The use of the Nintendo Wii in motor rehabilitation for virtual reality interventions:a literature review

Several review articles have been published on the use of Virtual Reality (VR) in motor rehabilitation. The majority of these focus on the effectiveness of VR on improving motor function using relatively expensive commercial tools and technologies including robotics, cybergloves, cybergrasps, joysticks, force sensors and motion capture systems. However, we present the case in this chapter that game sensors and VR technologies which can be customized and reconfigured, such as the Nintendo Wii, provide an alternative and affordable VR intervention for rehabilitation. While the performance of many of the Wii based interventions in motor rehabilitation are currently the focus of investigation by researchers, an extensive and holistic discussion on this subject does not yet exist. As such, the purpose of this chapter is to provide readers with an understanding of the advantages and limitations of the Nintendo Wii game sensor device (and its associated accessories) for motor rehabilitation and in addition, to outline the potential for incorporating these into clinical interventions for the benefit of patients and therapists

Assessment of parasitic contamination of sliced Citrullus Ianatus (Watermelon) and Carica papaya (Papya) sold at local wet market in Imus City, Cavite

Foodborne pathogens such as parasites are acquired from raw foods like fruits and vegetables that are unhygienically prepared or unclean. One of the factors that can affect the fruit’s composition is the environment where it was processed and sold such as the local wet markets. The study used pre-cut and ready-to-eat fruits namely, Citrullus lanatus (watermelon) and Carica papaya (papaya), for these fruits are always available in markets and are being sold in sliced form. The sliced fruit samples obtained from stalls at Imus local wet market were soaked with saline solution, underwent centrifugation and added with Lugol’s iodine solution for viewing in microscope. Out of 150 slides, 4 Ascarid eggs were detected on sliced Citrullus lanatus samples while there is no seen parasitic organism in Carica papaya. Citrullus lanatus acquired 5.33% parasitic contamination while Carica papaya obtained 0% parasitic contamination. Citrullus lanatus has been proven to have higher parasitic contamination compared to the parasitic contamination of Carica papaya, considering the different possible factors such as their location of growth and the properties they contain

Training experiences of selected student-athletes undergoing a home-based training program during the COVID-19 pandemic

This study aimed to narrate the home-based training program experiences of selected student-athletes during the COVID-19 pandemic. Eight (8) collegiate student-athletes enrolled in a school in Dasmarinñas City, Cavite who participated in a home-based training program during the school year 2020-2021 were interviewed via natural group discussions and one-on-one interviews to collect data regarding their experiences. The researchers used thematic analysis in processing the data which is necessary to the description of the phenomenon in which the narratives are involved in. Excerpts involved the participants’ experiences during online training in terms of athletic performance, adherence, facilitators, and barriers. They also narrated the physical, psychosocial, environmental, and academic factors that shaped their training experiences. A total of forty (40) themes emerged from the data which were consistent with pre-existing literature. Athletic performance was shaped by decreased endurance, development of skills, and the athletes being unchallenged by the current training program. Adherence was influenced by the feeling of being forced to train, decrease in motivation as the program progresses, demands of coaches, and decrease in compliance. Facilitators and barriers revolved around the involvement of the prior knowledge with experiences in training, coaches and their influence to training, their current set-up, and technological matters. The student-athletes preferred face-to-face training over online training due to the certain factors that shaped their experiences. The pertinent physical factors noted were the type of prescribed training the athletes received and the apparent changes in weight and metabolism. The contributing environmental factors surround the equipment at home, house scheme, and the approach to video recording. Academics had a predominant leverage on the training experiences. The psychological factors that molded the experiences of athletes comprise the significance of personal relationships, the role of certain emotions, the bearing of societal roles, and the impact of isolation

Factors affecting the academic integrity of selected rehabilitation sciences students

The objective of the study was to describe the factors affecting the academic integrity of selected rehabilitation students. The study is a quantitative-descriptive type of research that utilized an online survey for data collection. The participants were rehabilitation students from the College of Rehabilitation Sciences in an academic institute in Cavite, Philippines. Participants (N=157) who met the inclusion criteria accessed the survey through email of CRS Helpdesk and social media. The mean and standard deviation were computed to rank the highest and lowest internal and external factors. The results of the study showed that highly considered factors namely: goals and reasons, self-efficacy, and age are the top three under internal factors while the bottom three are fairly considered factors namely: knowledge and competencies in e-learning activities, culture, and gender. Under external factors, fairly considered factors namely: enforcement of academic integrity policies, accessibility of internet-based resources, and time and workload demands are the top three factors while less considered factors such as societal expectations, peerrelated factors, and family-related factors are the bottom three. The results concluded that “goals and reasons” is the highest overall factor wherein those with genuine reasons to study for selfdevelopment and broaden knowledge are most likely to uphold academic integrity while those with the wrong reasons would have their academic integrity compromised. Internal factors greatly influence student’s academic integrity compared to external factors as highly considered factors namely: goals and reasons, self-efficacy and age are under internal factors. Nevertheless, other factors should not be taken lightly as this still influences academic integrity. Rehabilitation practices must be evidence-based as this will have direct impact on patients thus, academic integrity is something that students must maintain as they progress in their careers. Additional studies are highly recommended to further expand information regarding factors influencing academic integrity among rehabilitation students

Microglia Do Not Restrict SARS-CoV-2 Replication following Infection of the Central Nervous System of K18-Human ACE2 Transgenic Mice.

Unlike SARS-CoV-1 and MERS-CoV, infection with SARS-CoV-2, the viral pathogen responsible for COVID-19, is often associated with neurologic symptoms that range from mild to severe, yet increasing evidence argues the virus does not exhibit extensive neuroinvasive properties. We demonstrate SARS-CoV-2 can infect and replicate in human iPSC-derived neurons and that infection shows limited antiviral and inflammatory responses but increased activation of EIF2 signaling following infection as determined by RNA sequencing. Intranasal infection of K18 human ACE2 transgenic mice (K18-hACE2) with SARS-CoV-2 resulted in lung pathology associated with viral replication and immune cell infiltration. In addition, ∼50% of infected mice exhibited CNS infection characterized by wide-spread viral replication in neurons accompanied by increased expression of chemokine (Cxcl9, Cxcl10, Ccl2, Ccl5 and Ccl19) and cytokine (Ifn-λ and Tnf-α) transcripts associated with microgliosis and a neuroinflammatory response consisting primarily of monocytes/macrophages. Microglia depletion via administration of colony-stimulating factor 1 receptor inhibitor, PLX5622, in SARS-CoV-2 infected mice did not affect survival or viral replication but did result in dampened expression of proinflammatory cytokine/chemokine transcripts and a reduction in monocyte/macrophage infiltration. These results argue that microglia are dispensable in terms of controlling SARS-CoV-2 replication in in the K18-hACE2 model but do contribute to an inflammatory response through expression of pro-inflammatory genes. Collectively, these findings contribute to previous work demonstrating the ability of SARS-CoV-2 to infect neurons as well as emphasizing the potential use of the K18-hACE2 model to study immunological and neuropathological aspects related to SARS-CoV-2-induced neurologic disease. IMPORTANCE Understanding the immunological mechanisms contributing to both host defense and disease following viral infection of the CNS is of critical importance given the increasing number of viruses that are capable of infecting and replicating within the nervous system. With this in mind, the present study was undertaken to evaluate the role of microglia in aiding in host defense following experimental infection of the central nervous system (CNS) of K18-hACE2 with SARS-CoV-2, the causative agent of COVID-19. Neurologic symptoms that range in severity are common in COVID-19 patients and understanding immune responses that contribute to restricting neurologic disease can provide important insight into better understanding consequences associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection of the CNS