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Abstract: Objective: To determine whether intrathecal administration of baclofen reduced spastic hypertonia in a hemiplegic patient after hemorrhagic stroke. Methods: A trial of intrathecal administration of baclofen was carried out with bolus injections of 50 and 75 μg baclofen and clinical and functional evaluation (Aschworth, articular amplitude) before and after injection in a patient with hemorrhagic stroke. After these trials, the placement of a pump was proposed to the patient. Results: Aschworth score improved from 4 to 3 on triceps, quadriceps and adductus, with functional improvement of gait quality and perimeter and position in the wheelchair. Cephalgia, present before the treatment, increased after the implantation of the pump. The patient had some ejaculation trouble with the treatment, as well as some neurological pains after the pump implantation but experienced no effect on upper limbs. Discussion: The intrathecal administration of baclofen has been used in some studies of hemiplegic patients, with reduced spasticity and improved the kinematic parameters of gait. The intrathecal baclofen administration could complement other treatment to control spasticity after stroke. Conclusion: Intrathecal baclofen administration could be an interesting complementary therapeutic among patients with important spasticity not controlled by the usual treatments. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Introduction. – The aim of this work was to collect litterature datas to have an indication of botulinum toxin in multiple sclerosis disease.Method. – The international litterature relating the years 1982–2002 was carried out with the Medline data bank. The article presenting of the controlled studies were mainly retained.Results. – Thirty-seven articles were indexed, 6 were retained according to our criteria. The selected articles show mainly a use of botulinum toxin in the spasticity. The principal criteria of evaluation were the muscular tone, the spasms, the pain, the or passive amplitude of joint.Two articles report the effectiveness of toxin injection in acquired nystagmus and the paralysis of a vocal fold.Discussion. – This review shows that the principal indication of toxin in multiple sclerosis is spasticity with a good effectiveness of the treatment. However controlled-placebo studies among these patients are still very few. The side effects are rare but sometimes appearance of muscular weakness always making discuss the existence of a push. It is necessary to take account of these effects and their consequences before proposing the treatment.Conclusion. – Botulinum toxin has an indication in the treatment of spasticity of patients with multiple sclerosis. However more studies are necessary with more sits of injection to fix the good indications. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Introduction. – Recent studies have focused on correlation between strength and gait parameters in hemiplegia, suggesting the interest for strength training in patients with central nervous system lesions. The aim of this study was to evaluate this correlation in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients with special regard to the different clinical forms including proprioceptive loss or cerebellar ataxia.Patients and method. – Gait speed and muscular function were performed in 27 patients with moderate affected gait (EDDS < 6). Gait speed was evaluated with Locometre and peak-torques of quadriceps and hamstrings were evaluated with isokinetic dynamometer. Patients were separated in three groups related to their deficiency: spastic group (8 patients), spastic with proprioceptive loss (12 patients) and spastic with cerebellar ataxia (7 patients). Gait parameters were evaluated in 10 healthy subjects as control group.Results. – Gait speeds (spontaneous and maximal) and peak torques of quadriceps and harmstring were similar in the three groups. In the whole patients group, gait speed was reduced and related to hamstring peak torque (r = 0.56 at spontaneous speed and 0.51 at high speed) but not with quadriceps peak torque. Patients with proprioceptive loss exhibited not only a higher correlation between gait speed and hamstring torque (r = 0.76 and 0.65 respectively) than other patients but also with quadriceps torque (r = 0.66 and 0.59 respectively) when patients in other groups did not.Conclusion. – As it was previously pointed out in hemiplegic patients, MS patients exhibit some correlation between gait speed and muscle strength, mainly with hamstrings. These correlations can change in special sensory conditions suggesting that patients with sensory loss use different muscular strategies to maintain gait speed. Strength training may therefore be discussed in MS including specific modalities as a function of clinical parameters. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Exploiting the exceptional multiferroic characteristics of BiFeO 3 -based systems depends largely on controlling the high leakage currents that often constrain the ferroelectric response of this material. This limiting circumstance is even more restrictive in the film geometry, where the high area/volume ratio can add complications related to the uncontrolled loss of a particularly volatile element such as bismuth. In this work we address the suppression of such non-switching contribution by preparing BFO-BiT thin film composites and using a low-temperature processing protocol in a fully aqueous medium. With an adequate and systematic doping of both oxides, the produced composites show both magnetic and ferroelectric response at room temperature, in a process that is also related to the fine matching between the two crystal lattices involved. The results obtained further indicate the possibility of applying a simple, sustainable protocol with high scalability prospects to fabricate exploitable multiferroic systems, i.e. with no need for large energy inputs nor sophisticated equipment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Objective. – To evaluate the impact of rehabilitation on balance, gait and strength in inpatients with multiple sclerosis (MS). Methods. – Twenty-one in patients with MS benefited from a program of rehabilitation with evaluation before and after rehabilitation. Balance was assessed by stabilometry, walking speed with use of a locometer device and maximal peak torque of knee extensor and flexor with use of an isokinetic dynamometer at 60°/s speed. The functional independence measure (FIM) was also applied before and after rehabilitation. Results. – After rehabilitation, patients showed significant improvement in balance with opened and closed eyes, velocity gait, strength of the lower quadriceps and the higher hamstrings and FIM values. Absolute values of gait speed and strength parameters were related as were improvement in velocity speed and the higher hamstrings. Conclusion. – The results are encouraging and confirm the interest and tolerance of a program of rehabilitation among patients with MS. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The Bandar Abbas syntaxis marks the transition between the Zagros collisional belt and the Makran subduction-related prism and constitutes a major structural feature within the Alpine–Himalayan mountain belt. Within the foreland part of the Zagros (the Zagros Fold Thrust Belt, ZFTB), the transition is marked by a sudden change in structural trends and style and a rapid decrease in seismicity and salt diapirism from west to east of the syntaxis. The depth to decollement and lithology affect the geometry and size of the folds on each side of the syntaxis, while different mechanical coupling along the basal decollement affects the degree of internal rock deformation. Thus the short and broad folds of the western side of the syntaxis are decoupled along the 8-km deep Hormuz evaporites, visible at surface in numerous salt diapirs. Strong seismicity in this area suggests that the basement is involved in the deformation. By contrast, the long and narrow folds of the eastern side of the syntaxis appear to be controlled by frictional slip along a 6-km deep detachment. The absence of seismicity suggests that the basement is not involved in the deformation in this area. We propose that the basal decollement for these structures corresponds to the eroded top of the NNE–SSW trending Oman Mesozoic nappes resulting from Late Cretaceous obduction of Tethys on the Arabian margin. These structures are visible onshore in the northern tip of the Oman peninsula and seen in offshore seismic profiles continuing northward beneath the Strait of Hormuz. Finally, map view observations show that the Main Zagros Thrust and the Zendan Fault—separating the ZFTB from the internal zones of the orogen—are shallow low angle thrust faults rather than steeply dipping faults. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

An investigation of the anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS) of hematite-bearing sandstones has been carried out along two fault-propagation folds located at the front of the High Atlas Belt (Goulmima area, Morocco). It reveals two types of unusual magnetic fabrics. The first one is always located in the forelimb of the anticlines and is characterised by an oblique magnetic foliation with respect to bedding. The relationship between bedding and magnetic foliation indicates a sense of shear, which is consistent with the one expected from kinematic modelling. It is proposed that such an oblique magnetic foliation is the result of a weak strain that develops during folding. The other striking feature of the AMS results is that 40% of the magnetic lineations are parallel to the regional shortening direction. From structural and petrographical data, it is suggested that this magnetic lineation corresponds to the intersection lineation between two planar elements that are, respectively, the bedding and iron oxides mineralised veins. The latter result from iron-rich fluid circulations through a fracturing network. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]