Relationship of cognitive and perceptual abilities to functional independence in adults who have had a stroke.

Most individuals who have had a stroke present with some degree of residual cognitive and/or perceptual impairment. Occupational therapists often utilize standardized cognitive and perceptual assessments with clients to establish a baseline of skill performance as well as to inform goal setting and intervention planning. Being able to predict the functional independence of individuals who have had a stroke based on cognitive and perceptual impairments would assist with appropriate discharge planning and follow-up resource allocation.

Levels of empathy in undergraduate nursing students.

Empathy and absence of prejudice and stigma are instrumental in facilitating effective nurse-patient relations. This study assessed empathy levels and regard for specific medical conditions in undergraduate nursing students. A cross-sectional study was undertaken using paper-based versions of the Jefferson Scale of Physician Empathy (JSPE) and Medical Condition Regard Scale (MCRS), along with a brief set of demographic questions.

Genotyping of a tri-allelic polymorphism by a novel melting curve assay in MTHFD1L: an association study of nonsyndromic Cleft in Ireland.

Background: Polymorphisms within the MTHFD1L gene were previously associated with risk of neural tube defects in Ireland. We sought to test the most significant MTHFD1L polymorphisms for an association with risk of cleft in an Irish cohort. This required the development of a new melting curve assay to genotype the technically challenging MTHFD1L triallelic deletion/insertion polymorphism (rs3832406).

Is there a learning curve in foot and ankle surgery?

Background: Previous studies of orthopaedic learning curves have largely described the introduction of new techniques to experienced consultants. End points have usually involved technical considerations. A paucity of evidence surrounds foot and ankle surgery.

Conservative management of paediatric clavicle fractures.

Paediatric clavicle fractures have traditionally been treated nonoperatively. Recent studies have recommended operative management for displaced midshaft fractures. We conducted a retrospective review of all clavicle fractures in children aged one to sixteen over a two-year period.

Choline supplementation and measures of choline and betaine status: a randomised, controlled trial in postmenopausal women.

Choline is an essential nutrient and can also be obtained by de novo synthesis via an oestrogen responsive pathway. Choline can be oxidised to the methyl donor betaine, with short-term supplementation reported to lower plasma total homocysteine (tHcy); however, the effects of longer-term choline supplementation are less clear. We investigated the effect of choline supplementation on plasma concentrations of free choline, betaine and tHcy and B-vitamin status in postmenopausal women, a group more susceptible to low choline status.

Mallet toe deformity.

Mallet toe is one of the most common deformities encountered by orthopedic surgeons. Care needs to be taken to ascertain whether it is a primary condition or secondary to a systemic disease, especially if multiple deformities are present. There are numerous operative strategies available, but each has its specific indications.

Genetic aspects of folate metabolism.

The vitamin folate functions within the cell as a carrier of one-carbon units. The requirement for one-carbon transfers is ubiquitous and all mammalian cells carry out folate dependent reactions. In recent years, low folate status has been linked to risk of numerous adverse health conditions throughout life from birth defects and complications of pregnancy to cardiovascular disease, cancer and cognitive dysfunction in the elderly.

Formate can differentiate between hyperhomocysteinemia due to impaired remethylation and impaired transsulfuration.

Formate can differentiate between hyperhomocysteinemia due to impaired remethylation and impaired transsulfuration. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab 301: E000-E000, 2011. First published September 20, 2011; 10.

Predictors of empathy in health science students.

Unlabelled: The significance of both empathy and effective communication as key components in the provision of health care services is widely acknowledged. It is important, therefore, to promote those communication styles which facilitate an empathetic understanding among health science students.

Objective: To explores whether listening and communication styles are predictive of empathy among health science students.

Manneristic behaviors of visually impaired children.

Aim: To review the literature on visual impairment in children in order to determine which manneristic behaviors are associated with visual impairment, and to establish why these behaviors occur and whether severity of visual impairment influences these behaviors.

Methods: A literature search utilizing PubMed, OVID, Google Scholar, and Web of Knowledge databases was performed. The University of Liverpool ( www.

Transcobalamin polymorphism 67A->G, but not 776C->G, affects serum holotranscobalamin in a cohort of healthy middle-aged men and women.

Two polymorphic variants in the gene coding for transcobalamin II (TCN2), TCN2 776C- > G and TCN2 67A- > G, may alter serum holotranscobalamin (holoTC), which in turn may affect cellular uptake of cobalamin (Cbl) and thereby Cbl status indicators. We studied the effects of TCN2 776C- > G and TCN2 67A- > G on blood concentrations of holoTC, Cbl, methylmalonic acid (MMA), and total homocysteine (tHcy) in 2411 individuals (50-64 y) that had been selected on the basis of these TCN2 genotypes from 10601 Norwegian inhabitants. The serum holoTC concentration was lower in TCN2 67AG (55 ± 0.

Folate and vitamin B12 in idiopathic male infertility.

Although methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase, a folate enzyme gene, has been associated with idiopathic male infertility, few studies have examined other folate-related metabolites and genes. We investigated whether idiopathic male infertility is associated with variants in folate, vitamin B(12) (B12) and total homocysteine (tHcy)-related genes and measured these metabolites in blood. We conducted a case-control study that included 153 men with idiopathic infertility and 184 fertile male controls recruited at the Fertility Center and Antenatal Care Center, University Hospital, Malmö and Lund, Sweden.

Effects of prenatal fish-oil and 5-methyltetrahydrofolate supplementation on cognitive development of children at 6.5 y of age.

Background: The influence of prenatal long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFAs) and folate on neurologic development remains controversial.

Objective: The objective was to assess the long-term effects of n-3 (omega-3) LC-PUFA supplementation, 5-methyltetrahydrofolate (5-MTHF) supplementation, or both in pregnant women on cognitive development of offspring at 6.5 y of age.

Bioinformatic and genetic association analysis of microRNA target sites in one-carbon metabolism genes.

One-carbon metabolism (OCM) is linked to DNA synthesis and methylation, amino acid metabolism and cell proliferation. OCM dysfunction has been associated with increased risk for various diseases, including cancer and neural tube defects. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are ∼ 22 nt RNA regulators that have been implicated in a wide array of basic cellular processes, such as differentiation and metabolism.

Do high blood folate concentrations exacerbate metabolic abnormalities in people with low vitamin B-12 status?

Background: In elderly individuals with low serum vitamin B-12, those who have high serum folate have been reported to have greater abnormalities in the following biomarkers for vitamin B-12 deficiency: low hemoglobin and elevated total homocysteine (tHcy) and methylmalonic acid (MMA). This suggests that folate exacerbates vitamin B-12-related metabolic abnormalities.

Objective: We determined whether high serum folate in individuals with low serum vitamin B-12 increases the deleterious effects of low vitamin B-12 on biomarkers of vitamin B-12 cellular function.

Comparison of serum and red blood cell folate microbiologic assays for national population surveys.

Three laboratories participated with their laboratory-specific microbiologic growth assays (MA) in the NHANES 2007-2008 to assess whether the distributions of serum (n = 2645) and RBC folate (n = 2613) for the same one-third sample of participants were comparable among laboratories. Laboratory (L) 2 produced the highest and L1 the lowest serum and RBC folate geometric means (nmol/L) in the NHANES sample (serum: L1, 39.5; L2, 59.

Biomarkers of vitamin B-12 status in NHANES: a roundtable summary.

A roundtable to discuss the measurement of vitamin B-12 (cobalamin) status biomarkers in NHANES took place in July 2010. NHANES stopped measuring vitamin B-12-related biomarkers after 2006. The roundtable reviewed 3 biomarkers of vitamin B-12 status used in past NHANES--serum vitamin B-12, methylmalonic acid (MMA), and total homocysteine (tHcy)--and discussed the potential utility of measuring holotranscobalamin (holoTC) for future NHANES.

Biomarkers of folate status in NHANES: a roundtable summary.

A roundtable to discuss the measurement of folate status biomarkers in NHANES took place in July 2010. NHANES has measured serum folate since 1974 and red blood cell (RBC) folate since 1978 with the use of several different measurement procedures. Data on serum 5-methyltetrahydrofolate (5MTHF) and folic acid (FA) concentrations in persons aged ≥60 y are available in NHANES 1999-2002.

Maternal folate, vitamin B12 and homocysteine levels in pregnancies affected by congenital malformations other than neural tube defects.

Background: Periconceptional use of folic acid prevents most neural tube defects (NTDs). Whether folic acid and/or multivitamins can prevent other congenital anomalies is not clear. This study tested whether maternal blood levels of folate and vitamin B12 in pregnancies affected by congenital malformations excluding NTDs are lower when compared to non-affected pregnancies.