Background
Dual task influences postural control. A cognitive task seems to reduce muscle excitation during a postural balance, especially in older adults (OA).
Aim
The aim of this study is to ...evaluate the effect of three cognitive tasks on muscle excitation and static postural control in OA and young adults (YA) in an upright posture maintenance task.
Methods
31 YA and 30 OA were evaluated while performing a modified Romberg Test in five different conditions over a force plate: open eyes, closed eyes, spatial-memory brooks’ test, counting backwards aloud test and mental arithmetic task. The surface electromyographic signals of Tibialis anterior (TA), Lateral Gastrocnemius (GL), Peroneus Longus (PL), and Erector Spinae (ES) was acquired with an 8-channel surface electromyographic system. The following variables were computed for both the electromyographic analysis and the posturographic assessment: Root mean square (RMS), centre of pressure (CoP) excursion (Path) and velocity, sway area, RMS of the CoP Path and 50%, 95% of the power frequency. Mixed ANOVA was used to detect differences with group membership as factor between and type of task as within. The analysis was performed on the differences between each condition from OE.
Results
An interaction effect was found for Log (logarithmic) Sway Area. A main effect for task emerged on all posturographic variables except Log 95% frequencies and for Log PL and ES RMS. A main effect for group was never detected.
Discussion and conclusion
This study indicates a facilitating effect of mental secondary task on posturographic variables. Non-silent secondary task causes increase in ES and TA muscle activation and a worsening in static postural control performance.
Sarcopenia and muscle strength reduction are a frequent disorder in non-communicable chronic diseases. The aims of this study are: (a) to verify if the absolute and relative to body weight muscle ...strength of lower limb is affected by the presence of pathology; (b) to verify if the trends are different among knee and ankles joints. One-hundred and forty-five elderly were recruited (16 liver transplant recipients, 48 kidney transplant recipients, 52 elderly with obesity, 30 healthy elderly). Muscular strength of lower limb was evaluated. Evaluation protocol included maximal isometric knee extension, maximal isokinetic knee extension and flexion, maximal isokinetic ankle (both right and left) extension and flexion. A statistically significant interaction between measurement and group membership was found for absolute strength measure (F (4.23, 170.56) = 3.316, p = 0.011, partial η2 (η2p) = 0.076), and relative strength measure(F (4.44, 174.72) = 16.407, p < 0.01, partial η2 (η2p) = 0.294). Elderly patients living with kidney transplants showed the lower level of absolute muscular strength, while relative muscular strength is mainly lacking in the elderly with obesity. The strength profile of elderly subjects is affected by obesity, liver transplantation, and kidney transplantation.
Diabetes mellitus is a highly heterogeneous disorder encompassing several distinct forms with different clinical manifestations including a wide spectrum of age at onset. Despite many advances, the ...causal genetic defect remains unknown for many subtypes of the disease, including some of those forms with an apparent Mendelian mode of inheritance. Here we report two loss-of-function mutations (c.1655T>A p.Leu552∗ and c.280G>A p.Asp94Asn) in the gene for the Adaptor Protein, Phosphotyrosine Interaction, PH domain, and leucine zipper containing 1 (APPL1) that were identified by means of whole-exome sequencing in two large families with a high prevalence of diabetes not due to mutations in known genes involved in maturity onset diabetes of the young (MODY). APPL1 binds to AKT2, a key molecule in the insulin signaling pathway, thereby enhancing insulin-induced AKT2 activation and downstream signaling leading to insulin action and secretion. Both mutations cause APPL1 loss of function. The p.Leu552∗ alteration totally abolishes APPL1 protein expression in HepG2 transfected cells and the p.Asp94Asn alteration causes significant reduction in the enhancement of the insulin-stimulated AKT2 and GSK3β phosphorylation that is observed after wild-type APPL1 transfection. These findings—linking APPL1 mutations to familial forms of diabetes—reaffirm the critical role of APPL1 in glucose homeostasis.
Chronic progressive external ophthalmoplegia (CPEO) is common in mitochondrial disorders and is frequently associated with multiple mtDNA deletions. The onset is typically in adulthood, and affected ...subjects can also present with general muscle weakness. The underlying genetic defects comprise autosomal-dominant or recessive mutations in several nuclear genes, most of which play a role in mtDNA replication. Next-generation sequencing led to the identification of compound-heterozygous RNASEH1 mutations in two singleton subjects and a homozygous mutation in four siblings. RNASEH1, encoding ribonuclease H1 (RNase H1), is an endonuclease that is present in both the nucleus and mitochondria and digests the RNA component of RNA-DNA hybrids. Unlike mitochondria, the nucleus harbors a second ribonuclease (RNase H2). All affected individuals first presented with CPEO and exercise intolerance in their twenties, and these were followed by muscle weakness, dysphagia, and spino-cerebellar signs with impaired gait coordination, dysmetria, and dysarthria. Ragged-red and cytochrome c oxidase (COX)-negative fibers, together with impaired activity of various mitochondrial respiratory chain complexes, were observed in muscle biopsies of affected subjects. Western blot analysis showed the virtual absence of RNase H1 in total lysate from mutant fibroblasts. By an in vitro assay, we demonstrated that altered RNase H1 has a reduced capability to remove the RNA from RNA-DNA hybrids, confirming their pathogenic role. Given that an increasing amount of evidence indicates the presence of RNA primers during mtDNA replication, this result might also explain the accumulation of mtDNA deletions and underscores the importance of RNase H1 for mtDNA maintenance.
Food systems have the potential to support human health, respecting the environmental sustainability principles. Food sustainability, enclosed in the concept of environmental sustainability, involves ...different aspects, including the recycling of food waste derived from the agri-food production chain, the use of biotechnologies ensuring the sustainability of the recovery processes of bioactive compounds from food waste and, last but not least, the awareness of having to consume and waste less food. Food loss and waste is generated during the whole supply chain, from production to household utilization. The utilization of agricultural wastes as an abundant, renewable and low-cost source for the production of high value-added products is currently explored. The bioactive compounds present in these sources have been proved to possess a wide range of biological activities; therefore, research is needed into the application of environmentally friendly traditional and advanced techniques with low production costs in the extraction, isolation and purification of phytochemical compounds from agricultural wastes in high yields and at maximal quality. Authors of this manuscript propose and discuss an innovative and sustainable extraction system of polyphenols from vegetable waste, based on an enzymatic pre-treatment coupled with a solid-liquid extraction by using a particular extractor (Naviglio Estrattore®). This extraction system, organic solvent free, allowed to extract relevant amount of polyphenols (flavonoids in particular) from several vegetable waste products.
Display omitted
•Academic or professional content on social media must be accurate and succinct.•Social media can be used to advance one’s academic or professional career.•Graphical abstracts ...increase reader engagement with articles and are easy to create.
On February 6th, 2024, Gynecologic Oncology Reports and the Society of Gynecologic Oncology Education Committee co-hosted a webinar about ways to use social media for career enhancement and for dissemination of research. During the discussion, we reviewed:i.how to identify one’s goals, target audience, and select a social media platform.ii.how to navigate the negatives of social media.iii.how to develop one’s online academic brand.iv.how to use social media for academic promotion and career advancement.v.how to use social media as a research tool.vi.how to use visual tools to bring attention to one’s research.The objective of this report is to review the literature on social media in oncology and review the webinar presentation.
High serum resistin has been associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease in the general population, Only sparse and conflicting results, limited to Asian individuals, have been reported, ...so far, in type 2 diabetes. We studied the role of serum resistin on coronary artery disease, major cardiovascular events and all-cause mortality in type 2 diabetes.
We tested the association of circulating resistin concentrations with coronary artery disease, major cardiovascular events (cardiovascular death, non-fatal myocardial infarction and non-fatal stroke) and all-cause mortality in 2,313 diabetic patients of European ancestry from two cross-sectional and two prospective studies. In addition, the expression of resistin gene (RETN) was measured in blood cells of 68 diabetic patients and correlated with their serum resistin levels.
In a model comprising age, sex, smoking habits, BMI, HbA1c, and insulin, antihypertensive and antidyslipidemic therapies, serum resistin was associated with coronary artery disease in both cross-sectional studies: OR (95%CI) per SD increment = 1.35 (1.10-1.64) and 1.99 (1.55-2.55). Additionally, serum resistin predicted incident major cardiovascular events (HR per SD increment = 1.31; 1.10-1.56) and all-cause mortality (HR per SD increment = 1.16; 1.06-1.26). Adjusting also for fibrinogen levels affected the association with coronary artery disease and incident cardiovascular events, but not that with all cause-mortality. Finally, serum resistin was positively correlated with RETN mRNA expression (rho = 0.343).
This is the first study showing that high serum resistin (a likely consequence, at least partly, of increased RETN expression) is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality in diabetic patients of European ancestry.
The aim of our study is to emphasizes the significance of prompt diagnosis and intervention in younger patients affected by osteochondral detachment after patellar dislocation, where the first ...objective is to minimize in the shortest possible time complications and ingravescence. The method involves a clinical patient assessment and MRI follow-up in subjects who underwent to an immediate surgical intervention for osteochondral damage.
From January 2020 to December 2022, 22 patellar dislocation cases were assessed; osteochondral lesions were identified in 12 (54%) patients; nine of these patients were treated immediately with knee arthroscopy, while in seven instances the osteochondral fragment was reattached using bioabsorbable pins. Post-operative clinical evaluations were conducted at one-, three-, and six-month intervals; finally, a six-month post-operative MRI was performed for all surgically treated patients.
The MRI evaluations, conducted six months post-operation for all seven patients, indicated successful integration of the reattached osteochondral fragment. Every patient returned to their pre-injury activities after surgery. However, two of them reported mild pain in the anterior region of the knee post-surgery.
in young patients, swift diagnosis and immediate surgical intervention for osteochondral detachment resulting from patellar dislocation are crucial. This approach has been identified as the best practice, since it substantially minimizes immediate functional restrictions and significantly lowers the long-term risk of femoral-patellar osteoarthritis.
Abstract Background Several studies have demonstrated that adjuvant therapies as exercise and breathing training are effective in improving cardiac autonomic control (CAC) in patients with affective ...spectrum disorders. However, the effects of Sudarshan Kriya Yoga (SKY) on autonomic function in this population is unknown. Our objective was to test the hypothesis that SKY training improves CAC and cardiorespiratory coupling in patients with anxiety and/or depression disorders. Methods Forty-six patients with a diagnosis of anxiety and/or depression disorders (DSM-IV) were consecutively enrolled and divided in two groups: 1) conventional therapy (Control) and 2) conventional therapy associated with SKY (Treatment) for 15 days. Anxiety and depression levels were determined using quantitative questionnaires. For the assessment of CAC and cardiorespiratory coupling, cardiorespiratory traces were analyzed using monovariate and bivariate autoregressive spectral analysis, respectively. Results After 15-days, we observed a reduction of anxiety and depression levels only in Treatment group. Moreover, sympathetic modulation and CAC were significantly lower while parasympathetic modulation and cardiorespiratory coupling were significantly higher in the Treatment compared to Control group. Conclusions Intensive breathing training using SKY approach improves anxiety and/or depressive disorders as well as CAC and cardiorespiratory coupling. These finding suggest that the SKY training may be a useful non-pharmacological intervention to improve symptoms and reduce cardiovascular risk in patients with anxiety/depression disorders.
This study aims to provide a comparison of the current recommendations about the management of acute pharyngitis. A literature search was conducted from January 2009 to 2023. Documents reporting ...recommendations on the management of acute pharyngitis were included, pertinent data were extracted, and a descriptive comparison of the different recommendations was performed. The quality of guidelines was assessed through the AGREE II instrument. Nineteen guidelines were included, and an overall moderate quality was found. Three groups can be distinguished: one group supports the antibiotic treatment of group A β-hemolytic Streptococcus (GABHS) to prevent acute rheumatic fever (ARF); the second considers acute pharyngitis a self-resolving disease, recommending antibiotics only in selected cases; the third group recognizes a different strategy according to the ARF risk in each patient. An antibiotic course of 10 days is recommended if the prevention of ARF is the primary goal; conversely, some guidelines suggest a course of 5–7 days, assuming the symptomatic cure is the goal of treatment. Penicillin V and amoxicillin are the first-line options. In the case of penicillin allergy, first-generation cephalosporins are a suitable choice. In the case of beta-lactam allergy, clindamycin or macrolides could be considered according to local resistance rates.
Conclusion
: Several divergencies in the management of acute pharyngitis were raised among guidelines (GLs) from different countries, both in the diagnostic and therapeutic approach, allowing the distinction of 3 different strategies. Since GABHS pharyngitis could affect the global burden of GABHS disease, it is advisable to define a shared strategy worldwide. It could be interesting to investigate the following issues further: cost-effectiveness analysis of diagnostic strategies in different healthcare systems; local genomic epidemiology of GABHS infection and its complications; the impact of antibiotic treatment of GABHS pharyngitis on its complications and invasive GABHS infections; the role of GABHS vaccines as a prophylactic measure. The related results could aid the development of future recommendations.
What is Known:
• GABHS disease spectrum ranges from superficial to invasive infections and toxin-mediated diseases
.
• GABHS accounts for about 25% of sore throat in children and its management is a matter of debate
.
What is New:
• Three strategies can be distinguished among current GLs: antibiotic therapy to prevent ARF, antibiotics only in complicated cases, and a tailored strategy according to the individual ARF risk
.
• The impact of antibiotic treatment of GABHS pharyngitis on its sequelae still is the main point of divergence; further studies are needed to achieve a global shared strategy
.
PDF
