The influence of expertise on brain activation of the action observation network during anticipation of tennis and volleyball serves

In many daily activities, and especially in sport, it is necessary to predict the effects of others´ actions in order to initiate appropriate responses. Recently, researchers have suggested that the action–observation network (AON) including the cerebellum plays an essential role during such anticipation, particularly in sport expert performers. In the present study, we examined the influence of task-specific expertise on the AON by investigating differences between two expert groups trained in different sports while anticipating action effects. Altogether, 15 tennis and 16 volleyball experts anticipated the direction of observed tennis and volleyball serves while undergoing functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). The expert group in each sport acted as novice controls in the other sport with which they had only little experience. When contrasting anticipation in both expertise conditions with the corresponding untrained sport, a stronger activation of AON areas (SPL, SMA), and particularly of cerebellar structures, was observed. Furthermore, the neural activation within the cerebellum and the SPL was linearly correlated with participant´s anticipation performance, irrespective of the specific expertise. For the SPL, this relationship also holds when an expert performs a domain-specific anticipation task. Notably, the stronger activation of the cerebellum as well as of the SMA and the SPL in the expertise conditions suggests that experts rely on their more fine-tuned perceptual-motor representations that have improved during years of training when anticipating the effects of others´ actions in their preferred sport. The association of activation within the SPL and the cerebellum with the task achievement suggests that these areas are the predominant brain sites involved in fast motor predictions. The SPL reflects the processing of domain-specific contextual information and the cerebellum the usage of a predictive internal model to solve the anticipation task

A 10-Year Follow-Up of Ankle Syndesmotic Injuries: Prospective Comparison of Knotless Suture-Button Fixation and Syndesmotic Screw Fixation

Background: Acute syndesmosis injury (ASI) is an indication for surgical stabilization if instability is confirmed. In recent years, fixation using the knotless suture-button (SB) device has become increasingly established as an alternative to set screw fixation (SF). This study directly compared the clinical long-term results after prospective randomized inclusion. Materials and Methods: Between 2011 and 2012, 62 patients with ASI were enrolled in a prospective, randomized, and monocentric study. Forty-one patients were available for a 10-year follow-up ((31 males and 10 females), including 21 treated with SB (mean age 44.4 years), and 20 with SF (mean age 47.2 years)). In addition to comparing the demographic data and syndesmosis injury etiology, follow-up assessed the Olerud–Molander Ankle Score (OMAS) and FADI-Score (Foot and Ankle Disability Index Score) with subscales for activities of daily living (ADL) and sports activity. Results: The mean OMAS was 95.98 points (SB: 98.81, SF: 93.00), the mean FADI ADL was 97.58 points (SB: 99.22, SF: 95.86), and the mean FADI Sport was 94.14 points (SB: 97.03, SF: 91.10). None of the measurements differed significantly between the groups (p > 0.05). No clinical suspicion of chronic instability remained in any of the patients, regardless of treatment. Conclusions: The short-term results showed that athletes in particular benefit from SB fixation due to their significantly faster return to sports activities. However, the available long-term results confirm a very good outcome in the clinical scores for both approaches. Chronic syndesmotic insufficiency was not suspected in any of the patients. Level of evidence: I, randomized controlled trial

Implementation of mHealth Telemonitoring of the cardiopulmonary System in Residents of Nursing Homes for the Elderly: A Study Protocol

Michaelis-Braun L, Korel J, Hong NQ, et al. Implementierung des mHealth Telemonitorings des kardiopulmonalen Systems bei BewohnerInnen von Alters- und Pflegeeinrichtungen: ein Studienprotokoll. Pneumologie . 2022;76(S01):S69-S70.Hintergrund Das mobile (m) Health-Telemonitoring beschreibt eine Form der Telemedizin, bei der Smartphones, entsprechende mobile Apps und Sensoren zur Fernüberwachung von PatientInnen genutzt werden. Diese Technologie könnte besonders bei BewohnerInnen von Alters- und Pflegeeinrichtungen vorteilhaft sein. Aufgrund von Alter, Grunderkrankungen und eingeschränkter Mobilität sind diese BewohnerInnen gegenüber pulmonalen Infekten, inkl. COVID-19, besonders empfindlich. Ziel Entwicklung eines Konzepts zur Implementierung von mHealth Telemonitoring des kardiopulmonalen Systems bei BewohnerInnen von Alters- und Pflegeeinrichtungen. Studie Bei den BewohnerInnen werden über einen Zeitraum von 2 bis 12 Wochen mit den zur Verfügung gestellten digitalen Sensoren (Pulsoxymeter, Blutdruckmessgerät, Spirometer, Aktivitätstracker) tägliche Messungen durchgeführt. Aufgrund der erwarteten geringen digitalen Kenntnis der BewohnerInnen, wird das Pflegepersonal in die Messungen mit involviert und geschult. Bei Bedarf werden den BewohnerInnen Smartphones auf Leihbasis (eingelegt über Scheinaccounts) zur Verfügung gestellt. Die Akzeptanz des mHealth-Telemonitorings wird bei BewohnerInnen, Pflegepersonal und zuständigen Allgemein- bzw Fachärzten über eine Mixed-Methods Studie evaluiert, angelehnt an das Technologieakzeptanzmodell. Erwartete Ergebnisse und Schlussfolgerung Aufgrund der mangelnden digitalen Kenntnisse können ProbandInnen Probleme im Umgang mit den digitalen Sensoren haben. Der geistige bzw. körperliche Gesundheitszustand kann eine Herausforderung darstellen. Die Pflegekräfte könnten aufgrund Arbeitsbelastung nicht in der Lage sein, eine ausreichende Unterstützung zu leisten. Das betreuende Medizinpersonal könnte es schwierig finden, die Telemedizin mit ihrer üblichen Versorgung zu verbinden, nicht zuletzt wegen eines aktuell unklaren Kostenerstattungsmodells. Durch Beobachtung und Lösung der Hürden, sowie durch die Mixed-Methods Untersuchung, wird ein Konzept zur Implementierung vom mHealth Telemonitoring des kardiopulmonalen Systems in Alters- und Pflegeeinrichtungen vorangebracht

Self-Perforated Hydrogel Nanomembranes Facilitate Structural Analysis of Proteins by Electron Cryo-Microscopy

We developed a method to improve specimen preparation for electron cryo-microscopy of membrane proteins. The method features a perforated hydrogel nanomembrane that stabilizes the thin film of aqueous buffer spanning the holes of holey carbon films, while at the same time preventing the depletion of protein molecules from these holes. The membrane is obtained by cross-linking of thiolated polyglycerol dendrimer films on gold, which self-perforate upon transfer to holey carbon substrates, forming a sub-micron-sized hydrogel network. The perforated nanomembrane improves the distribution of the protein molecules in the ice considerably. This facilitates data acquisition as demonstrated with two eukaryotic membrane protein complexes

mHealth Telemonitoring of Long COVID-19: A Mixed Methods Study on Challenges, Technology Acceptance and Perceived Added value

Korel J, Michaelis-Braun L, Hong QN, et al. mHealth Telemonitoring of Long COVID-19: A Mixed Methods Study on Challenges, Technology Acceptance and Perceived Added value. American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. 2022;205(Suppl. S): A2695