Gamification and neurological motor rehabilitation in children and adolescents: A systematic review

Introducción: La ludificación consiste en emplear el juego en contextos no lúdicos. Su uso en la rehabilitación motora de patologías neurológicas está muy extendido, pero sobre todo en pacientes adultos. El objetivo de esta revisión fue describir el uso de la ludificación en los tratamientos de rehabilitación en niños y adolescentes con afectación neuromotora. Métodos: Se realizó una revisión sistemática de ensayos clínicos en diferentes bases de datos: Medline (a través de Pubmed), Scielo, SCOPUS, Dialnet, Cinahl y PEDro de la literatura científica publicada hasta la fecha siguiendo el protocolo PRISMA. La calidad metodológica de los estudios identificados se evaluó a través de la escala PEDro. Resultados: De un total de 469 estudios localizados se seleccionaron 10 ensayos clínicos que cumplieron los criterios de inclusión. Se analizaron los sistemas de ludificación utilizados como parte del tratamiento rehabilitador en distintas afecciones neuromotoras en niños y adolescentes. La parálisis cerebral fue la afección con mayor número de estudios (n = 6), seguida del trastorno del desarrollo de la coordinación (n = 3). También se estudió la alteración del equilibrio y coordinación por causa neurológica (n = 1). Conclusión: El uso de la ludificación en rehabilitación aporta beneficios al tratamiento con vencional de las alteraciones neuromotoras en ninos ˜ y adolescentes, siendo el incremento de la motivación y de la adherencia terapéutica los que mayor consenso han alcanzado entre auto res. Fuerza, equilibrio, funcionalidad y coordinación son otras variables analizadas que, si bien sugieren mejoras, necesitarían futuras investigaciones para determinar una óptima dosificación

HuR/ELAVL1 drives malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor growth and metastasis

Cancer cells can develop a strong addiction to discrete molecular regulators, which control the aberrant gene expression programs that drive and maintain the cancer phenotype. Here, we report the identification of the RNA-binding protein HuR/ELAVL1 as a central oncogenic driver for malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors (MPNSTs), which are highly aggressive sarcomas that originate from cells of the Schwann cell lineage. HuR was found to be highly elevated and bound to a multitude of cancer-associated transcripts in human MPNST samples. Accordingly, genetic and pharmacological inhibition of HuR had potent cytostatic and cytotoxic effects on tumor growth, and strongly suppressed metastatic capacity in vivo. Importantly, we linked the profound tumorigenic function of HuR to its ability to simultaneously regulate multiple essential oncogenic pathways in MPNST cells, including the Wnt/β-catenin, YAP/TAZ, RB/E2F, and BET pathways, which converge on key transcriptional networks. Given the exceptional dependency of MPNST cells on HuR for survival, proliferation, and dissemination, we propose that HuR represents a promising therapeutic target for MPNST treatment

What to consider when pseudohypoparathyroidism is ruled out: IPPSD and differential diagnosis

Background: Pseudohypoparathyroidism (PHP) is a rare disease whose phenotypic features are rather difficult to identify in some cases. Thus, although these patients may present with the Albright''s hereditary osteodystrophy (AHO) phenotype, which is characterized by small stature, obesity with a rounded face, subcutaneous ossifications, mental retardation and brachydactyly, its manifestations are somewhat variable. Indeed, some of them present with a complete phenotype, whereas others show only subtle manifestations. In addition, the features of the AHO phenotype are not specific to it and a similar phenotype is also commonly observed in other syndromes. Brachydactyly type E (BDE) is the most specific and objective feature of the AHO phenotype, and several genes have been associated with syndromic BDE in the past few years. Moreover, these syndromes have a skeletal and endocrinological phenotype that overlaps with AHO/PHP. In light of the above, we have developed an algorithm to aid in genetic testing of patients with clinical features of AHO but with no causative molecular defect at the GNAS locus. Starting with the feature of brachydactyly, this algorithm allows the differential diagnosis to be broadened and, with the addition of other clinical features, can guide genetic testing. Methods: We reviewed our series of patients (n = 23) with a clinical diagnosis of AHO and with brachydactyly type E or similar pattern, who were negative for GNAS anomalies, and classify them according to the diagnosis algorithm to finally propose and analyse the most probable gene(s) in each case. Results: A review of the clinical data for our series of patients, and subsequent analysis of the candidate gene(s), allowed detection of the underlying molecular defect in 12 out of 23 patients: five patients harboured a mutation in PRKAR1A, one in PDE4D, four in TRPS1 and two in PTHLH. Conclusions: This study confirmed that the screening of other genes implicated in syndromes with BDE and AHO or a similar phenotype is very helpful for establishing a correct genetic diagnosis for those patients who have been misdiagnosed with "AHO-like phenotype" with an unknown genetic cause, and also for better describing the characteristic and differential features of these less common syndromes

Enhanced production of multi-strange hadrons in high-multiplicity proton-proton collisions

At sufficiently high temperature and energy density, nuclear matter undergoes a transition to a phase in which quarks and gluons are not confined: the quark-gluon plasma (QGP)(1). Such an exotic state of strongly interacting quantum chromodynamics matter is produced in the laboratory in heavy nuclei high-energy collisions, where an enhanced production of strange hadrons is observed(2-6). Strangeness enhancement, originally proposed as a signature of QGP formation in nuclear collisions(7), is more pronounced for multi-strange baryons. Several effects typical of heavy-ion phenomenology have been observed in high-multiplicity proton-proton (pp) collisions(8,9), but the enhanced production of multi-strange particles has not been reported so far. Here we present the first observation of strangeness enhancement in high-multiplicity proton-proton collisions. We find that the integrated yields of strange and multi-strange particles, relative to pions, increases significantly with the event charged-particle multiplicity. The measurements are in remarkable agreement with the p-Pb collision results(10,11), indicating that the phenomenon is related to the final system created in the collision. In high-multiplicity events strangeness production reaches values similar to those observed in Pb-Pb collisions, where a QGP is formed.Peer reviewe

Measurement of azimuthal correlations of D mesons with charged particles in pp collisions at √s=7 TeV and p-Pb collisions at √sNN=5.02 TeV

The azimuthal correlations of D mesons with charged particles were measured with the ALICE apparatus in pp collisions at root s = 7 TeV and p-Pb collisions at root sNN = 5.02 TeV at the Large Hadron Collider. D-0, D+, and D*+ mesons and their charge conjugates with transverse momentum 3 0.3 GeV/c. The yield of charged particles in the correlation peak induced by the jet containing the D meson and the peak width are compatible within uncertainties in the two collision systems. The data are described within uncertainties by Monte-Carlo simulations based on PYTHIA, POWHEG, and EPOS 3 event generators.Peer reviewe

Charged-particle multiplicities in proton-proton collisions at root s=0.9 to 8 TeV

A detailed study of pseudorapidity densities and multiplicity distributions of primary charged particles produced in proton-proton collisions, atv root s = 0.9, 2.36, 2.76, 7 and 8 TeV, in the pseudorapidity range vertical bar n vertical bar<2, was carried out using the ALICE detector. Measurements were obtained for three event classes: inelastic, non-single diffractive and events with at least one charged particle in the pseudorapidity interval vertical bar n vertical barPeer reviewe

phi-Meson production at forward rapidity in p-Pb collisions at root s(NN)=5.02 TeV and in pp collisions at root s=2.76 TeV

The first study of phi-meson production in p-Pb collisions at forward and backward rapidity, at a nucleonnucleon centre-of-mass energy root s(NN)= 5.02 TeV, has been performed with the ALICE apparatus at the LHC. The phi-mesons have been identified in the dimuon decay channel in the transverse momentum (p(T)) range 1 <p(T) <7GeV/c, both in the p-going (2.03 <y <3.53) and the Pb-going (-4.46 <y <-2.96) directions - where ystands for the rapidity in the nucleon-nucleon centre-of-mass - the integrated luminosity amounting to 5.01 +/- 0.19nb(-1) and 5.81 +/- 0.20nb(-1), respectively, for the two data samples. Differential cross sections as a function of transverse momentum and rapidity are presented. The forward-backward ratio for f-meson production is measured for 2.96Peer reviewe

Measurement of D-s(+) product ion and nuclear modification factor in Pb-Pb collisions at root S-NN=2.76 TeV

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Elliptic flow of electrons from heavy-flavour hadron decays at mid-rapidity in Pb-Pb collisions at root s(NN)=2.76 TeV

The elliptic flow of electrons from heavy-flavour hadron decays at mid-rapidity (|y| <0.7) is measured in Pb-Pb collisions at TeV with ALICE at the LHC. The particle azimuthal distribution with respect to the reaction plane can be parametrized with a Fourier expansion, where the second coefficient (v (2)) represents the elliptic flow. The v (2) coefficient of inclusive electrons is measured in three centrality classes (0-10%, 10-20% and 20-40%) with the event plane and the scalar product methods in the transverse momentum (p (T)) intervals 0.5-13 GeV/c and 0.5-8 GeV/c, respectively. After subtracting the background, mainly from photon conversions and Dalitz decays of neutral mesons, a positive v (2) of electrons from heavy-flavour hadron decays is observed in all centrality classes, with a maximum significance of 5.9 sigma in the interval 2 <p (T) <2.5 GeV/c in semi-central collisions (20-40%). The value of v (2) decreases towards more central collisions at low and intermediate p (T) (0.5 <p (T) <3 GeV/c). The v (2) of electrons from heavy-flavour hadron decays at mid-rapidity is found to be similar to the one of muons from heavy-flavour hadron decays at forward rapidity (2.5 <y <4). The results are described within uncertainties by model calculations including substantial elastic interactions of heavy quarks with an expanding strongly-interacting medium.Peer reviewe

One-dimensional pion, kaon, and proton femtoscopy in Pb-Pb collisions at root(NN)-N-S=2.76 TeV

The size of the particle emission region in high-energy collisions can be deduced using the femtoscopic correlations of particle pairs at low relative momentum. Such correlations arise due to quantum statistics and Coulomb and strong final state interactions. In this paper, results are presented from femtoscopic analyses of pi(+/-) pi(+/-), K-+/- K-+/-, K-S(0) K-S(0), pp, and (pp) over bar correlations from Pb-Pb collisions at root s(NN) = 2.76 TeV by the ALICE experiment at the LHC. One-dimensional radii of the system are extracted from correlation functions in terms of the invariant momentum difference of the pair. The comparison of the measured radii with the predictions from a hydrokinetic model is discussed. The pion and kaon source radii display a monotonic decrease with increasing average pair transverse mass m(T) which is consistent with hydrodynamic model predictions for central collisions. The kaon and proton source sizes can be reasonably described by approximate m(T) scaling.Peer reviewe