A Comparison of the Ovulation Method With the CUE Ovulation Predictor in Determining the Fertile Period

The purpose of this study was to compare the CUE Ovulation Predictor with the ovulation method in determining the fertile period. Eleven regularly ovulating women measured their salivary and vaginal electrical resistance (ER) with the CUE, observed their cervical-vaginal mucus, and measured their urine for a luteinizing hormone (LH) surge on a daily basis. Data from 21 menstrual cycles showed no statistical difference (T= 0.33, p= 0.63) between the CUE fertile period, which ranged from 5 to 10 days (mean = 6.7 days, SD = 1.6), and the fertile period of the ovulation method, which ranged from 4 to 9 days (mean = 6.5 days, SD = 2.0). The CUE has potential as an adjunctive device in the learning and use of natural family planning methods

An Arabic Version of the Spiritual Well-Being Scale

This article reports on two studies to develop and validate an Arabic language version of the Spiritual Well-Being Scale (SWBS). The first study was a pilot study at a major government university in Jordan (N = 75, students). The second and main study was conducted in 5 large regional hospitals in Jordan (N = 63, patients). The SWBS was translated from English to Arabic and reviewed by an expert panel for language, cultural, and spiritual consistency. The Arabic version of the SWBS was revised after the results of the pilot study and further reviewed by an expert panel. The resulting data were subjected to descriptive and factor analysis. Results showed that the final version of the SWBS used in the main study had a two-factor structure consistent with previous studies. Descriptive data for a range of demographic variables are presented. Issues of inadequate translation and lack of variation in responses for some items are identified and the results discussed in light of dominant Islamic theological frameworks. © 2012 Taylor and Francis Group, LLC

High-intensity mechanical therapy for loss of knee extension for worker's compensation and non-compensation patients

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Knee flexion contractures have been associated with increased pain and a reduced ability to perform activities of daily living. Contractures can be treated either surgically or conservatively, but these treatment options may not be as successful with worker's compensation patients. The purposes of retrospective review were to 1) determine the efficacy of using adjunctive high-intensity stretch (HIS) mechanical therapy to treat flexion contractures, and 2) compare the results between groups of worker's compensation and non-compensation patients.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Fifty-six patients (19 women, 37 men, age = 51.5 ± 17.0 years) with flexion contractures were treated with HIS mechanical therapy as an adjunct to outpatient physical therapy. Mechanical therapy was only prescribed for those patients whose motion had reached a plateau when treated with physical therapy alone. Patients were asked to perform six, 10-minute bouts of end-range stretching per day with the ERMI Knee Extensionater^(r)(ERMI, Inc., Atlanta, GA). Passive knee extension was recorded during the postoperative visit that mechanical therapy was prescribed, 3 months after beginning mechanical therapy, and at the most recent follow-up. We used a mixed-model 2 × 3 ANOVA (group × time) to evaluate the change in passive knee extension between groups over time.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Regardless of group, the use of adjunctive HIS mechanical therapy resulted in passive knee extension deficits that significantly improved from 10.5° ± 5.2° at the initial visit to 2.6° ± 3.5° at the 3 month visit (p < 0.001). The degree of extension was maintained at the most recent follow-up (2.0° ± 2.9°), which was significantly greater than the initial visit (p < 0.001), but did not differ from the 3 month visit (p = 0.23). The gains in knee extension did not differ between worker's compensation and non-compensation patients (p = 0.56).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>We conclude that the adjunctive use of HIS mechanical therapy is an effective treatment option for patients with knee flexion contractures, regardless of whether the patient is being treated as part of a worker's compensation claim or not.</p

Computational Modelling of Patella Femoral Kinematics During Gait Cycle and Experimental Validation

The effect of loading and boundary conditions on patellar mechanics is significant due to the complications arising in patella femoral joints during total knee replacements. To understand the patellar mechanics with respect to loading and motion, a computational model representing the patella femoral joint was developed and validated against experimental results. The computational model was created in IDEAS NX and simulated in MSC ADAMS/VIEW software. The results obtained in the form of internal external rotations and anterior posterior displacements for a new and experimentally simulated specimen for patella femoral joint under standard gait condition were compared with experimental measurements performed on the Leeds ProSim knee simulator. A good overall agreement between the computational prediction and the experimental data was obtained for patella femoral kinematics. Good agreement between the model and the past studies was observed when the ligament load was removed and the medial lateral displacement was constrained. The model is sensitive to ±5 % change in kinematics, frictional, force and stiffness coefficients and insensitive to time step

A systematic review of the evidence for single stage and two stage revision of infected knee replacement

BACKGROUND: Periprosthetic infection about the knee is a devastating complication that may affect between 1% and 5% of knee replacement. With over 79 000 knee replacements being implanted each year in the UK, periprosthetic infection (PJI) is set to become an important burden of disease and cost to the healthcare economy. One of the important controversies in treatment of PJI is whether a single stage revision operation is superior to a two-stage procedure. This study sought to systematically evaluate the published evidence to determine which technique had lowest reinfection rates. METHODS: A systematic review of the literature was undertaken using the MEDLINE and EMBASE databases with the aim to identify existing studies that present the outcomes of each surgical technique. Reinfection rate was the primary outcome measure. Studies of specific subsets of patients such as resistant organisms were excluded. RESULTS: 63 studies were identified that met the inclusion criteria. The majority of which (58) were reports of two-stage revision. Reinfection rated varied between 0% and 41% in two-stage studies, and 0% and 11% in single stage studies. No clinical trials were identified and the majority of studies were observational studies. CONCLUSIONS: Evidence for both one-stage and two-stage revision is largely of low quality. The evidence basis for two-stage revision is significantly larger, and further work into direct comparison between the two techniques should be undertaken as a priority

Učinkovitost u zadacima fine motorike i prostornih odnosa tijekom menstrualnog ciklusa

Various studies have shown fl uctuations in task performance during the menstrual cycle. The aim of this study was to see the effects of the menstrual cycle on performing fi ne motor and spatial tasks of different level of complexity in twenty students aged 18 to 21 years, with regular menstrual cycle (28 to 30 days). The students performed O’Connor Finger Dexterity Test and mental rotation test during the menstrual, late follicular, and midluteal phase. Before the tests were performed, we administered Spielberger’s State-Trait Anxiety Inventory for each phase. After the tasks were completed, the subjects ranked their diffi culty on Borg’s scale. The results showed the best performance in both tests in the midluteal phase (with sex hormones at their peak). The anxiety level and task diffi culty ranking were the highest in the menstrual phase, when the hormone levels were the lowest.Različita su istraživanja pokazala promjene učinkovitosti tijekom menstrualnog ciklusa. U zadacima u kojima su uspješnije žene, najveća učinkovitost događa se tijekom kasne folikularne ili srednje lutealne faze. U zadacima u kojima su pak uspješniji muškarci najveća je učinkovitost nađena u menstrualnoj fazi. Na osnovi uporabe zadataka fi ne motorike i prostornih zadataka različitih razina kompleksnosti, cilj ovog istraživanja bio je ispitati utjecaj menstrualnog ciklusa na kognitivne funkcije. U istraživanju je sudjelovalo dvadeset ispitanica, dobi od 18 do 21 godinu, s redovitim menstrualnim ciklusima (28 do 30 dana). Ispitanice su izvodile O’Connorov deksterimetar i zadatke mentalne rotacije tijekom menstrualne, kasne folikularne i srednje lutealne faze. Prije izvođenja zadataka, u svakoj fazi ciklusa primijenjen je Spielbergerov upitnik stanja anksioznosti. Nakon izvođenja zadataka, ispitanice su procjenjivale njihovu težinu na Borgovoj skali. Rezultati su pokazali najbolju učinkovitost u oba zadatka u fazi visokih razina spolnih hormona (srednja lutealna faza). Stanje anksioznosti i procijenjene težine zadataka bili su najviši u menstrualnoj fazi, kada su razine spolnih hormona najniže

The comorbidity and co-medication profile of patients with progressive supranuclear palsy

Background: Progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) is usually diagnosed in elderly. Currently, little is known about comorbidities and the co-medication in these patients. Objectives: To explore the pattern of comorbidities and co-medication in PSP patients according to the known different phenotypes and in comparison with patients without neurodegenerative disease. Methods: Cross-sectional data of PSP and patients without neurodegenerative diseases (non-ND) were collected from three German multicenter observational studies (DescribePSP, ProPSP and DANCER). The prevalence of comorbidities according to WHO ICD-10 classification and the prevalence of drugs administered according to WHO ATC system were analyzed. Potential drug–drug interactions were evaluated using AiDKlinik®. Results: In total, 335 PSP and 275 non-ND patients were included in this analysis. The prevalence of diseases of the circulatory and the nervous system was higher in PSP at first level of ICD-10. Dorsopathies, diabetes mellitus, other nutritional deficiencies and polyneuropathies were more frequent in PSP at second level of ICD-10. In particular, the summed prevalence of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases was higher in PSP patients. More drugs were administered in the PSP group leading to a greater percentage of patients with polypharmacy. Accordingly, the prevalence of potential drug–drug interactions was higher in PSP patients, especially severe and moderate interactions. Conclusions: PSP patients possess a characteristic profile of comorbidities, particularly diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. The eminent burden of comorbidities and resulting polypharmacy should be carefully considered when treating PSP patients