NT 201 led to statistically significant improvements in muscle tone and disability and was well tolerated in patients with poststroke upper limb spasticity.

Treatment with NT 201 showed sustained improvements in muscle tone and functionality (median dose 400 units) over a study duration of up to 89 weeks, and was well tolerated during repeated treatments for post-stroke upper limb spasticity.

The growing number of older adults places insurmountable load on family members and professional caregivers. Assistive technology with the aid of robots can present a possible solution. The goal of this article was to test a companion robot supporting older adults in their home environments. Eight senior volunteers were involved in the field test. They all lived alone and were self-supporting. The robot was capable of providing cognitive assistance to manage the user's daily routine. Each participant used the robot for 94.9 ± 19.6 days. The primary communication modality was voice communication in their natural language, while the touch screen display was also available for interaction with the robot. The assistance given in daily living was evaluated by subjective (the user's opinion) and objective (logged data) criteria. The most useful and the least reliable robot functions according to the users were the navigation and the verbal communication. Entertainment, locomotion, and weather forecast were the most frequently used functions, while the shopping list was the least popular. The companion robot used in the test was accepted enthusiastically by the senior subjects. Specific robot functions (mainly navigation in the apartment and the speech recognition) require improvement to better accommodate real circumstances.

The aim of the study was to assess caries prevalence in connection with salivary caries–related findings in 349 14– to 16–year–old Hungarian adolescents living in two different cities. DMFT, DMFS means, stimulated salivary flow, buffer capacity, mutans streptococci, lactobacilli and candida counts in saliva were determined. The ratio of caries–free adolescents was 4.6% in the total population sample, DMFT mean values were 7.24±4.86, DMFS means 10.50±8.35. Mean secretion rate of stimulated saliva was 0.84±0.50; a low buffer capacity was found in 6.3% of the examined children. The ratio of carriers of mutans streptococci, lactobacilli and yeasts in saliva was 89.7, 73.9 and 47.7%, respectively. DMFT and DMFS values as well as mutans streptococci and candida counts were lower in the capital than in the other city. Statistically significant correlations were found between DMFT, DMFS mean values, and salivary microbiological counts.

We review rehabilitation of patients after hip disarticulation operated on over the past 5 years. Sixty-two patients underwent 63 hip disarticulations: 24 had malignancies, 23 arteriosclerosis, 11 Buerger's disease, 3 diabetes and 1 uncontrollable infections. The mean age of tumour patients was 39 years (range 6-69 years), that of the vascular patients was 55 years (range 33-78 years). The postoperative mortality rate of the vascular patients was 16/37, and 0/24 of those with malignancies. There was one bilaterally operated patient with bilateral purulent coxitis from decubitus ulcers, who died on the 32nd post-operative day. Complicated wound healing was observed in 5 of the 24 tumour patients, and in 24 of the 37 vascular patients. The strategy of prostheses fitting has a two-stage concept: temporary prostheses in the 1st or 2nd month, permanent prostheses in the 6th month. All 24 tumour patients were fitted and could walk, while only 2 of 37 vascular patients were able to walk with prostheses. In our experience the outcome is significantly dependent upon the primary illness: in vascular cases it is poor, while in malignancies it is fairly good.