Nordic Walking for the Management of People With Parkinson Disease: A Systematic Review.

Background: It is well known that physical exercise is the main therapeutic element of rehabilitation programs for people with Parkinson disease (PD). As traditional forms of exercise can guarantee significant health benefits, the emergence of nonconventional physical activities, such as Nordic walking (NW), may add positive effects.

Objective: To appraise the available evidence on the main effects of NW in the rehabilitation programs for people with PD and to propose a design for upcoming research that might improve the uniformity of future trials.

Gastric paraganglioma: case report and review of the literature.

Very few cases of gastric paragangliomas have been reported in the literature to date. We report a rare case of parietal gastric paraganglioma fortuitously detected during intraoperative exploration. A 82-years-old woman presented to our emergency room for abdominal pain.

Evaluating the cost-effectiveness of biologic treatments for psoriatic arthritis: can we make better use of patient data registries?

The primary aim of this study is to explore the extent to which registry data may fulfill the evidence requirements of cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA) studies evaluating biologic therapies for the treatment of psoriatic arthritis (PsA), where trial data are lacking or insufficient. In addition, the paper aims to identify how future data collection in PsA registries might be better tailored to inform CEA research. A review of the literature was performed to identify existing registries containing PsA patients.

How to Appropriately Extrapolate Costs and Utilities in Cost-Effectiveness Analysis.

Costs and utilities are key inputs into any cost-effectiveness analysis. Their estimates are typically derived from individual patient-level data collected as part of clinical studies the follow-up duration of which is often too short to allow a robust quantification of the likely costs and benefits a technology will yield over the patient's entire lifetime. In the absence of long-term data, some form of temporal extrapolation-to project short-term evidence over a longer time horizon-is required.

Impact of a risk-based follow-up in patients affected by gastrointestinal stromal tumour.

Background: Follow-up aims to precociously identify recurrences, metastases or treatment-related adverse events so as to undertake the appropriate therapy. Guidelines admit lack of knowledge on optimal surveillance schedule, but suggest follow-up based on experts' opinion and risk stratification. To identify the impact, if any, of regular follow-up, we interrogated our prospectively collected database whether early detection of recurrences affected both clinical management and, likely, the outcome.

CFTR-dependent chloride efflux in cystic fibrosis mononuclear cells is increased by ivacaftor therapy.

Aim: The Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Conductance Regulator (CFTR) potentiator ivacaftor (Kalydeco®) improves clinical outcome in G551D cystic fibrosis (CF) patients. Here, we have investigated whether ivacaftor has a clinical impact on non-G551D gating mutations and function of circulating leukocytes as well.

Methods: Seven patients were treated with ivacaftor and evaluated at baseline, and at 1-3 and 6 months.

The surge of predatory open-access in neurosciences and neurology.

Predatory open access is a controversial publishing business model that exploits the open-access system by charging publication fees in the absence of transparent editorial services. The credibility of academic publishing is now seriously threatened by predatory journals, whose articles are accorded real citations and thus contaminate the genuine scientific records of legitimate journals. This is of particular concern for public health since clinical practice relies on the findings generated by scholarly articles.

Learning at large conferences: from the 'sage on the stage' to contemporary models of learning.

Aim: To explore and evaluate the affordances of a flipped classroom model applied to a research paper session within the professional development opportunity of a large conference setting.

Method: Authors were invited to present their research papers in a flipped classroom presentation format at two large, multi-national conferences. Before the session, authors and moderators met online to clarify features of the session, and preparation of the material.

Resistance Training for Muscle Weakness in Multiple Sclerosis: Direct Versus Contralateral Approach in Individuals With Ankle Dorsiflexors' Disparity in Strength.

Objective: To compare effects of contralateral strength training (CST) and direct strength training of the more affected ankle dorsiflexors on muscle performance and clinical functional outcomes in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) exhibiting interlimb strength asymmetry.

Design: Randomized controlled trial.

Setting: University hospital.

Cost-effectiveness of adjunct non-pharmacological interventions for osteoarthritis of the knee.

Background: There is limited information on the costs and benefits of alternative adjunct non-pharmacological treatments for knee osteoarthritis and little guidance on which should be prioritised for commissioning within the NHS. This study estimates the costs and benefits of acupuncture, braces, heat treatment, insoles, interferential therapy, laser/light therapy, manual therapy, neuromuscular electrical stimulation, pulsed electrical stimulation, pulsed electromagnetic fields, static magnets and transcutaneous electrical nerve Stimulation (TENS), based on all relevant data, to facilitate a more complete assessment of value.

Methods: Data from 88 randomised controlled trials including 7,507 patients were obtained from a systematic review.

Long non-coding RNA CASC2 in human cancer.

Long non-coding RNAs cover large part of the non-coding information of the human DNA, which represents more than 90% of the whole genome. They constitute a wide and complex group of molecules with more than 200 nucleotides, which generally lack an open reading frame, and are involved in various ways in the pathophysiology of cancer. Their roles in the regulation of gene expression, imprinting, transcription, and post-translational processing have been described in several types of cancer.

Time course of strength adaptations following high-intensity resistance training in individuals with multiple sclerosis.

Purpose: No evidence exists regarding the time course and clinical relevance of muscle strength improvements following resistance training in people with multiple sclerosis (PwMS). The purpose of this study was to investigate the temporal course and the clinical meaningfulness of the changes in strength induced by high-intensity resistance training and whether these changes impact on muscle endurance to fatigue and functional outcomes.

Methods: PwMS with predominantly unilateral hyposthenia of the ankle dorsiflexors underwent a 6-week isokinetic training of the more affected ankle dorsiflexion muscles.

Mapping to Estimate Health-State Utility from Non-Preference-Based Outcome Measures: An ISPOR Good Practices for Outcomes Research Task Force Report.

Economic evaluation conducted in terms of cost per quality-adjusted life-year (QALY) provides information that decision makers find useful in many parts of the world. Ideally, clinical studies designed to assess the effectiveness of health technologies would include outcome measures that are directly linked to health utility to calculate QALYs. Often this does not happen, and even when it does, clinical studies may be insufficient for a cost-utility assessment.

Predatory Open Access in Rehabilitation.

Increasingly scholars and researchers are being solicited by predatory open access journals seeking manuscript submissions and abusing the author-pays model by charging authors with publishing fees without any or proper peer review. Such questionable editorial practices are threatening the reputation and credibility of scholarly publishing. To date, no investigation has been conducted on this phenomenon in the field of rehabilitation.

Preparation and characterisation of an innovative injectable calcium sulphate based bone cement for vertebroplasty application.

In this study, an innovative injectable and bioresorbable composite cement (Spine-Ghost) has been developed by combining a radiopaque glass-ceramic powder (SCNZgc) and spray-dried mesoporous bioactive particles (W-SC) into type III alpha calcium sulphate hemihydrate (α-CSH) (composition α-CSH/SCNZgc/W-SC, 70/20/10 wt%). The Spine-Ghost cement and pure α-CSH (as a reference) were characterised in terms of physical and mechanical properties and compared to a commercial reference (Cerament®- Bonesupport AB, Sweden). The Spine-Ghost cement had a setting time comparable with Cerament® showing a good injectability in the range of 8-20 minutes after the end of mixing.

Dance therapy improves motor and cognitive functions in patients with Parkinson's disease.

Objective: To explore the effects of Dance Therapy (DT) and Traditional Rehabilitation (TR) on both motor and cognitive domains in Parkinson's Disease patients (PD) with postural instability.

Methods: Sixteen PD patients with recent history of falls were divided in two groups (Dance Therapy, DT and Traditional Rehabilitation, TR); nine patients received 1-hour DT classes twice per week, completing 20 lessons within 10 weeks; seven patients received a similar cycle of 20 group sessions of 60 minutes TR. Motor (Berg Balance Scale - BBS, Gait Dynamic Index - GDI, Timed Up and Go Test - TUG, 4 Square-Step Test - 4SST, 6-Minute Walking Test - 6MWT) and cognitive measures (Frontal Assessment Battery - FAB, Trail Making Test A & B - TMT A&B, Stroop Test) were tested at baseline, after the treatment completion and after 8-week follow-up.

Prognostic impact of KRAS, NRAS, BRAF, and PIK3CA mutations in primary colorectal carcinomas: a population-based study.

Background: Activation of oncogenes downstream the EGFR gene contributes to colorectal tumorigenesis and determines the sensitivity to anti-EGFR treatments. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prognostic value of KRAS, BRAF, NRAS and PIK3CA mutations in a large collection of CRC patients from genetically-homogeneous Sardinian population.

Methods: A total of 1284 Sardinian patients with histologically-proven diagnosis of colorectal carcinoma (CRC) and presenting with metastatic disease were included into the study.

Methods for network meta-analysis of continuous outcomes using individual patient data: a case study in acupuncture for chronic pain.

Background: Network meta-analysis methods, which are an extension of the standard pair-wise synthesis framework, allow for the simultaneous comparison of multiple interventions and consideration of the entire body of evidence in a single statistical model. There are well-established advantages to using individual patient data to perform network meta-analysis and methods for network meta-analysis of individual patient data have already been developed for dichotomous and time-to-event data. This paper describes appropriate methods for the network meta-analysis of individual patient data on continuous outcomes.

Vowels and Consonants in the Brain: Evidence from Magnetoencephalographic Studies on the N1m in Normal-Hearing Listeners.

Speech sound perception is one of the most fascinating tasks performed by the human brain. It involves a mapping from continuous acoustic waveforms onto the discrete phonological units computed to store words in the mental lexicon. In this article, we review the magnetoencephalographic studies that have explored the timing and morphology of the N1m component to investigate how vowels and consonants are computed and represented within the auditory cortex.

No evidence of neural adaptations following chronic unilateral isometric training of the intrinsic muscles of the hand: a randomized controlled study.

Purpose: To test whether long-term cortical adaptations occur bilaterally following chronic unilateral training with a simple motor task.

Methods: Participants (n = 34) were randomly allocated to a training or control groups. Only the former completed a 4-week maximal-intensity isometric training of the right first dorsal interosseus muscle through key pinching.

Effects of a mini-trampoline rebounding exercise program on functional parameters, body composition and quality of life in overweight women.

Background: Mini-trampoline rebounding exercise (MRE) is becoming a very popular form of fitness training. Despite awareness of this activity worldwide, a limited number of studies have systematically investigated the health effects correlated with MRE training. The aim of our study was to evaluate manifold health outcomes after 12 weeks of an MRE program in a group of overweight Italian women.

Does calling alcoholism an illness make a difference? The public image of alcoholism in Italy.

Aims: Using data from a population survey in two communities in the region of Sardinia, Italy, we examined the association between illness definition and attribution of personal characteristics to people with alcoholism.

Methods: Quota samples, stratified by gender and age, were drawn from the general population (males: 48%; mean age 48±18; range: 15-90). A fully-structured interview was conducted face-to-face with 404 respondents.