Nest design in a changing world: great tit Parus major nests from a Mediterranean city environment as a case study.

Investigations of urbanization effects on birds have focused mainly on breeding traits expressed after the nest-building stage (e.g. first-egg date, clutch size, breeding success, and offspring characteristics). Urban studies largely ignored how and why the aspects of nest building might be associated with the degree of urbanization. As urban environments are expected to present novel environmental changes relative to rural environments, it is important to evaluate how nest-building behavior is impacted by vegetation modifications associated with urbanization. To examine nest design in a Mediterranean city environment, we allowed urban great tits (Parus major) to breed in nest boxes in areas that differed in local vegetation cover. We found that different measures of nest size or mass were not associated with vegetation cover. In particular, nests located adjacent to streets with lower vegetation cover were not smaller or lighter than nests in parks with higher vegetation cover. Nests adjacent to streets contained more pine needles than nests in parks. In addition, in nests adjacent to streets, nests from boxes attached to pine trees contained more pine needles than nests from boxes attached to other trees. We suggest that urban-related alterations in vegetation cover do not directly impose physical limits on nest size in species that are opportunistic in the selection of nesting material. However, nest composition as reflected in the use of pine needles was clearly affected by habitat type and the planted tree species present, which implies that rapid habitat change impacts nest composition. We do not exclude that urbanization might impact other aspects of nest building behaviour not covered in our study (e.g. costs of searching for nest material), and that the strengths of the associations between urbanization and nest structures might differ among study populations or species.

Malnutrition and Its Determinants among Older Adults Living in French Caribbean Nursing Homes: A Cross-Sectional Study.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to assess the prevalence of malnutrition and its determinants in older adults living in French Caribbean nursing homes. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was taken from the KASEHAD (Karukera Study of Ageing in EHPAD) study. Nutritional status was assessed with the Mini Nutritional Assessment Short-Form (MNA-SF). Clinical characteristics and scores on geriatric scales (Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), Activities of Daily Living (ADL), Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB), Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression (CESD) and Questionnaire Quality of Life Alzheimer's Disease (QoL-AD)) were extracted. Bivariate analysis and logistic models adjusted were performed to test the association between nutritional status and both socio-demographic variables and geriatric scales. RESULTS: A total of 332 older adults from six nursing homes were included in the KASEHPAD study. Among the participants, 319 had an MNA-SF score. The mean age was 81.3 ± 10.6 years, and half of the participants were men. The frequency of malnutrition (MNA-SF ≤ 7) was 27.6% (95% confidence interval (CI): 22.0-32.5) (n = 88). Based on the multivariable analysis, a low MMSE was associated with malnutrition (OR: 0.81 (0.68-0.92); p = 0.015) and there was a borderline significant link between a higher CESD score and malnutrition (OR: 1.05 (1.00-1.12); p = 0.07). CONCLUSIONS: Cognitive decline and a tendency toward depression were associated with malnutrition in nursing homes in the French West Indies. Although this study cannot establish causal relationships, the identification of these three geriatric syndromes in nursing homes is crucial for preventing adverse health events.

Short Physical Performance Battery and Study of Osteoporotic Fractures Index in the Exploration of Frailty Among Older People in Cameroon.

Objectives: To investigate the relationship between the Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB) and the Study of Osteoporotic Fractures (SOF) index. Methods: We present data from a cross-sectional survey conducted in Cameroon. Frailty was defined as an SOF index > 0. The sensitivity and specificity of the SPPB were investigated. Principal component analysis (PCA) was performed to assess the contribution of each subtest of the SPPB to the relationship with the SOF. Results: Among 403 people included (49.6% women), average age of 67.1 (±6.2) years, 35.7% were frail according to the SOF. After determining the best SPPB threshold for diagnosing frailty (threshold = 9, Se = 88.9%, Sp = 74.9%), 47.9% were frail according to the SPPB. The first dimension of PCA explained 55.8% of the variability in the data. Among the subtests of the SPPB, the chair stand test item was the component most associated with the SOF index. Conclusion: Despite the overlap between the SOF and the SPPB, our results suggest that a negative result on the five chair-stands test alone would be sufficient to suspect physical frailty.

Calcifications in the cuff: take it or leave it?

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to evaluate whether removing the calcifications in the rotator cuff tendons during surgical subacromial decompression improves outcome in patients with calcific tendonitis. METHODS: Two groups of 20 patients with a subacromial impingement syndrome and cuff calcifications were operated on. In group A, patients had an anterolateral acromioplasty according to Neer with excision of calcifications. In group B, the same procedure was performed without additional excision of calcifications. After a minimum follow-up of 3 years the patients were assessed with the disabilities of arm, shoulder and hand score (DASH), the visual analogue scale (VAS) for pain, measurements of range of motion (ROM) in all planes, and satisfaction with treatment. RESULTS: The results for the DASH score, ROM, VAS and satisfaction with treatment showed no significant difference between the two groups. CONCLUSION: The results of our study suggest that removal of calcific deposits with anterolateral acromioplasty does not influence patient outcome. Further prospective studies are needed to determine the optimal surgical treatment for calcific tendonitis.

Unsatisfactory results with the cementless Omnifit acetabular component due to polyethylene and severe osteolysis.

A high incidence of acetabular osteolysis (43%), associated with osteolytic lesions in the proximal femur (22.6%) and leading to a high revision rate, was experienced with the Omnifit total hip prosthesis. We reviewed the clinical and radiological results with 429 Omnifit total hips in 356 patients after a mean follow-up of 60 months. Time to revision and wear of the polyethylene liner with different acetabular shell types were specifically analysed. Pelvic osteolysis first became manifest in the acetabular bone opposite to the holes in the metal shell. Osteolysis occurred predominantly adjacent to the central hole in the metal shell of threaded cups; widespread and larger defects were found in press fit cups with peripheral screw holes. Kaplan Meier survival analysis demonstrated a higher probability for retaining the threaded cup at 6 years (96%; 95%-confidence interval: 93-99%) compared to the survival of the press fit cup (66%; 95%-CI: 56-77%). The results suggest a negative relationship between backside wear, the larger number of holes in the cup, the extent of osteolysis and survival rate of the press fit cups. Based on these findings and supported by similar reports about osteolysis related to the same cup design, it was hypothesised that backside wear due to the insufficient locking mechanism of the Omnifit acetabular cup was the major cause of the unsatisfactory results in our patients. For this reason we discontinued using this type of uncemented socket.

Timing functions of the supplementary motor area: an event-related fMRI study.

Two previous studies in which we recorded slow brain potential shifts over the scalp revealed performance-dependent effects that sustained one prominent model of timing mechanisms. These effects seemed to be derived from the supplementary motor area (SMA). Event-related functional magnetic resonance imagery (fMRI) was used to check this hypothesis. Brain activations were contrasted in Time production and (control) Force production tasks involving left-hand responding. These tasks, presented in mixed order, were designed to be of equivalent difficulty and involve comparable levels of attention. Several brain areas were activated in both tasks relative to baseline: the SMA, the putamen, and the lateral cerebellum. Contrasts between tasks gave clear-cut differences. Activations specific to the Time task were found in the SMA proper and the left primary motor cortex. The Force task activated the right sensorimotor cortex and the left cerebellum, and, bilaterally, the infero-parietal cortex and the insula. The main result, i.e. prominent activation of the SMA proper in relation to temporal production, corroborates our previous studies based on slow cortical potentials. The data are referred to current evidence suggesting that timing processes are subtended by a striato-thalamo-cortical pathway including the SMA.

Electroencephalographic nogo potentials in a no-movement context: the case of motor imagery in humans.

The nogo potentials (N2/P3) were studied in a precuing auditory reaction time task in human subjects who had to either perform a button-press response (Press condition) or imagine they were performing it (Imagine condition). In the full precue condition (the subjects knew in advance which response they had to perform/imagine), in 25% of the trials, a nogo signal instructed the subject not to perform or not to imagine the prepared action. Clear N2/P3 components were obtained on nogo trials on the Press trials, but also on the Imagine ones: the N2 was of similar amplitude in both conditions, whereas the P3 was of smaller amplitude in the Imagine condition. The presence of nogo potential in motor imagery is discussed in terms of the functional significance of the N2/P3 complex.

[Treatment dynamics in sensorimotor disorders: the contribution of electrophysiology]. / Dynamique du traitement de l'information sensorimotrice: apport de l'électrophysiologie.

In the field of sensorimotor activities, progresses achieved over the last fifty years have been largely driven by the Reaction Time (RT) paradigm. Information processing models are set in the context of a global breakdown of sensorimotor activities in multiple concatenated stages, each aggregated in many fundamental operations that are functionally linked. If there is a consensus today about this breakdown, the way stages organize themselves in time however is still much debated. According to one hypothesis, there is no temporal overlap between each stages: the process occurs sequentially. According to another theory, the stages overlap over in time: the process occurs in a parallel manner. A behavioral analysis does not allow to determine between these two hypothesis because the RT represents the final product of the whole sensorimotor pathway, while the temporal organization of the processing of information depends on the nature of the transfer between individual stages. An all-or-nothing information transfer, also called discrete, leads to a sequential organization, while a progressive or continuous transfer brings about a parallel organization. Moreover, contrary to a preconceived notion, data obtained from classical neurophysiology are compatible with both a sequential organization and a parallel organization. Particularly, the great number of connections between the different elements of the nervous system has often seemed difficult to conciliate with a sequential organization. In fact, this argument is inadmissible because it stems from confusion between a temporal organization and an anatomical organization of the processing of information. More generally, our knowledge of the functional anatomy of sensorimotor activities imposes but few constraints on the temporal organization patterns of the processing of information. The lack of interest for the neurophysiological argument seems essentially due to the fact that theses arguments rest on research which is not aimed at the temporal organization of the sensorimotor information processing. Recently, approaches that integrate concepts and methods used in experimental psychology and neurosciences have contributed to putting in perspective the organization of information processing. Electromyography, EEG, reflexology and neuronal recording techniques have been used in the context of two inference logics. The first logic, that we call "factual", is based on the study of functional relations between RT and certain neuronal events. The second logic, that we call "chronometric", is based on the study of the relationships between RT and intervals resulting from the breakdown of the RT in relation to certain neuronal events. Generally speaking, most studies suggest that in tasks where the stimulus is composed of numerous attributes, information processing operates in parallel. On the other hand, when the stimulus is made up of a single attribute, information processing could be operating in a sequential manner. One weakness of this electrophysiological approach is that it has so far only examined relationships between physiological indicators and means RT. We propose here to offset these weaknesses by examining functional relationships between RT distribution variances and certain neuronal events linked to information processing.

Traumatic complex dislocation of the atlanto-axial joint with odontoid and C2 superior articular facet fracture.

STUDY DESIGN: Case report and clinical discussion. OBJECTIVE: We intend to report a unique case of a atlantoaxial dislocation with a odontoid and C2 superior articular facet fracture. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Traumatic dislocation of the atlantoaxial joint in combination with a C2 fracture is a rare injury. Only 5 cases have been reported in the literature. METHODS: We present a case of a 43-year-old man with a primary atlantoaxial complex dislocation associated with an odontoid and comminuted C2 superior articular facet fracture with complete recovery of an accompanying hemiplegia after reduction. RESULTS: The patient underwent gentle traction with a halo frame until a complete reduction was achieved within 3 days, after which a vest was installed. His neurologic status improved to a slight weakness of the right shoulder in abduction (Grade 4/5) after 4 months and his C2 fracture healed in an acceptable position. CONCLUSION: To our knowledge, this is the first case of a traumatic atlantoaxial rotatory dislocation with accompanying odontoid and C2 superior articular facet fracture.

The nature of unilateral motor commands in between-hand choice tasks as revealed by surface Laplacian estimation.

From electroencephalographic recordings, we estimated the surface Laplacian over motor areas in a Stroop-like between-hand choice reaction time task in humans. Response-locked averages showed a (negative) "motor potential" over the primary motor areas contralateral to the response. At the same time, a positive wave was observed over the primary motor areas ipsilateral to the response. These data suggest that, when a between-hand choice is required, an inhibition of the primary motor cortex ipsilateral to the nonresponding hand is implemented. This observation is relevant to the interpretation of the lateralized readiness potential (LRP) because the LRP is blind to the respective contribution of the contralateral and ipsilateral motor cortices. In addition, a negative wave beginning about 200 ms before EMG onset and peaking about 50 ms before it occurred over the supplementary motor areas (FCz). This wave preceded the motor potential, which supports the view that the supplementary motor areas are upstream in a hierarchy of the motor command.

Executive control in the Simon effect: an electromyographic and distributional analysis.

Manual responses to lateralized stimuli are faster for spatially congruent stimulus-response associations than for incongruent associations, even if the stimulus location is irrelevant. This effect, however, decreases as reaction time increases. Recent data suggest that such a decrease reflects online, within-trial executive control. The present study was aimed at testing this hypothesis by analyzing the electromyographic activity of muscles involved in response execution. We focused on the particular trials in which an activation of the muscle involved to the incorrect response preceded the execution of the correct response. A sequential effect analysis, along with an analysis of the reaction time distributions, revealed that after such dual-activation trials, executive control was reinforced. In addition, a distribution analysis of the reaction times associated with such trials compared to the trials without incorrect activation, revealed online, within-trial changes in executive control. Arguments against a late motor locus of the effect of the irrelevant stimulus location are also provided. These results are discussed in terms of current models of cognitive control.

A transcranial magnetic stimulation study of information processing in the motor cortex: relationship between the silent period and the reaction time delay.

The present study was aimed at deciphering whether the delay in choice reaction time (RT) and the silent period (SP) caused by transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) of the motor cortex in the ongoing electromyogram are due to the same physiological mechanism. To this end, the effect of TMS was studied in 6 healthy volunteers performing a between-hand choice RT task. Specific predictions were derived from a logic inspired from the "postponed stages" hypothesis (Pashler & Johnson, 1989). This logic predicts a correlation between SP duration and RT when the stimulated cortex is involved in the response, and a stronger correlation when the stimulation is delivered later during the RT interval. The effect of TMS on RT was twofold: At early stimulation times, the stimulation shortened the RT and this effect was independent of the involvement of the stimulated motor cortex in the subsequent response. At later stimulation times, TMS had a disruptive effect, provided that the stimulated cortex was involved in the response. When the stimulated cortex was involved in the response, there was a correlation between SP and RT; this correlation was stronger when the stimulation occurred later. In contrast, there was no correlation between these two variables when the stimulated cortex was not involved.