Quantitative Effects of Repeated Muscle Vibrations on Gait Pattern in a 5-Year-Old Child with Cerebral Palsy

Objective. To investigate quantitatively and objectively the effects of repeated muscle vibration (rMV) of triceps surae on the gait pattern in a 5-year-old patient with Cerebral Palsy with equinus foot deformity due to calf spasticity. Methods. The patient was assessed before and one month after the rMV treatment using Gait Analysis. Results. rMV had positive effects on the patient's gait pattern, as for spatio-temporal parameters (the stance duration and the step length increased their values after the treatment) and kinematics. The pelvic tilt reduced its anteversion and the hip reduced the high flexion evidenced at baseline; the knee and the ankle gained a more physiological pattern bilaterally. The Gillette Gait Index showed a significant reduction of its value bilaterally, representing a global improvement of the child's gait pattern. Conclusions. The rMV technique seems to be an effective option for the gait pattern improvement in CP, which can be used also in very young patient. Significant improvements were displayed in terms of kinematics at all lower limb joints, not only at the joint directly involved by the treatment (i.e., ankle and knee joints) but also at proximal joints (i.e., pelvis and hip joint)

Influences of Wolbachia (Rickettsiales Rickettsiaceae) on the cellular response to cold stress in Drosophila melanogaster (Diptera Drosophilidae)

Wolbachia pipiensis (Hertig et Wolbach, 1924) is known to manipulate the expression of genes implicated in the metabolism, immunity and reproduction in Drosophila melanogaster (Meigen, 1830). Under stress, cells activate the cellular stress response (CSR). The CSR is a conserved network of pathways regulating identification, check and response to stress, preserving the cellular homeostasis. The CSR involves the unfolded protein response, autophagy, the heat shock response and other subcellular pathways. How Wolbachia affects the CSR has not yet been investigated. Here, we report the influence of Wolbachia infection and cold stress on the expression of the Heat-shock-protein-70Aa (Hsp70Aa), Autophagy-related gene-1 (Atg1) and X box binding protein-1 (Xbp1) genes and the influence of cold stress on the Wolbachia surface protein gene (wsp). The Hsp70Aa, Atg1, and Xbp1 genes were affected by Wolbachia infection since they were found to be up-regulated in the Wolbachia-free flies. After cold stress, the Wolbachia-infected flies showed high expression of the Atg1 and Hsp70Aa genes in comparison to the Wolbachia-free flies. Moreover, cold stress negatively influenced the expression of the wsp gene

The activation of the heat shock response by Cyclin G/ cdk5 complex after cold stress and the Wolbachia influences on cellular stress response in Drosophila melanogaster

The environmental changes caused by the human activities continue to threaten the health of the biosphere with heavy impact on natural ecosystems affecting all trophic levels from plant to insect and destabilizing the population dynamics that can lead to the extinction of the species. The temperature has influenced the distribution and the abundance of all species. As regards ectotherms, the temperature affects their distribution, development and growth in addition to physiological and metabolic processes. Increasing evidences have shown that, in all organisms, environmental, physiological and pathological stresses evoke the cellular stress response (CSR) involving as example the autophagy, the unfolded protein response, the DNA damage response, the mitochondrial unfolded protein response and the heat shock response to maintain and restore or re-establish the cellular homeostasis. Evidences showed that these pathways are regulated independently as well as co-ordinately as network of interlinked pathways. The CSR is considered the "guardian" of cellular homeostasis, it is a complex mechanism that involves many cellular pathways and cross-talker proteins. Afterward, the identification of the linker proteins that coordinate and regulate these interactions is very important. Nowadays many genes implicated in the CSR have been identified, but a lot of gaps need to be filled clarifying the determined functions and the interaction between genes of CSR pathways. In this Era, the CSR captures big attention because, the organisms are continually threatened by different stresses conditions. Within this context, this research project was thought in order to find new candidates genes involved in these cross-talk pathways, with the aim to understand how the organisms react to environmental factors e.g. cold stress and to deepen the influence of infection on the cellular stress response. We choose D. melanogaster as experimental model organism to study some keys genes involved in cellular stress response e.g. the Atg1 gene for the autophagy, the Xbp1 for the endoplasmic reticulum unfolded protein response, and the Hsp70Aa for the heat shock response after the cold stress. All the genes studied, were found to be involved in the stress response after cold stress. Hence, it was decided to focus the attention on the heat shock response and in particular on the heat shock proteins of the Hsp70 family since have a key role in the coordination of the CSR. The research continued searching a link between the cell cycle checkpoints, where cyclin/cdk complexes are involved, and the cellular stress response. With this aim it was done a time-course analysis of the expression of Hsp70Aa, HSF (the transcriptional factor of the heat shock proteins), Cyclin G and cdk5 upon different protocols of stress induction and recovery. All the analysed genes changed in gene expression more during the recovery phases than the stressing period except for HSF. Next step was to verify the interaction between the cyclin G and the cdk5. For this purpose co-immunoprecipitation experiments were set up. The interaction between these two proteins was confirmed. Then it was studied the possible involvement of the cdk5 in the activation of heat shock response after cold stress. Through RNAi experiment, using the GAL4/UAS system, it was demonstrated that cdk5 regulates the Hsp70Aa transcriptional activation. Moreover it was investigated on the possible involvement of Wolbachia infection (the most widespread endosymbiotic microbe found in arthropods) on the cellular stress response. It is already known that the infection by this bacterium affects the metabolism, the immunity system and reproduction. The gene expression of Atg1, Xbp1 and Hsp70Aa was studied on D. melanogaster strains infected or not by Wolbachia upon cold stress. Results showed that Wolbachia infection affects the expression levels of these genes and the recovery phase after cold stress treatments. At last it was studied the effect of the cold stress on the Wolbachia infection by monitoring the expression of the gene encoding for a Wolbachia surface protein (wsp). It was seen that the cold stress affects negatively the wsp gene expression up to 8 hours of recovery after cold stress, indicating that Wolbachia is very sensitive to cold stress and that its activity is hampered even after recovery of the host

Italian Version of the YQOL-DHH Questionnaire: Translation and Cross-cultural Adaptation

To translate and cross-culturally adapt into Italian the YQOL-DHH (Youth Quality of Life Instrument-Deaf and Hard of Hearing Module), an instrument to evaluate the health-related quality of life in young deaf people. It could be useful for professionals, teachers, and parents to take care of deaf adolescents' needs

Temporomandibular joint mobility in adult females with Ehlers–Danlos syndrome, hypermobility type (also known as joint hypermobility syndrome)

reserved6A. Ancillao; M. Galli; C. Celletti; M. Castori; G. Albertini; F. CamerotaA., Ancillao; Galli, Manuela; C., Celletti; M., Castori; G., Albertini; F., Camerot

Relationship between fatigue and gait abnormality in Joint Hypermobility Syndrome/Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome Hypermobility Type

Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS) is a clinically and genetically heterogeneous group of inherited connective tissue disorders characterised by joint hypermobility, skin hyperextensibility and tissue fragility. It has recently been shown that muscle weakness occurs frequently in EDS, and that fatigue is a common and clinically important symptom. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between fatigue severity and the gait pattern using 3D Gait Analysis (GA). Eleven individuals with Joint Hypermobility Syndrome/Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome Hypermobility type (JHS/EDS-HT) were investigated using muscle strength measured with standardised questionnaire measuring fatigue (Fatigue Severity Scale, FSS) and quantitative 3D GA. Our data showed that FSS value well correlated with the peak of vertical component of ground reaction force (r = -0.66, p < 0.05). The negative correlation gives evidence that the higher the fatigue is the more reduced force is during gait. Our results showed that the ground reaction force has been applied as a functional evaluation score for detecting pathology in gait of JHS/EDS-HT participants and the found correlation between vertical force and fatigue demonstrated that muscle fatigue may be associated with a loss of proprioceptive acuity in lower limb muscles. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved