La personalidad como factor que predispone a la variación en los registros cardiacos / Personality as a predisposing factor to variation in cardiac registers

Resumen Introducción: La hipertensión arterial genera millones de muertes en el mundo. Su multicausalidad abarca factores como alimentación, ejercicio, consumo de sustancias, ciclos circadianos, emociones y genética. Es posible que la personalidad sea un recurso precipitante o protector frente a la enfermedad cardiaca. Objetivo: Identificar la relación entre los factores de personalidad y las variaciones fisiológicas de la presión arterial y la frecuencia cardiaca ante estímulos emocionales y motores. Método: Estudio exploratorio intrasujeto ABA en adultos jóvenes sanos para enfermedad cardiaca. En la fase A se aplicó el cuestionario de datos sociodemográficos, Big Five, y se registraron la presión arterial y la frecuencia cardiaca. En la fase B se emplearon estímulos emocionales y motores para el registro de las variables fisiológicas. En la siguiente fase A se registraron la frecuencia cardiaca y la presión arterial en reposo. Resultados: En promedio, la presión arterial de los hombres fue más alta que la de las mujeres, con valores de 124/72 mmHg frente a 113/66 mmHg. Existen correlaciones negativas significativas entre la presión arterial en sístole y los factores de personalidad neuroticismo y conciencia, con valores de r = −0.198 y r = −0.254 (p <0.05), respectivamente. Conclusiones: Este estudio aporta evidencia empírica de la relación entre el sexo y la personalidad. Es probable que ser hombre y los factores de neuroticismo y conciencia con presión arterial alta sean indicadores relevantes para el diseño de programas de prevención que posibiliten la inclusión de la personalidad como variable relacionada con el diagnóstico de enfermedades cardiovasculares.

Abstract Introduction: Arterial hypertension generates millions of deaths, its multicausality in each person varies according to distinct factors such as diet, physical exercise, substance use, circadian cycles, genetic and emotional aspects, among others. It is possible that personality is a precipitating or protective resource against cardiac disease. Objective: To identify the relation between personality factors and physiological variations in blood pressure and heart rate in the face of emotional stimuli and motors. Method: Exploratory study with an ABA intrasubject design in healthy young adults for heart disease. At baseline A, the sociodemographic data questionnaire, the Big Five, blood pressure and heart rate were recorded. In phase B, the emotional and motor stimuli were applied, and heart rate and blood pressure were also recorded. In the next A phase, the heart rate and blood pressure were recorded in resting. Results: On average, the blood pressure of men was higher than in women with measurements of 124/72 mmHg compared to 113/66 mmHg. There are negative correlations between blood pressure with personality factors such as neuroticism and consciousness with values of r = −0.198 and r = −0.254 (p < 0.05), respectively. Conclusions: This study provides empirical evidence in the analysis of the relationship between gender and personality. It is likely that being a man and the factors of neuroticism and conscientiousness with high blood pressure are relevant indicators for the design of prevention programs, enabling the inclusion of personality as a variable related to the diagnosis of cardiovascular diseases.

Evaluation of the Roche MagNA Pure 96 nucleic acid extraction platform for the Seegene Anyplex II HPV28 detection assay.

AIM: Validate the Roche, MagNAPure96 (MP96) nucleic acid extraction platform for Seegene Anyplex II HPV28 (Anyplex28) detection of Human Papillomavirus. METHODS AND RESULTS: Comparisons were made for Anyplex28 genotyping from 115 cervical samples extracted on the Hamilton, STARlet and the MP96. Two DNA concentrations were used for the MP96, one matched for sample input to the STARlet and another 5× concentration (laboratory standard). Agreement of HPV detection was 89·8% (κ = 0·798; P = 0·007), with HPV detected in 10 more samples for the MP96. There was a high concordance of detection for any oncogenic HPV genotype (κ = 0·77; P = 0·007) and for any low-risk HPV genotype (κ = 0·85; P = 0·008). DNA extracted at laboratory standard had a lower overall agreement 85·2% (κ = 0·708; P < 0·001), with 17/115 discordant positive samples that tested negative after STARlet extraction. Of the discordant genotypes, 72·7% were detected in the lowest signal range for Anyplex28 ('+'). CONCLUSIONS: MP96 performed with high concordance to STARlet, although produced DNA with a higher analytical sensitivity on the Anyplex28. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: This analysis supports the use of samples extracted on the MP96 for HPV genotyping using the Anyplex28. Furthermore, an increase in DNA concentration increased analytical sensitivity of the Anyplex28, particularly appropriate for prevalence studies.

The effect of process variables on the physical properties and microstructure of HOPO nanoemulsion flakes obtained by refractance window.

Refractance window (RW) drying is considered an emerging technique in the food field due to its scalability, energy efficiency, cost and end-product quality. It can be used for obtaining flakes from high-oleic palm oil (HOPO) nanoemulsions containing a high concentration of temperature-sensitive active compounds. This work was thus aimed at studying the effect of temperature, thickness of the film drying, nanoemulsion process conditions, and emulsion formulation on the flakes' physical properties and microstructure. The results showed that HOPO flakes had good physical characteristics: 1.4% to 5.6% moisture content and 0.26 to 0.58 aw. Regarding microstructure, lower fractal dimension (FDt) was obtained when RW drying temperature increased, which is related to more regular surfaces. The results indicated that flakes with optimal physical properties can be obtained by RW drying of HOPO nanoemulsions.

Biomarkers of resistance to radiation therapy: a prospective study in cervical carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Clinical parameters and proteins have recently been suggested as possible causes of radiotherapy (RT) resistance in cervical carcinoma (CC). The objective of the present study was to validate prognostic biomarkers of radiation resistance. METHODS: The present prospective study included patients undergoing RT with curative intent for histologically proven locally advanced squamous cell CC. Tissues and blood samples were systematically collected before RT initiation. Immuno-histochemistry was performed (IGF-IR α and ß, GAPDH, HIF-1 alpha, Survivin, GLUT1, CAIX, hTERT and HKII). Response to radiation was assessed through tumour response 3 months after RT completion, through overall survival (OS) and through progression-free survival (PFS). RESULTS: One hundred forty nine patients with a mean age of 46 years were included, with FIGO IIB (n = 53) and FIGO IIIB (n = 96) CCs. 61 patients were treated with exclusive RT + brachytherapy and 88 underwent chemo-radiotherapy + brachytherapy. Our findings suggest an association between hemoglobin level (Hb) (>11 g/dL) and 3 months complete response (p = 0.02). Hb level < 11 g/dL was associated with decreased PFS (p = 0.05) and OS (p = 0.08). Overexpression of IGF-1R ß was correlated with a decreased OS (p = 0.007). Overexpression of GLUT1 was marginally correlated with reduced OS (p = 0.05). PFS and OS were significantly improved in patients undergoing chemoradiation versus exclusive radiotherapy (PFS: p = 0.04; OS: p = 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: IGF-1R ß overexpression and Hb level (≤11 g/dl) were associated with poor prognosis, and thus appear to be possible interesting biomarkers of radiation resistance. Our results corroborate previous pre-clinical studies suggesting IGF-1R and hypoxia to be part of the biological pathways leading to radio-resistance.

HPV-16 variants' impact on uterine cervical cancer response to radiotherapy: A descriptive pilot study.

PURPOSE: Although the large impact of Human papilloma virus (HPV) in cervical cancer is established, its place as a therapeutic target is new and according to the growing literature, could be promising. In the present study, radiosensitivity's difference based on HPV-16 variants is assessed. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Variants of Human papilloma virus were identified before the exclusive radiotherapy in patients with cervical cancer. Data were prospectively collected. Fifty-nine patients were screened. RESULTS: Among the 59 screened patients, 34 (57.6%) were identified to be HPV-16 (+), with 13 European and two non-European variants. Of the 34 patients, 15 experienced exclusive radiotherapy. Among them, eight had complete response (seven with European and one with non-European variants), four with European variant had partial response, three with European variant had tumour persistence and one with non-European variant progressed at 3 months. CONCLUSION: No radiosensitivity difference was established, probably because of the limited population. Non-European variant aggressiveness might be suggested in accordance with the literature, as it was associated with the only tumour progression. Exclusive radiotherapy provides a unique and "pure" model of radioresistance in cervical cancer and could be the missing link between in vitro studies and state of the art chemoradiotherapy studies that probably feature too many parameters to identify radioresistance causes. The present study was a first step, with the future prospects of building a larger cohort study in order to better understand HPV-induced radioresistance and then to be able to propose new made-to-measure treatments.

Persistence of HPV infection and risk of high-grade cervical intraepithelial neoplasia in a cohort of Colombian women.

Little is known about the dynamics of human papillomavirus (HPV) infection and subsequent development of high-grade cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN2/3), particularly in women >30 years of age. This information is needed to assess the impact of HPV vaccines and consider new screening strategies. A cohort of 1728 women 15-85 years old with normal cytology at baseline was followed every 6 months for an average of 9 years. Women with squamous intraepithelial lesions were referred for biopsy and treatment. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to estimate the median duration of infection and Cox regression analysis was undertaken to assess determinants of clearance and risk of CIN2/3 associated with HPV persistence. No difference in the likelihood of clearance was observed by HPV type or woman's age, with the exception of lower clearance for HPV16 infection in women under 30 years of age. Viral load was inversely associated with clearance. In conclusion, viral load is the main determinant of persistence, and persistence of HPV16 infections carry a higher risk of CIN2/3.

[Cinacalcet in patients on peritoneal dialysis with moderate to severe hyperparathyroidism resistant to conventional treatment, a one-year, prospective study]. / Cinacalcet en pacientes en diálisis peritoneal con hiperparatiroidismo moderado-severo resistentes a tratamiento convencional. Estudio prospectivo a un año.

BACKGROUND: Cinacalcet has improved the management of hyperparathiroidism (HPTH) in hemodialysis. To our knowledge there are no specific studies on peritoneal dialysis (PD). AIM: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the efficacy of Cinacalcet on the achievement of optimal and suboptimal targets on treatment of hyperparathiroidism (HPTH) in PD patients. As secondary objectives we have studied the safety of treatment and estimate the mean time to reach these targets, and evaluate economic cost. METHODS: Eighteen patients undergoing more than 4 months on PD with a severe HPTH (PTH > 500 pg/ml) resistant to conventional treatment with diet, chelants and vitamin D were included in this prospective open-label study. We have used the targets of K/DOQITM-clinical guidelines as optimal target. We have selected as suboptimal targets: PTH < 350 pg/ml, phosphorus < 6 mg/dl and calcium < 10.4 mg/dl (only when simultaneous CaxP was under 55 mg2/dl2). Oral Cinacalcet was given with main meal in a single daily start dose of 30 mg and titrated thereafter monthly. We considered the first value on target as an event and used a Kaplan-Meyer survival analysis to estimate mean time to reach target. RESULTS: On inclusion all patients have at least two previous PTH values over 500 pg/ml, PTH mean 695,3 (SD 96) and they were on PD with an appropriate efficacy during a mean of 15.56 months (SD 0.78). Mean follow-up time under Cinacalcet treatment was 12 months. The percentage of patients with a PTH under 350 pg/ml was 66,7% on month 3, 60% on month 6 and 100% after 1 year. The percentage of patients that reach an aggregate of all suboptimal targets (PTH< 350 pg/ml and calcium < 10.4 mg/dl and phosphorus< 6 mg/dl and CaxP < 55 mg2/dl2) was 33.3% on month 6 and 66.7% after 1 year. The mean time to reach PTH target was 2.33 months with a 95% confident interval [1.35-3.32] and to reach the aggregate of all target was 16.94 months [11.38-22.5]. Cinacalcet has been well tolerated, we reduced the dose in a single patient due to secondary effects, but treatment was not discontinued in any case. CONCLUSION: In summary the addition of Cinacalcet to conventional treatment in PD patients with resistant HPTH has improved the achievement of targets, and has been reasonably safe in our patients.

SÍNTESIS Y ACTIVIDADES LEISHMANICIDA Y CITOTÓXICA in vitro DE ANÁLOGOS 2-ARILQUINOLINAS / SYNTHESIS AND in vitro LEISHMANICIDAL AND CYTOTOXIC ACTIVITIES OF 2-STYRYLQUINOLINES ANALOGS

Actualmente la quimioterapia de la leishmaniasis es promisoria, sin embargo aun no se dispone de un medicamento adecuado. Varias quinolinas sustituidas han presentado actividad in vitro contra agentes causales de leishmaniasis cutánea, leishmaniasis visceral, tripanosomiasis africana y enfermedad de Chagas. En este trabajo se sintetizan seis 2-arilquinolinas derivadas de la galipeina mediante condensación de Perkin a partir de quinaldina y aldehídos aromáticos. La actividad leishmanicida se evalúa en amastigotes axénicos y la actividad citotóxica en células U-937. Todos los compuestos muestran ser activos contra leishmania panamensis pero también contra células mamíferas. Los compuestos estirilquinolinas 2-[(E)-2-(2,5-dimetoxifenil)etenil]quinolina (1), 2-[(E)-2-(2,3-dimetoxifenil)etenil]quinolina (2) y N-{4-[(E)-2-quinolin-2-iletenil]fenil}acetamida (3) son mas activos sobre amastigotes axénicos (CE50 = 3,7; 4,5 y 19,1μg/mL) e intracelulares (CE50 = 1,4; 1,8 y 1,7μg/mL), en comparación con los derivados hidrogenados 2-[2-(2,5-dimetoxifenil)etil]quinolina (1a), 2-[2-(2,3-dimetoxifenil)etil]quinolina (2a) y N-[4-(2-quinolin-2-iletil)fenil]acetamida (3a) (CE50= 31,1; 23,6 y 59,3μg/mL). Todos los compuestos muestran también actividad contra células U-937 con CE50 de 3,7; 6,2 y 4,5μg/mL para las estirilquinolinas 1, 2 y 3, respectivamente y CE50 de 16,0; 12,9 y 20,2μg/mL para los derivados hidrogenados 1a, 2a y 3a, respectivamente. Aunque el proceso de hidrogenación produjo una disminución tanto de la actividad leishmanicida como de la actividad citotóxica, la actividad leishmanicida mostrada por los compuestos de tipo 2-estirilquinolinas les confiere un potencial como moléculas candidatas para el desarrollo de compuestos anti-leishmania.

The search of new treatments for leishmaniasis is an active task nowadays, since there is a lack of non-toxic, cheap and non-resistant medication. In the literature several quinolines have shown in vitro activity against agents of cutaneous leishmaniasis, visceral leishmaniasis, African trypanosomiasis and Chagas diseases. Six 2-styrylquinolines derived from galipeine were synthesized by Perkin condensation of quinaldine with aromatic aldehydes. Leishmanicidal activity was estimated for leishmania panamensis at the amastigote form and cytotoxic activity against U-937 cells. All compounds showed activity against both L. panamensis and U-937 cells. (E)-2-(2,5-dimethoxyphenyl)ethenyl)quinoline (1), (E)-2-(2,3-dimethoxyphenyl)ethenyl)quinoline (2) and (E)-N-[4-(2-quinolin-2-yl-ethenyl)phenyl]acetamide (3) were more active against axenic (EC50= 3.7, 4.5 and 19.1μg/mL) and intracellular amastigotes (EC50= 1.4, 1.8 and 1.7μg/ml, respectively), in comparison with hydrogenated derivatives 2-[2-(2,5-dimethoxyphenyl)ethyl]quinoline (1a), 2-[2-(2,3-dimethoxyphenyl)ethyl]quinoline (2a) and N-[4-(2-quinolin-2-ylethyl)phenyl]acetamide (3a) (CE50= 31.1, 23.6 and 59.3μg/mL, respectively). All compounds were also active against the U-937 cells. Styrylquinolines 1, 2 and 3 showed a LC50 of 3.7, 6.2 and 4.5μg/mL, respectively and the hydrogenated derivatives 1a, 2a and 3a showed a LC50 of 16.0. 12.9 and 20.2μg/mL, respectively. Although hydrogenation reduced the leishmanicidal and cytotoxic activities, the activity showed against leishmania parasites suggests this compound series has potential as drug candidates for the treatment of leishmaniasis.

Worldwide distribution of human papillomavirus types in cytologically normal women in the International Agency for Research on Cancer HPV prevalence surveys: a pooled analysis.

BACKGROUND: The proportion of women infected with human papillomavirus (HPV) varies greatly across populations, as might the distribution of HPV types. We aimed to compare HPV-type distribution in representative samples of women from different world regions. METHODS: Women were randomly selected from the general population of 13 areas from 11 countries (Nigeria, India, Vietnam, Thailand, Korea, Colombia, Argentina, Chile, the Netherlands, Italy, and Spain). A standardised protocol was used for cervical specimen collection. All HPV testing was by GP5+/6+ PCR-based EIA. The proportion of HPV-positive women infected with different HPV types was compared by study area and between pooled regions with age-adjusted odds ratios (ORs) with corresponding 95% floating CIs. FINDINGS: 15 613 women aged 15-74 years without cytological abnormalities were included in a pooled analysis. Age-standardised HPV prevalence varied nearly 20 times between populations, from 1.4% (95% CI 0.5-2.2) in Spain to 25.6% (22.4-28.8) in Nigeria. Although both overall HPV prevalence and HPV16 prevalence were highest in sub-Saharan Africa, HPV-positive women in Europe were significantly more likely to be infected with HPV16 than were those in sub-Saharan Africa (OR 2.64, p=0.0002), and were significantly less likely to be infected with high-risk HPV types other than HPV16 (OR 0.57, p=0.004) and/or low-risk HPV types (OR 0.44. p=0.0002). Women from South America had HPV-type distribution in between those from sub-Saharan Africa and Europe. Heterogeneity between areas of Asia was significant. INTERPRETATION: Heterogeneity in HPV type distribution among women from different populations should be taken into account when developing screening tests for the virus and predicting the effect of vaccines on the incidence of infection.

Comparison of three different PCR methods for quantifying human papillomavirus type 16 DNA in cervical scrape specimens.

We compared real-time LightCycler and TaqMan assays and the GP5+/6+ PCR/enzyme immunoassay (EIA) to assess the human papillomavirus type 16 (HPV16) load in cervical scrape specimens. Both real-time PCR assays determined the HPV16 load in scrape specimens similarly. The level of agreement between these assays and the GP5+/6+ PCR/EIA was low (P = 0.004), suggesting that the latter method is not suited for quantifying HPV16 DNA.

La fugacidad de la vanguardia latinoamericana ensayo crítico sobre Oliverio Girondo / The fugacidad of the Latin American vanguard: critical test on Oliverio Girondo

A partir de la aparición, por cerca de diez años, del movimiento surrealista, se hará un esbozo de algunaslas características de uno de los representantes de estaescuela literaria, Oliverio Girondo, partiendo de un poema del libro Veinte poemas para ser leídos en el tranvía, del cual se encontraron dos posiciones, en apariencia antagónicas, sobre la vanguardia, derivadas en un antiestilo o decadencia de los principios modernos(Calinescu, 1991) y una posibilidad de crítica a la institución arte (Bürger, 1987). Estas posiciones permitieron establecer algunas reflexiones acerca del concepto de saturación social que postula el construccionismo social y las características generales que propone Mukarovsky (1992) sobre la teoría crítica estructuralista...

Abductor hallucis for monitoring lower-limb recovery after spinal cord injury in man.

STUDY DESIGN: Electromyogram (EMG) study on patients with acute spinal cord injury (SCI). OBJECTIVES: We hypothesized that subjects with mild to moderate acute SCI would have a higher probability of recovering function in intrinsic muscles of the foot compared to more proximal lower-limb muscles, based on the relative density of corticospinal tract innervation to these different motoneuron pools. SETTING: Miami and Syracuse, USA. METHODS: We conducted repeated measures of EMG during voluntary contractions from lower-limb muscles in subjects with acute traumatic SCI. For this study, analysis was restricted to those subjects who had either no recruitment (ie 'motor-complete') or limited recruitment (ie 'motor-incomplete') in any lower-limb muscle of either leg during the initial evaluation, and all of whom had converted to a motor-incomplete status in one or both legs at the time of final evaluation. Recruitment of the abductor hallucis (AbH) muscle during contraction attempts was judged as being either 'present' or 'absent', based upon the presence or absence of EMG-based volitional motor unit recruitment. RESULTS: A total of 70 subjects were included in this study. Of these, 58 had motor-incomplete injury at or rostral to the T10 vertebral level, and another 12 had injury caudal to T10. In the former group, the AbH muscle showed a recovery probability that was considerably higher than that of other lower-limb muscles. Quite the opposite pattern was seen in persons with injury caudal to T10. In these subjects, recruitment was more common in proximal muscles of the thigh (psoas and quadriceps), and least common in the AbH muscle. DISCUSSION: For persons with SCI at or rostral to the T10 vertebral level, the AbH muscle proved to be an earlier and more sensitive indicator of lower-limb contraction recovery following acute SCI compared to other lower-limb muscles. Including this intrinsic muscle of the foot as part of a neurologic assessment of muscle function after SCI should increase the test's sensitivity to preserved (or restored) supraspinal motor influence over lower-limb motoneuron pools, and is recommended.

Prevalence and determinants of Chlamydia trachomatis infections in women from Bogota, Colombia.

OBJECTIVES: Chlamydia trachomatis infection in the cervix and uterus has been hypothesised to be a co-factor for cervical cancer. We performed a cross sectional study in Bogota, Colombia, where cervical cancer rates are high, to determine the prevalence and determinants of C trachomatis infection, and in particular its association with human papillomavirus (HPV). METHODS: 1829 low income sexually active women were interviewed and tested for C trachomatis, using an endogenous plasmid PCR-EIA, and for 37 HPV types, using a general primer GP5+/6+ mediated PCR-EIA. RESULTS: The overall prevalence of C trachomatis was 5.0%, and it did not differ substantially between women with normal (5.0%) and those with abnormal (5.2%) cervical cytology. Women infected with any HPV type (15.1%) had a slightly increased risk of being simultaneously infected with C trachomatis (adjusted OR 1.3, 95% CI: 0.8 to 2.4). This association was stronger when multiple HPV infections (adjusted OR 2.5, 95% CI: 1.1 to 5.9) were present. No other lifestyle or reproductive characteristics were clearly associated with risk of C trachomatis infection. CONCLUSIONS: HPV infected women, particularly women with multiple HPV infections, are at increased risk of being infected with C trachomatis.

Low grade squamous intra-epithelial lesions and human papillomavirus infection in Colombian women.

Low grade squamous intra-epithelial lesions could be considered as a manifestation of human papillomavirus exposition, however the discrepancy between rates of infection with human papillomavirus and development of low grade squamous intra-epithelial lesions is notable. Here we report a cross-sectional three-armed case-control study in the Colombian population, to compare the risk factors of women with low grade squamous intra-epithelial lesions with that of human papillomavirus DNA-negative and positive women with normal cytology.

Prevalence and determinants of HPV infection among Colombian women with normal cytology.

Human papillomavirus is the principal risk factor associated with cervical cancer, the most common malignancy among women in Colombia. We conducted a survey, aiming to report type specific prevalence and determinants of human papillomavirus infection in women with normal cytology. A total of 1859 women from Bogota, Colombia were interviewed and tested for human papillomavirus using a general primer GP5+/GP6+ mediated PCR-EIA. The overall HPV DNA prevalence was 14.8%; 9% of the women were infected by high risk types, 3.1% by low risk types, 2.3% by both high risk/low risk types and 0.4% by uncharacterized types (human papillomavirus X). Thirty-two different human papillomavirus types were detected, being human papillomavirus 16, 58, 56, 81(CP8304) and 18 the most common types. The human papillomavirus prevalence was 26.1% among women younger than 20 years, 2.3% in women aged 45-54 years, and 13.2% in women aged 55 years or more. For low risk types the highest peak of prevalence was observed in women aged 55 years or more. Compared to women aged 35-44 years, women aged less than 20 years had a 10-fold increased risk of having multiple infections. Besides age, there was a positive association between the risk of human papillomavirus infection and number of regular sexual partners and oral contraceptive use. In women aged below 25 years, high educational level and having had casual sexual partners predicted infection risk. In conclusion, there was a broad diversity of human papillomavirus infections with high risk types being the most common types detected. In this population multiplicity of sexual partners and, among young women, high educational level and casual sexual partners seem to determine risk.

Relationship between EMG and muscle force after spinal cord injury.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to compare the electromyography (EMG) score during contraction of a given muscle to the independently measured manual muscle test (MMT) score for that same muscle (or muscle group), to determine whether EMG measures could serve as a reasonable approximation of muscle contraction force in persons with acute spinal cord injury (SCI). METHODS: We examined the strength of relationship between surface-recorded EMG and estimated muscle strength using the MMT in a population of 45 subjects with acute (<1 week) traumatic SCI. Eight different muscle groups were compared in each individual; measures were repeated on these subjects approximately 2 months later. A 6-point numeric index was used for assignment of EMG scores, all of which were done in a blinded fashion by 1 investigator from tape-recorded evaluations. RESULTS: Nearly all of the individual muscle comparisons led to positive and significant (P < .01) correlations between EMG and MMT scores, at both the acute and subacute time points following injury. CONCLUSIONS: These findings support the use of EMG scoring as an indicator of recovery of volitional strength following SCI in a given subject. However, caution must be used when attempting to extrapolate EMG scores to absolute forces or when comparing EMG scores among different subjects.