Cartilage fatigue may be a factor in the precocious development of degenerative changes in the temporomandibular joint (TMJ). This cross-sectional study estimated potential for cartilage fatigue via TMJ energy densities (ED) and jaw muscle duty factors (DF), which were combined to calculate mechanobehavioral scores (MBS) in women with (+) and without (-) bilateral TMJ disc displacement (DD). All subjects gave informed consent to participate and were examined using Diagnostic Criteria (DC) for Temporomandibular Disorders (TMD) and magnetic resonance (MR) and computed tomography (CT) images. Forty-seven subjects were categorized into +DD (n = 29) and -DD (n = 18) groups. Dynamic stereometry (MR images combined with jaw-tracking data) characterized individual-specific data of TMJ stress-field mechanics to determine ED (ED = W/Q mJ/mm3, where W = work done, Q = volume of cartilage) during 10 symmetrical jaw-closing cycles with a 20-N mandibular right canine load. Subjects were trained to record masseter and temporalis electromyography over 3 days and 3 nights. Root mean square electromyography/bite-force calibrations determined subject-specific masseter and temporalis muscle activities per 20-N bite-force (T20 N, μV), which defined thresholds. Muscle DF (DF = % duration of muscle activity/total recording time) were determined for a range of thresholds, and MBS (ED2 × DF) were calculated. Intergroup differences in ED, DF, and MBS were assessed via analyses of variance with Bonferroni and Tukey honest significant difference post hoc tests. Average ED for contralateral TMJs was significantly larger (P = 0.012) by 1.4-fold in +DD compared to -DD subjects. Average DF were significantly larger (all P < 0.01) for +DD compared to -DD subjects by 1.7-, 2.5-, and 1.9-fold for day, night, and overall, respectively. Daytime MBS were significantly larger (all P < 0.04) by up to 8.5-fold in +DD compared to -DD subjects. Significantly larger ED, DF, and MBS were shown in women with compared to women without bilateral TMJ DD.

No description available.

No / Objectives This paper describes DCM 8 and reports on the initial validation study of DCM 8. Methods Between 2001-2003, a series of international expert working groups were established to examine various aspects of DCM with the intention of revising and refining it. During 2004-2005 the revised tool (DCM 8) was piloted in seven service settings in the UK and validated against DCM 7th edition. Results At a group score level, WIB scores and spread of Behavioural Category Codes were very similar, suggesting that group scores are comparable between DCM 7 and 8. Interviews with mappers and focus groups with staff teams suggested that DCM 8 was preferable to DCM 7th edition because of the clarification and simplification of codes; the addition of new codes relevant to person-centred care; and the replacement of Positive Events with a more structured recording of Personal Enhancers. Conclusions DCM 8 appears comparable with DCM 7th edition in terms of data produced and is well received by mappers and dementia care staff.

No / The maintenance of self in dementia is associated with socio-biographical factors. The theoretical literature suggests that interpersonal relationships, the social context, and the generation of stories are important in maintenance of self. Empirical research on self in dementia supports this but has been predominantly conducted with participants living in the community. Living in residential care brings additional threats to self. This paper presents a study examining the relevance of a socio-biographical theory of self to people with dementia living in residential care. Between 3 and 8 tape-recorded and transcribed unstructured interviews were conducted with 14 people with dementia who were living in 4 residential homes throughout England and Wales, over a 6-24-month period. They were analysed using an interpretive biographical methodology. The results provide evidence to support the relevance of a socio-biographical theory of self to this group. Relationships with family, other residents and care home staff were important for maintenance of self. Social roles related to work, being part of a family, caring for others and being cared for, were particularly significant for self in this group. The creation of a life story, stories of selected life events, and the telling of stories with possible metaphorical interpretations were also important for the maintenance of self. The results also suggest that psychological and embodied factors may be relevant to the self in dementia. The study suggests that staff working in residential homes should consider these elements if they are to provide care that supports maintenance of self for people with dementia. Implications for future research are discussed.

No description available.

Myxomatous mitral valve disease (MMVD) is one of the most common degenerative cardiac diseases affecting humans and dogs; however, its pathogenesis is not completely understood. This study focussed on developing tissue-engineered fibrin based canine mitral valve constructs, which can be used as an in vitro platform to study the pathogenesis of MMVD. Prior to three dimensional (3D) construct fabrication, primary canine mitral valve endothelial cells (VECs) and valve interstitial cells (VICs) were isolated, cultured and characterized utilising a variety of techniques. Moreover, preliminary experiments were carried out to optimise the purity of VEC cultures. It is uncertain if canine MMVD is initiated by long term shear stress damage to the valve endothelium or from abnormalities of VICs. To investigate both hypotheses, three types of models were produced using fibrin/based 3D culture techniques: healthy VEC-VIC co-culture (Type 1); healthy VEC-diseased VIC co-culture (Type 2); healthy VEC-VIC co-culture with endothelial damage during culture (Type 3). Histological examination demonstrated partial native tissue-like morphology of the 3D constructs. Results suggest that current static cultured constructs express MMVD markers irrespective of using healthy or diseased VICs. Simple mechanical stimulation was found to regulate VIC activity in the 3D models. Endothelial damage resulting in VIC phenotypic activation (a change typically observed in MMVD), and decreased mechanical tension appeared to be a negative regulator of this effect. Moreover, there appears to be heterogeneity in the activated VIC population. Additionally, distinct advanced glycation end product (AGE) carboxymethyllysine (CML) expression was found in canine MMVD valves, which suggesting this biochemical compound (known to affect long living protein) might be a putative regulator of MMVD pathogenesis. The role of CML in MMVD can be further investigated utilizing current 3D static mitral valve construct model in future studies. Lastly a prototype dynamic tubular construct and a customised bioreactor system were developed. Preliminary data suggest the feasibility of tubular construct fabrication and endothelialisation, which provides foundation for future dynamic conditioning experiments and will allow examination of the role of endothelial shear stress in triggering MMVD. In summary, this project successfully developed fibrin based canine mitral valve constructs. It is believed they are promising models for MMVD research, allowing new insights in understanding MMVD pathogenesis.

INTRODUCTION This graduation theses considers with the influence of rehabilitation by electrotactile stimulation of the tongue on stability of stance and gait in patients with degenerative cerebellar ataxia. Electrotactile stimulation of the tongue is an innovative method based on biofeedback principle, which uses additive sensory information about the position of the head to train the postural stability METHOD We used this method in six patients (four men and two women) with this disease. Patients went through intensive twelve-day therapy. The duration of the lessons was 30 minutes twice a day. We examined postural stability of the patients by using clinical evaluations (Balance Evaluation Systems Test, Dynamic Gait Index), posturography (modified Clinical Test of Sensory Interaction for Balance) and questionnaires (Activities -specific Balance Confidence, Dizziness Handicap Inventory) before and after the therapy. RESULTS The patients showed significant improvement in both clinical tests after the therapy. The results of posturography measurement are not so definite - the significant improvement was achieved only in some measured parameters. Both questionnaires did not show significant improvement. CONCLUSION The results of this study show, that electrotactile stimulation tongue could have a...

La scoliose de l’adulte est une pathologie dont la prévalence augmente avec de le vieillissement de la population. De plus, la demande fonctionnelle est de plus en plus importante chez ces patients. De nombreuses études ont montré un bénéfice du traitement chirurgical de la déformation de l’adulte par rapport au traitement médical en termes d’amélioration des scores fonctionnels, de qualité de vie et de satisfaction. Néanmoins, cette chirurgie est associée à de nombreuses complications (jusque 50% dans certaines séries), pour la plupart mécaniques telle la pseudarthrose, la rupture d’implant, la dégradation des étages adjacents. Ainsi, si l’analyse radiographique de la scoliose a bien été explorée, certaines questions demeurent comme les phénomènes responsables d’une aggravation brutale de la déformation chez certains patients ou les causes d’échecs. L’objectif de ce travail était d’analyser la scoliose de l’adulte, en 3D à l’aide de la stéréoradiographie et d’évaluer le système musculaire de ces patients afin de mettre en évidence des relations entre déformations rachidiennes notamment par l’analyse du plan horizontal, et dégénérescence musculaire.La 1e partie de ce travail était consacrée à l’analyse 3D de la scoliose : tout d’abord avec l’analyse de reproductibilité chez l’adulte des mesures 3D effectuées par stéréoradiographie, puis par l’analyse de l’alignement global de ces patients avec une déformation rachidienne, à l’aide d’un nouveau paramètre prenant en compte la position de la jonction cervico-céphalique. Apres avoir analysé l’alignement postural, le système musculaire pelvi-rachidien a été étudié dans la 2e partie. En effet, en plus de l’alignement du squelette, c’est l’activation du système musculaire qui est responsable du maintien d’une posture érigée. Nous avons décrit les caractéristiques musculaires des patients avec une scoliose lombaire et analysé les relations avec les paramètres radiographiques de la déformation, montrant que selon le type de déformation certains groupes musculaires étaient plus touchés par l’atrophie et l’infiltration graisseuse. En les comparant à des sujets jeunes et âgés sans déformation, nous avons observé que les patients avec une scoliose avaient une dégénérescence musculaire à la fois liée à la déformation et au vieillissement. Dans une 3e partie, en faisant le lien entre les données de la posture par la stéréoradiographie et les données musculaires de l’IRM, nous avons utilisé un modèle musculosquelettique personnalisé pour mieux comprendre les contraintes exercées sur les segments vertébraux et donc pour essayer d’expliquer les faillites mécaniques.Ainsi, l’association de mesures 3D radiographiques et de l’analyse musculaire pourrait permettre en comprenant mieux les phénomènes dégénératifs, de mieux prédire l’aggravation de la déformation et donc de la prévenir par une rééducation ciblée. Par exemple, un renforcement des érecteurs du rachis mais aussi des fléchisseurs pourrait permettre de mieux maintenir la posture. Et, un renforcement des érecteurs et fléchisseurs de hanche pourrait permettre d’activer de manière plus efficace, les mécanismes de compensation telle la rétroversion pelvienne. De plus, la mise en évidence de facteur de risque musculosquelettique d’aggravation de la déformation entrainerait une prise en charge plus précoce de ces patients. Une analyse longitudinale serait donc intéressante. / Adult degenerative scoliosis is a pathology whose prevalence increases with the aging of the population. Moreover, the functional demand is more and more important in these patients. Many studies have shown a benefit of surgical treatment of adult spinal deformity compared to medical treatment in terms of improved functional scores, quality of life and satisfaction. Nevertheless, this surgery is associated with many complications (up to 50% in some series), mostly mechanical such as nonunion, implant rupture, degradation of adjacent levels. Thus, if the radiographic analysis of scoliosis has been well explored, some questions remain like the phenomena responsible for a sudden worsening of the deformation in certain patients or the causes of failures. The aim of this work was to analyze adult scoliosis in 3D using stereoradiography and to evaluate the muscular system of these patients in order to highlight the relationships between spinal deformities, particularly by the horizontal plane analysis, and muscle degeneration.The first part of this work was dedicated to the 3D analysis of scoliosis: first, with the analysis of reproducibility in the adult of 3D stereoradiographic measurements, then by the analysis of the global alignment of these patients with spinal deformity, using a new parameter taking into account the position of the cervico-cephalic junction. After analyzing the postural alignment, the spino-pelvic muscular system was studied in the second part. Indeed, in addition to the alignment of the skeleton, it is the activation of the muscular system that is responsible for maintaining an erect posture. We described the muscular features of patients with lumbar scoliosis and analyzed the relationships with the radiographic parameters of the deformity, showing that depending on the type of deformity some muscle groups were more affected by atrophy and fatty infiltration. Comparing them to young and elderly subjects without deformity, we observed that patients with scoliosis had muscle degeneration that was both related to deformity and aging. In the third part, by linking stereoradiographic posture data with muscular MRI data, we used a personalized musculoskeletal model to better understand the constraints on vertebral segments and therefore to try to explain the mechanical failures.Thus, the combination of 3D radiographic measurements and muscle analysis could better predict muscle degeneration and worsening of deformity and thus prevent it by targeted rehabilitation. For example, a strengthening of the erectors of the spine but also of the flexors could allow better maintaining the posture. And, a strengthening of the erectors and hip flexors could allow activating more effectively, compensation mechanisms such pelvic retroversion. In addition, the demonstration of a musculoskeletal risk factor worsening the deformity would lead to an earlier management of these patients. A longitudinal analysis would be interesting.

Introduction: Arthroscopic partial resection of degenerative meniscal injuries has previously been frequently performed but has been questioned in recent years. However, contradictory data exist. Aim: We aimed to asses patient- reported outcome in patients over 40 years of age after arthroscopic surgery due to degenerative meniscal injury. We further aimed to compare women and men due to diagnosis and to examine the number of patients that have needed knee arthroplasty during the follow-up period. Methods: Patients &gt; 40 years of age who underwent arthroscopic surgery of the knee in the years of 2011-2013 were studied using validated questionnaire KOOS (Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score) along with a self-constructed questionnaire. Results: In all subjects, the highest median score was seen in all daily living (Women:93, Men: 96) and knee pain (Women: 86, Men: 92). The lowest score was seen in sports and recreation (Women: 55, Men: 65). Men had an overall higher KOOS-score in every subscale compared to women (p&gt;0.05). No significant difference was seen between women and men divided by diagnosis (p&gt;0.05). 72% women and 80% men experienced improved knee function today compared to before surgery. 22% women and 14% men experienced deterioration in knee function. 6% women and men experienced unaltered knee function. 24 patients (9.5%) had got a knee arthroplasty. Conclusions: This study showed that most middle-age patients experienced increased knee function and high satisfaction rate after partial meniscectomy when suffering from degenerative meniscal injury.

Introdução: Ao analisar a osteoartrose pós-traumática do punho a literatura demonstra que sua etiologia é, na maioria das vezes, secundária a lesões ligamentares ou a fraturas do carpo que, por sua vez, seguem um padrão definido e evolutivo de acometimento articular do punho. Várias abordagens cirúrgicas são descritas para o tratamento da osteoartrose pós-traumática do carpo. Considerando a carpectomia proximal e a artrodese dos quatro cantos, a literatura apresenta apenas estudos retrospectivos comparando os resultados funcionais entre as técnicas. O objetivo desta tese é comparar os resultados funcionais entre a carpectomia proximal e a artrodese dos quatro cantos no tratamento da osteoartrose pós-traumática do punho, sem acometimento da articulação mediocárpica. Método: Neste estudo prospectivo e randomizado 20 pacientes portadores de osteoartrose pós-traumática sem acometimento da articulação mediocárpica do punho, submetidos à carpectomia proximal ou a artrodese dos quatro cantos tiveram seus dados pós-operatórios analisados e comparados. Resultados: Todos os pacientes deste estudo referiram melhora da dor e da sua capacidade funcional. Em todos os casos houve diminuição dos valores pré e pós-operatórios de goniometria em ambos os procedimentos. Não houve diferença estatisticamente significante entre os procedimentos. Conclusão: Com relação aos resultados funcionais, a carpectomia proximal e a artrodese dos quatro cantos são procedimentos efetivos e semelhantes no tratamento dos pacientes portadores de SLAC/SNAC WRIST sem acometimento da articulação mediocárpica. / Introduction: Wrist arthritis results most of the times from ligaments tears or carpal bones fractures. Many surgical procedures are described in literature. Regarding proximal row carpectomy and four corner arthrodesis, there are only retrospective studies available in literature. The objective of this study is to compare the functional results between these two surgical procedures. Method: In this prospective and randomized study 20 patients underwent proximal row carpectomy or four corner arthrodesis for the treatment of wrist arthritis. In all patients the midcarpal joints were free of lesions. Functional results were compared. Results: Both proximal row carpectomy and four corner arthrodesis improved pain. All cases showed decreased range of motion after surgery. The differences between the groups were not statistically significant. Conclusion: Regarding functional results both procedures were similar and improved pain in patients with SLAC/SNAC WRIST without degenerative changes in midcarpal joint.