Effects of Supervised Rehabilitation on Psychosocial and Participation-Related Outcomes After Lumbar Spine Surgery: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Supervised rehabilitation has been reported to improve motor and functional outcomes after lumbar spine surgery. However, the effects of supervised rehabilitation on psychosocial and participation-related outcomes are still debated. This study aimed to systematically review the effects of supervised rehabilitation on psychosocial and participation-related outcomes in patients after lumbar spine surgery.

Effect of experimental knee pain location on gait kinematics.

Purpose: In this study, we investigated whether experimental knee pain alters lower limb kinematics and knee arthrokinematics during gait, and if this motor adaptation depends on the spatial characteristics of the painful stimulus.

Methods: Twenty-one participants walked on a treadmill for 60-s trials, either without stimulation or while experiencing painful electrical stimulation in the medial, lateral or anterior region of the knee. Perceived pain location was analyzed using pain drawing.

Indoor and outdoor 10-Meter Walk Test and Timed Up and Go in patients after total hip arthroplasty: a reliability and comparative study.

Introduction: The 10-Meter Walk Test (10MWT) and Timed Up and Go (TUG) are valid tools for gait performance and mobility assessment after total hip arthroplasty (THA). The study aimed to assess test-retest reliability of 10MWT and TUG in indoor and outdoor environments in patients in acute phase after THA and compare their indoor vs. outdoor performance during these tests.

The role of different acoustic environmental stimuli on manual dexterity.

Music has been reported to facilitate motor performance. However, there is no data on the effects of different acoustic environmental stimuli on manual dexterity. The present observational study aimed at investigating the effects of background music and noise on a manual dexterity task in young, middle-aged and elderly subjects.

What the fish? Tracing the geographical origin of fish using NIR spectroscopy.

Food authentication is a growing concern with rising complexities of the food supply network, with fish being an easy target of food fraud. In this regard, NIR spectroscopy has been used as an efficient tool for food authentication. This article reviews the latest research advances on NIR based fish authentication.

Strontium isotope signature of the PGI lemons Limone Costa d'Amalfi and Limone di Sorrento, and of the orchard soils from Sorrento peninsula.

The Limone Costa d'Amalfi and Limone di Sorrento lemons from the Sorrento Peninsula have Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) and are subject to origin fraud. The Sr/Sr ratio (SrIR) signature of lemons and soils was investigated to verify its reliability to trace the PGI lemons and to highlight environmental factors responsible of the lemon SrIRs. The SrIR ranges of each PGI lemon were not discriminating as they overlapped with each other and some non-PGI lemon SrIRs fell within these ranges.

Long-term gait analysis in patients after total knee arthroplasty: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Gait abnormalities have been described in patients after total knee arthroplasty (TKA), leading to the development of inter-joint coordination abnormalities and increased risk of falling. Such impairments have been reported to persist in the long-term, although the majority of studies assessed gait pattern especially in the first months after TKA.

Research Question: What are the long-term gait impairments in patients after TKA compared to healthy age-matched subjects?

Methods: A systematic search was conducted on MEDLINE/PubMed, EMBASE, CENTRAL and Scopus databases.

Impaired Perception of Body-Weight Distribution Marks Functional Mobility Problems in Patients Undergoing Total Hip Arthroplasty.

Hip osteoarthritis and total hip arthroplasty imply damaged articular and periarticular structures responsible for proprioception, and this damage may impair the accurate perception of body-weight distribution. In this study, we investigated proprioceptive abilities and accuracy perceiving body-weight distribution in patients undergoing total hip arthroplasty, and we assessed the associations between these abilities and body perception accuracy with functional mobility testing in 20 patients scheduled for total hip arthroplasty and 20 age-matched healthy participants. We assessed (a) absolute error in hip joint position sense (AE-JPS), (b) absolute error in body-weight distribution (AE-BWD) during standing and sit-to-stand tasks with open and closed eyes, and (c) functional mobility with the Timed Up and Go Test (TUG).

Effects of Action Observation Plus Motor Imagery Administered by Immersive Virtual Reality on Hand Dexterity in Healthy Subjects.

Action observation and motor imagery (AOMI) are commonly delivered through a laptop screen. Immersive virtual reality (VR) may enhance the observer's embodiment, a factor that may boost AOMI effects. The study aimed to investigate the effects on manual dexterity of AOMI delivered through immersive VR compared to AOMI administered through a laptop.

Assessment of Fertility Dynamics and Nutritional Quality of Potato Tubers in a Compost-Amended Mars Regolith Simulant.

Mars exploration will foresee the design of bioregenerative life support systems (BLSSs), in which the use/recycle of in situ resources might allow the production of food crops. However, cultivation on the poorly-fertile Mars regolith will be very challenging. To pursue this goal, we grew potato ( L.

Long-term effect of municipal solid waste compost on the recovery of a potentially toxic element (PTE)-contaminated soil: PTE mobility, distribution and bioaccessibility.

Compost from municipal solid waste (MSWC) can represent a resource for the environmental management of soils contaminated with potentially toxic elements (PTEs), since it can reduce their mobility and improve soil fertility. However, the long-term impact of compost on soil recovery has been poorly investigated. To this end, the influence of a MSWC added at different rates (i.

Reliability of Shoulder Helical Axes During Intransitive and Transitive Upper Limb Tasks.

Shoulder complex stability can be estimated in vivo through the analysis of helical axes (HAs) dispersion during upper limb movements. The study aimed at investigating test-retest reliability of shoulder HAs dispersion parameters during upper limb tasks. Twenty healthy volunteers performed 2 intransitive (shoulder flexion and rotation) and one transitive (combing) tasks with the dominant and nondominant upper limbs during 2 recording sessions at 1-week distance.

Joint pressure stimuli increase quadriceps strength and neuromuscular activity in patients with knee osteoarthritis.

The study investigated the effects of periarticular knee pressure stimuli on quadriceps strength and neuromuscular activity in subjects with knee osteoarthritis. Twenty-five subjects with knee osteoarthritis and 25 age-matched healthy controls performed maximal voluntary knee extension tasks on an isometric dynamometer. Three different pressure stimuli (no-pressure, 60-mmHg, 120-mmHg) were applied using a sphygmomanometer via the cuff covering the knee joint.

Motor resonance to non-visible postural adaptation: A novel aspect of the mirror mechanism.

The activation of the Mirror Neuron System (MNS) has been described to reflect visible movements, but not postural, non-visible, adaptations that accompany the observed movements. Since any motor act is the result of a well-tailored dialogue between these two components, we decided to investigate whether a motor resonance to nonvisible postural adaptations could be detected. Possible changes in soleus corticospinal excitability were investigated by eliciting the H-reflex during the observation of three videos, corresponding to three distinct experimental conditions: 'Chest pass', 'Standing' and 'Sitting', and comparing its size with that measured during observation of a control videoclip (a landscape).

Test-retest reliability of a photographic marker-based system for postural examination.

Background: The BHOHB system (Bhohb S.r.l.

Balance improvements in healthy subjects are independent to postural strategies involved in the training.

Background: Adequate postural strategies have a pivotal role in ensuring balance during the performance of daily or sport activities. These strategies are responsible for the management of center of mass kinematics and depend on the magnitude of perturbations and posture assumed by a subject.

Research Question: Are there differences in postural performance after a standardized balance training performed in sitting versus standing posture in healthy subjects? Does a standardized unilateral balance training with the dominant or non-dominant limb improve balance on trained and untrained limbs in healthy subjects?

Methods: Seventy-five healthy subjects reporting a right-leg dominance were randomized into a Sitting, Standing, Dominant, Non-dominant or Control groups.

Childhood overweight and obesity in Bariloche, Argentina: Beyond eating habits and physical activity.

The incidence of overweight and obesity is alarming worldwide. In Argentina, multifactorial studies are scarce despite the high rates of childhood overweight and obesity (OW/OB). In this study we assessed the prevalence of childhood OW/OB and the associated risk factors from a multicausal perspective: we analyzed sleep habits, screen use, chronic stress in children and their caregivers, social relationship problems, eating habits, and physical activity.

Can Peat Amendment of Mars Regolith Simulant Allow Soybean Cultivation in Mars Bioregenerative Life Support Systems?

Higher plants will play a key role in human survival in Space, being able to regenerate resources and produce fresh food. However, the creation of a fertile substrate based on extra-terrestrial soils is still a challenge for space cultivation. We evaluated the adaptability of soybean ( (L.

The Role of Lichens, Mosses, and Vascular Plants in the Biodeterioration of Historic Buildings: A Review.

Biodeterioration is defined as the alteration of a given substrate due to a combination of physical and chemical factors produced by living organisms when attached to such materials. This phenomenon attracts scientific research attention due to its risk in causing destruction to outdoor cultural rock heritage sites. In this review, an update on the state-of-art regarding the biodeterioration phenomenon is represented in order to highlight the type of colonizing vegetation and possible mechanisms behind the corresponding deterioration.

Can Lunar and Martian Soils Support Food Plant Production? Effects of Horse/Swine Monogastric Manure Fertilisation on Regolith Simulants Enzymatic Activity, Nutrient Bioavailability, and Lettuce Growth.

To make feasible the crewed missions to the Moon or Mars, space research is focusing on the development of bioregenerative life support systems (BLSS) designed to produce food crops based on in situ resource utilisation (ISRU), allowing to reduce terrestrial input and to recycle organic wastes. In this regard, a major question concerns the suitability of native regoliths for plant growth and how their agronomic performance is affected by additions of organic matter from crew waste. We tested plant growth substrates consisting of MMS-1 (Mars) or LHS-1 (Lunar) simulants mixed with a commercial horse/swine monogastric manure (i.

How to make the Lunar and Martian soils suitable for food production - Assessing the changes after manure addition and implications for plant growth.

The in-situ resource utilisation (ISRU), in terms of native rocky materials and astronaut wastes, is crucial in contests of soil-based space-farming. Nevertheless, extra-terrestrial soils are very different from Earth soils, lacking any form of organic carbon and associated macro and micronutrients. In this research, we aimed to study and modify two commercially available Lunar and Martian regolith simulants (LHS-1 from Exolith Lab and MMS-1 from Martian Garden) to make them an adequate medium for plant growth.

Impaired Modulation of Motor and Functional Performance in Patients after Total Knee Arthroplasty: A Prospective Observational Study.

Submaximal levels of effort are required for the performance of the most common daily tasks. Inaccuracy in modulating motor outputs during submaximal tasks has been reported as indicator of safety during daily activities in subjects with lower limb musculoskeletal disorders. The study is aimed at investigating performance modulation ability during motor and functional tasks in patients after total knee arthroplasty (TKA).

Bioactive Compounds and Antioxidant Activity of Lettuce Grown in Different Mixtures of Monogastric-Based Manure With Lunar and Martian Soils.

The supplementation of bioactive compounds in astronaut's diets is undeniable, especially in the extreme and inhospitable habitat of future space settlements. This study aims to enhance the Martian and Lunar regolith fertility (testing two commercial simulants) through the provision of organic matter (manure) as established by resource utilization (ISRU) approach. In this perspective, we obtained 8 different substrates after mixing Mojave Mars Simulant (MMS-1) or Lunar Highlands Simulant (LHS-1), with four different rates of manure (0, 10, 30, and 50%, w/w) from monogastric animals.