Contaminants in Atlantic walruses in Svalbard Part 2: Relationships with endocrine and immune systems.

Marine mammals in the Barents Sea region have among the highest levels of contaminants recorded in the Arctic and the Atlantic walrus (Odobenus rosmarus rosmarus) is one of the most contaminated species within this region. We therefore investigated the relationships bewteen blubber concentrations of lipophilic persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and plasma concentrations of perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) and markers of endocrine and immune functions in adult male Atlantic walruses (n = 38) from Svalbard, Norway. To do so, we assessed plasma concentrations of five forms of thyroid hormones and transcript levels of genes related to the endocrine and immune systems as endpoints; transcript levels of seven genes in blubber and 23 genes in blood cells were studied.

Assessment of attention demand for balance control using a Smartphone: implementation and evaluation.

Dual-task paradigm studies strongly highlights the importance of considering attention demand when assessing the ability of an individual to control balance. This paper introduces the implementation of a Smartphone application for quantitative and independent assessment of attention demand for balance control. A proof-of-concept study was designed to evaluate the effectiveness of the iBalance system in assessing the attention demand for balance control.

Applying Entropy to Human Center of Foot Pressure Data to Assess Attention Investment in Balance Control.

Assessing the amount of attention invested in the control of balance is crucial when evaluating balance abilities. The purpose of the present study was to examine the relevance of applying entropy to human center of foot pressure data to assess attention investment in balance control. To achieve this goal, young healthy adults were tested in a static postural task consisting in standing as immobile as possible with their eyes closed under normal, altered (foam) and improved (ankle-foot orthosis).

Reduction of Prolonged Excessive Pressure in Seated Persons With Paraplegia Using Wireless Lingual Tactile Feedback: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Pressure ulcers (PU) are known to be a high-cost disease with a risk of severe morbidity. This paper evaluates a new clinical strategy based on an innovative medical device [Tongue Display Unit (TDU)] that implements perceptive supplementation in order to reduce prolonged excessive pressure, recognized as one of the main causes of PU. A randomized, controlled, and parallel-group trial was carried out with 12 subjects with spinal cord injuries (SCI).

[The pentoxifylline, a corticosteroid sparing in the treatment of sarcoidosis: A case report].

Introduction: The pentoxifylline seems to have some effects on immune cells by inhibiting tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα). Its role as a sparing corticosteroids in the treatment of sarcoidosis remains to be defined.

Clinical Case: We present the case of a patient with sarcoidosis corticodependent despite the use of azathioprine.