Disability evaluation after latissimus dorsi muscle transfer in breast reconstruction using DASH score

Background: Breast reconstruction with latissimus dorsi muscle transfer is one of the most frequent procedures at our hospital. The objective is to evaluate if there is any functional impairment after the surgery with a potential impact of patient´s daily life. Methods: Functional morbidity was analyzed applying the disabilities of the arm, shoulder and hand (DASH) questionnaire and shoulder range of motion with goniometer in 42 patients whose breast reconstruction was between 2016 and 2022 at our hospital. We collected data using Microsoft excel V16.47.1 and analyzed data with statistical package for the social sciences (SPSS) software, v23.0. Results: There was statistically significant difference for disability/symptom DASH score in cases of bilateral reconstruction and for cases undergoing a procedure on the right side versus left side. Conclusions: In patients with bilateral breast reconstruction, we found a greater DASH score in dysfunction and symptoms which associates with poor quality of life, as well as when the flap is on the contralateral extremity of the hand dominance; in those cases, there are other reconstructive procedures that provide greater safety and less disability to the patient. For evaluating extension, we need more prospective and comparative studies with strict follow up of the patients and same series of rehabilitation

Magnetic susceptibility studies of the spin-glass and Verwey transitions in magnetite nanoparticles

Magnetite nanostructured powder samples were synthesized by aging chemical method. Phase, structural, and magnetic properties were characterized. X-ray diffraction patterns showed cubic magnetite pure phase, with average crystallite size, , equal to 40 nm. Susceptibility measurements showed the well-known Verwey transition at a temperature of 90 K. The decrease of Verwey transition temperature, with respect to the one reported in literature (125 K) was attributed to the low average crystallite size. Moreover, the spin-glass like transition was observed at 35 K. Activation energy calculated from susceptibility curves, with values ranging from 6.26 to 6.93 meV, showed a dependence of spin-glass transition on frequency. Finally, hysteresis loops showed that there is not an effect of Verwey transition on magnetic properties. On the other hand, a large increase of coercivity and remanent magnetization at a temperature between 5 and 50 K confirmed the presence of a magnetic transition at low temperatures

Near-Surface Interface Detection for Coal Mining Applications Using Bispectral Features and GPR

The use of ground penetrating radar (GPR) for detecting the presence of near-surface interfaces is a scenario of special interest to the underground coal mining industry. The problem is difficult to solve in practice because the radar echo from the near-surface interface is often dominated by unwanted components such as antenna crosstalk and ringing, ground-bounce effects, clutter, and severe attenuation. These nuisance components are also highly sensitive to subtle variations in ground conditions, rendering the application of standard signal pre-processing techniques such as background subtraction largely ineffective in the unsupervised case. As a solution to this detection problem, we develop a novel pattern recognition-based algorithm which utilizes a neural network to classify features derived from the bispectrum of 1D early time radar data. The binary classifier is used to decide between two key cases, namely whether an interface is within, for example, 5 cm of the surface or not. This go/no-go detection capability is highly valuable for underground coal mining operations, such as longwall mining, where the need to leave a remnant coal section is essential for geological stability. The classifier was trained and tested using real GPR data with ground truth measurements. The real data was acquired from a testbed with coal-clay, coal-shale and shale-clay interfaces, which represents a test mine site. We show that, unlike traditional second order correlation based methods such as matched filtering which can fail even in known conditions, the new method reliably allows the detection of interfaces using GPR to be applied in the near-surface region. In this work, we are not addressing the problem of depth estimation, rather confining ourselves to detecting an interface within a particular depth range

Perinatal asphyxia: CNS development and deficits with delayed onset

Perinatal asphyxia constitutes a prototype of obstetric complications occurring when pulmonary oxygenation is delayed or interrupted. The primary insult relates to the duration of the period lacking oxygenation, leading to death if not re-established. Re-oxygenation leads to a secondary insult, related to a cascade of biochemical events required for restoring proper function. Perinatal asphyxia interferes with neonatal development, resulting in long-term deficits associated to mental and neurological diseases with delayed clinical onset, by mechanisms not yet clarified. In the experimental scenario, the effects observed long after perinatal asphyxia have been explained by over expression of sentinel proteins, such as poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 (PARP-1), competing for NAD+ during re-oxygenation, leading to the idea that sentinel protein inhibition constitutes a suitable therapeutic strategy. Asphyxia induces transcriptional activation of proinflammatory factors, in tandem with PARP-1 overactivation, and pharmacologically induced PARP-1 inhibition also down-regulates the expression of proinflammatory cytokines. Nicotinamide has been proposed as a suitable PARP-1 inhibitor. Its effect has been studied in an experimental model of global hypoxia in rats. In that model, the insult is induced by immersing rat foetuses into a water bath for various periods of time. Following asphyxia, the pups are delivered, treated, and nursed by surrogate dams, pending further experiments. Nicotinamide rapidly distributes into the brain following systemic administration, reaching steady state concentrations sufficient to inhibit PARP-1 activity for several hours, preventing several of the long-term consequences of perinatal asphyxia, supporting the idea that it constitutes a lead for exploring compounds with similar or better pharmacological profiles

Beyond undetectable: modeling the clinical benefit of improved antiretroviral adherence in persons with human immunodeficiency virus with virologic suppression

BACKGROUND: Incomplete antiretroviral therapy (ART) adherence has been linked to deleterious immunologic, inflammatory, and clinical consequences, even among virally suppressed (<50 copies/mL) persons with human immunodeficiency virus (PWH). The impact of improving adherence in the risk of severe non-AIDS events (SNAEs) and death in this population is unknown. METHODS: We estimated the reduction in the risk of SNAEs or death resulting from an increase in ART adherence by (1) applying existing data on the association between adherence with high residual inflammation/coagulopathy in virally suppressed PWH, and (2) using a Cox proportional hazards model derived from changes in plasma interleukin 6 (IL-6) and D-dimer from 3 randomized clinical trials. Comparatively, assuming 100% ART adherence in a PWH who achieves viral suppression, we estimated the number of persons in whom a decrease in adherence to <100% would need to be observed for an additional SNAE or death event to occur during 3- and 5-year follow-up. RESULTS: Increasing ART adherence to 100% in PWH who are suppressed on ART despite imperfect adherence translated into a 6%-37% reduction in the risk of SNAEs or death. Comparatively, based on an anticipated 12% increase in IL-6, 254 and 165 PWH would need to decrease their adherence from 100% to <100% for an additional event to occur over 3- and 5-year follow-up, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Modest gains in ART adherence could have clinical benefits beyond virologic suppression. Increasing ART adherence (eg, via an intervention or switch to long-acting ART) in PWH who remain virally suppressed despite incomplete adherence should be evaluated

Beyond Undetectable: Modeling the Clinical Benefit of Improved Antiretroviral Adherence in Persons With Human Immunodeficiency Virus With Virologic Suppression

BACKGROUND: Incomplete antiretroviral therapy (ART) adherence has been linked to deleterious immunologic, inflammatory, and clinical consequences, even among virally suppressed (<50 copies/mL) persons with human immunodeficiency virus (PWH). The impact of improving adherence in the risk of severe non-AIDS events (SNAEs) and death in this population is unknown. METHODS: We estimated the reduction in the risk of SNAEs or death resulting from an increase in ART adherence by (1) applying existing data on the association between adherence with high residual inflammation/coagulopathy in virally suppressed PWH, and (2) using a Cox proportional hazards model derived from changes in plasma interleukin 6 (IL-6) and D-dimer from 3 randomized clinical trials. Comparatively, assuming 100% ART adherence in a PWH who achieves viral suppression, we estimated the number of persons in whom a decrease in adherence to <100% would need to be observed for an additional SNAE or death event to occur during 3- and 5-year follow-up. RESULTS: Increasing ART adherence to 100% in PWH who are suppressed on ART despite imperfect adherence translated into a 6%-37% reduction in the risk of SNAEs or death. Comparatively, based on an anticipated 12% increase in IL-6, 254 and 165 PWH would need to decrease their adherence from 100% to <100% for an additional event to occur over 3- and 5-year follow-up, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Modest gains in ART adherence could have clinical benefits beyond virologic suppression. Increasing ART adherence (eg, via an intervention or switch to long-acting ART) in PWH who remain virally suppressed despite incomplete adherence should be evaluated

Sociocultural influences and disordered eating behaviors in men and woman of Spain and Mexico / Influencias socioculturales y conductas alimentarias no saludables en hombres y mujeres de España y México

Abstract. This current cross-cultural study was designed to examine the role of sociocultural influences on disordered eating behaviors in two Spanish-speaking countries (Spain and Mexico). The Eating Attitudes Test (EAT), the Bulimia Test (BULIT) and the Questionnaire on Influence on Body Shape Model (CIMEC, in Spanish) were administered to 862 students (Spain, 254 females and 184 males; Mexico, 243 females and 181 males). The data analysis revealed that there were no significant main effects of “Country”; there was significant main effect of “Gender” in the distress due to body image (p = .001), influence of verbal messages (p = .035) and influence of social models subscales (p = .008); and in main effects of “Symptomatology” in all the subscales (distress due to body image, influence of advertising, influence of verbal messages, influence of social models and influence of social situations). In the interactions only was found differences in “Country x Gender” (influence of advertising [p =  .029]). These findings support the differences reported between males and females; as well as to underline that the effect of the sociocultural influences appears to change across time as culture change.Key Words: Cross-cultural, disordered eating behaviors, sociocultural influences, Mexico, Spain. Resumen. En este estudio transcultural se evaluó el rol de las influencias socioculturales sobre conductas alimentarias no saludables en dos países hispano-parlantes (España y México). El Test de Actitudes Alimentarias (EAT, por sus siglas en inglés), el Test de Bulimia (BULIT) y el Cuestionario de Influencia del Modelo Estético Corporal (CIMEC) fueron administrados a 862 estudiantes (España, 254 mujeres y 184 varones; México, 243 mujeres y 181 varones). El análisis de los datos reveló no diferencias significativas en los efectos principales de la variable “País”; en los efectos principales de la variable “Género” se encontraron diferencias significativas en las sub-escalas malestar con la imagen corporal (p = . 001), influencia de los mensajes verbales (p = . 035) e influencia de los modelos sociales (p = . 008); y en los efectos principales de la variable ”Sintomatología” en todas las sub-escalas (malestar con la imagen corporal, influencia de la publicidad, influencia de los mensajes verbales, influencia de los modelos sociales e influencia de las situaciones sociales). En las interacciones sólo se encontró diferencias en “País x Género” (influencia de la publicidad [p = .029]). Estos datos apoyan las diferencias reportadas entre mujeres y varones; así como subrayan que el efecto de las influencias socioculturales cambian a lo largo del tiempo. Palabras clave: Transcultural, conductas alimentarias no saludables, influencias socioculturales, México, España.

Role of peer influence and thin-ideal internalization on body dissatisfaction and disordered eating in mexican girls/ rol de la influencia de pares y de la interiorización del ideal de delgadez sobre la insatisfacción corporal y alimentación no...

The aim of this study was to examine the role of peer influence and thin-ideal internalization on body dissatisfaction and disordered eating. The Eating Attitudes Test, the Body Shape Questionnaire and the Questionnaire of Sociocultural Influences on the Aesthetic Body Shape Model were administered to 130 female students, with a mean age of 19.44. The results showed that thin-ideal internalization mediated the relationship between peer influence and body dissatisfaction (β=0.14, p and gt;.05), and the relationship between peer influence and disordered eating (β=0.09, p and gt;.05). This study supports the hypothesis that the thin-ideal internalization is an important mediator on body dissatisfaction and disordered eating in Mexican girls

Spike firing and IPSPs in layer V pyramidal neurons during beta oscillations in rat primary motor cortex (M1) in vitro

Beta frequency oscillations (10-35 Hz) in motor regions of cerebral cortex play an important role in stabilising and suppressing unwanted movements, and become intensified during the pathological akinesia of Parkinson's Disease. We have used a cortical slice preparation of rat brain, combined with concurrent intracellular and field recordings from the primary motor cortex (M1), to explore the cellular basis of the persistent beta frequency (27-30 Hz) oscillations manifest in local field potentials (LFP) in layers II and V of M1 produced by continuous perfusion of kainic acid (100 nM) and carbachol (5 µM). Spontaneous depolarizing GABA-ergic IPSPs in layer V cells, intracellularly dialyzed with KCl and IEM1460 (to block glutamatergic EPSCs), were recorded at -80 mV. IPSPs showed a highly significant (P< 0.01) beta frequency component, which was highly significantly coherent with both the Layer II and V LFP oscillation (which were in antiphase to each other). Both IPSPs and the LFP beta oscillations were abolished by the GABAA antagonist bicuculline. Layer V cells at rest fired spontaneous action potentials at sub-beta frequencies (mean of 7.1+1.2 Hz; n = 27) which were phase-locked to the layer V LFP beta oscillation, preceding the peak of the LFP beta oscillation by some 20 ms. We propose that M1 beta oscillations, in common with other oscillations in other brain regions, can arise from synchronous hyperpolarization of pyramidal cells driven by synaptic inputs from a GABA-ergic interneuronal network (or networks) entrained by recurrent excitation derived from pyramidal cells. This mechanism plays an important role in both the physiology and pathophysiology of control of voluntary movement generation