Thyroid Function Tests and the Serum Levels of Prolactin in Women With Suicide Attempt

Background: Suicide is a major public health concern across the world. Based on related studies, thyroid dysfunction is associated with psychiatric disorders. This study aimed to determine the relationship between thyroid function tests and serum prolactin in women with suicide attempt.Methods: A total of 261 women with the suicide attempt were included in this descriptive-analytical study which took over one year (July 2015- July 2016). In addition, the patients’ serum Thyroid-Stimulating Hormone (TSH), free T4, and prolactin were measured, too.Results: Of 261 patients, 44(16.9%) had subclinical hypothyroidism, 3(1.1%) clinical hypothyroidism, and 1(0.4%) hyperthyroidism. The median value of serum prolactin in the patients with decreased thyroid function was higher. There were not significant relationship between suicide attempts and thyroid dysfunction or serum level of prolactin.Conclusion: Although there was no significant relationship between thyroid test, serum level of prolactin and suicide attempts, the prevalence of thyroid dysfunction and high serum levels of prolactin were clinically significant in women who attempted suicide. Thus, the measurement of serum TSH, free T4 and serum levels of prolactin could be considered for these patients

Learning new movements after paralysis: Results from a home-based study

open8siBody-machine interfaces (BMIs) decode upper-body motion for operating devices, such as computers and wheelchairs. We developed a low-cost portable BMI for survivors of cervical spinal cord injury and investigated it as a means to support personalized assistance and therapy within the home environment. Depending on the specific impairment of each participant, we modified the interface gains to restore a higher level of upper body mobility. The use of the BMI over one month led to increased range of motion and force at the shoulders in chronic survivors. Concurrently, subjects learned to reorganize their body motions as they practiced the control of a computer cursor to perform different tasks and games. The BMI allowed subjects to generate any movement of the cursor with different motions of their body. Through practice subjects demonstrated a tendency to increase the similarity between the body motions used to control the cursor in distinct tasks. Nevertheless, by the end of learning, some significant and persistent differences appeared to persist. This suggests the ability of the central nervous system to concurrently learn operating the BMI while exploiting the possibility to adapt the available mobility to the specific spatio-temporal requirements of each task.openPierella, Camilla; Abdollahi, Farnaz; Thorp, Elias; Farshchiansadegh, Ali; Pedersen, Jessica; Seanez-Gonzalez, Ismael; Mussa-Ivaldi, Ferdinando A.; Casadio, MauraPierella, Camilla; Abdollahi, Farnaz; Thorp, Elias; Farshchiansadegh, Ali; Pedersen, Jessica; Seanez-Gonzalez, Ismael; Mussa-Ivaldi, Ferdinando A.; Casadio, Maur

Body-Machine Interface Enables People with Cervical Spinal Cord Injury to Control Devices with Available Body Movements: Proof of Concept

This study tested the use of a customized body-machine interface (BoMI) for enhancing functional capabilities in persons with cervical spinal cord injury (cSCI). The interface allows people with cSCI to operate external devices by reorganizing their residual movements. This was a proof-of-concept phase 0 interventional nonrandomized clinical trial. Eight cSCI participants wore a custom-made garment with motion sensors placed on the shoulders. Signals derived from the sensors controlled a computer cursor. A standard algorithm extracted the combinations of sensor signals that best captured each participant's capacity for controlling a computer cursor. Participants practiced with the BoMI for 24 sessions over 12 weeks performing 3 tasks: reaching, typing, and game playing. Learning and performance were evaluated by the evolution of movement time, errors, smoothness, and performance metrics specific to each task. Through practice, participants were able to reduce the movement time and the distance from the target at the 1-second mark in the reaching task. They also made straighter and smoother movements while reaching to different targets. All participants became faster in the typing task and more skilled in game playing, as the pong hit rate increased significantly with practice. The results provide proof-of-concept for the customized BoMI as a means for people with absent or severely impaired hand movements to control assistive devices that otherwise would be manually operated

Global, regional, and national prevalence of depression among cancer patients:A systematic review and meta-analysis

This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to provide a summary of the existing evidence on the prevalence of depression among cancer patients worldwide to assist health policymakers in adopting appropriate measures to prevent and control depression in these patients. EMBASE, Google Scholar, Scopus, PubMed, and Web of Science databases were searched for original studies published in English from January 2000 to July 2019. The studies were screened on the basis of quality and relevance criteria. The statistical analyses were conducted in the R software. Out of 182,521 cancer patients examined in 183 studies, 49,280 (~27%) had depression (95% confidence interval [CI] = 24%-30%). The highest prevalence of depression was among patients with colorectal cancer with 32% (95% CI = 20%-47%). Among countries, Pakistan with 43% (95% CI = 26%-64%), and among continents, Africa with 36% (95% CI = 29%-43%) had the highest prevalence of reported depression in cancer patients. Adjusting for sample size, the prevalence of depression among female cancer patients, 31% (95% CI = 26%-36%), was higher than men, 26% (95% CI = 21%-31%). The prevalence of depression among cancer patients is increasing by an average of 0.6% per year. The findings show higher prevalence of depression among cancer patients in underdeveloped and developing countries compared to the developed nations and the global average

Global prevalence of nosocomial infection: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Objectives: Hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) are significant problems as public health issues which need attention. Such infections are significant problems for society and healthcare organizations. This study aimed to carry out a systematic review and a meta-analysis to analyze the prevalence of HAIs globally.   Methods: We conducted a comprehensive search of electronic databases including EMBASE, Scopus, PubMed and Web of Science between 2000 and June 2021. We found 7031 articles. After removing the duplicates, 5430 studies were screened based on the titles/abstracts. Then, we systematically evaluated the full texts of the 1909 remaining studies and selected 400 records with 29,159,630 participants for meta-analysis. Random-effects model was used for the analysis, and heterogeneity analysis and publication bias test were conducted.   Results: The rate of universal HAIs was 0.14 percent. The rate of HAIs is increasing by 0.06 percent annually. The highest rate of HAIs was in the AFR, while the lowest prevalence were in AMR and WPR. Besides, AFR prevalence in central Africa is higher than in other parts of the world by 0.27 (95% CI, 0.22-0.34). Besides, E. coli infected patients more than other micro-organisms such as Coagulase-negative staphylococci, Staphylococcus spp. and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. In hospital wards, Transplant, and Neonatal wards and ICU had the highest rates. The prevalence of HAIs was higher in men than in women.   Conclusion: We identified several essential details about the rate of HAIs in various parts of the world. The HAIs rate and the most common micro-organism were different in various contexts. However, several essential gaps were also identified. The study findings can help hospital managers and health policy makers identify the reason for HAIs and apply effective control programs to implement different plans to reduce the HAIs rate and the financial costs of such infections and save resources

Global, regional, and national burden of disorders affecting the nervous system, 1990–2021: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021

BackgroundDisorders affecting the nervous system are diverse and include neurodevelopmental disorders, late-life neurodegeneration, and newly emergent conditions, such as cognitive impairment following COVID-19. Previous publications from the Global Burden of Disease, Injuries, and Risk Factor Study estimated the burden of 15 neurological conditions in 2015 and 2016, but these analyses did not include neurodevelopmental disorders, as defined by the International Classification of Diseases (ICD)-11, or a subset of cases of congenital, neonatal, and infectious conditions that cause neurological damage. Here, we estimate nervous system health loss caused by 37 unique conditions and their associated risk factors globally, regionally, and nationally from 1990 to 2021.MethodsWe estimated mortality, prevalence, years lived with disability (YLDs), years of life lost (YLLs), and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs), with corresponding 95% uncertainty intervals (UIs), by age and sex in 204 countries and territories, from 1990 to 2021. We included morbidity and deaths due to neurological conditions, for which health loss is directly due to damage to the CNS or peripheral nervous system. We also isolated neurological health loss from conditions for which nervous system morbidity is a consequence, but not the primary feature, including a subset of congenital conditions (ie, chromosomal anomalies and congenital birth defects), neonatal conditions (ie, jaundice, preterm birth, and sepsis), infectious diseases (ie, COVID-19, cystic echinococcosis, malaria, syphilis, and Zika virus disease), and diabetic neuropathy. By conducting a sequela-level analysis of the health outcomes for these conditions, only cases where nervous system damage occurred were included, and YLDs were recalculated to isolate the non-fatal burden directly attributable to nervous system health loss. A comorbidity correction was used to calculate total prevalence of all conditions that affect the nervous system combined.FindingsGlobally, the 37 conditions affecting the nervous system were collectively ranked as the leading group cause of DALYs in 2021 (443 million, 95% UI 378–521), affecting 3·40 billion (3·20–3·62) individuals (43·1%, 40·5–45·9 of the global population); global DALY counts attributed to these conditions increased by 18·2% (8·7–26·7) between 1990 and 2021. Age-standardised rates of deaths per 100 000 people attributed to these conditions decreased from 1990 to 2021 by 33·6% (27·6–38·8), and age-standardised rates of DALYs attributed to these conditions decreased by 27·0% (21·5–32·4). Age-standardised prevalence was almost stable, with a change of 1·5% (0·7–2·4). The ten conditions with the highest age-standardised DALYs in 2021 were stroke, neonatal encephalopathy, migraine, Alzheimer's disease and other dementias, diabetic neuropathy, meningitis, epilepsy, neurological complications due to preterm birth, autism spectrum disorder, and nervous system cancer.InterpretationAs the leading cause of overall disease burden in the world, with increasing global DALY counts, effective prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation strategies for disorders affecting the nervous system are needed

Interactive Robotic Training Modes In Self-telerehabilitation

Despite the existing evidence of possible recovery long after the onset of stroke, regaining functional use of upper extremity has been an ongoing challenge. Recent neurorehabilitation studies have pointed to technological manipulation of error signals during practice to stimulate improvement in coordination for individuals with a history of stroke. This thesis contains four studies dedicated to exploring prospects of teleoperation using advanced haptic/graphic environments for hemiparetic patients. Reviewing the existing robotic rehabilitation technology, we investigated the concept of error augmentation in addition to standard therapist-guided repetitive practice and how it translates into clinical outcomes in hemiparetic stroke survivors. Development of bimanual skills plays a major role in fostering recovery in neural injuries resulting in hemiparesis, because recovery of both the affected arm, as well as the coordination of both arms, is critical to the restoration of quality of life. In the next step, using healthy subjects, we dug deeper into the bimanual movement and its underlying mechanisms. One experiment examined the intuitiveness of different bimanual reaching modes; mirror versus parallel. In a second experiment, the concept of bimanual movement was tested in a more complicated drawing task where only the left-hand was challenged with a visual transformation, and both hands must have moved either simultaneously or sequentially. These results were then employed in the design of a bimanual self-telerehabilitation experiment tested on chronic stroke survivors. The combination of these studies highlight new prospects for training and functional recovery, and opens new doors for future creative applications such as gaming or full body activity to enhance practice in a variety of fields

Thyroid Function Status and Thyroid Hormones Disturbances in Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome

A close association between thyroid problems and polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) has been recently raised suggesting common pathophysiological link between the two disease conditions. The present study aimed to assess the status of thyroid hormones in women with PCOS with the aim of clarifying the link between PCOS and thyroid abnormalities. This cross-sectional study was performed on 87 consecutive women aged 31 to 50 years finally diagnosed as PCOS based on the Rotterdam diagnostic criteria. Venous blood sample was extracted from all subjects to determine the levels of fasting blood glucose, hemoglobin A1C, serum insulin level and also thyroid hormones in a single laboratory. The mean serum level of TSH was 3.02±1.19 µIU/ml, the mean level of T4 was 7.22±1.81 µg/dl, and the mean level of T3 was 1.23±0.18 ng/ml. Based on the normal values of thyroid hormones, none of the PCOS patients had abnormal levels of TSH and T3 hormones. Also, normal level of T4 was revealed in 90.8% of patients, while only 6.9% and 2.3% had T4 level lower than and higher than the normal range respectively. Using the correlation tests, none of the thyroid hormones was linearly associated with age, weight, BMI, the value of FBS or the levels of lipid profiles. The high prevalence rate of overweight to obesity (97.7%), hypertriglyceridemia (65.5%), and uncontrolled glycemic status (21.8%) were prominent in PCOS women. In our observation, we found no significant link between abnormal changes in thyroid hormone and PCOS

Hysteroscopy as a minimally invasive surgery, a good substitute for invasive gynecological procedures

Background: Hysteroscopy is a safe and high efficient procedure so it is changing to a widespread procedure in dealing with many gynecologic and obstetrical conditions.Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the diagnostic and therapeutical efficiency of hysteroscopy in managing the common conditions including abnormal uterine bleeding, abortion and infertility.Materials and Methods: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study to compare hysteroscopy as a minimally invasive approach with conventional laparatomy and hysterectomy or repair of mulerian anomalies and watch the uterine cavity for intrauterine pathology in cases of infertility. Overall 277 women underwent hysteroscopy were evaluated in three groups: with AUB 226 cases, with infertility 34 cases and with recurrent abortions with septate uterus17 cases. The overall success rate was recorded and analyzed after six months in order of indication of hysteroscopyResults: Hysteroscopy as sole diagnostic procedure in 16.5, 8.8 and 14.3%of AUB, infertility and abortion cases, respectively. In AUB cases, curettage, myomectomy, polypectomy and hysterectomy were the main diagnostic-therapeutical approaches along with hysteroscopy. In infertiles, myomectomy, polypectomy were the main diagnostic-therapeutical approaches In abortion group, laparoscopy guided, septum resection adhessiolysis , curettage and myomectomy were the main aproach. There was not any major complication. The diagnostic-therapeutically measures accompanying with the hysteroscopy were successful in 73.5% of the bleeding group and 33.3% of the infertility group in follow-up period.Conclusion: Based on our results, hysteroscopy is a safe, accurate and highly-efficient procedure in managing women with abnormal uterine bleeding, recurrent abortion due to septate uteru