Adriana Maria Valladão Novais Van Petten

How Can We Make Our Assessment of Motor AbilityRelevant Cross-Culturally?

The assessment of motor abilities is important to identify atypical development, to measure progress obtained with intervention, and for research. Motor assessment usually is based on the use of standardized tests, on which children are expected to perform specific tasks that are deemed common. As the majority of the motor development tests were created by researchers from European and North American countries, concepts from these cultures are embedded in the tasks, materials, and format of the instruments. This raises the question as to whether these instruments can be used internationally, with the perhaps misguided assumption that motor skill development is the same across different countries. Is it necessary to adapt standardized motor ability tests for cross-cultural use? This paper discusses the relationship between culture and motor development and points out some aspects that should be considered to make our assessment of motor ability more relevant cross-culturally.

Efeito do uso de órtese de punho na ativação da musculatura flexora e extensora do punho

OBJECTIVE: to investigate the effect of wrist immobilization orthoses, made from different materials, on activation of the flexor and extensor musculature of the forearm while performing specific tasks. METHODS: Twenty-six adults, with an average age of 26.2 years, performed the Jebsen-Taylor functional hand test and the Grip Strength test (James® dynamometer) under three conditions: free hand, wearing a composite orthosis, and wearing a thermoplastic orthosis. The tests were carried out using the dominant hand only. During the tests, surface electrodes were placed on the flexor and extensor muscles of the forearm to record the electrical muscle activity. The results obtained in the three conditions were compared, and the results analyzed using the statistical Wilcoxon Test. RESULTS: Significant differences were found in muscle activation when comparing the free hand with the use of any of the orthoses. In the comparison of data for the two different orthoses, no significant differences were found. A decrease in activity of the extensor muscles of the forearm was observed during all the tasks, as well as an increase in activation of the flexor muscles with the use of the orthoses. CONCLUSION: These results are important for the prescription of an orthosis during the rehabilitation process of a wide range of pathologies, such as tendinitis of the flexors and extensors of the first and fingers, as well as for forecasting the time of use of these devices.

Effectiveness of robot therapy on body function and structure in people with limited upper limb function: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Robot-Assisted Therapy (RT) is an innovative approach to neurological rehabilitation that uses intensive, repetitive, interactive, and individualized practice. This systematic review aimed to investigate the effectiveness of RT on the body function and structure of people with upper limb impairments (PROSPERO registration: CRD42017054982). A search strategy conducted on seven databases identified randomized controlled studies. Methodological quality was assessed using the PEDro scale. When possible, the data were pooled, the strength of evidence was assessed using the GRADE system, and the effect sizes were assessed using Cohen coefficient. Subgroup analyses investigated the impact on the estimated effects of the following parameters: methodological quality; portion of the assessed upper limb; duration of stroke; and intervention dose and duration. Thirty-eight studies involving 1174 participants were included. Pooled estimates revealed small effects of RT on motor control and medium effects on strength compared with other intervention (OI) at a short-term follow-up. Standardized differences in means were as follows: 0.3 (95% CI 0.1 to 0.4) and 0.5 (95% CI 0.2 to 0.8). Effects at other time points and on other investigated outcomes related to body function and structure were not found (p>0.05). The strength of the current evidence was usually low quality. Subgroup analyses suggested that the methodological quality, and duration and dose of RT may influence the estimated effects. In conclusion, RT has small effects on motor control and medium effects on strength in people with limited upper limb function. Poor methodological quality, and lower treatment dose and duration may impact negatively the estimated effects.

EFFECT OF USING WRIST ORTHOSES ON FOREARM FLEXOR AND EXTENSOR MUSCLE ACTIVATION

Objective: To investigate the effect of using wrist immobilization orthoses made from different materials, on activation of the flexor and extensor musculature of the forearm while performing specific tasks. Methods: Twenty-six adults, with an average age of 26.2 years, underwent the Jebsen-Taylor functional hand test and the grip strength test (Jamar® dynamometer) under three conditions: free hand, wearing a composite orthosis and wearing a thermoplastic orthosis. The tests were carried out using the dominant hand only. During the tests, surface electrodes were attached to the flexor and extensor muscles of the forearm to record the muscle electrical activity. The results obtained under the three conditions were compared and analyzed using the Wilcoxon statistical test. Results: Significant differences in muscle activation were found between using the free hand and using any of the orthoses. There was no significant difference in muscle activation between the two types of orthosis. A decrease in activity of the extensor muscles of the forearm was observed during all the tasks, as well as an increase in activation of the flexor muscles with the use of the orthoses. Conclusion: These results are important for defining whether an orthosis should be prescribed during the rehabilitation process for a wide range of disorders, such as tendinitis of the flexors and extensors of the wrist and fingers, as well as for predicting the length of time for which these devices should be used.

An Investigation on Graphene Based Hybrid Nanocomposites under Bending Loadings

The goal of this paper is to investigate the effect of graphene nanosheets addition to laminated composites behavior under bending loadings. To be able to understand the nanoparticle dispersion into the polymeric systems and later on their application to laminate comp osites, a set of nanographene based nanocomposites are synthesized using a high shear mixer. TGA, DSC, XRD, and SEM/TEM/AFM analysis were performed for nanoparticles dispersion evaluation. Furthermore, the results have showed that nano -structures formed are mostly into the exfoliated condition. The Hybrid laminates were evaluated using three point bending tests. The results have shown that graphene based hybrid nanocomposites lead to better performance than conventional laminate composites.