Action observation training for rehabilitation in brain injuries: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Background : To systematically review and analyse the effects of Action Observation Training on adults and children with brain damage. Methods : Seven electronic databases (Cochrane, EBSCO, Embase, Eric, PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science) were searched up to 16 September 2018 to select Randomized Controlled Trials focused on adults and children with brain damage that included AOT training on upper and/or lower limb carried out for at least 1 week. Identification of studies and data extraction was conducted with two reviewers working independently. Oxford Centre for Evidence-based Medicine (March2009) – Levels of Evidence and Physiotherapy Evidence Database scale were used to grade studies. The data collected from the articles were analysed using software R, version 3.4.3. Hedge’s g values were calculated and effect size estimates were pooled across studies. Separate meta-analyses were carried out for each ICF domain (i.e. body function and activity) for upper and lower limb. Results : Out of the 210 records identified after removing duplicates, 22 were selected for systematic review and 19 were included in the meta-analysis. Thirteen studies included in the meta-analysis focused on upper limb rehabilitation (4 in children and 9 in adults) and 6 on lower limb rehabilitation (only studies in adults). A total of 626 patients were included in the meta-analysis. An overall statistically significant effect size was found for upper limb body function (0.44, 95% CI: [0.24, 0.64], p<0.001) and upper limb activity domain (0.47, 95% CI: [0.30, 0.64], p<0.001). For lower limb, only the activity domain was analysed, revealing a statistically significant overall effect size (0.56, 95% CI: [0.28, 0.84], p<0.001). Conclusions : Action Observation Training (AOT) is an innovative rehabilitation tool for individuals with brain damage, which shows promising results in improving the activity domain for upper and lower limbs, and also the body function domain for the upper limb. However, the examined studies lack uniformity and further well-designed, larger controlled trials are necessary to determine the most suitable type of AOT particularly in childre

Deciphering the molecular bases for drought tolerance in A

Whole genome duplication (autopolyploidy) is common in many plant species and often leads to better adaptation to adverse environmental conditions. However, little is known about the physiological and molecular mechanisms underlying these adaptations. Drought is one of the major environmental conditions limiting plant growth and development. Here, we report that, in Arabidopsis thaliana, tetraploidy promotes alterations in cell proliferation and organ size in a tissue-dependent manner. Furthermore, it potentiates plant tolerance to salt and drought stresses and decreases transpiration rate, likely through controlling stomata density and closure, abscisic acid (ABA) signalling and reactive oxygen species (ROS) homeostasis. Our transcriptomic analyses revealed that tetraploidy mainly regulates the expression of genes involved in redox homeostasis and ABA and stress response. Taken together, our data have shed light on the molecular basis associated with stress tolerance in autopolyploid plants. © 2014 John Wiley and Sons Ltd

Gene expression profiling of the different stages of Arabidopsis thaliana trichome development on the single cell level

International audienc

The immunophilin-interacting protein AtFIP37 is essential for plant development and is involved in trichome endoreduplication

International audienc

The immunophilin-interacting protein AtFIP37 is essential for plant development and is involved in trichome endoreduplication

International audienc