Improving learning abilities and inclusion through movement: the Movi-Mente© method

Currently, challenges regarding preschooler children are mainly focused on a sedentary lifestyle. Also, motor activity in infancy is seen as a tool for the separate acquisition of cognitive and socio-emotional skills rather than considering neuromotor development as a tool for improving learning abilities. The paper utilized an observational research method to shed light on the results of practicing neuromotor exercises in preschool children with disability as well as provide implications for practice

Shear stress reverses dome formation in confluent renal tubular cells.

It has been shown that MDCK cells, a cell line derived from canine renal tubules, develop cell domes due to fluid pumped under cell monolayer and focal detachment from the adhesion surface. In vitro studies have shown that primary cilia of kidney tubular epithelial cells act as mechanosensors, increasing intracellular calcium within seconds upon changes in fluid shear stress (SS) on cell membrane. We then studied the effect of prolonged SS exposure on cell dome formation in confluent MDCK cell monolayers.A parallel plate flow chamber was used to apply laminar SS at 2 dynes/cm(2) to confluent cell monolayers for 6 hours. Control MDCK cell monolayers were maintained in static condition. The effects of Ca(2+) blockade and cell deciliation on SS exposure were also investigated.Seven days after reaching confluence, static cultures developed liquid filled domes, elevating from culture plate. Exposure to SS induced almost complete disappearance of cell domes (0.4±0.8 vs. 11.4±2.8 domes/mm(2), p0.01, n=14). SS induced dome disappearance took place within minutes to hours, as shown by time-lapse videomicroscopy. Exposure to SS importantly affected cell cytoskeleton altering actin stress fibers expression and organization, and the distribution of tight junction protein ZO-1. Dome disappearance induced by flow was completely prevented in the presence of EGTA or after cell deciliation.These data indicate that kidney tubular cells are sensitive to apical flow and that these effects are mediated by primary cilia by regulation of Ca(2+) entry in to the cell. SS induced Ca(2+) entry provokes contraction of cortical actin ring that tenses cell-cell borders and decreases basal stress fibers. These processes may increase paracellular permeability and decrease basal adhesion making dome disappear. Elucidation of the effects of apical fluid flow on tubular cell function may open new insights on the pathophysiology of kidney diseases associated with cilia dysfunction

Effects of Remote Digital Monitoring on Oral Hygiene of Orthodontic Patients: A Prospective Study

BACKGROUND: Remote digital monitoring during orthodontic treatment can help patients in improving their oral hygiene performance and reducing the number of appointments due to emergency reasons, especially in time of COVID-19 pandemic where non-urgent appointments might be discouraged. METHODS: Thirty patients scheduled to start an orthodontic treatment were divided into two groups of fifteen. Compared to controls, study group patients were provided with scan box and cheek retractor (Dental Monitoring®) and were instructed to take monthly intra-oral scans. Plaque Index (PI), Gingival Index (GI), and White Spot Lesions (WSL) were recorded for both groups at baseline (t0), every month for the first 3 months (t1, t2, t3), and at 6 months (t4). Carious Lesions Onset (CLO) and Emergency Appointments (EA) were also recorded during the observation period. Inter-group differences were assessed with Student\u27s t test and Chi-square test, intra-group differences were assessed with Cochran’s Q-test (significance α = 0.05). RESULTS: Study group patients showed a significant improvement in plaque control at t3 (p = 0.010) and t4 (p = 0.039), compared to control group. No significant difference was observed in the number of WSL between the two groups. No cavities were detected in the study group, while five CLO were diagnosed in the control group (p = 0.049). A decreased number of EA was observed in the study group, but the difference was not significant. CONCLUSIONS: Integration of a remote monitoring system during orthodontic treatment was effective in improving plaque control and reducing carious lesions onset. The present findings encourage orthodontists to consider this technology to help maintaining optimal oral health of patients, especially in times of health emergency crisis

Clinical effects of different prescriptions on the inclination of maxillary and mandibular incisors by using passive self-ligating brackets

Controlling the incisal inclination is fundamental in orthodontics. However, the relationship between the inclination prescription and its clinical outcome is not obvious, and the incisal inclination changes generated by different bracket prescriptions were investigated

Modeling spatially dependent functional data via regression with differential regularization

We propose a method for modelling spatially dependent functional data, based on regression with differential regularization. The regularizing term enables to include problem-specific information about the spatio-temporal variation of phenomenon under study, formalized in terms of a time-dependent partial differential equation. The method is implemented using a discretization based on finite elements in space and finite differences in time. This non-tensor product basis allows to effciently handle data distributed over complex domains and where the shape of the domain influences the phenomenon behavior. Moreover, the method can comply with specific conditions at the boundary of the domain of interest. Simulation studies compare the proposed model to available techniques for spatio-temporal data. The method is also illustrated via an application to the study of blood-flow velocity field in a carotid artery affected by atherosclerosis, starting from echo-color doppler and magnetic resonance imaging data

Mixed Finite Elements for spatial regression with PDE penalization

We study a class of models at the interface between statistics and numerical analysis. Specifically, we consider nonparametric regression models for the estimation of spatial fields from pointwise and noisy observations, which account for problem-specific prior information, described in terms of a partial differential equation governing the phenomenon under study. The prior information is incorporated in the model via a roughness term using a penalized regression framework. We prove the well-posedness of the estimation problem, and we resort to a mixed equal order finite element method for its discretization. Moreover, we prove the well-posedness and the optimal convergence rate of the proposed discretization method. Finally the smoothing technique is extended to the case of areal data, particularly interesting in many applications

MATHICSE Technical Report : Modelling spatially dependent functional data via regression with differential regularization

We propose a method for modelling spatially dependent functional data, based on regression with differential regularization. The regularizing term enables to include problem-specific information about the spatio-temporal variation of phenomenon under study, formalized in terms of a time-dependent partial differential equation. The method is implemented using a discretization based on finite elements in space and finite differences in time. This non-tensor product basis allows to efficiently handle data distributed over complex domains and where the shape of the domain influences the phenomenon behavior. Moreover, the method can comply with specific conditions at the boundary of the domain of interest. Simulation studies compare the proposed model to available techniques for spatio-temporal data. The method is also illustrated via an application to the study of blood-flow velocity field in a carotid artery affected by atherosclerosis, starting from echo-color doppler and magnetic resonance imaging data

Burnout in cardiac anesthesiologists. results from a national survey in italy

Objective: There is increasing burnout incidence among medical disciplines, and physicians working in emergency settings seem at higher risk. Cardiac anesthesiology is a stressful anesthesiology subspecialty dealing with high-risk patients. The authors hypothesized a high risk of burnout in cardiac anesthesiologists. Design: National survey conducted on burnout Setting: Italian cardiac centers. Participants: Cardiac anesthesiologists. Interventions: The authors administered via email an anonymous questionnaire divided into 3 parts. The first 2 parts evaluated workload and private life. The third part consisted of the Maslach Burnout Inventory test with its 3 constituents: high emotional exhaustion, high depersonalization, and low personal accomplishment. Measurements and Main Results: The authors measured the prevalence and risk of burnout through the Maslach Burnout Inventory questionnaire and analyzed factors influencing burnout. Among 670 contacts from 71 centers, 382 cardiac anesthesiologists completed the survey (57%). The authors found the following mean Maslach Burnout Inventory values: 14.5 ± 9.7 (emotional exhaustion), 9.1 ± 7.1 (depersonalization), and 33.7 ± 8.9 (personal accomplishment). A rate of 34%, 54%, and 66% of respondents scored in “high” or “moderate-high” risk of burnout (emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and personal accomplishment, respectively). The authors found that, if offered to change subspecialty, 76% of respondents would prefer to remain in cardiac anesthesiology. This preference and parenthood were the only 2 investigated factors with a protective effect against all components of burnout. Significantly lower burnout scores were found in more experienced anesthesiologists. Conclusion: A relatively high incidence of burnout was found in cardiac anesthesiologists, especially regarding high depersonalization and low personal accomplishment. Nonetheless, most of the respondents would choose to remain in cardiac anesthesiology

Experienced Use of Dexmedetomidine in the Intensive Care Unit: A Report of a Structured Consensus

OBJECTIVE: Management of pain, agitation and delirium (PAD) remains to be a true challenge in critically ill patients. The pharmacological proprieties of dexmedetomidine (DEX) make it an ideal candidate drug for light and cooperative sedation, but many practical questions remain unanswered. This structured consensus from 17 intensivists well experienced on PAD management and DEX use provides indications for the appropriate use of DEX in clinical practice. METHODS: A modified RAND/UCLA appropriateness method was used. In four predefined patient populations, the clinical scenarios do not properly cope by the current recommended pharmacological strategies (except DEX), and the possible advantages of DEX use were identified and voted for agreement, after reviewing literature data. RESULTS: Three scenarios in medical patients, five scenarios in patients with acute respiratory failure undergoing non-invasive ventilation, three scenarios in patients with cardiac surgery in the early postoperative period and three scenarios in patients with overt delirium were identified as challenging with the current PAD strategies. In these scenarios, the use of DEX was voted as potentially useful by most of the panellists owing to its specific pharmacological characteristics, such as conservation of cognitive function, lack of effects on the respiratory drive, low induction of delirium and analgesia effects. CONCLUSION: DEX might be considered as a first-line sedative in different scenarios even though conclusive data on its benefits are still lacking

Neural stem cell transplantation in patients with progressive multiple sclerosis: an open-label, phase 1 study

Innovative pro-regenerative treatment strategies for progressive multiple sclerosis (PMS), combining neuroprotection and immunomodulation, represent an unmet need. Neural precursor cells (NPCs) transplanted in animal models of multiple sclerosis have shown preclinical efficacy by promoting neuroprotection and remyelination by releasing molecules sustaining trophic support and neural plasticity. Here we present the results of STEMS, a prospective, therapeutic exploratory, non-randomized, open-label, single-dose-finding phase 1 clinical trial (NCT03269071, EudraCT 2016-002020-86), performed at San Raffaele Hospital in Milan, Italy, evaluating the feasibility, safety and tolerability of intrathecally transplanted human fetal NPCs (hfNPCs) in 12 patients with PMS (with evidence of disease progression, Expanded Disability Status Scale >= 6.5, age 18-55 years, disease duration 2-20 years, without any alternative approved therapy). The safety primary outcome was reached, with no severe adverse reactions related to hfNPCs at 2-year follow-up, clearly demonstrating that hfNPC therapy in PMS is feasible, safe and tolerable. Exploratory secondary analyses showed a lower rate of brain atrophy in patients receiving the highest dosage of hfNPCs and increased cerebrospinal fluid levels of anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective molecules. Although preliminary, these results support the rationale and value of future clinical studies with the highest dose of hfNPCs in a larger cohort of patients