SUMMARY1. Cutaneous reflex responses have been recorded in human first dorsal interosseous and extensor digitorum brevis muscles following electrical stimulation of the digital nerves of the index finger and second toe respectively.2. Recordings have been made in normal subjects and in patients with central nervous lesions.3. Cutaneous reflex responses in first dorsal interosseous were triphasic, consisting of initial short latency excitation, followed by inhibition, followed by prominent long latency excitation. Cutaneous reflex responses in extensor digitorum brevis were biphasic, consisting of short and long latency periods of excitation.4. Estimated central delay for the initial excitatory components of the cutaneous reflex in first dorsal interosseous and extensor digitorum brevis muscles ranged from 2-4 to 6-2 ms (mean 4-6 ms) and 0-6 to 4-1 ms (mean 2-3 ms) respectively.5. Differences in latency between short and long latency excitatory components of the cutaneous reflexes recorded in first dorsal interosseous and extensor digitorum brevis muscles ranged from 16 to 18 ms (mean 17-3 ms) and 27 to 32 ms (mean 29-3 ms) respectively.6. Differences in time delay between short and long latency excitation in first dorsal interosseous and extensor digitorum brevis muscles when compared in individual subjects ranged from 9 to 14 ms (mean 12 ms). These values lay within 0-7 ms (mean 4 ms) of estimates in each subject of conduction time along central pathways between T12 and C7 spinal segments.7. Differences in latency between short and long latency excitatory components of the cutaneous reflex recorded in first dorsal interosseous were 35-8-5 ms longer than the estimated minimum time for impulse conduction along a pathway travelling through the dorsal columns to cerebral cortex and returning by way of the corticospinal tract.8. The long latency excitatory component of the cutaneous reflex in first dorsal interosseous muscle is reduced and often delayed in patients with dorsal column lesions.9. The long latency excitatory and short latency inhibitory components of the cutaneous reflex in first dorsal interosseous muscle are absent in patients with damage to motor cortex.

The pattern of hip muscle activation changed towards normal during recovery from stroke in most patients. Use of compensatory strategies early after stroke in these subjects did not prevent return of normal patterns of muscle activation later.

In this study LIUS was no more effective for a large treatment effect than placebo for recalcitrant LE. This is in keeping with other interventional studies for the condition.

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The aim of this study was to evaluate the use of an in vitro skin diffusion cell system as a model for assessing decontaminants against the chemical warfare agent sulphur mustard (SM). The in vitro absorption rates of SM through heat-separated human (157 +/- 66 microg cm(-2) h(-1)) and pig-ear (411 +/- 175 microg cm(-2) h(-1)) epidermal membranes were in agreement with previous in vivo studies that quoted skin absorption rates of 150 and 366 microg cm(-2) h(-1), respectively. Decontaminants (fuller's earth, Ambergard and BDH spillage granules) were ranked in order of effectiveness by measuring the skin absorption rates and the percentage of applied dose of SM that penetrated human and pig-ear epidermal membranes. The effectiveness of fuller's earth measured in this in vitro study using human epidermal membranes was in agreement with a previous in vivo human volunteer study. Similarly, the effectiveness of fuller's earth and Ambergard measured in vitro with pig-ear epidermal membranes was in agreement with a previous in vivo study conducted on rats. However, there was complete disparity in the ranking of decontaminants between human and pig-ear epidermal membranes measured in vitro. Thus, although pig-ear skin may be a relatively good model for predicting the human skin absorption of SM, it is a poor model for testing decontamination systems. The results of this study further validate the use of Franz-type glass diffusion cells containing human epidermal membranes as a model for predicting in vivo human skin absorption.