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Biomedical subjects

J Pauwels

Publications and source records attributed to J Pauwels.

25 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1998

Clinical gait analysis in a rehabilitation context: some controversial issues.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the focus of clinical gait analysis in order to explain the observed mismatch between the available technology for movement analysis and the aims of clinical rehabilitation medicine. DESIGN: Literature search using two different interactive computerized search systems. OUTCOME MEASURES: The selected studies on clinical gait analysis were screened on the type of tasks they employed in the assessment of gait. The tasks were divided into impairment-orientated and disability-orientated. RESULTS: The results indicated a dominance of simple motor tasks focusing at the level of impairments. In only 15 out of the 96 reviewed articles were tasks used that were aimed at the level of disabilities. CONCLUSIONS: A gap exists between the conceptual frameworks used in clinical rehabilitation medicine and those used in clinical movement analysis.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed1995

The effectiveness of preterm-birth prevention educational programs for high-risk women: a meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate whether preterm-birth prevention educational programs are effective at reducing neonatal mortality, low birth weight (LBW), and preterm delivery. DATA SOURCES: A MEDLINE literature search of English-language studies was performed, supplemented by a bibliography search of original research and review articles to locate studies assessing preterm-birth prevention programs. METHOD OF STUDY SELECTION: We identified 31 studies that reported results from trials evaluating preterm-birth prevention programs. From this group, only the six randomized controlled trials evaluating preterm-birth prevention education programs satisfied criteria of homogeneity to be included in a meta-analysis. One of these six studies was a subset of another study and was excluded except when reporting outcomes that were not included in the larger report. DATA EXTRACTION AND SYNTHESIS: Two independent reviewers assessed study methodology and identified the following outcomes: LBW frequency, preterm birth frequency, neonatal survival, birth weight, gestational age at delivery, and preterm labor diagnosis rates. When data were combined using meta-analytic techniques, no significant benefits were found for preterm-birth education programs in preventing neonatal death (cumulative relative risk [RR] 1.00, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.99-1.01), LBW rates (RR 0.99, 95% CI 0.88-1.11), or preterm delivery rates (RR 1.08, 95% CI 0.92-1.27). The only statistically significant effect of preterm birth education programs appears to be an increase in the frequency at which preterm labor is diagnosed (RR 1.71, 95% CI 1.41-2.08). CONCLUSION: Preterm-birth prevention educational programs appear to have little benefit in reducing preterm birth and may result in an increased rate of diagnosis of preterm labor.

Female↗
PubMed1994

Assessment of exposure to inorganic arsenic following ingestion of marine organisms by volunteers.

A study was undertaken to assess whether the consumption of fish and shellfish containing a high concentration (> 1500 micrograms/kg) of organoarsenical compounds was associated with the release of a significant amount of inorganic arsenic (Asi) in vivo. Volunteers were given a known quantity of seafood (ray, cod, plaice, mussel) whose content in total arsenic (As), Asi, monomethylarsonic acid (MMA), and dimethylarsinic acid (DMA) was determined. In addition to the total amount of As excreted within 48 hours, that of Asi and its methylated metabolites (MMA, DMA) was also monitored and compared with that expected on the basis of the results of our previous studies on the toxicokinetics of Asi, MMA, and DMA in humans. Ingestion of ray, cod, or plaice does not seem to be associated with a significant release of Asi in vivo. Following consumption of mussels, however, the amount of DMA excreted in urine is significantly higher than that expected on the basis of the amount of Asi and its methylated derivatives already present in the shellfish. It was also noted that among the different marine organisms analyzed (ray, cod, plaice, sole, sea-bream, mussel), the highest proportion of Asi (on the average 3% of the total) was found in mussels. Further metabolic studies are justified to assess the risk of exposure to Asi associated with the consumption of shellfish. In view of the possible release of dimethylarsenic acid from some organoarsenicals, biological monitoring of occupational exposure to Asi by the measurement of its methylated metabolites can provide misleading results if the workers have consumed some marine organisms within 48 hr before urine collection.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Gait adaptations during walking under visual and cognitive constraints: a study of patients recovering from limb-saving surgery of the lower limb.

The objective of this case series study was reautomatization of gait after limb-saving surgery for tumors at a laboratory of gait analysis. Twelve patients (9 males and 3 females; mean age, 38 years) who underwent limb-saving surgery of the lower limb at least 1 year previously and ten normal subjects (3 males and 7 females; mean age, 37.5 years) were studied. The main outcome measures were walking speed and stride time duration under normal walking conditions as well as the use of different types of constraints. Patients walked with a lower preferred walking speed than the normal subjects. Patients showed a higher coefficient of variation of stride time in normal walking as well as complex walking compared with normal subjects. During walking with constraints, a significant decrease in stride time was found in patients but not in normal subjects. Although restoration of gait after limb-saving surgery is impressive, it is not complete (lower walking speed) and can break down under conditions of visual and cognitive load. Hence, the application of complex tasks reveals that gait reautomatization is not complete in these patients during a period of 2 to 5 years after surgery.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

IUPAC collaborative trial study of a method to detect genetically modified soy beans and maize in dried powder.

This paper presents results of a collaborative trial study (IUPAC project No. 650/93/97) involving 29 laboratories in 13 countries applying a method for detecting genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in food. The method is based on using the polymerase chain reaction to determine the 35S promotor and the NOS terminator for detection of GMOs. reference materials were produced that were derived from genetically modified soy beans and maize. Correct identification of samples containing 2% GMOs is achievable for both soy beans and maize. For samples containing 0.5% genetically modified soy beans, analysis of the 35S promotor resulted also in a 100% correct classification. However, 3 false-negative results (out of 105 samples analyzed) were reported for analysis of the NOS terminator, which is due to the lower sensitivity of this method. Because of the bigger genomic DNA of maize, the probability of encountering false-negative results for samples containing 0.5% GMOs is greater for maize than for soy beans. For blank samples (0% GMO), only 2 false-positive results for soy beans and one for maize were reported. These results appeared as very weak signals and were most probably due to contamination of laboratory equipment.

Agrobacterium tumefaciens↗