Type and Timing of Rehabilitation Following Acute and Subacute Spinal Cord Injury: A Systematic Review

Objectives: The objective of this study was to conduct a systematic review of the literature to address the following clinical questions: In adult patients with acute and subacute complete or incomplete traumatic SCI, (1) does the time interval between injury and commencing rehabilitation affect outcome?; (2) what is the comparative effectiveness of different rehabilitation strategies, including different intensities and durations of treatment?; (3) are there patient or injury characteristics that affect the efficacy of rehabilitation?; and (4) what is the cost-effectiveness of various rehabilitation strategies? Methods: A systematic search was conducted for literature published through March 31, 2015 that evaluated rehabilitation strategies in adults with acute or subacute traumatic SCI at any level. Studies were critically appraised individually and the overall strength of evidence was evaluated using methods proposed by the GRADE (Grades of Recommendation Assessment, Development and Evaluation) working group. Results: The search strategy yielded 384 articles, 19 of which met our inclusion criteria. Based on our results, there was no difference between body weight–supported treadmill training and conventional rehabilitation with respect to improvements in Functional Independence Measure (FIM) Locomotor score, Lower Extremity Motor Scores, the distance walked in 6 minutes or gait velocity over 15.2 m. Functional electrical therapy resulted in slightly better FIM Motor, FIM Self-Care, and Spinal Cord Independence Measure Self-Care subscores compared with conventional occupational therapy. Comparisons using the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute Hand Function Test demonstrated no differences between groups in 7 of 9 domains. There were no clinically important differences in Maximal Lean Test, Maximal Sidewards Reach Test, T-shirt Test, or the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure between unsupported sitting training and standard in-patient rehabilitation. Conclusion: The current evidence base for rehabilitation following acute and subacute spinal cord injury is limited. Methodological challenges have contributed to this and further research is still needed. © 2017, © The Author(s) 2017

Optimizing detection of RET and PPARg rearrangements in thyroid neoplastic cells using a home-brew tetracolor probe

BACKGROUND Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) to identify specific DNA target sequences in the nuclei of nondividing cells of numerous solid neoplasms has contributed to the introduction of molecular cytogenetics as a useful adjunct to cytology, leading recently to the "marriage" of the 2 disciplines. Numerous cancer molecular markers can now be investigated using different technical approaches, at both the gene and expression levels, in biopsies of various suspected cancers, including differentiated thyroid carcinoma. The limited amount of bioptic material is often insufficient to carry out multiple tests, and optimizing handling of the biopsy is desirable. METHODS We have developed a home-brew tetracolor break-apart probe able to simultaneously identify the 2 most common genetic alterations in differentiated thyroid carcinoma: RET/PTC variants in papillary thyroid carcinoma and PAX8/PPARg fusion and variants in follicular thyroid carcinoma. RESULTS The probe had 100% specificity, 99.5% sensitivity, and >= 3% cutoff. The probe was tested on RET/PTC and PAX8/PPARg RT-PCR positive controls, and feasibility was assessed in 368 thyroid nodule fine-needle aspirations (FNA). In the latter analysis, 24 FNAs had split RET signal, and 9 had split PPARg signal. FISH analysis of available surgically removed nodules confirmed the sensitivity of FISH in detecting abnormal clones and oligoclones. CONCLUSIONS The home-brew tetracolor probe showed high feasibility, optimizing the use of the biological material in relation to the available molecular tests and maximizing the FISH experimental and slide-scoring times. This probe may be considered an alternative to RT-PCR when recovery and quality of RNA amplification from FNA are insufficient

Measurement of the time resolution of the installed muon chambers with the 2008 cosmic runs

One of the main goals of the LHCb muon system commissioning is to access the detector performance and identify possible misbehaviors in the installed chambers: this is partially possible using cosmic ray muons tracked through the detector. In this note we focus on the measurement of the time resolution of the whole installed detector (M2-M5 stations) using the 2008 commissioning data. Results are compared with the expected performances

Trends in Spinal Surgery for Pott\u27s Disease (2000-2016): An Overview and Bibliometric Study.

Study Design: Systematic review. Objectives: (1) What are the surgical indications? Have they changed over time since the year 2000? (2) What is the current surgical approaches of choice? Have they changed over time since the year 2000? Do they vary by geographical region? (3) What are the most common outcome measures following surgery? Methods: Electronic databases and reference lists of key articles were searched from database inception from January 1, 2000 to December 31, 2016 to identify studies specifically evaluating surgical indications, current surgical approaches, and outcome measures for spinal tuberculosis. Results: Six randomized controlled trials were identified from our search (1 excluded: no surgical arm identified after review) Neurological deficit, instability and deformity were common indications identified. Surgical approach included predominantly anterior for cervical spine and posterior for thoracic and lumbar spine. Combined approach was preferred in pediatric cases. Degree of deformity correction, neurological outcomes, and fusion formed the main bases of assessing surgical outcomes. Conclusions: Majority of the current literature is from South Asia. The presence of neurological compromise, deformity, and instability were the primary criteria for surgical intervention. The preferred approach varied with the anatomical region of the spine in adults. Outcome measures predominantly involved deformity correction, neurological deficit, and fusion

Stima evapotraspirativa dei fabbisogni irrigui nelle principali aree agricole della Sardegna

ETP calculation for three important irriguous areas of Southern (39°17' N. I), Central (39°53' N. I) and Northern (40°41' N. I) Sardinia through F.A.O. method shows too much high values with originai Blaney-Criddle equation, reduced differences with Penman (original and F.A.O.) equation, Radiation method and B.-C. F.A.O. equation respectively. The last method, believed the most suitable according to the first lisimetric measurements, estimates annual mean ETP equal to 1194 mm, 1077 mm and 1022 mm for Southern, Central and Northern Sardinia. Effective rainfall successive analysis shows they are 50% of total rainfall (in case of grasses) and they hold ETP for about 22%. Therefore seasonal irrigation requirements, calculated through F.A.O. crop coefficients, are among 841 mm, 791 mm and 706 mm concerning grasses, and 353 mm, 322 mm and 311 mm concerning olive tree, for Southern, Central and Northern Sardinia