Browsing by Author "Dragin, Aleksandra (57195335175)"

BACKGROUND: The main clinical measures of walking recovery in stroke patients were compared for training assisted by Walkaround® postural support (WPS) and conventional (CON) support by a cane/therapist. OBJECTIVE: We attributed the differences between the trainings to modified muscular synergies that occurred during assistance by WPS. METHODS: We studied the muscle activities of the primary knee and ankle joint movers in the paretic and non-paretic legs of sub-acute stroke patients during assisted walking with WPS and CON. Recorded signals were compared to normative data that were recorded during speed-matched gait trials in healthy subjects. The specific measures were the relative contribution of individual muscles, levels of cocontraction, and the timing of the maximum electromyography (EMG) activity during the walking sessions. RESULTS: We found that, for most patients, the individual contribution of muscles were more similar to the healthy with the WPS assistance. In parallel, the cocontraction of the rectus femoris muscles in both legs was lower (by up to 39 %) during walking assisted by WPS than by cane/therapist gait support); the results from this case series (10 patients) showed that WPS might be the superior training scheme. CONCLUSIONS: These findings indicated that assistance by WPS changed the motor control output relative to CON assistance in most patients. © 2013 - IOS Press and the authors. All rights reserved.

BACKGROUND: The main clinical measures of walking recovery in stroke patients were compared for training assisted by Walkaround® postural support (WPS) and conventional (CON) support by a cane/therapist. OBJECTIVE: We attributed the differences between the trainings to modified muscular synergies that occurred during assistance by WPS. METHODS: We studied the muscle activities of the primary knee and ankle joint movers in the paretic and non-paretic legs of sub-acute stroke patients during assisted walking with WPS and CON. Recorded signals were compared to normative data that were recorded during speed-matched gait trials in healthy subjects. The specific measures were the relative contribution of individual muscles, levels of cocontraction, and the timing of the maximum electromyography (EMG) activity during the walking sessions. RESULTS: We found that, for most patients, the individual contribution of muscles were more similar to the healthy with the WPS assistance. In parallel, the cocontraction of the rectus femoris muscles in both legs was lower (by up to 39 %) during walking assisted by WPS than by cane/therapist gait support); the results from this case series (10 patients) showed that WPS might be the superior training scheme. CONCLUSIONS: These findings indicated that assistance by WPS changed the motor control output relative to CON assistance in most patients. © 2013 - IOS Press and the authors. All rights reserved.

Introduction: Obesity is a complex condition with multifactorial origin. Assuming that such a state is genetically controlled, the aim of our study was to evaluate the degree of genetic homozygosity among overweight and obese individuals by the homozygously recessive characteristics (HRC) test. Material and methods: We analysed the presence, distribution and individual combination of 15 selected genetically controlled recessive phenotype traits in a sample of 140 individuals with increased body mass index (overweight individuals n = 100 and obese individuals n = 40) and a control group of normal weight individuals (n = 300). Results: Obese individuals have significantly higher mean values for genetic homozygosity than those with normal weight (normal weight:3.61 ±1.48; obese:4.13 ±1.47, p <0.05) and difference in the presence of certain individual combinations of evaluated phenotype traits (Σχ2 = 76.9; p <0.01). There was no difference in average homozygosity of such genetic markers between groups of normal weight and overweight individuals (normal weight:3.61 ±1.48; overweight:3.93 ±1.51, p >0.05) and between groups of overweight and obese individuals (overweight:3.93 ±1.51; obese:4.13 ±1.47, p >0.05). There is no difference in the presence of certain individual combinations of evaluated phenotype traits between overweight and obese individuals (Σχ 2 = 20.6; p >0.05). Conclusions: There is a populational genetic difference in the degree of genetic homozygosity and variability between the group of normal weight and group of obese individuals, indicating a possible genetic component. Overweight and obese individuals have a genetic predisposition, but different expression of genetic loads could be one of the possible explanations for different susceptibility to increase of fat mass and body mass index. Copyright © 2012 Termedia & Banach.