2,604 research outputs found
Rizotomía dorsal selectiva como opción terapéutica en la espasticidad. Indicaciones y resultados
Spasticity, which is a very frequent sequela of neurological diseases, is
useful for compensating for loss of strength and enabling the patient to stand,
if it is not excessive. Otherwise, it is contraindicative and requires specific
treatment. DEVELOPMENT: Spasticity is a spinal cord dysfunction triggered by the
lack of upper motoneuron inhibiting afferents and, hence, its treatment can be
centred either on a level above that of the lesion itself, if the descending
pathways remain functional, or on the lesion, that is, on the spinal cord, by
means of neurostimulation, intrathecal drugs or ablative procedures. Ablative
procedures, which are essentially oriented towards reducing the afferents in
order to diminish medullar reflex hyperexcitability, are indicated in children
with spastic cerebral palsy. Thanks to a rigorous detailed study that is
conducted beforehand, selective dorsal rhizotomy (SDR) allows us to determine
which groups of muscles must be treated. Based on intraoperative
neurophysiological studies and monitoring and the use of microsurgical
techniques, the dorsal rhizome turns out to be very selective after the perfect
identification of the rootlets that are to be preserved. Following the
qualitative and quantitative valuation of diverse parameters, post operative
results show significant improvements in the functional performance of the child
at one year after the intervention, and these are maintained and increase in the
next few years. A strict programme of physiotherapy and rehabilitation is very
effective and enables patients to enjoy greater autonomy. CONCLUSIONS: The use of
SDR enables us to remove excessive spasticity, correct anomalous postures and
reduce collateral pain. Its successful performance is depends on the work of a
multidisciplinary team and on the overall approach to the disease in each cas
Asymptotically Safe Lorentzian Gravity
The gravitational asymptotic safety program strives for a consistent and
predictive quantum theory of gravity based on a non-trivial ultraviolet fixed
point of the renormalization group (RG) flow. We investigate this scenario by
employing a novel functional renormalization group equation which takes the
causal structure of space-time into account and connects the RG flows for
Euclidean and Lorentzian signature by a Wick-rotation. Within the
Einstein-Hilbert approximation, the -functions of both signatures
exhibit ultraviolet fixed points in agreement with asymptotic safety.
Surprisingly, the two fixed points have strikingly similar characteristics,
suggesting that Euclidean and Lorentzian quantum gravity belong to the same
universality class at high energies.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figure
Native Forest and Climate Change — The Role of the Subtropical Forest, Potentials, and Threats
The subtropical rainforest of Argentina, called Yungas, has been subjected to rapid deforestation and degradation processes in recent years, especially in the lower district: "Pedemontana Jungle" (PJ; ≤900 m.a.s.l.). In Salta, in the north of the country, the rate of deforestation is around three times higher than the world average. The disappearance of PJ significantly limits the area of contact between Yungas and Chaco forest, which could have important consequences for natural and cultural biodiversity in the region (the largest number of aboriginal ethnic groups live here, most of which depend on native forest for their existence and identity). In addition, the loss and degradation of forests is the second largest sector of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to the atmosphere (about 18%), affecting the world climate. We present a synthesis of different studies developed in PJ forests, observing its role as reservoirs of carbon and discussing issues that could influence the total capacity of carbon sequestration of the same. This will contribute to build the reliable database on the sequestration potential, which will facilitate standardization of units, reduction of uncertainties, and contribution to a more efficient strategy to limit the GHG emission to the environment, providing some learning and useful recommendations
Properties of the inner penumbral boundary and temporal evolution of a decaying sunspot
It was empirically determined that the umbra-penumbra boundaries of stable
sunspots are characterized by a constant value of the vertical magnetic field.
We analyzed the evolution of the photospheric magnetic field properties of a
decaying sunspot belonging to NOAA 11277 between August 28 - September 3, 2011.
The observations were acquired with the spectropolarimeter on-board of the
Hinode satellite. We aim to proof the validity of the constant vertical
magnetic-field boundary between the umbra and penumbra in decaying sunspots. A
spectral-line inversion technique was used to infer the magnetic field vector
from the full-Stokes profiles. In total, eight maps were inverted and the
variation of the magnetic properties in time were quantified using linear or
quadratic fits. We found a linear decay of the umbral vertical magnetic field,
magnetic flux, and area. The penumbra showed a linear increase of the vertical
magnetic field and a sharp decay of the magnetic flux. In addition, the
penumbral area quadratically decayed. The vertical component of the magnetic
field is weaker on the umbra-penumbra boundary of the studied decaying sunspot
compared to stable sunspots. Its value seem to be steadily decreasing during
the decay phase. Moreover, at any time of the shown sunspot decay, the inner
penumbra boundary does not match with a constant value of the vertical magnetic
field, contrary to what was seen in stable sunspots. During the decaying phase
of the studied sunspot, the umbra does not have a sufficiently strong vertical
component of the magnetic field and is thus unstable and prone to be
disintegrated by convection or magnetic diffusion. No constant value of the
vertical magnetic field was found for the inner penumbral boundary.Comment: Accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysics, 6 pages, 7
figure
Simpatectomía toracoscópica: una revisión de la literatura
INTRODUCTION: Since its first description by Kux in 1954, the thoracic endoscopic
(thoracoscopic) sympathectomy has rendered the open techniques obsolete in the
treatment of the hyperhidrosis and other sympathetic-related diseases. AIM. The
goal of this article is to present a critical review of the current indications,
results and complications of the endoscopic thoracic sympathectomy. MATERIAL AND
METHODS: An extensive search and review of published papers on the thoracoscopic
sympathectomy was undertaken. RESULTS: The thoracoscopic sympathectomy has
evolved as a therapeutic choice in patients with focal hyperhidrosis, pain
syndromes and peripheral vascular disorders, particularly. The results,
recurrences and complications are similar to the previously established open
procedures; nevertheless, the morbidity, the hospital stay and the time to return
to activities of daily living are substantially reduced. The highest success and
satisfaction rates (over 95%) were observed among patients treated for focal
hyperhidrosis. CONCLUSIONS: The success and complication rates of thoracoscopic
sympathectomy are comparable to those of open techniques, with an easier
postoperative period and an earlier return to labor and daily living
Robotics in Total Knee Arthroplasty
Total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is a highly successful operation that improves patients' quality of life and functionality. Yet, up to 20% of TKA patients remain unsatisfied with their clinical result. Robotic TKA has gained increased attention and popularity as a means of improving patient satisfaction. The promise of robotic-assisted TKA is that it provides a surgeon with a tool that accurately executes bone cuts according to presurgical planning, as well as provides the surgeon with intraoperative feedback helpful for restoring knee kinematics and soft tissue balance. Several systems are now available, each with their own advantages and disadvantages. Evidence that the use of robotics will lead to improved implant survival, function, and patient-reported outcomes is slowly being accumulated, but this has not been clearly proven to date. Recent literature does show that the use of robotics during TKA is not associated with increased surgical time or complications. The goal of this review is to provide an objective assessment of the evidence surrounding robotic technology for TKA. © 2019 2019 by Thieme Medical Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved
Organización de un programa de implantes cocleares
A cochlear implant (CI) programme brings together a number of professionals who,
during the stages of selection, surgery, programming, rehabilitation and monitoring, develop a
series of tasks aimed at promoting comprehensive attention to the implanted patient.
The aim of this paper was to describe in detail the tasks in each of the phases described in a
programme of CI, materials and necessary equipment and the role of the professionals involved.
It also raised a number of recommendations on how to develop a CI programme gradually to
facilitate the progression from the simplest to the mos
Fractal space-times under the microscope: A Renormalization Group view on Monte Carlo data
The emergence of fractal features in the microscopic structure of space-time
is a common theme in many approaches to quantum gravity. In this work we carry
out a detailed renormalization group study of the spectral dimension and
walk dimension associated with the effective space-times of
asymptotically safe Quantum Einstein Gravity (QEG). We discover three scaling
regimes where these generalized dimensions are approximately constant for an
extended range of length scales: a classical regime where , a
semi-classical regime where , and the UV-fixed point
regime where . On the length scales covered by
three-dimensional Monte Carlo simulations, the resulting spectral dimension is
shown to be in very good agreement with the data. This comparison also provides
a natural explanation for the apparent puzzle between the short distance
behavior of the spectral dimension reported from Causal Dynamical
Triangulations (CDT), Euclidean Dynamical Triangulations (EDT), and Asymptotic
Safety.Comment: 26 pages, 6 figure
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