China
Africa
Explore chapters and articles related to this topic
Physiological considerations for Para athletes
Published in Nima Dehghansai, Ross A. Pinder, Joe Baker, Talent Development in Paralympic Sport: Researcher and practitioner perspectives, 2023
Peta Maloney, Jamie Stanley, Ben Stephenson, Robert Pritchett, Gary Brickley
Cerebral palsy is an umbrella term for a group of motor disorders ranging from isolated physical or cognitive impairment to global loss of function (Toldi et al., 2021). It is resultant from an injury to the developing brain during pregnancy or shortly after birth. Muscle control, coordination and tone, reflex, posture, and balance are affected in people with CP with many also having visual, speech, hearing, learning, epilepsy, and intellectual impairments (Vitrikas et al., 2020). Given the diverse clinical presentation of symptoms, impairments to performance may manifest in various ways such as reduced ability to generate power or execute skills, compromised flexibility or range of motion, increased susceptibility to fatigue or seizure risk.
Young onset dementia − challenges in nomenclature and clinical definitions
Published in Marjolein de Vugt, Janet Carter, Understanding Young Onset Dementia, 2021
Dennis van de Veen, Christian Bakker, Tor Rosness, Raymond Koopmans
A debate is ongoing regarding Huntington's disease, originally characterized as a disease of the nervous system causing movement disorders, and whether it should be included as an aetiological cause of young onset dementia (Huntington, 2003). In Huntington's disease, cognitive decline will inevitably occur at some stage during the disease and emotional disorders are frequently observed as well (Eddy et al., 2016). At the same time, one could argue that Huntington's disease should not be considered a potential cause for dementia at a young age, as there is great variability in onset and course of cognitive dysfunction and progressive accumulating motor disorders remain essential for the diagnosis of Huntington's disease (Ross et al., 2019).
Caring for the carers
Published in Jeremy Playfer, John Hindle, Andrew Lees, Parkinson's Disease in the Older Patient, 2018
Rosanna Cousins, Ann Davies, Jeremy Playfer, Christopher Turnbull
Besides being a motor disorder, Parkinson’s disease is associated with a variety of subtle cognitive impairments and an increased risk of dementia.23–25 About a third of PD patients will experience hallucinations in the advanced stages.20 Depression is a serious and frequent problem for Parkinson’s patients,26–28 as are communication issues,29 and there are changes in personality.20–21 About half of carers perceived personality change and hence changes in behaviour in the people with PD (PPD). There are common themes in the changes reported: apathy, withdrawal and deterioration in communication; also a reduction in confidence, and an increase in worrying and agitation. Patients note such changes themselves.29–30
Research progress on the kynurenine pathway in the prevention and treatment of Parkinson’s disease
Published in Journal of Enzyme Inhibition and Medicinal Chemistry, 2023
Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a complex multifactorial neurodegenerative disease with a prevalence second only to Alzheimer’s disease. The main pathological feature of the disease is the degeneration and loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNpc) and the accumulation of misfolded α-synuclein (α-Syn) to form Lewy bodies (LB) in the brain, accompanied by the occurrence of neuroinflammation1. Up to 10 million people worldwide are affected, with an estimated lifetime risk of about 2%2. China is entering an ageing society, and it is estimated that by 2030, the number of PD patients in China will increase to 4.94 million, accounting for half of the global PD patients3. PD patients typically have four motor symptoms, including resting tremor, bradykinesia, postural instability, and rigidity of the neck, trunk, and limbs4. Although PD was first described by James Parkinson in 1817, its aetiology has not been fully elucidated to this day. Most scholars believe that the degeneration and necrosis of SNpc dopaminergic neurons lead to the dysfunction of the basal ganglia circuit, resulting in motor disorders5. Currently, there are two main treatment methods for PD, surgical treatment (such as deep brain stimulation) and drug treatment (such as levodopa and dopamine agonists)6, which can only temporarily relieve PD symptoms but cannot stop the progression of the disease. Therefore, the development of new treatments for PD has always been an urgent task for clinical doctors and scientists worldwide.
Profiling non-coding RNA expression in cerebrospinal fluid of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis patients
Published in Annals of Medicine, 2022
Greig Joilin, Elizabeth Gray, Alexander G. Thompson, Kevin Talbot, P. Nigel Leigh, Sarah F. Newbury, Martin R. Turner, Majid Hafezparast
For hsa-let-7c-5p, hsa-miR-9-3p, hsa-miR-196a-5p, and TRE-CTC1-2, we were able to show amplification across the majority of samples. However, there was no significant dysregulation of these targets identified between the groups, including the disease mimics which consisted of people with motor disorders similar to ALS (Figure 3). Grouping samples irrespective of progression rate continued to show no significant dysregulation (Supplementary Figure 1). Furthermore, the remaining miRNA showed little or no amplification with RT-qPCR in all or some samples, even with additional pre-amplification or cycling for particular ncRNA, suggesting that unlike serum, the expression of these ncRNA are not as ubiquitous across patient samples. Combined, these RT-qPCR data on individual samples did not confirm the RNA-seq analysis from pooled samples.
A pilot study of the impact of the electro-suit Mollii® on body functions, activity, and participation in children with cerebral palsy
Published in Assistive Technology, 2022
Camilla Flodström, Sari-Anne Viklund Axelsson, Birgitta Nordström
Cerebral palsy (CP) is the most common neurological disability in children and youth, and in Sweden, its incidence is about 2.18 per 1000 births (Himmelmann & Uvebrant, 2014). CP is a clinical description of a chronic functional disability caused by a non-progressive lesion of the developing central nervous system on the human infant brain. The motor disorders are often accompanied by disturbances of sensation, cognition, perception, communication, secondary musculoskeletal impairments, and pain (P Rosenbaum et al., 2007). Spasticity is a common problem, and while the prevalence differs depending on the etiology, appears in about 80% of the persons with CP (Shevell et al., 2009). Spasticity is defined as a motor disorder characterized by a velocity-dependent increase in tonic stretch reflex and exaggerated tendon jerks (Lance, 1980). Furthermore, pain and spasticity often occur simultaneously in patients, and spasticity can be induced by sensory stimuli; thus, a direct link between spasticity and pain can be assumed (Voerman et al., 2010). The motor impairments are thought to be major contributors to movement dysfunction and impact on the child’s ability to participate in various life situations (Beckung & Hagberg, 2002).