Effects of Adaptive Bungee Trampolining for Children With Cerebral Palsy: A Single-Subject Study.

Purpose: To assess effects of adaptive bungee trampoline training for children with cerebral palsy. Methods: This was a single-subject intervention study, A-B-A, with 4 children aged 6 to 11 years. Measurements included muscle strength, balance, functional muscle strength, functional mobility, selected Gross Motor Function Measure items, heart rate, enjoyment, and for adverse effects—range of motion and spasticity. Goals were measured using the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure. Results: Lower limb muscle strength improved in 3 children, and balance and functional strength in 2 children. The child who was not walking increased sitting and supported standing times. All participants had clinically significant increases on the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure. Adherence and enjoyment were high, with no adverse effects. Conclusion: Adaptive bungee trampoline training can improve strength, balance, and functional mobility in children with cerebral palsy

Creating an Antibacterial with in Vivo Efficacy: Synthesis and Characterization of Potent Inhibitors of the Bacterial Cell Division Protein FtsZ with Improved Pharmaceutical Properties

3-Methoxybenzamide (1) is a weak inhibitor of the essential bacterial cell division protein FtsZ. Alkyl derivatives of 1 are potent antistaphylococcal compounds with suboptimal drug-like properties. Exploration of the structure-activity relationships of analogues of these inhibitors led to the identification of potent antistaphylococcal compounds with improved pharmaceutical properties

Self-rated health, work characteristics and health related behaviours among nurses in Greece: a cross sectional study

BACKGROUND: Previous studies on self-rated health among nurses have indicated an association of low job satisfaction and stress in relation to poor self-rated health. The relationship between self rated health and the specific work characteristics and health related behaviours of nurses to our knowledge have not been adequately studied. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the health profile of nurses working in hospitals in North West Greece and to examine the associations between self rated health (SRH) and health related behaviours and work characteristics in this group of hospital employees. METHODS: A self-administered questionnaire was distributed to a random sample of 443 nurses working in all the hospitals in North West Greece. Regression analysis was used to examine the relationship of health related behaviours and work characteristics with self rated health among the nurses. RESULTS: A total of 353 responded to the questionnaire (response rate 80%) of which 311 (88%) were female and 42 (12%) male. The mean age (standard deviation) of the respondents was 36 years (5.6) and their mean years of working as nurses were 13.5 years (5.9). Almost half of the nurses' smoked, and about one third were overweight or obese. About 58% (206) of the nurses reported having poor health while 42% (147) reported having good health. Self-rated health was independently associated with gender, effort to avoid fatty foods and physical activity, according to multiple logistic regression analysis. CONCLUSION: The population studied presented a relatively poor health profile, and a high proportion of poor SRH. Though female gender and effort to avoid fatty foods were associated with poor SRH, and exercise and white meat consumption with good SRH, specific work characteristics were not associated with SRH

Data on advanced glycation end-products concentrations and haemodynamic parameters following caffeine and nicotine consumption in nursing students

This work presents data from a non-invasive interventional trial investigating the early effects of caffeine and nicotine on both the concentrations of advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) and haemodynamic parameters in 178 healthy nursing students aged between 18 and 40. These students were allocated into four groups (A, B, C and D) and the concentrations of AGEs as well as haemodynamic parameters were measured non-invasively using the AgeReader and the Finometer devices, respectively. The haemodynamic parameters that were measured included systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, mean arterial pressure, heart rate, inter-beat interval, stroke volume, cardiac output, ventricular ejection time, total peripheral resistance, ascending aorta impedance and total arterial compliance. According to our protocol, each beverage contained 100 mg of caffeine each cigarette contained 1.5 mg of nicotine. The present data reveal the combined effect of smoke and caffeine consumption to several hemodynamic parameters that may be related to the onset of elevated blood pressure during smoking and following caffeine consumption. © 202

Reliability analysis of Finometer and AGE-Reader devices in a clinical research trial

Fundamental issues emerging from the widespread use of noninvasive techniques in healthcare sciences' research are the reliability and validity. This work presents the reliability analysis of a clinical trial that uses a Finometer and an AGE Reader. The aim is to provide a self-consistent and meaningful reliability analysis concerning Finometer and AGE-Reader devices, something that is often missing in the research field of healthcare sciences and present results could be used to fill up this gap. Since four raters are used for taking measurements in this study, the presented reliability analysis includes tests for the raters as well as for the instruments' internal consistency of the instruments. It was found that both the reported inter-rater reliability and instruments' reliability of internal consistency were found adequately high. In conclusion, Finometer and AGE-Reader devices showed high reliability and the present results can be used as a concrete basis for future studies utilising these devices. © 2017 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd

Prevention and management of respiratory disease in young people with cerebral palsy: consensus statement

Respiratory illness is the leading cause of mortality in children with cerebral palsy (CP). Although risk factors for developing chronic respiratory illness have been identified, comprehensive clinical care recommendations for the prevention and management of respiratory illness do not currently exist. We invited over 200 clinicians and researchers from multiple disciplines with expertise in the management of respiratory illness in children with CP to develop care recommendations using a modified Delphi method on the basis of the RAND Corporation–University of California Los Angeles Appropriateness Method. These recommendations are intended for use by the wide range of practitioners who care for individuals living with CP. They provide a framework for recognizing multifactorial primary and secondary potentially modifiable risk factors and for providing coordinated multidisciplinary care. We describe the methods used to generate the consensus recommendations, and the overall perspective on assessment, prevention, and treatment of respiratory illness in children with CP. What this paper adds: The first consensus statement for preventing and managing respiratory disease in cerebral palsy (CP). Risk factors for respiratory disease in CP should be identified early. Individuals with CP at risk of respiratory disease require regular assessment of risk factors. Effective partnerships between multidisciplinary teams, individuals with CP, and families are essential. Treatment of respiratory disease in individuals with CP must be proactive.</p

Prevention and management of respiratory disease in young people with cerebral palsy: consensus statement

Respiratory illness is the leading cause of mortality in children with cerebral palsy (CP). Although risk factors for developing chronic respiratory illness have been identified, comprehensive clinical care recommendations for the prevention and management of respiratory illness do not currently exist. We invited over 200 clinicians and researchers from multiple disciplines with expertise in the management of respiratory illness in children with CP to develop care recommendations using a modified Delphi method on the basis of the RAND Corporation–University of California Los Angeles Appropriateness Method. These recommendations are intended for use by the wide range of practitioners who care for individuals living with CP. They provide a framework for recognizing multifactorial primary and secondary potentially modifiable risk factors and for providing coordinated multidisciplinary care. We describe the methods used to generate the consensus recommendations, and the overall perspective on assessment, prevention, and treatment of respiratory illness in children with CP. What this paper adds: The first consensus statement for preventing and managing respiratory disease in cerebral palsy (CP). Risk factors for respiratory disease in CP should be identified early. Individuals with CP at risk of respiratory disease require regular assessment of risk factors. Effective partnerships between multidisciplinary teams, individuals with CP, and families are essential. Treatment of respiratory disease in individuals with CP must be proactive.</p