Poststroke Care Pathways and Spasticity Treatment: A Retrospective Study in Alberta.

Background: Limited evidence exists regarding care pathways for stroke survivors who do and do not receive poststroke spasticity (PSS) treatment.

Methods: Administrative data was used to identify adults who experienced a stroke and sought acute care between 2012 and 2017 in Alberta, Canada. Pathways of stroke care within the health care system were determined among those who initiated PSS treatment (PSS treatment group: outpatient pharmacy dispensation of an anti-spastic medication, focal chemo-denervation injection, or a spasticity tertiary clinic visit) and those who did not (non-PSS treatment group).

Spasticity Management Teams, Evaluations, and Tools: A Canadian Cross-Sectional Survey.

Objective: The objective of this study is to determine the physical evaluations and assessment tools used by a group of Canadian healthcare professionals treating adults with spasticity.

Methods: A cross-sectional web-based 19-question survey was developed to determine the types of physical evaluations, tone-related impairment measurements, and assessment tools used in the management of adults with spasticity. The survey was distributed to healthcare professionals from the Canadian Advances in Neuro-Orthopedics for Spasticity Congress database.

A Delphi-Based Consensus Statement on the Management of Anticoagulated Patients With Botulinum Toxin for Limb Spasticity.

Objective: To create a consensus statement on the considerations for treatment of anticoagulated patients with botulinum toxin A (BoNTA) intramuscular injections for limb spasticity.

Design: We used the Delphi method.

Setting: A multiquestion electronic survey.

Nerve Transfers in Patients with Brown-Séquard Pattern of Spinal Cord Injury: Report of 2 Cases.

Background: Use of distal nerve transfer for improving upper limb function has been well described for patients with tetraplegic spinal cord injury and brachial plexus injuries but has not previously been described for Brown-Séquard type spinal cord injury. We describe our experience with 2 cases of combined Brown-Séquard injury and unilateral brachial amyotrophy.

Case Description: Patient 1, a 43-year-old woman, was involved in a motor vehicle accident and sustained left-side C5-7 level hemicord injury causing ipsilateral proximal arm weakness and sensory loss with contralateral hemisensory changes, neuropathic pain, and spasms.

Reactivity of β-methylamino-L-alanine in complex sample matrixes complicating detection and quantification by mass spectrometry.

β-methylamino-l-alanine (BMAA) is a naturally occurring nonprotein amino acid originally discovered in cycad seeds and traditional foods of the Chamorro people of Guam. Recent research has implicated BMAA as a potential factor in neurodegenerative disease and described the production of BMAA in cyanobacteria, but conflicting results have complicated the interpretation of data. We hypothesized that the reactivity of BMAA with metal ions in the sample matrix and the formation of metal adducts in electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (MS) analysis confound results.

Cobalt(II) β-ketoaminato complexes as novel inhibitors of neuroinflammation.

Neuroinflammation contributes to the pathogenesis of neurological disorders including stroke, head trauma, multiple sclerosis, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis as well as age-associated neurodegenerative disorders including Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases. Therefore, anti-inflammatory drugs could be used to slow the progression of these diseases. We studied the anti-neuroinflammatory activity of four novel square planar cobalt(II) compounds bearing tetradentate β-ketoaminato ligands with variation in the number of CF(3) ligand substituents, as well as their corresponding unmetallated organic ligands.

The synthesis and characterization of a series of cobalt(II) β-ketoaminato complexes and their cytotoxic activity towards human tumor cell lines.

A series of square planar cobalt(II) compounds bearing tetradentate β-ketoaminato ligands with variation in the number of -CF(3) ligand substituents has been prepared and structurally and spectroscopically characterized. The fluorinated β-ketoamine ligands were prepared utilizing a multistep reaction sequence employing a silylenol protecting group. An additional tetrahedral cobalt compound bearing two bidentate β-ketoaminato ligands was also prepared and characterized.

Exploration and characterisation of novel bronze patinas derived from simple coordination complexes.

The chemical reactions of aqueous solutions containing simple transition-metal salts and bidentate nitrogen ligands on bronze surfaces results in a series of brightly coloured patinas. Chemically and physically robust patinas involve a chemical oxidation of the copper atoms within the bronze surface, either by an applied ferric salt or atmospheric dioxygen. The combination of Fe(NO(3))(3)·9H(2)O and 2,2'-bipyridine produces a coloured patina that is either red or blue, depending on whether oxygen was present during application, due to the presence of [Fe(bpy)(3)](2+) or [Fe(bpy)(3))](3+), respectively.

Controlled radical polymerisation of methyl acrylate initiated by a well-defined cobalt alkyl complex.

Cobalt-mediated radical polymerisation of methyl acrylate is effected at moderate temperature by both a square planar bis(beta-ketoaminato)cobalt(II) complex in the presence of V-70 diazo radical initiator, and by a well-defined cobalt(III) alkyl derivative in the absence of a diazo complex. Polymerisation rates suggest that both reversible termination and degenerative transfer mechanisms are operative.

Synthesis and characterisation of bis(beta-ketoaminato) complexes of cobalt(II).

Condensation of 1-phenyl-1,3-butanedione with various substituted anilines affords N-aryl substituted beta-ketoamines PhC(O)CHC(CH(3))Naryl, which, when deprotonated and reacted with Co(OAc)(2).4H(2)O yields a series of bis(beta-ketoaminato)cobalt(II) complexes 1b to 6b (aryl = Ph, 1b; p-CH(3)C(6)H(4), 2b; 2,6-(CH(3))(2)C(6)H(3), 3b; 3,5-(CH(3))(2)C(6)H(3), 4b; p-CF(3)C(6)H(4), 5b; p-CH(3)OC(6)H(4), 6b). All six cobalt compounds were characterised by (1)H NMR, elemental analysis, magnetic susceptibility, and X-ray crystallography, indicating a uniform tetrahedral geometry in all cases.

Electronic and steric ligand effects in the radical polymerization of vinyl acetate mediated by beta-ketoiminate complexes of cobalt(II).

Complexes Co[OC(Ph)CHC(Me)NAr](2) [Ar=Ph, 1; o,o'-C(6)H(3)Me(2) (Xyl), 2; p-C(6)H(4)CF(3), 3] are tested in the polymerization of vinyl acetate (VAc) initiated by V-70 (0.8 equiv) at 30 degrees C. Polymerization occurs without any notable induction time yielding PVAc with relatively low polydispersity, but with higher than expected M(n) values, which indicates inefficient trapping processes.

Peripheral nervous system injuries in sport and recreation: a systematic review.

Many sports are associated with a variety of peripheral nervous system (PNS) injuries specific to that sport. A systematic review of sport-specific PNS injuries has not been attempted previously, and will assist in the understanding of morbidities and mortality associated with particular sporting activities, either professional or amateur. A systematic review of the literature using PubMed (1965-2003) was performed examining all known sports and a range of possible PNS injuries attributable to that sport.

Central nervous system injuries in sport and recreation: a systematic review.

Many sports have been associated with a variety of neurological injuries affecting the central nervous system (CNS), with some injuries specific to that sport. A systematic review of sport-specific CNS injuries has not been attempted previously, and could assist in the understanding of morbidity and mortality associated with particular sporting activities, either professional or amateur. A systematic review of the literature was performed using PubMed (1965-2003) examining all known sports and a range of possible CNS injuries attributable to that sport.

Toward binary nitrosyls: distinctly bent Fe[bond]N[bond]O linkages in base-stabilized Fe(NO)3+ complexes.

Air- and moisture-sensitive Fe(NO)(3)(eta(1)-PF(6)) (1) may be conveniently prepared by treating Fe(NO)(3)Cl with 1 equiv of [Ag][PF(6)] in CH(2)Cl(2) or by reacting [NO][PF(6)] with excess iron filings in MeNO(2). Complex 1 is thermally sensitive both as a solid and in solutions, and is best handled below -20 degrees C. To isolate 1 reproducibly from MeNO(2) solutions it is necessary to remove all traces of propionitrile, which often occurs as an impurity in MeNO(2), because it reacts with Lewis-acidic 1 to form [Fe(NO)(3)(EtCN)][PF(6)] (2).

Congenital inflammatory myopathy: a demonstrative case and proposed diagnostic classification.

There have been few reports of congenital inflammatory myopathy in the literature, and most of these have been associated with congenital muscular dystrophy. We review the literature and present a case with electromyographic and muscle biopsy evidence of congenital inflammatory myopathy with onset in the perinatal period and no evidence of a congenital muscular dystrophy. There was evidence of subjective improvement following corticosteroid administration (approximately 1 mg/kg per day) with a concomitant normalization of the serum creatine kinase activity.