Clinical evaluation of fitness to drive in patients with brain metastases.

Background: Guidelines to provide recommendations about driving restrictions for patients with brain metastases are lacking. We aim to determine whether clinical neurologic examination is sufficient to predict suitability to drive in these patients by comparison with an occupational therapy driving assessment (OTDA).

Methods: We prospectively evaluated the concordance between neurology assessment of suitability to drive (pass/fail) and OTDA in 41 individuals with brain metastases.

[Functional role of dragonfly legs before and after hatching: reorganization of coordinating interactions].

The characteristics of a structure-functional organization of leg apparatus were examined in the dragonfly Aeshna grandis: larvae of the final stadium, which legs perform a locomotion function and adults (imago) rising on a wing, which legs lose a locomotion function and are used mainly for catching a prey in the air. It has been demonstrated that legs of the imago practically do not differ from those of the larva either in shape or in proportion of segments of the leg and all changes in the functional role of legs of the imago are implemented due to modifications of mechanisms of limb muscle control and an appropriate reorganization or coordinating interactions. As it is proved by the obtained data, this reorganization concerns mechanisms of the generation of motor commands as well as close coordination of the activity of wing and leg apparatus and some others.

[Functional role of leg receptors of the cockroach Periplaneta americana in the system of walking control].

This work deals with study of role of the hair plate (HP) and of the campaniform sensilla (CS) on legs of the cockroach Periplaneta americana in the system of walking control. These receptors were shown to induce their regulatory, correctional effect on the rhythm of the cockroach steps depending on the external circumstances. These effects are mainly realized only at slow walking.

[Peculiarities of the structural-functional organization of motor neuropil of dragonfly thoracic ganglia].

The work considers the structural-functional relations existing in the motor neuropil of thoracic ganglia of dragonflies - the animals able to perform very complex and fast maneuvers in the flight. The motor neuropil in dragonflies is shown to be more differentiated than in the lees mobile insects, while motor nuclei in neuropil are more clearly outlined and closer to each other. There are revealed dendrites of motoneurons of pedal muscles (the middle nucleus), which are running into the anterior and posterior nuclei that contain dendrites of motoneurons of wing muscles.