Conventionally assessed voluntary activation does not represent relative voluntary torque production

The ability to voluntarily activate a muscle is commonly assessed by some variant of the twitch interpolation technique (ITT), which assumes that the stimulated force increment decreases linearly as voluntary force increases. In the present study, subjects (n = 7) with exceptional ability for maximal voluntary activation (VA) of the knee extensors were used to study the relationship between superimposed and voluntary torque. This includes very high contraction intensities (90–100%VA), which are difficult to consistently obtain in regular healthy subjects (VA of ∼90%). Subjects were tested at 30, 60, and 90° knee angles on two experimental days. At each angle, isometric knee extensions were performed with supramaximal superimposed nerve stimulation (triplet: three pulses at 300 Hz). Surface EMG signals were obtained from rectus femoris, vastus lateralis, and medialis muscles. Maximal VA was similar and very high across knee angles: 97 ± 2.3% (mean ± SD). At high contraction intensities, the increase in voluntary torque was far greater than would be expected based on the decrement of superimposed torque. When voluntary torque increased from 79.6 ± 6.1 to 100%MVC, superimposed torque decreased from 8.5 ± 2.6 to 2.8 ± 2.3% of resting triplet. Therefore, an increase in VA of 5.7% (from 91.5 ± 2.6 to 97 ± 2.3%) coincided with a much larger increase in voluntary torque (20.4 ± 6.1%MVC) and EMG (33.9 ± 6.6%max). Moreover, a conventionally assessed VA of 91.5 ± 2.6% represented a voluntary torque of only 79.6 ± 6.1%MVC. In conclusion, when maximal VA is calculated to be ∼90% (as in regular healthy subjects), this probably represents a considerable overestimation of the subjects’ ability to maximally drive their quadriceps muscles

White book on physical and rehabilitation medicine (PRM) in Europe. Chapter 7.The clinical field of competence: PRM in practice

In the context of the White Book on Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine (PRM) in Europe this paper deals with the scope and competencies of PRM starting from its definition as the "medicine of functioning." PRM uses the rehabilitative health strategy as its core strategy together with the curative strategy. According to the complexity of disabling health conditions, PRM also refers to prevention and maintenance and provides information to the patients and other caregivers. The rehabilitation process according to the so-called rehabilitation cycle including an assessment and definition of the (individual) rehabilitation goals, assignment to the rehabilitation program evaluation of individual outcomes. PRM physicians treat a wide spectrum of diseases and take a transversal across most of the medical specialties. They also focus on many functional problems such as immobilization, spasticity, pain syndromes, communication disorders, and others. The diagnosis in PRM is the interaction between the medical diagnosis and a PRM-specific functional assessment. The latter is based on the ICF conceptual framework, and obtained through functional evaluations and scales: these are classified according to their main focus on impairments, activity limitations or participation restrictions; environmental and personal factors are included as barriers or facilitators. Interventions in PRM are either provided directly by PRM physicians or within the PRM team. They include a wide range of treatments, including medicines, physical therapies, exercises, education and many others. Standardized PRM programs are available for many diseases and functional problems. In most cases rehabilitation is performed in multi-professional teams working in a collaborative way, as well as with other disciplines under the leadership of a PRM physician and it is a patient-centered approach. Outcomes of PRM interventions and programs, showed reduction of impairments in body functions, activity limitations, and impacting on participation restrictions, and also reduction in costs as well as decrease in mortality for certain groups of patients

Burden of antimicrobial resistance in European hospitals: excess mortality and length of hospital stay associated with bloodstream infections due to Escherichia coli resistant to third-generation cephalosporins

Objectives: This study determined excess mortality and length of hospital stay (LOS) attributable to bloodstream infection (BSI) caused by third-generation-cephalosporin-resistant Escherichia coli in Europe. Methods: A prospective parallel matched cohort design was used. Cohort I consisted of patients with thirdgeneration-cephalosporin-resistant E. coli BSI (REC) and cohort II consisted of patients with third-generationcephalosporin-susceptible E. coli BSI (SEC). Patients in both cohorts were matched for LOS before infection with patients free of the respective BSI. Thirteen European tertiary care centres participated between July 2007 and June 2008. Results: Cohort I consisted of 111 REC patients and 204 controls and cohort II consisted of 1110 SEC patients and 2084 controls. REC patients had a higher mortality at 30 days (adjusted odds ratio=4.6) and a higher hospital mortality (adjusted hazard ratio=5.7) than their controls. LOS was increased by 8 days. For SEC patients, these figures were adjusted odds ratio=1.9, adjusted hazard ratio=2.0 and excess LOS=3 days. A 2.5 times [95% confidence interval (95% CI) 0.9-6.8] increase in all-cause mortality at 30 days and a 2.9 times (95% CI 1.2-6.9) increase in mortality during entire hospital stay as well as an excess LOS of 5 days (95% CI 0.4-10.2) could be attributed to resistance to third-generation cephalosporins in E. coli BSI. Conclusions: Morbidity and mortality attributable to third-generation-cephalosporin-resistant E. coli BSI is significant. If prevailing resistance trends continue, high societal and economic costs can be expected. Better management of infections caused by resistant E. coli is becoming essential.This work was funded by DG-Sanco (grant number 2005203), the Netherlands National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, and the University Medical Centre Groningen.peer-reviewe

White Book on Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine (PRM) in Europe. Chapter 7. The clinical field of competence: PRM in practice

In the context of the White Book on Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine (PRM) in Europe this paper deals with the scope and competencies of PRM starting from its definition as the "medicine of functioning." PRM uses the rehabilitative health strategy as its core strategy together with the curative strategy. According to the complexity of disabling health conditions, PRM also refers to prevention and maintenance and provides information to the patients and other caregivers. The rehabilitation process according to the so-called rehabilitation cycle including an assessment and definition of the (individual) rehabilitation goals, assignment to the rehabilitation program evaluation of individual outcomes. PRM physicians treat a wide spectrum of diseases and take a transversal across most of the medical specialties. They also focus on many functional problems such as immobilization, spasticity, pain syndromes, communication disorders, and others. The diagnosis in PRM is the interaction between the medical diagnosis and a PRM-specific functional assessment. The latter is based on the ICF conceptual framework, and obtained through functional evaluations and scales: these are classified according to their main focus on impairments, activity limitations or participation restrictions; environmental and personal factors are included as barriers or facilitators. Interventions in PRM are either provided directly by PRM physicians or within the PRM team. They include a wide range of treatments, including medicines, physical therapies, exercises, education and many others. Standardized PRM programs are available for many diseases and functional problems. In most cases rehabilitation is performed in multi-professional teams working in a collaborative way, as well as with other disciplines under the leadership of a PRM physician and it is a patient-centered approach. Outcomes of PRM interventions and programs, showed reduction of impairments in body functions, activity limitations, and impacting on participation restrictions, and also reduction in costs as well as decrease in mortality for certain groups of patients

White Book on Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine in Europe. Introductions, Executive Summary, and Methodology

The White Book (WB) of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine (PRM) in Europe is produced by the 4 European PRM Bodies (European Academy of Rehabilitation Medicine - EARM, European Society of PRM - ESPRM, European Union of Medical Specialists - PRM Section, European College of PRM-ECPRM served by the European Union of Medical Specialists-PRM Board) and constitutes the reference book for PRM physicians in Europe. It has now reached its third edition; the first was published in 1989 and the second in 2006/2007. The WB has multiple purposes, including providing a unifying framework for European countries, to inform decision-makers on European and national level, to offer educational material for PRM trainees and physicians and information about PRM to the medical community, other rehabilitation professionals and the public. The WB states the importance of PRM, a primary medical specialty that is present all over Europe, with a specific corpus disciplinae, a common background and history throughout Europe. PRM is internationally recognized and a partner of major international bodies, including the World Health Organization (WHO). PRM activities are strongly based on the documents of the United Nations (UN) and WHO, such as the Convention of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (2006), the World Report on Disability (2011), the WHO Global Disability Action Plan 2014-2021 (2014) and the WHO initiative "Rehabilitation 2030: a call for action" (2017). The WB is organized in 4 sections, 11 chapters and some appendices. The WB starts with basic definitions and concepts of PRM and continues with why rehabilitation is needed by individuals and society. Rehabilitation focuses not only on health conditions but also on functioning. Accordingly, PRM is the medical specialty that strives to improve functioning of people with a health condition or experiencing disability. The fundamentals of PRM, the history of the PRM specialty, and the structure and activities of PRM organizations in Europe are presented, followed by a thorough presentation of the practice of PRM, i.e. knowledge and skills of PRM physicians, the clinical field of competence of PRM, the place of the PRM specialty in the healthcare system and society, education and continuous professional development of PRM physicians, specificities and challenges of science and research in PRM. The WB concludes with the way forward for the specialty: challenges and perspectives for the future of PRM

The Individual Rehabilitation Project as the core of person-centered rehabilitation: the Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine Section and Board of the European Union of Medical Specialists Framework for Rehabilitation in Europe

To facilitate the interaction between the health professional and the patient, a framework to guide the rehabilitation process is needed. This framework would encompass three interwoven aspects: the rehabilitation management plan, Individual Rehabilitation Project (IRP), and rehabilitation cycle(s). All three framework aspects focus on the patient and on the aim of rehabilitation, i.e. to optimize a person's functioning across the continuum of care. An IRP is a multi-element, person-centered rehabilitation management scheme, in which rehabilitation is generally provided by a multiprofessional team under the leadership of a physical and rehabilitation medicine (PRM) physician, working in an interdisciplinary manner and together with the patient (or proxy). A reference system for operationalizing functioning and standardizing the process is the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) - for assessing functioning needs, defining rehabilitation goals and outcomes. The objective of this paper is to present the IRP as a framework for rehabilitation in Europe (EUR-IRP). The specific aims are: 1) to introduce the IRP; and 2) to describe the framework components, elements and variables of the IRP. Demonstration projects (case studies) using the EUR-IRP will be conducted. The present paper presents the efforts to date for developing the EUR-IRP, a key part of the action plan of the PRM Section and Board of the European Union of Medical Specialists to implement the ICF systemwide across the care continuum. This paper serves as another step to bring together practice, science and governance in calling for contribution from rehabilitation clinicians and researchers and professional societies in PRM and beyond. © 2022 Edizioni Minerva Medica. All rights reserved