scholarly journals Gait Rehab Adaptive Machine: Design of GRAM, a Walking Linkage Powered Wheelchair for Lower Body Therapy and Assistance

Author(s):  
Yasemin Sarigul-Klijn

Nearly half of individuals with stroke experience some form of long-term disability and stroke is one of the main causes of wheelchair use in the United States [1]. Early rehabilitation in the acute phase of stroke has been shown critical to promoting motor plasticity and patient outcomes. However, research shows that only 32% of the time during inpatient rehabilitation is spent in active therapy, while the rest of the time is spent on other activities around the ward [2]. For walking impairment, it is especially important for patients to experience similar force loading and practice the patterning of gait in order to recover [3]. However, in a typical therapy session focused on gait rehabilitation patients only will take about 300 steps on average. This is far below what has been thought needed for humans to learn how to walk [4].

Author(s):  
Sushma Reddy ◽  
Stephanie Siehr Handler ◽  
Sean Wu ◽  
Marlene Rabinovitch ◽  
Gail Wright

Abstracts Because of remarkable advances in survival over the past 40 years, the worldwide population of individuals with single ventricle heart disease living with Fontan circulation has grown to ≈70 000, with nearly half aged >18 years. Survival to at least 30 years of age is now achievable for 75% of Fontan patients. On the other hand, single ventricle patients account for the largest group of the 6000 to 8000 children hospitalized with circulation failure, with or without heart failure annually in the United States, with the highest in‐hospital mortality. Because there is little understanding of the underlying mechanisms of heart failure, arrhythmias, pulmonary and lymphatic vascular abnormalities, and other morbidities, there are no specific treatments to maintain long‐term myocardial performance or to optimize overall patient outcomes.


Author(s):  
J. Bruni ◽  
B.J. Wilder ◽  
L.J. Willmore ◽  
H.J. Villarreal ◽  
M. Thomas ◽  
...  

SUMMARY:Valproic acid is a new antiepileptic drug recently introduced in the United States for the treatment of absence seizures. In this study on patients with absence and other seizure types, the majority of patients achieved optimal control within four weeks of therapy. No patient responded to valproic acid who did not show an initial clinical response by four weeks of active therapy. Optimal response was generally achieved when plasma levels were greater than 55 μg/ml. Excellent clinical response was observed in the treatment of absence and myoclonic seizures. Twenty-two patients continued in a long term study have maintained the same degree of seizure control as observed at the time of optimal control.


2014 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 130-141
Author(s):  
Sarah L. Livesay

Stroke is the fourth leading cause of death and the leading cause of significant, long-term disability in the United States. Clinicians’ knowledge and use of evidence to guide the care of patients with ischemic stroke are paramount to improving patient outcomes. The recently updated “Guidelines for the Early Management of Patients With Acute Ischemic Stroke: A Guideline for Healthcare Professionals From the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association” provides clinicians with evidence-based, expert consensus to guide the recognition and early management of patients with acute ischemic stroke. The guideline provides 115 recommendations for the management of patients with acute ischemic stroke, including 24 new recommendations and 51 revised recommendations divided into 14 major topic areas. This article reviews the recommendations and related literature and provides suggestions for use and implementation of the guideline within a stroke program of care.


2017 ◽  
Vol 81 (2) ◽  
pp. 116-124 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan Stark ◽  
Marian Keglovits ◽  
Emily Somerville ◽  
Yi-Ling Hu ◽  
Jane Conte ◽  
...  

Introduction Stroke is a leading cause of serious, long-term disability in the United States. With shorter inpatient hospital stays, more time in rehabilitation is devoted to medical stabilization and less on skills to regain independence in daily activities. The transition home may be an opportunity for intervention focused on regaining independence. We propose an enhanced rehabilitation transition program called Community Participation Transition after Stroke. Method A prospective, randomized, single-blinded, parallel-group pilot study was completed with 15 participants to demonstrate feasibility. Findings Fidelity to the protocol was achieved: The Community Participation Transition after Stroke group received 81% of the planned minutes and 83% of the intervention visits. There was no difference between groups for healthcare utilization or falls. Adherence was 85% at three months and 71% at nine months for the home modification intervention. At 6 months, scores improved by 17.39 points for the Community Participation Transition after Stroke group, and 1.30 points for the control group. Environmental barriers decreased in both groups. Conclusion This pilot study demonstrated that it is feasible to implement a community participation intervention during the period of transitioning home from inpatient rehabilitation for stroke survivors. Additional studies are necessary to determine the efficacy of the intervention.


Author(s):  
Melissa A. Pierce

In countries other than the United States, the study and practice of speech-language pathology is little known or nonexistent. Recognition of professionals in the field is minimal. Speech-language pathologists in countries where speech-language pathology is a widely recognized and respected profession often seek to share their expertise in places where little support is available for individuals with communication disorders. The Peace Corps offers a unique, long-term volunteer opportunity to people with a variety of backgrounds, including speech-language pathologists. Though Peace Corps programs do not specifically focus on speech-language pathology, many are easily adapted to the profession because they support populations of people with disabilities. This article describes how the needs of local children with communication disorders are readily addressed by a Special Education Peace Corps volunteer.


Author(s):  
José G. Centeno

Abstract The steady increase in linguistic and cultural diversity in the country, including the number of bilingual speakers, has been predicted to continue. Minorities are expected to be the majority by 2042. Strokes, the third leading cause of death and the leading cause of long-term disability in the U.S., are quite prevalent in racial and ethnic minorities, so population estimates underscore the imperative need to develop valid clinical procedures to serve the predicted increase in linguistically and culturally diverse bilingual adults with aphasia in post-stroke rehabilitation. Bilingualism is a complex phenomenon that interconnects culture, cognition, and language; thus, as aphasia is a social phenomenon, treatment of bilingual aphasic persons would benefit from conceptual frameworks that exploit the culture-cognition-language interaction in ways that maximize both linguistic and communicative improvement leading to social re-adaptation. This paper discusses a multidisciplinary evidence-based approach to develop ecologically-valid treatment strategies for bilingual aphasic individuals. Content aims to spark practitioners' interest to explore conceptually broad intervention strategies beyond strictly linguistic domains that would facilitate linguistic gains, communicative interactions, and social functioning. This paper largely emphasizes Spanish-English individuals in the United States. Practitioners, however, are advised to adapt the proposed principles to the unique backgrounds of other bilingual aphasic clients.


Author(s):  
Oscar D. Guillamondegui

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a serious epidemic in the United States. It affects patients of all ages, race, and socioeconomic status (SES). The current care of these patients typically manifests after sequelae have been identified after discharge from the hospital, long after the inciting event. The purpose of this article is to introduce the concept of identification and management of the TBI patient from the moment of injury through long-term care as a multidisciplinary approach. By promoting an awareness of the issues that develop around the acutely injured brain and linking them to long-term outcomes, the trauma team can initiate care early to alter the effect on the patient, family, and community. Hopefully, by describing the care afforded at a trauma center and by a multidisciplinary team, we can bring a better understanding to the armamentarium of methods utilized to treat the difficult population of TBI patients.


Author(s):  
Federico Varese

Organized crime is spreading like a global virus as mobs take advantage of open borders to establish local franchises at will. That at least is the fear, inspired by stories of Russian mobsters in New York, Chinese triads in London, and Italian mafias throughout the West. As this book explains, the truth is more complicated. The author has spent years researching mafia groups in Italy, Russia, the United States, and China, and argues that mafiosi often find themselves abroad against their will, rather than through a strategic plan to colonize new territories. Once there, they do not always succeed in establishing themselves. The book spells out the conditions that lead to their long-term success, namely sudden market expansion that is neither exploited by local rivals nor blocked by authorities. Ultimately the inability of the state to govern economic transformations gives mafias their opportunity. In a series of matched comparisons, the book charts the attempts of the Calabrese 'Ndrangheta to move to the north of Italy, and shows how the Sicilian mafia expanded to early twentieth-century New York, but failed around the same time to find a niche in Argentina. The book explains why the Russian mafia failed to penetrate Rome but succeeded in Hungary. A pioneering chapter on China examines the challenges that triads from Taiwan and Hong Kong find in branching out to the mainland. This book is both a compelling read and a sober assessment of the risks posed by globalization and immigration for the spread of mafias.


2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 68-85
Author(s):  
D. V. Streltsov

The article analyzes long-term external and internal factors determining the course of development of Russian-Japanese relations in 2019-2020. On the one hand, the anti-Russian component in Tokyo's foreign policy is shaped by its membership in the Security Treaty with the United States and its solidarity with the sanctions policy of the Group of Seven towards Russia. On the other hand, Japan and Russia are both interested interest in political cooperation in creating multilateral dialog mechanisms of international security in East Asia, resolving the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula, and easing tensions around territorial disputes in the East China and South China seas. Among the economic factors, the author focuses on the significant place of Russia in the context of Japan's task of diversifying sources of external energy supplies, as well as on Russia's desire to avoid unilateral dependence on the Chinese market while reorienting the system of foreign economic relations from the West to the East. Personal diplomacy of political leaders plays a significant role in relations between Russia and Japan, and, above all, close personal relationships and frequent meetings between Prime Minister Abe and President Putin, which make it possible to partially compensate the unfavorable image of the partner country in the public opinion of both Russia and Japan. Against the background of a deadlock in the Peace Treaty talks which emerged in 2019, the search for a way out of the diplomatic impasse is on the agenda. In the author's opinion, it would be appropriate at the first stage to proceed to the conclusion of a basic agreement on the basis bilateral relations, which would be "untied" from the Peace Treaty. In addition, Russia could stop criticizing Japan for its security policy and show greater understanding of the Japanese initiative in the field of quality infrastructure. In turn, Japan could take a number of strategic decisions on cooperation with Russia and announce them in the Prime Minister's keynote speech. In addition, Tokyo could stop positioning the issue of the peace Treaty as the main issue in relations with Russia, which would allow our countries to "untie" bilateral relations from the problem of border demarcation and focus on their positive agenda.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph Matthews ◽  
Madhu Pandey

Propeller planes and small engine aircraft around the United States, legally utilize leaded aviation gasoline. The purpose of this experiment was to collect suspended particulate matter from a university campus, directly below an airport’s arriving flight path’s descent line, and to analyze lead content suspended in the air. Two collection sets of three separate samples were collected on six separate days, one set in July of 2018 and the second set in January 2019.


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