Understanding societal challenges: a NeurotechEU perspective

Futuristic universities like The NeurotechEU and the technological innovations they provide will shape and serve society, but will also require support from society. Positive attitudes about neuro-technologies will increase their reach within society and may also impact policy-making, including funding decisions. However, the acceptability rates, especially of invasive neuro-technologies, are quite low and the majority of people are more worried than enthusiastic about them. The question therefore arises as to what neuro-technological advances should entail. In a rare effort to reach out to the public, we propose to conduct a trans-national survey with the goal to better understand the challenges of our NeurotechEU nations. We aim to compare and contrast our nations specifically with respect to their perspectives on neuro-technological advances, i.e., their needs for, interests in, access to, knowledge of and trust in neuro-technologies, and whether these should be regulated. To this end, we have developed the first version of a new tool—the Understanding Societal Challenges Questionnaire (USCQ)—which assesses all six of these dimensions (needs, interest, access, knowledge, trust, and policy-making) and is designed for administration across EU/AC countries. In addition to trans-national comparisons, we will also examine the links of our nations' perspectives on neuro-technological advances to demographic and personality variables, for example, education and socio-economic status, size of the residential area, the Big Five personality traits, religiosity, political standings, and more. We expect that this research will provide a deeper understanding of the challenges that our nations are facing as well as the similarities and differences between them, and will also help uncover the variables that predict positive and negative attitudes toward neuro-technological advances. By integrating this knowledge into the scientific process, The NeurotechEU may be able to develop neuro-technologies that people really care about, are ethical and regulated, and actually understood by the user

Parents of children with disabilities' perceptions regarding the quality of interaction with Health professionals working in early intervention: A qualitative descriptive study

©2023. This manuscript version is made available under the CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 license http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ This document is the Accepted, version of a Published Work that appeared in final from in Journal of Clinical Nursing. To access the final edited and published work see https://doi.org/10.1111/jocn.16580Aims and objectives: The aim of this study is to explore the perceptions of parents of children with physical disabilities concerning the quality of their interaction with health professionals in early intervention programs. Background: Despite the consensus on the need for Patient and Family-Centered Care, there are still difficulties when executing such care. The quality of interaction among patients, families, and professionals is essential to facilitate the implementation of the programs. Design: A qualitative descriptive study with thematic analysis using a Modified Grounded Theory approach. Methods: Data were collected through seven focus groups with 28 parents of children with physical disabilities who were undergoing early intervention programs in three centres. The study followed the COREQ guidelines and checklist. Results: Two themes emerged from the experiences: 'exchange of information and education', which included all the activities, procedures, exercises and skills taught by the professionals to help parents care for their child; and 'interpersonal skills', which focused on the way the professional relates with the child and the parents. Several subthemes emerged within each theme. Conclusions: This study identified which elements of the professional-parent interaction are considered by parents when evaluating the quality of their interaction with the health care provider of their children. Relevance to clinical practice: The results of this study bring to light certain behaviours and interactions that health professionals should consider in order to improve the perceptions of parents of children with disabilities regarding the quality of interaction in the context of early childhood intervention. Patient or public contribution: Parents contributed to the data collected. Early intervention professionals were involved in participant checking to ensure the rigour of the study

Estrés, autoeficacia, apoyo-social y personalidad en estudiantes del Programa de Acceso y Acompañamiento Efectivo a la Educación Superior

Se presenta un estudio cuyo propósito fue construir un modelo predictivo del estrés basado en la autoeficacia, el apoyo-social y la personalidad, en un grupo de estudiantes pertenecientes al Programa de Acceso y Acompañamiento a la Educación Superior (PACE). Se contó con una muestra no probabilística, incidental de 126 personas universitarias de primer año. Por medio de cuatro instrumentos asociados a las variables señaladas, se recurrió a un modelo de Regresión Lineal Múltiple, el cual arrojó que las variables neuroticismo y autoeficacia son las que tienen mejor poder predictivo ante la percepción del estrés. Estos hallazgos permiten, por una parte, establecer la necesidad de considerar estas variables psicológicas de forma más explícita en el diagnóstico, planificación y ejecución de actividades con estudiantes pertenecientes al PACE, y, por otra, la necesidad de continuar y profundizar su estudio en el contexto de estudiantes vulnerables educativamente, a fin de visibilizar su importancia en los procesos de acceso y permanencia en la educación superior

Adherencia de los padres de niños con discapacidad motriz a los programas domiciliarios de fisioterapia en atención temprana : magnitud y factores asociados / María del Carmen Lillo Navarro; directores, Francesc Medina i Mirapeix, Pilar Escolar Reina

Tesis-Universidad de Murcia.Consulte la tesis en: BCA. GENERAL. ARCHIVO UNIVERSITARIO. T.M. 3696

Static magnetic stimulation in the central nervous system: a systematic review

[Objective]: To systematically review the literature on the use of the transcranial static magnetic stimulation (tSMS) technique in humans and animals, its effects on different areas of the central nervous system (CNS), its influence on neural excitability and on the subject’s behavior, and its biological effects and future possibilities. All static magnetic field applications that can be considered to have a physiologically similar effect have been reviewed.[Methods]: We searched studies using key terms in NCBI PubMed, Scopus, PEDro, SciELO, Cochrane, and links to publications (inception to September 2019). Three reviewers independently selected the studies, extracted data, and assessed the methodological quality of the studies using the recommendations described in the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions, PRISMA guidelines.[Results]: We analyzed 27 studies. The reviewed literature suggests that the use of these magnetic fields has an inhibitory effect on different areas of the CNS, such as motor, somatosensory, and visual cortex, cerebellum, and spinal cord. Regarding subject’s behavior, the different effects of tSMS appear to be transient and dependent on the stimulated area, such as loss of visual discrimination or improvement of somatosensory perception. In addition, the technique has some therapeutic utility, specifically in pathologies with cortical hyperexcitability.[Conclusions]: These results suggest that tSMS may be a promising tool to modulate cerebral excitability in a safe and non-invasive way. Further investigations could give a better explanation of its precise mechanisms of action and applications.Peer reviewe

Experiencia de uso de tres enfoques de comunicación docente utilizando las redes sociales como complemento a las tutorías y resultados de evaluación. Póster

En este trabajo nos planteamos el uso de las tutorías universitarias unidas a las TIC como estrategia de aprendizaje colaborativo y herramientas docentes que favorezcan el aprendizaje individual y grupal, y valoramos las calificaciones de los estudiantes tras su utilización.Campus Mare Nostrum, Universidad Politécnica de Cartagena, Universidad de Murcia, Región de Murci

Wishes and perceptions about exercise programs in exercising institutionalized older adults living in long-term care institutions: A qualitative study.

The level of exercise among older adults is low, particularly among those living in health-care institutions. To gain insight into the perceptions of institutionalized older adults towards the exercise programs developed in long-term care institutions and to identify their wishes and needs regarding these programs, we conducted a qualitative study using focus group discussions. Thirty-six institutionalized participants (≥ 65 years) were recruited. Six common themes emerged: participants' attitudes and motivations towards the exercise programs, self-perceived health, knowledge of the concept of physical exercise, perceived effects of the exercise programs, and wishes or expectations for the exercise programs. The main wishes were to increase frequency of exercise sessions, to exercise outdoor and to increase walking times. The results suggest the need for changes in the development of exercise programs, including changes in the frequency, performance environment and types of exercises performed

Shall we start? Ready, set, go! Toward early intervention in infants with unilateral cerebral palsy. A randomized clinical trial protocol

Background:It is crucial to start an early intervention in unilateral cerebral palsy. Intensive therapies are focused on training based on activities. Objective:The objective of the study was to study the changes in the bimanual functional performance (BFP) after early intensive therapies at home compared with standard care in children with unilateral cerebral palsy from 9 to 18 months of age. Design:A single-blind comparative effectiveness study will be conducted. Methods and Analysis:Children will be randomized into four groups: infant-mCIMT, infant-BIT, infant-hybrid, and infant standard therapy (control group, CG). Each early intensive protocol will last 50 h and will be applied throughout a 10-week period with the family involvement at home. The main outcomes are BFP measure with mini-Assisting Hand Assessment (mini-AHA) scale, functional goals measure with Goal Attainment Scale (GAS), and satisfaction and expectations on intensive therapy from parents measure through specific questionnaire. Baseline characteristics between groups will be compared using independent t test and Fisher's exact test. Pre- and post-treatment outcomes of standard assessments will be compared using analysis of variance (ANOVA) for parametric and Kruskal-Wallis test for non-parametric variables. The Bonferroni correction is applied for multiple comparisons. An alpha level of

PERSPECTIVES OF FAMILIES ABOUT DAILY UPPER LIMB USE OF CHILDREN WITH HEMIPARESIS

[Abstract] Performance of activities of daily living is fundamental in supporting participation across school, home and community environments and it is a high priority for parents because the lack of them is considered very disabling. Children with hemiparesis often experience restrictions in their participation. The aim of this study is to understand how limitations in the use of the more affected arm influence daily activities of children with hemiparesis, analyzing the needs and barriers perceived by families. 15 caregivers of children with hemiparesis aged 3-7 years participated in this qualitative study using online semi-structured individual interviews. Interviews were recorded, transcribed verbatim, codified and analyzed thematically with Atlas.ti. The following main thematic categories were drawn from the data analysis: limitations of spontaneous use and impact on daily life activities, child and family strategies to use the arm during routines and most purposeful activities and use of domestic technology. Bimanual tasks are reduced by a learning-non-used phenomenon as a common child strategy. Families encourage children to use the more affected arm by mainly verbal instructions. They are satisfied with their performance because of their medical condition but they would like to have more strategies to achieve better outcomes. Key barrier identified was child´s frustration when comparing with peers. Children enjoy domestic technology as a unimanual activity, but its use is often restricted by parents. Next phases will focus on studying new strategies to address child and families´ needs and to diminish the impact of the non-use of the more affected arm in bimanual activities during daily life.Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (España); PID2021-126782OA-I0

Factors Associated with Parents’ Adherence to Different Types of Exercises in Home Programs for Children with Disabilities

There is a lack of knowledge with regard to the adherence to different types of exercises prescribed for children with disabilities. The aim was to examine parents’ adherence to prescriptions of different types of home exercises; to identify associated factors related to the parents, the children and the environment, and to assess the relative influence of the behaviour of health professionals. Parents (393) were recruited from 18 early intervention centres. A cross-sectional survey using a self-reported questionnaire was used to examine whether three types of exercises (“flexibility exercises„, “neuromotor development training„ and “body mechanics and postural stabilisation„) were prescribed in their home programs; if the child had received exercises according to a prescription; and items related to the parents, child, environment, and health professionals. The adherence rates were different among the types of exercises. Parents with low perception of barriers and high self-efficacy had a higher adherence to neuromotor development training and postural stabilization, whereas parents with a high level of knowledge increased their odds of adherence to flexibility exercises. Health professionals’ behaviour had a distinct influence on the adherence to different exercises. This study suggests the need to specifically consider the types of exercises prescribed in the management of adherence to home programs