In many daily face-to-face interactions, people are able to take the perspective of others, for example, coding right and left based on point-of-view of others. In the present study, we investigated ...whether observers are able to take the perspective of a non-human figure such as a cat, observing the same effects obtained with human or robot avatars. In both experiments, we used a centrally presented stimulus (i.e. a cat), with its tail lateralized to the left or to the right. Participants had to respond to the side of the tail with a lateralized keypress. In Experiment 1 (spatial perspective taking task), participants were required to explicitly adopt the cat’s perspective to respond, whereas in Experiment 2 (SR compatibility task), this was not explicitly required. In both experiments, faster RTs are obtained when the cat is presented back, with a greater difference between front and back views when the tail is on the right; furthermore, there is no temporal modulation of the back–front effect. These common results between the two experiments are interpreted on the basis of the spatial perspective taking processes, elicited voluntarily (Experiment 1) or spontaneously (Experiment 2).
In stimulus-response compatibility tasks, performance is better when the handle of an object is oriented on the same side of the response than when the handle is oriented on the opposite side. Two ...major alternative accounts, the motor affordance and spatial accounts, have been proposed to explain this handle-hand compatibility effect. In two experiments, we tested between these two accounts by administering a go/no-go task to right-handed participants. Handled objects presented on a touchscreen were used as stimuli. Half of the participants had to reach-to-touch the stimuli by using their dominant hand, the other half by using their nondominant hand. Liftoff times (LTs), movement times (MTs) and spatial coordinates of the movement endpoints were recorded. Results from the LTs and MTs analyses showed no evidence of handle-hand compatibility effects. In contrast, the analyses of the spatial coordinates revealed that participants' touches were shifted more laterally towards the handle when the handles were oriented on the same side of the responding hand (Experiments 1 and 2). Furthermore, the right-hand touches landed higher (towards the handle) than the left-hand touches, especially when the vertical object dimension was particularly salient (Experiment 1). Overall, these results are in line with the activation of hand motor programs to reach and grasp the object as predicted by the motor account, at least for the right/dominant hand.
•Mirror neurons match action observation with action execution.•Observing others’ actions activate similar motor programs through a mirror system.•Action observation therapy improves motor recovery ...in patients with motor deficits.•Hand activity may also support the recovery of face muscles through motor synergy.•A new rehabilitation tool is proposed for patients with Moebius Syndrome.
Studies of the last twenty years on the motor and premotor cortices of primates demonstrated that the motor system is involved in the control and initiation of movements, and in higher cognitive processes, such as action understanding, imitation, and empathy. Mirror neurons are only one example of such theoretical shift. Their properties demonstrate that motor and sensory processing are coupled in the brain. Such knowledge has been also central for designing new neurorehabilitative therapies for patients suffering from brain injuries and consequent motor deficits. Moebius Syndrome patients, for example, are incapable of moving their facial muscles, which are fundamental for affective communication. These patients face an important challenge after having undergone a corrective surgery: reanimating the transplanted muscles to achieve a voluntarily control of smiling. We propose two new complementary rehabilitative approaches on MBS patients based on observation/imitation therapy (Facial Imitation Therapy, FIT) and on hand-mouth motor synergies (Synergistic Activity Therapy, SAT). Preliminary results show that our intervention protocol is a promising approach for neurorehabilitation of patients with facial palsy.
Action Observation Treatment is a novel rehabilitation approach exploiting a neurophysiological mechanism that allows one to recruit the neural structures sub-serving action execution during the mere ...observation of those same actions. Action Observation Treatment is effective in the rehabilitation of several neurological diseases. In this pilot study, we used Action Observation Treatment in a telerehabilitation setting in children with Cerebral Palsy.
Ten children with Cerebral Palsy, aged 5-12 years, entered the study. They followed the Action Observation Treatment rehabilitation program at home with remote supervision by a child neurologist located at the hospital. Outcome measures were the scores at the Melbourne Assessment of Unilateral Upper Limb Function Scale and the Assisting Hand Assessment.
Scores obtained after treatment and at a two months' follow-up significantly differed from baseline and overlapped those obtained in randomized controlled studies carried out in a conventional setting.
Action Observation Treatment is therefore a promising approach that can be used on a large scale in a telerehabilitation setting.
IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATION
Tele-rehabilitation has the potential to enhance early intervention service provision for children with Cerebral Palsy.
Action Observation Treatment has the potential to become a routine approach in a telerehabilitation setting.
Abstract As deep-water red shrimp (DWRS) trawl fisheries gain importance in the Mediterranean, their impact on fragile deep-sea ecosystems requires careful management. We reviewed the historical ...development of DWRS fisheries in the Mediterranean to propose a harvest strategy that would enhance fishery sustainability, while preserving habitat and community integrity. We considered two representative typologies of DWRS fisheries: a domestic fleet operating within the Italian territorial waters of the Ligurian Sea, and a distant fleet operating mostly in international waters of the central-eastern Mediterranean and sharing shrimp stocks with non-European countries. Our proposed management approach is based on three main harvesting measures: (i) preventing the uncontrolled growth in number of trawlers, (ii) adopting a catch control regime, and (iii) identifying a network of deep-water areas designated alternately for fishing and conservation purposes. As with fisheries in other regions, new fishing grounds should be explored using “encounter protocols” to avoid areas hosting species indicators of Vulnerable Marine Ecosystems. Additionally, empirical indicators such as catch rate thresholds derived from fishers’ experience, could be used to move from one fishing ground to another to avoid local depletion of DWRS abundance and a decrease in fishery profitability.
Holothurians or sea cucumbers are key organisms in marine ecosystems that, by ingesting large quantities of sediments, provide important ecosystem services. Among them,
Parastichopus regalis
(Cuvier, ...1817) is one of the living sea cucumbers in the Mediterranean actively fished for human consumption mainly in Spain, where it is considered a gastronomic delicacy. In the Strait of Sicily (central Mediterranean Sea), this species is not exploited for commercial use even if it is used as bait by longline fishery.
P. regalis
is frequently caught by bottom trawling and discarded at sea by fishers after catch, and because of its capacity to resist air exposition (at least in cold months), it is reasonable to consider that it is not affected by fishing mortality. Having observed a significant decrease in abundance since 2018, the possible effects of some ecological factors related to current climate change (i.e., temperature and pH) were sought. Generalized additive models (GAMs) were applied to investigate the relationship among the abundance of
P. regalis
and environmental variables and fishing effort. Long time series of
P. regalis
densities (2008–2021) were extracted from the MEDITS bottom trawling survey and modeled as function of environmental parameters (i.e., salinity, dissolved oxygen, ammonium, pH, and chlorophyll α) and fishing effort (i.e., total number of fishing days per gross tonnage). Our results showed that this species prefers the soft bottoms (50–200 m) of the Adventure Bank and Malta Plateau, and its distribution changed over time with a slight deepening and a rarefaction of spatial distribution starting from 2011 and 2017, respectively. In addition, a positive relationship with pH concentration in surface waters during the larval dispersal phase (3-year lag before the survey) and nutrient concentration at sea bottom (1-year lag) has been found, suggesting that this species is sensitive to climate change and food availability. This study adds new knowledge about the population dynamics of an unexploited stock of
P. regalis
under fishing impact and environmental under climate change in fisheries management.
Five-Year Impact of a Continuous Quality Improvement Effort Implemented by a Network of Diabetes Outpatient Clinics
Club Diabete Sicili@ *
Department of Clinical Pharmacology and Epidemiology, ...Consorzio Mario Negri Sud, Santa Maria Imbaro, Italy
Address correspondence and reprint requests to Antonio Nicolucci, MD, Department of Clinical Pharmacology and Epidemiology,
Consorzio Mario Negri Sud, Via Nazionale, 66030 S. Maria Imbaro (CH), Italy. E-mail: nicolucci{at}negrisud.it
Abstract
OBJECTIVE —To evaluate the impact of a continuous quality improvement effort implemented by a network of diabetes outpatient clinics
in Sicily, Italy.
RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS —Twenty-two clinics adopted the same electronic medical record system. Process and intermediate outcomes indicators were identified
and software was developed, enabling the extraction of the information needed for the profiling of quality of care. Data were
centrally analyzed anonymously every year, and results were discussed in meetings with the participants. The performances
of the different centers were ranked against the “best performers,” and the reasons for variation were discussed.
RESULTS —From 2001 to 2005, a total of 26,782 patients aged ≥18 years have been seen in the participating clinics. Rates of monitoring
of A1C, blood pressure, lipid profile, and microalbuminuria constantly increased over the years. The percentage of individuals
with A1C values ≤7.0% increased by 16.6%, while the proportion of patients with blood pressure ≤130/85 mmHg increased by 10.7%.
The percentage of individuals with LDL cholesterol levels <100 mg/dl had a marked increase from 19.4 to 44.1%. Rates of use
of lipid-lowering drugs, antihypertensive drugs, and aspirin also substantially raised over the years.
CONCLUSIONS —We found a strong consistency between increasing rates of monitoring, increasing drug prescription, and better levels of
intermediate outcomes. Despite the satisfactory achievements, a substantial room for improvement in the care of diabetes still
persists.
ARB, angiotensin receptor blocker
Footnotes
Published ahead of print at http://care.diabetesjournals.org on 15 October 2007. DOI: 10.2337/dc07-1515.
*
↵ * A complete list of the Club Diabete Sicili@ investigators can be found in the appendix.
A table elsewhere in this issue shows conventional and Système International (SI) units and conversion factors for many substances.
The costs of publication of this article were defrayed in part by the payment of page charges. This article must therefore
be hereby marked “advertisement” in accordance with 18 U.S.C Section 1734 solely to indicate this fact.
Accepted October 2, 2007.
Received August 2, 2007.
DIABETES CARE
The development of malignant ascites is an unfavorable prognostic sign in patients with advanced cancer. Interventions may be justified when discomfort and overall compromise in well-being are due to ...diaphragmatic spinting and abdominal compression of viscera. A patient with symptomatic ascites was admitted to hospital for temporary drainage using a catheter inserted under computerized tomography. Over 12 liters of fluids were removed in 3 days, without complications. A minimal ascitic leakage occurred after removing the cannula. Dyspnea and gastrointestinal symptoms improved and the patient died with good symptom control 15 days later. This approach should be considered in advanced cancer patients with symptomatic ascites that is not responsive to diuretics. J Pain Symptom Manage 1998;15:374–378.
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