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Fifteen ALS patients, with troublesome symptoms linked to masseter spasticity, benefited from BoNT-A injections in each masseter. Based on the medical records of patients, the effect of the first injection was assessed one month later. We retrospectively collected information for 12 patients. Eight of them reported a beneficial effect after the injection for the following symptoms: trismus, tongue, lip and cheek biting, and jaw clonus. Five patients indicated that dental care was easier after injection. Our study showed that injections of BoNT-A unequivocally reduced masseter spasticity in ALS patients who subsequently enjoyed greater comfort in their daily living.

In-class courses are deserted by medical students who tend to find it more beneficial to study in books and through online material. New interactive teaching methods, such as serious games increase both performance and motivation. We developed and assessed a new teaching method for neurological semiology using the “Hat Game” as a basis.

The predominantly low-chlorophyll conditions of the Southern Ocean are punctuated by regions of elevated phytoplankton biomass, including a bloom in the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC) that extends for 1000 km downstream of the Kerguelen-Heard islands. Summer-time studies have demonstrated that iron from the islands and intervening shallow plateau (300-600 m) fuels localized production. Whether this supply, or alternatively iron brought to the surface by enhanced mixing in ACC eddies, drives the more extensive downstream bloom has not been addressed. We show that the extent and shape of the downstream bloom can be reproduced by simulating the winter-time spread of a slowly-decaying tracer (iron) from the islands and plateau using a satellite-altimetry based advection scheme. This suggests that mesoscale activity in the ACC plays a minor role in generating the enhanced biomass and emphasizes the importance of shallow bathymetry, large-scale advection, and winter-time observations in understanding the productivity of the Southern Ocean. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]