Effectiveness of Robotic Exoskeleton-Assisted Gait Training in Spinocerebellar Ataxia: A Case Report

Spinocerebellar ataxia (SCA) is a hereditary neurodegenerative disorder that presents as ataxia. Due to the decline in balance, patients with SCA often experience restricted mobility and a decreased quality of life. Thus, many studies have emphasized the importance of physiotherapies, including gait training, in SCA patients. However, few studies have examined the effectiveness of robotic gait training in SCA. Here, we report the therapeutic outcomes of exoskeleton-assisted gait training in a patient with SCA. A 23-year-old woman with SCA participated in a gait training program using a powered lower-limb robotic exoskeleton, ANGELLEGS. The 8-week training program consisted of standing training, weight-shifting exercises, and gait training. Several measures of general function, balance, gait, and cardiopulmonary function were applied before, after, and 4 weeks after the program. After the program, overall improvements were found on scales measuring balance and gait function, and these improvements remained at 4 weeks after the program. Cardiopulmonary function was also improved 4 weeks after the program. Robotic exoskeleton gait training can be a beneficial option for training balance, gait, and cardiopulmonary function in SCA

Synthesis, characterization, and transistor applications of new linear small molecules: Naphthyl-ethynyl-anthracene-based small molecules containing different alkyl end group

A novel small molecule consisting of triple bond-bridged naphthalene-anthracene core was synthesized with either a pentyl or decyl end group. The linear and planar shape of naphthalene-anthracene core allowed herringbone packing pattern with enhanced conjugation length and close molecular packing structure. The film morphology of naphthalene-anthracene based small molecules was also affected by the pentyl and decyl groups. The pentyl substituted molecule exhibited more unified and ordered packing patterns than did the decyl substituted example, which showed at least two polymorphs. The p-type semiconducting properties of the two new molecules were characterized by organic field-effect transistor measurements. In annealed devices at 80 degrees C, the field-effect mobility of pentyl analogue was 0.045 cm(2)/(V center dot s), which was about 3 times higher than the decyl substituted compound. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.1154sciescopu

Serotonin inhibits GABA synaptic transmission in presympathetic paraventricular nucleus neurons

Activation of serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT) receptors produces various autonomic and neuroendocrine responses in the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVN), including increased blood pressure and heart rate. However, the role(s) of 5-HT on the local GABA synaptic circuit have not been well understood in the PVN, where the inhibitory neurotransmitter GABA plays a key role in the modulation of sympathoexcitatory outflow. In the present study, we examined the effects of 5-HT on GABA synaptic transmission in presympathetic PVN neurons projecting to spinal cord using patch-clamp electrophysiology combined with tract-tracing techniques. Bath application of 5-HT (0.01–100 μM) reversibly decreased the frequency of spontaneous GABAergic inhibitory postsynaptic currents (sIPSC) in a concentration dependent manner (IC50, 0.07 μM), with no significant changes in the amplitudes and decay kinetics of sIPSC. The sIPSC inhibition of 5-HT was mimicked by 5-HT1A agonist, 8-OH-DPAT (8-hydroxy-2(di-n-propylamino)tetralin, 10 μM), and blocked by 5-HT1A antagonist WAY-100635 but not by 5-HT1B antagonist SB224289. 5-HT also reduced the frequency of miniature IPSC (mIPSC) (2.59 ± 0.51 Hz, control vs. 1.25 ± 0.31 Hz, 5-HT, n = 16) in similar extent with 5-HT induced reduction of sIPSC frequency (sIPSCs, 55.8 ± 6.2%, n = 11 vs. mIPSCs, 52.30 ± 5.85%, n = 16; p > 0.5). All together, our results indicate that 5-HT can inhibit presynaptic GABA release via presynaptic 5-HT1A receptors in presympathetic PVN neurons projecting to spinal cord.We thank Dr. Javier Stern (University of Cincinnati) for the critical reading of the manuscript. This work was supported by research fund of Chungnam National University to J.B. Park

How Long Should We Wait to Create the Goutallier Stage 2 Fatty Infiltrations in the Rabbit Shoulder for Repairable Rotator Cuff Tear Model?

Background. Significant proportion of rotator cuff tears (RCTs) in clinical field are of a kind of repairable tear wherein the degree of fatty infiltration is of Goutallier stage 1 or stage 2. Therefore, the animal model, showing similar fatty infiltration, seems preferable for researches. The purpose of this study is to find out the proper time frame in which there is Goutallier stage 1 or stage 2 fatty infiltration in the rabbit RCT model for the research of repairable RCT in humans. Methods. Supraspinatus tendon tears were created in forty male New Zealand white rabbits at their right shoulder (n= 8 for each group), and a sham operation on the left shoulder. Rabbits were divided into five groups (2nd, 4th, 6th, 8th, and 12th weeks). Specimens were harvested from the central portion of the supraspinatus muscle for haematoxylin and eosin (H &E) staining, followed by histological and Goutallier grading evaluation. Results are expressed as mean ± standard deviation by Sigma Plot software (version 7.0). Results. At two weeks, mainly lipoblasts were observed around the muscle fibers, and at four weeks these lipoblasts were replaced by mature adipocytes with fatty infiltration amount (2.13 ± 0.35). The degree of muscle atrophy was (1.50 ± 0.53) at four weeks compared to sham group (0.88 ± 0.64) with significant difference (p < 0.05). The inflammatory process appeared as two phases. At two weeks, it was increased with grading value (1.88 ± 0.35). However, in the four-week group, it showed a sharp decrease (0.50 ± 0.53). At six weeks, inflammation reappeared to increase (1.13 ± 0.83). Then, a gradual decline appeared at eight weeks (0.88 ± 0.83) and at 12 weeks (0.50 ± 0.92). Conclusions. At two and four weeks, both fat distribution in rabbit supraspinatus muscles and Goutallier grading scale mostly appeared as grade 2. Therefore, we can consider four weeks to be a suitable period for making a repairable RCT animal model for the human research, considering the early acute tissue reaction at 2 weeks after the tendon tears