Electromyographic patterns of hand muscles during rhythmic finger movements and handwriting.

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Impact of Pro Bono Clinic on Attitudes, Beliefs, and Confidence Towards Cultural Competence in First-year Doctoral Physical Therapy Students

Purpose: Cultural competence is an essential skill for healthcare providers in our increasingly ethnically diversified society. There is an unmet need for educating future culturally competent physical therapists. The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of pro bono clinic on cultural competence in first-year doctoral physical therapy students. Method: Forty-two participants completed a survey before and after attending three individual sessions of mentored pro bono clinical experiences during their first semester. The survey assessed participants’ attitudes and beliefs (Part I), and self-perceived level of confidence (Part II) towards cultural competence. Wilcoxon signed-rank tests were performed. Results: The mean scores increased from pretest (4.13 ± 0.55) to posttest (4.22 ± 0.48) for Part I (5: highest scale) and from 7.34 ± 0.96 to 8.01 ± 0.79 for Part II (10: highest level) but were not significant. Overall findings showed a positive impact which was reflected by students’ narrative comments post-participation (Part III). Conclusion: This study is novel due to limited evidence in this area, especially the effect of an early intervention. Pro bono clinic participation may be an effective approach that could be incorporated early in curriculum across allied health science education

Detection of Hepatitis B virus in serum and liver of chickens

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is one of the most important human pathogens. Its existence in food animals could present a significant threat to public health. The objective of this study was to determine if HBV is present in serum and liver of chickens. A total of 129 serum samples from broiler chickens were collected for the detection of HBV antigens and antibodies, and 193 liver samples were tested for HBV DNA sequence by PCR and for the existence of HBV antigens by immunohistochemistry. The overall prevalence of HBsAg, anti-HBs, anti-HBc was 28.68%, 53.49%, 17.05%, respectively, whereas HBeAg, anti-HBe were barely detectable. Three serum samples were found to be positive for both HBsAg and HBeAg. Further analysis of these samples with transmission electron microscopy (TEM) revealed two morphologic particles with 20 nm and 40 nm in diameter, which were similar to small spherical and Danes particles of HBV. The viral DNA sequence identified in two of the chicken livers shared 92.2% of one known HBV strain and 97.9% nucleotide sequence of another HBV strain. Our results showed the existence of HBV in chickens. This would present a significant risk to people who work with live chickens or chicken products if HBV found in chicken could be confirmed to be the same as human HBV

Parkinson\u27s disease is associated with greater regularity of repetitive voluntary movements

Bradykinesia is a cardinal symptom of Parkinson\u27s disease (PD). Both aging and disease are shown to be associated with decreased adaptability to environmental stresses characterized by reduced complexity (or increased regularity) of biorhythms. The purpose of this study was to investigate the regularity of movement in individuals with PD, and the effect of dopaminergic medication. Nine subjects with PD and eight controls performed wrist flexion/extension movements at maximal velocity and range of motion. Subjects with PD were tested under two medication conditions. Approximate entropy (ApEn) was calculated to assess the regularity of the movement, with the smaller value associated with the greater regularity. Data revealed that subjects with PD had lower ApEn values than controls. Medication did not alter the ApEn values. These findings demonstrate that impaired voluntary movement in individuals with PD is associated with increased regularity of movement and this exaggerated regularity appears less sensitive to anti-PD medication. © 2014 Human Kinetics, Inc

Enhancement of parkinsonian rigidity with contralateral hand activation

Objective: Quantify the enhancement of parkinsonian rigidity associated with a contralateral activation maneuver. Methods: Twelve subjects with PD and eight controls participated in the study protocol. Subjects\u27 tested hand was displaced by a servo-motor throughout wrist flexion and extension motions of 60° without and with a concurrent gripping activation in the contralateral hand, referred to as Passive and Active conditions, respectively. Subjects with PD were tested in both OFF-MED and ON-MED states. Rigidity was quantified by integrating torque with position during both flexion and extension (torque resistance). ANOVA was performed to assess the effect of contralateral activation on rigidity. Results: PD patients had significantly (0.038) enhanced torque resistance in OFF-MED compared to healthy controls and ON-MED. In the Active condition, differences in torque resistance were magnified (p= 0.002). Medication substantially reduced differences in torque resistance between controls and PD patients in the Passive and Active conditions. Conclusions: A contralateral activation maneuver substantially increases rigidity in patients with PD, specifically the OFF-MED state. Rigidity is reduced with the application of dopaminergic medication, even with the presence of a contralateral activation maneuver. Significance: These data support the use of a contralateral activation maneuver as a tool in the diagnosis of PD. © 2011 International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology

Amplitude- and velocity-dependency of rigidity measured at the wrist in Parkinson\u27s disease

Objective: Quantify the effects of increased amplitude and rate of muscle stretch on parkinsonian rigidity. Methods: Eighteen subjects with Parkinson\u27s disease participated in this study. Subjects\u27 tested hand was passively displaced through 60° and 90° ranges of wrist flexion and extension at velocities of 50°/s and 280°/s in both treated and untreated conditions. Joint angular position, resistance torque, and surface electromyography (EMG) of the wrist flexors and extensors were recorded. Rigidity was quantified by normalized work scores and normalized angular impulses for flexion and extension, separately. Reflex responses of stretched and shortened muscles were quantified by mean EMG and EMG ratio. A series of ANOVAs was performed to determine the effect of amplitude, velocity and medication on selected variables. Results: Both work scores and angular impulses revealed that the larger displacement amplitude and the higher velocity were associated with significantly greater rigidity, increased EMG ratio and mean EMG of stretched muscles. Dopaminergic medication was not associated with a reduction in rigidity. Conclusions: Parkinsonian rigidity is modulated by the amplitude and rate of muscle stretch. Significance: These findings shed light on the biomechanical underpinnings and physiological characteristics of rigidity and may inform clinical rigidity assessment in Parkinson\u27s disease. © 2011 International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology

Performance of Mn-Ce-Fe/FA Catalysts on Selective Catalytic Reduction of NO_X with CO under Different Atmospheres

Gas turbines produce a large amount of NOx and CO due to high temperatures and insufficient combustion. Through the selective catalytic reduction of NO with CO (CO-SCR) in a gas turbine, the activities of the Mn-Fe-Ce/FA catalyst using fly ash (FA) as a carrier under different atmospheres were studied. The catalysts prepared by calcining different active materials under different atmospheres were used to analyze their denitrification abilities and resistance to water vapor. The denitrification performance of the catalyst prepared under reducing atmosphere is about 30 percent higher than that of the catalyst prepared under air atmosphere, and the decarburization performance is about 40 percent higher. In the presence of oxygen, the denitrification rate and decarburization rate of the 1:1 ratio of the Mn-Ce catalyst reach 67.16% and 59.57%, respectively. In an oxygen-containing atmosphere, the catalyst prepared by replacing Ce with Fe shows better denitrification and decarburization performances, which are 78.56% and 78.39%, respectively. When the flue gas space velocity is 4000 h−1 and the carbon-nitrogen ratio is 1.6, the catalyst shows better performance. After the water vapor is introduced, the denitrification and decarbonization rates of the catalyst decrease by about 10% and 9%, respectively. After ceasing water vapor, it rebounds by about 8%, and the activity could not be fully restored. However, the catalyst still shows strong water resistance in general