Falls in unilateral lower limb amputees living in the community. A Portuguese study.

INTRODUCTION: Lower limb amputees present a high risk of falling. This study aims to characterise fall history in unilateral lower limb amputees that are autonomous in the community, identifying differences between transfemoral and transtibial amputees and assessing fear of falling between fallers and non-fallers. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Descriptive, cross-sectional study of consecutive community-dwelling unilateral lower limb adult amputees of any aetiology, attending outpatient consultation in a Portuguese Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine central and university hospital department. INCLUSION CRITERIA: a prior 12 week individualised rehabilitation program for prosthesis training; regular prosthesis use for more than one year with autonomous gait; and a Functional Independence Measure® score equal to or greater than 100. Injury severity was classified according to the National Database of Nursing Quality Indicators® injury falls measure. In order to assess walking performance over short distances and fear of falling we used the 10-meter walk test and the Falls Efficacy Scale, respectively. RESULTS: In a sample of 52 lower limb amputees, mainly men (80.8%) and of traumatic aetiology (63.5%), with a mean age of 57.21 ± 11.55 years, 36.5% reported at least one fall in the previous 12 months, all classified as minor injuries. Transfemoral amputees (n = 23) presented a higher number of falls (2.22 ± 3.23, p = 0.025) and lower gait velocity (0.77 ± 0.26 m per second, p < 0.001). Regarding fear of falling, we found no significant differences between fallers and non-fallers. DISCUSSION: The prevalence of falls was low and of minor severity. Transfemoral amputees fell more often and were slower. There were no reported differences in fear of falling between groups. CONCLUSION: This paper contributes information about Portuguese lower limb amputees, whose studies are scarce and are rarely dedicated to falling.

Introdução: Amputados do membro inferior apresentam um elevado risco de queda. Neste estudo pretende-se caracterizar a história de queda em amputados unilaterais de membros inferiores, autónomos da comunidade, identificar diferenças entre transfemorais e transtibiais e avaliar diferenças no medo de cair entre os que caíram e os que não caíram. Material e Métodos: Estudo descritivo, transversal, de amputados unilaterais de membros inferiores, adultos, residentes na comunidade, de qualquer etiologia, consecutivamente recrutados da consulta do serviço de Medicina Física e de Reabilitação de um hospital central e universitário de Portugal. Critérios de inclusão: reabilitação de 12 semanas para treino protético; uso regular de prótese superior a um ano, marcha autónoma e Medida de Independência Funcional® igual ou superior a 100. A gravidade de queda foi classificada recorrendo à National Database of Nursing Quality Indicators® injury falls measure e a capacidade de andar e medo de cair com, respetivamente, o 10-meter walk test e a Falls Efficacy Scale. Resultados: Foi analisado um total de 52 amputados, maioritariamente homens (80,8%) e de etiologia traumática (63,5%) e com idade média 57,21 ± 11,55 anos, dos quais 36,5% relataram pelo menos uma queda, todas de baixa gravidade. Os transfemorais (n = 23) apresentaram mais quedas (2,22 ± 3,23, p = 0,025) e menor velocidade de marcha (0,77 ± 0,26 m por segundo, p < 0,001). Relativamente ao medo de cair, não encontrámos diferenças significativas entre doentes amputados com e sem história de quedas. Discussão: A prevalência e gravidade de queda foi baixa. Amputados transfemorais apresentaram mais quedas e menor velocidade de marcha. Não existiram diferenças no medo de cair em função da história de queda. Conclusão: Este trabalho acrescenta informação acerca dos amputados do membro inferior portugueses, cujos estudos são escassos e raramente dedicados a queda.

Population- and age-specific patterns of haemosporidian assemblages and infection levels in European bee-eaters (Merops apiaster).

Amongst other factors, host behaviour critically determines the patterns with which blood parasites occur in wild host populations. In particular, migratory hosts that sequentially occupy distant sites within and across years are expected to show distinct patterns of blood parasitism depending on their population-specific schedules and whereabouts. Here, we monitored haemosporidian parasitism in two populations of European bee-eaters (Merops apiaster), breeding in Portugal and Germany, with fundamentally different spatiotemporal migration patterns and colonisation histories. We describe and compare the composition of their parasite fauna as well as host population-, age- and sex-specific patterns in the frequency and intensity of infections. We found haemosporidian prevalence to be higher in Portugal compared with Germany and the prevalence generally increased with host age in both populations. Bee-eaters breeding in Portugal and wintering in western Africa mostly hosted parasites of the genus Haemoproteus, while Plasmodium lineages prevailed in birds breeding in Germany and wintering in central Africa. We found 18 genetic lineages, of which nine uniquely occurred in Germany, three uniquely in Portugal and six occurred in both breeding populations. The infection intensities (= % infected per inspected erythrocytes) ranged from 0.002% up to maximally 2.5% in Portugal and 9.6% in Germany. The intensity was higher in Germany compared with Portugal, vastly varied between the parasite genera (Haemoproteus > Plasmodium), but also differed between lineages of the same genus. Our results suggest that populations from different parts of a host's breeding range differ in prevalence and the composition of their haemosporidian assemblages, rather than in the intensity of their infections. Whether these patterns are mainly caused by differential habitat use throughout the annual cycle and/or the population-specific co-evolutionary backgrounds of a host species in range expansion remains to be elucidated.

[Neuroimaging and Blood Biomarkers in Functional Prognosis after Stroke]. / Neuroimagem e Biomarcadores no Prognóstico Funcional de Doentes com Acidente Vascular Cerebral.

INTRODUCTION: Stroke remains one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality around the world and it is associated with an important long-term functional disability. Some neuroimaging resources and certain peripheral blood or cerebrospinal fluid proteins can give important information about etiology, therapeutic approach, follow-up and functional prognosis in acute ischemic stroke patients. However, among the scientific community, there is currently more interest in the stroke vital prognosis over the functional prognosis. Predicting the functional prognosis during acute phase would allow more objective rehabilitation programs and better management of the available resources. The aim of this work is to review the potential role of acute phase neuroimaging and blood biomarkers as functional recovery predictors after ischemic stroke. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Review of the literature published between 2005 and 2015, in English, using the terms "ischemic stroke", "neuroimaging" e "blood biomarkers". RESULTS: We included nine studies, based on abstract reading. DISCUSSION: Computerized tomography, transcranial doppler ultrasound and diffuse magnetic resonance imaging show potential predictive value, based on the blood flow study and the evaluation of stroke's volume and localization, especially when combined with the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale. Several biomarkers have been studied as diagnostic, risk stratification and prognostic tools, namely the S100 calcium binding protein B, C-reactive protein, matrix metalloproteinases and cerebral natriuretic peptide. CONCLUSION: Although some biomarkers and neuroimaging techniques have potential predictive value, none of the studies were able to support its use, alone or in association, as a clinically useful functionality predictor model. All the evaluated markers were considered insufficient to predict functional prognosis at three months, when applied in the first hours after stroke. Additional studies are necessary to identify reliable predictive markers for functional prognosis after ischemic stroke.

Introdução: O acidente vascular cerebral é uma das principais causas de mortalidade e morbilidade em todo o mundo, associando-se a considerável incapacidade funcional. Atualmente sabe-se que tanto técnicas de neuroimagem como determinados biomarcadores fornecem informações úteis acerca da etiologia, decisão terapêutica, follow-up e prognóstico em doentes com acidente vascular cerebral isquémico. Assiste-se, porém, a um interesse particular na previsão do prognóstico vital em detrimento do prognóstico funcional. Antecipar o prognóstico funcional permitiria definir um programa de reabilitação adequado, objetivo e individualizado, com uma alocação de recursos mais eficiente. O presente trabalho tem como objetivo rever o conhecimento atual acerca do papel da neuroimagem e dos biomarcadores sanguíneos em fase aguda na previsão da recuperação funcional dos doentes que sobrevivem a um acidente vascular cerebral isquémico. Material e Métodos: Revisão da literatura publicada entre 2005 e 2015, em língua inglesa, utilizando os termos "ischemic stroke", "neuroimaging" e "blood biomarkers". Resultados: Foram selecionados nove artigos com base na leitura dos resumos. Discussão: Técnicas de neuroimagem como a tomografia computorizada, a ecografia doppler transcraniana, a angiografia cerebrale a imagem de difusão por ressonância magnética apresentam potencial preditivo do prognóstico funcional do acidente vascular cerebral, nomeadamente através da avaliação do fluxo sanguíneo e do volume e localização da lesão, sobretudo quando usados em associação com a National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale. Vários biomarcadores têm sido estudados como potenciais marcadores de diagnóstico, estratificação de risco e previsão de prognóstico no acidente vascular cerebral, em particular a S100 calcium binding protein B, a proteína C-reativa, as metaloproteinases de matriz e o peptídeo natriurético cerebral. Conclusão: Apesar de alguns biomarcadores e técnicas de neuroimagem revelarem capacidade preditiva, nenhum dos estudos com estas metodologias, isoladamente ou em associação, é capaz de sustentar a validação de um potencial modelo clínico preditivo de funcionalidade, revelando-se assim insuficientes na determinação precisa, nas primeiras horas após o acidente vascular cerebral, do prognóstico funcional aos três meses. Considera-se que são necessários mais estudos nesta área para o seu esclarecimento.