Assessing plantar sensation in the foot using the FOot Roughness Discrimination Test (FoRDT™): a reliability and validity study in stroke

BACKGROUND: The foot sole represents a sensory dynamometric map and is essential for balance and gait control. Sensory impairments are common, yet often difficult to quantify in neurological conditions, particularly stroke. A functionally oriented and quantifiable assessment, the Foot Roughness Discrimination Test (FoRDT™), was developed to address these shortcomings. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate inter- and intra-rater reliability, convergent and discriminant validity of the Foot Roughness Discrimination Test (FoRDT™). DESIGN: Test-retest design. SETTING: Hospital Outpatient. PARTICIPANTS: Thirty-two people with stroke (mean age 70) at least 3 months after stroke, and 32 healthy, age-matched controls (mean age 70). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Roughness discrimination thresholds were quantified utilising acrylic foot plates, laser-cut to produce graded spatial gratings. Stroke participants were tested on three occasions, and by two different raters. Inter- and intra-rater reliability and agreement were evaluated with Intraclass Correlation Coefficients and Bland-Altman plots. Convergent validity was evaluated through Spearman rank correlation coefficients (rho) between the FoRDT™ and the Erasmus modified Nottingham Sensory Assessment (EmNSA). RESULTS: Intra- and inter rater reliability and agreement were excellent (ICC =.86 (95% CI .72-.92) and .90 (95% CI .76 -.96)). Discriminant validity was demonstrated through significant differences in FoRDT™ between stroke and control participants (p.05). CONCLUSIONS: This simple and functionally oriented test of plantar sensation is reliable, valid and clinically feasible for use in an ambulatory, chronic stroke and elderly population. It offers clinicians and researchers a sensitive and robust sensory measure and may further support the evaluation of rehabilitation targeting foot sensation. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved

Development of in/outflow boundary conditions for MPM simulation of uniform and non-uniform open channel flows

This paper describes the development and application of inflow and outflow boundary conditions (BCs) for the material point method (MPM) in order to simulate fluid flow problems. This corresponds to velocity and pressure controlled BCs. Due to the coupled Lagrangian and Eulerian description of the fluid motion in MPM it is necessary to add and remove material points, with appropriate kinematic properties, to and from the computational domain. The newly-developed BCs have been used to simulate uniform open channel flow and the phenomenon of free overfall in open channels, which is transient conditions leading to non-uniform flow due to a sudden bed level drop. It is shown that the numerical results predict well the flow geometry including end depth ratio, pressure distribution and accelerations, therefore the velocities and displacements.Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (2017B12214) of the Ministry of Education of China, NWO Project MPM-FLOW: Understanding flowslides in flood defences (Grant No. 13889

LEITORES EM BUSCA DE AUTORES: FOTOGRAFIAS E O EU NA LITERATURA BRASILEIRA CONTEMPORÂNEA

Este artigo propõe elucidar como a presença de autores como personagens fictícios é central nas obras Nove noites (2002), de Bernardo Carvalho; Rremembranças da menina de rua morta nua (2006), de Valêncio Xavier; e Divórcio, de Ricardo Lísias (2013). Para a demonstração da presença massiva dos autores em suas narrativas, destacamos a infiltração de autores, sobretudo, mediante fotografias inseridas nessas narrativas e/ou como o texto verbal permite demonstrar significados desestabilizadores dos sentidos de realidade e ficção subjacentes a alguns campos do conhecimento, como a escrita etnográfica, a jornalística; e a das redes sociais. Para analisar este corpus a partir da presença massiva de seus autores, questionamos o(s) porquê(s) desta importância em ditos romances contemporâneos embasados em uma bibliografia a respeito do conceito de autoria com as pesquisadoras Diana Klinger, Luciene Azevedo e Paula Sibilia; filosoficamente em Jacques Rancière (2009) e, sobretudo, na construção de simulacros de ditos autores no e no-além texto com Jean Baudrillard; em autores interessados nas artes contemporâneas e suas discussões tocantes à sua pós-autonomia como Florencia Garramuño, Josefina Ludmer, Néstor García Canclini e Susan Buck-Morss; além, é claro, de acompanharmos as análises com parte da fortuna crítica produzida em torno aos autores e às suas obras. Sendo assim, este artigo propõe, em linhas gerais, levantar os seguintes assuntos: i. Os autores constituem-se como simulacros que expandem os textos literários a outros campos; ii. O uso abundante de imagens e a presença dos autores como personagens de suas narrativas pode denotar o esfacelamento de campos do conhecimento como objetivos; iii. O uso constante da fragmentos pertencentes à biografia dos autores provoca no leitor a ânsia por desnudar o que se trata de ficção e de autobiografia

O FANTASMA, O CAVALO DE TROIA E A PELE: LITERATURA BRASILEIRA CONTEMPORÂNEA E SUAS FOTOGRAFIAS

Três textos literários brasileiros contemporâneos possuem como particularidade a infiltração de seus autores, seja como personagens da trama narrativa, seja através de fotografias de suas próprias vidas. Os textos em questão são: Nove noites (2002), de Bernardo Carvalho; Rremembranças da menina de rua morta nua (2006), de Valêncio Xavier; e Divórcio (2013), de Ricardo Lísias. Para estudá-los, propomos o questionamento do(s) porquê(s) destes diálogos entre fotografia e literatura através dos conceitos de inespecífico e de campo expansivo, com Florencia Garramuño (2014), embasados filosoficamente em Jacques Rancière (2009) e nos conceitos de simulacro/simulação, de Jean Baudrillard (1991), como sustentáculos teóricos. Como discussão, este artigo traz as seguintes: i. O diálogo inespecífico (entre literatura e fotografia) nos textos do corpus possui traços distintivos em relação a outros brasileiros/estrangeiros de períodos históricos anteriores; ii. O uso abundante de imagens no período contemporâneo é o ponto central para contrastar os romances do corpus aos de períodos anteriores; iii. A exposição do eu ganha fôlego como alicerce de críticas implícitas a campos do conhecimento contemporâneo

STRUCTURAL EFFECTS OF VERAPAMIL ON CELL MEMBRANES AND MOLECULAR MODELS

ABSTRACT Verapamil is one of the frequently prescribed calcium channel blockers used in the treatment of hypertension and angina pectoris . Results of evaluations of the therapy have led to reports of toxic effects. This study presents several evidences that verapamil affects human cells. Scanning electron microscopy observations of intact human erythrocytes indicated that they underwent morphological alterations as increasing verapamil concentrations starting from 5 μM changed their discoid normal shape, and finally to hemolysis. Fluorescence spectroscopy on isolated unsealed human erythrocyte membranes confirmed these outcomes. In fact, the assays showed that verapamil induced a significant increase of the anisotropy parameters and a moderate one of the generalized polarization, indicative of enhanced order at the acyl chain and polar head regions of the erythrocyte membrane lipid bilayer. X-ray diffraction experiments on dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine and dimyristoylphosphatidylethanolamine bilayers, classes of the major phospholipids present in both outer and inner sides of the erythrocyte membrane, respectively showed that verapamil perturbed the polar head and acyl chain regions of both lipid bilayers. These interactions were found to be stronger with DMPC bilayers. On the other hand, human SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells incubated with verapamil suffered a sharp decrease of cell viability

Bone tissue and the nervous system: what do they have in common?

Degenerative diseases affecting bone tissues and the brain represent important problems with high socio-economic impact. Certain bone diseases, such as osteoporosis, are considered risk factors for the progression of neurological disorders. Often, patients with neurodegenerative diseases have bone fractures or reduced mobility linked to osteoarthritis. The bone is a dynamic tissue involved not only in movement but also in the maintenance of mineral metabolism. Bone is also associated with the generation of both hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), and thus the generation of the immune system, and mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). Bone marrow is a lymphoid organ and contains MSCs and HSCs, both of which are involved in brain health via the production of cytokines with endocrine functions. Hence, it seems clear that bone is involved in the regulation of the neuronal system and vice versa. This review summarizes the recent knowledge on the interactions between the nervous system and bone and highlights the importance of the interaction between nerve and bone cells. In addition, experimental models that study the interaction between nerve and skeletal cells are discussed, and innovative models are suggested to better evaluate the molecular interactions between these two cell types

A memória na construção da identidade cultural em dois irmãos, de Milton Hatoum|

Este artigo tem por objetivo discutir a maneira pela qual as estruturas do romance Dois Irmãos (2000), de Milton Hatoum, considerando-se a utilização delas como memorialísticas, evidencia identidades culturais entrechocando-se. O narrador-personagem, Nael, nos convida a conhecer um passado não inteiramente conhecido por ele, mas contado por outros personagens. Isto ocasiona uma diferenciação fragmentária não só do passado da narração e do presente da narrativa, mas também da posição ocupada por personagens no centro ou à margem da sociedade brasileira. Para estudarmos essas memórias como estruturas narrativas, embasamo-nos no Discurso da Narrativa (1995), de Gérard Genette. Já a fragmentação da ordem narrativa pelas memórias é discutida juntamente a questões relativas à fragmentação identitária. Para isso, apoiamo-nos n´A Identidade cultural na pós-modernidade, de Stuart Hall (2006)

Millifluidic culture improves human midbrain organoid vitality and differentiation

Human midbrain-specific organoids (hMOs) serve as an experimental in vitro model for studying the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease (PD). In hMOs, neuroepithelial stem cells (NESCs) give rise to functional midbrain dopaminergic (mDA) neurons that are selectively degenerating during PD. A limitation of the hMO model is an under-supply of oxygen and nutrients to the densely packed core region, which leads eventually to a "dead core". To reduce this phenomenon, we applied a millifluidic culture system that ensures media supply by continuous laminar flow. We developed a computational model of oxygen transport and consumption in order to predict oxygen levels within the hMOs. The modelling predicts higher oxygen levels in the hMO core region under millifluidic conditions. In agreement with the computational model, a significantly smaller "dead core" was observed in hMOs cultured in a bioreactor system compared to those ones kept under conventional shaking conditions. Comparing the necrotic core regions in the organoids with those obtained from the model allowed an estimation of the critical oxygen concentration necessary for ensuring cell vitality. Besides the reduced "dead core" size, the differentiation efficiency from NESCs to mDA neurons was elevated in hMOs exposed to medium flow. Increased differentiation involved a metabolic maturation process that was further developed in the millifluidic culture. Overall, bioreactor conditions that improve hMO quality are worth considering in the context of advanced PD modelling

Structural Plasticity of Dopaminergic Neurons Requires the Activation of the D3R-nAChR Heteromer and the PI3K-ERK1/2/Akt-Induced Expression of c-Fos and p70S6K Signaling Pathway

We have previously shown that the heteromer composed by the dopamine D3 receptor (D3R) and the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) (D3R-nAChR heteromer) is expressed in dopaminergic neurons, activated by nicotine and represents the molecular unit that, in these neurons, contributes to the modulation of critical events such as structural plasticity and neuroprotection. We now extended this study by investigating the D3R-nAChR heteromer properties using various cell models such as transfected HEK293 cells, primary cultures of mouse dopaminergic neurons and human dopaminergic neurons derived from induced pluripotent stem cells. We found that the D3R-nAChR heteromer is the molecular effector that transduces the remodeling properties not only associated with nicotine but also with D3R agonist stimulation: neither nAChR nor D3R, in fact, when express as monomers, are able to elicit these effects. Moreover, strong and sustained activation of the PI3K-ERK1/2/Akt pathways is coupled with D3R-nAChR heteromer stimulation, leading to the expression of the immediate-early gene c-Fos and to sustained phosphorylation of cytosolic p70 ribosomal S6 kinase (p70S6K), critical for dendritic remodeling. By contrast, while D3R stimulation results in rapid and transient activation of both Erk1/2 and Akt, that is PI3K-dependent, stimulation of nAChR is associated with persistent activation of Erk1/2 and Akt, in a PI3K-independent way. Thus, the D3R-nAChR heteromer and its ability to trigger the PI3K-ERK1/2/Akt signaling pathways may represent a novel target for preserving dopaminergic neurons healthy and for conferring neuronal protection against injuries