Sharon Nielsen

Vibration perception thresholds in children with idiopathic toe walking gait.

This study investigated the vibration perception differences between children with an idiopathic toe walking gait and their non–toe walking peers. Sixty children, between the ages of four and eight years, were grouped into an idiopathic toe walking group and non–toe walking group. Vibration perception threshold was assessed at the right hallux. A highly significant difference in the vibration perception threshold between the groups was determined. The idiopathic toe walking group demonstrated a lower vibration perception threshold (P = .001), indicating this group was highly sensitive to vibration input. This change in vibration perception could be symptomatic of physiological changes in the localized receptors within the skin or at a neural perception level. Heightened sensitivity to touch has not yet been explored with children who have an idiopathic toe walking gait. This finding could assist in understanding this gait pattern and allow further research into improved treatment options.

Semen effects on insemination outcomes in sows

Sows (n=1205) were artificially inseminated with semen from single sires (n=166). Semen was previously analysed for sperm concentration, motility, velocity, morphology (using DIC microscopy) and membrane integrity, sperm clump score, temperature on arrival and pH. Percent normal sperm influenced both numbers of pigs born alive (P<0.01) and litter size (P<0.05) which, in turn, was also influenced by abnormal sperm head morphology (P<0.05) and retained distal cytoplasmic droplets (P<0.01). Percent stillbirths were influenced by sperm flagellar beat cross frequency (P<0.05) and semen arrival temperature (P<0.05).

Foot and ankle characteristics of children with an idiopathic toe-walking gait

BACKGROUND Idiopathic toe-walking (ITW) in children has been associated with ankle equinus. Although equinus has been linked to foot deformity in adults, there has been limited investigation of the impact of equinus on structural foot change in children. We used the weightbearing lunge test and the six-item version of the Foot Posture Index (FPI-6) to evaluate the weightbearing foot and ankle measures of children with an ITW gait and to compare these with their age-matched peers. METHODS Sixty 4-to 6-year-old children were grouped into ITW (n = 30) and non-toe-walking (n = 30) cohorts using a validated ITW tool. Ankle range of motion was determined with weightbearing lunge tests. The FPI-6 was calculated during weightbearing stance. RESULTS There was a highly significant difference in the weightbearing lunge test measures between the ITW cohort and the non-toe-walking cohort. The FPI-6 comparison was not significant. The straight-leg lunge test had a statistically significant relationship with the FPI-6 in the ITW cohort. CONCLUSION Children with an ITW gait demonstrated reduced flexibility at the ankle joint but similar weightbearing foot posture compared with non-toe-walking children, showing that for children 4 to 8 years old, an ITW gait affects the available ankle dorsiflexion but seems to have a limited effect on weightbearing foot posture as measured by the FPI-6.

Immunohistochemical expression and prognostic significance of oestrogen receptor-alpha, oestrogen receptor-beta, and progesterone receptor in stage 1 adult-type granulosa cell tumour of the ovary

Aims: To assess oestrogen receptor (ER)&agr;, ER&bgr;, and progesterone receptor (PR) expression in stage I ovarian adult-type granulosa cell tumours (AGCTs) and correlate the findings with clinical outcome. Methods: ER&agr;, ER&bgr; and PR immunohistochemistry was performed on 56 primary, stage I AGCTs. Twelve cases (21%) recurred and hormone receptor staining was compared in the corresponding primary and metastatic tumours. Results: All primary AGCTs expressed ER&bgr; and PR, usually with strong and diffuse staining, whereas only 20% of tumours were focally ER&agr; positive. There was no correlation between ER&agr; or PR expression and outcome. However, primary AGCTs with low ER&bgr; expression had a significantly higher risk of recurrence. In contrast, all metastatic tumours exhibited strong ER&bgr; staining. No relationship between ER staining and tumour morphology was identified but there was more consistent PR expression in cells at the tumour–stromal interface. Conclusions: Primary AGCTs typically show an ER&agr; negative and ER&bgr;/PR positive immunophenotype. Low ER&bgr; expression is an adverse prognostic factor in primary AGCT but metastatic tumours often show up-regulation of ER&bgr;. Local microenvironmental factors may influence PR expression. Hormone receptor expression in AGCT may become increasingly relevant due to developments in selective therapy.

Differential rumination, intake, and enteric methane production of dairy cows in a pasture-based automatic milking system.

Proper performance monitoring of cows on pasture-based diets is crucial to inform nutritional recommendations that minimize undesirable effects of high ruminant CH4 emissions into the environment. The prediction of linkages between rumination patterns, methane emissions, and correlated production traits of cows in a pasture-based automatic milking system was tested. A previous 10-d baseline measurement of rumination activity by acoustic methodology of 156 Holstein-Friesian cows was used for frequency analysis of rumination time and identification of 2 treatment groups (n = 37 cows/group) represented by cows with consistently high (HR; 75th rumination percentile = 617.55 ± 81.37 min/d) or low (LR; 25th rumination percentile = 356.65 ± 72.67 min/d) rumination. The HR and LR cows were paired by nearest parity, days in milk, body weight (BW), and previous 10-d milk production, and within pairs randomly assigned to 1 of 2 experimental groups managed on a voluntary milking system with diets consisting of at least 75% pasture, plus concentrates. Animal traits, including rumination time, mass flux of CH4 (QCH4) and carbon dioxide (QCO2), milk production, and estimated dry matter intake according to individual QCO2 fluxes over a 22-d period were analyzed with repeated measure mixed models for a completely randomized design, structural equation modeling, and nonlinear regression. High rumination and methane was seen in older and heavier cows that had greater estimated dry matter intake and milk production. A consistent difference in rumination time and QCH4 across days was detected between HR and LR, even after adjustment for metabolic BW. Estimated dry matter intake had direct positive effects on rumination and QCH4, but no independent direct effect of rumination on QCH4 was detected. The LR cows produced more QCH4/milk, associated with lower milk, BW, concentrate intake, and greater activity at pasture. A typical dilution of maintenance effect on QCH4/milk was detected as a consequence of increasing milk yield and similar significant reduction of QCO2/milk. The results raise challenging questions regarding the rumination patterning of grazing dairy cows and alternatives to reduce ruminant methane emissions in grazing dairy cows.

The motor skills and sensory processing abilities associated with idiopathic toe walking gait

Conclusion While the results did not identify a causative factor for an ITW gait, they do suggest that the toe walking gait may not be idiopathic in nature. The results of this research highlight the importance of a fuller assessment of the toe walking child compared to that traditionally conducted by podiatrists, and suggest that multiple strategies may be required to manage this gait style. Author details Allied Health Research Unit, Southern Health, Cheltenham, VIC, 3192, Australia. Department of Physiotherapy, Monash University, Frankston, VIC, 3199, Australia. School of Podiatry, Charles Sturt University, Albury, NSW, 2460, Australia. School of Occupational Therapy, Charles Sturt University, Albury, NSW, 2460, Australia. Quantitative Consulting Unit, Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga, NSW, 2678, Australia.

Physiological and Behavioral Responses of Horses to Wither Scratching and Patting the Neck When Under Saddle.

Riding is considered to be an arousing activity for horses. It has been suggested that wither scratching may be a more useful tool for relaxation compared with the common practice of neck patting. In the current study, 18 horses were exposed to 3 treatments, including control or no interaction, neck patting, and wither scratching, for 1 min each following a short obstacle course. Heart rate, heart rate variability, and a variety of behaviors were measured in the horses. Wither scratching produced a significantly longer duration of relaxed-type behaviors. Wither scratching could be a useful tool to help a horse relax while under saddle. Additionally, the study identified 2 ear positions that may be useful for future research in horse behavior.

Coaching effectiveness survey instruments: taking stock of measuring the immeasurable

Measuring the benefits obtained from the use of executive and organisational coaching is of interest both to coaching service providers and to the organisations who engage their services. Survey instruments, designed to measure coaching effectiveness, have emerged as a means of easy access to information on the success of the coaching provided to individual recipients (termed in this paper ‘coaching counterparts’). However, the appropriateness and reliability of the instruments used are critical to good-quality coaching evaluation. This paper argues that reliability tests should be undertaken, and assessments made, in terms of the general efficacy of any instrument that is used. It reports on a study that investigated the reliability of a custom-designed survey instrument, the Coaching Effectiveness Survey (CES) which was developed by the Institute of Executive Coaching and Leadership, a commercial coaching service provider and coach training organisation in Australia. Although the CES has been in use since 2005, this study was completed when a population size of 291 coaching counterparts was reached in 2011. Results revealed that the CES is a reliable survey instrument and that coaching counterparts were most satisfied with the coaching experience for developing benefits in key intrapersonal and interpersonal areas, and, importantly, self-efficacy. Finally, this paper reminds us that although no survey instrument is sufficient for measuring the human experience of coaching (the ‘immeasurables’), surveys can be a useful and convenient starting point for investigating coaching effectiveness.

Hand preference in children with an idiopathic toe walking gait.

1.Southern HealthCardinia Casey Community Health Service, Cranbourne, Vic, Australia 2.Charles Sturt University, Albury, NSW, Australia 3.Peninsula Health, Frankston, Vic, Australia 4.Charles Sturt University, School of Community Health, Thurgoona, NSW, Australia 5.Occupational Therapy, Charles Sturt University, School of Community Health, Albury, NSW, Australia 6.Charles Sturt University, School of Computing and Mathematics, Wagga Wagga, NSW, Australia

The consistency and influence of environmental and animal factors on exhaled breath condensate hydrogen peroxide, pH and leukotriene B4 in horses

This study was performed to determine the consistency of exhaled breath condensate (EBC) hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), pH and leukotriene B4 (LTB4) measurements in asymptomatic horses and to define the influence of environmental and animal factors on these variables. Intra- and inter-day consistency for both H2O2 and pH measurements were adequate, with intraclass correlation coefficients ≥0.8, whereas the consistency for LTB4 was poor. H2O2 was influenced by ambient temperature (TA), humidity, time of day and collection location (all P<0.01), while pH was influenced by respiratory rate during EBC collection and TA (both P<0.001). The consistency of EBC H2O2 and pH measurements may be sufficient for use as diagnostic biomarkers in horses. However, the influence of identified environmental and animal factors should be considered.