\n\nObjectives: To assess muscle strength, aerobic capacity, and walking performance compared with normative values in chronic hemiparetic stroke patients and, thereby, to investigate the potential for endurance and resistance training. Second, to study the relations between muscle strength, aerobic capacity, and walking performance using normalized test values.\n\nDesign: Population-based, cross-sectional study.\n\nSetting: University hospital, outpatient clinic.\n\nParticipants: Patients (N=48) aged 50 to 80 years with reduced muscle strength and walking capacity due to an ischemic stroke 6 to 36 months prior

Fer-1 molecular weight to recruitment.\n\nInterventions: None.\n\nMain Outcome Measures: Peak oxygen consumption (Vo(2)peak) and isometric NCT-501 research buy knee extensor muscle strength at the paretic knee were expressed as absolute and normalized values using normative data. The six-minute walk test (6MWT) and the habitual ten-meter walk test (10MWT) were secondary parameters.\n\nResults: Peak Vo(2) was 77% (95% confidence interval [CI], 71-84) of the expected value,

and the strength of the paretic knee was 71% (95% CI, 64-78), whereas walking speed (10MWT) was 59% (95% CI, 52-66) and walking distance (6MWT) was 59% (95% CI, 52-67). The normalized Vo(2)peak correlated to the normalized 6MWT (r=.58; P<.001) and normalized 10MWT (r=.53; P<.001). Normalized strength of the paretic knee correlated to normalized 6MWT (r=.40; P<.01) and normalized 10MWT (r=.31; P<.05).\n\nConclusions:

Lower extremity muscle strength and aerobic capacity are related to walking performance, which suggests a potential for endurance and resistance training in rehabilitation of walking performance in chronic hemiparesis after stroke. Correction for the influence of age, weight, and height providing normalized values improves the interpretation of severity of impairments and enables comparisons between patients.”
“Recordings from recent earthquakes have provided evidence that ground motions in the near field of a rupturing fault differ from ordinary ground motions, as they can contain a large energy, or “directivity” pulse. This pulse can cause considerable damage during an earthquake, especially to structures Fludarabine chemical structure with natural periods close to those of the pulse. Failures of modern engineered structures observed within the near-fault region in recent earthquakes have revealed the vulnerability of existing RC buildings against pulse-type ground motions. This may be due to the fact that these modern structures had been designed primarily using the design spectra of available standards, which have been developed using stochastic processes with relatively long duration that characterizes more distant ground motions. Many recently designed and constructed buildings may therefore require strengthening in order to perform well when subjected to near-fault ground motions.