The role of cutaneous reflexes is not so clear in the during human gait: electromyographic and kinematic responses to human. EMG responses have been measured in human leg electrical stimulation. J. Neurophysiol. 77: 3311-3325, 1997. The muscles after nonnoxious stimulation of cutaneous nerves functions of ipsilateral cutaneous reflexes were studied with short during walking. Such experiments have revealed that cutatrains of stimuli presented pseudorandomly to the superficial pero-neous reflexes are task dependent ( e.g., phasic locomotor neal (SP) and tibial nerves during human gait. Electromyograms vs. tonic maintained activity ) ; Kanda as was described by Forssberg and colleagues ( Forssberg 1979; Forssberg et al. 1975 ) in the cat, have not been studied.

No abstract

SummaryGenotyping of TPMT prior to 6-mercaptopurine (6-MP) administration in acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) patients has been integrated into clinical practice in some populations of European ancestry. However, the comparable rates of 6-MP myelotoxicity, but rarity of TPMT variants, in Asians suggest that major determinants have yet to be discovered in this population. We genotyped 92 Japanese paediatric ALL patients for NUDT15 rs116855232, a 6-MP toxicity-related locus discovered in Asians. Logistic regression and survival analysis were used to evaluate its association with leucopenia, hepatotoxicity, 6-MP dose reduction, therapy interruption and event-free survival. The allele frequency of rs116855232 was 0Á16, and leucopenia was more common in carriers of the T allele (odds ratio, 7Á20; 95% confidence interval, 2Á49-20Á80; P = 2Á7 9 10 À4). As leucopenia results in 6-MP dose reduction, we observed average doses during maintenance therapy of 40Á7, 29Á3 and 8Á8 mg/m 2 for patients with CC, CT and TT genotypes, respectively (P < 0Á001). Hepatotoxicity was observed only in CC genotype patients. Event-free survival did not significantly differ by NUDT15 genotype. rs116855232 is an important determinant of 6-MP myelotoxicity in Japanese children with ALL and may represent the most robust toxicity-related locus in Asians to date. Considerations for clinical application may be warranted.

The functions of ipsilateral cutaneous reflexes were studied with short trains of stimuli presented pseudorandomly to the sural nerve during human walking. Electromyograms (EMG) of lower (tibialis anterior (TA), soleus, lateral (LG) and medial (MG) gastrocnemius) and upper leg (vastus lateralis and biceps femoris) muscles were recorded, together with ankle, knee and hip joint angles. Net reflex EMG responses were quantified in each of the sixteen parts of the step cycle. The kinematic measurements included ankle eversion‐ inversion, and ankle, knee and hip flexion‐extension. The function of the sural reflexes depended upon the part of the step cycle in which the nerve was stimulated and the intensity of stimulation. During stance, reflexes in MG and TA muscles in response to a medium intensity of stimulation (1.9 × radiating threshold, × RT) were closely associated with ankle eversion and dorsiflexion responses, respectively. These responses could assist in accommodation to uneven terrain that applies pressure to the lateral side of the foot (sural innervation area). Non‐noxious, high intensity (2.3 × RT) stimulation resulted in strong suppression of LG and MG during stance which was correlated to a small reduction in ankle plantarflexion. At this higher intensity the response would function to prevent the foot from moving more forcefully onto a potentially harmful obstacle. During swing, ankle dorsiflexion increased and was significantly correlated to the net TA EMG response after both medium and high intensity stimulation. Knee flexion was increased throughout swing at both intensities of stimulation. These responses may serve in an avoidance response in which the swing limb is brought past an obstacle without destabilizing contact. The net EMG and kinematic responses suggest that cutaneous reflexes stabilize human gait against external perturbations produced by an uneven surface in stance or obstacles encountered during swing.

Antioxidant activities of 15 purified bilberry anthocyanins together with pelargonidin 3-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside and 4'-O-methyl delphinidin 3-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside (MDp 3-glc), the major metabolite of delphinidin 3-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside (Dp 3-glc), were evaluated in order to study the structure-antioxidant activity relationship and any synergism among them in the mixture. Both aglycone structure and the attached sugar moiety affected the O*2- and ONOO- -scavenging activities, although the effect of the attached sugar moiety was smaller than that of the aglycone structure. The potency of activity toward the superoxide radical was in the following order: delphinidin > petunidin > malvidin =approximately cyanidin>(+)-catechin > peonidin > pelargonidin. The activity toward ONOO- was: delphinidin > cyanidin =approximately petunidin > malvidin =approximately (+)-catechin > peonidin > pelargonidin. It was confirmed that methylation of 4'-OH markedly reduced the antioxidant activity of anthocyanin. Further, it was revealed that synergism occurred in both - and ONOO- -scavenging activities among the anthocyanins in the mixture.