Further recommendations of the International Paediatric Brain Injury Society (IPBIS) for the post-acute rehabilitation of children with acquired brain injury.

BACKGROUND: Paediatric acquired brain injury is a life-long condition which impacts on all facets of the individual's lived experience. The existing evidence base continues to expand and new fields of enquiry are established as clinicians and researchers uncover the extent of these impacts. PRIMARY OBJECTIVE: To add to recommendations described in the International Paediatric Brain Injury Society's 2016 paper on post-acute care for children with acquired brain injury and highlight new areas of enquiry. REVIEW OF INFORMATION: Recommendations were made based on the opinions of a group of experienced international clinicians and researchers who are current or past members of the board of directors of the International Paediatric Brain Injury Society. The importance of each recommendation was agreed upon by means of group consensus. OUTCOMES: This update gives new consideration to areas of study including injuries which occur in pre-school children, young people in the military, medical referral, young offenders and the use of technology in rehabilitation.

A Tailorable Robotic Hand Orthosis to Support Children with Neurological Hand Impairments: a Case Study in a Child's Home.

Neurological disorders such as traumatic brain injuries (TBI) can lead to hand impairments in children, negatively impacting their quality of life. Fully wearable robotic hand orthoses (RHO) have been proposed to actively support children and promote the use of the impaired limb in daily life. Here we report a case study on the feasibility of using the pediatric RHO PEXO for assistance at home in a 13- year-old child with hand impairment after TBI. The size and functionalities of the RHO were first fully tailored to the child's needs. We trained the child and their parent on independently using the RHO before taking it home for a period of two weeks. The use of the RHO improved hand ability. Additionally, the tailoring and training benefited the unimanual capacity (Box and Block Test score +2 after tailoring) and bimanual performance (Assisting Hand Assessment score +4) of the child with PEXO. Further, it increased device acceptance by the child and the parent. The child used PEXO at home for 76 minutes distributed over three days during eating and drinking tasks. Personal and environmental factors caused the moderate use. No adverse events or safety-related issues occurred. This study highlights the value of tailoring an assistive RHO and, for the first time, demonstrates the feasibility of home use of a pediatric RHO by children with neurological hand impairments.

Perspectives of Swiss Paediatric Health Care Professionals on Factors Influencing Physical Activity Participation in Children with Disabilities.

AIM: Investigation of the perspectives of paediatric health care professionals (PHCPs) in Switzerland regarding factors that influence participation in physical activity programs for children and adolescents with disabilities or chronic conditions (CADCCs). Evaluation of self-reported exercise counselling behavior of those professionals. METHOD: A cross-sectional survey was used to collect the opinions of 171 PHCPs working with CADCCs using a structured questionnaire. The information obtained was evaluated by performing a combined quantitative and qualitative statistical analysis. RESULTS: PHCPs in Switzerland think that CADCC do not get enough physical activity and see the underlying reasons in lacking information/knowledge and organizational factors. We found that the level of knowledge about disability sports opportunities among PHCPs has a positive influence on their exercise counselling behaviour. CONCLUSIONS: We propose three approaches to increase the level of physical activity in CADCC: Establishing personalized exercise counseling, intensifying information about disability sports programmes towards PHCPs, and improving inclusion and integration in PE lessons or regular sports clubs.

The Variable Influence of Orthotic Management on Hip and Pelvic Rotation in Children with Unilateral Neurogenic Equinus Deformity.

BACKGROUND: Equinus deformity with or without concomitant drop foot is a common finding in children with unilateral spastic cerebral palsy and spastic hemiplegia of other causes. Hypothetically, these deformities may lead to pelvic retraction and hip internal rotation during gait. Orthoses are used to reduce pes equinus during gait and to restore hindfoot first contact. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to investigate whether the use of orthotic equinus correction reduces rotational hip and pelvic asymmetries. METHODS: In a retrospective study, 34 children with unilateral spastic cerebral palsy or spastic hemiplegia of other causes underwent standardized instrumented 3D gait analysis with and without orthotic equinus management. We analyzed the differences in the torsional profile during barefoot walking and while wearing orthoses, as well as investigated the influence of ankle dorsiflexion and femoral anteversion on pelvic and hip kinematics and hip kinetics. RESULTS: Wearing orthoses corrected pes equinus and pelvic internal rotation at the end of the stance phase and in the swing phase compared to barefoot walking. Hip rotation and the rotational moment did not significantly change with orthoses. Orthotic management or femoral anteversion did not correlate to pelvic and hip asymmetry. CONCLUSION: The findings indicate that the correction of the equinus by using orthoses had a variable effect on the asymmetry of the hip and pelvis and internal rotation; both appear to have a multifactorial cause that is not primarily driven by the equinus component.

Assessment of compression forces in a digitally modified short leg cast for pressure injury risk monitoring in healthy children.

Introduction: Casting is an essential treatment for neuro-orthopedic conditions in children with cognitive, sensory, and communicational disabilities. However, a main side-effect is the development of pressure injuries resulting in additional (wound) therapies and prolongation of the hospital stay. The primary aim of our study was to investigate the potential of objective pressure measurements in casts to assess the risk for pressure injury development. Methods: Five pediatric healthy participants were included in this study. We measured the global and the local compression force at body sites prone to pressure injury development for different body positions and the transfer in-between in a cast equipped with pressure sensors. These conditions resulted in partial or full body weight loading. Results and discussion: The global maximum compression force was affected significantly by body postures with partial and full loading of the cast and during transfer. The local compression force significantly correlated with the global compression force at the heel and instep area. In conclusion, the integration of sensing technologies into casts bears a high potential for early recognition of critical conditions inside the cast and inducing preventive measures in the at-risk population.

The translation regulator Zar1l controls timing of meiosis in Xenopus oocytes.

Oocyte maturation and early embryo development occur in vertebrates in the near absence of transcription. Thus, sexual reproduction of vertebrates critically depends on the timely translation of mRNAs already stockpiled in the oocyte. Yet how translational activation of specific mRNAs is temporally coordinated is still incompletely understood. Here, we elucidate the function of Zar1l, a yet uncharacterized member of the Zar RNA-binding protein family, in Xenopus oocytes. Employing TRIM-Away, we demonstrate that loss of Zar1l accelerates hormone-induced meiotic resumption of Xenopus oocytes due to premature accumulation of the M-phase-promoting kinase cMos. We show that Zar1l is a constituent of a large ribonucleoparticle containing the translation repressor 4E-T and the central polyadenylation regulator CPEB1, and that it binds directly to the cMos mRNA. Partial, hormone-induced degradation of Zar1l liberates 4E-T from CPEB1, which weakens translational repression of mRNAs encoding cMos and likely additional M-phase-promoting factors. Thus, our study provides fundamental insights into the mechanisms that ensure temporally regulated translation of key cell cycle regulators during oocyte maturation, which is essential for sexual reproductivity.

Cyclin B3 implements timely vertebrate oocyte arrest for fertilization.

To ensure successful offspring ploidy, vertebrate oocytes must halt the cell cycle in meiosis II until sperm entry. Emi2 is essential to keep oocytes arrested until fertilization. However, how this arrest is implemented exclusively in meiosis II and not prematurely in meiosis I has until now remained enigmatic. Using mouse and frog oocytes, we show here that cyclin B3, an understudied B-type cyclin, is essential to keep Emi2 levels low in meiosis I. Direct phosphorylation of Emi2 at an evolutionarily highly conserved site by Cdk1/cyclin B3 targets Emi2 for degradation. In contrast, Cdk1/cyclin B1 is inefficient in Emi2 phosphorylation, and this provides a molecular explanation for the requirement of different B-type cyclins for oocyte maturation. Cyclin B3 degradation at exit from meiosis I enables Emi2 accumulation and thus timely arrest in meiosis II. Our findings illuminate the evolutionarily conserved mechanisms that control oocyte arrest for fertilization at the correct cell-cycle stage, which is essential for embryo viability.

Design of a compliant, stabilizing wrist mechanism for a pediatric hand exoskeleton.

Children affected by hand impairment due to cerebral palsy or stroke experience serious difficulties when performing activities of daily life (ADL), which reduces their quality of life and development. Wearable robots such as hand exoskeletons have been proposed to support people with hand impairment in therapy as well as daily tasks. While numerous actuated wearable robots have been developed, few designs support both fingers and wrist function, despite being mutually relevant for reach-to-grasp tasks. A recent feasibility study investigating the use of PEXO, a lightweight and fully wearable pediatric hand exoskeleton, showed that a wrist fixed in a slightly extended position may limit the user's ability to reach and grasp during ADL and restrict the user group. These insights and further interactions with clinicians inspired a novel design of PEXO that features an additional degree of freedom in the wrist. In this paper, we present a compliant wrist mechanism extending the existing leaf spring finger mechanism of the device. The novel design provides both wrist motion capability of 60° in flexion and extension and wrist stabilization at the same time while actively supporting finger motion. Preliminary results suggest that the adjustability in the wrist enables a larger variety of grasping gestures. The implemented wrist support has the potential to allow for a more versatile use of PEXO and increase the potential target user group.

Cohort profile: the Swiss Cerebral Palsy Registry (Swiss-CP-Reg) cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Cerebral Palsy (CP) is a group of permanent disorders of movement and posture that follow injuries to the developing brain. It results in motor dysfunction and a wide variety of comorbidities like epilepsy; pain; speech, hearing and vision disorders; cognitive dysfunction; and eating and digestive difficulties. Central data collection is essential to the study of the epidemiology, clinical presentations, care, and quality of life of patients affected by CP. CP specialists founded the Swiss Cerebral Palsy Registry (Swiss-CP-Reg) in 2017. This paper describes the design, structure, aims and achievements of Swiss-CP-Reg and presents its first results. METHODS: Swiss-CP-Reg records patients of any age diagnosed with CP who are born, are treated, or live in Switzerland. It collects data from medical records and reports, from questionnaires answered by patients and their families, and from data linkage with routine statistics and other registries. The registry contains information on diagnosis, clinical presentation, comorbidities, therapies, personal information, family history, and quality of life. RESULTS: From August 2017 to August 2021, 546 participants (55% male, mean age at registration 8 years [interquartile range IQR: 5-12]), were enrolled in Swiss-CP-Reg. Most had been born at term (56%), were less than two years old at diagnosis (73%, median 18 months, IQR: 9-25), and were diagnosed with spastic CP (76%). Most (59%) live with a mild motor impairment (Gross Motor Function Classification System [GMFCS] level I or II), 12% with a moderate motor impairment (GMFCS level III), and 29% with a severe motor impairment (GMFCS level IV or V). In a subset of 170 participants, we measured intelligence quotient (IQ) and saw lower IQs with increasing GMFCS level. Swiss-CP-Reg has a strong interest in research, with four nested projects running currently, and many more planned. CONCLUSIONS: Swiss-CP-Reg collects and exchanges national data on people living with CP to answer clinically relevant questions. Its structure enables retrospective and prospective data collection and knowledge exchange between experts to optimise and standardise treatment and to improve the health and quality of life of those diagnosed with CP in Switzerland.

Clinical utility of a pediatric hand exoskeleton: identifying users, practicability, and acceptance, and recommendations for design improvement.

BACKGROUND: Children and adolescents with upper limb impairments can experience limited bimanual performance reducing daily-life independence. We have developed a fully wearable pediatric hand exoskeleton (PEXO) to train or compensate for impaired hand function. In this study, we investigated its appropriateness, practicability, and acceptability. METHODS: Children and adolescents aged 6-18 years with functional limitations in at least one hand due to a neurological cause were selected for this cross-sectional evaluation. We characterized participants by various clinical tests and quantified bimanual performance with the Assisting Hand Assessment (AHA). We identified children whose AHA scaled score increased by ≥ 7 points when using the hand exoskeleton and determined clinical predictors to investigate appropriateness. The time needed to don each component and the number of technical issues were recorded to evaluate practicability. For acceptability, the experiences of the patients and the therapist with PEXO were evaluated. We further noted any adverse events. RESULTS: Eleven children (median age 11.4 years) agreed to participate, but data was available for nine participants. The median AHA scaled score was higher with PEXO (68; IQR: 59.5-83) than without (55; IQR: 37.5-80.5; p = 0.035). The Box and Block test, the Selective Control of the Upper Extremity Scale, and finger extensor muscle strength could differentiate well between those participants who improved in AHA scaled scores by ≥ 7 points and those who did not (sensitivity and specificity varied between 0.75 and 1.00). The median times needed to don the back module, the glove, and the hand module were 62, 150, and 160 s, respectively, but all participants needed assistance. The most critical failures were the robustness of the transmission system, the electronics, and the attachment system. Acceptance was generally high, particularly in participants who improved bimanual performance with PEXO. Five participants experienced some pressure points. No adverse events occurred. CONCLUSIONS: PEXO is a safe exoskeleton that can improve bimanual hand performance in young patients with minimal hand function. PEXO receives high acceptance. We formulated recommendations to improve technical issues and the donning before such exoskeletons can be used under daily-life conditions for therapy or as an assistive device. Trial registration Not appropriate.

Neural correlates of memory recovery: Preliminary findings in children and adolescents with acquired brain injury.

BACKGROUND: After acquired brain injury (ABI), patients show various neurological impairments and outcome is difficult to predict. Identifying biomarkers of recovery could provide prognostic information about a patient's neural potential for recovery and improve our understanding of neural reorganization. In healthy subjects, sleep slow wave activity (SWA, EEG spectral power 1-4.5 Hz) has been linked to neuroplastic processes such as learning and brain maturation. Therefore, we suggest that SWA might be a suitable measure to investigate neural reorganization underlying memory recovery. OBJECTIVES: In the present study, we used SWA to investigate neural correlates of recovery of function in ten paediatric patients with ABI (age range 7-15 years). METHODS: We recorded high-density EEG (128 electrodes) during sleep at the beginning and end of rehabilitation. We used sleep EEG data of 52 typically developing children to calculate age-normalized values for individual patients. In patients, we also assessed every-day life memory impairment at the beginning and end of rehabilitation. RESULTS: In the course of rehabilitation, memory recovery was paralleled by longitudinal changes in SWA over posterior parietal brain areas. SWA over left prefrontal and occipital brain areas at the beginning of rehabilitation predicted memory recovery. CONCLUSIONS: We show that longitudinal sleep-EEG measurements are feasible in the clinical setting. While posterior parietal and prefrontal brain areas are known to belong to the memory "core network", occipital brain areas have never been related to memory. While we have to remain cautious in interpreting preliminary findings, we suggest that SWA is a promising measure to investigate neural reorganization.

Drowning in Children: Retrospective Analysis of Incident Characteristics, Predicting Parameters, and Long-Term Outcome.

BACKGROUND: Drowning is the second leading cause of unnatural death in childhood worldwide. More than half of the drowned children, who were in need of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) at the scene suffered from lifelong neurological sequelae. There are few data about prognostic predictors in the pediatric population of drowning victims. The objective of the study was to assess incident characteristics, prognostic parameters, and long-term outcome of children recovering from a drowning incident. METHODS: We carried out a retrospective analysis of data of the cohort of pediatric cases (age 0-18) of drowning victims admitted in the years 2000-2015 to the emergency room/intensive care unit/pediatric ward at the University Children's Hospital of Zurich, Switzerland. Outcome was classified by the Pediatric Cerebral Performance Category Scale (PCPCS). New subcategories of severity for known prognostic parameters have been defined. A correlation analysis was performed between the subcategories of the prognostic parameters and the PCPCS. RESULTS: A total of 80 patients were included in the analysis. Of these, 64% were male, most of the patients were at the age of 0-5 years. More than 80% of the patients were unattended at a public or private pool when the drowning incident happened. In all, 61% (n = 49) needed cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). Of the resuscitated children, 63% showed good to mildly impaired long-term outcome (PCPCS 1-3). Furthermore, 15% (n = 12) were transferred to rehabilitation. Seven children died during the hospital stay and another four died due to complications in the ten years following the incident. The newly defined subcategories of the parameter submersion time, Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) at time of admission, body temperature at time of admission, blood pH, blood glucose, and blood lactate level correlated significantly with the PCPCS. CONCLUSIONS: Supervision of children, especially boys of the age 0-5 years, next to public or private pools is most important for prevention of drowning incidents in Switzerland. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation done by trained staff leads to a better long-term outcome. Medical decision making in severe cases of drowning should consider submersion time, GCS at time of admission, body temperature at time of admission, blood pH, blood glucose, and blood lactate levels, as these parameters correlate with long-term outcome.

Lessons learned from conducting a pragmatic, randomized, crossover trial on robot-assisted gait training in children with cerebral palsy (PeLoGAIT).

PURPOSE: To investigate the effectiveness of outpatient robot-assisted gait training (RAGT) in ambulatory children with spastic cerebral palsy. METHODS: Children were randomized to two different intervention sequences within a pragmatic crossover design. They performed five weeks of RAGT (3 sessions per week) and five weeks of usual care (UC). Dimension E of the Gross Motor Function Measure-88 (GMFM E) as the primary outcome as well as Dimension D (GMFM D), and timed walking tests were assessed before and after each treatment sequence and after a 5-week follow-up. RESULTS: The trial was stopped early because of recruitment problems. We included 16 children with a mean age of 11.3 years (6.0-15.3 years). GMFM E median (IQR) change scores were -0.7 (-2.8 to 3.5) after RAGT and 0 (-2.4 to 2.4) after UC. Neither GMFM E nor any secondary outcome measure changed significantly after RAGT or UC, nor were any period, follow-up, or carry-over effects observable. CONCLUSIONS: RAGT as a single intervention was not effective in improving walking abilities in the included children. It should be embedded in a holistic treatment approach, as it cannot cover all aspects relevant to gait. Furthermore, children's personalized rehabilitation goals should be carefully monitored with individualized measurement instruments.

PEXO - A Pediatric Whole Hand Exoskeleton for Grasping Assistance in Task-Oriented Training.

Children with hand motor impairment due to cerebral palsy, traumatic brain injury, or pediatric stroke are considerably affected in their independence, development, and quality of life. Treatment conventionally includes task-oriented training in occupational therapy. While dose and intensity of hand therapy can be promoted through technology, these approaches are mostly limited to large stationary robotic devices for non-task-oriented training, or passive wearable devices for children with mild impairments. Here we present PEXO, a fully wearable actuated pediatric hand exoskeleton to cover the special needs of children (6 to 12 years of age) with strong impairments in hand function. Through three degrees of freedom, PEXO provides assistance in various grasp types needed for the execution of functional tasks. It is lightweight, water proof, and inherently interacts safely with the user. It meets mechanical requirements such as force, fast closing movement, and battery lifetime derived from literature and discussions with clinicians. Appealing appearance, user-friendly design, and intuitive control with visual feedback of forearm muscle activity should keep the user motivated during training in the clinic or at home. A pilot test with a 6-years old child with stroke showed that PEXO can provide assistance in grasping various objects weighing up to 0.5 kg. These are promising first results on the way to make hand exoskeletons accessible for children with neuromotor disorders.

[Improving Communication Quality Caring for Children with Chronic Conditions: Health, Functioning and Wellbeing Traffic-Light Tool]. / Verbesserung der Sprechstunde mit chronisch kranken Kindern: Gesundheits-, Funktions- und Wohlergehensampel.

Improving Communication Quality Caring for Children with Chronic Conditions: Health, Functioning and Wellbeing Traffic-Light Tool Abstract. Effective patient-doctor communication is a crucial aspect while caring for children with chronic conditions or disabilities. The Health, Functioning and Wellbeing Summary Traffic Light has been developed as a communication tool especially for these patients. In a two-month pilot phase the German version was evaluated by parents and physicians in a rehabilitation out-patient clinic setting. 71 % (n = 35/49) returned the evaluation form. The traffic-light tool was rated positive by 80 % of participants and physicians. It can be recommended as a useful tool for improved communication. The simple language version as well as translations into other languages and the use of a mobile App will facilitate its use. Its use is not limited to paediatrics and could be adapted for other disciplines.

Calcineurin promotes APC/C activation at meiotic exit by acting on both XErp1 and Cdc20.

Vertebrate oocytes await fertilization arrested at metaphase of the second meiotic division. Fertilization triggers a transient calcium wave, which induces the activation of the anaphase-promoting complex/cyclosome (APC/C) and its co-activator Cdc20 resulting in the destruction of cyclin B and hence meiotic exit. Two calcium-dependent enzymes are implicated in fertilization-induced APC/CCdc20 activation: calcium-/calmodulin-dependent kinase type II (CaMKII) and calcineurin (CaN). While the role of CaMKII in targeting the APC/C inhibitor XErp1/Emi2 for destruction is well-established, it remained elusive how CaN affects APC/CCdc20 activation. Here, we discover that CaN contributes to APC/CCdc20 activation in Xenopus laevis oocytes by two independent but interrelated mechanisms. First, it facilitates the degradation of XErp1 by dephosphorylating it at a site that is part of a phosphorylation-dependent recruiting motif for PP2A-B'56, which antagonizes inhibitory phosphorylation of XErp1. Second, it dephosphorylates Cdc20 at an inhibitory site, thereby supporting its APC/C-activating function. Thus, our comprehensive analysis reveals that CaN contributes to timely APC/C activation at fertilization by both negatively regulating the APC/C inhibitory activity of XErp1 and positively regulating the APC/C-activating function of Cdc20.

Dual-task training of children with neuromotor disorders during robot-assisted gait therapy: prerequisites of patients and influence on leg muscle activity.

BACKGROUND: Walking in daily life is complex entailing various prerequisites such as leg strength, trunk stability or cognitive and motor dual task (DT) activities. Conventional physiotherapy can be complemented with robot-assisted gait therapy (RAGT) and exergames to enhance the number of step repetitions, feedback, motivation, and additional simultaneously performed tasks besides walking (e.g., dual-task (DT) activities). Although DT gait training leads to improvements in daily ambulation in adult patient groups, no study has evaluated RAGT with a DT exergame in children with neurological gait disorders. Therefore, we investigated children's functional and cognitive prerequisites to walk physiologically during RAGT with a DT exergame and analysed the influence of DT on leg muscle activity. METHODS: Children and adolescents (6-18 years) with neurological gait disorders completed RAGT with and without a DT exergame in this quasi-experimental study. We assessed several measures on the body function and activity domains (according to the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF)) and determined whether these measures could distinguish well between children who walked physiologically during the DT RAGT or not. We measured leg muscle activity with surface electrodes to identify changes in EMG-amplitudes and -patterns. RESULTS: Twenty-one children participated (7 females, 6.5-17.3 years, Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) levels I-IV). Most activity measures distinguished significantly between participants performing the DT exergame physiologically or not with moderate to good sensitivity (0.8 ≤ sensitivity≤1.0) and specificity (0.5 ≤ specificity≤0.9). Body function measures differentiated less well. Despite that the EMG-amplitudes of key stance muscles were significantly lower during DT versus no DT exergaming, the mean activation patterns of all muscles correlated high (ρ > 0.75) between the conditions. CONCLUSION: This study is the first that investigated effects of a DT exergame during RAGT in children with neurological gait disorders. Several performance measures could differentiate well between patients who walked with physiological versus compensatory movements while performing the DT exergame. While the DT exergame affected the leg muscle activity amplitudes, it did not largely affect the activity patterns of the muscles.

Advanced Robotic Therapy Integrated Centers (ARTIC): an international collaboration facilitating the application of rehabilitation technologies.

BACKGROUND: The application of rehabilitation robots has grown during the last decade. While meta-analyses have shown beneficial effects of robotic interventions for some patient groups, the evidence is less in others. We established the Advanced Robotic Therapy Integrated Centers (ARTIC) network with the goal of advancing the science and clinical practice of rehabilitation robotics. The investigators hope to exploit variations in practice to learn about current clinical application and outcomes. The aim of this paper is to introduce the ARTIC network to the clinical and research community, present the initial data set and its characteristics and compare the outcome data collected so far with data from prior studies. METHODS: ARTIC is a pragmatic observational study of clinical care. The database includes patients with various neurological and gait deficits who used the driven gait orthosis Lokomat® as part of their treatment. Patient characteristics, diagnosis-specific information, and indicators of impairment severity are collected. Core clinical assessments include the 10-Meter Walk Test and the Goal Attainment Scaling. Data from each Lokomat® training session are automatically collected. RESULTS: At time of analysis, the database contained data collected from 595 patients (cerebral palsy: n = 208; stroke: n = 129; spinal cord injury: n = 93; traumatic brain injury: n = 39; and various other diagnoses: n = 126). At onset, average walking speeds were slow. The training intensity increased from the first to the final therapy session and most patients achieved their goals. CONCLUSIONS: The characteristics of the patients matched epidemiological data for the target populations. When patient characteristics differed from epidemiological data, this was mainly due to the selection criteria used to assess eligibility for Lokomat® training. While patients included in randomized controlled interventional trials have to fulfill many inclusion and exclusion criteria, the only selection criteria applying to patients in the ARTIC database are those required for use of the Lokomat®. We suggest that the ARTIC network offers an opportunity to investigate the clinical application and effectiveness of rehabilitation technologies for various diagnoses. Due to the standardization of assessments and the use of a common technology, this network could serve as a basis for researchers interested in specific interventional studies expanding beyond the Lokomat®.

High-Density Electroencephalographic Recordings During Sleep in Children and Adolescents With Acquired Brain Injury.

BACKGROUND: Acquired brain injuries (ABI) such as traumatic brain injury (TBI) or stroke can result in motor, language, or cognitive impairments. Although a considerable number of studies have investigated functional recovery, underlying brain reorganization remains poorly understood. Accumulating evidence indicates that plastic processes in the brain are linked to changes in electroencephalographic (EEG) slow wave activity (SWA) during deep sleep (EEG spectral power 1-4.5 Hz). OBJECTIVE: We investigated sleep SWA in children and adolescents with ABI. METHODS: We used high-density EEG (128 electrodes) to record sleep in 22 young patients with ABI (age range = 4-16 years). We compared patients to 52 previously measured typically developing children and adolescents (age range = 4-16 years). RESULTS: The pattern of alterations in SWA differed between particular patient groups. In patients with bilateral stroke, SWA was globally reduced across the entire scalp. Patients with unilateral stroke showed a local reduction in SWA over lesion areas and an increase over perilesional and contralateral brain areas. In patients with severe TBI, we found a reduction in SWA over the midline and an increase over lateral brain areas. We found no consistent pattern in patients with mild to moderate TBI. CONCLUSIONS: Sleep SWA seems to be a sensitive measure to assess individual alterations in neural activity after ABI. Deviations from age norms might indirectly indicate plastic processes that have occurred since injury. Improving our understanding of neural activity after ABI could optimize clinical prognosis and guide the development of novel therapeutic interventions.

Xenopus laevis Kif18A is a highly processive kinesin required for meiotic spindle integrity.

The assembly and functionality of the mitotic spindle depends on the coordinated activities of microtubule-associated motor proteins of the dynein and kinesin superfamily. Our current understanding of the function of motor proteins is significantly shaped by studies using Xenopus laevis egg extract as its open structure allows complex experimental manipulations hardly feasible in other model systems. Yet, the Kinesin-8 orthologue of human Kif18A has not been described in Xenopus laevis so far. Here, we report the cloning and characterization of Xenopus laevis (Xl) Kif18A. Xenopus Kif18A is expressed during oocyte maturation and its depletion from meiotic egg extract results in severe spindle defects. These defects can be rescued by wild-type Kif18A, but not Kif18A lacking motor activity or the C-terminus. Single-molecule microscopy assays revealed that Xl_Kif18A possesses high processivity, which depends on an additional C-terminal microtubule-binding site. Human tissue culture cells depleted of endogenous Kif18A display mitotic defects, which can be rescued by wild-type, but not tail-less Xl_Kif18A. Thus, Xl_Kif18A is the functional orthologue of human Kif18A whose activity is essential for the correct function of meiotic spindles in Xenopus oocytes.