The relation between the transversus abdominis muscles, sacroilac joint mechanics, and low back pain

Study Design. Two abdominal muscle patterns were tested in the same group of individuals, and their effects were compared in relation to sacroiliac joint laxity. One pattern was contraction of the transversus abdominis, Independently of the other abdominals; the other was a bracing action that used all the lateral abdominal muscles. Objectives. To demonstrate the biomechanical effect of the exercise for the transversus abdominis known to be effective in low back pain. Summary of Background Data. Drawing in the abdominal wall is a specific exercise for the transversus abdominis muscle (in cocontraction with the multifidus), which is used in the treatment of back pain. Clinical effectiveness has been demonstrated to be a reduction of 3-year recurrence from 75% to 35%. To the authors' best knowledge, there is not yet in vivo proof of the biomechanical effect of this specific exercise. This study of a biomechanical model on the mechanics of the sacroiliac joint, however, predicted a significant effect of transversus abdominis muscle force. Methods. Thirteen healthy individuals who could perform the test patterns were included. Sacroiliac joint laxity values were recorded with study participants in the prone position during the two abdominal muscle patterns. The values were recorded by means of Doppler Imaging of vibrations. Simultaneous electromyographic recordings and ultrasound imaging were used to verify the two muscle patterns. Results. The range of sacroiliac joint laxity values observed in this study was comparable with levels found in earlier studies of healthy individuals. These values decreased significantly in all individuals during both muscle patterns (P < 0.001). The independent transversus abdominis contraction decreased sacroiliac joint laxity (or rather increased sacroiliac joint stiffness) to a significantly greater degree than the general abdominal exercise pat-tern (P < 0.0260). Conclusions. Contraction of the transversus abdominis significantly decreases the laxity of the sacroiliac joint. This decrease in laxity is larger than that caused by a bracing action using all the lateral abdominal muscles. These findings are in line with the authors' biomechanical model predictions and support the use of independent transversus abdominis contractions for the treatment of low back pain.

Echinococcus granulosus sensu lato GENOTYPES IN DOMESTIC LIVESTOCK AND HUMANS IN GOLESTAN PROVINCE, IRAN

Cystic echinococcosis (CE) is a globally parasitic zoonosis caused by larval stages of Echinococcus granulosus. This study investigated E. granulosus genotypes isolated from livestock and humans in the Golestan province, northern Iran, southeast of the Caspian sea, using partial sequencing data of the cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (cox1) and NADH dehydrogenase 1 (nad1) mitochondrial genes. Seventy E. granulosus isolates were collected from animals in slaughterhouses: 18 isolates from sheep, 40 from cattle, nine from camels, two from buffaloes and one from a goat, along with four human isolates (formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissues) from CE patients of provincial hospitals. All isolates were successfully analysed by PCR amplification and sequencing. The sequence analysis found four E. granulosus genotypes among the 74 CE isolates: G1 (78.3%), G2 (2.7%), G3 (15%) and G6 (4%). The G1-G3 complex genotype was found in all of the sheep, goat, cattle and buffalo isolates. Among the nine camel isolates, the frequency of G1-G3 and G6 genotypes were 66.7% and 33.3%, respectively. All four human CE isolates belonged to E. granulosus sensu stricto. This study reports the first occurrence of the G2 genotype in cattle from Iran and confirms the previously reported G3 genotype in camels in the same country.

Численное исследование влияния восточной части Средиземного моря, Черного, Каспийского морей и окружающего их рельефа на распределение метеорологических полей в крупномасштабных вихрях атмосферы

მ. ნოდიას გეოფიზიკის ინსტიტუტში დამუშავებული საშუალო მასშტაბის ატმოსფერული პროცესები რეგიონალური მოდელის გამოყენებით რიცხობრივად გამოიკვლევა მეტეოროლოგიური ველების განაწილებით, რომლებიც გამოწვეულია ხმელთაშუა ზღვის აღმოსავლეთი ნაწილის, შავი და კასპიის ზღვების და მათ ირგვლივ არსებული რელიეფით, აღმოსავლეთით მოძრავ ციკლონურ და ანტიციკლონურ გრიგალებში.

К проблеме термо-геодинамики Кавказа и природе возникновения черноморской и каспийской впадин

მძლავრი ვერტიკალური წანაცვლებები მანტიაში წარმოიქმნა, დანალექ ფენაში კი ის უმნიშვნელოა. იგულისხმება, რომ ოკეანე „ტეტისის“ გამეჩხერება დაკავშირებულია მანტიასა და ქერქში ვერტიკალურ თერმომონაცვლებათა პროცესთან. შესაძლოა, რომ უგრანიტო ფენის წარმოქმნა შავ ზღვაში და კასპიის ზღვის ღრმა ნაწილში ამ პერიოდში ამოზევებას და გადარეცხვას უკავშირდება. რღვევები მოხოს ზედაპირზე წარმოიქმნება, გრძელდება „ბაზალტში“, ინტენსიურად ვითარდება „გრანიტში“ და დღემდე არსებობს დანალექ ფენში, რაც რეგიონში თანამედროვე მიწისძვრებს განაპირობებს.

Исследования влияния релъефа Кавказского региона на поле ветра в окрестростях восточной части каспийского морей

ატმოსფეროს ჰიდროდინამიკის არადიაბატური არასტაციონარული განტოლებათა სისტემის რიცხვით ინტეგრირების საშუალებით შესწავლილია კავკასიის რეგიონის რელიეფის გავლენა ქარის განაწილებაზე შავი ზღვის აღმოსავლეთ და კასპიის ზღვის დასავლეთ სანაპიროების მიდამოებში. ნაჩვენებია, რომ რელიეფის ზემოქმედებამ ოთხი ძირითადი ტიპის ფონურ დინებაზე შეიძლება გამოიწვიოს ქარის სიჩქარის მნიშვნელოვანი ცვლილება ატმოსფეროს სასაზღვრო ფენაში და წარმოშვას სანაპირო ზოლის მიდამოებში ქარის მეზომასშტაბური სტრუქტურები.

Psychosoziale Belastungen und Möglichkeiten der Resilienzförderung von Geschwisterkindern chro-nisch kranker und/ oder behinderter Kinder

Diese Arbeit befasst sich mit den psychosozialen Belastungen und Möglichkeiten der Resi-lienzförderung von Geschwisterkindern chronisch kranker und/ oder behinderter Kinder.Ziel ist es, ein umfassendes Bild über den Forschungsstand der „besonderen“ Situation der Geschwister zu skizzieren und einen Ausblick auf ein Präventionsprogramm zur Stärkung der Lebenskompetenzen von Geschwisterkindern zu geben.Dabei wird der Frage nachgegangen, ob die Geschwister potentiellen Risiken, durch die Le-bensumstände der Familie, ausgesetzt sind, die wiederum eine Gefahr für die Geschwister darstellen und sie möglicherweise in ihrer Entwicklung beeinflussen.Mittels einer umfassenden Literaturrecherche sollen die Ergebnisse zusammengetragen werden. Die Grundlage der Recherche basiert auf die Sichtung von Fachbüchern, wissen-schaftlichen Artikeln und Studien bezüglich der Geschwisterthematik.Zusammenfassend kann lässt sich sagen, dass ein chronisch krankes und/ oder behindertes Kind ein Belastungsfaktor für die gesamte Familie darstellt und als eine Einschränkung der Entwicklungsmöglichkeiten der Geschwister betrachtet werden kann. Demzufolge können die Geschwister als eine vulnerable Gruppe gesehen werden, die vermehrte Aufmerksamkeit in der Primärprävention bedarf. Die Risikoforschung zeigt zwar insgesamt inkonsistente Er-gebnisse, dennoch verweist sie darauf, dass die gesunden Geschwisterkinder ein erhöhtes Risiko haben, psychische Probleme zu entwickeln. Nachweislich treten bei den Geschwis-tern häufiger internalisierende und externalisierende Verhaltensauffälligkeiten auf, die die gesundheitsbezogene Lebensqualität beeinträchtigen.Die Ergebnisse verdeutlichen die Notwendigkeit, dass den Geschwisterkindern zukünftig noch mehr Aufmerksamkeit sowohl in der Forschung als auch in der Prävention geschenkt we

Treball de camp a una colònia de xatrac comú (sterna hirundo) en Alemanya

Estudio elaborado a partir de una estancia en el Institut fur Vogelforschung. El objeto de la estancia fue participar en la campaña de campo en la colonia de Charrán común (Sterna hirundo) situada en Wilhelmshaven (Alemania), entre los meses de mayo y agosto de 2005. Esta participación se llevó a cabo bajo la dirección del Prof. Dr. Peter H. Becker y junto a su equipo. Se participó en la recogida rutinaria de datos de la colonia así como en distintas técnicas relacionadas con el presente proyecto, como el marcaje de pollos, su observación directa desde escondites y la recogida de distintas muestras biológicas. El objetivo principal era continuar con la obtención de datos para el trabajo de investigación sobre la influencia de la calidad y la condición parental en la manipulación adaptativa de la razón de sexos y la asignación por sexos. La obtención de datos se basa en la implantación de transponders en pollos, que permiten la identificación de cada charrán de por vida. La combinación de esta información con la observación directa de cebas hace de la colonia un lugar excepcional, lo que permite conocer los factores que influyen en las tendencias que existan. Sin embargo, el objetivo específico de la campaña se centraba en investigar la variabilidad individual de la respuesta inmune en los pollos de charrán en relación a un número de atributos de los propios pollos (sexo, tamaño, tasa de crecimiento, proteínas en plasma, hematocrito, carga parasitaria, carotenos en plasma, isótopos de las plumas), de los padres (fecha y tamaño de puesta, calidad parental) y de las condiciones de cría (orden de eclosión, densidad de la sub-colonia). Los resultados de estos datos obtenidos durante la campaña respaldan que existe una influencia de la condición nutricional y la calidad parental en la respuesta immune de los pollos, debida probablemente a un esfuerzo reproductivo diferencial.

6

The use of the Internet now has a specific purpose: to find information. Unfortunately, the amount of data available on the Internet is growing exponentially, creating what can be considered a nearly infinite and ever-evolving network with no discernable structure. This rapid growth has raised the question of how to find the most relevant information. Many different techniques have been introduced to address the information overload, including search engines, Semantic Web, and recommender systems, among others. Recommender systems are computer-based techniques that are used to reduce information overload and recommend products likely to interest a user when given some information about the user's profile. This technique is mainly used in e-Commerce to suggest items that fit a customer's purchasing tendencies. The use of recommender systems for e-Government is a research topic that is intended to improve the interaction among public administrations, citizens, and the private sector through reducing information overload on e-Government services. More specifically, e-Democracy aims to increase citizens' participation in democratic processes through the use of information and communication technologies. In this chapter, an architecture of a recommender system that uses fuzzy clustering methods for e-Elections is introduced. In addition, a comparison with the smartvote system, a Web-based Voting Assistance Application (VAA) used to aid voters in finding the party or candidate that is most in line with their preferences, is presented.

Incidenceof out-of-hospital adult nontraumatic cardiac arrest presenting as a convulsion

Introduction: The majority of convulsions are due to an epileptic seizure or a convulsive syncope. The incidence of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OH-CA) presenting as a convulsion is unknown. Objective: This study aimed to measure the incidence of adult nontraumatic OH-CA presenting as a convulsion, a rate that has not been published so far, to the best of our knowledge. Methods: We prospectively collected all incoming calls with an out-of-hospital nontraumatic seizure as the chief complaint in patients >18 years old during a 24-month period. Among these calls, we collected cases identified as OH-CA by paramedics. Results: During the 24-month period, the emergency medical services (EMS) dispatch center received 561 calls for an out-of-hospital nontraumatic convulsion in an adult. Twelve cases were ultimately classified as CA. In this group, one bystander spontaneously reported that the patient was known for epilepsy. The incidence of OH-CA presenting as convulsions was therefore 2.1% of all calls for convulsion. Over the same period, the EMS dispatch center received 1,035 calls related to an adult nontraumatic OH-CA. Therefore, the rate of OH-CA presenting as a convulsion represented 1.2% of all adult nontraumatic OH-CA. Conclusion:L Only 12 cases out of the 531 calls for nontraumatic adult convulsions were confirmed OHCA (2.1%). Nevertheless, this unusual presentation of OH-CA must be recognized by dispatchers, even when a patient is reported by bystander as a known epileptic. Dispatchers should keep bystanders on the line or call them back before paramedics' arrival, and have them confirm the progressive return of a normal pat- tern of breathing and state of consciousness; if not, they should encourage the bystander to initiate CPR when necessary. An intervention should be implemented to improve the detection by dispatchers of OH-CA presenting as convulsion by the development of a specific interview and directed observation. For dispatchers, a past medical history of epilepsy should not be regarded as sufficient information to rule out OH-CA. It is mandatory that known epileptic patients should be monitored in the same way as nonepileptic patients.

Life cycle, feeding and defecation patterns of Rhodnius ecuadoriensis (Lent & León 1958) (Hemiptera: Reduviidae: Triatominae) under laboratory conditions

Rhodnius ecuadoriensis is the second most important vector of Chagas Disease (CD) in Ecuador. The objective of this study was to describe (and compare) the life cycle, the feeding and defecation patterns under laboratory conditions of two populations of this specie [from the provinces of Manabí (Coastal region) and Loja (Andean region)]. Egg-to-adult (n = 57) development took an average of 189.9 ± 20 (Manabí) and 181.3 ± 6.4 days (Loja). Mortality rates were high among Lojan nymphs. Pre-feeding time (from contact with host to feeding initiation) ranged from 4 min 42 s [nymph I (NI)] to 8 min 30 s (male); feeding time ranged from 14 min 45 s (NI)-28 min 25 s (male) (Manabí) and from 15 min 25 s (NI)-28 min 57 s (nymph V) (Loja). The amount of blood ingested increased significantly with instar and was larger for Manabí specimens (p < 0.001). Defecation while feeding was observed in Manabí specimens from stage nymph III and in Lojan bugs from stage nymph IV. There was a gradual, age-related increase in the frequency of this behaviour in both populations. Our results suggest that R. ecuadoriensis has the bionomic traits of an efficient vector of Trypanosoma cruzi. Together with previous data on the capacity of this species to infest rural households, these results indicate that control of synanthropic R. ecuadoriensis populations in the coastal and Andean regions may have a significant impact for CD control in Ecuador and Northern Peru.

Aspectos éticos de las comunicaciones cientificas

Artículo especial. Este texto está basado en el trabajo final del Master de Bioética y Humanización de la Asistencia realizado en la Escuela de Bioética de San Juan de Dios (Sevilla), Facultad de Teología de Granada, Universidad de Comillas durante los cursos 2006-07 y 2007-08.

Absence of domestic triatomine colonies in an area of the coastal region of Ecuador where Chagas disease is endemic

Rhodnius ecuadoriensis is considered the second most important vector of Chagas disease in Ecuador. It is distributed across six of the 24 provinces and occupies intradomiciliary, peridomiciliary and sylvatic habitats. This study was conducted in six communities within the coastal province of Guayas. Triatomine searches were conducted in domestic and peridomestic habitats and bird nests using manual searches, live-bait traps and sensor boxes. Synantrhopic mammals were captured in the domestic and peridomestic habitats. Household searches (n = 429) and randomly placed sensor boxes (n = 360) produced no live triatomine adults or nymphs. In contrast, eight nymphs were found in two out of six searched Campylorhynchus fasciatus (Troglodytidae) nests. Finally, Trypanosoma cruzi DNA was amplified from the blood of 10% of the 115 examined mammals. Environmental changes in land use (intensive rice farming), mosquito control interventions and lack of intradomestic adaptation are suggested among the possible reasons for the lack of domestic triatomine colonies.

Història de vida de Seis experiencias de educación Freinet en Cataluña antes de 1939, de Fernando Jiménez

Treball destinat a totes les persones interessades en la història de l’educació i la pràctica quotidiana del mètode Freinet. El centre d’interès és una publicació sobre experiències de mestres durant la Segona República Espanyola. Les sis experiències són el fruit de les entrevistes que en Fernando Jiménez va realitzar a alguns mestres que van tenir contacte amb la impremta escolar durant aquest període

Aplicacions web per a la correcció automàtica de proves

Treball de fi de carrera basat en la planificació, anàlisi, disseny i implementació d'una aplicació web per a la correcció automàtica de proves.

Avaliação do projeto Final - Recursos Hídrico do Tarrafal – Cabo Verde

A avaliacão do projecto do recursos hidricos do Tarrafal (Cabo Verde ) tem por base dois objectivos: 1) Cumprir as obrigag8es do contrato, o qual roquor uwa avaliação.o final, a 2) Sujeitar-se aon requisitos da CID pars a avaliação final. Desta formal a extenslo deta avaliaqlo 6 male quo ura simples rovialo, reopondendo a obrigaqos do contracto. Esta avaliagKot tern por fim estimar a forma coo o projecto atinglu ou doixou do atingir os objectivos propostos. An recomendaga4s quo safram desta avalia qio dovem sorvir para melhorar os projectos om andamento quo integram no sistema da CID. Ambos o fundos da CID o do contracto foram utilizados nesta avaliaqlo Os pontos apresentados nests documento slo da equipe do avaliaqlo o n~o representan necessariamente 0s da Administraqlo o/ou do Executivo da CID. B. A.VLICrUi)Z DA Ai1ALIAj!O Todo o projecto do Recurnos Hfdricos do Tarrafal eat inserido dontro do pris1m desta avalia.lo. Zbora outrou relatdrios tenham servido do fontes do infor=qlo, a proeantj oxamina o projecto dead. o porfodo da preparaqEo at o trmino C. EQU!!' DE AYALIACKO A equioe roi Joloeada polo Dean ( tipo do reitor do faculdads )# Director da Cemara don Adminintradoras da CID Dr. drnont Briskoyp o polo Director do Executivo, Dr. John L. Fiecher. A avaliaqgo foi orientada pole repartiglo do Executivo da CID. 0 Dr. Barry Re. Baintonp agents director do projectop coordenou o processo do avaliaqEo. 0 Dr. Gerald 3stlockq director do programus Internacionais do agricultura na Universidade do Arizonap foi selocionado coo lider da equips . 0 Dr. Howard Peterson, professor do agriculture • ongenharia do irrgaqIo da Universidade do Utah, foi selecionado coma segundo mumbro da equips. 0 Dr. Peterson ji tinha cumprido dues misses no projecto em Cabo Verde. 0 Dr. Jean Ruley Kearns, conselheiro director da CID no poriodo do 1982-83p fot selecionado comc sondo o tarceiro membro da equipe. D. ATODO DE AVALIAQXO Os pianos proliminares para conduzir a avaliaqo foram feitos numa rounibo inicial em Tucson ( Arizona ) a 5 do novembro do 1982. Nessa rounilo foi deci dido quo o Dr. Matlock visitaria o projecto durante o afs do novembro do 1982. A visita fot planojada do forma a coincidir com a presenga do Kern Stutlor, director coordenador do projectop quo devoria astar am Cabo lirde nessa data co.mpletando os trabalho a preparando o relat6rio final. Uma c6pia do Procasio do Avaliaglo pola AID assim como cdpias do relatdrios anteriores a outros docunontos rolevantea foram diatribufdos aos membros da equips duranto a reunigo inicial. Oa docu ientos examinados polos membros da equip. encontram-se listados na secção /III, Referiencias