P eripheral muscle weakness is a common and serious complication of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), which precedes loss of fat-free mass and is an independent predictor of mortality in patients with Global Initiative for COPD grade III or IV disease [1]. Current treatment options for muscle weakness are limited to exercise and supplemental feeding for cachectic patients. However, ...

Physical examination of patients with shoulder injury not involving full-thickness rotator cuff tears frequently demonstrates decreased abduction strength to manual muscle or dynamometer testing. It is assumed that the supraspina-tus muscle is most frequently involved in this weakness, and tests that evaluate supraspinatus strength are commonly used as measures of abduction strength. Strengthen...

Spasticity, contracture and muscle weakness are commonly seen in children with cerebral palsy. Although it is commonly accepted that spasticity is characterized with velocitydependent increase in muscle tone, it is not clear whether the commonly measured “catch” is dependent on the movement velocity. Furthermore, convenient and quantitative device/measurement in clinical setting for evaluating ...

Muscle relaxants are routinely administered during anesthesia. The residual effects of nondepolarizing muscle relaxants must be reversed by the anesthesia provider prior to extubation of the trachea to ensure that patients can safely protect their own airways and maintain adequate ventilation. Many factors can potentiate the effects of muscle relaxants, and each of these factors must be taken i...

We report a patient with muscle weakness secondary to elevated serum sodium level. The cause of the elevated sodium level and the mechanism involved in producing muscle weakness are discussed.