Multimodal adaptive interfaces for 3D robot-mediated upper limb neuro-rehabilitation: An overview of bio-cooperative systems

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Dynamic Adaptive System for Robot-Assisted Motion Rehabilitation

This paper presents a dynamic adaptive system for administration of robot-assisted therapy. The main novelty of the proposed approach is to close patient in the loop and use multisensory data (such as motion, forces, voice, muscle activity, heart rate, and skin conductance) to adaptively and dynamically change the complexity of the therapy and real-time displays of an immersive virtual reality system in accordance with specific patient requirements. The proposed rehabilitation system can be considered as a complex system that is composed of the following subsystems: data acquisition, multimodal human–machine interface, and adaptable control system. This paper shows the description of the developed fuzzy controller used as the core of the adaptable control subsystem. Finally, experimental results with ten subjects are reported to show the performance of the proposed solution

Clinical Interest of LMO2 Testing for the Diagnosis of Aggressive Large B-Cell Lymphomas

MYC rearrangements usually confer aggressive biological behavior to large B-cell lymphomas. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the relevance of LMO2 detection to the clinical approach to these tumors. First, the ability of LMO2 loss of expression to recognize the presence of MYC rearrangements was evaluated. A series of 365 samples obtained from 351 patients, including 28 Burkitt lymphoma, 230 diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, 30 high-grade B-cell lymphoma with MYC and BCL2/BCL6 rearrangements, eight high-grade B-cell lymphoma-NOS, 43 transformed diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, and 26 high-grade follicular lymphomas was analyzed. Among the CD10-positive tumors prospectively analyzed in whole tissue sections, LMO2 negative expression obtained values of 88% sensitivity, 94% specificity, and 93% accuracy, proving the utility of LMO2 to screen MYC rearrangements. In addition, survival analyses were performed in a series of 155 patients. As per univariate analyses, the prognosis relevance of LMO2 was as useful as that of the diagnostic categories, MYC rearrangements, and MYC immunohistochemistry. Multivariate models revealed that both LMO2 (hazard ratio 0.51 p = 0.02) and IPI (hazard ratio 1.67 p < 0.005) were independent variables predicting overall survival. Finally, MYC and LMO2 mRNA expression were analyzed in a small group of cases. Taken together, these findings show the interest of LMO2 testing in large B-cell lymphomas

Genetic resistance to gastrointestinal parasites in sheep

Gastrointestinal nematode (GIN) infection is the most common disease affecting sheep production systems throughout the world, causing significant productive and economic losses. The control of these parasites was traditionally based on the use of anthelmintic drugs. However, continuous, extensive, and indiscriminate use of these drugs has led to the emergence and spread of strains of parasites resistant to the major chemical compounds used. This situation has led to considering alternative strategies for worm control. One of them is the selection of individuals for greater resistance to GINs. A number of phenotypic traits have been reported in the bibliography, including parasitological, biochemical, hematological, and immunological traits, but fecal egg count (FEC) is considered the primary and most practical measure of resistance. Genomic studies have reported polymorphisms associated with GIN resistance traits on almost all sheep chromosomes. Among other loci, FEC has been associated with the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) through quantitative trait loci (QTL) analysis and genome-wide association studies (GWAS). This review covers the principal aspects reported in the literature on several parameters considered to evaluate the resistance status of sheep to nematodes, mainly Haemonchus contortus, the correlation between resistance markers with economically important production traits, and the main genomic regions identified as relevant in determining the phenotype for resistance or susceptibility to GINs.Instituto de GenéticaFil: Poli, Mario Andres. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Instituto de Genética; ArgentinaFil: Poli, Mario Andres. Universidad del Salvador. Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias y Veterinaria; ArgentinaFil: Donzelli, María Valeria. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Instituto de Genética; ArgentinaFil: Donzelli, María Valeria. Universidad Nacional de Lomas de Zamora. Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias; ArgentinaFil: Caffaro, Marí­a Eugenia. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Instituto de Genética; ArgentinaFil: Raschia, Maria Agustina. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Instituto de Genética; ArgentinaFil: Raschia, Maria Agustina. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Médicas; ArgentinaFil: Papaleo Mazzucco, Juliana. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Balcarce; ArgentinaFil: Rossi, Ursula Amaranta. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Instituto de Patobiología Veterinaria; Argentin

Patient-Tailored Assistance: A New Concept of Assistive Robotic Device That Adapts to Individual Users

This article presents the development of a new concept for an assistive robotic device that can help people as needed, considering their residual physical and cognitive abilities, and, at the same time, increase their cognitive and physical abilities in activities of daily living (ADLs), such as drinking, cooking, eating, personal hygiene, and grooming

Clinical interest of LMO2 testing for the diagnosis of aggressive large B-Cell lymphomas

MYC rearrangements usually confer aggressive biological behavior to large B-cell lymphomas. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the relevance of LMO2 detection to the clinical approach to these tumors. First, the ability of LMO2 loss of expression to recognize the presence of MYC rearrangements was evaluated. A series of 365 samples obtained from 351 patients, including 28 Burkitt lymphoma, 230 diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, 30 high-grade B-cell lymphoma with MYC and BCL2/BCL6 rearrangements, eight high-grade B-cell lymphoma-NOS, 43 transformed diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, and 26 high-grade follicular lymphomas was analyzed. Among the CD10-positive tumors prospectively analyzed in whole tissue sections, LMO2 negative expression obtained values of 88% sensitivity, 94% specificity, and 93% accuracy, proving the utility of LMO2 to screen MYC rearrangements. In addition, survival analyses were performed in a series of 155 patients. As per univariate analyses, the prognosis relevance of LMO2 was as useful as that of the diagnostic categories, MYC rearrangements, and MYC immunohistochemistry. Multivariate models revealed that both LMO2 (hazard ratio 0.51 p = 0.02) and IPI (hazard ratio 1.67 p < 0.005) were independent variables predicting overall survival. Finally, MYC and LMO2 mRNA expression were analyzed in a small group of cases. Taken together, these findings show the interest of LMO2 testing in large B-cell lymphomas

Guidelines for the use and interpretation of assays for monitoring autophagy (4th edition)

In 2008, we published the first set of guidelines for standardizing research in autophagy. Since then, this topic has received increasing attention, and many scientists have entered the field. Our knowledge base and relevant new technologies have also been expanding. Thus, it is important to formulate on a regular basis updated guidelines for monitoring autophagy in different organisms. Despite numerous reviews, there continues to be confusion regarding acceptable methods to evaluate autophagy, especially in multicellular eukaryotes. Here, we present a set of guidelines for investigators to select and interpret methods to examine autophagy and related processes, and for reviewers to provide realistic and reasonable critiques of reports that are focused on these processes. These guidelines are not meant to be a dogmatic set of rules, because the appropriateness of any assay largely depends on the question being asked and the system being used. Moreover, no individual assay is perfect for every situation, calling for the use of multiple techniques to properly monitor autophagy in each experimental setting. Finally, several core components of the autophagy machinery have been implicated in distinct autophagic processes (canonical and noncanonical autophagy), implying that genetic approaches to block autophagy should rely on targeting two or more autophagy-related genes that ideally participate in distinct steps of the pathway. Along similar lines, because multiple proteins involved in autophagy also regulate other cellular pathways including apoptosis, not all of them can be used as a specific marker for bona fide autophagic responses. Here, we critically discuss current methods of assessing autophagy and the information they can, or cannot, provide. Our ultimate goal is to encourage intellectual and technical innovation in the field