Activity patterns among patients with chronic pain after orthopaedic trauma

ObjectivesActivity patterns influence the development and perpetuation of musculoskeletal pain. To date, three major patterns have been observed in particular on chronic low back pain patients: avoidance, pacing and persistence. Relationships between these behaviours and clinical outcomes remain inconclusive. Moreover, there is only few data on other chronic pain syndromes. Our aim was to identify activity patterns in patients with chronic pain after orthopaedic trauma and to describe relationships with pain, depressive symptomatology and disability.Patients and methodsParticipants were rehab orthopaedic trauma inpatients with chronic pain (mean duration: 9 months). Activity patterns classification was made at entry with the “Patterns of Activity Measure-Pain” (POAM-P) and the Tampa scale for Kinesiophobia (TSK). Outcomes were assessed with the Brief Pain Inventory (BPI), the Hospital Anxiety and Depression scale (HADS), the Spinal Function Sort (SFS: spinal and lower limb trauma) and the Hand Function Sort (HFS: upper limb trauma). Descriptive statistics and ANOVA were used.Results497 inpatients were included (mean age: 43 years; female: 22%). Patterns distribution was: 46% avoidance; 30% pacing and 24% persistence. Kinesiophobia (TSK≥45points) is much more marked in avoidance (71%). Nevertheless, 37% in pacing, 22% in persistence also have kinesiophobia which may suggest the existence of more than three patterns. Outcomes were always poor in avoidance, intermediate in pacing and better in persistence behaviour.DiscussionThe 3 main activity patterns were identified in rehab orthopaedic trauma inpatients. In this cross-sectional study, persistence behaviour was associated with better self-perceptions

A Possible Future for Space-Based Interferometry

We address the question of space interferometry following the recent outcome of the science themes selection by ESA for the L2/L3 missions slots. We review the current context of exoplanetary sciences and its impact for an interferometric mission. We argue that space interferometry will make a major step forward when the scientific communities interested in this technique will merge their efforts into a coherent technology development plan

IRAC Excess in Distant Star-Forming Galaxies: Tentative Evidence for the 3.3μ\mum Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon Feature ?

We present evidence for the existence of an IRAC excess in the spectral energy distribution (SED) of 5 galaxies at 0.6<z<0.9 and 1 galaxy at z=1.7. These 6 galaxies, located in the Great Observatories Origins Deep Survey field (GOODS-N), are star forming since they present strong 6.2, 7.7, and 11.3 um polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) lines in their Spitzer IRS mid-infrared spectra. We use a library of templates computed with PEGASE.2 to fit their multiwavelength photometry and derive their stellar continuum. Subtraction of the stellar continuum enables us to detect in 5 galaxies a significant excess in the IRAC band pass where the 3.3 um PAH is expected. We then assess if the physical origin of the IRAC excess is due to an obscured active galactic nucleus (AGN) or warm dust emission. For one galaxy evidence of an obscured AGN is found, while the remaining four do not exhibit any significant AGN activity. Possible contamination by warm dust continuum of unknown origin as found in the Galactic diffuse emission is discussed. The properties of such a continuum would have to be different from the local Universe to explain the measured IRAC excess, but we cannot definitively rule out this possibility until its origin is understood. Assuming that the IRAC excess is dominated by the 3.3 um PAH feature, we find good agreement with the observed 11.3 um PAH line flux arising from the same C-H bending and stretching modes, consistent with model expectations. Finally, the IRAC excess appears to be correlated with the star-formation rate in the galaxies. Hence it could provide a powerful diagnostic for measuring dusty star formation in z>3 galaxies once the mid-infrared spectroscopic capabilities of the James Webb Space Telescope become available.Comment: 25 pages, 4 figures, accepted by Ap

Evaluation of therapists’ individual characteristics’ influence on recommendations to CLBP patients

IntroductionThis study measured different therapists’ biopsychosocial parameters and their influence on treatment recommendations for chronic low back pain (CLBP) patients. Based on previous studies and with a biopsychosocial approach, this work aimed to understand the variations in recommendations depending on personal dispositions.MethodsEighty-two therapists (aged 37±11 years, 34 men/48 women) were recruited within our rehabilitation clinic (CRR). Their physical activity was objectively assessed by tri-axial accelerometry and questionnaires have been used to evaluate the following variables: subjective physical activity (BAECKE), pain attitudes and beliefs (TSK and POAM-P), anxiety and depression (HADS), uncertainty intolerance (EII) and social desirability (MC-SDS). Objective stress level was measured by salivary cortisol.In order to measure the variability in recommendations, 3 validated vignettes for CLBP patients management were distributed.ResultsBehavioural patterns coping with pain (Avoidance, Overdoing and Pacing) do occur in therapists (10% Avoidance, 47% Pacing and 43% Overdoing) and do affect recommendations’ application. These 3 different patterns are also related to age, sex, BMI, depression and physical activity. Others relations are currently being analysed.ConclusionThis study suggests that we could categorise therapists depending onidiosyncratics variablespersonal dispositions. This classification would determine recommendations orientation for physical and professional activity. For future research studies, it would be interesting to deal in depth with these relations in order to individualize recommendations to get a better rehabilitation procedure

Sondrestrom Overview

This overview of the Sondrestrom radar provides background material to help understand the early scientific results discussed in the following series of papers. It describes the geophysical region probed by the radar, the data acquisition procedure, and the extensive set of physical parameters derived

A Spherical Model for "Starless" Cores of Magnetic Molecular Clouds and Dynamical Effects of Dust Grains

In the standard picture of isolated star formation, dense ``starless'' cores are formed out of magnetic molecular clouds due to ambipolar diffusion. Under the simplest spherical geometry, I demonstrate that ``starless'' cores formed this way naturally exhibit a large scale inward motion, whose size and speed are comparable to those detected recently by Taffala et al. and Williams et al. in ``starless'' core L1544. My model clouds have a relatively low mass (of order 10 $M_\odot$) and low field strength (of order 10 $\mu$G) to begin with. They evolve into a density profile with a central plateau surrounded by a power-law envelope, as found previously. The density in the envelope decreases with radius more steeply than those found by Mouschovias and collaborators for the more strongly magnetized, disk-like clouds. At high enough densities, dust grains become dynamically important by greatly enhancing the coupling between magnetic field and the neutral cloud matter. The trapping of magnetic flux associated with the enhanced coupling leads, in the spherical geometry, to a rapid assemblage of mass by the central protostar, which exacerbates the so-called ``luminosity problem'' in star formation.Comment: 27 pages, 4 figures, accepted by Ap

High angular resolution imaging and infrared spectroscopy of CoRoT candidates

Studies of transiting extrasolar planets are of key importance for understanding the nature of planets outside our solar system because their masses, diameters, and bulk densities can be measured. An important part of transit-search programmes is the removal of false-positives. The critical question is how many of the candidates that passed all previous tests are false positives. For our study we selected 25 CoRoT candidates that have already been screened against false-positives using detailed analysis of the light curves and seeing-limited imaging, which has transits that are between 0.7 and 0.05% deep. We observed 20 candidates with the adaptive optics imager NaCo and 18 with the high-resolution infrared spectrograph CRIRES. We found previously unknown stars within 2 arcsec of the targets in seven of the candidates. All of these are too faint and too close to the targets to have been previously detected with seeing-limited telescopes in the optical. Our study thus leads to the surprising results that if we remove all candidates excluded by the sophisticated analysis of the light-curve, as well as carrying out deep imaging with seeing-limited telescopes, still 28-35% of the remaining candidates are found to possess companions that are bright enough to be false-positives. Given that the companion-candidates cluster around the targets and that the J-K colours are consistent with physical companions, we conclude that the companion-candidates are more likely to be physical companions rather than unrelated field stars.Comment: 12 pages, 12 figures, A&A in pres

Molecular Emission Line Formation in Prestellar Cores

We investigate general aspects of molecular line formation under conditions which are typical of prestellar cores. Focusing on simple linear molecules, we study formation of their rotational lines by radiative transfer simulations. We present a thermalization diagram to show the effects of collisions and radiation on the level excitation. We construct a detailed scheme (contribution chart) to illustrate the formation of emission line profiles. This chart can be used as an efficient tool to identify which parts of the cloud contribute to a specific line profile. We show how molecular line characteristics for uniform model clouds depend on hydrogen density, molecular column density, and kinetic temperature. The results are presented in a 2D plane to illustrate cooperative effects of the physical factors. We also use a core model with a non-uniform density distribution and chemical stratification to study the effects of cloud contraction and rotation on spectral line maps. We discuss the main issues that should be taken into account when dealing with interpretation and simulation of observed molecular lines.Comment: Accepted for publication in Ap