The triune brain: limbic mind, mind plastic, emotional mind

Problem statement: The theory discussed is revealing, as compared to studies on the human brain, the fact that he has inherited the structure and organization of three fundamental types of reptiles, ancient or primitive mammals and mammals, or recent evolved. What is very disconcerting is that nature has been able to connect with each other and establish a sort of communication between them. Approach: The objective was to focus the study on chemical substances that regulate the activity of nerve cells, neurons. We can define neuromodulators or modulators of behavior because their intervention more or less obvious influence our own actions. The method under consideration is the TMS, transcranial magnetic stimulation, a noninvasive technique of Neurostimulation and neuromodulation which is based on a type of electromagnetic induction of an electric field. Results: This property of TMS allows us to understand the precise moment when a brain region contributes to a certain task, to map the functional connectivity between different brain regions, to identify the causal relationships involved far treated between brain, cognition and behavior. Conclusion: It 'as certain that the thoughts and experience change the configuration of our brain connections, but so can the induced systems, based on the same principle, capable of altering particularly for therapeutic, rehabilitative or educational, the brain matter on the basis of premises of the so-called phenomenon called Hebbian learning based on chemical changes in the cells and synapses known as long-term potentiation

Multiple myeloma and farming. A systematic review of 30 years of research. Where next?

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Multiple myeloma has been linked to farming for over thirty years. However, there is little clarity about the magnitude of the risk, nor about the specific agricultural exposures which contribute to the risk.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We have carried out a systematic review of case-control studies of multiple myeloma published from 1970 to October 2007. Studies were identified through database searches and from references in the literature.</p> <p>Studies reporting risk estimates from farming, agricultural exposures, and exposure to animals were identified, and details abstracted. The impact of study heterogeneity, publication bias, variation in methods of case identification and exposure ascertainment between studies were considered in analysis.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Case control studies showed a pooled odds ratio (OR) for working as a farmer of 1.39 95% CI 1.18 to 1.65. There was no graphic evidence of publication bias, for pesticide exposure 1.47; 95% 1.11 to 1.94, for DDT 2.19; CI 95% 1.30 to 2.95; for exposed to herbicides 1.69; 95 %CI 1.01 to 1.83. For working on a farm for more than ten years OR was 1.87; 95% CI 1.15 to 3.16.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Farmers seem to have increase risk for MM. However, a major limitation of this analysis is the presence of significant heterogeneity across the studies and the evidence of publication bias in some models.</p> <p>A pooled analysis using individual level data could provide more power and permit the harmonization of occupational and exposure coding data.</p

Serious Games for Physical Rehabilitation: Aesthetic discrepancies between custom-made serious games and commercial titles used for healthcare

Serious games are videogames that are used with purposes that go beyond the mere entertainment of the player. Among their many applications, healthcare is one of the most prominent ones, as serious games can have a wide range of uses within this field, namely physical rehabilitation of patients. For this purpose, both custom-made serious games and commercial entertainment titles, such as those for Nintendo Wii, can be used. However, while custom-made serious games appear to be more clinically effective, patients seem to prefer the gaming experience of playing a commercial title. This paper aims to compare the game goals and the aesthetics of Wii Sports (a commercial title used in the context of physical rehabilitation) with custom-made serious games that have obtained clinically significant results in upper limb rehabilitation, in order to try and understand what can be done to bridge the gap between these two approaches

New gene functions are involved in the thermotolerance of the wild wheat relative Aegilops umbellulata

Wheat is one of the most important food crops in the world for human consumption, like all plants it is exposed to environmental stresses including high temperatures. The deleterious effect of high temperatures negatively affects plant growth and development, leading to reduced viability and yield. These effects can be reduced by improvement of thermotolerance through innovative breeding strategies, based on the expansion of the genetic pool available, by exploring important genetic functions from wheat wild progenitors. Improving the genetic thermotolerance characteristics of wheat requires greater understanding of genetic bases of thermotolerance, through identification of high temperature stress related genes. A good source of new useful alleles is given by Aegilops species characterized by thermotolerant habits. In this study we have classified as thermotolerant or thermosensitive, on the basis of physiologic tests, some accessions of wheat wild relative species belonging to Aegilops and Triticum genera. A thermotolerant accession of Aegilops umbellulata (AUM5) was selected, subjected to different thermal treatments and analyzed at transcriptional level. By differential display reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (DDRT-PCR), we investigated modulation of gene expression elicited by heat treatments. This approach allowed the identification of various transcript-derived fragments (TDFs) produced by AUM5 in response to different thermal treatments. The functions of the inducible unique genes in the molecular determination of thermotolerance process are discussed

Lubricin in synovial fluid of mild and severe temporomandibular joint internal derangements

To understand the molecular basis of temporomandibular joint (TMJ) pathologies, we aimed to investigate the lubricin levels in the TMJ synovial fluid (SF) of patients with mild to severe internal derangements (IDs). A total, 34 joints were the study group. Only patients, with a Wilkes stage of III, IV and V were included, in this sample. Control group consisted of SF from eight joints, from patients undergoing to orthognatic surgery. Concentrations of lubricin in the SF from both samples were measured using ELISA system. The mean lubricin concentration was 7.029 ± 0.21 µg/mL in stage III patients; 5.64 ± 0.10 µg/mL in stage IV patients, and 4.78 ± 0.11 µg/mL in stage V patients. The lubricin levels from stage IV and stage V patients differed significantly (P ? 0.001) from those of control subjects. Lubricin levels were inversely correlated with age and to VAS score. The results of this cross-sectional study highlight the relationship between disease severity and the levels of lubricin in TMJ SF. Our findings suggest that novel biotherapeutic approaches, including the administration of recombinant lubricin in the joint cavity, for the treatment of TMJ diseases can be developed

Homelessness and health-related outcomes in the Republic of Ireland: a systematic review, meta-analysis and evidence map

Aim: To map existing research on homelessness and health in the Republic of Ireland, and to synthesize the evidence on housing-related disparities in health. Methods: Peer-reviewed articles and conference abstracts published in English between 2012–2022 were retrieved from 11 bibliographic databases if they contained empirical data on homelessness and health in Ireland, and – in a subsequent screening stage – at least one measure of health disparity between the homeless and general populations. Reviewers extracted relative risks (RR), 95% confidence intervals (CI), and calculated pooled RR of comparable health disparities using pairwise random-effects meta-analyses. Results: One hundred four articles contained empirical data on the health of homeless individuals residing in Ireland, addressing primarily substance use, addiction and mental health. Homelessness was associated with increased risk of illicit drug use (RR 7.33 [95% CI 4.2, 12.9]), reduced access to a general practitioner (GP) (RR 0.73 [CI 95% 0.71, 0.75]), frequent emergency department (ED) presentation (pooled RR 27.8 [95% CI 4.1, 189.8]), repeat presentation for self-harm (pooled RR 1.6 [95% CI 1.2, 2.0]) and premature departure from hospital (pooled RR 2.65 [95% CI 1.27, 5.53]). Conclusions: Homelessness in Ireland is associated with reduced access to primary care and overreliance on acute care. Chronic conditions amongst homeless individuals are understudied.Open Access funding provided by the IReL ConsortiumAhead of print to check citing and date details in 6

Method for positioning and rehabilitation training with the ExoAtlet® powered exoskeleton

Exoskeletons for locomotion, support, or other uses are becoming more common. An increasing number of studies are demonstrating relevant results in rehabilitation. Here we describe the steps required to properly place and train patients in ExoAtlet ® powered exoskeletons (Moscow, Russia), for which there is currently limited information available. These steps combine actions related to the hardware, software, as well as safety, rehabilitation, and psycho-emotional state of the subject. Training starts with a general preparation of the environment, the equipment, and the patient. When the actual training program begins, the patient needs to gradually learn to perform the different actions that will be required to control the exoskeleton. Initially, training requires transferring weight between legs to guarantee adequate equilibrium control. Then, actions assisted by computer-controlled motors begin, namely: standing up, walking in place, moving small distances and sitting down. As the patient becomes comfortable with the exoskeleton and the cardiovascular system becomes adjusted to the upright position, training can then include walking over longer distances, inclined planes, opening doors, and climbing stairs.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

Neurophysiological correlates of tactile width discrimination in humans

Introduction: Tactile information processing requires the integration of sensory, motor, and cognitive information. Width discrimination has been extensively studied in rodents, but not in humans. Methods: Here, we describe Electroencephalography (EEG) signals in humans performing a tactile width discrimination task. The first goal of this study was to describe changes in neural activity occurring during the discrimination and the response periods. The second goal was to relate specific changes in neural activity to the performance in the task. Results: Comparison of changes in power between two different periods of the task, corresponding to the discrimination of the tactile stimulus and the motor response, revealed the engagement of an asymmetrical network associated with fronto-temporo-parieto-occipital electrodes and across multiple frequency bands. Analysis of ratios of higher [Ratio 1: (0.5–20 Hz)/(0.5–45 Hz)] or lower frequencies [Ratio 2: (0.5–4.5 Hz)/(0.5–9 Hz)], during the discrimination period revealed that activity recorded from frontal-parietal electrodes was correlated to tactile width discrimination performance between-subjects, independently of task difficulty. Meanwhile, the dynamics in parieto-occipital electrodes were correlated to the changes in performance within-subjects (i.e., between the first and the second blocks) independently of task difficulty. In addition, analysis of information transfer, using Granger causality, further demonstrated that improvements in performance between blocks were characterized by an overall reduction in information transfer to the ipsilateral parietal electrode (P4) and an increase in information transfer to the contralateral parietal electrode (P3). Discussion: The main finding of this study is that fronto-parietal electrodes encoded between-subjects’ performances while parieto-occipital electrodes encoded within-subjects’ performances, supporting the notion that tactile width discrimination processing is associated with a complex asymmetrical network involving fronto-parieto-occipital electrodes.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio