Summary of Background Data. Most studies focus on posture sway in quiet standing controls with little effort on examining muscle-activated patterns in dynamic standing controls.
Methods. Twenty-two AIS patients and 22 age-matched normal subjects were
studied. To understand how visual and somatosensory information could modulate standing balance, balance tests with the Biodex stability system were performed on a moving platform under 3 conditions: visual feedback provided (VF), eyes JNK-IN-8 closed (EC), and standing on a sponge pad with visual feedback provided (SV). Muscular activities of bilateral lumbar multifidi, gluteus medii, and gastrocnemii muscles were recorded with a telemetry EMG system.
Results. AIS patients had normal balance index and amplitude and duration of EMG similar to those of normal subjects in the balance test. However, the onset latency of right gastrocnemius was earlier in AIS patients than in normal subjects. In addition, body-side asymmetry was noted
on muscle strength and onset latency in AIS subjects. Under EC condition, lumbar multifidi, and DZNeP clinical trial gluteus medii activities were higher than those under SV and VF conditions (P < 0.05). Under SV condition, the medial-lateral tilting angle was less than that under VF and EC conditions. In addition, the active duration of right gluteus medius was shorter under SV condition (P < 0.05).
Conclusion. The dynamic balance control is particularly disruptive under visual deprivation with increasing lumbar multifidi and gluteus medii activities for compensation. Sponge pad can cause decrease in frontal plane tilting and gluteus medii effort. The asymmetric muscle strength and onset timing are attributed to anatomic deformation as opposed to neurologic etiological
factors.”
“Poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA)/single-walled carbon nanotube (SWNT) composites were synthesized by the grafting of PMMA onto the sidewalls of SWNTs via in situ radical polymerization. The free-radical initiators were covalently attached to the SWNTs Entinostat by a well-known esterification method and confirmed by means of thermogravimetric analysis and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy were used to image the PMMA-SWNT composites; these images showed the presence of polymer layers on the surfaces of debundled, individual nanotubes. The PMMA-SWNT composites exhibited better solubility in chloroform than the solution-blended composite materials. On the other hand, compared to the neat PMMA, the PMMA-SWNT nanocomposites displayed a glass-transition temperature up to 6.0 degrees C higher and a maximum thermal decomposition temperature up to 56.6 degrees C higher. The unique properties of the nanocomposites resulted from the strong interactions between the SWNTs and the PMMA chains. (C) 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.