Background
SARS-CoV-2 infection affects multiple systems, including musculoskeletal, neurological, and respiratory systems. Changes associated with physical inactivity due to prolonged ...hospitalization can affect the functional capacity of individuals with long coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) or post-COVID-19 condition and may cause changes in some postural control functions, such as verticality.
Objectives
This study aimed to evaluate the perception of verticality in individuals with long COVID.
Design
Cross-sectional study
Methods
This study included 60 participants with post-COVID-19 condition divided into 2 groups: hospitalized group (n = 24), those hospitalized owing to SARS-CoV-2 infection; and non-hospitalized group (n = 36), those infected with SARS-CoV-2 but not hospitalized. All participants were examined using a post-COVID-19 functional status (PCFS), sit-to-stand test, grip strength assessment, painful and tactile sensory assessments, visual acuity assessment, and vestibular assessment. Verticality perception was evaluated using the subjective visual vertical (SVV) and subjective haptic vertical (SHV) tests. In both tests, the absolute values (positive values only) and true values (positive and negative values) were considered. To verify potential confounders that could influence the verticality of the results, logistic regression models were used for categorical variables and multiple linear regressions were used for continuous variables. For analysis between groups, the independent samples test (Mann–Whitney U test) was used.
Results
There were no confounders between clinical variables and verticality in either group. There was a significant increase in absolute SVV (mean deviation MD: 2.83; P < .0001) and true SVV (MD: −4.18; P = .005) in the hospitalized group compared to the non-hospitalized group. Furthermore, there was a significant increase in the true SHV (MD: −3.6; P = .026) in the hospitalized group compared to that in the non-hospitalized group.
Conclusion
Less accurate visual and haptic verticality perception task performance was observed in hospitalized patients with post-COVID-19 condition.
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory and autoimmune disease that significantly limits an individual's activities of daily living (ADLs) and negatively affects their social participation ...as it progresses. The impact of activities and participation must be continuously assessed, and the Glittre-ADL is a validated test for MS to assess functional capacity in tasks similar to ADLs.
To evaluate whether the Glittre-ADL test is a valid method for assessing functional mobility in individuals with MS and moderate disability or those who use assistive devices.
This cross-sectional study enrolled 30 individuals in two groups: 1) MS group (
= 15); and 2) healthy control group (
= 15). The MS group underwent three functional mobility tests: 1) Glittre-ADL; 2) Timed 25-Foot Walk (T25FWT); and 3) Timed Up and Go (TUG) while the healthy group underwent only the Glittre-ADL test.
An association was found between the Glittre-ADL time and T25FWT (
= 0.78,
< .001) and TUG (
= 0.56,
= .030) times. In the MS group, statistically significant differences were found in time (F = 2.88,
= .038) and speed (F = 5.17,
= .024) between laps. A statistically significant difference was observed between the total time in the MS and control groups (Area Under Curve - AUC: 0.982,
< .0001). A total time > 46.0s represents the reduction of functional performance during ADLs in individuals with MS (sensitivity: 93.3%; specificity: 92.2%).
The Glittre-ADL test is a valid tool for assessing functional mobility in individuals with MS and mild to moderate disability (EDSS score ≤ 6.5).
Water storage and purification, as well as dehydration processes, are a cause of concern for many healthy and industrial issues. In this work, calcium phosphate (CaP) materials with high water ...capture performance were prepared by sol–gel synthesis. After their structural characterization by several techniques, they were used in water capture tests performed in temperatures ranging from 25 to 45 °C using a climatic chamber kept at a relative humidity of 60%. The CaP samples showed a higher water uptake capacity than a commercial silica sample commonly used as a water adsorbent, despite the low surface area and pore volume displayed by the former. Moreover, different from the silica adsorbent, the studied CaP materials were submerged by the captured water after the first day, which suggests a deliquescent behavior. The CaP mass uptakes reached around 350% when tested at 25 °C and the materials release the adsorbed water quickly when heated at 100 °C. It was also demonstrated that the materials prepared here maintained their structural integrity even after the deliquescence step, which could allow their use for many cycles.
Highlights
Calcium phosphate materials were prepared by sol–gel synthesis.
Materials consist of CaHPO
4
crystals with an amorphous phase.
Calcium phosphate (CaP) samples present high water capture capacities.
Sample structures do not contain a significant volume of mesopores.
Synthesized CaP materials present deliquescent behaviors.
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•Deep tillage in shallow and dense soils increases water infiltration and conductivity.•Soil conservation management reduces the main driver of surface crusting in Inceptisols.•Soil ...mixing equipment used in coffee furrowing increases soil air and water availability; and•Brachiaria-grass intercropped with coffee improved infiltration and soil hydraulic conductivity.
Soil management operations change soil porosity, affecting water infiltration, redistribution, storage, availability, and uptake by plants. Assessing how soil management may affect pore size distribution and hydraulic conductivity is thus highly relevant for rainfed agriculture coping with water shortage. The aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness of tillage treatments, designed to deepen coffee plants root system, on improving structure and physical-hydric attributes of an Inceptisol with a shallow solum. The study was conducted in an experimental area in the municipality of Nazareno, Minas Gerais State, Brazil. Soil samples were collected 18 months after coffee plantation, at different depths (0, 0.25, 0.35, 0.45, 0.55, 0.66, and 0.75 m) and they were used to determine pore-size distribution, saturated and unsaturated hydraulic conductivity. Samples were also collected in surface crusts or in the 0−0.005 m soil layer for detailed grain size analysis. Field water infiltration was measured at different water tensions. Coffee seedlings were planted in rows furrowed to depths depending on tillage treatment: 0.4 m depth, made by a furrow ridger (FP40); 0.6 m depth, made by a subsoiler coupled to a soil preparer mixing the soil to a depth of 0.6 m (FP60); 0.8 m depth, made by a subsoiler and, after mixing the soil to a depth of 0.6 m, by the soil preparer (FP80). The soil between the planting rows was covered by Brachiaria-grass. Soil sampling and field tests were performed in the coffee plants row mechanically treated, in the Brachiaria-grassed inter-row (IR) lane and in a nearby area under natural vegetation (NC). Treatments effects, either mechanical in the coffee rows (FP40, FP 60 and FP80), or biological in the inter-row lane (IR) were compared to reference (NC), representing soil conditions prior to coffee plantation. The FP60 and FP80 treatments improved water infiltration, storage and hydraulic conductivity in the planting rows to a depth of 0.5 m. A more favorable pore size distribution was obtained following these treatments, which improved the soil physical environment. Conversely, furrowing promoted compaction at each implement working depth due to the pressure applied by the rods in the subsurface soil layers, combined with subsoil moisture condition at the time of operations. Root activity of intercropped Brachiaria-grass (IR) improved soil structure, expressed by a favorable pore-size distribution and a faster hydraulic conductivity in the inter-row lane. Similar effects were obtained with FP 60 and FP80 for the coffee rows, where deep furrowing during soil preparation reduced the natural density of the Inceptisol. Therefore, the management strategies tested allowed root deepening and access to soil moisture stored in deeper layers.
Yellow fever (YF) vaccine can cause neurologic complications. We examined YF vaccine–associated neurologic disease reported from 3 tertiary referral centers in São Paulo, Brazil, during 2017–2018 and ...compared the performance of criteria established by the Yellow Fever Vaccine Working Group/Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Brighton Collaboration. Among 50 patients who met inclusion criteria, 32 had meningoencephalitis (14 with reactive YF IgM in cerebrospinal fluid), 2 died, and 1 may have transmitted infection to an infant through breast milk. Of 7 cases of autoimmune neurologic disease after YF vaccination, 2 were acute disseminated encephalomyelitis, 2 myelitis, and 3 Guillain-Barré syndrome. Neurologic disease can follow fractional vaccine doses, and novel potential vaccine-associated syndromes include autoimmune encephalitis, opsoclonus-myoclonus-ataxia syndrome, optic neuritis, and ataxia. Although the Brighton Collaboration criteria lack direct vaccine causal assessment, they are more inclusive than the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention criteria.
Abstract Aim: This study aims to evaluate the additional acute effect of virtual reality (VR) head-mounted displays (HMD) when associated with balance exercises in balance outcomes in non-disabled ...individuals. Methods: Thirty individuals were randomized into two groups: balance exercise group (GBE; n = 15); and virtual reality + balance exercise group (GVR + BE; n = 15). The individuals were evaluated by static and dynamic balance using the tandem test (TT), single-leg stance (SLS), and Fukuda stepping test (FST). Both groups performed 30 min of balance exercises. The GVR + BE performed 8 additional minutes of virtual reality prior to balance exercises. A roller coaster application was used for the HMD. The Mann-Whitney test was used for intra-group and differences of inter-group analysis, considering a significance level of p < 0.05. Results: In the GBE group analysis, there was observed an increase of time in TT with closed eyes (p = 0.025) and SLS with closed eyes (p = 0.003). In the same way, the GVR + BE group increase TT with closed eyes (p = 0.003) and SLS with closed eyes (p = 0.002) after the intervention. In the intergroup analysis, the increase in the SLS with closed eyes was superior in the GVR + BE group when compared with GBE (p = 0.006; d = 1.67). Conclusion: The use of HMD in combination with balance exercise has an acute effect on increasing static balance in non-disabled individuals.
An epidemic of infections after video-assisted surgery (1,051 possible cases) caused by rapidly growing mycobacteria (RGM) and involving 63 hospitals in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, occurred ...between August 2006 and July 2007. One hundred ninety-seven cases were confirmed by positive acid-fast staining and/or culture techniques. Thirty-eight hospitals had cases confirmed by mycobacterial culture, with a total of 148 available isolates recovered from 146 patients. Most (n = 144; 97.2%) isolates presented a PRA-hsp65 restriction pattern suggestive of Mycobacterium bolletii or Mycobacterium massiliense. Seventy-four of these isolates were further identified by hsp65 or rpoB partial sequencing, confirming the species identification as M. massiliense. Epidemic isolates showed susceptibility to amikacin (MIC at which 90% of the tested isolates are inhibited MIC₉₀, 8 μg/ml) and clarithromycin (MIC₉₀, 0.25 μg/ml) but resistance to ciprofloxacin (MIC₉₀, greater-than-or-equal32 μg/ml), cefoxitin (MIC₉₀, 128 μg/ml), and doxycycline (MIC₉₀, greater-than-or-equal64 μg/ml). Representative epidemic M. massiliense isolates that were randomly selected, including at least one isolate from each hospital where confirmed cases were detected, belonged to a single clone, as indicated by the analysis of pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) patterns. They also had the same PFGE pattern as that previously observed in two outbreaks that occurred in other Brazilian cities; we designated this clone BRA100. All five BRA100 M. massiliense isolates tested presented consistent tolerance to 2% glutaraldehyde. This is the largest epidemic of postsurgical infections caused by RGM reported in the literature to date in Brazil.
Background
Several studies have shown that robotic devices can effectively improve motor function in stroke patients through limb activation. However, the effects of robot-assisted therapy on ...perceptual deficits after stroke is unclear.
Objective
This review aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of robotic limb activation in patients with unilateral spatial neglect (USN) after stroke.
Methods
In this systematic review, a literature search was performed using MEDLINE, EMBASE, CENTRAL, CINAHL, and LILACS databases without language restrictions. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and quasi-RCTs of robot-assisted therapy for USN after stroke were selected. Two reviewers independently assessed the risk of bias and certainty of the evidence of the included studies.
Results
A total of 630 studies were identified, including five studies for qualitative synthesis and four meta-analyses. The results of RCTs comparing robotic limb activation with a control group suggested an improvement in the degree of USN measured by the line bisection test (standardized mean difference SMD, −0.64; 95% confidence interval CI, −1.13 to −0.15; P = .01). There were no differences between the groups in the motor-free visual perception test 3rd edition (SMD, 0.27; 95% CI, −0.25–0.79; P = .31), star cancellation test (SMD, 0.26; 95% CI, −0.42−0.94; P = .54), Albert’s test (SMD, −0.67; 95% CI, −2.01−0.66; P = .32), and Catherine Bergego Scale (SMD, −0.81; 95% CI, −2.07−0.45; P = .21).
Conclusion
The study demonstrated that limb activation through robotic therapy can improve midline perception. However, there was no impact on tasks assessing visual scanning, functionality, or activities of daily living.
Context: Propolis has promising biological activities. Propolis samples from the Northeast of Bahia, Brazil - sample A from Ribeira do Pombal and B, from Tucano - were investigated, with new ...information regarding their biological activities.
Objective: This paper describes the chemical profile, antioxidant, anti-glycation and cytotoxic activities of these propolis samples.
Material and methods: Ethanol extracts of these propolis samples (EEP) and their fractions were analyzed to determine total phenolic content (TPC); antioxidant capacity through DPPH
*
, FRAP and lipid peroxidation; anti-glycation activity, by an in vitro glucose (10 mg/mL) bovine serum albumine (1 mg/mL) assay, during 7 d; cytotoxic activity on cancer (SF295, HCT-116, OVCAR-8, MDA-MB435, MX-1, MCF7, HL60, JURKAT, MOLT-4, K562, PC3, DU145) and normal cell lines (V79) at 0.04-25 μg/mL concentrations, for 72 h. The determination of primary phenols by ultra high-pressure liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS) and volatile organic compounds content by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) were also performed.
Results: The EEP polar fractions exhibited up to 90% protection against lipid peroxidation. The IC
50
value for anti-glycation activity of EEP was between 16.5 and 19.2 μg/mL, close to aminoguanidine (IC
50
= 7.7 μg/mL). The use of UHPLC-MS/MS and GC-MS allowed the identification of 12 bioactive phenols in the EEP and 24 volatile compounds, all already reported.
Conclusions: The samples present good antioxidant/anti-glycation/cytotoxic activities and a plethora of biologically active compounds. These results suggest a potential role of propolis in targeting ageing and diseases associated with oxidative and carbonylic stress, aggregating value to them.
Dysplasia grading systems for oral epithelial dysplasia are a source of disagreement among pathologists. Therefore, machine learning approaches are being developed to mitigate this issue.
This ...cross-sectional study included a cohort of 82 patients with oral potentially malignant disorders and correspondent 98 hematoxylin and eosin-stained whole slide images with biopsied-proven dysplasia. All whole-slide images were manually annotated based on the binary system for oral epithelial dysplasia. The annotated regions of interest were segmented and fragmented into small patches and non-randomly sampled into training/validation and test subsets. The training/validation data were color augmented, resulting in a total of 81,786 patches for training. The held-out independent test set enrolled a total of 4,486 patches. Seven state-of-the-art convolutional neural networks were trained, validated, and tested with the same dataset.
The models presented a high learning rate, yet very low generalization potential. At the model development, VGG16 performed the best, but with massive overfitting. In the test set, VGG16 presented the best accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, and area under the curve (62%, 62%, 66%, and 65%, respectively), associated with the higher loss among all Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) tested. EfficientB0 has comparable metrics and the lowest loss among all convolutional neural networks, being a great candidate for further studies.
The models were not able to generalize enough to be applied in real-life datasets due to an overlapping of features between the two classes (i.e., high risk and low risk of malignization).
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