Although the end of the critical phase of the COVID-19 pandemic has been declared, its consequences are still observed in the general population and some categories of workers. HCWs have had to face the battle against this disease on the front lines. In our study, we evaluated the current state of the consequences of the pandemic on compassion fatigue, loneliness, empathy, anxiety, and hopelessness in a group of 71 HCWs from a rehabilitation center.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAbnormal loading is thought to play a key role in the disease progression of cartilage, but our understanding of how cartilage compositional measurements respond to acute compressive loading in-vivo is limited. Ten healthy subjects were scanned at two timepoints (7 ± 3 days apart) with a 3 T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner. Scanning sessions included T1ρ and T2* acquisitions of each knee in two conditions: unloaded (traditional MRI setup) and loaded in compression at 40 % bodyweight as applied by an MRI-compatible loading device.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPhytocannabinoids represent the hallmark of the secondary metabolism of . The content of major phytocannabinoids is closely related to genetic variation as well as abiotic elicitors such as temperature, drought, and saline stress. The present study aims to evaluate hemp response to saline irrigation supplied as NaCl solutions with an electrical conductivity (EC) of 2.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe negative symptoms of schizophrenia are responsible for patients' worse quality of life. The association with cognitive deficits impairs clinical and psychopathological conditions. Our small 5-year observational study evaluated the efficacy of clozapine in negative and cognitive symptoms in schizophrenia inpatients.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMulching is a common practice for improving crop yield and obtaining an out-of-season production, but when made using plastic materials it can bring environmental problems due to the management and the disposal of films at the end of the cropping seasons. To increase the sustainability of this practice, recently, mulching films made with biodegradable organic materials have become more widely used. Our aim was to evaluate the effect of a biodegradable mulching film on yield and qualitative traits of the San Marzano tomato fruits over two years (2014 and 2015).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Athletes use their skeletal muscles to demonstrate performance. Muscle force generating capacity is correlated with volume, meaning that variations in sizes of different muscles may be indicative of how athletes meet different demands in their sports. Medical imaging enables in vivo quantification of muscle volumes; however, muscle volume distribution has not been compared across athletes of different sports.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFModel-based tracking (MBT) is a time-consuming and semiautomatic approach, and thus subject to errors during the tracking process. The present study aimed primarily to quantify the effects that interpolation and intra-user variability associated with MBT have on the kinematic and arthrokinematic measurements in comparison to a gold standard radiostereometric analysis (RSA). Cadaveric knee specimens were imaged at 125 Hz while simulating standing, walking, jogging, and lunging motions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFemoroacetabular impingement syndrome (FAIS) is a motion-related pathology of the hip characterized by pain, morphological abnormalities of the proximal femur, and an elevated risk of joint deterioration and hip osteoarthritis. Activities that require deep flexion are understood to induce impingement in cam FAIS patients, however, less demanding activities such as walking and pivoting may induce pain as well as alterations in kinematics and joint stability. Still, the paucity of quantitative descriptions of cam FAIS has hindered understanding underlying hip joint mechanics during such activities.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAlterations in the metabolic profile are one of the main consequences of the use of drug therapies in psychiatric patients. In particular, dysfunction of the metabolic profile (lipid and glycidic) is very frequent in patients taking antipsychotics, especially second-generation ones, and antidepressants. Similar alterations, albeit, to a lesser extent, were highlighted with the use of mood stabilizers.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCam-type femoroacetabular impingement (FAI) syndrome is a painful, structural hip disorder. Herein, we investigated hip joint mechanics through in vivo, dynamic measurement of the bone-to-bone distance between the femoral head and acetabulum in patients with cam FAI syndrome and morphologically screened controls. We hypothesized that individuals with cam FAI syndrome would have larger changes in bone-to-bone distance compared to the control group, which we would interpret as altered joint mechanics as signified by greater movement of the femoral head as it articulates within the acetabulum.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn this work, a grass-based phytoremediation system integrated with an organic amendment and biostimulants was evaluated for remediating contaminated sites. Plant growth and biological fertility were monitored to assess the efficacy of a vegetative cap used as a safety measure to reduce sanitary and environmental risks of industrially contaminated soils and soil-washing sludges. Both matrices were potentially contaminated with Pb and Zn with an ecological risk index from low to moderate.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIEEE Trans Biomed Eng
February 2022
Anterior cruciate ligament injury and reconstruction (ACLR) affects articular cartilage thickness profiles about the tibial, femoral, and patellar surfaces; however, it's unclear whether the magnitudes of change in cartilage thickness, as well as the locations and areas over which these changes occur, differ between males and females. This is important to consider as differences exist between the sexes with regard to knee biomechanics, patellofemoral pain, and anatomic alignment, which influence risk of an index and repeated injury. Subjects underwent ACLR with a bone-patella tendon-bone autograft.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSeveral hip pathologies have been attributed to abnormal morphology with an underlying assumption of aberrant biomechanics. However, structure-function relationships at the joint level remain challenging to quantify due to difficulties in accurately measuring dynamic joint motion. The soft tissue artifact errors inherent in optical skin marker motion capture are exacerbated by the depth of the hip joint within the body and the large mass of soft tissue surrounding the joint.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPhosphate-solubilizing bacteria (PSB) have been reported to increase phosphate (P) content and plant growth. Their application in agricultural systems is an eco-friendly alternative strategy for limiting negative environmental impact of chemical fertilizers and increasing costs. Therefore, the aim of this study was to isolate and characterize new putative PSB to use as inoculum to enhance plant growth and increase P bioavailability in soil.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPhytostabilization of mine soils contaminated by potentially toxic elements (PTEs) requires plants tolerant to PTE toxicity and to the poor soil physico-chemical characteristics of these areas. A pot experiment was carried out to assess the phytostabilization potential of Brassica juncea and Dactylis glomerata in mine soils amended with compost and biochar. Furthermore, the Environmental Risk of the soils and the effects of the phytostabilization process on the microbiological population size and activity in the soils were also determined.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRigid body musculoskeletal models have been applied to study kinematics, moments, muscle forces, and joint reaction forces in the hip. Most often, models are driven with segment motions calculated through optical tracking of markers adhered to the skin. One limitation of optical tracking is soft tissue artifact (STA), which occurs due to motion of the skin surface relative to the underlying skeleton.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMetal uptake capacity and growth patterns of three cardoon cultivars (Sardo, Siciliano, and Spagnolo) were investigated for phytoremediation in a metal-contaminated soil. Metal concentrations after one and two growth rounds were measured in soil and plants by ICP-MS. Potentially and promptly available metal fractions were estimated by EDTA and ammonium nitrate.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCombined injury to the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and meniscus is associated with earlier onset and increased rates of post-traumatic osteoarthritis compared with isolated ACL injury. However, little is known about the initial changes in joint structure associated with these different types of trauma. We hypothesized that trauma to the ACL and lateral meniscus has an immediate effect on morphometry of the articular cartilage and meniscus about the entire tibial plateau that is more pronounced than an ACL tear without meniscus injury.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFemoroacetabular impingement syndrome (FAIS) may alter the kinematic function of the hip, resulting in pain and tissue damage. Previous motion analysis studies of FAIS have employed skin markers, which are prone to soft tissue artifact and inaccurate calculation of the hip joint center. This may explain why the evidence linking FAIS with deleterious kinematics is contradictory.
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