Molecular Simulations Matching Denaturation Experiments for N-6-Methyladenosine

Post-transcriptional modifications are crucial for RNA function and can affect its structure and dynamics. Force-field-based classical molecular dynamics simulations are a fundamental tool to characterize biomolecular dynamics, and their application to RNA is flourishing. Here, we show that the set of force-field parameters for N-6-methyladenosine (m(6)A) developed for the commonly used AMBER force field does not reproduce duplex denaturation experiments and, specifically, cannot be used to describe both paired and unpaired states. Then, we use reweighting techniques to derive new parameters matching available experimental data. The resulting force field can be used to properly describe paired and unpaired m(6)A in both syn and anti conformation, which thus opens the way to the use of molecular simulations to investigate the effects of N-6 methylations on RNA structural dynamics

Molecular Dynamics of Solids at Constant Pressure and Stress Using Anisotropic Stochastic Cell Rescaling

Molecular dynamics simulations of solids are often performed using anisotropic barostats that allow the shape and volume of the periodic cell to change during the simulation. Most existing schemes are based on a second-order differential equation that might lead to undesired oscillatory behaviors and should not be used in the equilibration phase. We recently introduced stochastic cell rescaling, a first-order stochastic barostat that can be used for both the equilibration and production phases. Only the isotropic and semi-isotropic variants have been formulated and implemented so far. In this paper, we develop and implement the equations of motion of the fully anisotropic variant and test them on Lennard-Jones solids, ice, gypsum, and gold. The algorithm has a single parameter that controls the relaxation time of the volume, results in the exponential decay of correlation functions, and can be effectively applied to a wide range of systems

Rehabilitative good practices in the treatment of sarcopenia: a narrative review

ABSTRACT: To date, rehabilitative good practices that analyze all aspects of the rehabilitation management of the patient with sarcopenia are absent in the literature. The purpose of this article is to carry out research and evaluation of the evidence, good practice, and recommendations in the literature relating to the rehabilitative treatment of disabilities associated with sarcopenia. Bibliographic research was conducted on Medline, PEDro, Cochrane Database, and Google Scholar. All articles published in the last 10 yrs were analyzed. The results of this research generated three guidelines, eight meta-analyses, five systematic reviews, a Cochrane review, 17 reviews, and seven consensus conferences. From the analysis of the literature, it seems that most of the works agree in affirming that exercise and diet supplementation are the cornerstones of rehabilitation treatment of patients with sarcopenia. The practice of an adequate lifestyle received numerous high-grade recommendations in the included guidelines. Based on the data obtained, the rehabilitation management of the patient with sarcopenia must be personalized and must include exercise and nutritional supplementation. These factors are important in increasing the autonomy of the elderly essential for safe walking without neglecting stretching exercises that are important for flexibility and balance and coordination exercises

Gait analysis advancements: rehabilitation value and new perspectives from forensic application

The clinical and rehabilitation value of gait analysis is remarkable and indisputable and poised to grow as technological advancements unfold. This article aims to shed light on the advances in how gait is assessed, enabling those who have suffered an injury impairing their motor skills to be diagnosed more accurately and efficiently as well as to compare the hallmarks of rehabilitative and forensic gait analysis. The authors have conducted an analysis of relevant papers (published between 1967 and 2020) from a medicolegal perspective, cited in PubMed, MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, EMBASE, and available recommendations for the legal application of such techniques. Moreover, considering the use of gait analysis as a forensic tool, this study broadens the scope of research by including search engines, legal databases, and court filings (DeJure, Lexis Nexis, Justia) between 2000 and 2022. The instrumental assessment of movement (Gait Analysis) has come to constitute an essential analytical tool for the biomedical sector to objectively and accurately assess human movement and posture. The article is also aimed at elaborating differences and similarities between clinical and forensic gait analysis. When it comes to the forensic applicability of gait analysis and its evidentiary value, however, there is a pressing need for a review of its scientific basis. Therefore, it is necessary to conduct a thorough evaluation of its use in legal practice, as stressed in scientific literature and surveys. It is of utmost importance to highlight the procedural and assessment standards currently applied to forensic gait analysis, to evaluate its strengths and weaknesses, and to achieve standardized guidelines based on broad scientific consensus

Integration of focal vibration and intra-articular oxygen–ozone therapy in rehabilitation of painful knee osteoarthritis

Objective: To examine the pain-reducing effects of intra-articular oxygen–ozone (O2O3) injections and mechanical focal vibration (mFV) versus O2O3 injections alone in patients with knee osteoarthritis. Methods: Patients with chronic pain (>6 weeks) due to knee osteoarthritis (II–III on the Kellgren–Lawrence scale) were consecutively enrolled and divided into two groups: O2O3 (n = 25) and O2O3-mFV (n = 24). The visual analog scale (VAS), Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS), and Medical Research Council (MRC) Manual Muscle Testing scale were administered at baseline (before treatment), after 3 weeks of treatment, and 1 month after the end of treatment. Patients received three once-weekly intra-articular injections of O2O3 into the knee (20 mL O3, 20 μg/mL). The O2O3-mFV group also underwent nine sessions of mFV (three sessions per week). Results: The VAS score, KOOS, and MRC score were significantly better in the O2O3-mFV than O2O3 group. The within-group analysis showed that all scores improved over time compared with baseline and were maintained even 1 month after treatment. No adverse events occurred. Conclusion: An integrated rehabilitation protocol involving O2O3 injections and mFV for 3 weeks reduces pain, increases autonomy in daily life activities, and strengthens the quadriceps femoris

Effect of virtual reality rehabilitation on functional outcomes for return-to-work patients with Parkinson's disease: an umbrella review of systematic reviews

BACKGROUND: Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disease characterized by loss of substantia nigra neurons with deficiency of dopamine. The main symptoms are tremor, rigidity and bradykinesia. Rehabilitation has an important role in the treatment of this condition and virtual reality (VR) is one of the most recent tools. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this umbrella review is to evaluate the effectiveness of VR systems on gait control for return to work in patients with PD. METHODS: The electronic search, for reviews and meta-analysis studies that investigated the effectiveness of VR on gait control in PD patients, was performed through December 2021 using the following databases: PubMed, Scopus, PEDro, and Google Scholar. Mesh terms used were: Job integration/reintegration OR return-to-work AND Parkinson's disease AND virtual reality OR exergame. No limit on the year of publication of the article was used. CONCLUSIONS: A total of 14 articles were included in our analysis. The included evidence shows a stride length improvement in patients treated with VR compared to conventional active treatments. No difference was found in walking speed. Also, the included articles show an improvement on various measures of balance, motor function and severity of PD motor symptoms. In addition, the literature shows an improvement in the quality of life and neuropsychiatric symptoms in patients undergoing VR rehabilitation training. RESULTS: he results of our study suggest that VR rehabilitation improves gait performance, particularly stride length, thus being able to provide an improvement in the quality of life and a more effective return to work training in patients with PD

The efficacy of instrumental physical therapy through extracorporeal shock wave therapy in the treatment of plantar fasciitis: an umbrella review

(1) Background: Plantar fasciitis (PF) is the most common cause of heel pain in adults. Extracorporeal shockwave therapy (ESWT) is a minimally invasive treatments commonly used for treating PF. Our aim is to provide a complete overview of which treatments have been compared to ESWT, with a focus on the modalities that have been used. (2) Methods: A thorough search of the literature was performed on Medline via Pubmed, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (CDSR) of the Cochrane Library and Physiotherapy Evidence Databases (PEDro) up to 18 November 2021. In the study were included only systematic reviews and meta-analysis in English language, published from 2010 to date. (3) Results: A total of 14 systematic reviews and meta-analysis were included in the umbrella review. A total of eight studies compared the efficacy of ESWT treatment with placebo, three studies compared ESWT with another therapy (two studies compared ESWT and corticosteroids, one study ESWT and ultrasound therapy), and three studies had more than one comparison. (4) Conclusions: When compared to placebo, ESWT demonstrated to be effective. More randomized trials with specific comparisons between different types and intensity of SW are needed to obtain more precise information on SW effectiveness

Laser and thermal therapy in athletes’ tennis elbow: an observational study

BACKGROUND: Lateral epicondylitis (LE), is a widespread painful situation in the upper extremity that usually occurs due to overuse of the wrist extensor muscles. The aim of our study was to investigate the analgesic and functional effects of laser therapy in association with thermal therapy in sports patients suffering from lateral epicondylitis. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed amateur tennis patients who played sports at least 3 times a week, with medical and ultrasound diagnosis of subacute lateral epicondylitis. All patients underwent 6 sessions of Laser therapy with qmd® Helios laser. A group of patients instead (23, Thermal-Laser Group, TLG), underwent a session of Thermal therapy (qmd® Helios cryo-thermal) before the Laser therapy. The Laser Group (21, LG) on the other hand only performed laser therapy. Patients included in the study were evaluated at baseline (T0), at the end of treatment (T1) and after 15 days from the end of treatment (T2 through Visual Analogue Scale-VAS, muscle strength (Dynamometer) and function (Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand-DASH questionnaire). RESULTS: Fifty-two patients (23 M, 21 F) were enrolled (21 LG; 23 TLG). All evaluations performed show significant improvement over time in both groups. The TLG shows at T1 a greater increase in force compared to the LG. CONCLUSIONS: Laser therapy has certainly been an effective intervention in the management of epicondyle pain for some time. More studies with a higher number of patients and longer follow-up are needed in order to better characterize the benefits of this combination therapy

Evidence of rehabilitative impact of progressive resistance training (PRT) programs in Parkinson disease: an umbrella review

Parkinson disease (PD) is a chronic neurodegenerative condition that leads to progressive disability. PD-related reductions in muscle strength have been reported to be associated with lower functional performance and balance confidence with an increased risk of falls. Progressive resistance training (PRT) improves strength, balance, and functional abilities. This umbrella review examines the efficacy of PRT regarding muscular strength in PD patients. The PubMed, PEDro, Scopus, and Cochrane Library databases were searched from January 2009 to August 2019 for systematic reviews and meta-analyses conducted in English. The populations included had diagnoses of PD and consisted of males and females aged >18 years old. Outcomes measured were muscle strength and enhanced physical function. Eight papers (six systematic reviews and meta-analyses and two systematic reviews) were considered relevant for qualitative analysis. In six of the eight studies, the reported severity of PD was mild to moderate. Each study analyzed how PRT elicited positive effects on muscle strength in PD patients, suggesting 10 weeks on average of progressive resistance exercises for the upper and lower limbs two to three times per week. However, none of the studies considered the postworkout follow-up, and there was no detailed evidence about the value of PRT in preventing falls. The possibility of PRT exercises being effective for increasing muscle strength in patients with PD, but without comorbidities or severe disability, is discussed. Overall, this review suggests that PRT should be included in rehabilitation programs for PD patients, in combination with balance training for postural control and other types of exercise, in order to preserve cardiorespiratory fitness and improve endurance in daily life activities