Brugada syndrome during physical therapy: a case report

This case report describes about a young, male patient with persisting syncope during physical therapy for complex regional pain syndrome type 1 after metatarsal fractures

Low-energy Pion-nucleon Scattering

This paper contains the results of an analysis of recent low-energy pion-nucleon scattering experiments. Obtained are phase shifts, the pion-nucleon coupling constant and an estimate of the Sigma term.Comment: 30 pages, 11 figures, LaTe

DNA-based faecal dietary analysis: A comparison of qPCR and high throughput sequencing approaches

The genetic analysis of faecal material represents a relatively non-invasive way to study animal diet and has been widely adopted in ecological research. Due to the heterogeneous nature of faecal material the primary obstacle, common to all genetic approaches, is a means to dissect the constituent DNA sequences. Traditionally, bacterial cloning of PCR amplified products was employed; less common has been the use of species-specific quantitative PCR (qPCR) assays. Currently, with the advent of High-Throughput Sequencing (HTS) technologies and indexed primers it has become possible to conduct genetic audits of faecal material to a much greater depth than previously possible. To date, no studies have systematically compared the estimates obtained by HTS with that of qPCR. What are the relative strengths and weaknesses of each technique and how quantitative are deep-sequencing approaches that employ universal primers? Using the locally threatened Little Penguin (Eudyptula minor) as a model organism, it is shown here that both qPCR and HTS techniques are highly correlated and produce strikingly similar quantitative estimates of fish DNA in faecal material, with no statistical difference. By designing four species-specific fish qPCR assays and comparing the data to the same four fish in the HTS data it was possible to directly compare the strengths and weaknesses of both techniques. To obtain reproducible quantitative data one of the key, and often overlooked, steps common to both approaches is ensuring that efficient DNA isolation methods are employed and that extracts are free of inhibitors. Taken together, the methodology chosen for long-term faecal monitoring programs is largely dependent on the complexity of the prey species present and the level of accuracy that is desired. Importantly, these methods should not be thought of as mutually exclusive, as the use of both HTS and qPCR in tandem will generate datasets with the highest fidelity

Baseline characteristics of the participants.

<p>* Mean (SD).</p><p>^† Median (interquartile range).</p><p>PEPT = Pain Exposure Physical Therapy. CONV = conventional treatment.</p><p>Baseline characteristics of the participants.</p

Descriptives of the dependent variables and the mediator variables.

<p>All data are mean (SD).</p><p>PEPT = Pain Exposure Physical Therapy. CONV = conventional treatment. VAS = Visual Analogue Scale. FABQ = Fear-Avoidance Beliefs Questionnaire. PCS = Pain Catastrophizing Scale.</p><p>Descriptives of the dependent variables and the mediator variables.</p

Outcomes for both treatment groups at baseline and at 3, 6, and 9 months follow-up.

<p>Panel A: dependent variables pain-related disability and pain. Panel B: potential mediators fear-avoidance beliefs, pain catastrophizing, and kinesiophobia. PDI = Pain Disability Index. VAS = Visual Analogue Scale. FABQ = Fear-Avoidance Beliefs Questionnaire. PCS = Pain Catastrophizing Scale. TSK = Tampa Scale for Kinesiophobia. CONV = conventional treatment. PEPT = Pain Exposure Physical Therapy.</p

The fear-avoidance model, showing the targets of Pain Exposure Physical Therapy and graded exposure treatment.

<p>In this model, pain catastrophizing, pain-related fear and avoidance are thought to be mediators for the treatment of disability and consequently pain. Reproduced from Vlaeyen and Linton [<a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0123008#pone.0123008.ref007" target="_blank">7</a>]. PEPT = Pain Exposure Physical Therapy. GEXP = Graded Exposure treatment.</p