Patient-specific prediction of long-term outcomes will change stroke rehabilitation for the better.

Stroke is the most common cause of neurological disability and yet our ability to predict long-term outcomes remains poor. The paper by Selles et al1 used upper limb outcomes from 450 patients with first-time ischaemic stroke to take a refreshingly different approach to the prediction problem. First, allowing repeated clinical measures to contribute to the prediction acknowledges what most clinicians already know—that rate of clinical change is helpful in prognostication. Second, rather than predict outcome at a single future time point, they have created likely recovery trajectories (with CIs) for individual patients. Third, access to this predictive model is freely available online, so that stroke services around the world can more accurately begin to make predictions of individual recovery. Although the current approach concerns upper limb recovery, the principle should apply to all domains

Fatigue, effort perception and central activation failure in chronic stroke survivors: a TMS and fMRI investigation

Fatigue is commonly seen in stroke survivors and the most common manifestation of fatigue is the requirement of high effort for activities of daily life. In this study we set out to identify the neural correlates of perceived effort and central activation failure, a neurophysiological measure correlated with perceived effort. Methods: Twelve chronic stroke survivors participated in this study. Fatigue levels were quantified using the Fatigue Severity Scale -7, perceived effort was quantified using a 1-10 numerical rating scale while performing an isometric biceps hold task, Central Activation Failure was quantified using the modified twitch interpolation technique using Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation and functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging was used to measure blood-oxygen-level dependent signal (BOLD) from the brain while the participant performed a hand grip task. Analysis: Following standard pre-processing procedures for fMRI data using SPM software, co-variance of BOLD signal with perceived effort levels and central activation failure was evaluated. Correlation analysis was performed between measures of fatigue and effort. Results: The main findings of this study were 1) high fatigue was associated with high perceived effort 2) higher perceived effort was associated with greater increase in BOLD fMRI activity in pre-SMA and the ipsilateral inferior frontal gyrus with increasing force 3) greater Central Activation Failure was associated with higher increase in BOLD fMRI activity in bilateral caudate, contralateral superior frontal gyrus and pre-motor cortices with increasing force

Resummed Quantum Gravity

We present the current status of the a new approach to quantum general relativity based on the exact resummation of its perturbative series as that series was formulated by Feynman. We show that the resummed theory is UV finite and we present some phenomenological applications as well.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figure; presented at ICHEP0

On The Orbital Evolution of Jupiter Mass Protoplanet Embedded in A Self-Gravity Disk

We performed a series of hydro-dynamic simulations to investigate the orbital migration of a Jovian planet embedded in a proto-stellar disk. In order to take into account of the effect of the disk's self gravity, we developed and adopted an \textbf{Antares} code which is based on a 2-D Godunov scheme to obtain the exact Reimann solution for isothermal or polytropic gas, with non-reflecting boundary conditions. Our simulations indicate that in the study of the runaway (type III) migration, it is important to carry out a fully self consistent treatment of the gravitational interaction between the disk and the embedded planet. Through a series of convergence tests, we show that adequate numerical resolution, especially within the planet's Roche lobe, critically determines the outcome of the simulations. We consider a variety of initial conditions and show that isolated, non eccentric protoplanet planets do not undergo type III migration. We attribute the difference between our and previous simulations to the contribution of a self consistent representation of the disk's self gravity. Nevertheless, type III migration cannot be completely suppressed and its onset requires finite amplitude perturbations such as that induced by planet-planet interaction. We determine the radial extent of type III migration as a function of the disk's self gravity.Comment: 19 pages, 13 figure

Microsatellite-stable diploid carcinoma: a biologically distinct and aggressive subset of sporadic colorectal cancer

Chromosomal instability and microsatellite instability represent the major pathways for colorectal cancer (CRC) progression. However, a significant percentage of CRC shows neither pattern of instability, and thus represents a potentially distinctive form of the disease. Flow cytometry was used to determine the degree of DNA aneuploidy in 46 consecutive sporadic colorectal cancers. Microsatellite status was determined by PCR amplification using standard markers, while immunostaining was used to examine the expression of p53. K- ras status was determined by restriction-mediated PCR assay. Twenty-five (54%) tumours were aneuploid, 14 (30%) were diploid and microsatellite-stable and seven (15%) were diploid and microsatellite-unstable. Tumours with microsatellite instability were more likely to be right sided, to occur in women and to be associated with an improved survival. Aneuploid tumours were significantly more common in men and were likely to be left sided. The diploid microsatellite-stable (MSS) tumours did not show a sex or site predilection, but were strongly associated with the presence of metastatic disease at the time of diagnosis. Our data suggests that diploid, MSS tumours represent a biologically and phenotypically distinct subset of colorectal carcinoma, and one that is associated with the early development of metastases. We suggest that the genetic stability that characterizes these tumours may favour the maintenance of an invasive phenotype, and thus facilitate disease progression. These findings may have important implications for treatment options in this disease subset. © 2001 Cancer Research Campaign http://www.bjcancer.co

Tyloses Structure

A tylosis is an outgrowth from vertical or ray parenchyma cells through bordered pits into the lumen of a xylem vessel element. This study reports additional information on the ontogeny of tyloses, formation of the developing tylosis wall, and chemical composition of the tylosis wall. The development and structure of tyloses in several species of oak (Quercus) were studied with the transmitting and scanning electron microscopes. The tylosis wall was layered with a complement of wall layers found in xylem elements. Cellulose and lignin were constituents of the tylosis wall

Behavioural compensation by drivers of a simulator when using a vision enhancement system

Technological progress is suggesting dramatic changes to the tasks of the driver, with the general aim of making driving environment safer. Before any of these technologies are implemented, empirical research is required to establish if these devices do, in fact, bring about the anticipated improvements. Initially, at least, simulated driving environments offer a means of conducting this research. The study reported here concentrates on the application of a vision enhancement (VE) system within the risk homeostasis paradigm. It was anticipated, in line with risk homeostasis theory, that drivers would compensate for the reduction in risk by increasing speed. The results support the hypothesis although, after a simulated failure of the VE system, drivers did reduce their speed due to reduced confidence in the reliability of the system