Ultrafast Optical Control of the Electronic Properties of ZrTe5ZrTe_5

We report on the temperature dependence of the $ZrTe_5$ electronic properties, studied at equilibrium and out of equilibrium, by means of time and angle resolved photoelectron spectroscopy. Our results unveil the dependence of the electronic band structure across the Fermi energy on the sample temperature. This finding is regarded as the dominant mechanism responsible for the anomalous resistivity observed at T* $\sim$ 160 K along with the change of the charge carrier character from holelike to electronlike. Having addressed these long-lasting questions, we prove the possibility to control, at the ultrashort time scale, both the binding energy and the quasiparticle lifetime of the valence band. These experimental evidences pave the way for optically controlling the thermoelectric and magnetoelectric transport properties of $ZrTe_5$

Stroke units and general wards in seven Italian regions: the PROSIT study

PROSIT (research PROject on Stroke services in ITaly) is a study performed to evaluate number and work organisation of acute in-hospital services (stroke units, SU) and general wards (GW), in seven Italian regions (Liguria, Lombardia, Lazio, Veneto, Friuli-Venezia-Giulia, Emilia Romagna, Toscana), which have a population of 29,169,811 inhabitants and a relative ratio of 225/100,000 hospitalisations for acute stroke. The registers of hospital discharges from January to December 1999 were looked at identify to services recording at least 50 acute stroke discharges (DRG14) per year. A structured questionnaire investigating stroke service characteristics was submitted to the doctors in charge of the identified units and completed in the presence of an external observer between October 2000 and February 2001. SUs were identified as units with dedicated beds (at least 80%) and team (at least 1 physician and 1 nurse) for acute stroke patients. SUs are still uncommon in many Italian regions because only, as 7% of the wards evaluated were found to be a SU and less than 10% of acute stroke patients resulted to be admitted to a SU. Great heterogeneity was found between the different regions surveyed. The most striking differences between SUs and GW were related to the staffing and care organisation, with higher number/patients ratio in SUs as far as physicians and nurses, speech therapists and social workers were concerned

post operative rehabilitation for surgically resected non small cell lung cancer patients serial pulmonary functional analysis

n/

Stroke Unit care in Italy. Results from PROSIT (Project on Stroke Services in Italy). A nationwide study

The future challenge for improving stroke patients' outcome will be to implement new Stroke Units (SUs) worldwide. However the best SU model remains uncertain. The aim of this study was to evaluate the number of SUs and the quality characteristics of acute stroke care in Italy. We conducted a SU survey in Italy, interviewing the directors of the hospital wards that discharged at least 50 acute stroke patients a year. A SU was defined as an acute ward area with stroke-dedicated beds and staff. To compare the quality of care provided in SUs with that in general wards (GWs) we investigated the characteristics of five domains: hospital setting, unit setting, staffing, process of care and diagnostic investigations. We identified 68 SUs and 677 GWs. Multivariate logistic regression analyses demonstrated that SUs compared to GWs had higher quality scores in unit setting (ROC area=0.9721), staffing (ROC area=0.8760) and care organisation (ROC area=0.7984). The hospital setting (ROC area=0.7033) and the availability of rapid diagnostic investigations (ROC area=0.7164) had lower power in discriminating SU from GW. In Italy in 2003/04 only 9% of the hospital services had organised SU care. The study demonstrated that SUs admitted more than 100 patients per year, had more monitoring equipment and staffing time, and practised multidisciplinary meetings and early mobilisation. The utility of these structural and performance characteristics needs validation from outcome studies

A multi-parametric wearable system to monitor neck movements and respiratory frequency of computer workers

Musculoskeletal disorders are the most common form of occupational ill-health. Neck pain is one of the most prevalent musculoskeletal disorders experienced by computer workers. Wrong postural habits and non-compliance of the workstation to ergonomics guidelines are the leading causes of neck pain. These factors may also alter respiratory functions. Health and safety interventions can reduce neck pain and, more generally, the symptoms of musculoskeletal disorders and reduce the consequent economic burden. In this work, a multi-parametric wearable system based on two fiber Bragg grating sensors is proposed for monitoring neck movements and breathing activity of computer workers. The sensing elements were positioned on the neck, in the frontal and sagittal planes, to monitor: (i) flexion-extension and axial rotation repetitions, and (ii) respiratory frequency. In this pilot study, five volunteers were enrolled and performed five repetitions of both flexion-extension and axial rotation, and ten breaths of both quite breathing and tachypnea. Results showed the good performances of the proposed system in monitoring the aforementioned parameters when compared to optical reference systems. The wearable system is able to well-match the trend in time of the neck movements (both flexion-extension and axial rotation) and to estimate mean and breath-by-breath respiratory frequency values with percentage errors ≤6.09% and ≤1.90%, during quiet breathing and tachypnea, respectively

Stroke-unit care for acute stroke patients: an observational follow-up study

Background Large numbers of stroke patients arrive at hospital at a very early stage, and eff ective treatments for the acute phase of the disease are available. However, evidence that patients with acute stroke benefi t from stroke-unit care is scarce. Our aim was to determine whether admission to a stroke unit, rather than a conventional ward, aff ected the outcome of patients with acute stroke. Methods We did an observational follow-up study of 11 572 acute stroke patients hospitalised within 48 h of the onset of symptoms either in a stroke unit (n=4936) or in a conventional ward (6636). Patients were identifi ed retrospectively from discharge records from 260 Italian hospitals. The primary outcome was mortality or disability (Rankin score greater than two), assessed prospectively by independent, masked assessors 2 years after admission. Analyses were adjusted for patient characteristics and clustered at the hospital level. Findings Overall, 1576 patients died in hospital; 2169 died during the follow-up period. 347 patients were lost to follow-up. Compared with conventional-ward care, stroke-unit care was associated with a reduced probability of death or being disabled at the end of follow-up (odds ratio 0\ub781, 95% CI 0\ub772\u20130\ub791; p=0\ub70001). The potential benefi t was signifi cant across all age ranges and clinical characteristics, except for unconsciousness. No specifi c elements of setting, organisation, or process of care were associated with outcome. Interpretation Admission to a stroke-unit ward with dedicated beds and staff within 48 h of onset should be recommended for all patients with acute stroke

Effects of robotic upper limb treatment after stroke on cognitive patterns: A systematic review

BACKGROUND: Robotic therapy (RT) has been internationally recognized for the motor rehabilitation of the upper limb. Although it seems that RT can stimulate and promote neuroplasticity, the effectiveness of robotics in restoring cognitive deficits has been considered only in a few recent studies. OBJECTIVE: To verify whether, in the current state of the literature, cognitive measures are used as inclusion or exclusion criteria and/or outcomes measures in robotic upper limb rehabilitation in stroke patients. METHODS: The systematic review was conducted according to PRISMA guidelines. Studies eligible were identified through PubMed/MEDLINE and Web of Science from inception to March 2021. RESULTS: Eighty-one studies were considered in this systematic review. Seventy-three studies have at least a cognitive inclusion or exclusion criteria, while only seven studies assessed cognitive outcomes. CONCLUSION: Despite the high presence of cognitive instruments used for inclusion/exclusion criteria their heterogeneity did not allow the identification of a guideline for the evaluation of patients in different stroke stages. Therefore, although the heterogeneity and the low percentage of studies that included cognitive outcomes, seemed that the latter were positively influenced by RT in post-stroke rehabilitation. Future larger RCTs are needed to outline which cognitive scales are most suitable and their cut-off, as well as what cognitive outcome measures to use in the various stages of post-stroke rehabilitation

Stroke care in young patients

The aims of this study were (i) to evaluate the clinical features of a consecutive series of young patients with ischemic stroke and (ii) to assess the changes in the clinical management of these patients over the study period. All consecutive cases of young adults aged 16 to 44 years, with ischemic stroke, that were admitted between 2000 and 2005 in 10 Italian hospitals were included. We retrospectively identified 324 patients. One or more vascular risk factors were present in 71.5% of the patients. With respect to the diagnostic process, an increase in the frequency of cerebral noninvasive angiographic studies and a decrease in the use of digital subtraction angiography were observed (P < 0.001 and P = 0.03, resp.). Undetermined causes decreased over 5-year period of study (P < 0.001). The diagnosis of cardioembolism increased. Thrombolysis was performed for 7.7% of the patients. PFO closure (8%) was the most frequently employed surgical procedure. In conclusion, the clinical care that is given to young patients with ischemic stroke changed over the study period. In particular, we detected an evolution in the diagnostic process and a reduction in the number of undetermined cases