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This article examines the beneficial effects of walking poles on lower extremity loading while walking on level surfaces. Results indicate that walking poles increased walking speed, stance time, and stride length while reducing compressive ground and joint reaction forces.

Continuous, 24-hour, ambulatory pulse oximetry was used in 10 subject with New York Heart Association functional class II to III heart failure and in 5 age-matched controls to test the prevailing view that arterial oxygen saturation is preserved during wakefulness in chronic mild to moderate heart failure. Subjects with heart failure were stabilized on digitals and diuretics at the time of the study. All subject maintained time-activity logs, with an emphasis on self-reported sleep and wakefulness. A desaturation event was defined as a decrease in arterial oxygen saturation [greater than or equal to] 4 from baseline lasting >5 seconds. Variable assessed included total desaturation events, decrease in arterial oxygen saturation duration/events, nadir of arterial oxygen saturation/event, and desaturation index ([cumulative desaturation time/total monitoring time] X 100). The ratio of self-reported wakefulness:sleep desaturation time was 47:53% for subject with heart failure versus 64:36% for control (p = NS). Mean ([+ or -] SEM) time of arterial oxygen saturation

The goal was to determine values of oxygen saturation from oximetry measurements over extended time periods in the context of prescribing or discontinuing supplemental oxygen. For group 1, when supplemental [...]

We made an assessment of five pulse oximeters in regard to their ability to replace the HP ear oximeter as a noninvasive measurement of Sa02. Trials were performed during isocapnic [...]

Pertussis is an infection caused by the bacteria Bordetella pertussis. The disease causes a cough with a whooping-like cough when breathing in. Children are vaccinated against pertussis using vaccines developed from whole-cell preparations. The pertussis toxin (lymphocytosis promoting factor, LPF) and filamentous hemagglutinin (FHA) are two protein components of the pertussis bacteria that are biologically active, and they are currently being used to develop a new pertussis vaccine (acellular vaccine). To help understand how antibodies against pertussis persist (or decline), the transfer of antibodies from the mother to her fetus during pregnancy was studied. The pertussis components LPF and FHA were studied in blood from three groups of patients: group one consisted of mother and infant pairs; group two consisted of children who were immunized in infancy; and group three consisted of children who were never immunized. The antibodies obtained through the maternal-fetal placental transfer lasted approximately six weeks after birth. By the fourth month of life, the maternally-derived LPF and FHA were not detectable in the infants. Infants who had higher antibodies to LPF had a weaker antibody response after they were immunized with the conventional whole-cell vaccine preparations. However, children who were immunized with vaccines developed from acellular components had a better antibody response with a higher level of antibody production. This was independent of the level of LPF antibody preceding the immunization. It is suggested that infants be immunized before the maternally-derived antibodies are lost. More research is needed to investigate the use of acellular pertussis vaccines in infants. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

This month's column will focus on the disorder of Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) and some of the pharmaceutical compounds employed in its treatment. Following a brief overview of the symptoms, [...]

The pattern of force transmitted to the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) during soft-style drop-landings is discussed. The results indicated that the pattern of ACL force in drop-landing cannot be explained by the anterior pull of the quadriceps force alone.

A study is conducted to examine the existence of the quadriceps avoidance pattern in anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) deficient patients and to further identify gait compensations that may exist in this subject pool. The prevalence of multiple adaptive strategies to compensate for ACL deficiency has several important ramifications.

The kinetic and kinematic performance of healthy and hamstring ACL reconstructed (ACLr) were analyzed and compared. The study reveals whether the injured limb functioned similar to normal after hamstring ACL reconstruction.

This month's column will focus on Parasomnias, which are undesirable motor, sensory, or behavioral phenomena that occur primarily during sleep. These phenomena range from normal to abnormal, from benign to [...]

This month's column will focus on the disorder of Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) and some of the pharmaceutical compounds employed in its treatment. Following a brief overview of the symptoms, [...]

This month's column will focus on the disorder of Narcolepsy and the pharmaceutical compounds employed in its treatment. Following a brief overview of the symptoms, prevalence, and pathophysiology of this [...]

The goal of this column is to provide the reader with a current review of pharmaceuticals frequently employed in sleep medicine. As an exhaustive summary of all drugs employed in [...]