Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Auricular acupuncture for chronic back pain in adults: a systematic review and metanalysis

www.ee. usp.br/reeusp Rev Esc Enferm USP · 2019;53:e03461 ABSTRACT Objective: To investigate randomized clinical trials on the action of auricular acupuncture for chronic back pain in adults, and to identify the most commonly used outcomes for assessing this condition, the protocol used for applying the intervention, and the efficacy of the therapy on pain intensity. Method: A systematic review and a metanalysis were carried out between June 2017 and May 2018, based on the PubMed, CINAHL, PEDro, Embase, Scopus, and the Virtual Health Library databases. Reference lists of systematic reviews were also explored. Results: 427 studies were located, 15 included in the qualitative analysis, and seven in the quantitative analysis. Auricular acupuncture led to positive results in 80% of the studies. The most commonly used outcomes were pain intensity and quality, medication consumption, physical disability, and quality of life. There is a lack of protocol standardization for auricular acupuncture for chronic back pain. The metanalysis results showed that auricular acupuncture was effective in reducing pain intensity scores (p=0.038). Conclusion: Auricular acupuncture is a promising practice for the treatment of chronic back pain in adults.
The fate and function of oligodendrocyte progenitor cells after traumatic spinal cord injury

Oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs) are the most proliferative and dispersed population of progenitor cells in the adult central nervous system, which allows these cells to rapidly respond to damage. Oligodendrocytes and myelin are lost after traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI), compromising efficient conduction and, potentially, the long‐term health of axons. In response, OPCs proliferate and then differentiate into new oligodendrocytes and Schwann cells to remyelinate axons. This culminates in highly efficient remyelination following experimental SCI in which nearly all intact demyelinated axons are remyelinated in rodent models. However, myelin regeneration comprises only one role of OPCs following SCI. OPCs contribute to scar formation after SCI and restrict the regeneration of injured axons. Moreover, OPCs alter their gene expression following demyelination, express cytokines and perpetuate the immune response. Here, we review the functional contribution of myelin regeneration and other recently uncovered roles of OPCs and their progeny to repair following SCI.
Improved Patient Recovery With Minimally Invasive Aortic Valve Surgery: A Propensity-Matched Study

Objective Despite conflicting evidence available, minimally invasive aortic valve replacement (MIAVR) is increasingly used as an alternative to full sternotomy. We sought to compare early outcomes of aortic valve replacement through a full sternotomy (conventional aortic valve replacement [CAVR]) and upper ministernotomy (MIAVR). Methods We analyzed 297 patients having undergone primary, elective, isolated MIAVR or CAVR between January 2014 and June 2018. Following propensity score matching, 120 patients remained in each group. Results MIAVR required longer bypass (93 ± 26 vs 81 ± 24 minutes, P < 0.01) and operative times (214 ± 39 vs 182 ± 37 minutes, P < 0.01). However, aortic cross-clamp times were comparable (57 ± 17 vs 54 ± 14 minutes for MIAVR and CAVR, respectively, P = 0.14). MIAVR had less 24-hour blood loss (253 ± 204 vs 323 ± 296 mL, P = 0.03), less red blood cells transfusions [1.4 packs (1.1 o 1.9) vs 2.1 packs (1.8 to 2.7), P = 0.01], and shorter assisted ventilation time (7.1 ± 3.3 vs 9.7 ± 3.8 hours, P < 0.01) when compared to CAVR. These results led to significantly shorter intensive care unit and hospital stays for MIAVR patients (2.5 ± 1.3 vs 3.4 ± 1.1 days, P < 0.01 and 6.9 ± 4.1 vs 8.2 ± 4.8 days, P = 0.03, respectively). Thirty-day mortality and clinical outcomes did not differ significantly among groups. Conclusions MIAVR through upper ministernotomy was shown to be as safe and reliable as CAVR. Patient recovery time was improved by shortening mechanical ventilation and reducing blood loss and transfusions. These results may be significant for high-risk patients undergoing aortic valve surgery.
Neurourology and Urodynamics

Correspondence Taiju Hyuga, Department of Pediatric Urology, Jichi Medical University, Children’s Medical Center Tochigi, 3311‐1, Yakushiji Shimotsuke‐shi, Tochigi 329‐0498, Japan. Email: hyuga199x@gmail.com Abstract Aim: To evaluate the uroflowmetry (UFM), which reflects the urinary symptoms of children with nocturnal enuresis (NE). Methods: This study retrospectively investigated 93 children who underwent UFM three times on the same day (≥8 years old; mean age: 9 years and 10 months; 66 boys and 27 girls). Children with the combination of daytime incontinence (DI) and NE (DI+NE group: n= 45) and NE alone (isolated NE group: n= 48) were compared. UFM curve patterns were classified into five types: bell (B), tower (T), staccato (S), plateau (P), and interrupted (I). An unclassified (U) curve pattern was designated when all three curve patterns differed. Patterns other than the B pattern were considered abnormal (A). Each score in the dysfunctional voiding symptom score (DVSS) was also compared between the two groups. Results: The UFM curve pattern was B (n = 21), T (n = 15), S (n = 4), P (n = 1), U (n = 4) in the DI+NE group and B (n = 25), T (n = 10), S (n = 7), P (n = 2), U (n = 4) in the isolated NE group, indicating no significant difference (B vs A; P= .680). The two items of DVSS questionnaire were significantly greater in the DI+NE group than in the isolated NE group (voiding postponement: 0.93 ± 1.18 vs 0.23 ± 0.56, P= .001, urgency: 2.09 ± 1.06 vs 0.56 ± 0.85, P< .001). Conclusion: The abnormal UFM curve patterns did not differ significantly between NE children with and without DI. However, the DVSS questionnaire scores differed significantly. UFM did not reflect the urinary symptoms of children with NE.
Inferring Interactivity From Gaze Patterns During Triadic Person-Object-Agent Interactions

Observing others’ gaze informs us about relevant matters in the environment. Humans’ sensitivity to gaze cues and our ability to use this information to focus our own attention is crucial to learning, social coordination, and survival. Gaze can also be a deliberate social signal which captures and directs the gaze of others toward an object of interest. In the current study, we investigated whether the intention to actively communicate one’s own attentional focus can be inferred from the dynamics of gaze alone. We used a triadic gaze interaction paradigm based on the recently proposed classification of attentional states and respective gaze patterns in person-object-person interactions, the so-called “social gaze space (SGS). ” Twenty-eight participants interacted with a computer controlled virtual agent while they assumed to interact with a real human. During the experiment, the virtual agent engaged in various gaze patterns which were determined by the agent’s attentional communicative state, as described by the concept of SGS. After each interaction, participants were asked to judge whether the other person was trying to deliberately interact with them. Results show that participants were able to infer the communicative intention solely from the agent’s gaze behavior. The results substantiate claims about the pivotal role of gaze in social coordination and relationship formation. Our results further reveal that social expectations are reflected in differential responses to the displayed gaze patterns and may be crucial for impression formation during gaze-based interaction. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to document the experience of interactivity in continuous and contingent triadic gaze interactions.
The Biological Clock in Gray Mouse Lemur: Adaptive, Evolutionary and Aging Considerations in an Emerging Non-human Primate Model

Circadian rhythms, which measure time on a scale of 24 h, are genetically generated by the circadian clock, which plays a crucial role in the regulation of almost every physiological and metabolic process in most organisms. This review gathers all the available information about the circadian clock in a small Malagasy primate, the gray mouse lemur (Microcebus murinus), and reports 30 years data from the historical colony at Brunoy (France). Although the mouse lemur has long been seen as a “primitive” species, its clock displays high phenotypic plasticity, allowing perfect adaptation of its biological rhythms to environmental challenges (seasonality, food availability). The alterations of the circadian timing system in M. murinus during aging show many similarities with those in human aging. Comparisons are drawn with other mammalian species (more specifically, with rodents, other non-human primates and humans) to demonstrate that the gray mouse lemur is a good complementary and alternative model for studying the circadian clock and, more broadly, brain aging and pathologies.
Bacterial but Not Fungal Gut Microbiota Alterations Are Associated With Common Variable Immunodeficiency (CVID) Phenotype

Common Variable Immunodeficiency (CVID) is the most frequent symptomatic immune disorder characterized by reduced serum immunoglobulins. Patients often suffer from infectious and serious non-infectious complications which impact their life tremendously. The monogenic cause has been revealed in a minority of patients so far, indicating the role of multiple genes and environmental factors in CVID etiology. Using 16S and ITS rRNA amplicon sequencing, we analyzed the bacterial and fungal gut microbiota, respectively, in a group of 55 participants constituting of CVID patients and matched healthy controls including 16 case-control pairs living in the same household, to explore possible associations between gut microbiota composition and disease phenotype. We revealed less diverse and significantly altered bacterial but not fungal gut microbiota in CVID patients, which additionally appeared to be associated with a more severe disease phenotype. The factor of sharing the same household impacted both bacterial and fungal microbiome data significantly, although not as strongly as CVID diagnosis in bacterial assessment. Overall, our results suggest that gut bacterial microbiota is altered in CVID patients and may be one of the missing environmental drivers contributing to some of the symptoms and disease severity. Paired samples serving as controls will provide a better resolution between disease-related dysbiosis and other environmental confounders in future studies.
Viruses and Autoimmunity: A Review on the Potential Interaction and Molecular Mechanisms

For a long time, viruses have been shown to modify the clinical picture of several autoimmune diseases, including type 1 diabetes (T1D), systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), rheumatoid arthritis (RA), Sjögren’s syndrome (SS), herpetic stromal keratitis (HSK), celiac disease (CD), and multiple sclerosis (MS). Best examples of viral infections that have been proposed to modulate the induction and development of autoimmune diseases are the infections with enteric viruses such as Coxsackie B virus (CVB) and rotavirus, as well as influenza A viruses (IAV), and herpesviruses. Other viruses that have been studied in this context include, measles, mumps, and rubella. Epidemiological studies in humans and experimental studies in animal have shown that viral infections can induce or protect from autoimmunopathologies depending on several factors including genetic background, host-elicited immune responses, type of virus strain, viral load, and the onset time of infection. Still, data delineating the clear mechanistic interaction between the virus and the immune system to induce autoreactivity are scarce. Available data indicate that viral-induced autoimmunity can be activated through multiple mechanisms including molecular mimicry, epitope spreading, bystander activation, and immortalization of infected B cells. Contrarily, the protective effects can be achieved via regulatory immune responses which lead to the suppression of autoimmune phenomena. Therefore, a better understanding of the immune-related molecular processes in virus-induced autoimmunity is warranted. Here we provide an overview of the current understanding of viral-induced autoimmunity and the mechanisms that are associated with this phenomenon.
Histopathological and Functional Evaluation of Radiation-Induced Sciatic Nerve Damage: Melatonin as Radioprotector

Background and Objectives: Radiotherapy uses ionizing radiation for cancer treatment. One of the side effects of radiotherapy is peripheral neuropathy. After irradiation, the first stage of neuropathy involves electrophysiological, biochemical and histopathological variations, while the fibrosis of soft tissues surrounding the exposed nerve occurs in the second stage. The present study aimed to examine the radioprotective effects of melatonin against ionizing radiation-induced sciatic nerve damage. Materials and Methods: Sixty male Wistar rats were assigned to four groups: C (Control + Vehicle), M (Melatonin), R (Radiation + Vehicle), MR (Radiation + Melatonin). Their right legs were irradiated with a 30 Gy single dose of gamma rays. Then, 100 mg/kg melatonin was administered to the animals 30 min before irradiation once daily (5 mg/kg) until the day of rats’ sacrifice. Their exposed nerve tissues were assessed using the sciatic functional index (SFI) and histological evaluation. Results: Four, 12 and 20 weeks post irradiation, the SFI results showed that irradiation led to partial loss of motor nerve function after 12 and 20 weeks. Histological evaluation showed the various stages of axonal degeneration and demyelination compared to the C and M groups. Scar-like tissues were detected around the irradiated nerves in the R group at 20 weeks, but were absent in the MR group. The SFI and histological results of the R group showed partial nerve lesion. However, in all cases, treatment with melatonin prevented these effects. Conclusions: Results showed that melatonin has the potential to improve functional and morphological features of exposed sciatic nerves. This could possibly improve the therapeutic window of radiotherapy.
The Relationship Between Cognitive Abilities and the Decision-Making Process: The Moderating Role of Self-Relevance

This study investigated the relationship between cognitive abilities and age differences in information search and the moderating role of task self-relevance by measuring the decision-making processes of participants in both high and low self-relevance decision-making tasks. The sample included 57 young and 65 older adults. They viewed five-alternative × five-attribute decision matrices that required them to open, with a mouse click, the information cells that interested them. Processing speed, verbal fluency, working memory, and vocabulary were measured as cognitive abilities. The dependent variables were search engagement (including time-related engagement and frequency-related engagement) and search pattern (calculated based on alternative-based or attribute-based search). The results from structured equation modeling showed that age negatively predicted these cognitive abilities (processing speed, verbal fluency, working memory, and vocabulary) and positively predicted information search engagement. Processing speed mediated the effect of age on study time per cell under tasks with both high and low self-relevance. Verbal fluency, meanwhile, mediated the total search time and checking time per cell when the task was highly self-related but not when the task had low self-relevance. These results suggest that self-relevance can moderate the mediation effect of verbal fluency on the relationship between age and information search time; this means that older adults whose verbal fluency was limited require relatively more time to search information to make an informed decision. However, this effect is only sufficient when the decision-making task is highly self-related and provokes more engagement motivation toward it.
Rowing Simulator Modulates Water Density to Foster Motor Learning

Although robot-assisted training is present in various fields such as sports engineering and rehabilitation, provision of training strategies that optimally support individual motor learning remains as a challenge. Literature has shown that guidance strategies are useful for beginners, while skilled trainees should benefit from challenging conditions. The Challenge Point Theory also supports this in a way that learning is dependent on the available information, which serves as a challenge to the learner. So, learning can be fostered when the optimal amount of information is given according to the trainee's skill. Even though the framework explains the importance of difficulty modulation, there are no practical guidelines for complex dynamic tasks on how to match the difficulty to the trainee's skill progress. Therefore, the goal of this study was to determine the impact on learning of a complex motor task by a modulated task difficulty scheme during the training sessions, without distorting the nature of task. In this 3-day protocol study, we compared two groups of naïve participants for learning a sweep rowing task in a highly sophisticated rowing simulator. During trainings, groups received concurrent visual feedback displaying the requested oar movement. Control group performed the task under constant difficulty in the training sessions. Experimental group's task difficulty was modulated by changing the virtual water density that generated different heaviness of the simulated water-oar interaction, which yielded practice variability. Learning was assessed in terms of spatial and velocity magnitude errors and the variability for these metrics. Results of final day tests revealed that both groups reduced their error and variability for the chosen metrics. Notably, in addition to the provision of a very well established visual feedback and knowledge of results, experimental group's variable training protocol with modulated difficulty showed a potential to be advantageous for the spatial consistency and velocity accuracy. The outcomes of training and test runs indicate that we could successfully alter the performance of the trainees by changing the density value of the virtual water. Therefore, a follow-up study is necessary to investigate how to match different density values to the skill and performance improvement of the participants.
Search Strategies in the Perceptual-Motor Workspace and the Acquisition of Coordination, Control, and Skill

In this paper we re-visit and elaborate-on the theoretical framework of learning as searching within the perceptual-motor workspace for a solution to the task. The central focus is the nature of search strategies to locate and create stable equilibrium regions in the perceptual-motor workspace and how these strategies relate to the emergent movement forms in the acquisition of coordination, control, and skill. In the ecological theory of perception and action, the enhanced stability of performance occurs through the attunement of the perceptual systems to the task dynamics together with modifications of action as task and intrinsic dynamics cooperate and/or compete. Thus, through practice in this search process, individuals adapt to the pick-up of task relevant perceptual variables and change their movement form according to the stability of the performed action and its outcome in relation to the task demands. Contemporary experimental findings have revealed features of the search process given the interaction of individual intrinsic dynamics in the context of task requirements and principles that drive the change – e.g., exploitation of more tolerant task-space solutions and emergence of compensatory mechanisms. Finally, we outline how the search strategy framework relates to traditional learning-related phenomena: including the dynamical pathways of learning, learning curves, factors of learning, individuality, motor development, and sport and rehabilitation interventions.
Visibility of the hilar lymph nodes using advanced virtual monoenergetic low-keV images for preoperative evaluation of lung cancer.

OBJECTIVE The purpose of our study was to evaluate the visibility of the hilar lymph nodes (LNs) using advanced virtual monoenergetic low-keV images compared with early-phase contrast-enhanced CT. METHODS Dual energy contrast-enhanced CT was performed for pre-operative evaluation of lung cancer at 20 and 60 s after administration of contrast media in 50 patients (32 males and 18 females; mean age, 69 years). Five kinds of images (A: 20 s/120 kV; B: 60 s/40 keV; C: 60 s/50 keV; D: 60 s/120 kV; E: 60 s/100 kV) were reconstructed. We measured the CT number of the bilateral main pulmonary arteries (PAs), pulmonary veins (PVs) and hilar LNs, and evaluated the differences in CT number (Hounsfield units, HUs) between the PA/PV and LNs (PA-LN and PV-LN contrast). Artifacts from the superior vena cava (SVC) were also evaluated. RESULTS The mean PA-LN contrast (HU) was 415 in image group A, 299 in B, 180 in C, 80 in D, and 100 in E. The mean PV-LN contrasts in each group were 306, 287, 177, 78, and 99, respectively. Image group B showed the second highest PA-LN contrast following image group A. There was no significant difference in the PV-LN contrast between image groups A and B. The PA-LN and PV-LN contrasts of image groups B and C were significantly higher than those of E. SVC artifacts were lower in the delayed-phase images (Group B-E) than in Group A. CONCLUSION To evaluate the hilar LNs with a single image series, advanced virtual monoenergetic 40-keV imaging at the delayed 60-s phase seems to be the most valuable. ADVANCES IN KNOWLEDGE Advanced virtual monoenergetic image is useful for evaluation of both hilar LNs and tumors in the delayed phase without artifact derived from the streak artifact from dense contrast media in the SVC.