Lower-limb amputees can reduce the energy cost of walking when assisted by an Active Pelvis Orthosis

Exoskeletons could compete with active prostheses as effective aids to reduce the increased metabolic demands faced by lower-limb amputees during locomotion. However, little evidence of their efficacy with amputees has been provided so far. In this paper, a portable hip exoskeleton has been tested with seven healthy subjects and two transfemoral amputees, with the final goal to verify whether a hip flexion-extension assistance could be effective in reducing the metabolic cost of walking. The metabolic power of the participants was estimated through indirect calorimetry during alternated repetitions of three treadmill-based walking conditions: without the exoskeleton (NoExo), with the exoskeleton in zero-torque mode (ExoTM) and with the exoskeleton providing hip flexion-extension assistance (ExoAM). The results showed that the exoskeleton reduced the net metabolic power of the two amputees in ExoAM with respect to NoExo, by 5.0% and 3.4%. With healthy subjects, a 5.5±3.1% average reduction in the metabolic power was observed during ExoAM compared to ExoTM (differences were not statistically significant), whereas ExoAM required 3.9±3.0% higher metabolic power than NoExo (differences were not statistically significant). These results provide initial evidence of the potential of exoskeletal technologies for assisting lower-limb amputees, thereby paving the way for further experimentations

Robot-mediated overground gait training for transfemoral amputees with a powered bilateral hip orthosis: a pilot study

Background: Transfemoral amputation is a serious intervention that alters the locomotion pattern, leading to secondary disorders and reduced quality of life. The outcomes of current gait rehabilitation for TFAs seem to be highly dependent on factors such as the duration and intensity of the treatment and the age or etiology of the patient. Although the use of robotic assistance for prosthetic gait rehabilitation has been limited, robotic technologies have demonstrated positive rehabilitative effects for other mobility disorders and may thus offer a promising solution for the restoration of healthy gait in TFAs. This study therefore explored the feasibility of using a bilateral powered hip orthosis (APO) to train the gait of community-ambulating TFAs and the effects on their walking abilities. Methods: Seven participants (46–71 years old with different mobility levels) were included in the study and assigned to one of two groups (namely Symmetry and Speed groups) according to their prosthesis type, mobility level, and prior experience with the exoskeleton. Each participant engaged in a maximum of 12 sessions, divided into one Enrollment session, one Tuning session, two Assessment sessions (conducted before and after the training program), and eight Training sessions, each consisting of 20 minutes of robotically assisted overground walking combined with additional tasks. The two groups were assisted by different torque-phase profiles, aiming at improving symmetry for the Symmetry group and at maximizing the net power transferred by the APO for the Speed group. During the Assessment sessions, participants performed two 6-min walking tests (6mWTs), one with (Exo) and one without (NoExo) the exoskeleton, at either maximal (Symmetry group) or self-selected (Speed group) speed. Spatio-temporal gait parameters were recorded by commercial measurement equipment as well as by the APO sensors, and metabolic efficiency was estimated via the Cost of Transport (CoT). Additionally, kinetic and kinematic data were recorded before and after treatment in the NoExo condition. Results: The one-month training protocol was found to be a feasible strategy to train TFAs, as all participants smoothly completed the clinical protocol with no relevant mechanical failures of the APO. The walking performance of participants improved after the training. During the 6mWT in NoExo, participants in the Symmetry and Speed groups respectively walked 17.4% and 11.7% farther and increased walking speed by 13.7% and 17.9%, with improved temporal and spatial symmetry for the former group and decreased energetic expenditure for the latter. Gait analysis showed that ankle power, step width, and hip kinematics were modified towards healthy reference levels in both groups. In the Exo condition metabolic efficiency was reduced by 3% for the Symmetry group and more than 20% for the Speed group. Conclusions: This study presents the first pilot study to apply a wearable robotic orthosis (APO) to assist TFAs in an overground gait rehabilitation program. The proposed APO-assisted training program was demonstrated as a feasible strategy to train TFAs in a rehabilitation setting. Subjects improved their walking abilities, although further studies are required to evaluate the effectiveness of the APO compared to other gait interventions. Future protocols will include a lighter version of the APO along with optimized assistive strategies

Evaluating the contribution of the gene TARDBP in Italian patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Background and objectives: Genetic variants in the gene TARDBP, encoding TDP-43 protein, are associated with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in familial (fALS) and sporadic (sALS) cases. Objectives of this study were to assess the contribution of TARDBP in a large cohort of Italian ALS patients, to determine the TARDBP-associated clinical features and to look for genotype-phenotype correlation and penetrance of the mutations.Methods: A total of 1992 Italian ALS patients (193 fALS and 1799 sALS) were enrolled in this study. Sanger sequencing of TARDBP gene was performed in patients and, when available, in patients' relatives.Results: In total, 13 different rare variants were identified in 43 index cases (10 fALS and 33 sALS) with a cumulative mutational frequency of 2.2% (5.2% of fALS, 1.8% of sALS). The most prevalent variant was the p.A382T followed by the p.G294V. Cognitive impairment was detected in almost 30% of patients. While some variants, including the p.G294V and the p.G376D, were associated with restricted phenotypes, the p.A382T showed a marked clinical heterogeneity regarding age of onset, survival and association with cognitive impairment. Investigations in parents, when possible, showed that the variants were inherited from healthy carriers and never occurred de novo.Conclusions: In our cohort, TARDBP variants have a relevant frequency in Italian ALS patients and they are significantly associated with cognitive impairment. Clinical presentation is heterogeneous. Consistent genotype-phenotype correlations are limited to some mutations. A marked phenotypic variability characterizes the p.A382T variant, suggesting a multifactorial/oligogenic pathogenic mechanism

Erratum to: 36th International Symposium on Intensive Care and Emergency Medicine

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1186/s13054-016-1208-6.]

Nurses' perceptions of aids and obstacles to the provision of optimal end of life care in ICU

Contains fulltext : 172380.pdf (publisher's version ) (Open Access

Early postoperative cognitive recovery and gas exchange patterns after balanced anesthesia with sevoflurane or desflurane in overweight and obese patients undergoing craniotomy.

Abstract: Overweight and obese patients are at especially high risk for delayed awakening after general surgery. Whether this risk also applies to cerebral neurosurgical procedures remains unclear. This study evaluated early postoperative cognitive recovery and gas exchange patterns, after balanced anesthesia with sevoflurane or desflurane, in overweight and obese patients undergoing craniotomy for supratentorial expanding lesions. Fifty-six patients were consecutively enrolled, and randomly assigned to 1 of 2 study groups to receive balanced anesthesia with sevoflurane or desflurane. Cognitive function was evaluated with the Short Orientation Memory Concentration Test and the Rancho Los Amigos Scale and gas exchange patterns (pH, PaO2, and PaCO2) were recorded in all patients at 5 time-points: preoperatively and postoperatively, after patients reached an Aldrete score Z9, at 15, 30, 45, and 60 minutes. Preoperative cognitive status was similar in the 2 treatment groups. Early postoperative cognitive recovery was more delayed and Short Orientation Memory Concentration Test scores at 15 and 30 minutes postanesthesia were lower in patients receiving sevoflurane- based anesthesia than in those receiving desfluranebased anesthesia (21.5±3.5 vs. 14.9±3.5) (P<0.005) and (26.9±0.7 vs. 21.5±1.4) (P<0.005), and the postoperative Rancho Los Amigos Scalegrade 8 showed a similar trend (25/28 patients 89% vs. 8/28 patients 28% (P<0.005) and 28/28 patients (100% vs. 13/28 patients 46%) (P<0.005). Similarly, gas-exchange analysis showed higher PaCO2 at 15 and 30 minutes and lower pH up to 45 minutes postextubation in patients receiving sevoflurane-based anesthesia. In overweight and obese patients undergoing craniotomy desflurane-based anesthesia allows earlier postoperative cognitive recovery and reversal to normocapnia and normal pH. Key Words: neuroanesthesia, postoperativ

Coupling an Active Pelvis Orthosis with Different Prosthetic Knees While Transfemoral Amputees Manage a Slippage: A Pilot Study

This pilot study aimed at testing the hypothesis that the effectiveness of an Active Pelvis Orthosis (APO)—mediated strategy to counteract the fall risk in transfemoral amputees (TFAs) can depend on the adopted prosthetic knee. Two TFAs with good and similar functional capabilities (k-level = 3) were asked to manage unexpected slipping like perturbations: the first used a hydraulic knee; the second a microprocessor-controlled knee. Results revealed that the APO-mediated strategy against the fall risk was more effective in the second participant. Accordingly, the adopted prosthetic knee seems to significantly condition the overall balance response despite the balance recovery is supposed to be mainly driven by the APO assistance. Therefore, the prosthetic knee should be considered a confounding factor for these types of experiments and its relevance deserves further investigations

Postoperative Cognitive Dysfunction: Toward the Alzheimer's Disease Pathomechanism Hypothesis

The aim of this review is to identify an evidence-based perioperative management for patients affected by Alzheimer's disease (AD) that are scheduled to undergo surgery. This will minimize the negative effects of anesthesia and postoperative sedation and correct those perioperative variables possibly responsible for a decline in cognitive status and a worsening of AD. We here gather evidence on the importance of correct preoperative assessment regarding cognitive and functional status and the presence of preoperative delirium. The potential role of anesthesia, surgery, and postoperative analgosedation as risk factors for development of delirium are herein outlined. Finally, pain assessment instruments, as well as principles of management strategies for postoperative delirium in subjects with AD, are suggested