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Biomedical subjects

F Lacquaniti

Publications and source records attributed to F Lacquaniti.

76 records · Page 5Linked to original sources
PubMedDate not supplied

Quantitative analysis of the pendulum test: application to multiple sclerosis patients treated with botulinum toxin.

The aim of this study was to develop quantitative analytical methods in the application of the pendulum test to both normal and spastic subjects. The lower leg was released by a torque motor from different starting positions. The resulting changes in the knee angle were fitted by means of a time-varying model. Stiffness and viscosity coefficients were derived for each half-cycle oscillation in both flexion and extension, and for all knee starting positions. This method was applied to the assessment of the effects of Botulinum toxin A (BTX) in progressive multiple sclerosis patients in a follow-up study. About half of the patients showed a significant decrement in stiffness and viscosity coefficients.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Quantitative assessment of somatic muscle tone.

An operational definition and a method for the evaluation of somatic muscle tone are presented. The relation between the applied perturbation (pseudo-random sequence of torque pulses) and the resulting changes in joint angular position defines a mechanical admittance. The usefulness of this and related concepts for the quantitative assessment of pathologic changes in muscle tone is illustrated with an example of an experimental lesion of the internal capsule in the monkey. The identification of time-varying reflex responses is discussed in relation to a catching task in human subjects.

Electromyography↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Ribosome maturation in E. coli.

In vivo and in vitro experiments have shown that processing of ribosomal RNA is a late event in ribosome biogenesis. The precursor form of RNA is probably necessary to speed up the assembly of ribomal proteins. Newly formed ribosomal particles which have already entered polyribosomes differ from mature ribosomes not only in their RNA content but also in their susceptibility to unfolding in low Mg concentration and to RNase attack. Final maturation of new ribosomes is probably dependent on their functioning in protein synthesis. Thus only those ribosomes which have proven to be functional may be converted into stable cellular structures.

Escherichia coli↗