs and crocodile relatives called pseudosuchians. My research focuses on studying fossils of extinct archosaurs to determine how the morphology of their skeletons allowed for growth to large body sizes. I am specifically interested in how the vertebral column fits together and how the structures that articulate vertebrae change throughout the phylogeny (i.e. family tree) of Archosauria. Although major body size trends are well known for archosaurs, less research has focused on skeletal features that are associated with the evolution of large body size in that group. I hypothesize that the vertebral column will have these features. To answer the question of how vertebrae morphology is related to body size, I first described eight vertebrae from a large pseudosuchian archosaur Poposaurus langstoni. This animal possesses an accessory articulation between the vertebrae in its trunk region (i.e. between the neck and hips) called the hyposphene-hypantrum articulation. I then surveyed vertebrae from across Archosauria and found a close fit of presence of the articulation with large sizes and that it evolves independently in several archosaur groups. / Master of Science

Thesis (M.Tech.: Chiropractic)-Durban University of Technology, 2008 / To evaluate the lumbar lordosis, lumbosacral angle, lumbosacral disc angle, lumbosacral lordosis angle, intervertebral disc angles and heights, interpedicular distances, sagittal canal diameters and the lumbar gravity line (selected radiographic parameters) in young to middle aged Indian females in Durban. To determine any association between the selected radiographic parameters and the age of the subjects, weight, height and body mass index of the subjects, occupation, smoking, previous pregnancy and leg length inequality (selected anthropometric and demographic factors). Methods: Sixty healthy, asymptomatic, young to middle aged, Indian females were recruited for this study. All subjects underwent a case history, a physical examination and radiographic evaluation (AP and lateral views) of the lumbar spine. SPSS version 15.0 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, Ill, USA) was used to analyze the data. Results: The mean (± SD) of the lumbar lordosis, lumbosacral angle, lumbosacral disc angle and lumbosacral lordosis angle was 49º (± 6º), 39º (± 8º), 12º (± 5º) and 143.2º (± 5º) respectively. For the lumbar intervertebral disc angles at L1-L2, L2-L3, L3-L4, L4-L5 and L5- S1 levels, the mean (± SD) was 6º (± 2º), 8º (± 2º), 10º (± 3º), 12º (± 4º) and 12º (± 5º) respectively. The anterior and posterior intervertebral disc heights at the respective vertebral levels were: L1-L2: anterior: 8 mm (± 2), posterior 5 mm (± 2); L2-L3: anterior: 10 mm (± 2), posterior 5 mm (± 2); L3-L4: anterior: 12 mm (± 2), posterior 5 mm (± 2); L4-L5: anterior: 14 mm (± 3), posterior 5 mm (± 2) and L5-S1: anterior: 13 mm (± 4), posterior 6 mm (± 2). The mean (± SD) of the interpedicular distance at the L1, L2, L3, L4 and L5 vertebral levels was 23 mm (± 2), 24 mm (± 2), 25 mm (± 2), 27 mm (± 2) and 31 mm (± 3) respectively. For the sagittal canal diameter at the L1, L2, L3, L4 and L5 vertebral levels, the mean (± SD) was 20 mm (± 5), 21 mm (± 3), 21 mm (± 3), 21 mm (± 3) and 19 mm (± 3) respectively. The lumbar gravity line intersected the sacrum in 67.3% of the subjects. In 29.1% of the subjects, the lumbar gravity line passed anterior to the sacrum while in 3.6% of the subjects, it passed posterior to the sacrum. iv A significant association was found between lumbar lordosis and the height of the subjects in this study (p = 0.004). A decrease in the intervertebral disc height at L5-S1 was associated with smoking (p = 0.005). A decrease in the intervertebral disc height at L4-L5 was associated with previous pregnancy (p = 0.016). Body mass index of 26–30 kg.m-2 was significantly associated with an increase in the intervertebral disc angles at L3-L4 (p = 0.028) and L4-L5 (p = 0.031). A decrease in the L5-S1 intervertebral disc angle was also significantly associated with smoking (p = 0.023). There was a significant association between previous pregnancy and an increase in the intervertebral disc angle at L3-L4 (p = 0.016). A significant association was found between the age of the subjects and the L5-S1 intervertebral disc angle (p = 0.007). Specifically it was the 23–27 year group and 33–37 year group who were significantly different from each other (p = 0.033). Conclusion: Similarities and differences were found in the mean values of the radiographic parameters measured in this study and those reported in the literature. A number of the selected anthropometric and demographic factors were associated with some of the lumbar radiographic parameters. Further studies are required to establish the clinical significance of these findings.

Dissertation submitted in partial compliance with the requirements for the Master’s Degree in Technology: Chiropractic Faculty: Health Sciences, Durban University of Technology, 2009 / Aim To determine the profile of traumatic cervical spine fractures with respect to the epidemiology, clinical presentation, types of fractures, conservative and surgical intervention, short-term post-intervention (i.e. post-conservative and post-surgical) complications and short-term post-surgical rehabilitation of patients presenting at the Spinal Unit of King George V Hospital over a 12-week period. Methods Patients who presented to the King George V Hospital Spinal Unit from surrounding hospitals with traumatic cervical spine fractures were evaluated by the medical staff. Data concerning the epidemiology, clinical presentation, types of fractures, conservative and surgical intervention, short-term post-intervention (i.e. post-conservative and postsurgical) complications and short-term post-surgical rehabilitation data were recorded by the researcher. A p-value of <0.05 was considered as statistically significant. Appropriate statistical tests were applied to the hypothesis-testing objectives. These involved the Pearson’s Chi Square Tests for categorical variables or Fisher’s Exact Tests as appropriate where sample sizes were small. Paired t-tests were done to compare preand- post-surgical Frankel grading and Norton Pressure Sore Assessment scores. Results The number of patients who presented to the Spinal Unit over a 12-week period was 20, of this number 17 were males, three were females and all were black. Eleven patients were treated surgically while nine patients were treated conservatively. The most frequent aetiology of cervical spine fractures was motor vehicle accidents (n = 10) followed by falls (n = 9). The most common co-existing medical conditions were smoking (n = 7), HIV (n = 5), alcohol abuse (n = 3) and obesity (n = 3). The most frequent locations of cervical spine fractures were C2 (n = 6), C1 (n = 4) and the posterior column of C6 (n = 3), while dislocations occurred primarily at the C5-C6 levels (n = 5) of the lower cervical spine. Odontoid fractures (n = 6), Jefferson’s fractures (n = 4) and unilateral facet dislocations (n = 6) were the most common fractures and dislocations v observed. Head injuries (n = 4) and lower limb fractures (n = 3) were the most common extra-spinal fractures. All subjects who sustained head injuries also had associated C1 or C2 fractures. Neurological complications most frequently involved the upper limb where loss of motor function (n = 8) and weakness (n = 4) were observed. The majority of the patients (n = 8) reported a Frankel Grading of E. There were no significant associations between types of fracture and gender with the exception of fracture/dislocation observed in two females. There was a statistically significant difference in the NPSA score (p = 0.004). Conservative care utilized included soft collar (n = 6), cones calipers (n = 6), physiotherapy (n = 4), Minerva jacket (n = 4) and SOMI (sterno-occipital mandibular immobilization) brace (n = 1) while surgical intervention included anterior decompression (n = 8), anterior fusion (n = 8), allograft strut (n = 8), discectomy (n = 8), anterior cervical plating (n = 8), anterior screw fixation (n = 2), a transoral approach (n = 1) and a corpectomy (n = 1). The short-term post-conservative care complications observed in this study were an occipital pressure sore (n = 1), severe discomfort (n = 1) as well as severe neck pain (n = 1), while the short-term post-surgical complications were severe neck pain (n = 2), oral thrush (n = 1), pneumonia (n = 1), odynophagia (n = 1) and hoarseness (n = 1). Of the 11 patients who underwent cervical spine surgery, ten were sent for physiotherapy and one for occupational therapy. No significant associations were seen between the type of cervical spine fracture and the age of the subject. There was a significant association between fracture/dislocation and the female gender (p = 0.016). There was significant negative association between odontoid fracture and: anterior decompression, anterior fusion, allograft strut, discectomy and anterior cervical plating (p = 0.006). Conclusion The results of this study reflect the presentation and management of cervical spine fractures at a referral spinal unit of a public hospital in KwaZulu Natal. The impact of HIV and other co-existing medical conditions were not determined due to the small sample size in this study. Further epidemiological studies are required to be conducted in the Spinal Units of all South African public hospitals in order to confirm or refute the observation of this study. / National Research Foundation (NRF)

A clinical study was performed in order to determine if healthy test subjects can differentiate between adjacent and separated pairs of vertebrae in the lumbar spine. The variable of interest was number of correctly specied pairs of vertebrae. The test subjects were evaluated in terms of sensitivity and specicity of this test. Bootstrap resampling was applied in the data analysis. The results clearly indicated that the test subjects in this study were able to successfully determine whether a pair of adjacent or separated vertebrae was tested during the procedure.

O sistema de fixação vertebral utilizando o parafuso pedicular é um dos métodos mais eficientes no tratamento de patologias da coluna vertebral. Quando o parafuso estiver submetido à força de arrancamento, ele gera tensões ao redor, principalmente próximo do canal medular, situação que pode ser analisada pela técnica da fotoelasticidade. O objetivo foi analisar as tensões internas geradas em modelos fotoelásticos de vértebras, utilizando diferentes medidas de parafusos do sistema de fixação vertebral, submetidos à força de arrancamento. Foi utilizado um modelo de vértebra lombar em material fotoelástico utilizando três medidas de diâmetros externos de parafusos pediculares (5, 6 e 7mm) do tipo USS1. As tensões internas ao redor do parafuso foram avaliadas em 18 pontos pré-determinados utilizando um polariscópio de transmissão plana. As regiões de maiores concentrações de tensões foram observadas entre o canal medular e as curvas do processo transverso. Nas comparações das médias das tensões cisalhantes entre os parafusos 5 e 7mm, e 6 e 7mm foram observadas diferenças estatísticas significativas, o que não ocorreu com os parafusos de 5 e 6mm onde não foram observadas diferenças estatisticamente significativas. Foi observado que as tensões internas são mais elevadas em áreas irregulares próximas do canal medular, o que sugere ser uma região crítica, em termos de esforços mecânicos. / The system of vertebrae fixation using the pedicular screw is one of the most efficient methods to treat vertebral spine pathologies. When the screw is submitted to pullout strength, it causes internal stress near the medullary canal and this situation can be analyzed using the photoelasticity technique. The objective of this study was to examine the internal stress of a photoelastic vertebrae model using different sizes of screws for the vertebral fixation submitted to pulling out. A lumbar vertebral model made of photoelastic material with three different pedicular screw sizes (5, 6 and 7mm), type USS1 was used. The internal stress around the screw were tested in 18 pre established points by a plain transmission polariscope. The areas of greater concentration of stress were placed between the medullary canal and the transverse process. Comparing the maximum average pulling out stress, statistical differences were observed between screws 5 and 7, and 6 and 7. On the other hand, when screws 5 and 6mm where compared no significant differences were found. This study identified that the internal stress are greater in irregular areas, near the medullary canal, suggesting that this may be a critical region.