Boosting textiles with plant extracts: an advanced sustainable antimicrobial innovation for direct skin applications.

This study investigates the incorporation of natural plant extracts, particularly eucalyptus and hop, into knitted fabrics to develop antimicrobial textiles. The antibacterial activity of the functionalized fabrics was evaluated against two pathogenic bacteria ( and ) and one common skin commensal (). Biocompatibility with human skin cells was assessed through MTT assays, TO/PI, and Calcein/PI staining.

A Comprehensive Understanding of Postural Tone Biomechanics: Intrinsic Stiffness, Functional Stiffness, Antagonist Coactivation, and COP Dynamics in Post-Stroke Adults.

Objective: To analyse the relationship between traditional stiffness and muscle antagonist coactivation in both stroke and healthy participants, using linear and non-linear measures of coactivation and COP during standing, stand-to-sit, and gait initiation.

Methods: Participants were evaluated through a cross-sectional design. Electromyography, isokinetic dynamometer, and force plate were used to calculate coactivation, intrinsic and functional stiffness, and COP displacement, with both linear and non-linear metrics.

European Portuguese version of the Mini-BESTest: a cross-cultural adaptation and psychometric measurements in individuals with sensorimotor impairments.

Purpose: This study aimed to translate and cross-culturally adapt the Mini-BESTest into European Portuguese and to evaluate its psychometric properties in individuals with sensorimotor impairments.

Material And Methods: A cross-sectional cross-cultural adaptation and validation study was conducted according to the COSMIN guidelines and the STROBE statement. The study included 100 participants with sensorimotor impairments who were able to walk 6 m.

Biomechanical Assessment Methods Used in Chronic Stroke: A Scoping Review of Non-Linear Approaches.

Non-linear and dynamic systems analysis of human movement has recently become increasingly widespread with the intention of better reflecting how complexity affects the adaptability of motor systems, especially after a stroke. The main objective of this scoping review was to summarize the non-linear measures used in the analysis of kinetic, kinematic, and EMG data of human movement after stroke. PRISMA-ScR guidelines were followed, establishing the eligibility criteria, the population, the concept, and the contextual framework.

Assessing Postural Control From Birth to Adulthood Among Individuals Born Preterm: A Systematic Review.

Premature life exposure, meaning an immature central nervous system, presents a significant challenge for the development of postural control and, in turn, overall motor development. Preventing motor delay thus requires identifying, characterizing, and quantifying deficit in postural control as early as possible. In our study, we reviewed the procedures used in past studies to assess postural control among individuals born preterm, specifically the characterization of participants, the instruments and motor tasks involved, the types of data collected and analyzed, and the outcomes.

Postural control during turn on the light task assisted by functional electrical stimulation in post stroke subjects.

Postural control mechanisms have a determinant role in reaching tasks and are typically impaired in post-stroke patients. Functional electrical stimulation (FES) has been demonstrated to be a promising therapy for improving upper limb (UL) function. However, according to our knowledge, no study has evaluated FES influence on postural control.

Healthcare, Clinical Factors and Rehabilitation Predicting Quality of Life in First-time Stroke Patients: A 12-month Longitudinal Study.

Objectives: One of the long-term rehabilitation goals in stroke survivors is to achieve the best health-related quality of life (HRQoL). This study analyzes the evolution of HRQoL one-year post-stroke to establish the main pre-stroke, clinical, health care and rehabilitation predictors.

Materials And Methods: This study uses patient-level data from a one-year single-center prospective cohort study of first stroke patients, assessed at baseline, 3, 6 and 12 months.

Optimal multi-field functional electrical stimulation parameters for the "drinking task - reaching phase" and related upper limb kinematics repeatability in post stroke subjects.

Background: No specific guidelines for the management of functional electrical stimulation (FES) parameters in post stroke patients have been defined yet, despite its frequent use. The purpose of this study is to characterize the optimal FES parameters that assist the reaching phase of drinking task ("drinking task - reaching phase") on post stroke subjects and to analyze the related upper limb (UL) movement quality indicators repeatability.

Methods: An observational study with a test and re-test design involving ten post stroke subjects with UL dysfunction was performed.

Optimal Multifield Functional Electrical Stimulation Parameters for the "Turn on the Light" Task and Related Upper Limb Kinematics Repeatability in Poststroke Subjects.

Objective: To characterize the optimal functional electrical stimulation (FES) parameters that assist the turn on the light task (TOTL) on poststroke participants and to analyze the related upper limb (UL) kinematics repeatability.

Design: Cross-sectional study.

Setting: Human movement research center.

Stroke rehabilitation and research: consideration of the role of the cortico-reticulospinal system.

A cerebrovascular accident, otherwise known as stroke, has the potential to damage multiple areas within the brain affecting descending motor control via a multitude of pathways resulting in a wide variety of movement problems. The cortico-reticulospinal system, one of the largest motor systems, is frequently affected, compromising its output, resulting in postural control deficits. The identification of clinically relevant instruments and scales to document and evaluate recovery in post-stroke patients is vital.

The role of the ipsilesional side in the rehabilitation of post-stroke subjects.

Most stroke lesions occur in the middle cerebral artery territory, presenting a high probability of damage of pathways with predominant ipsilesional disposition, mainly related to postural control. Despite the high probability of bilateral postural control dysfunction based on neuroanatomical fundaments, both research and clinical rehabilitation involving stroke subjects have been focused on contralesional side (also named affected side) impairments, while ipsilesional side (also named non-affected side) impairments have been attributed to an adaptive strategy. This paper aims to present a critical understanding about the state-of-the-art that sustains the hypothesis that stroke subjects with middle cerebral artery territory lesion at the subcortical level show an atypical behaviour in the ipsilateral side associated with the lesion itself and the possible implications.

Primary intimal sarcoma of the left atrium presenting with constitutional symptoms.

Intimal (spindle-cell) sarcomas are exceptionally rare and are highly aggressive cardiac tumors. The authors describe a case of a 43-year-old female, presenting with a 3-month history of constitutional symptoms with fever, night sweats, anorexia and weight loss, associated with productive cough and pleural effusion that was admitted with clinical suspicion of pulmonary tuberculosis. The patient developed sudden acute heart failure symptoms during hospitalization, leading to mechanical ventilation.

An Itchy Problem: A Clinical Case of Crusted Scabies.

Unlabelled: Scabies is an infestation of the skin by the mite . A more severe form called crusted or Norwegian scabies may occur in immunosuppressed patients and the elderly. Crusted scabies mostly differs from normal scabies by the exuberance of its lesions, body distribution and high contagiousness, and requires different and more prolonged treatment.

Subserous Eosinophilic Gastroenteritis: A Rare Cause of Ascites.

Unlabelled: Eosinophilic gastroenteritis is an inflammatory gastrointestinal disease characterized by eosinophilic infiltration of the digestive tract. The subserous type is the rarest form and diagnosis is challenging because the symptoms are heterogeneous and endoscopy may be non-diagnostic. The authors describe the clinical case of a 41-year-old female patient who was diagnosed with subserous eosinophilic gastroenteritis.

Ankle Intrinsic Stiffness in Subcortical Poststroke Subjects.

The authors' purpose was to evaluate bilateral ankle intrinsic stiffness in subcortical poststroke subjects. Ten subcortical poststroke subjects and 10 healthy controls participated in this study. The ankle passive stiffness at 3 different speeds and the electromyographic activity of the soleus, the gastrocnemius, and the tibialis anterior muscles of poststroke contralesional (CONTRA) and ipsilesional (IPSI) limbs and of one limb of healthy subjects were assessed.

Ankle antagonist coactivation in the double-support phase of walking: Stroke vs. healthy subjects.

Introduction: Lesions in ipsilateral systems related to postural control in the ipsilesional side may justify the lower performance of stroke subjects during walking.

Purpose: To analyze bilateral ankle antagonist coactivation during double support in stroke subjects.

Methods: Sixteen (8 females; 8 males) subjects with a first isquemic stroke and 22 controls (12 females; 10 males) participated in this study.

Ankle anticipatory postural adjustments during gait initiation in healthy and post-stroke subjects.

Background: Anticipatory postural adjustments during gait initiation have an important role in postural stability but also in gait performance. However, these first phase mechanisms of gait initiation have received little attention, particularly in subcortical post-stroke subjects, where bilateral postural control pathways can be impaired. This study aims to evaluate ankle anticipatory postural adjustments during gait initiation in chronic post-stroke subjects with lesion in the territory of middle cerebral artery.

Reliability of Two Methods for Identifying the Postural Phase of Gait Initiation in Healthy and Poststroke Subjects.

This study aims to compare 2 methods of assessing the postural phase of gait initiation, in regard to intrasession reliability, in healthy and poststroke subjects. As a secondary aim, this study aims to analyze anticipatory postural adjustments during gait initiation based on the center of pressure (CoP) displacements in poststroke participants. The CoP signal was acquired during gait initiation in 15 poststroke subjects and 23 healthy controls.

Co-activation of upper limb muscles during reaching in post-stroke subjects: an analysis of the contralesional and ipsilesional limbs.

The purpose of this study was to analyze the change in antagonist co-activation ratio of upper-limb muscle pairs, during the reaching movement, of both ipsilesional and contralesional limbs of post-stroke subjects. Nine healthy and nine post-stroke subjects were instructed to reach and grasp a target, placed in the sagittal and scapular planes of movement. Surface EMG was recorded from postural control and movement related muscles.

Experimental Infection with Sporulated Oocysts of Eimeria maxima (Apicomplexa: Eimeriidae) in Broiler.

Through this study we assessed the metabolic and pathological changes in broilers experimentally infected with oocysts of Eimeria maxima. To perform the experiment, we used 150 broiler strain cooB males, with ten days of age, were randomized according to weight and randomly assigned to two experimental groups: the control group was inoculated with 0.5 mL of distilled water; the infected group inoculated with 0.

Interlimb coordination during the stance phase of gait in subjects with stroke.

Objective: To analyze the relation between contralesional and ipsilesional limbs in subjects with stroke during step-to-step transition of walking.

Design: Observational, transversal, analytical study with a convenience sample.

Setting: Physical medicine and rehabilitation clinic.

Interlimb relation during the double support phase of gait: an electromyographic, mechanical and energy-based analysis.

The purpose of this study is to analyse the interlimb relation and the influence of mechanical energy on metabolic energy expenditure during gait. In total, 22 subjects were monitored as to electromyographic activity, ground reaction forces and VO2 consumption (metabolic power) during gait. The results demonstrate a moderate negative correlation between the activity of tibialis anterior, biceps femoris and vastus medialis of the trailing limb during the transition between mid-stance and double support and that of the leading limb during double support for the same muscles, and between these and gastrocnemius medialis and soleus of the trailing limb during double support.