This is because the APLS formula is already familiar to medical s

This is because the APLS formula is already familiar to medical staff in Trinidad and Tobago, and the ease of recalling a familiar formula would make it a more practical choice. This is also in light of the fact that adopting the new formula would not selleck products produce a significant improvement in weight estimation. The study has several limitations. Firstly, ethnicity, gender and socioeconomic status were not taken into account. While there may have been some variation in weights based on these factors, it was thought unnecessary to analyse these subgroups separately, as it is unlikely that separate formulae for

each of these categories would be practical for use in the emergency situation. Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical In addition, the one study of the relationship between ethnicity and weight

in children in Trinidad did not show any significant difference [20]. Secondly, the study did not include children aged 6years or older, so it is not known whether the formula would be applicable to older children. The younger (pre-school) age group was specifically investigated in this Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical study, as these children make up the majority of patients presenting to the Paediatric Emergency Department. In addition, the authors felt that these smaller, younger patients were more likely to suffer ill effects of miscalculation of dosage of medication than the older age group. However, it is well accepted that children’s weights do not bear a linear relation to age, and it would be necessary to perform a similar study on older children (6 – 12years) to test the accuracy and precision of the various Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical weight estimation formulae on this age group. Finally, the study was restricted to the island of Trinidad. While the results of this study may be generalisable to the rest of the Caribbean region, the authors intend to do a more extensive study of weight estimation in children across the Caribbean. Conclusion Estimating children’s weight in

critical situations is important in order to maximise the effectiveness and safety of resuscitation. This study found the APLS formula to be superior MTMR9 to the Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical Luscombe and Owens formula in estimating weight when compared across all age groups from 1 – 5years. The most accurate formula was a formula derived from the children’s actual weights (Weight=[2.5 × age]+8). The APLS formula, however, is easily calculable, familiar and already widely used in Trinidad and Tobago. In spite of the limitations of the study, it would seem that the APLS formula should continue to be used in the 1–5year age group in Trinidad. A further study is required to determine whether these findings are reproduced in older children in Trinidad. In addition, more work is required to validate these weight formulae in other Caribbean islands which have more ethnically homogenous and less affluent populations. Competing interests The authors have no competing interests to declare.

Other GABAergic 3α,5α- and 3α,5β-reduced neuroactive steroids, de

Other GABAergic 3α,5α- and 3α,5β-reduced neuroactive steroids, derived from DOC, dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), and testosterone, are known GABAergic modulators100-102 that may be elevated by HPA axis activation in humans. Unfortunately,

simple inexpensive analytic methods to measure these steroids are not available. The ability of finasteride to block the subjective effects of ethanol in humans may be due to its ability to prevent the formation of any or all of these neuroactive steroids. Indeed, the combined effects of all steroids regulated by acute or chronic ethanol exposure may contribute to its actions in all species. Effects of ethanol on neuroactive steroid precursors in nonhuman primates and humans We have #Fulvestrant research buy keyword# recently shown that acute ethanol challenges in cynomolgus monkeys do not change plasma pregnenolone and DOC levels. Two doses of ethanol, 1.0 and 1.5 g/kg, were tested via intragastric administration, and neither was able to increase Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical neuroactive steroid precursors or circulating Cortisol levels despite an average blood ethanol

level of 147 mg/dL.103,104 In contrast, acute ethanol administration increases pregnenolone, progesterone, DOC, and their neuroactive metabolites in rat brain and plasma,4,31,79,105 and this increase is also prevented by adrenalectomy/orchiectomy, consistent with ethanol activation of the HPA axis.31,105 These results suggest that higher doses of ethanol might be necessary Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical to stimulate the HPA axis and thus increase pregnenolone and DOC levels in nonhuman primates. Indeed, Williams and collaborators106 have shown that intravenous administration Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical of ethanol up to 1.9 g/kg failed

to increase plasma ACTH levels in rhesus monkeys. Other studies using 2.0 g/kg ethanol have reported increased Cortisol levels in monkeys under conditions where monkeys were restrained on a flat surface while receiving ethanol, which may contribute Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical to HPA axis activation.107 The possibility that pregnenolone, DOC, and their neuroactive metabolites might be differentially regulated in nonhuman primates compared with rodents cannot be ruled out; future studies will be necessary to further address this question. The effects of ethanol on neuroactive steroid precursors in humans nearly are inconsistent to date. Laboratory administration of moderate doses of ethanol (0.7 to 0.8 g/kg) has recently been reported to increase pregnenolone and DHEA levels and to decrease progesterone levels in healthy human subjects.27 In contrast, Holdstock et al26 reported that ethanol administration to healthy volunteers increased progesterone levels in women during the luteal phase, but had no effect during the follicular phase or in men. Low alcohol consumption in premenopausal women was associated with increased estradiol, androstenedione, and testosterone levels throughout the menstrual cycle, while progesterone levels were increased only in the luteal phase.

This is a potentially dangerous situation for a cell as it may le

This is a potentially dangerous situation for a cell as it may lead to loss of function of membrane receptor proteins or secreted hormones. Equally, ABT263 considerable energy may be spent attempting to refold the proteins, resulting in depletion of reserves and excessive generation of ROS. In order to guard against these

eventualities, cells have evolved the UPR [19] and [20]. This aims to restore homeostasis within the ER lumen by; (i) reducing the burden on the folding machinery through limiting the number of new polypeptide chains entering the ER lumen, (ii) increasing the capacity of the machinery by synthesising more ER, (iii) generating more chaperone proteins, and (iv) removing accumulated misfolded proteins through stimulation of the ER-associated proteosomal degradation pathway (ERAD). If homeostasis cannot be re-established then the apoptotic cascade is activated so that the cell is removed in a co-ordinated manner. The UPR comprises three conserved signalling cascades. The sensors are ER transmembrane proteins, each of which has a luminal domain projecting into the lumen and a cytoplasmic

domain SRT1720 cell line that transmits the signal downstream. Under normal conditions the sensors are held in an inactive state by the binding of GRP78, and activation occurs when this is titrated away by competitive binding to accumulated proteins within the lumen. PERK (double-stranded RNA-dependent protein kinase (PKR)-like ER kinase), is a Ser/Thr protein kinase. Upon release from GRP78 it dimerises and undergoes autophosphorylation, activating the kinase domain. The principal target of p-PERK is eukaryotic translation-initiation factor 2α (eIF2α), a sub-unit of the eIF2 complex that mediates binding of tRNAs to the ribosomal sub-unit.

Phosphorylation of eIF2α inhibits its activity, therefore rapidly blocking further entry of nascent proteins into the ER lumen and reducing the protein load within the lumen. Paradoxically, although there is most a global reduction in protein synthesis, the translation of selected mRNAs is favoured under these conditions. mRNAs containing either small upstream open reading frames or internal ribosome entry sites are able to by-pass this block, and so an increase in their encoded proteins is observed. A key Modulators example is activating transcription factor-4, ATF4, which translocates to the nucleus and activates GADD34 (growth-arrest DNA damage gene 34) and CHOP, amongst others. GADD34 provides a negative feedback on protein synthesis inhibition by dephosphorylating p-eIF2α, allowing translation to resume if ER homeostasis has been restored. ATF6 (activating transcription factor 6) translocates to the Golgi following release from GRP78, where it is cleaved into an active form that migrates to the nucleus and regulates transcription of GRP78, CHOP and Xbp1.

For example, touching water faucets in a public restroom might tr

For example, touching water faucets in a public restroom might trigger germ obsessions. Cues were presented in a hierarchical manner, beginning with the moderately distress-provoking ones and progressing to more distressing cues. Imaginal exposure involves asking the patient to imagine in detail the distressing thoughts or situations. It is used primarily to help patients

confront the disastrous consequences that they fear will happen if they do not perform the rituals. For example, imaginal exposure may involve the patient imagining contracting a sexually transmitted disease because they did not wash their hands sufficiently Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical after using a public bathroom and consequently being shunned by friends and family. Obviously these feared consequences cannot and should not be created in reality. Ritual prevention involves instructing the Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical patient to abstain from the ritualizing that they believe prevents the feared Dabrafenib mw disaster or reduces the distress produced by the obsession (eg, washing hands after touching the floor and fearing contracting a disease). By practicing ritual prevention the patient learns that the anxiety and distress decrease without ritualizing and

that the feared consequences do not happen. Processing involves discussing the patient’s experience during or after exposure and response prevention, and how this experience confirms or disconfirms the patient’s expectation (eg, you touched Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical the floor and you did not wash your Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical hands for about 1 hour; is your level of distress as high as in the beginning of the exposure? How strong are your urges to wash? Are they as strong as you expected? If not, what have you learned from this experience?) The efficacy of EX/RP The successful outcome described by Meyer and his colleagues,19 prompted clinical researchers to conduct controlled studies, which indeed lent support to Meyer’s case reports. In 1971, Rachman

et al20 conducted a controlled treatment study of 10 inpatients with chronic OCD. All patients received 15 sessions of relaxation control treatment prior to EX/RP. The patients were then assigned randomly to intensive treatment of 15 daily sessions of either modeling in vivo or flooding in vivo. Results Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical indicated significantly more improvement in OCD symptoms in EX/RP compared with the relaxation treatment, and the patients maintained their gains at 3 months’ follow-up. At a 2-year follow-up below with the 10 original and 10 additional patients, three quarters of the 20 patients were much improved.21 Influenced by the research of Rachman, Marks, and Hodgson, Foa and Goldstein22 studied a series of OCD patients, using a quasi-experimental design. Patients’ OCD symptom severity was assessed before and after 2 weeks, in which the therapists collected information about their OCD, history, and type of symptoms, but no treatment was conducted. Patients were then treated with EX/RP and their symptom severity was assessed again. This treatment differed in several ways from previous studies.

83) constituted the positive affect scale The negative affect sc

83) constituted the positive affect scale. The negative affect scale consisted of mean scores

on the items ‘I feel insecure’, ‘[I feel lonely’, ‘I feel anxious’, ‘I feel down’, ‘I have difficulty concentrating’, ‘I feel angry’, and ‘I feel guilty’ (Cronbach’s alpha=0.85). Psychotic symptoms Symptomatology #Bortezomib ic50 keyword# was assessed with eight psychosis items, rated on seven-point Likert scales [rating from not at all (=1) to very (=7)]; ‘I feel suspicious’, ‘My thoughts are influenced by others’, ‘My thoughts can’t be expressed in words’, ‘I can’t get these thoughts out of my head’, ‘I feel unreal’, ‘I hear voices’, ‘I see things that aren’t really there’, ‘I’m afraid I’ll lose control’ (Cronbach’s alpha=0.81). Symptom severity was additionally assessed with the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) [Ventura et al. 1993]. Analyses For each ESM report, the time at which patients Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical indicated they completed the report was compared with the actual time of the beep. All reports completed more than 15min

after the signal were excluded from the analyses. Previous work has shown that reports completed after this interval Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical are less reliable and consequently less valid [Delespaul, 1995]. For the same reason, patients with fewer than 20 valid reports at either T 0 or T 1 were also excluded Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical from the analyses. T 0 data from patients who dropped out of the study at T 1 were not included in the analyses. All analyses, therefore, were performed on the sample that had completed both T 0 and T 1 assessments. Multilevel linear regression analyses, using the XTREG procedure in STATA Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical (Stata/Mp 10.0 for Windows © 1985–2007 StataCorp. LP), were conducted with aripiprazole treatment as an independent dichotomous variable (0=T 0 – premedication switch to aripiprazole; 1=T 1 – postmedication switch to aripiprazole), and negative affect, positive affect, and psychosis as dependent variables in three separate models, with sex and any change of concomitant medication

(entered as dummies of the respective medications) added as covariates. Results Subjects Sociodemographic characteristics of the sample, and details on antipsychotic and concomitant much medication use, are summarized in Tables 1 and ​and22 respectively. Table 1. Sociodemographic characteristics of the sample at T 0 (‘baseline’). Table 2. Antipsychotic and concomitant medication use throughout the study (see text for details). After 5 weeks of aripiprazole treatment, 6 of the initial 13 patients again completed a 6-day ESM assessment (T 1) while continuing aripiprazole therapy. At T 0 these six patients had received olanzapine (n=3), pimozide (n=1), haloperidol (n=1) or quetiapine (n=1) treatment.

[17]) with 50% case-fatality, ∼65 deaths would occur by chance al

[17]) with 50% case-fatality, ∼65 deaths would occur by chance alone within a week of vaccination. Applying valid estimates of intussusception case-fatality Navitoclax datasheet from Africa will be useful for future benefit risk deliberations with regard to rotavirus vaccines. In summary, the recently published data on efficacy and impact of rotavirus vaccines from resource poor settings coupled with the high mortality of rotavirus disease in these settings provides stark

evidence of the need for rotavirus vaccines to improve child health in Africa. Emerging data from early introducer countries have also identified the possibility of a low level intussusception risk in some settings highlighting the need for scientifically sound safety monitoring data to better understand the benefit risk

ratio of rotavirus vaccination in developing countries. Thus, as these countries begin planning preparations for vaccine GSK126 introduction, the WHO recommended that countries consider establishing disease surveillance systems to monitor the safety and effectiveness of these vaccines for measuring the full impact of rotavirus vaccines. However, the quality of post-marketing vaccine safety surveillance systems in African countries appears inadequate for detecting very rare adverse events such as intussusception. In addition, there is insufficient baseline data on the epidemiology and management of intussusception in Africa which is crucially needed for implementing surveillance systems. The lessons learned from this

Intussusception workshop address several of these gaps relevant for establishing intussusception surveillance. Attention should be directed towards larger “sentinel” paediatric hospitals with surgical inhibitors services when implementing found surveillance systems for intussusception in Africa. Addressing confounding effects of age will be crucial for reliably determining whether a causal link exists between events identified through surveillance and rotavirus vaccine. And lastly, to make reliable interpretations of causality between rotavirus vaccine and intussusception, cases of intussusception presenting to the sentinel sites must be identified independent of the child’s vaccination status. If these conditions can be met and active sentinel surveillance for intussusception is established, the prospects are good for generating robust postlicensure safety monitoring data for rotavirus vaccines in Africa, thus allowing these countries to confidently undertake the WHO recommendations while ensuring the safety of rotavirus vaccines.

Carbon tetrachloride (CCl4), riboflavin, deoxyribose, carrageenan

Carbon tetrachloride (CCl4), riboflavin, deoxyribose, carrageenan and silymarin were purchased from Sigma Chemicals, USA. Serum glutamate pyruvate transaminase (SGPT), Serum Glutamate Oxaloacetate Transaminase (SGOT), Serum Alkaline Phosphatase (ALP) and Serum Total Bilirubin (T. Bil) assay kits were purchased from Span diagnostics Ltd, Gujarat, India. All other chemicals used were of analytical Hydroxychloroquine mouse grade. Adult albino Wistar rats (National Institute of Nutrition, Hyderabad, India) of either sex weighing 150–200 g were used in the studies.

The animals were maintained under standard laboratory conditions at an ambient temperature of 23 ± 2 °C having 50 ± 5% relative humidity with 12 h light and dark cycle. The use and care of the animals in the experimental protocol has been approved by the local Institutional Animal Ethics Committee (Regd. No. 516/01/A/CPCSEA) following the guidelines of the Committee for the Purpose of Control and Supervision of Experiments on Animals (CPCSEA), Government of India.

The acute toxicity study was conducted for hydroalcoholic, methanolic, ethyl acetate and hexane extracts of Alectinib G. gynandra as per OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) guidelines 420 (OECD.2001). Total phenolic content was determined using the Folin–Ciocalteu reagent7 using standard gallic acid calibration curve, measure the concentration of phenolic content in gallic acid total equivalents using unit’s mg/gm (GAE).8 The Fazel Shamsa et al, 2008 method using atropine calibration curve, measure the concentration of alkaloid content in atropine equivalents using unit’s mg/g.9 Superoxide scavenging activity10 of the plant extracts was determined by McCord & Fridovich method, which depends on light induced superoxide generation by riboflavin and the corresponding reduction of nitroblue tetrazolium.11 Hydroxyl radical scavenging activity was measured by

studying the inhibitors competition between deoxyribose and the extracts for hydroxyl radicals generated from the Fe2+/EDTA/H2O2 system (Fenton reaction). The hydroxyl radical attacks deoxyribose, which Astemizole eventually results in the formation of thiobarbituric acid reacting substances (TBARS).12 The scavenging activity for DPPH free radicals was measured according to the procedure described by Braca et al, 2003.13 and 14 In the present work hepatoprotective activity of different extracts of G. gynandra were tested against carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) induced hepatotoxicity by measuring biochemical enzymes (SGOT, SGPT, ALP and T. BIL). An increase in the enzymes levels of these biochemical parameters is a sensitive index of hepatic damage. The standard and test group animals were treated with 50 mg/kg dose of silymarin and 100, 200, 400 mg/kg doses of different extracts of G. gynandra for 6 days. On 6th day, 1 h after treatment with standard drug and selected plant extracts, the animals were intoxicated with CCl4 in liquid paraffin (1:1 v/v, 0.75 ml of CCl4/kg, i.p.).

Children must also meet at least one re-experiencing criteria, th

Children must also meet at least one re-experiencing criteria, three avoidant/numbing criteria, and two hyperarousal criteria, listed in Table I. Children must meet minimal duration criteria of at least 1 month, and they must show functional impairment

in an important area (school, peers, family, etc). Table I. DSM-IV-TR PTSD diagnostic criteria.6 Challenge Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical 1: specificity of pediatric PTSD diagnostic criteria Some overlap exists between diagnostic criteria for PTSD and other childhood internalizing disorders. Four PTSD diagnostic criteria (decreased interest in activities, sleep disturbance, restricted range of affect, Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical and decreased concentration) overlap with those for major depressive disorder (MDD). Three INCB018424 solubility dmso symptoms of PTSD (decreased concentration, irritability, and sleep disturbance)

also overlap with symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). Despite this overlap, there are pathognomonic symptoms of PTSD that make it distinct. No diagnoses other than acute stress disorder (ASD) include trauma-specific items such as criteria B 1-5 (specific to traumatic reexperiencing symptoms) or C 1-3 (specific to traumatic avoidance and numbing). Thus, 8 out of Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical 17, or nearly half of the PTSD diagnostic criteria,

are unique to PTSD or partly shared by ASD. It is literally impossible to be diagnosed with PTSD without trauma-specific criterion B symptoms. In this regard, a study conducted by Keane et al7 demonstrated that clinicians could readily distinguish PTSD from MDD or GAD despite Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical several overlapping criteria, due to the presence of a number of discriminating items and dimensions that differentiate these respective disorders. Nevertheless, in a debate that so far has been largely confined to the adult literature, the specificity of PTSD has been challenged Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical because of concerns that persons who do not really have the disorder may be diagnosed (too many false-positives). For example, in one study of patients enrolling in treatment studies for depression, Dipeptidyl peptidase the group with true trauma events and the group with “minor traumas” both had nearly 80% rates of PTSD from structured interviews.8 That is, the “minor trauma” subjects endorsed enough criteria B, C, and D symptoms from their events to qualify for the diagnosis. However, the authors paid only glancing attention to the issue that this was a highly selective help-seeking depressed sample, suggesting that they had greater vulnerability to react to minor trauma and develop symptoms.

Introduction The antipsychotic drugs are a widely used pharmacoth

Introduction The antipsychotic drugs are a widely used pharmacotherapy, estimated in year 2000 as prescribed to 1.2% of the adult non-institutionalized European population [Alonso et al. 2004], a figure that is very likely to have increased in the past decade. While the largest proportion of these prescriptions is likely to have been for schizophrenia and related disorders, some may be used in treating, often with little in the way Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical of an evidence base, a variety of behavioural Autophagy inhibitor ic50 problems in childhood and in the elderly. Antipsychotics have also been made available in the past

decade to people with bipolar disorder, and are now a first-line treatment for mania. The most recent meta-analysis concluded that antipsychotic medication is, overall, significantly more effective than mood stabilizers in the treatment of acute mania [Cipriani et al. 2011]. This important study, employing a multiple-treatments Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical meta-analysis, showed haloperidol to be significantly more effective than most other drugs including

lithium and the atypical Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical antipsychotics, other than risperidone and olanzapine. Furthermore, all antipsychotics had higher acceptability than lithium and several other mood stabilizers. The aim of this article is to review the clinical pharmacology of the antipsychotic drugs, relating receptor actions to their therapeutic and adverse effects. While the major emphasis will be on the consequences Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical of the use of the newer atypical antipsychotics in the treatment of bipolar disorder, there will be a particular focus on the most recently available of these, asenapine. As a pharmacological review, this article does not make recommendations regarding the value of prescribing particular drugs in any clinical situation, for which the reader is referred to evidence-based guidelines such as those published by the Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical BAP [Goodwin

and Consensus Group of the British Association for Psychopharmacology, 2009]. Comparative receptor pharmacology of asenapine Asenapine is the latest addition to during the antipsychotic drugs available for the treatment of mania in bipolar disorder in Europe and which include aripiprazole, olanzapine, quetiapine, risperidone and, in some countries, ziprasidone. Hereinafter this group of drugs will be referred to as the atypicals, although there are other drugs not specifically licensed for the treatment of bipolar disorder, notably clozapine and amisulpride, which are considered atypical antipsychotics. Clozapine, licensed solely for treatment-resistant schizophrenia, will occasionally be referred to in this review as it is sometimes considered the archetypal atypical and has some pharmacology in common with asenapine. Originally developed by Organon (as Org5222), asenapine is described as a tetracyclic antipsychotic, reflecting its core molecular structure.

22,27 The preservation of BMD in lumber spine is more than that i

22,27 The preservation of BMD in lumber spine is more than that in long bones.20 It may be due to the maintain of the loads on the spine while sitting in a wheelchair. There is only one study, which specifically mentioned that walking with orthosis brought a lot of physiological benefits for the check details subjects without presenting any evidence.8    Unfortunately many Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical textbooks in this field refer to that paper without considering the results of other research studies.57-59 The other important parameters regarding the influence of standing and walking on BMD is the duration of using an orthosis. It was shown that walking and standing with an orthosis must be life-long, and must

be repeated several times a week to have any effects on bone osteoporosis (at least five session a week and one hour every cession). The use of mechanical orthoses and the neurological status (muscles stress), to remain ambulatory are two important parameters which influence BMD. However the findings of various research

Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical studies have shown that the effect of the latter is more important (table 1 and ​and22).28 Table 2 The findings of various studies regarding the effects of standing and walking on skin integrity It seems that the Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical type of injury, wether or not complete, influences the BMD. The patients with incomplete lesion have more BMD than those with a complete one.24,25 Therefore, every effort should be made to prevent turning an incomplete SCI into a complete one (table 3). Last but not least important point regarding the effects of using orthosis on the BMD of SCI patients is that some of the research studies, which their outcome differs Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical from SCI, have been carried out on patients with spina bifida and myelomeningocele patients.8,31 Table 3 The findings of various studies regarding the effects of standing and walking on improving bowel and bladder function and urinary tract infection The results of various studies regarding the effects of using orthosis on spasticity are shown Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical in table 4. As the table shows, the majority of researches cited are survey-based.

The investigators had sent questionnaires to individuals with SCI. Unfortunately, most of the subjects did not return the questionnaires. According to the findings of different investigations undertaken on SCI subjects, there was a favourable response to the use of orthosis on spasticity.26,33 There are a number of ways, which can be used Resveratrol to measure spasticity clinically and biomechanically such as using Ashworth scale, counting beats of clonus, Tardieu scale, muscle stretch reflexes, and functional tests.60 Table 4 The findings of various studies regarding the effects of standing and walking on improving joint range of motion and decreasing muscle spasticity It seems that standing and walking with an orthosis extends the hip and knee joints, and stretches the surrounding muscles. So, applying body weight through leg reduces muscle spasm more efficiency than stretching the muscles only in a supine position.