Combination of anodal tDCS of the cerebellum with a goal-oriented motor training to treat cervical dystonia: a pilot case series.

Background: Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) of the cerebellum shows promise for the treatment of dystonia. Specific motor rehabilitation programs have also been developed in this context. However, the combination of these two approaches has not yet been evaluated to determine their therapeutic potential.

Genome Analysis of a Variant of M145 with High Lipid Content and Poor Ability to Synthetize Antibiotics.

M145 is a model strain extensively studied to elucidate the regulation of antibiotic biosynthesis in species. This strain abundantly produces the blue polyketide antibiotic, actinorhodin (ACT), and has a low lipid content. In a process designed to delete the gene encoding the isocitrate lyase () of the glyoxylate cycle, an unexpected variant of was obtained besides deletion mutants.

Clustering-based preprocessing method for lipidomic data analysis: application for the evolution of newborn skin surface lipids from birth until 6 months.

After life in utero and birth, the skin is submitted to an important process of adaptation to a relatively dry gaseous environment. Skin surface lipids (SSLs) contribute actively to the protection of the skin barrier. Within this context, our objective was to study the evolution of each lipid compound during the postnatal period.

Ammoides pusilla (Apiaceae) essential oil: Activity against Acanthamoeba castellanii Neff.

Acanthamoeba is a free-living amoeba genus that causes several diseases namely, amoebic keratitis which is a painful sight threatening eyes disease. Its treatment is difficult and the exploration for new drugs is very important. The main objective of the present study was to evaluate the chemical composition of the Essential Oils (EO) obtained from leaves and flowers and aerial parts of Ammoides pusilla by an alternative method "Hydrodistillation''.

Manual Dexterity in Schizophrenia-A Neglected Clinical Marker?

Impaired manual dexterity is commonly observed in schizophrenia. However, a quantitative description of key sensorimotor components contributing to impaired dexterity is lacking. Whether the key components of dexterity are differentially affected and how they relate to clinical characteristics also remains unclear.

Quantitative Proteomics Analysis Confirmed Oxidative Metabolism Predominates in Streptomyces coelicolor versus Glycolytic Metabolism in Streptomyces lividans.

Recent physiological studies indicated that S. lividans metabolism was mainly glycolytic, whereas S. coelicolor metabolism was mainly oxidative.

Attenuated Total Reflection Fourier Transform Infrared (ATR FT-IR) for Rapid Determination of Microbial Cell Lipid Content: Correlation with Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS).

There is a growing interest worldwide for the production of renewable oil without mobilizing agriculture lands; fast and reliable methods are needed to identify highly oleaginous microorganisms of potential industrial interest. The aim of this study was to demonstrate the relevance of attenuated total reflection (ATR) spectroscopy to achieve this goal. To do so, the total lipid content of lyophilized samples of five Streptomyces strains with varying lipid content was assessed with two classical quantitative but time-consuming methods, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and ATR Fourier transform infrared (ATR FT-IR) spectroscopy in transmission mode with KBr pellets and the fast ATR method, often questioned for its lack of reliability.

Does dystonic muscle activity affect sense of effort in cervical dystonia?

Background: Focal dystonia has been associated with deficient processing of sense of effort cues. However, corresponding studies are lacking in cervical dystonia (CD). We hypothesized that dystonic muscle activity would perturb neck force control based on sense of effort cues.

[Not Available].

Today, the development of analytic methods brings new scientific insights into the research on the mummification process used by embalmers in ancient Egypt. The application of these techniques of molecular analysis, elementary analysis, botanical analysis and bibliographic analysis of ancient texts allows us to know the composition of mummification balms and material involved in the conservation of the body. Such substances, which are mineral, animal or plant material, played a practical and a symbolic part in the composition of balms used for the preservation of mummified bodies and therefore in the passage to the eternal life after the death.

Upper Limb Outcome Measures Used in Stroke Rehabilitation Studies: A Systematic Literature Review.

Background: Establishing which upper limb outcome measures are most commonly used in stroke studies may help in improving consensus among scientists and clinicians.

Objective: In this study we aimed to identify the most commonly used upper limb outcome measures in intervention studies after stroke and to describe domains covered according to ICF, how measures are combined, and how their use varies geographically and over time.

Methods: Pubmed, CinHAL, and PeDRO databases were searched for upper limb intervention studies in stroke according to PRISMA guidelines and477 studies were included.

Baseline Features Influencing the Effectiveness of Retraining Therapy for Writer's Cramp.

The effectiveness of retraining therapy (RT) for writer's cramp is difficult to predict and its determinants are unknown. We examined factors potentially predicting improved legibility after RT in patients with writer's cramp (WC). We reviewed the files of 693 WC patients treated with RT from 1995 to 2009.

Establishing high temperature gas chromatographic profiles of non-polar metabolites for quality assessment of African traditional herbal medicinal products.

The quality assessment of African traditional herbal medicinal products is a difficult challenge since they are complex mixtures of several herbal drug or herbal drug preparations. The plant source is also often unknown and/or highly variable. Plant metabolites chromatographic profiling is therefore an important tool for quality control of such herbal products.

Impaired force control in writer's cramp showing a bilateral deficit in sensorimotor integration.

Background: Abnormal cortical processing of sensory inputs has been found bilaterally in writer's cramp (WC). This study tested the hypothesis that patients with WC have an impaired ability to adjust grip forces according to visual and somatosensory cues in both hands.

Methods: A unimanual visuomotor force-tracking task and a bimanual sense of effort force-matching task were performed by WC patients and healthy controls.

A round robin exercise in archaeometry: analysis of a blind sample reproducing a seventeenth century pharmaceutical ointment.

Chemical analysis of ancient residues of pharmaceutical or cosmetic preparations such as balms or ointments is made problematic by the high complexity of these mixtures, composed of organic and inorganic materials. Consequently, a multi-analytical approach and special caution in the interpretation of the results are necessary. In order to contribute to the improvement of analytical strategies for the characterization of complex residues and to reconstruct ancient medical practices, a replica of a pharmaceutical formulation of the seventeenth century was prepared in the laboratory according to a historically documented recipe.

Chemometric approach for investigating the skin surface lipids (SSLs) composition: influence of geographical localization.

Skin surface lipids (SSLs), arising from both sebaceous glands and skin removal, form a complex lipid mixture composed of free fatty acids and neutral lipids. They are present in the hydrolipidic film and have a close relationship with the stratum corneum lipids. Thus, SSLs participate in the barrier function.

High-temperature gas chromatography-mass spectrometry for skin surface lipids profiling.

Skin surface lipids (SSLs) arising from both sebaceous glands and skin removal form a complex lipid mixture composed of free fatty acids and neutral lipids. High-temperature gas chromatography coupled with electron impact or chemical ionization mass spectrometry was used to achieve a simple analytical protocol, without prior separation in classes and without prior cleavage of lipid molecules, in order to obtain simultaneously i) a qualitative characterization of the individual SSLs and ii) a quantitative evaluation of lipid classes. The method was first optimized with SSLs collected from the forehead of a volunteer.

TENS is harmful in primary writing tremor.

Objective: It is unclear whether primary writing tremor (PWT) is a tremulous form of dystonia or a tremor per se. Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) at 50 Hz applied for 2 weeks was reported to improve the writing capabilities of patients with writer's cramp (WC). We explored whether such a beneficial effect can be obtained in patients with a PWT.

Physiotherapy of focal dystonia: a physiotherapist's personal experience.

The approach of the physiotherapist to each form of dystonia is individual and has to be specific. There is not one single method but several strategies related to the different clinical forms. Although there is no standard programme applicable to all forms of cervical dystonia, we can distinguish a number of guidelines for the different clinical forms.

Somatosensory cortical remodelling after rehabilitation and clinical benefit of in writer's cramp.

In order to explore the pathophysiological basis of a new rehabilitation therapy in writer's cramp (WC), healthy controls, untreated WC patients and WC patients who recovered a legible handwriting after rehabilitation were explored using magnetoencephalography, and the somatosensory evoked fields of fingers I, II, III and V in the sensory cortex were studied. In the cortex controlling the dystonic limb, the size of the hand representation in the trained patients was similar to that of healthy controls, and significantly different from that of untrained patients. Trained patients exhibited 'super-normal' reorganisation of the finger maps.

The celebrated écorchés of honoré Fragonard, part 2: The details of the technique used by Fragonard.

It is remarkable that the famous écorchés of Honoré Fragonard have survived the centuries to reach us today. Studies carried out by several teams have established details of the technique used by Fragonard that help to explain their longevity. The injection of the vessels was achieved by means of a mixture of mutton tallow and pine resin diluted in essence of turpentine and essential oils.

Kinetic 12C/13C isotope fractionation by invertase: evidence for a small in vitro isotope effect and comparison of two techniques for the isotopic analysis of carbohydrates.

The natural (13)C/(12)C isotope composition (delta(13)C) of plants and organic compounds within plant organs is a powerful tool to understand carbon allocation patterns and the regulation of photosynthetic or respiratory metabolism. However, many enzymatic fractionations are currently unknown, thus impeding our understanding of carbon trafficking pathways within plant cells. One of them is the (12)C/(13)C isotope effect associated with invertases (EC 3.

Case-control study of writer's cramp.

Task-specific focal dystonias are thought to be due to a combination of individual vulnerability and environmental factors. There are no case-control studies of risk factors for writer's cramp. We undertook a case-control study of 104 consecutive patients and matched controls to identify risk factors for the condition.