Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation improves fatigue performance of the treated and contralateral knee extensors.

PURPOSE: Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) can reduce acute and chronic pain. Unilateral fatigue can produce discomfort in the affected limb and force and activation deficits in contralateral non-exercised muscles. TENS-induced local pain analgesia effects on non-local fatigue performance are unknown. Hence, the aim of the study was to determine if TENS-induced pain suppression would augment force output during a fatiguing protocol in the treated and contralateral muscles. METHODS: Three experiments were integrated for this article. Following pre-tests, each experiment involved 20 min of TENS, sham, or a control condition on the dominant quadriceps. Then either the TENS-treated quadriceps (TENS_Treated) or the contralateral quadriceps (TENS_Contra) was tested. In a third experiment, the TENS and sham conditions involved two\; 100-s isometric maximal voluntary contractions (MVC) (30-s recovery) followed by testing of the contralateral quadriceps (TENS_Contra-Fatigue). Testing involved single knee extensors (KE) MVCs (pre- and post-test) and a post-test 30% MVC to task failure. RESULTS: The TENS-treated study induced greater (p = 0.03; 11.0%) time to KE (treated leg) failure versus control. The TENS_Contra-Fatigue induced significant (p = 0.04; 11.7%) and near-significant (p = 0.1; 7.1%) greater time to contralateral KE failure versus sham and control, respectively. There was a 14.5% (p = 0.02) higher fatigue index with the TENS (36.2 ± 10.1%) versus sham (31.6 ± 10.6%) conditions in the second fatigue intervention set (treated leg). There was no significant post-fatigue KE fatigue interaction with the TENS_Contra. CONCLUSIONS: Unilateral TENS application to the dominant KE prolonged time to failure in the treated and contralateral KE suggesting a global pain modulatory response.

[Bone formation in the ureter. Osseous metaplasia of an obstructed ureter]. / Der Harnleiterknochen. Knöcherne Metaplasie eines obstruierten Harnleiters.

Bone formation outside the skeleton is well known. Yet, ossification within the urogenital tract is rare. The case of a patient with distal ureteral obstruction, hydronephrosis, and subsequent circular osseous metaplasia of the ureter is presented. Open transperitoneal right-sided nephrectomy with partial resection of the ureter was performed. Intraoperatively and in histopathologic examination circular bone formation adjacent to the ureteral wall was detected. There was no evidence of malignancy. Early animal experiments in the twentieth century showed that bone metaplasia may be induced by epithelium of the urinary tract under certain conditions such as ischemia, inflammation, necrosis, sclerosis, and trauma. Osseous metaplasia may therefore be considered a differential diagnosis of calcification of the upper urinary tract in the absence of urolithiasis.

Ways of being a father: how first-time fathers and public health nurses perceive men as fathers.

The purpose of this paper is to describe the different ways of being a father identified in a sample of Finnish men. The data consisted of 71 interviews with fathers and 175 essays written by public health nurses. The fathers and public health nurses described different ways of being a father: bystander, supporter of spouse, partner, and head of the family. The spouse, relatives and maternity health care workers could encourage the father to choose a specific way to be a father, or discourage them from adopting a specific way. The information obtained in this study will be helpful in supporting the different kinds of fathers and their individual needs in family nursing.

[From man to father--a review of nursing research]. / Miehestä isäksi--katsaus hoitotieteelliseen tutkimukseen.

This literature review describes the work that has been done in the field of nursing research on growth into fatherhood starting from pregnancy and through the infant's first year of life. The purpose is to describe and analyse the existing research knowledge on this subject. The material of this review consists of 56 articles derived from the Cinahl (1983/1995) and Medline (1966-9/1995) databases using the keywords father, fathers, fathering and fatherhood. The method of content analysis was employed. The focal concern was with the contents of the articles and with the research designs and methods used. Five main content areas were identified: man's health, growth from manhood into fatherhood from the points of view stress and social support, fatherhood as a significant life experience, the relationship between father and child, the couple relationship and family functioning. It is obvious that more information is needed in Finland on male processes also in nursing research so that we can better understand those processes and further improve nursing interventions. Male processes have primarily been studied by using quantitative methods and cross-sectional settings. The main difficulties with the studies have been their small sample sizes and accordingly lack of generalizability. More qualitative information is required so that we can reach a deeper understanding on male processes, expectations and wishes.

[Changes in the kidney and upper urinary tract in pathologic pregnancy follow-up. Results of an ultrasonic study]. / Veränderungen der Nieren und des oberen Harntraktes bei pathologisch verlaufender Schwangerschaft. Ergebnisse einer sonographischen Studie.

In 201 women with pathologic course of pregnancy (161 women suffering from urinary tract infection, pyelonephritis and colic, 40 women with gestosis) the kidneys and the upper urinary tract were studied by means of ultrasonography. In 86% of the 161 women with colic, urinary tract infection and septic complications a dilation of the renal collecting system was found, in 39.4% of them a marked dilation (sagittal diameter of more than 15 mm). Frequency and grade of dilation have been uncreased from the first to the third trimenon, with a significant preference of the right side. In patients suffering from gestosis a lower frequency and grade of dilation was found. Pregnant women with a sagittal diameter of the pyelon of more than 15 mm should controlled more intensively prae and post partum, but the grade of dilation is not the only criterion of therapeutic strategies.

[Changes in the kidney and upper urinary tract in the normal course of pregnancy. Results of a sonographic study]. / Veränderungen der Nieren und des oberen Harntraktes bei normal verlaufender Schwangerschaft. Ergebnisse einer sonographischen Studie.

In 232 women with a normal course of pregnancy the kidneys and the upper urinary tract were studied by means of ultrasonography. In 73% of the patients a dilation of the renal collecting system was found. Frequency and grade of the dilation have been increased from the first to the third trimenon, with a significant preference of the right side. A marked dilation with a sagittal diameter of the pyelon of more than 15 mm was found in only 12% of the pregnant women. In a single case during uncomplicated pregnancy also monstrous dilation could be demonstrated.

Hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia versus CREST syndrome: can serology aid diagnosis?

Because the telangiectasia of hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia (HHT) and the CREST variant of scleroderma may be indistinguishable, we have tested the sera of eight patients with HHT for the presence of antinuclear (ANA) and anticentromere antibodies (ACA). In contrast to patients with the CREST syndrome, none of the sera of patients with HHT had elevated levels of ANA and a search for ACA was negative. Therefore, the presence of ACA may help differentiate the patient with CREST from the patient with HHT.

[Comparative studies on the firmness of the tracheal wall in goiter and chronic bronchitis]. / Vergleichende Untersuchungen zur Festigkeit der Trachealwand bei Struma und chronischer Bronchitis.

The changes of the lumen of the trachea according to the tests of Valsalva and Müller in 231 test persons (71 normal persons, 129 struma patients and 31 patients with chronic bronchitis caused by an emphysema) are analyzed in radiologic way. The comparison of the average of the tracheal widths shows significant decreases in the struma patients in relation to the normal collective. On the contrary the tracheal diameters in chronic bronchitis caused by an emphysema shows no statistically evident deviations in comparison with the normal persons. According to calculations of the lumen changes (Valsalva minus Müller) the average in the normal collective is 2.1 mm, in the struma patients 3.4 mm an in chronic bronchitis caused by an emphysema 1.6 mm. The comparison of the statistical average after calculation of these differences results in significant differences only between normal collective and struma patients, too.

Oral contraceptives and porphyria cutanea tarda.

The clinical and biochemical findings in two cases of porphyria cutanea tarda (PCT) are presented. The cases are unique in their early age of onset (24 and 22 years) and their apparent precipitation by low-dosage oral contraceptives.Review of the literature reveals these to be the two youngest patients with estrogen-induced PCT. Only one other case of PCT induced by low-dosage oral contraceptives has been reported. In most cases of PCT induced by estrogens, high dosages have been taken by patients over age 35.