Eye movements and visuoverbal descriptions exhibit heterogeneous and dissociated patterns before and after prismatic adaptation in unilateral spatial neglect.

This prospective study examined the effects of prismatic adaptation on visual exploration strategies in patients with left unilateral spatial neglect (USN). Photo-oculographic gaze recordings were obtained, as the subjects (28 brain-damaged; 15 control) performed a free visual exploration task before and after a session of prismatic adaptation. (i) Before prismatic adaptation, the pattern of visual exploration described two subgroups of patients (symmetrical exploration of hemispaces - similar to the control subjects, deficient exploration of left hemispace). Twelve of 20 patients failed to describe significant elements in the left part of the displayed image. Several visuoverbal patterns were observed, some dissociating visual exploration and verbal description. (ii) Immediately after prismatic adaptation, patients with asymmetrical visual exploration presented a significant increase in the number of point fixations and saccades in the left hemispace. Patients with symmetrical exploration presented the opposite pattern. Improved pattern of visual exploration contrasted with an absence of improved verbal description. Eye movements and visuoverbal descriptions exhibit heterogeneous and dissociated patterns before and after prismatic adaptation. This results demonstrate that prismatic adaptation has no effect in certain patients, suggesting that therapeutic indications and evaluation of prismatic test results should take into consideration the heterogeneous nature of USN.

Functional asymmetries of the lower limbs. A comparison between clinical assessment of laterality, isokinetic evaluation and electrogoniometric monitoring of knees during walking.

We used bilateral electrogoniometric gait monitoring of the knees to demonstrate the existence of an angular asymmetry between the two legs in healthy subjects. We also searched for correlations between this asymmetry and handedness, footedness and ocular laterality and isokinetic strength of the flexor-extensor muscles of the two knees. Among the 40 subjects studied, 25 (62.5%) showed an asymmetric maximal knee flexion: the difference being superior or equal to 5 degrees between the knees. There was no correlation between this asymmetry and the lateralities studied. We termed this type of asymmetry 'angular preponderance' to differentiate it from the laterality defined by clinical tests. Isokinetic strength of the knee flexors and extensors was correlated with the gender and speed, but not with side or laterality. Appropriate interpretation of lower limb examination should take into consideration angular gait asymmetry in the healthy subject.

[Implementation of palliative care in Ivory Coast]. / Mise en place de la politique nationale des soins palliatifs en Côte d'Ivoire.

Ivory Coast adhered to the strategy of the primary cares of health whose leading principles served basis to the definition of the National politics of sanitary development, exposed in the National plan of sanitary development 1996-2005. The improvement of the quality of the cares is the main objective of this plan. The attack of this objective cannot make itself without the hold in account of the palliative cares that are a component of the cares for the patients affected by chronic and incurable affections, since the diagnosis until the death and even after the death. Conscious of the necessity to develop the palliative cares to improve the quality of life of the patients and their families, the ministry in charge of health, in collaboration with the partners to the development, initiated a project of development of the palliative care in Ivory Coast. It is about an innovating gait in Ivory Coast concerning politics of health. This work has for goal to present the big lines and the setting in which this politics has been put in place.