Validation of the abbreviated version of the Token Test in Latin American Spanish stroke patients.

Background: The abbreviated version of the Token Test (aTT) is widely used to assess language comprehension deficits in stroke patients (SPs). However, aTT has not been validated for Latin American Spanish speakers, so clinicians tend to use cut-off scores for aTT validated in developed countries.

Aims: To provide normative data for the Spanish aTT (Sp-aTT) in healthy Chilean Spanish-speaking and SP, determining the influence of sociodemographic variables such as gender, age and education on Sp-aTT performance.

Neuropsychological and Anatomical-Functional Effects of Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation in Post-Stroke Patients with Cognitive Impairment and Aphasia: A Systematic Review.

Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) has been found to be promising in the neurorehabilitation of post-stroke patients. Aphasia and cognitive impairment (CI) are prevalent post-stroke; however, there is still a lack of consensus about the characteristics of interventions based on TMS and its neuropsychological and anatomical-functional benefits. Therefore, studies that contribute to creating TMS protocols for these neurological conditions are necessary.

Effects of Thermal Gradients in High-Temperature Ultrasonic Non-Destructive Tests.

Ultrasonic inspection techniques and non-destructive tests are widely applied in evaluating products and equipment in the oil, petrochemical, steel, naval, and energy industries. These methods are well established and efficient for inspection procedures at room temperature. However, errors can be observed in the positioning and sizing of the flaws when such techniques are used during inspection procedures under high working temperatures.

Adult-Onset Still's Disease With Extensive Lymphadenopathy Mimicking Lymphoproliferative Malignancy.

Adult-onset Still's disease (AOSD), a rare systemic inflammatory disorder of unknown etiology, is considered in broad differential in patients with fever of unknown origin or unexplained lymphadenopathy. It is characterized by spiking fever, evanescent salmon-colored maculopapular rash, arthritis or arthralgia, and leukocytosis. Due to broad differentials and lack of any specific diagnostic tests, diagnosis of AOSD poses a great challenge.

Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) medical students - an examination of their journey and experiences as medical students in limbo.

Background: Although the value of DACA medical students has been hypothesized, no data are available on their contribution to US healthcare. While the exact number of DACA recipients in medical school is unknown, DACA medical students are projected to represent an increasing proportion of physicians in the future. The current literature on DACA students has not analyzed the experiences of these students.

Pseudoseptic Arthritis: An Initial Presentation of Underlying Psoriatic Arthritis.

Pseudoseptic arthritis is an acute inflammatory monoarthritis that clinically mimics septic arthritis. We encountered an 86-year-old male with a past medical history of hypertension, type 2 diabetes mellitus, and chronic kidney disease (CKD) stage 3 who presented in the emergency department with acute onset of severe left knee joint pain and was started on antibiotics for suspected septic arthritis. Septic arthritis was ruled out with negative synovial fluid culture.

Model Predictive Torque Control for Velocity Tracking of a Four-Wheeled Climbing Robot.

Climbing robots are characterized by a secure surface coupling that is designed to prevent falling. The robot coupling ability is assured by an adhesion method leading to nonlinear dynamic models with time-varying parameters that affect the robot's mobility. Additionally, the wheel friction and the force of gravity force are also relevant issues that can compromise the climbing ability if they are not well modeled.

Physiopathological Bases of the Disease Caused by Mutations: Alterations in Autophagy, Mitophagy and Oxidative Stress Response.

Recessive mutations are associated with a severe neurodevelopmental disorder (OMIM: 616756). However, the physiopathologycal bases of the disease are yet to be completely clarified. Whole-exome sequencing identified homozygous mutations (c.

Sliding Window Mapping for Omnidirectional RGB-D Sensors.

This paper presents an omnidirectional RGB-D (RGB + Distance fusion) sensor prototype using an actuated LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) and an RGB camera. Besides the sensor, a novel mapping strategy is developed considering sensor scanning characteristics. The sensor can gather RGB and 3D data from any direction by toppling in 90 degrees a laser scan sensor and rotating it about its central axis.

Biomarkers for malignant pleural mesothelioma: a meta-analysis.

Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is a rare but aggressive cancer, and early detection is associated with better survival. Mesothelin, fibulin-3 and osteopontin have been suggested as screening biomarkers. The study conducted a meta-analysis of the mean differences of mesothelin, osteopontin and fibulin-3 in blood and pleural samples.

Tuberculosis patient and family education through videography in El Salvador.

Background: Tublosis (TB) and the approaches to successful management are commonly misunderstood health topics among patients and family members within resource-limited settings. Such public misconceptions often result in delayed diagnoses of afflicted patients, suboptimal compliance with prescribed therapies and a negative community social stigma that hinders effective contact investigations.

Objective: To determine through an observational field pilot study if videography-based TB education program can be implemented in busy resource-limited outpatient TB clinic settings and improve both patient and family understanding of TB and its treatment, as well as, improve the efficiency of TB medical evaluations and corresponding contact investigations.

Optimization of radiation doses received by personnel in PET uptake rooms.

Reduction of dose to exposed personnel during positron emission tomography (PET) installation usually relies on physical shielding. While the major contribution of shielding is unquestioned, it is usually the only method applied. Other methods of reduction, such as working procedure optimization, the position of the furniture, and rooms are usually disregarded in these installations.

Association of vitamin D and incident statin induced myalgia--a retrospective cohort study.

Background And Objectives: Evidence is conflicting with regards to the role of vitamin D in statin induced myalgia (SIM). Studies so far have assessed cross-sectional association and were limited by study sample selected predominantly from cardiology clinics. In this retrospective cohort study we assessed the association between vitamin D and SIM and attempted to establish a serum vitamin D cutoff to identify patients at risk for developing SIM.

Salinity induced anatomical and morphological changes in Chloris gayana Kunth roots.

Chloris gayana Kunth is a grass species valuable as forage which was introduced into Argentina to be used as pasture in saline soils of subtropical and warm-temperate zones, given its good adaptability to drought, salinity and mild freezing. However, its tolerance varies according to the cultivar. In tetraploid cultivars, important reductions in yield have been observed.

2-Methyl-3-hydroxybutyryl-CoA dehydrogenase (MHBD) deficiency: an X-linked inborn error of isoleucine metabolism that may mimic a mitochondrial disease.

We describe three patients, from two Spanish families, with 2-methyl-3-hydroxybutyryl-CoA dehydrogenase (MHBD) deficiency, a recently described X-linked neurodegenerative inborn error of isoleucine metabolism. Two of them are males with severe lactic acidosis suggestive of a mitochondrial encephalopathy, and the third is a female who was less severely affected, suggesting skewed X-inactivation. Molecular studies revealed a new missense mutation, 740A-->G, in one family and a previously described mutation, 388C-->T, in the other, causing the amino acid substitutions N247S and R130C, respectively.

[The incidence of respiratory tuberculosis in the province of Leon according to the system of notification of disease mandatory declaration, 1992-1999].

Background: Tuberculosis continues to be a major public health problem. Knowing the incidence, trend and geographical spread of reported tuberculosis may serve to evaluate the prevention and control measures implemented and point to further needs.

Methods: Retrospective study of the reported cases of tuberculosis in the province of Leon, broken down by years, Health Care Areas and Basic Health Care Districts for the 1992-1999 period.