OBJECTIVE: To investigate if therapeutic horseback riding (THR) can improve language and cognitive function in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or intellectual disability (ID). METHODS: We conducted a prospective case-control study on children diagnosed with ASD or ID. Eighteen and 11 children were enrolled for THR and control groups, respectively. For 8 weeks, those in the THR group underwent conventional therapy plus 30 minutes of THR per week while controls only received conventional therapy. Participants’ language (using Receptive and Expressive Vocabulary Test [REVT] and Preschool Receptive-Expressive Language Scale [PRES]) and cognitive abilities (using Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children [K-ABC] and the cognitive domain of Bayley Scales of Infant Development-II [BSID-II]) were assessed at baseline and at 8 weeks after treatment. RESULTS: There was no baseline difference between the two groups. In the THR group, there were statistically significant improvements in most domains after THR including receptive and expressive language and cognition compared to those before THR. In the control group, however, only receptive vocabulary ability assessed by REVT and cognitive function assessed by BSID-II showed improvements after conventional therapy. However, there were no statistically significant differences in language or cognitive abilities between the two groups at 8 weeks after treatment. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that THR might improve language and cognitive abilities. Although the mechanisms and pathways involved in such improvements are currently unclear based on our findings, THR might have potential to optimize language and cognitive abilities of children with ASD and ID.
Autism Spectrum Disorder ; Autistic Disorder ; Case-Control Studies ; Child ; Cognition ; Humans ; Infant ; Intellectual Disability ; Language Tests ; Prospective Studies ; Vocabulary ; Weights and Measures

This study aimed to investigate walking ability and balance improvement of patients with ataxia caused by brain lesions after end-effector type robot (Morning Walk® )-assisted gait training. This study randomly assigned 19 patients to one of two groups: 30 minutes of Morning Walk® training with 1 hour of conventional physiotherapy (Morning Walk® group; n = 10) or 1.5 hours of conventional physiotherapy (Control group; n = 9). Five treatment sessions per week were given for 3 weeks. The primary outcomes were walking ability and balance, which were assessed by the functional ambulation category (FAC) and Berg Balance Scale (BBS), respectively. The secondary outcomes included 10-meter Walk Test (10mWT), Rivermead Mobility Index (RMI), Motricity Index (MI), and Modified Barthel Index (MBI). At baseline, there was no statistically significant difference between the two groups except MBI. After the treatment, the Morning Walk® group showed significant improvement in the FAC, BBS, 10mWT, RMI and MBI. The control group showed significant improvement in the BBS, 10mWT, RMI and MBI. Inter-group comparison demonstrated that the ∆FAC, ∆10mWT and ∆RMI of the Morning Walk® group were significantly higher than those of the control group. Our results suggest that the patients with ataxia receiving Morning Walk® -assisted gait training might improve greater in walking ability and balance than those trained with conventional physiotherapy.

This study aimed to investigate walking ability and balance improvement of patients with ataxia caused by brain lesions after end-effector type robot (Morning Walk® )-assisted gait training. This study randomly assigned 19 patients to one of two groups: 30 minutes of Morning Walk® training with 1 hour of conventional physiotherapy (Morning Walk® group; n = 10) or 1.5 hours of conventional physiotherapy (Control group; n = 9). Five treatment sessions per week were given for 3 weeks. The primary outcomes were walking ability and balance, which were assessed by the functional ambulation category (FAC) and Berg Balance Scale (BBS), respectively. The secondary outcomes included 10-meter Walk Test (10mWT), Rivermead Mobility Index (RMI), Motricity Index (MI), and Modified Barthel Index (MBI). At baseline, there was no statistically significant difference between the two groups except MBI. After the treatment, the Morning Walk® group showed significant improvement in the FAC, BBS, 10mWT, RMI and MBI. The control group showed significant improvement in the BBS, 10mWT, RMI and MBI. Inter-group comparison demonstrated that the ∆FAC, ∆10mWT and ∆RMI of the Morning Walk® group were significantly higher than those of the control group. Our results suggest that the patients with ataxia receiving Morning Walk® -assisted gait training might improve greater in walking ability and balance than those trained with conventional physiotherapy.

Dental implants are valuable devices for restoring lost teeth. At this moment, nanotechnology has emerged with several techniques to modify implant surfaces. In addition, some evaluation techniques at the nano level are contributing important information regarding tissue and cell interactions with the implanted material. The purpose of this study was to analyze and compare the bone responses to 3 different types of 4.1-mm-diameter, 10mm-long implant surfaces on a dog femur model: 1) Sand blasted with alumina and Acid etched (SA), 2) Resorbable blast media (RBM), functioning as control groups, and 3) Anode oxidation nano-titana (Anodized TiO2) surface implants as experimental group. For this study, implants were placed in 3 beagle dogs (age, 18 months; weight, 11-14 kg). Their purchase, selection, management, and experimental procedure were carried out according to established conditions by the Department of Laboratory Animal Medicine, Medical Research Center, Medical College of Yonsei University. Nineteen turned screw-shaped implants with 3 different surfaces (4.1mm in diameter, 10mm in length) were made from commercially pure titanium (grade IV). Thirteen implants were placed in each beagle dogs no. 1 and 2 and six implants were placed in the remaining beagle dog. Implants placed in beagle dogs no. 1 and 2 underwent histology analysis, X-ray and CT taking, and analysis of relative bone mineral density with Dataviewer program. While removal torque was measured in the implants placed in beagle no. 3 after a healing period of 4 and 8 weeks. A histological evaluation of the specimens in this study showed that osseointegration was achieved for all control and experimental group after a healing period of 4 and 8 weeks. The following means were obtained for bone-implant contact (BIC) percentage for 4 and 8-week groups, respectively: SA: 85.16%, 38.88%; RBM: 41.62%, 58.87%; and Anodized TiO2: 43.85%, 61.3%. The following means were obtained for bone volume (BV) percentage for 4 and 8-week groups, respectively: SA: 34.48%, 51.55%; RBM: 58.56%, 81.56%; and Anodized TiO2: 47.22%, 63.53%. In this study, 8-week consolidated Anodized TO2 surface implants showed increased removal torque value (RTV) compared to that of the 4-week group. The obtained RTV means were 86.0 and 99.7Ncm, respectively, for 4 and 8-week Anodized TiO2 implants. The present study showed that osseointegration occurred in all investigated types of surface-treated implants. However, the control groups showed slight increase in the BIC and BIV values compared to the experimental groups. Therefore the clinical relevance of the observed results remains to be shown.