Multiparametric MRI Assessment of Morpho-Functional Muscle Changes Following a 6-Month FES-Cycling Training Program: Pilot Study in People With a Complete Spinal Cord Injury.

Background: Spinal cord injuries (SCIs) cause debilitating secondary conditions such as severe muscle deterioration, cardiovascular, and metabolic dysfunctions, significantly impacting patients' quality of life. Functional electrical stimulation (FES) combined with cycling exercise (FES-cycling) has shown promise in improving muscle function and health in individuals with SCI.

Objective: This pilot study aimed to investigate the potential role of multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to assess muscle health during and after an FES-cycling rehabilitation program.

Effect of diode laser irradiation on bond strength of resin cements to high-translucent zirconia.

Background: Treatment of acid-resistance high-translucent zirconia prior to luting procedures is usually carried out with sandblasting. Considering that this process could lead to the formation of cracks on the zirconia surface, laser irradiation became an alternative to sandblasting. The effect of diode laser, however, was never investigated under this context.

Local application of melatonin associated or not to xenogeneic material, in critical defects of rat calvaria.

Melatonin (MLT) is a hormone that can stimulate bone formation and inhibit bone resorption, among other functions. Aim: To evaluate the effect on new bone formation of MLT applied locally to critical defects created in the calvaria of rats, compared to the effect of Bio-Oss® xenogeneic bone substitute (BO), by analyzing histomorphometry, microtomography and gene expression. Materials and Method: Two critical defects (5.

Parasagittal dural volume correlates with cerebrospinal fluid volume and developmental delay in children with autism spectrum disorder.

Background: The parasagittal dura, a tissue that lines the walls of the superior sagittal sinus, acts as an active site for immune-surveillance, promotes the reabsorption of cerebrospinal fluid, and facilitates the removal of metabolic waste products from the brain. Cerebrospinal fluid is important for the distribution of growth factors that signal immature neurons to proliferate and migrate. Autism spectrum disorder is characterized by altered cerebrospinal fluid dynamics.

Finishing and polishing systems influence the roughness and color stability of acrylic and bis-acryl composite resins.

Background: To evaluate the effect of different finishing and polishing systems on the surface roughness and color changes of bis-acryl (Protemp 4 - 3M ESPE- St. Paul, USA; Structur 3 - Voco, Cuxhaven, Germany) and chemically activated acrylic materials (Duralay - Reliance, SP, Brazil).

Material And Methods: Specimens (10 x 2 mm) thick were prepared for each material.

Collagen Matrix for Increasing Peri-implant Mucosal Thickness in Smokers: A Prospective Case Series.

This prospective case series aimed to evaluate the feasibility of using a volume collagen matrix for soft tissue augmentation to increase mucosal thickness in single implants in smokers who consume more than 10 cigarettes per day. Participants had single submerged implants necessitating soft tissue thickening. Soft tissue augmentation was done using a collagen matrix in the second-stage surgery.

Classification of Muscular Dystrophies from MR Images Improves Using the Swin Transformer Deep Learning Model.

Muscular dystrophies present diagnostic challenges, requiring accurate classification for effective diagnosis and treatment. This study investigates the efficacy of deep learning methodologies in classifying these disorders using skeletal muscle MRI scans. Specifically, we assess the performance of the Swin Transformer (SwinT) architecture against traditional convolutional neural networks (CNNs) in distinguishing between healthy individuals, Becker muscular dystrophy (BMD), and limb-girdle muscular Dystrophy type 2 (LGMD2) patients.

Alterations in neural activation in the ventral frontoparietal network during complex magnocellular stimuli in developmental dyslexia associated with READ1 deletion.

Background: An intronic deletion within intron 2 of the DCDC2 gene encompassing the entire READ1 (hereafter, READ1d) has been associated in both children with developmental dyslexia (DD) and typical readers (TRs), with interindividual variation in reading performance and motion perception as well as with structural and functional brain alterations. Visual motion perception -- specifically processed by the magnocellular (M) stream -- has been reported to be a solid and reliable endophenotype of DD. Hence, we predicted that READ1d should affect neural activations in brain regions sensitive to M stream demands as reading proficiency changes.

Use of Local Melatonin with Xenogeneic Bone Graft to Treat Critical-Size Bone Defects in Rats with Osteoporosis: A Randomized Study.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of local administration of melatonin (MLT) on molecular biomarkers and calvaria bone critical defects in female rats with or without osteoporosis, associated or not with a xenogeneic biomaterial. Forty-eight female rats were randomly divided into two groups: (O) ovariectomized and (S) placebo groups. After 45 days of osteoporosis induction, two critical-size defects (5 mm diameter) were created on the calvaria.

Titanium dioxide nanotubes applied to conventional glass ionomer cement influence the expression of immunoinflammatory markers: An in vitro study.

Objectives: To assess the impact of different concentrations TiO-nt incorporated into a glass ionomer cement on the proliferation, mitochondrial metabolism, morphology, and pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokine production of cultured fibroblasts (NIH/3T3), whether or not stimulated by lipopolysaccharides (LPS-2 μg/mL, 24 h).

Methods: TiO-nt was added to KM (Ketac Molar EasyMix™, 3 %, 5 %, 7 % in weight); unblended KM was used as the control. The analyses included: Cell proliferation assay (n = 6; 24/48/72h); Mitochondrial metabolism assay (n = 6; 24/48/72h); Confocal laser microscopy (n = 3; 24/48/72h); Determination of biomarkers (IL-1β/IL-6/IL-10/VEGF/TNF) by using both multiplex technology (n = 6; 12/18 h) and the quantitative real-time PCR assay (q-PCR) (n = 3, 24/72/120 h).

Enhancing T1 signal of normal-appearing white matter with divided subtracted inversion recovery: A pilot study in mild traumatic brain injury.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and cognitive profiles in patients with mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) are often discordant. Conventional MRI seldom captures the full extent of pathological changes in the normal-appearing white matter (NAWM). The divided subtracted inversion recovery (dSIR) technique may enhance T1 differences in NAWM, making them easily visible.

Fetal brain MRI atlases and datasets: A review.

Fetal brain development is a complex process involving different stages of growth and organization which are crucial for the development of brain circuits and neural connections. Fetal atlases and labeled datasets are promising tools to investigate prenatal brain development. They support the identification of atypical brain patterns, providing insights into potential early signs of clinical conditions.

Brain Alteration Patterns in Children with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy: A Machine Learning Approach to Magnetic Resonance Imaging.

Background: Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) is a genetic disease in which lack of the dystrophin protein causes progressive muscular weakness, cardiomyopathy and respiratory insufficiency. DMD is often associated with other cognitive and behavioral impairments, however the correlation of abnormal dystrophin expression in the central nervous system with brain structure and functioning remains still unclear.

Objective: To investigate brain involvement in patients with DMD through a multimodal and multivariate approach accounting for potential comorbidities.

Biomechanical and histomorphometric analysis of osseodensification drilling versus conventional technique: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objectives: This systematic review aimed to search the literature for the answer to the following questions. In human studies: Does the osseodensification technique increase the resonance frequency analysis given in implant stability quotient value and the insertion torque value compared to the conventional technique? In animal studies: Does the osseodensification technique increase implant stability quotient, bone-to-implant contact, and bone area fraction occupancy values over the conventional technique?

Data Sources: A search for studies was carried out in eight databases until August 2021. Out of the 447 publications found, 11 were included.

Review on deep learning fetal brain segmentation from Magnetic Resonance images.

Brain segmentation is often the first and most critical step in quantitative analysis of the brain for many clinical applications, including fetal imaging. Different aspects challenge the segmentation of the fetal brain in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), such as the non-standard position of the fetus owing to his/her movements during the examination, rapid brain development, and the limited availability of imaging data. In recent years, several segmentation methods have been proposed for automatically partitioning the fetal brain from MR images.

Onset of Chiari type 1 malformation: insights from a small series of intrauterine MR imaging cases.

Purpose: Morphometric studies on idiopathic Chiari malformation type 1 (CM1) pathogenesis have been mainly based on post-natal neuroimaging. Prenatal clues related to CM1 development are lacking. We present pre- and post-natal imaging time course in idiopathic CM1 and assess fetal skull and brain biometry to establish if clues about CM1 development are present at fetal age.

Geometric Reliability of Super-Resolution Reconstructed Images from Clinical Fetal MRI in the Second Trimester.

Fetal Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is an important noninvasive diagnostic tool to characterize the central nervous system (CNS) development, significantly contributing to pregnancy management. In clinical practice, fetal MRI of the brain includes the acquisition of fast anatomical sequences over different planes on which several biometric measurements are manually extracted. Recently, modern toolkits use the acquired two-dimensional (2D) images to reconstruct a Super-Resolution (SR) isotropic volume of the brain, enabling three-dimensional (3D) analysis of the fetal CNS.

Context expectation influences the gait pattern biomechanics.

Beyond classical aspects related to locomotion (biomechanics), it has been hypothesized that walking pattern is influenced by a combination of distinct computations including online sensory/perceptual sampling and the processing of expectations (neuromechanics). Here, we aimed to explore the potential impact of contrasting scenarios ("risky and potentially dangerous" scenario; "safe and comfortable" scenario) on walking pattern in a group of healthy young adults. Firstly, and consistently with previous literature, we confirmed that the scenario influences gait pattern when it is recalled concurrently to participants' walking activity (motor interference).

Congenital isolated unilateral third nerve palsy in children: the diagnostic contribution of high-resolution MR imaging.

Purpose: To describe the neuroanatomical correlates of unilateral congenital isolated oculomotor palsy by means of high-resolution MRI.

Methods: Children with a clinical diagnosis of congenital isolated oculomotr palsy and with a high-resolution MRI acquisition targeted on the orbits and cranial nerves were selected and included in the study. An experienced pediatric neuroradiologist evaluated all the exams, assessing the integrity and morphology of extraocular muscles, oculomotor, trochlear and abducens nerves as well as optic nerves and globes.

Influence of melatonin associated with the Bio-Gide® membrane on osteoblast activity: an in vitro Study.

Melatonin (MLT) is a hormone responsible for regulating several physiological processes. It has been shown that MLT can be an important mediator in bone formation and stimulation, promoting osteoblast differentiation. In clinical practice, in tissue regeneration procedures, it is necessary to use membranes or barriers, associated with biomaterials, or not.