Cytological examination and cellular composition of bone marrow in healthy, adult, cynomolgus monkeys ( Macaca fascicularis )

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the cellular composition of the bone marrow of cynomolgus monkeys (Macaca fascicularis). Femoral bone marrow smears from 23 healthy, adult animals (11 males and 12 females) were examined. For each animal, three femoral bone marrow smears were prepared immediately after euthanasia and stained with May-Grünwald-Giemsa. On two of the three smears available, and for each of these smears, a 500-cell differential count was performed and the myeloid: erythroid (M:E) ratio established. The M:E ratio for males varied from 0.67∶1.00 to 1.85∶1.00 with a mean of 1.03∶1.00 and for females from 0.67∶1.00 to 1.63∶1.00 with a mean of 1.02∶1.00. The mean percentage of granulocytic, lymphocytic, plasmacytic and erythroid series was 47.60, 5.44, 1.45 and 46.05% for males and 47.28, 5.12, 1.49 and 46.28% for females. No significant differences were noted between males and females. All cell lines were well represented and showed normal maturation in both sexes. Megakaryocytes were adequate in number and morphology in all animals. Cynomolgus monkeys showed a bone marrow composition similar to rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta). Cytological examination of bone marrow was found to be a simple and rapid procedure, well suited to the toxicological research environment. It provided excellent information on cell distribution, morphology and maturation of the haematopoietic syste

Changes in spinal reflex and locomotor activity after a complete spinal cord injury: a common mechanism?

Locomotor activity and spinal reflexes (SRs) show common features in different mammals, including humans. Here we report the time-course of the development of locomotor activity and SRs after a complete spinal cord injury in humans. SRs evoked by tibial nerve stimulation were studied, as was the leg muscle electromyography activity evoked by mechanically assisted locomotion (Lokomat) in biceps femoris, rectus femoris, tibialis anterior and gastrocenmius medialis. Around 8 weeks after the injury, an early SR component (latency 60-120 ms) appeared, as in healthy subjects, and a well-organized leg muscle activity was present during assisted locomotion. At around 6 months after injury an additional, late reflex component (latency 120-450 ms) appeared, which remained even 15 years after the spinal cord injury. In contrast, the early component had markedly decreased at 18 months after injury. These changes in SR were associated with a loss of electromyography activity and a successively stronger electromyography exhaustion (i.e. decline of electromyography amplitude), when comparing the level of electromyography activity at 2 and 10 min, respectively, during assisted locomotion. These changes in electromyography activity affected mainly the biceps femoris, gastrocenmius medialis and tibialis anterior but less so the rectus femoris. When the amplitude relationship of the early to late SR component was calculated, there was a temporal relationship between the decrease of the early component and an increase of the late component and the degree of exhaustion of locomotor activity. In chronic, severely affected but sensori-motor incomplete spinal cord injury subjects a late SR component, associated with an electromyography exhaustion, was present in subjects who did not regularly perform stepping movements. Our data are consistent with the proposal of a common mechanism underlying the changes in SR activity and locomotor activity after spinal cord injury. These findings should be taken into consideration in the development of novel rehabilitation schemes and programs to facilitate regeneration-inducing therapies in spinal cord injury subject

Enantiopure water-soluble [Fe4L6] cages: host-guest chemistry and catalytic activity.

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Wiley via http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/anie.20130213

Modulation of locomotor activity in complete spinal cord injury

The aim of this study was to evaluate the modulation of muscle activity during locomotor-like movements by different walking speeds in subjects with a motor complete spinal cord injury (SCI) compared to actively- and passively-walking control subjects without neurological deficit. Stepping movements on a treadmill were induced and assisted by a driven gait orthosis. Electromyographic (EMG) muscle activity of one leg (rectus and biceps femoris, tibialis anterior and gastrocnemius) was recorded and analyzed at three stepping velocities with similar body weight support in both subject groups. In SCI subjects, the EMG amplitude of biceps femoris, tibialis anterior and gastrocnemius was in general similar or weaker than in passively- and actively-stepping control subjects, but that of rectus femoris was larger. The degree of co-activation between tibialis anterior and gastrocnemius was higher in SCI than in control subjects. A significant velocity-dependent EMG modulation was present in all four-leg muscles in both subject groups. In SCI subjects, this EMG modulation was similar to that in actively stepping control subjects. It is concluded that in complete spastic SCI subjects, spinal neuronal circuits underlying locomotion can to a large extent adequately respond to a change in external drive to adapt the neuronal pattern to a new locomotion speed. The application of various speeds might enhance the effect of locomotor training in incomplete SCI subject

Computerized visual feedback: an adjunct to robotic-assisted gait training

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Robotic devices for walking rehabilitation allow new possibilities for providing performance-related information to patients during gait training. Based on motor learning principles, augmented feedback during robotic-assisted gait training might improve the rehabilitation process used to regain walking function. This report presents a method to provide visual feedback implemented in a driven gait orthosis (DGO). The purpose of the study was to compare the immediate effect on motor output in subjects during robotic-assisted gait training when they used computerized visual feedback and when they followed verbal instructions of a physical therapist. SUBJECTS: Twelve people with neurological gait disorders due to incomplete spinal cord injury participated. METHODS: Subjects were instructed to walk within the DGO in 2 different conditions. They were asked to increase their motor output by following the instructions of a therapist and by observing visual feedback. In addition, the subjects' opinions about using visual feedback were investigated by a questionnaire. RESULTS: Computerized visual feedback and verbal instructions by the therapist were observed to result in a similar change in motor output in subjects when walking within the DGO. Subjects reported that they were more motivated and concentrated on their movements when using computerized visual feedback compared with when no form of feedback was provided. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: Computerized visual feedback is a valuable adjunct to robotic-assisted gait training. It represents a relevant tool to increase patients' motor output, involvement, and motivation during gait training, similar to verbal instructions by a therapist

Determinação experimental da retenção do parafuso ortopédico em cortex ósseo

Cylindrical specimens of bone measuring 15 mm in diameter were obtained from the lateral cortical layer of 10 pairs of femurs and tibias. A central hole 3.2 mm in diameter was drilled in each specimen. The hole was tapped, and a 4.5 mm cortical bone screw was inserted from the outer surface. The montage was submitted to push-out testing up to a complete strip of the bone threads. The cortical thickness and rupture load were measured, and the shear stress was calculated. The results were grouped according to the bone segment from which the specimen was obtained. The results showed that bone cortex screw holding power is dependent on the bone site. Additionally, the diaphyseal cortical bone tissue is both quantitatively and qualitatively more resistant to screw extraction than the metaphyseal tissue.Foram retirados corpos de prova cilíndricos de 15 mm de diâmetro da camada cortical da face lateral de 10 pares de fêmures e tíbias oriundos de peças anatômicas. No centro de cada um destes foi feito um orifício de 3,2 mm e nele inserido, a partir da superfície externa, um parafuso cortical de 4,5 mm de diâmetro após rosqueamento com macho. Este conjunto foi submetido a um ensaio mecânico no qual o parafuso foi extraído. A espessura da camada cortical e a carga de ruptura foram medidas e a tensão de cisalhamento foi calculada. Os resultados foram agrupados de acordo com o segmento do osso de onde provinham. Os ensaios mostraram que a retenção cortical do parafuso varia ao longo do osso e que o tecido ósseo da córtex diafisária é tanto quantitativamente quanto qualitativamente mais resistente à extração do parafuso que o tecido metafisário

Mediolateral Damping of an Overhead Body Weight Support System Assists Stability During Treadmill Walking

Background Body weight support systems with three or more degrees of freedom (3-DoF) are permissive and safe environments that provide unloading and allow unrestricted movement in any direction. This enables training of walking and balance control at an early stage in rehabilitation. Transparent systems generate a support force vector that is near vertical at all positions in the workspace to only minimally interfere with natural movement patterns. Patients with impaired balance, however, may benefit from additional mediolateral support that can be adjusted according to their capacity. An elegant solution for providing balance support might be by rendering viscous damping along the mediolateral axis via the software controller. Before use with patients, we evaluated if control-rendered mediolateral damping evokes the desired stability enhancement in able-bodied individuals. Methods A transparent, cable-driven robotic body weight support system (FLOAT) was used to provide transparent body weight support with and without mediolateral damping to 21 able-bodied volunteers while walking at preferred gait velocity on a treadmill. Stability metrics reflecting resistance to small and large perturbations were derived from walking kinematics and compared between conditions and to free walking. Results Compared to free walking, the application of body weight support per-se resulted in gait alterations typically associated with body weight support, namely increased step length and swing phase. Frontal plane dynamic stability, measured by kinematic variability and nonlinear dynamics of the center of mass, was increased under body weight support, indicating reduced balance requirements in both damped and undamped support conditions. Adding damping to the body weight support resulted in a greater increase of frontal plane stability. Conclusion Adding mediolateral damping to 3-DoF body weight support systems is an effective method of increasing frontal plane stability during walking in able-bodied participants. Building on these results, adjustable mediolateral damping could enable therapists to select combinations of unloading and stability specifically for each patient and to adapt this in a task specific manner. This could extend the impact of transparent 3-DoF body weight support systems, enabling training of gait and active balance from an early time point onwards in the rehabilitation process for a wide range of mobility activities of daily life

Different effects of sevoflurane, desflurane, and isoflurane on early and late left ventricular diastolic function in young healthy adults†

Background Knowledge on the effects of volatile anaesthetics on left ventricular (LV) diastolic function in humans in vivo is limited. We tested the hypothesis that sevoflurane, desflurane, and isoflurane do not impair LV diastolic function in young healthy humans. Methods Sixty otherwise healthy subjects (aged 18-48 yr) undergoing minor procedures under general anaesthesia were studied. After randomization for the anaesthetic, transthoracic echocardiographic examinations were performed at baseline and under anaesthesia with 1 minimum alveolar concentration (MAC) of the volatile anaesthetics during spontaneous breathing and intermittent positive pressure ventilation (IPPV). Peak early (E′) and late (A′) diastolic velocities of the mitral annulus were studied as the main echocardiographic indicators of diastolic function. Results During anaesthesia with 1 MAC under spontaneous breathing, E′ increased with desflurane (P<0.001), was not significantly different with isoflurane (P=0.030), and decreased with sevoflurane (P=0.006). During IPPV, E′ was similar to baseline with desflurane (P=0.550), insignificantly decreased with isoflurane (P=0.029), and decreased with the sevoflurane group (P<0.001). In contrast, A′ was similarly reduced in all groups during spontaneous breathing without further changes during IPPV. Haemodynamic changes were comparable in all study groups. Conclusions The findings of this in vivo study indicate that desflurane and isoflurane, and most likely sevoflurane, have no relevant direct negative effect on early diastolic relaxation in young healthy humans. In contrast, all three volatile anaesthetics appear to impair late diastolic LV filling during atrial contraction. Trial Registration #: NCT002445

Volatile anaesthetics and positive pressure ventilation reduce left atrial performance: a transthoracic echocardiographic study in young healthy adults

Background Animal and in vitro studies suggest that volatile anaesthetics affect left atrial (LA) performance. We hypothesized that human LA pump function and dimensions are altered by volatile anaesthetics in vivo. Methods We performed transthoracic echocardiographic (TTE) measurements in 59 healthy subjects (aged 18-48 yr) undergoing minor surgery under general anaesthesia. The unpremedicated patients were randomly assigned to anaesthesia with sevoflurane, desflurane, or isoflurane. TTE examinations were performed at baseline and after induction of anaesthesia and upon placement of a laryngeal mask during spontaneous breathing. After changing to intermittent positive pressure ventilation (IPPV), an additional TTE was performed. The study focused on the velocity-time integral of late peak transmitral inflow velocity (AVTI) and maximum LA volume. Results We found no evidence for relevant differences in the effects of the three volatile anaesthetics. AVTI decreased significantly from 4.1 (1.2) cm at baseline to 3.2 (1.1) cm during spontaneous breathing of 1 minimum alveolar concentration of volatile anaesthetics. AVTI decreased further to 2.8 (1.0) cm after changing to IPPV. The maximum LA volume was 45.4 (18.6) cm3 at baseline and remained unchanged during spontaneous breathing but decreased to 34.5 (16.7) cm3 during IPPV. Other parameters of LA pump function and dimensions decreased similarly. Conclusions Volatile anaesthetics reduced active LA pump function in humans in vivo. Addition of IPPV decreased LA dimensions and further reduced LA pump function. Effects in vivo were less pronounced than previously found in in vitro and animal studies. Further studies are warranted to evaluate the clinical implications of these findings. Clinical trial registration NCT002445