Metacarpophalangeal hyperextension in trapeziometacarpal osteoarthritis: Relationship to first metacarpal head shape, and clinical impact.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to determine whether the shape of the first metacarpal head influences metacarpophalangeal hyperextension, and to evaluate the influence of metacarpophalangeal hyperextension on hand pain and function in patients with trapeziometacarpal osteoarthritis.

Methods: 362 patients with painful basal thumb osteoarthritis were evaluated over a 2-year period. Pain rating on a visual analog scale, trapeziometacarpal and metacarpophalangeal motion, and grip and pinch strength were evaluated.

Intramedullary nailing of humeral shaft fractures: percutaneous nailing in the lateral position through the Neviaser approach is a reliable technique.

Background: Displaced humeral shaft fractures are frequently treated by osteosynthesis in the active patient. We aimed to evaluate the results of intramedullary nailing (IMN) in the lateral position with the Neviaser approach and to compare them with those from IMN nailing in the standard position and conventional approach.

Methods: In the retrospectively evaluated, single-center study, we compared 20 cases of long IMN for fractures of the proximal or middle third of the humerus shaft (Multilock; Synthes Laboratory) in the lateral position with the percutaneous Neviaser approach with 52 cases of IMN in the standard position.

Restoration of elbow extension and construction of a "key grip" in people with tetraplegia. Comparative study of a surgical plan in one or two stages.

Aim: We report the comparative results of functional upper extremity surgery plans in patients with tetraplegia, including restoration of elbow extension and construction of a key grip in a "one-stage" or "two-stage" operation.

Materials And Methods: A series of 36 patients with tetraplegia, with a total of 45 operated upper limbs, was analyzed retrospectively with a mean follow-up of 23 months (13-39 months). We evaluated the analytical strength of elbow extension using the MRC (Medical Research Council) score, the strength of the key grip (kg/F) as well as the autonomy of the patients using functional scores; Lamb (/100) and QIF (Quadriplegia Index of Function) (/100).

Prospective study of 90 arthroscopic rotator cuff repairs for isolated distal supraspinatus tear, assessing the impact of cardiovascular risk factors on tendon healing.

Introduction: Cardiovascular risk factors have been shown to be relevant to onset of rotator cuff tear, but their influence on healing remains to be determined.

Objective: To assess the individual and cumulative impact of cardiovascular risk factors on tendon healing after arthroscopic rotator cuff repair.

Material And Method: A single-center prospective study included 90 patients undergoing arthroscopic repair of isolated distal supraspinatus tendon tear.

Median Nerve Entrapment after Supracondylar Humeral Fracture in a Young Child.

Median nerve entrapment after supracondylar humeral fracture in children is rare. We report a case of Gartland type III supracondylar humeral fracture complicated by an entrapment of the median nerve following closed reduction and percutaneous pinning in a 5-year-old child. The diagnosis of entrapment was made 14 months post injury following progressive motor and sensory palsy.

The Role of International Volunteers in the Growth of Surgical Capacity in Post-earthquake Haiti.

Background: The 2010 Haiti earthquake severely strained local healthcare infrastructure. In the wake of this healthcare crisis, international organizations provided volunteer support. Studies demonstrate that this support improved short-term recovery; however, it is unclear how long-term surgical capacity has changed and what role volunteer surgical relief efforts have played.

Allophonic mode of speech perception in dyslexia.

Perceptual discrimination between speech sounds belonging to different phoneme categories is better than that between sounds falling within the same category. This property, known as "categorical perception," is weaker in children affected by dyslexia. Categorical perception develops from the predispositions of newborns for discriminating all potential phoneme categories in the world's languages.

Perception of vowel-to-vowel transitions with different formant trajectories.

In this paper, the perceptual effects of vowel-to-vowel transitions determined by different temporal variations of model parameters which specify the shapes of the vocal tract area function are investigated. It is shown that, (a) the method of deformation of the vocal tract area function between two targets can be perceptually important and (b) conversely, within certain limits, the time course of parameters from one state to another, and the precise synchronization of two parameters is not important for the correct identification of a vowel series. These characteristics are necessary but not sufficient to prove the existence of a phonetic gesture percept.

Perceptual discrimination of speech sounds in developmental dyslexia.

Experiments previously reported in the literature suggest that people with dyslexia have a deficit in categorical perception. However, it is still unclear whether the deficit is specific to the perception of speech sounds or whether it more generally affects auditory function. In order to investigate the relationship between categorical perception and dyslexia, as well as the nature of this categorization deficit, speech specific or not, the discrimination responses of children who have dyslexia and those of average readers to sinewave analogues of speech sounds were compared.

Modeling and perception of 'gesture reduction'.

The phenomenon of vowel reduction is investigated by modeling 'gesture reduction' with the use of the Distinctive Region Model (DRM). First, a definition is proposed for the term gesture, i.e.

[Does Swan-ganz catheter help in weaning from controlled ventilation after mitral valve replacement?].

The difference between oxygen consumption during spontaneous and controlled ventilation represents the oxygen cost of breathing. Swan-Ganz catheters enable oxygen consumption to be calculated as the product of cardiac index by arteriovenous oxygen concentration. This method was used in 25 patients on the day after anaesthesia and mitral valve replacement to predict the success of weaning from mechanical ventilation.

[Systolic time intervals measurement by electrical plethysmography (author's transl)].

The determination of left systolic time intervals by electrical impedance plethysmography, using precordial pick-up electrodes, gives as good results as classical method using phonocardiogramm and carotid pulse trace. Moreover the measurement of right systolic time intervals is possible with this method. Another advantage of this technic is that it only requires affixing four electrocardiographic electrodes to the thorax and is usable during relatively long periods of time.

[Relations between the form of the vocal tract and the acoustic characteristics of the French vowels].

The distribution inside the vocal tract of certain acoustic parameters (volume velocity, acoustic pressure, stored energy) is calculated for the French vowels. Calculations are made using a simulated lossy transmission line model of the vocal tract. The obtained results are used to study the relation between the acoustic characteristics of these vowels and the corresponding articulatory dimensions.