Impact of psycho-educational activities on visual-motor integration, fine motor skills and name writing among first graders: A kinematic pilot study

This pilot study presents the eects on acquisition of pre-writing skills of educational activities targeting visual-motor integration and fine motor skills on a convenient sample of first graders. After a 10-week intervention program, visual perceptual skills and fine motor control were tested on 13 six-year-old aged children. Participants completed the Beery-Buktenica VMI and the manual dexterity scale of the Movement ABC-2 at baseline (T1), after the intervention program (T2), and one month after the end of the educational activities (T3). Children\u2019s writing pressure, frequency, and automaticity were measured using a digitizer during the administration of name writing test at T1, T2, and T3. The purpose of the study was to investigate changes in visual-perceptual abilities and fine motor skills after the intervention program and examine correlational eects on children\u2019s kinematic writing performances. Findings reveal that educational activities impacted positively on children\u2019s visual motor coordination component of writing improving VMI scores. No statistically significant dierence was detected across the three time points on students\u2019 manual dexterity skills. Measurement of writing kinematics allows to report and document variations in children\u2019s writing during intervention. This pilot study discusses these findings and their implications for the field on early childhood acquisition of foundational skills for handwriting. It also proposes potential topics for future research on this field

Protein kinase B/AKT isoform 2 drives migration of human mesenchymal stem cells.

This study was designed to investigate the migratory behavior of adult human mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) and the underlying mechanism. Cell migration was assessed by transwell, wound healing and time-lapse in vivo motility assays. Pharmacological inhibitors were used to determine the potential mechanism responsible for cell migration and invasion. The tests that were implemented revealed that MSC were fairly migratory. Protein kinase B (AKT) was strongly activated at the basal level. Through our analyses we demonstrated that pharmacological inactivation of AKT2 but not AKT1 significantly decreased cell migration and invasion. Although preliminary, collectively our results indicate that AKT2 activation plays a critical role in enabling MSC migration

INFLUENCE OF R-LIPOIC ACID ON INTRACELLULAR GLUTATHIONE IN HUMAN DOPAMINERGIC NEUROBLASTOMA CELLS: IMPLICATIONS FOR PARKINSON’S DISEASE.

The consistent findings of decreased levels of the major antioxidant glutathione in substantia nigra of patients with idiopathic Parkinson's disease (PD) has provided most of the basis for the oxidative stress hypothesis of the etiology of PD. Oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction signify two important biochemical events associated with the loss of dopaminergic neurons in PD. Studies using in vitro and in vivo PD models and in affected tissues from the disease itself have demonstrated a selective inhibition of mitochondrial complex I activity that appears to affect normal mitochondrial physiology leading to neuronal cell death. R-lipoic acid plays a fundamental role in mitochondrial metabolism as a coenzyme for pyruvate dehydrogenase and alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase and as a substrate for the NADPH-dependent enzyme glutathione reductase. To address the question of the possible mechanism of R-lipoic acid-mediated protection, we have investigated its effect on human dopaminergic SH-SY5Y cells exposed to rotenone, a specific complex I inhibitor. We found that rotenone dose- and time- dependently altered SH-SY5Y cell viability associated with a decreased of glutathione (GSH) levels and ATP production. We observed a protective effect R-lipoic acid on SH-SY5Y cells against rotenone indicating that the replenishment of normal GSH levels within the cells may hold an important key to therapeutics for PD. Supported by the University of Bologna, Funds for Selected Research Topics

Is the association of electrochemotherapy and bone fixation rational in patients with bone metastasis?

BackgroundBone metastases are frequent in patients with cancer. Electrochemotherapy (ECT) is a minimally invasive treatment based on a high-voltage electric pulse combined with an anticancer drug. Preclinical and clinical studies supported the use of ECT in patients with metastatic bone disease, demonstrating that it does not damage the mineral structure of the bone and its regenerative capacity, and that is feasible and efficient for the treatment of bone metastases. Year 2014 saw the start of a registry of patients with bone metastases treated with ECT, whose data are recorded in a shared database. Questions/Purposes(1) Among patients who underwent ECT and internal fixation for bone metastasis, how many experienced a reduction of pain? (2) How many cases showed a radiological response? (3) How many patients presented local or systemic complication after ECT and fixation? Patients and MethodsPatients were treated in Bologna at Rizzoli Orthopaedic Institute between March 2014 and February 2022 and recorded in the REINBONE registry (a shared database protected by security passwords): clinical and radiological information, ECT session, adverse events, response, quality of life indicators, and duration of follow-up were registered. We consider only cases treated with ECT and intramedullary nail during the same surgical session. Patients included in the analysis were 32: 15 males and 17 females, mean age 65 +/- 13 years (median 66, range 38-88 years), mean time since diagnosis of primary tumor 6.2 +/- 7.0 years (median 2.9, range 0-22 years). Nail was indicated in 13 cases for a pathological fracture in, 19 for an impending fracture. Follow-up was available for 29 patients, as 2 patients were lost to follow-up and 1 was unable to return to controls. Mean follow-up time was 7.7 +/- 6.5 months (median 5, range 1-24), and 16 patients (50%) had a follow-up longer than 6 months. ResultsA significant decrease in pain intensity was observed at the mean Visual Numeric Scale after treatment. Bone recovery was observed in 13 patients. The other 16 patients remained without changes, and one presented disease progression. One patient presented a fracture occurrence during the ECT procedure. Among all patients, bone recovery was observed in 13 patients: complete recovery in 1 patient (3%) and partial recovery in 12 patients (41%). The other 16 patients remained without changes, and one presented disease progression. One patient presented a fracture occurrence during the ECT procedure. However, healing was possible with normal fracture callus quality and healing time. No other local or systemic complications were observed. ConclusionWe found that pain levels decreased after treatment in 23 of the 29 cases for a pain relief rate of 79% at final follow-up. Pain is one of the most important indicators of quality of life in patients that undergo palliative treatments. Even if conventional external body radiotherapy is considered a noninvasive treatment, it presents a dose-dependent toxicity. ECT provides a chemical necrosis preserving osteogenic activity and structural integrity of bone trabeculae; this is a crucial difference with other local treatments and allows bone healing in case of pathological fracture. The risk of local progression in our patient population was small, and 44% experienced bone recovery while 53% of the cases remained unchanged. We observe intraoperative fracture in one case.This technique, in selected patients, improves outcome in bone metastatic patients combing both the efficacy of the ECT in the local control of the disease and the mechanical stability with the bone fixation to synergize their benefits. Moreover, the risk of complication is very low. Although encouraging data, comparative studies are required to quantify the real efficacy of the technique. Level of Evidence Level I, therapeutic study

Severe metabolic alkalosis due to diuretic treatment in a patient with distal renal tubular acidosis: a rare association.

Introduction: Distal renal tubular acidosis is a rare genetic disease, characterised by deficit in renal tubular transport. Clinical features are metabolic acidosis with hypercloraemia and hypokalemia, and inability in urine acidification. Hypercalciuria may also be present, often treated with the use of a diuretic therapy with thiazides. Case Presentation: We present a severe disease onset in a neonate with consanguineous parents, both autosomal-recessive for an ATP6VOA4 gene mutation, and a nevertheless severe episode of metabolic alkalosis, occurred in the same patient after few months, during the diuretic therapy. Conclusion: Biochemical results lead us to hypothesize a susceptibility to the treatment that need further investigations