Uphill and downhill walking in unilateral lower limb amputees

Objective: To study adjustment strategies in unilateral amputees in uphill and downhill walking. Design: observational cohort study. Subjects: Seven transfemoral, 12 transtibial unilateral amputees and 10 able-bodied subjects. Methods: In a motion analysis laboratory the subjects walked over a level surface and an uphill and downhill slope. Gait velocity and lower limb joint angles were measured. Results: In uphill walking hip and knee flexion at initial contact and hip flexion in swing were increased in the prosthetic limb of transtibial amputees. In downhill walking transtibial amputees showed more knee flexion on the prosthetic side in late stance and swing. Transfemoral amputees were not able to increase prosthetic knee flexion in uphill and downhill walking. An important adjustment strategy in both amputee Groups was a smaller hip extension in late stance in uphill and downhill walking, probably related with a shorter step length. In addition, amputees increased knee flexion in early stance in the non-affected limb in uphill walking to compensate for the shorter prosthetic limb length. In downhill walking fewer adjustments were necessary, since the shorter prosthetic limb already resulted in lowering of the body. Conclusion: Uphill and downhill walking can be trained in rehabilitation, which may improve safety and confidence of amputees. Prosthetic design should focus on better control of prosthetic knee flexion abilities without reducing stability. (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All fights reserved

Recurring staphylococcal scalded skin syndrome in a very low birth weight infant: A case report

Introduction. Staphylococcal scalded skin syndrome is an extensive desquamative erythematous condition caused by exfoliative toxins of Staphylococcus aureus. This disease usually affects neonates and generally responds rapidly to antibiotic therapy. Case presentation. We describe the case of a premature baby boy, weighing 1030 g, born after 26 6/7 weeks gestation, who developed two episodes of Staphylococcal scalded skin syndrome on days 19 and 48 of life. Cultures obtained during the first period did not reveal Staphylococcus aureus, but diagnosis was based on typical clinical grounds. Although the initial diagnosis was irritation by the fixation material of a nasal continuous positive airway pressure tube, the infant showed rapidly progressing skin blistering and exfoliation, characteristic of Staphylococcal scalded skin syndrome. After administration of antibiotic treatment, complete recovery was seen. In the second period, diagnosis of Staphylococcal scalded skin syndrome was made clinically and confirmed by results of microbiologic investigations. Staphylococcus aureus was cultured from the nose, skin lesions and the pharynx. The strain appeared to produce exfoliative toxin A. The clinical response to similar antibiotic treatment was identical to the first period of Staphylococcal scalded skin syndrome. Conclusion. This case report discusses an unusual presentation of recurring Staphylococcal scalded skin syndrome in a baby with a very low birth weight

Towards the right way of seeing what is left in Homonymous Hemianopia

Homonymous Hemianopia (HH) refers to one-sided blindness due to unilateral visual pathway damage. To determine the potential of individuals with HH to recover, it is important to consider the functional and structural integrity of their entire visual brain. In her thesis "Towards the right way of seeing what is left in Homonymous Hemianopia'', Hinke describes four exploratory neuroimaging studies and with that showed how the functional and structural integrity of the visual system changes in individuals with HH and how brain activity can inform us about the residual visual functioning of individuals with HH. In particular, she has shown that 1) the extent of collateral damage, i.e. damage in addition to the initial damage, is more widespread than previously reported and even affects the contralateral "healthy" hemisphere; 2) the visual system can functionally reorganize in response to surgical removal of one of the hemispheres (i.e. a hemispherectomy); 3) the functional connectivity strength between the precuneus and the occipital pole can predict training-induced visual recovery; and 4) visual field reconstructions based on brain activity can reveal parts of the "blind" visual field with preserved visual processing. With these findings, she has shed light on aspects that may be critical when determining the recovery potential of individuals with HH

Abolishment of the Death Penalty in Mongolia:Is “Normative Power Europe” at Work?

Mongolia’s unlikely abolishment of the death penalty in 2015 raises a number of profound questions, issues and developments. Until 2015 capital punishment had been legally shrouded by state secrecy. Public opinion in Mongolia overwhelmingly supported the death penalty, as it seems to be the case also today, whereas the EU and other foreign relations were expressing support for a moratorium and subsequent abolishment. Yet, despite the moratorium and abolishment, the Mongolian constitution continues to provide for the death penalty. How did the moratorium and abolishment come about, and what role had the EU played towards this development

Abolition of the Death Penalty in Mongolia :: Is “Normative Power Europe” at Work?

[No abstract available

Is Europe’s nature allowed to evolve? A research on natural dynamics within the Habitats Directive’s Special Areas of Conservation

The thesis asks whether the Habitats Directive allows natural dynamics of succession and natural disturbances to alter habitats in special areas of protection (Natura 2000 sites). A literature review of relevant ecological papers discusses the context, function and role of these dynamics. The ecological findings provide the necessary perspective for the interpretive legal doctrinal research used in assessing and evaluating the legal framework of the Habitats Directive. Ecological findings highlight that reserves, as those found in the Natura 2000 network, are isolated islands of nature surrounded by a fragmentated and highly intensified landscape. Such landscapes inhibit the ecological resilience and ecological memory of reserves. These reserves are at risk of losing specialised species. Ecologists call for the creation of dynamic reserves managed on the landscape level to increase the ecological integrity and memory. The legal framework of the Habitats Directive on the special areas of conservation is solely focussed on maintaining and restoring specific habitats and species at favourable conservation status and as a result does not address nor leave leeway for natural dynamics to alter habitat-types. Any changes to European nature conservation laws should address the fragmentated state of landscapes and its risks for species diversity

Abolition of the Death Penalty in Mongolia :: Is “Normative Power Europe” at Work?

[No abstract available