A pattern of care analysis: Prosthetic rehabilitation of head and neck cancer patients after radiotherapy

Background While some medical associations provide guidelines for the implant‐prosthetic rehabilitation of head and neck cancer patients, the circulation and implementation in the everyday routine of practicing dentists remain unknown. Purpose To analyze patterns of care for the prosthetic rehabilitation of head and neck cancer patients after radiotherapy in German speaking countries. Materials and methods An online survey consisting of 34 questions separated into three sections, (a) general inquiries, (b) treatment concepts, and (c) patient cases, was forwarded to university hospital departments for Prosthetic Dentistry and Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, and members of different medical associations. Statistical differences between groups were analyzed using chi‐squared test (P < .05). Results From May to October 2019, 118 participants completed the survey. The majority practiced in university hospitals, had more than 5 years of work experience, and reported to be involved in <10 post radiation prosthetic rehabilitation cases per year. Rehabilitation protocols involving dental implants were implemented by oral/oral‐ and maxillofacial surgeons and prosthetic dentists, while general dentists favored implant‐free solutions. Xerostomia was recognized as a common problem for a successful prosthetic rehabilitation. The subsequent treatment choice with either fixed dental prostheses or removable dentures was divided among participants. Conclusions As treatment planning differed with regard to the participants' field of expertise and work environment, and most practitioners only handle a low number of cases, patients might benefit from centralization in larger institutes with a multidisciplinary structure. A high agreement between the practitioners' treatment concepts and the current state of research was observed. While the choice between a mucosa‐ or tooth‐supported, and an implant‐supported restoration depends on numerous individual factors, guidelines derived from longitudinal studies would enhance evidence‐based treatment in this field

Comparison of undirected frequency-domain connectivity measures for cerebro-peripheral analysis

Analyses of cerebro-peripheral connectivity aim to quantify ongoing coupling between brain activity (measured by MEG/EEG) and peripheral signals such as muscle activity, continuous speech, or physiological rhythms (such as pupil dilation or respiration). Due to the distinct rhythmicity of these signals, undirected connectivity is typically assessed in the frequency domain. This leaves the investigator with two critical choices, namely a) the appropriate measure for spectral estimation (i.e., the transformation into the frequency domain) and b) the actual connectivity measure. As there is no consensus regarding best practice, a wide variety of methods has been applied. Here we systematically compare combinations of six standard spectral estimation methods (comprising fast Fourier and continuous wavelet transformation, bandpass filtering, and short-time Fourier transformation) and six connectivity measures (phase-locking value, Gaussian-Copula mutual information, Rayleigh test, weighted pairwise phase consistency, magnitude squared coherence, and entropy). We provide performance measures of each combination for simulated data (with precise control over true connectivity), a single-subject set of real MEG data, and a full group analysis of real MEG data. Our results show that, overall, WPPC and GCMI tend to outperform other connectivity measures, while entropy was the only measure sensitive to bimodal deviations from a uniform phase distribution. For group analysis, choosing the appropriate spectral estimation method appears to be more critical than the connectivity measure. We discuss practical implications (sampling rate, SNR, computation time, and data length) and aim to provide recommendations tailored to particular research questions

Fascinazione etrusca. Viaggiatori, artisti, archeologi, letterati e avventurieri in Etruria tra Medioevo e l'inizio del Novecento

The volume includes 22 articles of different authors from 6 different nations with many illustrations dealing with a selection of different travellers through Etruria from Medieval times until the beginning of the 20th century

Gli strumenti musicali in uso nel mondo etrusco attraverso l'analisi della pittura funeraria

Analisi dell'uso e dei contesti di strumenti musicali nella pittura funeraria etrusca fra VI e III sec.a.C

Robot-assisted motor activation monitored by time-domain optical brain imaging

Robot-assisted motor rehabilitation proved to be an effective supplement to conventional hand-to-hand therapy in stroke patients. In order to analyze and understand motor learning and performance during rehabilitation it is desirable to develop a monitor to provide objective measures of the corresponding brain activity at the rehabilitation progress. We used a portable time-domain near-infrared reflectometer to monitor the hemodynamic brain response to distal upper extremity activities. Four healthy volunteers performed two different robot-assisted wrist/forearm movements, flexion-extension and pronation-supination in comparison with an unassisted squeeze ball exercise. A special headgear with four optical measurement positions to include parts of the pre- and postcentral gyrus provided a good overlap with the expected activation areas. Data analysis based on variance of time-of-flight distributions of photons through tissue was chosen to provide a suitable representati on of intracerebral signals. In all subjects several of the four detection channels showed a response. In some cases indications were found of differences in localization of the activated areas for the various tasks

Der Einfluss bewusster und unbewusster Hinweisreize auf Fußball-Experten und –Novizen beim Elfmeter.

Weigelt M, Memmert D, Steingräber S, Schack T. Der Einfluss bewusster und unbewusster Hinweisreize auf Fußball-Experten und –Novizen beim Elfmeter. In: Pfeffer I, Alfermann D, eds. Menschen in Bewegung- Sportpsychologie zwischen Tradition und Zukunft. Hamburg: Czwalina; 2009: 160

Zum Phänomen der "follia therapeutica" der etruskisch-italischen anatomischen Votive - soziale, ökonomische und religiöse Aspekte

L'articolo riassume i progressi fatti durante gli ultimi decenni nel campo delle terrecotte anatomiche votive nel mondo etrusco e italico fra il VI e il II sec.a.C. ed esamina particolarmente aspetti di tipo sociale, economico e religioso

Die Auswahl der Torecke beim Elfmeter: Der Einfluss bewusster und unbewusster Hinweise auf Fußball-Experten und Fußball-Novizen

Weigelt M, Steingräber S, Schack T, Memmert D. Die Auswahl der Torecke beim Elfmeter: Der Einfluss bewusster und unbewusster Hinweise auf Fußball-Experten und Fußball-Novizen. In: Eder AB, Rothermund K, Schweinberger SR, Steffens MC, Wiese H, eds. 51. Tagung experimentell arbeitender Psycholog/Innen. Tagungsprogramm und Abstracts, 29. März - 1. April 2009 in Jena. Lengerich: Pabst; 2009: 38

Pittura funeraria etrusca

Riassunto dei progressi più importanti durante gli ultimi tre decenni nel campo della pittura funeraria etrusca (VII - III sec.a.C.): Nuove scoperte, nuove ricerche, tecnica della pittura, restauro e conservazione, iconografia, stile, ideologia ecc