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Dance provides an active, non-competitive form of exercise that has potential positive effects for physical health as well as mental and emotional wellbeing. Dance therapy is based on the idea that body and mind are co-relational. The therapeutic approaches with various forms of Indian dances are a new entrant to dance literature. Ayurveda held dance as a power of healing (therapy) and inner awareness (psychology). Indian philosophy also supports the facts of Sangeet (song, dance and music) for benefit of human health physically as well as mentally. The powerful dance form of Bhangra (Punjab), Karagam (Tamilnadu), Chou, Rayabese, Dhali (West Bengal) gives good health and strength. The fast footwork of Kathak dance helps to release anger and tension. Manipuri dancers make rounded movements and avoid any jerks, sharp edges or straight lines. It gives them undulating and soft appearance, proper body control and peace of mind. All these body movements, body balancing, expression, muscle movement, muscle constriction and relaxation have a strong effect on therapeutic movements. In India today the dance therapists are conscious about this matter and in therapeutic sessions they actually improvise different dance movements according to the need.

Introduction: Mineral bone disorders (BMD) are almost constant complications in chronic hemodialysis patients. The objective of our study was to determine the prevalence and profiles of BMD in chronic hemodialysis patients. Patients and methods: This is a six-year descriptive and analytical retrospective study from January 1st, 2010 to December 31st, 2015, at the hemodialysis department of the University Hospital Center (CHU) Aristide Le Dantec. Were also included patients on chronic hemodialysis for at least 3 months, with at least one prescribed amount of parathyroid (PTH). For each included patient, the epidemiological, dialytic, diagnostic and therapeutic parameters were collected and analyzed. Results: Over 86 patients, 71 (82.5%) had BMD. The average age was 48.92 ± 15.5 years old, with a sex ratio of 0, 65. Nephroangiosclerosis was the most frequent initial nephropathy (56.3%). The dialysis seniority was 5.2 ± 2.9 years old and 93% of patients profited from 3 sessions of 4 hours per week. Eleven patients (15.5%) had previous aluminum intoxication. Fifty-eight patients (81.6%) had secondary hyperparathyroidism, 12.6% had adynamic osteopathy (OA), and 1.4% had osteomalacia. In patients with secondary hyperparathyroidism, the average age was 48.6 ± 15 years old. 37.9% of these patients had articular pains, 22.4% had bone pains and 13.8% had spontaneous fractures. Eleven patients had hypocalcemia and only one patient had mild hypercalcemia. 46.5% of patients had normal phosphatemia; 29.3% had hypophosphatemia and 24.13% had hyperphosphatemia. Average PTH was 913.85 ± 331.65 ng/ml. 73% of patients had 25-OH-Vit D insufficiency; 72.7% of patients had high total PAL. Therapeutically, 91.4% of patients had been treated with calcium carbonate; 25.9% with a treatment based on non-calcium phosphorus chelators; 69% of patients received vitamin D and 15.5%, calcimimetic treatment. 22% of patients under medical treatment normalized their PTH. Parathyroidectomy was performed in 6.9% of patients. The average age in…

Farmer involvement in the development of cowpea varieties for cultivation is an integral component for crop improvement in Northern Ghana where the bulk of cowpea is produced. The objective of this study was to assess farmers’ perception about the effect of drought on cowpea production, identify production constraints and determine farmer preferred traits using Participatory Rural Appraisal. Five cowpea producing districts were selected across the three Northern regions. Fifty cowpea producers, consumers and traders were randomly selected for the study. Data was collected using questionnaires and focus group discussions. Data was analysed using SPSS version 22. Kendall’s Coefficient of Concordance statistical procedure was used to identify and rank farmers’s constraints and preferences, and to measure the degree of agreement among the respondents. Ninety three percent of the farmers reported that, the number of hot days has increased over the past ten years. Farmers across all the three regions linked the effect of drought to the stages of cowpea growth with podding stage seen as the worst affected. About 70% of the farmers preferred varieties with large grain size, smooth or rough textured seeds with white coats. About 84 % of farmers preferred varieties that were early and drought tolerant.

Cultivated areas of soybean in Brazil have been increasing with each harvest and the seed market is moving in the same direction, launching new varieties every year. To increase not only planted area but also productivity, it is necessary to use technologies and use integration systems. In this study, the effect of pollination by honeybees on two soybean varieties in two consecutive years was evaluated. Three treatments were established: cages with Apis mellifera honeybees, cages without bees and free areas for insect visitation. The results showed an increase 6.45% of soybean yield in areas with free access to insect visitation. While in the cages with the introduction of Africanized honeybee colonies the increase was 13.64%. These results indicate that even in the most recent cultivars, cross pollination can show productivity gains even in an autogamous species.

Background: The principles of motor learning (PML) emerged from studies of limb motor skills in healthy, young adults. The applicability of these principles to speech motor learning, and to older adults, is uncertain. Aims: The purpose of this study was to examine one PML, feedback frequency, and its effect on retention and generalization of a novel speech and comparable tracing task. Methods: Sixty older adults completed a speech motor learning task requiring the production of a novel phrase at speaking rates 2 times and 3 times slower than habitual rate. Participants also completed a limb motor learning task requiring the tracing of a sine wave 2x and 3x slower than habitual rate. Participants were randomly assigned to receive feedback every trial, every 5th trial, or every 10th trial. Mean absolute error was measured to examine immediate generalization, delayed generalization, and 2-day retention. Findings: Results suggested that feedback frequency did not have an effect on the retention and generalization of the speech or manual task, supporting the small but growing literature highlighting the constraints of generalizing the PML to other modalities and populations. Funding: This research was supported by the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders Grants T32 DC000033, P30DC04661, and the University of Washington Royalty Research Fund (A70442) awarded to Dr. Kristie Spencer. The authors gratefully acknowledge Sara Savaglio, Christopher Woollcott, and all participants for their contributions to this study. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and only represents their views.

In the setting of polytrauma, several foreign bodies could be aspirated, including avulsed teeth. Because a minimally responsive polytrauma patient could be at risk of airway compromise, emergency intubation is performed which can by itself lead to aspirated tooth. A complete dental examination is required to check for any fracture. A CT scan is the most sensitive modality for diagnosis. A rigid or flexible bronchoscopy is indicated for removal of the foreign bodies.

Introduction: Dirofilaria immitis is a filarid nematode that impacts dogs and other mammals worldwide, being transmitted by mosquito bites, causing heart failure without the dog that is the definitive host. The intermediate host may belong to several genera of mosquitoes such as Aedes, Anopholes and Culex. Objectives: this study aims to evaluate three techniques for the diagnosis of canine heartworm disease. Methods: it is an experimental analytical study. The tests were carried out on all wandering dogs adopted by a shelter in the city of Jaboatão dos Guararapes, Pernambuco, Brazil. Sample collection was performed in a dog with gag, antisected with iodinated alcohol for venous puncture in cephalic vein with a 5 ml disposable syringe and transferred to tube containing anticoagulant. He samples were processed at the Pet Life laboratory in Jaboatão dos Guararapes, Pernambuco, Brazil. Three techniques were employed, such as: Alere Dirofilariose Ag test kit; direct examination – thick smear drop and modified Knott’s method (1939). Of the total of 30 shelter dogs, 9 were males and 21 females. Results: Thirteen dogs presented positivity in the Alere Dirofilariose Ag Test Kit (43.33%), being 9 females and 4 males. Of the thirteen positive animals in the immunological method, ten were positive by the Knott Method (33.33%) and five were positive in the Thick Smear Drop test (16.66%). Conclusion: the presence of canine heartworm disease caused by D. immitis in a given region suggests that there may be human contamination causing pulmonary heartworm disease. This infection should be considered in the differential diagnosis of lung neoplasms and fungal infections. It was verified that the Alere Dirofilariose Ag Test Kit presented a high sensitivity in relation to the thick drop test and the Modified Knott Method, being able to evidence asymptomatic canine heartworm and nondetectable animals by the other techniques used.

Recent attention has highlighted the distinct food and nutrition needs of residents with dementia living in long-term care (nursing homes). Nutrition care involves assessment of nutritional need, along with providing safe and appropriate food that fulfills nutritional requirements. Within long-term care, much of the direct care responsibilities lies with care aides who provide the day-to-day assistance including at mealtimes; however, it is the registered dietitian (RD) who provides specialized nutrition care. We sought to examine how roles and responsibilities of care aides and dietitians were described in long-term care settings. As many systematic reviews addressing nutrition care in dementia have appeared in the past two decades, we examined these using an Umbrella Review protocol. Ten papers were retrieved which examined nutrition services for dementia residents. These were diverse in nature. While all addressed some aspect of nutrition and the need for appropriate staffing, only three noted and discussed care aides and only three either noted or made recommendations for involvement of dietitians. Thus, the lack of attention to RDs and care aides represents a true gap that must be addressed in order for recommendations to enhance nutrition care for residents with dementia to be effective. Funding statement: This work was supported by scholarship awards to A.C. from Alzheimer Society of Canada Quality of Life Doctoral Fellowship, a Public Health and the Rural Agricultural Ecosystem (PHARE) graduate trainee fellowship, CIHR-STIHR, University of Saskatchewan.

The effects of a walking program in long-term care (LTC) are affected by multiple comorbidities and the LTC milieu. We randomly assigned residents 60 years and older into three groups (walking, socializing and control). Interventions were delivered five days weekly up to 30 minutes daily. Measurements were performed at baseline, 8, 16, 24 and 32 weeks, and included falls, grip strength, Berg Balance Scale, Senior Fitness Test, and Geriatric Depression Scale Short Form. Survival analysis with 168 participants for time to first injurious fall showed a significant (p=0.001) interaction between age and sex, with fall risk increasing with age in females, but lowest in the oldest age group in males. The hazard ratio for first injurious fall was more than doubled by the use of an antidepressant (HR=2.198, p=0.005), decreased by the score on the Berg Balance high fall risk rating (HR=0.471, p=0.010), but not affected by the activity-socialization intervention. The increased hazard of injurious falls related to antidepressants, but not depressive symptoms, suggests that the high prevalence of antidepressants in LTC needs re-evaluation. Further research efforts will need to control for alternate physical activities. This work was supported by the Saskatchewan Health Research Foundation Health Research (SHRF) Team Grant. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01277809

Objective: This pilot investigation evaluated the effectiveness of a cognitive training program for older adults with cognitive impairment. Methods: A sample of 23 individuals were randomly assigned to either a 24-session cognitive training program or a wait-list control group. Cognitive training sessions required participants to complete activities that targeted the following cognitive domains: attention, visual and verbal memory, visual spatial skills, processing speed, executive functioning, and language. A battery of cognitive tests were administered prior to and immediately after completion of the program. Depression, quality of life, agitated behavior, and daily functioning were also assessed. Results: Small to large effect sizes on half of the cognitive outcome measures were observed following participation in the program. No positive effects were found with regard to non-cognitive outcomes. Discussion: These results warrant further investigation into the benefits of this cognitive training program in larger randomized control trials. Clinical Implications: The cognitive training program may provide activity staff in assisted living or memory care settings a highly structured, manualized, and user-friendly intervention for older adults experiencing cognitive decline.