Early vibration assisted physiotherapy in toddlers with cerebral palsy - a randomized controlled pilot trial.

OBJECTIVES: to investigate feasibility, safety and efficacy of home-based side-alternating whole body vibration (sWBV) to improve motor function in toddlers with cerebral palsy (CP). METHODS: Randomized controlled trial including 24 toddlers with CP (mean age 19 months (SD±3.1); 13 boys). INTERVENTION: 14 weeks sWBV with ten 9-minute sessions weekly (non-individualized). Group A started with sWBV, followed by 14 weeks without; in group B this order was reversed. Feasibility (≥70% adherence) and adverse events were recorded; efficacy evaluated with the Gross Motor Function Measure (GMFM-66), Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory (PEDI), at baseline (T0), 14 (T1) and 28 weeks (T2). RESULTS: Developmental change between T0 and T1 was similar in both groups; change scores in group A and B: GMFM-66 2.4 (SD±2.1) and 3.3 (SD±2.9) (p=0.412); PEDI mobility 8.4 (SD±6.6) and 3.5 (SD±9.2) (p=0.148), respectively. In two children muscle tone increased post-sWBV. 24 children received between 67 and 140 sWBV sessions, rate of completed sessions ranged from 48 to 100% and no dropouts were observed. CONCLUSION: A 14-week home-based sWBV intervention was feasible and safe in toddlers with CP, but was not associated with improvement in gross motor function.

Influence of helix 12 of Ultraspiracle on Drosophila melanogaster ecdysone receptor function.

Although it has no ligand, helix 12 in the ligand binding domain of Ultraspiracle (USP) is locked in an antagonistic position. To investigate whether this position is of functional importance, we enhanced the flexibility of helix 12 by mutating two amino acids (259, located in L1-3 and F491 in helix 12). Mutated USP reduces the stability of USP and all isoforms of the ecdysone receptor (EcR) and impairs nuclear localization and DNA binding of EcR/USP(L259A/F491/A), resulting in lower levels of basal transcriptional activity. Although the affinity of the ligand ponasterone A to EcR/USP(L259/F491) is moderately diminished, hormone-induced stimulation of transcriptional activity is normal. Potentiation of the ecdysone response by juvenile hormone (JH) is selectively increased in mutated heterodimers with EcR-B1, demonstrating that the antagonistic position impairs functional interaction of the EcR complex with JHIII.

[Enzyme values in the serum of newborn blood in relation to the course of parturition (author's transl)]. / Enzymwerte im Serum von Neugeborenenblut in Beziehung zum Geburtsverlauf.

In 43 newborn, the enzyme activities of LDH, GOT, GLDH, and GPT in the umbilical cord blood, as well as 24 hours post partum was measured. Two groups were formed: 1. Newborn without decelerations during the course of parturition, and 2. Newborn with decelerations in the cardiotocogram. The oxygen partial pressure and the acid-base status in the umbilical cord blood, did not differ significantly in both groups. LDH, GOT and GLDH activities were significantly higher 24 hours post partum in the group of newborn with decelerations, than in the control group. The increase in GLDH by 75% was particularly remarkable. This GLDH increase seems to suggest an increased incidence of liver cell necroses, which must be interpreted as a result of the hypoxic conditions sub partu. A significant correlation between the magnitude of the deceleration areas and the extent of GLDH activities can be established. The correlation between duration of parturition and GLDH activity is likewise significant.

Therapeutic properties.of haemodialysis and blood exchange transfusion in organophosphate poisoning.

Human blood was contaminated with nitrostigmine, dimethoate and demeton-S-methyl sulfoxide. It was then dialysed, concentrations of organophosphates were determined and dialysance values calculated. The influence of blood exchange transfusion on poison elimination as well as on the cholinesterase activity of blood, brain and muscle was studied in rats poisoned with nitrostigmine. Haemodialysis was found to be quite an effective method for eliminating demeton-S-methyl sulfoxide and dimethoate, dialysance values of 52.98 ml/min and 59.07 ml/min being found for demeton-S-methyl sulfoxide and dimethoate respectively. Nitrostigmine could not be removed by haemodialysis. These findings suggest that haemodialysis could be of therapeutic value in the treatment of severe demeton-S-methyl sulfoxide and dimethoate poisoning in man. By blood exchange transfusion only 0.06% of the injected dose of nitrostigmine could be removed from the body of poisoned rats. Acetylcholinesterase activity increased only briefly in the period of blood exchange transfusion and decreased gradually afterwards. The enzymatic activity of brain and muscle was unaffected. Therefore, blood exchange transfusion has, if any at all, only poor therapeutic properties in nitrostigmine intoxication.

Elimination of the nonionic contrast medium iopromide in end-stage renal failure by hemodialysis.

The increasing life-expectancy of patients with end-stage renal failure has led to a significant increase of diagnostic and interventional radiologic measures. The contrast media used in these procedures, however, are excreted only very slowly, due to the renal failure. We have therefore studied the elimination of the nonionic x-ray contrast medium iopromide (Ultravist) during dialysis in nine anuric patients with end-stage renal failure. All of the patients received 100 ml iopromide (30 g iodine) for the visualization of their Cimino-Brescia shunt. They were then dialyzed 30 minutes after the injection. The plasma iodine concentration declined from 1.7 to 0.7 mg I/ml plasma during the 3-hour dialysis treatment. The iopromide clearance was a constant 80 ml/min. This is the equivalent of a relative dialysance of 65% of the creatinine clearance. There were no incidences of side effects requiring therapy in this high-risk group of patients. The quality of the image was good in all cases. Iopromide proved itself to be an x-ray contrast medium with a low rate of side effects, which can be effectively eliminated from the body by means of conventional dialysis.

No short-term effects of high-frequency electromagnetic fields on the mammalian pineal gland.

There is ample experimental evidence that changes of earth-strength static magnetic fields, pulsed magnetic fields, or alternating electric fields (60 Hz) depress the nocturnally enhanced melatonin synthesis of the pineal gland of certain mammals. No data on the effects of high-frequency electromagnetic fields on melatonin synthesis is available. In the present study, exposure to 900 MHz electromagnetic fields [0.1 to 0.6 mW/cm2, approximately 0.06 to 0.36 W/kg specific absorption rate (SAR) in rats and 0.04 W/kg in Djungarian hamsters; both continuous and/or pulsed at 217 Hz, for 15 min to 6 h] at day or night had no notable short-term effect on pineal melatonin synthesis in male and female Sprague-Dawley rats and Djungarian hamsters. Pineal synaptic ribbon profile numbers (studied in rats only) were likewise not affected. The 900 MHz electromagnetic fields, unpulsed or pulsed at 217 Hz, as applied in the present study, have no short-term effect on the mammalian pineal gland.