O efeito de um programa de treinamento de totalmente imersivo do Playstation VR no desenvolvimento das habilidades perceptivas das crianças no Voleibol.

This study examined the impact of two different educational interventions, a program that were based on full immersive virtual reality games (FIVE) and a typical training program (TT), in Depth Perception (DP) and Anticipation Reaction Time (ART) of forty eight female volleyball players aged 8-10 years old. The players were randomly separeted into three individual groups of 16 children each, two experimental groups (FIVE, TT) and one control group. The FIVE group attended, for 6 weeks, twice a week and 24 min per session, a full immersive program in Playstation4VR and the TT group a typical training to the court, based to improve DP and ART. The control group did not receive any structured DP and ART training program. Before the interventions, after and one –month after, DP was estimated using Electric Depth Perception Tester and ART using Bassin Anticipation Timer. Were conducted Two-Way analyses of variance with repeated measures, to demonstrate the impact of educational interventions measurements across the two movements on DP efficacy and the two speeds (5mph and 10mph) on ART performance. The post and the retention tests DP in both movements scores were remarkably greater than pre-test for FIVE and TT groups but not for the control group. Additionally, on the ART scores, it was observed that only at a speed of 10 mph did the post and retention test scores show a significant increase compared to the pre-test scores for both experimental groups, while no such increase was observed in the control group. To conclude, exergames VR and a typical training are effective tools for improving DP and ART in volleyball players aged 8-10 years –old.Este estudio examinó el efecto de dos intervenciones educativas, un programa basado en juegos de realidad virtual totalmente inmersivos (FIVE) y un programa de entrenamiento típico (TT), en Percepción de profundidad (DP) y Tiempo de reacción de anticipación (ART) de cuarenta y ocho jugadoras de voleibol de 8 a 10 años. El grupo FIVE asistió a un programa inmersivo completo en Playstation4VR y el grupo TT a un entrenamiento típico en la cancha, basado en mejorar DP y ART durante 6 semanas, dos veces por semana durante 24 min cada vez. El grupo de control no recibió ningún programa estructurado de formación en PD y ART. Antes, después y un mes después de las intervenciones, se calculó la DP utilizando el Probador de Percepción de Profundidad Eléctrica y el ART utilizando el Temporizador de Anticipación de Bassin. Se realizaron análisis de varianza bidireccionales con medidas repetidas, para determinar el efecto de los grupos de programas de entrenamiento y las mediciones en los dos movimientos en el rendimiento de DP y las dos velocidades (5 mph y 10 mph) en el rendimiento de ART. Las puntuaciones de las pruebas posteriores y de retención DP en ambos movimientos fueron notablemente mayores que las de las pruebas previas para ambos grupos experimentales, pero no para el grupo de control. Además, en las puntuaciones de ART, sólo en 10 mph, las puntuaciones de las pruebas posteriores y de retención fueron notablemente mayores que las puntuaciones previas a la prueba para ambos grupos experimentales y no para el grupo de control. En conclusión, los exergames VR y un entrenamiento típico son herramientas efectivas para mejorar el DP y ART en jugadores de voleibol de 8 a 10 años de edad.Este estudo examinou o efeito de duas intervenções educativa, um programa baseado num jogos de realidade virtual total imersivos (RVTI) e um programa de treinamento típico (TT), em Percepção de Profundidade (PP) e Tempo de Reação de Antecipação (TRA) de quarenta e oito voleibolistas com idades entre 8 e 10 anos. Divididos de forma randomizata em três grupos individuais de 16 crianças cada, um controle e dois grupos experimentais (RVTI, TT). O grupo RVTI participou de um programa total imersivo em Playstation4VR e o grupo TT um treinamento típico para quadra, com base de melhorar PP e TRA durante 6 semanas, duas vezes por semana durante 24 min cada vez. O grupo de controle não recebeu nenhum programa estruturado de treinamento em PP e TRA. Antes, após e um mês após da intervenção, o PP foi estimado usando o Electric Depth Perception Tester e o ΤΡΑ usando o Bassin Anticipation Timer. Foram conduzidas análises de variância de duas vias com medidas repetidas, a determinar οs efeitos da grupos de programas de treinamento e medições entre os dois movimentos em desempenho de PP e as duas velocidades (5 mph e 10 mph) em desempenho de TRA. O pós-teste e os testes de retenção DP em ambos os escores de movimentos foram notavelmente maiores do que o pré-teste para ambos os grupos experimentais, mas não para o grupo de controle. Além disso, nas pontuações de ART, apenas em 10 mph as pontuações do pós e do teste de retenção foram notavelmente maiores do que as pontuações do pré-teste para ambos os grupos experimentais e não para o grupo de controle. Em conclusão, os exergames VR e um treinamento típico são ferramentas eficazes para melhorar a DP e ART em jogadores de voleibol de 8 a 10 anos de idade

Smoking and Pulmonary Fibrosis: Novel Insights

The relationship between smoking and pulmonary fibrosis is under debate and intense investigation. The aim of this paper is to review the existing literature and identify further areas of research interest. Recently the negative influence of cigarette smoking on IPF outcome was highlighted, as non-smokers exhibit a better survival than ex-smokers and combined current- and ex-smokers. In patients with non-specific interstitial pneumonia (NSIP), a high prevalence of emphysema was recently demonstrated, providing an indirect support for a smoking pathogenetic hypothesis in NSIP. The coexistence of pulmonary fibrosis and emphysema has been extensively described in a syndrome termed combined pulmonary fibrosis and emphysema (CPFE). Connective tissue disorders (CTDs) are a group of autoimmune diseases which affect the lung, as one of the most common and severe manifestations. However, the relationship between smoking and autoimmune disorders is still conflicting. Rheumatoid arthritis results from the interaction between genetic and environmental factors, while the best established environmental factor is tobacco smoking. Smoking has also a negative impact on the response of the RA patients to treatment. The aforementioned smoking-related implications give rise to further research questions and certainly provide one more important reason for physicians to advocate smoking cessation and smoke-free environment

Effects of antifibrotic agents on TGF-β1, CTGF and IFN-γ expression in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

SummaryIdiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a deadly disease, largely unresponsive to treatment with corticosteroids and immunosuppressives. The aim of this randomized, prospective, open-label study was to characterize the molecular effects of IFN-γ-1b and colchicine, on biomarkers expression associated with fibrosis (TGF-β, CTGF) and immunomodulatory/antimicrobial activity (IFN-γ), in the lungs of patients with IPF.Fourteen (14) patients with an established diagnosis of IPF received either 200μg of IFN-γ-1b subcutaneously three times per week, or 1mg of oral colchicine per day, for 24 months. Using RT-PCR assay, we evaluated the transcription levels of transforming growth factor β1 (TGF-β1), connective-tissue growth factor (CTGF), and interferon-γ (IFN-γ) genes in lung tissue before and after treatment with IFN-γ-1b or colchicine.Marked mRNA expression of TGF-β1 and CTGF, but complete lack of interferon-γ was detected in fibrotic lung tissue at entry. After treatment, both groups exhibited increased expression of IFN-γ gene at 6 months that was sustained at 24 months. The expression of CTGF and TGF-β1 remained almost stable before and after treatment, in the IFN-γ-1b group, while TGF-β1 was statistically decreased after therapy, in the colchicine group (p=0.0002). Significant difference in DLCO (% pred), was found between the two treatment groups in favor of IFN-γ-1b group (p=0.04). In addition, the IFN-γ-1b group showed stability in arterial PO2 while the colchicine group significantly deteriorated (p=0.02).In conclusion, we report the effect of antifibrotic agents (IFN-γ-1b and colchicine) in TGF-β, CTGF, and endogenous IFN-γ gene expression, in human fibrosis. However, extended studies are needed to verify the pathophysiological consequences of these findings

Detection of herpes simplex virus Type-1 in patients with fibrotic lung diseases

The current study intends to investigate i) the incidence of herpes viruses including Herpes Simplex Virus type-1 (HSV-1), Cytomegalovirus (CMV) and Human Herpes Virus -6, -7, -8 (HHV6, HHV7, HHV8) in two biological samples, bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and lung tissue biopsy, in different forms of pulmonary fibrosis, and ii) the induction of molecular pathways involved in fibrosis by herpesvirus infection in primary cell cultures. PCR was employed for the detection of CMV, HHV6-8 and HSV-1 DNA in lung specimens (4 controls and 11 IPF specimens) and BALF pellet [6 controls and 20 fibrotic Idiopathic Intestitial Pneumonias (f-IIPs) samples: 13 idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and 7 nonspecific idiopathic interstitial pneumonia (NSIP)] samples. Among all herpesviruses tested, HSV-1 was detected in 1/11 (9%) specimens from IPF lung tissue and in 2/20 (10%) samples of f-IIPs BALF whereas the control group was negative. Primary cell cultures from BALF of patients with IPF and healthy controls were infected in vitro with wild-type HSV-1 virus and Real Time PCR was employed for the detection of gene transcription of specific axes implicated in lung fibrosis. Primary cell cultures were permissive to HSV-1, resulting in an upregulation of the fibrotic growth factors TGFβ1 and FGF, the angiogenetic markers SDF1a, SDF1b, VEGF, FGF and the regulators of tissue wound healing MMP9 and CCR7. Downregulation was noted for the CXCR4 and MMP2 genes, while a different response has been detected in healthy donors regarding the expression of the aforementioned markers. These results implicate for the first time the HSV-1 with Fibrotic Idiopathic Interstitial Pneumonias since the virus presented similar incidence in two different biological samples

In silico assessment of nanoparticle toxicity powered by the Enalos Cloud Platform:Integrating automated machine learning and synthetic data for enhanced nanosafety evaluation

The rapid advance of nanotechnology has led to the development and widespread application of nanomaterials, raising concerns regarding their potential adverse effects on human health and the environment. Traditional (experimental) methods for assessing the nanoparticles (NPs) safety are time-consuming, expensive, and resource-intensive, and raise ethical concerns due to their reliance on animals. To address these challenges, we propose an in silico workflow that serves as an alternative or complementary approach to conventional hazard and risk assessment strategies, which incorporates state-of-the-art computational methodologies. In this study we present an automated machine learning (autoML) scheme that employs dose-response toxicity data for silver (Ag), titanium dioxide (TiO2), and copper oxide (CuO) NPs. This model is further enriched with atomistic descriptors to capture the NPs’ underlying structural properties. To overcome the issue of limited data availability, synthetic data generation techniques are used. These techniques help in broadening the dataset, thus improving the representation of different NP classes. A key aspect of this approach is a novel three-step applicability domain method (which includes the development of a local similarity approach) that enhances user confidence in the results by evaluating the prediction's reliability. We anticipate that this approach will significantly expedite the nanosafety assessment process enabling regulation to keep pace with innovation, and will provide valuable insights for the design and development of safe and sustainable NPs. The ML model developed in this study is made available to the scientific community as an easy-to-use web-service through the Enalos Cloud Platform (www.enaloscloud.novamechanics.com/sabydoma/safenanoscope/), facilitating broader access and collaborative advancements in nanosafety.</p