Ocular biometric correlates of ciliary muscle thickness in human myopia.

Purpose: Anterior segment optical coherent tomography (AS-OCT) is used to further examine previous reports that ciliary muscle thickness (CMT) is increased in myopic eyes. With reference to temporal and nasal CMT, interrelationships between biometric and morphological characteristics of anterior and posterior segments are analysed for British-White and British-South-Asian adults with and without myopia.

Methods: Data are presented for the right eyes of 62 subjects (British-White n = 39, British-South-Asian n = 23, aged 18-40 years) with a range of refractive error (mean spherical error (MSE (D)) -1.

The effects of functional electrical stimulation on walking in hereditary and spontaneous spastic paraparesis.

Objectives:  To investigate in people with spastic paraparesis (SP): 1) the factors contributing to foot drop and reduced toe clearance while walking; 2) short-term effects of bilateral functional electrical stimulation (FES) of the common peroneal nerve.

Materials And Methods:  Long term (>0.5 years) users of FES with SP were compared to matched controls (N = 11 per group).

Pilates based core stability training in ambulant individuals with multiple sclerosis: protocol for a multi-centre randomised controlled trial.

Background: People with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) frequently experience balance and mobility impairments, including reduced trunk stability. Pilates-based core stability training, which is aimed at improving control of the body's stabilising muscles, is popular as a form of exercise with people with MS and therapists. A replicated single case series study facilitated by the Therapists in MS Group in the United Kingdom (UK) provides preliminary evidence that this approach can improve balance and mobility in ambulant people with MS; further evidence is needed to substantiate these findings to ensure that limited time, energy, finances and resources are used to best effect.

Math anxiety, self-efficacy, and ability in British undergraduate nursing students.

Nurses need to be able to make drug calculations competently. In this study, involving 229 second year British nursing students, we explored the influence of mathematics anxiety, self-efficacy, and numerical ability on drug calculation ability and determined which factors would best predict this skill. Strong significant relationships (p < .

Muscle paresis and passive stiffness: key determinants in limiting function in Hereditary and Sporadic Spastic Paraparesis.

Background: People with Hereditary and Sporadic Spastic Parapresis (SP) walk with a stiff legged gait characterised by a lack of knee flexion.

Objective: We investigated the relationship between lower limb strength and stiffness and knee flexion during swing phase while walking in 20 people with SP and 18 matched controls.

Methods: Maximal isometric strength was measured using a dynamometer.

Cerebellar ataxia: pathophysiology and rehabilitation.

This series of articles for rehabilitation in practice aims to cover a knowledge element of the rehabilitation medicine curriculum. Nevertheless they are intended to be of interest to a multidisciplinary audience. The competency addressed in this article is 'The trainee consistently demonstrates a knowledge of management approaches for specific impairments including spasticity, ataxia.

The relationship between posttraumatic stress disorder, psychiatric comorbidity, and personality traits among patients with chronic idiopathic urticaria.

Background: Several studies have highlighted the link between posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and physical illnesses. No empirical studies, however, have investigated the relationship between PTSD and chronic idiopathic urticaria (CIU). The role of personality traits in this relationship was also unknown.

Iron homeostasis in the neonate.

The regulation of the availability of micronutrients is particularly critical during periods of rapid growth and differentiation such as the fetal and neonatal stages. Both iron deficiency and excess during the early weeks of life can have severe effects on neurodevelopment that may persist into adulthood and may not be corrected by restoration of normal iron levels. This article provides a succinct overview of our current understanding of the extent to which newborns, particularly premature newborns, are able (or not able) to regulate their iron status according to physiologic need.

Stress, psychiatric co-morbidity and coping in patients with chronic idiopathic urticaria.

This study examined life event stress, perceived stress and psychiatric co-morbidity among patients with Chronic Idiopathic Urticaria (CIU). It also investigated the relationship between coping, stress, the severity of CIU and psychiatric co-morbidity. Total of 100 CIU patients and 60 allergy patients participated in the study.

Using portfolios for clinical practice learning and assessment: the pre-registration nursing student's perspective.

Portfolios have been introduced to help to integrate theory and practice and thereby address the issue of the theory-practice divide. Although there has been much theoretical discussion about portfolio use in clinical placements, few studies have focused on the students' perceptions regarding their use. To obtain adult branch pre-registration nursing students' perspectives on using portfolios for their clinical practice learning and assessment, postal questionnaires were sent to 253 diploma of nursing students with a reminder to all students three weeks later.

Coping with posttraumatic stress disorder and comorbidity after myocardial infarction.

Objective: Literature on the relationship between coping strategies, posttraumatic stress after myocardial infarction (post-MI PTSD), and comorbidity is limited. This study aimed to fill this gap in literature by investigating this relationship.

Method: One hundred twenty patients with MI were recruited from 2 general practices and interviewed using the Posttraumatic Stress Diagnostic Scale, the General Health Questionnaire, and the COPE Scale.

The physical characteristics of materials used in the manufacture of orthoses for patients with diabetes.

Background: Neuropathic diabetic foot ulceration may be prevented if the mechanical stress transmitted to the plantar tissues can be modified. Orthotic therapy is one practical method commonly used to maintain tissue integrity. Orthotic design must consider the materials chosen for use in fabrication and profile of the device because both aspects influence the performance and durability of the device.

Locus of control among spinal cord injury patients with different levels of posttraumatic stress disorder.

Two hypotheses were investigated in the present study: 1) Patients with full posttraumatic stress symptoms following spinal cord injury (SCI) would experience more general health problems than those with partial posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), with no-PTSD and the control group; 2) Patients with full PTSD would endorse the external locus of control more than those with partial PTSD, no-PTSD and the control group. Sixty-two patients were recruited from a specialized rehabilitation clinic for spinal cord injury. The control group comprised 60 participants without SCI.

Comorbidity and personality traits in patients with different levels of posttraumatic stress disorder following myocardial infarction.

More research is needed to further our understanding of posttraumatic stress responses and comorbidity following myocardial infarction (MI), and to help us identify more clearly the personality traits which indicate that a person is more prone to developing post-MI posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This study aimed to 1) investigate the comorbidity of patients who suffered from different levels of posttraumatic stress disorder following myocardial infarction (i.e.

Patients using the Internet to obtain health information: how this affects the patient-health professional relationship.

Objective: Health information is one of the most frequently sought topics on the Internet. A review of the literature was carried out to determine the use of the Internet for health information by the patient and how this could affect the patient-health professional relationship.

Methods: This study is a literature review, summarizing multiple empirical studies on a single subject and is not intended to be a meta-analysis.