The lived experience of young adults with Fetal Valproate Spectrum Disorder, and the perspective of their parents: A qualitative study.

Background: While research has investigated the physical and neurodevelopmental consequences following prenatal exposure to valproate, our understanding of individuals with a formal diagnosis of Fetal Valproate Spectrum Disorder (FVSD), particularly in the context of adulthood, remains limited.

Aim: To investigate how symptoms and challenges of FVSD present in adulthood.

Methods: 30 people took part in the study, including 13 young adults aged between 21 and 37 years, 15 mothers, and 2 fathers.

Neurodevelopmental outcomes in children and adults with Fetal Valproate Spectrum Disorder: A contribution from the ConcePTION project.

Aim: To describe the neurodevelopmental phenotype of older children and adults with a diagnosis of Fetal Valproate Spectrum Disorder (FVSD).

Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 90 caregivers were recruited and completed a series of questionnaires regarding the neurodevelopmental outcomes of 146 individuals aged 7-37 years (M = 18.1), including individuals with a formal diagnosis of FVSD (n = 99), individuals exposed to Valproate but without an FVSD diagnosis (n = 24), and individuals not exposed to Valproate (N = 23).

Changes in mean body size in an expanding population of a threatened species.

With some taxa, a reduction in the mean size of individuals may reflect over-harvesting and/or trophy hunting. However, we show that in sea turtles, a reduction in the mean size of breeding individuals may be part of the good news story of an expanding population. We describe a 70-fold increase in annual nest numbers on the island of Sal (Cape Verde, North Atlantic) between 2008 and 2020 (from 506 to 35 507 nests), making this now one of the largest loggerhead () nesting aggregations in the world.

Climate change and temperature-linked hatchling mortality at a globally important sea turtle nesting site.

The study of temperature-dependent sex determination (TSD) in vertebrates has attracted major scientific interest. Recently, concerns for species with TSD in a warming world have increased because imbalanced sex ratios could potentially threaten population viability. In contrast, relatively little attention has been given to the direct effects of increased temperatures on successful embryonic development.

Development of the iPAM MkII system and description of a randomized control trial with acute stroke patients.

iPAM (intelligent Pneumatic Arm Movement) is a dual robot system for providing assistive upper-limb exercise to people with arm weakness as a result of stroke. This paper highlights refinements made to the system in the development of iPAM MkII. The rationale of an on-going random control trial using the iPAM MkII is also presented.

A framework to aid adoption of automated rehabilitation devices into clinical practice: synthesising and Interpreting Language for Clinical Kinematics (SILCK).

The Synthesising and Interpreting Language for Clinical Kinematics (SILCK) is an informatic framework for developing software to control automated rehabilitation devices. It aids adoption of devices into rehabilitation practice, by bridging the gap between clinical practice and internal device operation. SILCK defines data entities and processes for capturing clinical observations of patients and their rehabilitation goals in formats which can be used to direct the tailoring of device parameters to the individual patient's needs.

Effector force requirements to enable robotic systems to provide assisted exercise in people with upper limb impairment after stroke.

iPAM (intelligent Pneumatic Arm Movement) is a dual robotic system that aims to assist in the recovery of upper-limb movement in people with all severities of motor impairment after stroke. This paper presents effector force data gathered during the course of a pilot clinical study. It identifies the forces and workspace required to facilitate reach-retrieve exercises in a range of patients as part of rehabilitation treatments.

A novel robotic system for quantifying arm kinematics and kinetics: description and evaluation in therapist-assisted passive arm movements post-stroke.

We developed a system for quantitatively measuring arm movement. Our approach provides a method to simultaneously capture upper limb kinetic and kinematic data during assisted passive arm movements. Data are analysed with respect to Cartesian and upper limb coordinate systems to obtain upper limb joint angles and torques.

Sharjah teaching hospital takes shape.

In late 2006, the Ruler of Sharjah, His Highness Sheikh Dr Sultan Bin Mohamed Al Qassimi, approved the start of building of the new Sharjah Teaching Hospital in the United Arab Emirates Jim Cozens, MIHEA, the new facility's engineering services manager, describes the services set to be offered and looks forward to the hospital's opening, scheduled for late this year.

Associated reactions after stroke: a randomized controlled trial of the effect of botulinum toxin type A.

Objective: To measure the impact of botulinum toxin A on associated reactions in patients following stroke.

Design: Randomized placebo-controlled trial.

Patients: Forty patients with spasticity in their paretic arm (median time since stroke: 2.

An admittance control scheme for a robotic upper- limb stroke rehabilitation system.

This paper presents a control scheme for a dual robot upper-limb stroke rehabilitation system. A model of the human arm is outlined and used to formulate an admittance controller operating in human upper-limb joint space. Initial results are provided together with a discrussion of future work.

Learning from litigation. The role of claims analysis in patient safety.

Claims for malpractice and medical negligence are a potentially important source of information on the causes of harm to patients and have provided valuable lessons in the past. However today, with many additional sources of information and methods of analysis, the role of claims analysis needs to be reappraised. We consider the role of claims analysis in relation to other methods of studying adverse outcomes, review previous studies of claims and summarize the findings of four recent British specialty claims reviews.

Measuring movement irregularity in the upper motor neurone syndrome using normalised average rectified jerk.

Movement irregularity is a feature of the upper motor neurone (UMN) syndrome which is difficult to measure. Average rectified jerk (ARJ) has been proposed as a measure of this movement irregularity, but ARJ depends upon the duration of movement. Since movements may be slower in UMN patients, duration dependence compromises ARJ as a measure of irregularity.

Quantifying associated reactions in the paretic arm in stroke and their relationship to spasticity.

Objectives: (1) To present a measurement protocol for assessing associated reactions (AR) in the paretic arm and (2) to use it to investigate the pattern of AR and its association with spasticity.

Setting: Inpatient rehabilitation unit.

Design: Associated reactions in 49 adults with stroke were measured in terms of force generated, electrical muscle activity and wrist movement in the paretic arm using hand dynamometry, surface electromyography and electrogoniometry respectively.

Impact of botulinum toxin type A on disability and carer burden due to arm spasticity after stroke: a randomised double blind placebo controlled trial.

Objectives: After stroke, abnormal arm posture due to spasticity in a functionally useless arm may interfere with self care tasks. In these patients botulinum toxin treatment presents an opportunity to reduce disability. The purpose was to investigate whether reduction in spasticity after botulinum toxin treatment translates into reduction in disability and carer burden.

Monitoring of head injury by myotatic reflex evaluation.

Objectives: (1) To establish the feasibility of myotatic reflex measurement in patients with head injury. (2) To test the hypothesis that cerebral dysfunction after head injury causes myotatic reflex abnormalities through disordered descending control. These objectives arise from a proposal to use reflex measurements in monitoring patients with head injury.

Robotic assistance of an active upper limb exercise in neurologically impaired patients.

The principle of using robotic techniques to assist an active upper limb exercise is demonstrated in ten patients with weakness and spasticity. Using a servo motor to apply torque about the elbow, the mean range of active extension-flexion was increased in every patient. Sample kinematic and electromyographic (EMG) data are given.

Use of botulinum toxin in stroke patients with severe upper limb spasticity.

Objectives: Spasticity can contribute to poor recovery of upper limb function after stroke. This is a preliminary evaluation of the impact of botulinum toxin treatment on disability caused by upper limb spasticity after stroke.

Methods: Seventeen patients with severe spasticity and a non-functioning arm were treated with intramuscular botulinum A neurotoxin (median age at treatment 54.

Rehabilitation medicine.

The nature of rehabilitation medicine is outlined in terms of its objectives, its methods, the patient groups which it seeks to help and its relationships to other specialties. Some major advances of recent years are discussed, such as the development of the impairment/disability/handicap framework. With particular emphasis upon neurological rehabilitation, the breadth of the specialty is then illustrated with examples of current preoccupations.