PubMed Health⌕ Search

SEARCH · PubMed Health

Results for “Balance ability”

Explore indexed PubMed citations for clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health research. Read source abstracts and follow each citation to its original PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 271 records · Page 15Linked to original sources
PubMedDate not supplied

Cross-sectionally and longitudinally balanced effects of processing speed on intellectual abilities.

The processing speed theory of cognitive aging states that declines in intellectual abilities other than processing speed are mainly due to a slowing of processing speed. Cross-sectional studies have provided support for the processing speed theory as for age-related cognitive differences. Longitudinal studies, in turn, have provided weaker support for the processing speed theory as for cognitive age changes. The present study aims to reconcile this discrepancy of cross-sectional and longitudinal results by constructing a "fair" test of the processing speed theory, i.e., a test that balances the cross-sectional age range and the time period covered longitudinally. Data from 83 older adults came from the Bonn Longitudinal Study on Aging. Using hierarchical linear models, it is shown that, although cross-sectional age differences and longitudinal changes in the intellectual abilities were equal, processing speed only attenuated cross-sectional age effects in cognition but virtually did not reduce longitudinal change effects in cognition. This persisting difference in the explanatory power of processing speed regarding age-related differences and age-related changes is discussed with reference to other longitudinal studies and statistical issues regarding cross-sectional and longitudinal studies of aging.

Aged↗
PubMed2005

Optimal quantity and composition of protein for growing children.

Children have distinct nutritional needs relative to growth. Adequate intakes of energy and essential amino acids are necessary for optimal deposition of lean body mass and normal growth in young children. However, there are limited data concerning protein needs of children. Most recommendations for children represent an interpolation of data derived from infants and adults. Indeed, current protein requirements for young children, while scientifically based, are estimates at best. Historically, protein status in children was evaluated using classic nitrogen balance protocols. This work indicates that a wide range of protein intakes (0.6-2.9 g/kg) can be considered adequate for young, growing children. The ability of nitrogen balance studies to accurately reflect protein utilization has been examined and it appears that further investigations of protein utilization in children using stable isotope methodology, as well as traditional nitrogen balance protocols, are necessary to better evaluate protein needs of growing children. In addition, protein source may be an important factor in optimal diet design for growing children.

Amino Acids↗
PubMed1999

Age and gender differences in single-step recovery from a forward fall.

BACKGROUND: Previous work has found that healthy older men were significantly less able than young male adults to recover balance by taking a single rapid step upon sudden release from forward leans. In light of the higher rates of falls and fall-related injuries among older women compared to older men, we hypothesized that healthy older women would perform more poorly than either female young adults or older men in this test of abilities to recover balance rapidly. METHODS: Ten young (mean age 25.0 years) and 10 older (73.7 years) healthy women were released from forward leans and instructed to regain standing balance by taking a single step forward. The lean angle was incrementally increased from its smallest value, approximately 14 degrees, until the subject failed to regain balance as instructed. Lower extremity kinematics were measured, and findings were compared with those of the earlier study of healthy young and old men. RESULTS: Five of the 10 older women could not recover balance with a single step after release from the smallest of the imposed forward leans. For the 5 older women who succeeded in recovering as instructed from at least one lean, the mean maximum lean angle was significantly smaller than that for young women (16.2 degrees vs 30.7 degrees, p < .001) or older men (16.2 degrees vs 23.9 degrees, p = .014). In contrast, there was no significant difference in mean maximum lean angle between female and male young adults. CONCLUSIONS: Healthy older women, compared to either young women or older men, were significantly less able to recover balance by taking a single rapid step during a forward fall. The decreased abilities of older women appeared to result from limitations in the maximum speeds at which they moved their swing foot during recovery.

Accidental Falls↗
PubMed2000

Clinical tests of standing balance: performance of persons with multiple sclerosis.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate differences in performance between people with multiple sclerosis (MS) and control subjects on clinical tests of balance, and to assess performance consistency on balance tests in people with MS from morning to afternoon. STUDY DESIGN: Two factor repeated measures design with a two group sample of convenience. SETTING: Kingston Centre and the Camberwell Centre of the MS Society of Victoria, Australia. SUBJECTS: Fourteen people with MS and 14 control subjects matched for age, height, and sex. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Subjects were measured on their ability to maintain standing balance in steady stance, (feet apart, feet together, stride stance, tandem stance, and single leg stance), during self-generated perturbations (functional reach, arm raise, and step tests) and in response to an external perturbation. Participants with MS were also asked to rate their fatigue level in the morning and afternoon. RESULTS: There were no differences between MS and control groups on the ability to maintain standing balance with feet apart, feet together, or in stride stance. Participants with MS performed more poorly than control subjects in tandem stance and single leg stance and in the functional reach test, arm raise test, step test, and in response to an external perturbation. There was little change in balance from morning to afternoon in participants with MS (ICCs (2,1) .70 to .94), despite an increase in self-rated fatigue (t(14) = -3.14, p = .008). CONCLUSION: The ability to maintain balance in standing is a marked problem in people with MS despite the consistency of their performance from morning to afternoon.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2001

Strength, balance, and the modifying effects of obesity and knee pain: results from the Observational Arthritis Study in Seniors (oasis).

OBJECTIVE: To examine the relationship between muscular strength and dynamic balance in a sample of older adults with knee pain and to determine the role that obesity and severity of knee pain play in the ability to maintain balance. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study designed to examine the association between strength and balance in a cohort of older adults with chronic knee pain. SETTING: A university health and exercise science center. PARTICIPANTS: A cohort of 480 adults age 65 and older with knee pain. MEASUREMENTS: Force platform dynamic balance measure of the center of pressure excursion during a forward and subsequent backward lean. Isokinetic strength measures of concentric and eccentric knee flexion and extension and concentric ankle plantar flexion and dorsiflexion. Body mass index (BMI) and a knee pain scale were used to measure obesity and knee pain, respectively. RESULTS: A regression model was developed to investigate the relationship between dynamic balance and muscular strength while controlling for gender, BMI, radiographic severity, knee pain, and foot length. Knee strength alone explained 18.4% of the variability in dynamic balance. The addition of knee pain, BMI, radiographic severity, gender, and foot length explained an additional 6.7%. When the knee-ankle interaction, ankle strength, and knee strength--pain interaction variables were added to the regression model, 28.9% of the variability in dynamic balance was explained. CONCLUSIONS: Strength appears to play a significant role in maintaining balance in an older, osteoarthritic population. We found that mean knee strength accounted for approximately 19% of the variability in dynamic balance. Hence, greater knee strength was associated with better dynamic balance. The best dynamic balance performances occurred in participants that had a combination of strong knees and strong ankles. However, knee osteoarthritic patients with weak knee strength could still maintain high levels of dynamic balance by having strong ankle strength. Moreover, we have shown that obesity is associated with attenuated dynamic balance performance and that poorer balance is associated with higher pain scores in the presence of weaker knees. For stronger knees, however, pain does not appear to be related to balance.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed2004

Relationship between strength, balance, and swallowing deficits and outcome after traumatic brain injury: a multicenter analysis.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the relation among strength, balance, and swallowing deficits, as measured on rehabilitation admission, and functional outcome at discharge and 1 year after traumatic brain injury (TBI). DESIGN: Multicenter analysis of consecutive admissions to designated Traumatic Brain Injury Model Systems (TBIMS) facilities. SETTING: Seventeen TBIMS centers. PARTICIPANTS: Adults and children older than 16 years of age with TBI (N=2363) enrolled in the national database from January 1989 to November 2000. INTERVENTIONS: Not applicable. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Transfers, locomotion, stairs, lower-body dressing, grooming, bathing, upper-body dressing, toileting, and eating as measured by the FIM instrument at acute rehabilitation discharge and at 1 year after TBI. RESULTS: Lower-extremity strength less than 3/5 on admission to acute rehabilitation was associated with increased need for assistance in locomotion, transfers, and lower-body dressing and less than 3/5 upper-extremity strength was associated with the need for assistance in self-care at rehabilitation discharge and at 1 year postinjury. Similar relations were found between impaired swallowing and assistance with eating, grossly impaired dynamic sitting, or standing balance and assistance with locomotion, transfers, eating, and self-care at rehabilitation discharge and at 1 year after TBI. CONCLUSIONS: Assessments of physical strength, swallowing ability, and dynamic balance on acute rehabilitation admission are helpful as screening tests in predicting the need for assistance of another person for mobility and self-care at rehabilitation discharge. This association remains strong at 1 year after TBI. By using this information, clinicians should initiate therapeutic interventions that optimize rehabilitation of the identified impairments and should make necessary arrangement for the patient's anticipated postdischarge needs. Further studies are necessary to delineate the amount of unique variance that these early physical examination findings contribute to outcome prediction.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Factors affecting balance and ambulation following stroke.

Ninety consecutive patients with hemiplegic involvement following a single cerebrovascular accident were studied to assess the relative importance of factors affecting balance and ambulation. Only 50% of the patients achieved a community level of ambulation. Intact balance reactions correlated strongly with the ability to walk (r = 0.79). Balance was found to be dependent on limb control and proprioception. Age, sex, hemiplegic side, and structural factors did not correlate with function or recovery. The total score in each category of function was more highly correlated with balance and ambulation than were the individual scores.

Adult↗
PubMed1987

Effect of dietary alpha-linolenate/linoleate balance on brain lipid compositions and learning ability of rats.

Spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) and normotensive control, Wistar/Kyoto (WKY) rats through two generations were fed a semipurified diet supplemented either with safflower oil (rich in linoleate) or with perilla oil (rich in alpha-linolenate). The cerebral lipid contents and phospholipid compositions did not differ between the two dietary groups of SHR rats. There were also no differences in the unsaturated/saturated ratios of individual phospholipids or the proportions of plasma-logens. However, the proportions of (n-3) and (n-6) fatty acids were significantly different. Decreases in the proportions of docosahexaenoate [22:6 (n-3)] in phosphatidylethanolamine and phosphatidylserine in the safflower oil group were compensated for with increases in the proportions of docosatetraenoic [22:4 (n-6)] and docosapentaenoic [22:5 (n-6)] acids as compared with the perilla oil group. These differences in phospholipid acyl chains were much smaller than the difference in the proportions of linoleate and alpha-linolenate of the diets. In a brightness-discrimination learning test, the total number of responses to the positive and negative stimuli were less in the groups fed perilla oil. However, the alpha-linolenate-deficient group took longer to decrease the frequency of R- responses and therefore longer to learn the discrimination. Consequently, the correct response ratios were higher in the perilla oil groups than in the safflower oil groups. Thus, the dietary alpha-linolenate/linoleate balance influenced the (n-3)/(n-6) balance of polyenoic fatty acids differently among brain phospholipids.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals↗
PubMed1998

Information preferences, reading ability, and emotional changes in outpatients during the process of obtaining informed consent for autologous bone-marrow transplantation.

BACKGROUND: The complexity of autologous bone marrow transplantation (ABMT) imposes increased demands for disclosure of information to patients. This study describes the information preferences, reading ability, and emotional balance (affect) of adult patients at the time of outpatient informed consent. METHODS: Thirty patients were enrolled. The Derogatis Affects Balance Scale was used to determine each patient's emotional status before and after outpatient informed consent. The Information Styles Questionnaire was used to measure information preferences, and the Wide Range Achievement Test was used to measure reading ability. RESULTS: Every patient had at least average reading ability. Almost 90% of the patients preferred maximum amounts of detailed information. A significant change in total affectivity was seen after informed consent (p = 0.005), and the predominant pattern of change was decreases in both positive and negative affects, with a significant improvement in the positive-affects ratio. CONCLUSION: ABMT candidates tend to read well and prefer maximum amounts of information. The informed consent process is associated with significant change in the balance between positive and negative patient emotions, and the dominant pattern is neutralization of both the positive and the negative emotions. This neutralization is more pronounced for the negative emotions, suggesting that the informed consent process may make patients feel better overall.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1997

The relation between standing balance and walking function in children with spastic diplegic cerebral palsy.

To establish and compare the relationship between standing balance and walking performance, eight children with spastic diplegic cerebral palsy (CP) and 16 non-disabled, age- and sex-matched children were studied. The results showed that the children with CP had worse static balance stability in various sensory environments and dynamic balance (rhythmic shifting ability) than the non-disabled children. Moreover, the children with CP walked at a slower speed but at a greater physiological cost than the non-disabled children. In the children with CP, dynamic balance significantly correlated with walking function. It is suggested that rhythmic weight-shift training should be encouraged to improve the walking performance of children with CP.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1996

Evaluation of kinesthetic deficits indicative of balance control in gymnasts with unilateral chronic ankle sprains.

If ankle proprioception can be determined to be impaired, then treatment can be more specifically directed toward correcting the proprioceptive deficit, thereby improving functional ability. The purpose of this study was to determine if collegiate level gymnasts with unilateral, multiple ankle sprains (ie., chronic ankle sprains) had decreased ability to detect passive plantar flexion of the ankle (ie., decreased ankle proprioception) and to determine if balance deficits existed during one-legged stance. Eleven gymnasts participated in 30 passive movement trials (15 movement and 15 nonmovement) presented randomly on both the injured and noninjured sides. The nonmovement trials consisted of either no movement of the ankle or passive movement of the ankle into 5 degrees of plantar flexion. Luce's choice theory determined that subjects were not biased in responding to a "yes" in perceiving movement or no movement during the movement/nonmovement trials of passive plantar flexion. Subjects were better able to detect movement during movement trials with their uninjured ankles than their injured ankles. Subjects also performed single 30-second trials of one-legged standing on each leg, with eyes open and with eyes closed. Subjects reported better balance when standing on the uninjured ankle during the one-legged stance conditions. Although our results cannot be extrapolated to balance abilities during complex gymnastic routines, they do suggest that physical therapy assessment includes passive detection of joint position as well as single-legged stance tests, and that perhaps rehabilitation programs incorporate sports-specific balance activities for such injuries.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1992

[Abnormalities in acid-base balance in the elderly].

Physiological decline in the ability to adjust acid-base balance and increase the incidence of diseases with aging, modifies pathophysiological and clinical features of acid-base disturbance in the elderly. Regulation of pH ultimately depends on the kidney and lung, however, the ability of the two organs is decreased with physiological aging. Moreover, the elderly are more prone to suffer from renal insufficiency and/or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Furthermore, medication with various drugs, such as diuretics, often affect the acid-base balance in the elderly. This paper describes the characteristics of the abnormalities in acid-base balance in the elderly, including metabolic acidosis and alkalosis, and respiratory acidosis and alkalosis.

Acid-Base Imbalance↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Postural equilibrium following exposure to weightless space flight.

Postural equilibrium performance by the Skylab 1/2, 3, and 4 crewmen following exposure to weightlessness of 28, 59, and 84 days respectively was evaluated using a modified version of a quantitative ataxia test developed by Graybiel and Fregly. Performance for this test was measured under two sets of conditions. In the first, the crewman was required to maintain postural equilibrium on narrow metal rails (or floor) with his eyes open. In the second condition, he attempted to balance with his eyes closed. A comparison of the preflight and postflight data indicated moderate postflight decrements in postural equilibrium in three of the crewmen during the eyes open test condition. However, in the eyes closed condition, a considerable decrease in ability to maintain balance on the rails was observed postflight for all crewmen tested. The magnitude of the change was most pronounced during the first postflight test day. Improvement was slow; however, on the basis of data obtained, recovery of preflight baseline levels of performance was evidently complete at the end of approximately two weeks for all crewmen. The findings are explained in terms of functional alterations in the kinesthetic, touch, vestibular and neuromuscular sensory mechanisms induced by the prolonged absence of a normal 1-G gravitational environment.

Gravitation↗
PubMed2007

A comparison of the ability of different propensity score models to balance measured variables between treated and untreated subjects: a Monte Carlo study.

The propensity score--the probability of exposure to a specific treatment conditional on observed variables--is increasingly being used in observational studies. Creating strata in which subjects are matched on the propensity score allows one to balance measured variables between treated and untreated subjects. There is an ongoing controversy in the literature as to which variables to include in the propensity score model. Some advocate including those variables that predict treatment assignment, while others suggest including all variables potentially related to the outcome, and still others advocate including only variables that are associated with both treatment and outcome. We provide a case study of the association between drug exposure and mortality to show that including a variable that is related to treatment, but not outcome, does not improve balance and reduces the number of matched pairs available for analysis. In order to investigate this issue more comprehensively, we conducted a series of Monte Carlo simulations of the performance of propensity score models that contained variables related to treatment allocation, or variables that were confounders for the treatment-outcome pair, or variables related to outcome or all variables related to either outcome or treatment or neither. We compared the use of these different propensity scores models in matching and stratification in terms of the extent to which they balanced variables. We demonstrated that all propensity scores models balanced measured confounders between treated and untreated subjects in a propensity-score matched sample. However, including only the true confounders or the variables predictive of the outcome in the propensity score model resulted in a substantially larger number of matched pairs than did using the treatment-allocation model. Stratifying on the quintiles of any propensity score model resulted in residual imbalance between treated and untreated subjects in the upper and lower quintiles. Greater balance between treated and untreated subjects was obtained after matching on the propensity score than after stratifying on the quintiles of the propensity score. When a confounding variable was omitted from any of the propensity score models, then matching or stratifying on the propensity score resulted in residual imbalance in prognostically important variables between treated and untreated subjects. We considered four propensity score models for estimating treatment effects: the model that included only true confounders; the model that included all variables associated with the outcome; the model that included all measured variables; and the model that included all variables associated with treatment selection. Reduction in bias when estimating a null treatment effect was equivalent for all four propensity score models when propensity score matching was used. Reduction in bias was marginally greater for the first two propensity score models than for the last two propensity score models when stratification on the quintiles of the propensity score model was employed. Furthermore, omitting a confounding variable from the propensity score model resulted in biased estimation of the treatment effect. Finally, the mean squared error for estimating a null treatment effect was lower when either of the first two propensity scores was used compared to when either of the last two propensity score models was used.

Aged↗
PubMed1993

A study of the clinical test of sensory interaction and balance.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The ability to maintain an upright position during quiet standing is a useful motor skill. The Clinical Test of Sensory Interaction and Balance is an inexpensive, easily administered test that provides information about the ability to stand upright under several sensory conditions. SUBJECTS: Three groups of neurologically asymptomatic (AS) adults, divided by age into younger, middle-aged, and older groups, participated in the study. A fourth group comprised subjects diagnosed with vestibular disorders. METHODS: Timed performances under six different conditions were compared across groups. RESULTS: Subjects with vestibular disorders were significantly impaired on performance when compared with age-matched AS subjects. Older AS and vestibularly impaired subjects had greater variation in their scores than did younger AS subjects. CONCLUSION AND DISCUSSION: This test is a useful screening tool for examining static standing balance.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

The contribution of foot problems to mobility impairment and falls in community-dwelling older people.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the relationship between foot problems, balance, and functional ability in community-dwelling older people and to determine whether older people with a history of multiple falls exhibit greater foot impairment than those who have not fallen or who have fallen once only. DESIGN: A cross-sectional, retrospective study. SETTING: Falls and Balance Laboratory, Royal North Shore Hospital, Sydney, Australia. PARTICIPANTS: One hundred thirty-five community-dwelling men and women age 75 to 93 (mean age +/- standard deviation, 79.8 +/- 4.1). MEASURES: Foot problem score; postural sway; coordinated stability; stair ascent and descent; an alternate stepping test; timed 6-meter walk; and tests of vision, sensation, strength, and reaction time. RESULTS: Eighty-seven percent of the sample had at least one foot problem. Women had a significantly higher foot problem score than did men. The foot problem score was significantly associated with performance on the coordinated stability test, stair ascent and descent, alternate stepping test, and timed 6-meter walk. Multiple regression analyses revealed that the foot problem score was a significant independent predictor of performance in the coordinated stability test, stair ascent and descent, and the alternate stepping test. Subjects with a history of multiple falls had a significantly higher foot problem score than did those who had not fallen or who had fallen once only, but the prevalence of individual foot conditions or the presence of foot pain did not differ between these groups. CONCLUSIONS: Foot problems are common in older people and are associated with impaired balance and performance in functional tests. Furthermore, older people with a history of multiple falls have greater foot impairment than non- or once-only fallers. These findings provide further evidence that foot problems are a falls risk factor and suggest that the cumulative effect of multiple foot problems is more important in increasing falls risk than the presence or absence of individual foot conditions.

Accidental Falls↗
PubMed1997

Oxygenator anatomy and function.

The natural lung is the organ responsible for oxygen and carbon dioxide exchange between the blood and the outside environment. This function is accomplished by the large surface area and high permeability of the gas exchange interface, the alveolar-capillary membrane. These same features are fundamental to the design of an artificial lung, or oxygenator. Additional lung-like features essential to the design of an ideal oxygenator include the ability to achieve balanced oxygen and carbon dioxide exchange with minimal blood damage and blood activation. The purpose of this review is to present the past and current developments of the oxygenator designs in terms of the structural and functional features of the natural lung as well as the limitations in the ability to mimic the features of the lung because of the lack of appropriate technology.

Capillaries↗