The Effects of Partial Body Weight Support for Gait for Patients with Neurological Dysfunction: A Case Study Approach

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of partial body weight support during gait for individuals with neurological dysfunction. Body weight support (BWS) training provides a safe environment in which the individual can perform and practice mechanics of normal gait at a variety of speeds with or without body weight support, depending on the level of function. The subjects who participated in this study were community ambulators older than 20 years of age with a neurological diagnosis. Each subject was tested initially and at the conclusion of the study to compare data using a battery of balance and gait tests. Each subject participated in body weight support treadmill gait training using the LiteGaitTM three times a week for up to six weeks. Each subject was to begin with 40% body weight support (BWS) and a treadmill speed of .5 mph, progress to 20% BWS and a speed of .7 mph, and finally to 0% BWS and a speed of 1.0 mph. All three subjects made improvements when comparing initial to final testing results. Many factors may have limited the results of our study including the tester, sensitivity of the tests performed, or sudden changes in medical status

Addressing Intimate Partner Violence: Development of a Trauma Informed Workforce

Abstract available through the Annals of Behavioral Medicine

Medicinal Plant Extracts and Natural Compounds for the Treatment of Cutaneous Lupus Erythematosus: A Systematic Review

Cutaneous lupus erythematosus (CLE) is a group of autoimmune connective tissue disorders that significantly impact quality of life. Current treatment approaches typically use antimalarial medications, though patients may become recalcitrant. Other treatment options include general immunosuppressants, highlighting the need for more and more targeted treatment options. The purpose of this systematic review was to identify potential compounds that could be repurposed for CLE from natural products since many rheumatologic drugs are derived from natural products, including antimalarials. This study was registered with PROSPERO, the international prospective register of systematic reviews (registration number CRD42021251048). We comprehensively searched Ovid Medline, Cochrane Library, and Scopus databases from inception to April 27th, 2021. These terms included cutaneous lupus erythematosus; general plant, fungus, bacteria terminology; selected plants and plant-derived products; selected antimalarials; and JAK inhibitors. Our search yielded 13,970 studies, of which 1,362 were duplicates. We screened 12,608 abstracts, found 12,043 to be irrelevant, and assessed 565 full-text studies for eligibility. Of these, 506 were excluded, and 59 studies were included in the data extraction. The ROBINS-I risk of bias assessment tool was used to assess studies that met our inclusion criteria. According to our findings, several natural compounds do reduce inflammation in lupus and other autoimmune skin diseases in studies using in vitro methods, mouse models, and clinical observational studies, along with a few randomized clinical trials. Our study has cataloged evidence in support of potential natural compounds and plant extracts that could serve as novel sources of active ingredients for the treatment of CLE. It is imperative that further studies in mice and humans are conducted to validate these findings

Reading and re-reading Shrek

This article presents the findings of a small-scale research project which aimed to enable young people to reflect on their childhood responses to the popular films, ‘Shrek’ and ‘Shrek 2’. During the project the participants develop new readings of the films in the light of their own recent experiences both of life and of other texts. The research draws on reader response theories to describe the complex readings of the films made by two young women from Rotherham. These readings include an engagement with an element of the films’ narrative structure, the relationship dilemma between the main characters. There was also clearly recollection of enjoyment of the animation style, the humour and the fairytale intertextuality of the film. However, the strongest response was based on more recent experiences and involved considerable empathy with the characters. This has important implications for both educational research and classroom practice. This paper argues for an increased recognition of the significance of children and young people’s engagements with popular children’s films as integral to their development as readers and creators of narrative texts