MACVIA-LR (Fighting Chronic Diseases for Active and Healthy Ageing in Languedoc-Roussillon): A Success Story of the European Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy Ageing.

The Région Languedoc Roussillon is the umbrella organisation for an interconnected and integrated project on active and healthy ageing (AHA). It covers the 3 pillars of the European Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy Ageing (EIP on AHA): (A) Prevention and health promotion, (B) Care and cure, (C) and (D) Active and independent living of elderly people. All sub-activities (poly-pharmacy, falls prevention initiative, prevention of frailty, chronic respiratory diseases, chronic diseases with multimorbidities, chronic infectious diseases, active and independent living and disability) have been included in MACVIA-LR which has a strong political commitment and involves all stakeholders (public, private, patients, policy makers) including CARSAT-LR and the Eurobiomed cluster.

Operational Definition of Active and Healthy Ageing (AHA): A Conceptual Framework.

Health is a multi-dimensional concept, capturing how people feel and function. The broad concept of Active and Healthy Ageing was proposed by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as the process of optimizing opportunities for health to enhance quality of life as people age. It applies to both individuals and population groups.

Pelvic incidence: a predictive factor for three-dimensional acetabular orientation-a preliminary study.

Acetabular cup orientation (inclination and anteversion) is a fundamental topic in orthopaedics and depends on pelvis tilt (positional parameter) emphasising the notion of a safe range of pelvis tilt. The hypothesis was that pelvic incidence (morphologic parameter) could yield a more accurate and reliable assessment than pelvis tilt. The aim was to find out a predictive equation of acetabular 3D orientation parameters which were determined by pelvic incidence to include in the model.

Systems medicine approaches for the definition of complex phenotypes in chronic diseases and ageing. From concept to implementation and policies.

Chronic diseases are diseases of long duration and slow progression. Major NCDs (cardiovascular diseases, cancer, chronic respiratory diseases, diabetes, rheumatologic diseases and mental health) represent the predominant health problem of the Century. The prevention and control of NCDs are the priority of the World Health Organization 2008 Action Plan, the United Nations 2010 Resolution and the European Union 2010 Council.

Effect of coordination biofeedback on (re)learning preferred postural patterns in post-stroke patients.

After stroke, ankle-hip coordination during stance is characterized by changes in the postural system dynamics, specifically the disappearance of the in-phase pattern and the reduced stability of the anti-phase pattern. This study was conducted to assess the success of a coordination visual biofeedback for the (re)learning of the two preferred patterns, and to explore the effect of this treatment on postural and functional abilities. Twenty four patients were randomly assigned to one of two experimental groups or to a control group.

Therapeutic education in persons with spinal cord injury: a review of the literature.

Introduction: Therapeutic education is an integrant part of the physical medicine and rehabilitation care of persons with spinal cord injury. It is often conducted in an empirical manner. The objective of this literature review was to evaluate the state of the art regarding the evaluations and therapeutic education programs for persons with spinal cord injury.

Evaluating self-reported pressure ulcer prevention measures in persons with spinal cord injury using the revised Skin Management Needs Assessment Checklist: reliability study.

Study Design: Cross-cultural adaptation and reliability study.

Objective: To translate, evaluate the reliability and cross-culturally adapt the Skin Management Needs Assessment Checklist (SMnac), a questionnaire evaluating the knowledge on pressure ulcer (PU) prevention measures in persons with spinal cord injury (SCI).

Subjects: 138 persons with SCI, mean age 45.

Heterogeneous assessment of shoulder disorders: validation of the Standardized Index of Shoulder Function.

Objective: Although 40 assessment tools are described in the literature, very few of them have been correctly validated. The Standardized Index of Shoulder Function (FI2S) encompasses pain, mobility, strength and function. The aim of this work is to describe the FI2S and to study its construct validity, reliability and responsiveness to change.

Changes in preferred postural patterns following stroke during intentional ankle/hip coordination.

We compared the spatio-temporal postural organization between stroke patients and healthy controls in a bipedal standing task where participants had to intentionally produce two specific ankle/hip coordination patterns: in-phase and anti-phase. The pattern to reproduce was visually represented by a ankle-hip Lissajous figure, and a real-time biofeedback displayed the current coordination sur-imposed to the expected coordination. Contrary to the healthy participants who were successful at reproducing the two patterns, stroke patients were unable to produce the in-phase pattern.

The management of stroke patients. Conference of experts with a public hearing. Mulhouse (France), 22 October 2008.

The objective is to define as early as possible appropriate criteria for managing patients who have had a cerebrovascular accident (CVA), or stroke, beginning in the Neurovascular and Acute Care Services, in order to facilitate the patient's return home (or the equivalent of home) or continuing care in the most appropriate health care facility.

Sensitivity to change of two depression rating scales for stroke patients.

Objective: To assess the sensitivity to change of two depression scales for stroke patients: the Aphasic Depression Rating Scale (ADRS), which is a 9-item external assessment, and the Visual Analog Mood Scale (VAMS), which is a visual self-assessment scale.

Patients: Forty-nine stroke patients admitted to two rehabilitation units.

Methods: Symptoms of depression were assessed twice at a one-month interval (D0-D30) using the ADRS, the VAMS, and by a trained psychologist (PSY).

Using an analytical hierarchy process (AHP) for weighting items of a measurement scale: a pilot study.

Background: Many clinical scales contain items that are scored separately prior to being compiled into a single score. However, if the items have different degrees of importance, they should be weighted differently before being compiled. The principal aims of this study were to show how the "analytic hierarchy process" (AHP), which has never been used for this purpose, can be applied to weighting the six items of the "London handicap scale", and to compare the AHP to the "conjoint analysis" (CA), which was previously implemented by Harwood et al.

Aging and sequelae of poliomyelitis.

Objective: We estimate that there are about 50,000 persons who survived poliomyelitis in their childhood in France (mean age estimated between 50 and 65 years). After a few decades of stability, 30 to 65% of individuals who had been infected and recovered from polio begin to experience new signs and symptoms.

Method: Review of the literature on Pubmed with the following keywords "Poliomyelitis" and "Post-Polio Syndrome (PPS)".

An atypical ballistic traumatic cauda equina syndrome with a positive outcome. Focus on prognostic factors.

Introduction: Traumatic cauda equina syndromes due to projectile wounds often have a poor prognosis. We report on an unusual ballistic cauda equina traumatism with a good functional outcome.

Clinical Case: A 44-year-old man was admitted to emergency room for an incomplete cauda equina syndrome after trying to kill himself by means of a pneumatic nail gun.

Influence of back muscle fatigue on lumbar reflex adaptation during sudden external force perturbations.

There is still conflicting evidence about the influence of fatigue on trunk reflex activity. The aim of this study was to measure response latency and amplitude changes of lumbar and abdominal muscles after heavy external force perturbation applied to the trunk in the sagittal plane before and after back muscle fatigue, in expected and unexpected conditions. Ten healthy subjects in a semi-seated position, torso upright in a specific apparatus performed an intermittent back muscle fatigue protocol.

Painful camptocormia: the relevance of shaking your patient's hand.

Camptocormia is an abnormal posture with marked flexion of thoracolumbar spine that abates in the recumbent position. Camptocormia has been described in various neurological (Parkinsonism), muscular (myopathy), psychogenic or orthopedic disorders. There are several hypotheses that can explain this impaired posture but they are usually related to the concomitant pathologies.

Muscle oxygenation and intramuscular pressure related to posture and load in back muscles.

Background Context: There is little information about the simultaneous changes of intramuscular pressure (IMP) and oxygen saturation (StO(2)) of the paraspinal muscle under various conditions of posture and load.

Purpose: To measure simultaneously and compare IMP and StO(2) across a range of static trunk postures commonly observed during normal work tasks.

Study Design: A prospective study using a repeated-measure design in clinical setting.

Rehabilitation of arm function after stroke. Literature review.

Introduction: In the recent literature we can find many articles dealing with upper extremity rehabilitation in stroke patients. New techniques, still under evaluation, are becoming the practical applications for the concept of post-stroke brain plasticity.

Methods: This literature review focuses on controlled randomized studies, reviews and meta-analyses published in the English language from 2004 to 2008.

Pressure ulcer risk factors in persons with spinal cord injury part 2: the chronic stage.

Introduction: Pressure ulcers (PUs) are a common complication following spinal cord injury (SCI). Prevalence for persons in the chronic SCI stage varies between 15 and 30%. The risk assessment scales used nowadays were designed on pathophysiological concepts and are not SCI-specific.

Reproducibility of transcutaneous oxygen pressure measurements in persons with spinal cord injury.

Objectives: To assess the reproducibility and the effects of the subjects' characteristics on the reproducibility of transcutaneous oxygen pressure (TcPO2) measurements in the sacral area in persons with spinal cord injury during loading in the supine position.

Design: Test-retest study.

Setting: Physical medicine and rehabilitation center.

Expression of the CD85j (leukocyte Ig-like receptor 1, Ig-like transcript 2) receptor for class I major histocompatibility complex molecules in idiopathic inflammatory myopathies.

Objective: Expression of class I major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecules on the surface of muscle cells is a biologic feature of idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIM). Class I MHC-transgenic mouse models support a causative role for class I MHC expression by muscle cells in the pathogenesis of IIM. The muscle lesions are characterized by leukocyte infiltration.