58 research outputs found

    Recommendations for a core outcome set for measuring standing balance in adult populations: a consensus-based approach

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    Standing balance is imperative for mobility and avoiding falls. Use of an excessive number of standing balance measures has limited the synthesis of balance intervention data and hampered consistent clinical practice.To develop recommendations for a core outcome set (COS) of standing balance measures for research and practice among adults.A combination of scoping reviews, literature appraisal, anonymous voting and face-to-face meetings with fourteen invited experts from a range of disciplines with international recognition in balance measurement and falls prevention. Consensus was sought over three rounds using pre-established criteria.The scoping review identified 56 existing standing balance measures validated in adult populations with evidence of use in the past five years, and these were considered for inclusion in the COS.Fifteen measures were excluded after the first round of scoring and a further 36 after round two. Five measures were considered in round three. Two measures reached consensus for recommendation, and the expert panel recommended that at a minimum, either the Berg Balance Scale or Mini Balance Evaluation Systems Test be used when measuring standing balance in adult populations.Inclusion of two measures in the COS may increase the feasibility of potential uptake, but poses challenges for data synthesis. Adoption of the standing balance COS does not constitute a comprehensive balance assessment for any population, and users should include additional validated measures as appropriate.The absence of a gold standard for measuring standing balance has contributed to the proliferation of outcome measures. These recommendations represent an important first step towards greater standardization in the assessment and measurement of this critical skill and will inform clinical research and practice internationally

    Chronic escitalopram treatment attenuated the accelerated rapid eye movement sleep transitions after selective rapid eye movement sleep deprivation: a model-based analysis using Markov chains

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    BackgroundShortened rapid eye movement (REM) sleep latency and increased REM sleep amount are presumed biological markers of depression. These sleep alterations are also observable in several animal models of depression as well as during the rebound sleep after selective REM sleep deprivation (RD). Furthermore, REM sleep fragmentation is typically associated with stress procedures and anxiety. The selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) antidepressants reduce REM sleep time and increase REM latency after acute dosing in normal condition and even during REM rebound following RD. However, their therapeutic outcome evolves only after weeks of treatment, and the effects of chronic treatment in REM-deprived animals have not been studied yet.ResultsChronic escitalopram- (10 mg/kg/day, osmotic minipump for 24 days) or vehicle-treated rats were subjected to a 3-day-long RD on day 21 using the flower pot procedure or kept in home cage. On day 24, fronto-parietal electroencephalogram, electromyogram and motility were recorded in the first 2 h of the passive phase. The observed sleep patterns were characterized applying standard sleep metrics, by modelling the transitions between sleep phases using Markov chains and by spectral analysis.Based on Markov chain analysis, chronic escitalopram treatment attenuated the REM sleep fragmentation [accelerated transition rates between REM and non-REM (NREM) stages, decreased REM sleep residence time between two transitions] during the rebound sleep. Additionally, the antidepressant avoided the frequent awakenings during the first 30 min of recovery period. The spectral analysis showed that the SSRI prevented the RD-caused elevation in theta (5 inverted question mark9 Hz) power during slow-wave sleep. Conversely, based on the aggregate sleep metrics, escitalopram had only moderate effects and it did not significantly attenuate the REM rebound after RD.ConclusionIn conclusion, chronic SSRI treatment is capable of reducing several effects on sleep which might be the consequence of the sub-chronic stress caused by the flower pot method. These data might support the antidepressant activity of SSRIs, and may allude that investigating the rebound period following the flower pot protocol could be useful to detect antidepressant drug response. Markov analysis is a suitable method to study the sleep pattern

    TACTICS FOR TEMPORARY USES OF BUILDINGS AND SPACES IN ARCHITECTURE. TYPOLOGY AND SOCIOCULTURAL VALUE / LAIKINOJO PASTATŲ IR ERDVIŲ NAUDOJIMO TAKTIKA ARCHITEKTŪROJE. TIPOLOGIZACIJA IR SOCIOKULTŪRINĖ VERTĖ

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    The article is aimed at discussing preconditions for the appearance, scope and spread of adapting temporary functions and uses in buildings and spaces and at disclosing the essential features of the phenomenon. The paper considers that the applied tactics of temporary uses provide broader experimentation and more rapid technological innovation possibilities as well as help with understanding the needs of local communities and avoiding some bureaucratic approval procedures for urban planners, architects and activists. By stressing temporariness in contrast to the conventional durability of architecture, attempts on typologizing different tactics of temporary uses and disclosing their experimental, social and sociocultural role and value are made. Santrauka  Straipsnio tikslas – aptarti laikinųjų funkcijų ir panaudų pritaikymo pastatams ir erdvėms atsiradimo priežastis, mastą, paplitimą bei aptarti esminius šio reiškinio bruožus. Pabrėžiama, kad taikoma laikinojo naudojimo taktika urbanistams, architektams, aktyvistams suteikia platesnių galimybių eksperimentuoti ir greičiau išbandyti naujas technologijas, prisitaikyti prie bendruomenių poreikių, išvengti dalies biurokratinių derinimo procedūrų. Pabrėžiant laikinumą kaip kontrastą įprastiniam architektūros ilgaamžiškumui, siekiama įvairią laikinojo naudojimo taktiką tipologizuoti, atskleisti eksperimentinį, visuomeninį ir sociokultūrinį vaidmenį bei vertę. Raktiniai žodžiai: laikinasis naudojimas, laikinosios funkcijos, laikinoji architektūra, eksperimentas, sociokultūrinė vertė
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