Taking two to tango:fMRI analysis of improvised joint action with physical contact

<div><p>Many forms of joint action involve physical coupling between the participants, such as when moving a sofa together or dancing a tango. We report the results of a novel two-person functional MRI study in which trained couple dancers engaged in bimanual contact with an experimenter standing next to the bore of the magnet, and in which the two alternated between being the leader and the follower of joint improvised movements. Leading showed a general pattern of self-orientation, being associated with brain areas involved in motor planning, navigation, sequencing, action monitoring, and error correction. In contrast, following showed a far more sensory, externally-oriented pattern, revealing areas involved in somatosensation, proprioception, motion tracking, social cognition, and outcome monitoring. We also had participants perform a “mutual” condition in which the movement patterns were pre-learned and the roles were symmetric, thereby minimizing any tendency toward either leading or following. The mutual condition showed greater activity in brain areas involved in mentalizing and social reward than did leading or following. Finally, the analysis of improvisation revealed the dual importance of motor-planning and working-memory areas. We discuss these results in terms of theories of both joint action and improvisation.</p></div

Evolving trends in the management of acute appendicitis during COVID-19 waves. The ACIE appy II study

Background: In 2020, ACIE Appy study showed that COVID-19 pandemic heavily affected the management of patients with acute appendicitis (AA) worldwide, with an increased rate of non-operative management (NOM) strategies and a trend toward open surgery due to concern of virus transmission by laparoscopy and controversial recommendations on this issue. The aim of this study was to survey again the same group of surgeons to assess if any difference in management attitudes of AA had occurred in the later stages of the outbreak. Methods: From August 15 to September 30, 2021, an online questionnaire was sent to all 709 participants of the ACIE Appy study. The questionnaire included questions on personal protective equipment (PPE), local policies and screening for SARS-CoV-2 infection, NOM, surgical approach and disease presentations in 2021. The results were compared with the results from the previous study. Results: A total of 476 answers were collected (response rate 67.1%). Screening policies were significatively improved with most patients screened regardless of symptoms (89.5% vs. 37.4%) with PCR and antigenic test as the preferred test (74.1% vs. 26.3%). More patients tested positive before surgery and commercial systems were the preferred ones to filter smoke plumes during laparoscopy. Laparoscopic appendicectomy was the first option in the treatment of AA, with a declined use of NOM. Conclusion: Management of AA has improved in the last waves of pandemic. Increased evidence regarding SARS-COV-2 infection along with a timely healthcare systems response has been translated into tailored attitudes and a better care for patients with AA worldwide

Global disparities in surgeons’ workloads, academic engagement and rest periods: the on-calL shIft fOr geNEral SurgeonS (LIONESS) study

: The workload of general surgeons is multifaceted, encompassing not only surgical procedures but also a myriad of other responsibilities. From April to May 2023, we conducted a CHERRIES-compliant internet-based survey analyzing clinical practice, academic engagement, and post-on-call rest. The questionnaire featured six sections with 35 questions. Statistical analysis used Chi-square tests, ANOVA, and logistic regression (SPSS® v. 28). The survey received a total of 1.046 responses (65.4%). Over 78.0% of responders came from Europe, 65.1% came from a general surgery unit; 92.8% of European and 87.5% of North American respondents were involved in research, compared to 71.7% in Africa. Europe led in publishing research studies (6.6 ± 8.6 yearly). Teaching involvement was high in North America (100%) and Africa (91.7%). Surgeons reported an average of 6.7 ± 4.9 on-call shifts per month, with European and North American surgeons experiencing 6.5 ± 4.9 and 7.8 ± 4.1 on-calls monthly, respectively. African surgeons had the highest on-call frequency (8.7 ± 6.1). Post-on-call, only 35.1% of respondents received a day off. Europeans were most likely (40%) to have a day off, while African surgeons were least likely (6.7%). On the adjusted multivariable analysis HDI (Human Development Index) (aOR 1.993) hospital capacity &gt; 400 beds (aOR 2.423), working in a specialty surgery unit (aOR 2.087), and making the on-call in-house (aOR 5.446), significantly predicted the likelihood of having a day off after an on-call shift. Our study revealed critical insights into the disparities in workload, access to research, and professional opportunities for surgeons across different continents, underscored by the HDI

Upsetness, press and citizenship within the context of mining production in northern Chile

A presente investigação aborda representações sociais provenientes de discursos jornalísticos e suas construções mediáticas, em relação a cidadãos organizados depois do mal-estar comum ao impacto da produção mineira em sua qualidade de vida. Nosso objetivo geral foi compreender os processos de construção noticiosa e as representações que os meios de comunicação produziram frente ao discurso verbovisual da “diferença” em relação ao movimento cidadão “Que seria do Chile sem Calama”. Assim, foi realizada uma análise crítica e complexa do discurso jornalístico sobre como os diários de maior tiragem – nacional e local – representam a realidade daqueles discursos os quais definem como “diferentes” por sua distância sociopolítica com os “discursos de autoridade”.La presente investigación aborda las representaciones sociales a través de los discursos periodísticos y sus construcciones mediáticas, en relación a ciudadanos organizados tras el malestar común del impacto de la producción minera en sus calidades de vida. El objetivo general intentó comprender los procesos de construcción noticiosa y las representaciones que los medios de prensa hacen en relación al discurso verbovisual de la ‘diferencia’ sobre el movimiento ciudadano “Qué sería de Chile sin Calama”. Para ello se realiza un análisis crítico y complejo del discurso periodístico sobre cómo los diarios de mayor tiraje –nacional y local– representan la realidad de aquellos discursos que definen como ‘diferentes’ por su distancia sociopolítica con los ‘discursos de autoridad’.This research addresses social representations through journalistic discourses and their mediated constructions with regard to the public discomfort of organized citizens in response to the impact of mineral production consequences in their quality of lives. The main objective seeks to understand processes of news construction and representations that mass media reproduce through verbo-visual discourses of ‘difference’ coming from the citizen movement named “What would it be of Chile without Calama”. In order to achieve this goal, a critical and complex analysis on the journalistic discourse is carried out, with the purpose of discovering how the newspapers represent reality of those speeches that are seen as ‘different’ (periphery), considering their sociopolitical distance with the ‘discourses of authority’ (centre)

Evolving trends in the management of acute appendicitis during COVID-19 waves. The ACIE appy II study (vol 46, pg 2021, 2022)

N/