The effect of virtual reality treadmill training on obstacle crossing parameters in older adults.

With increased age, walking without tripping requires greater cognitive demand. Therefore, it may be beneficial for training interventions to address and incorporate aspects of cognitive load. The purpose of this study was to compare a semi-immersive virtual reality treadmill training (VRTT) and conventional treadmill training (CTT) on obstacle clearance and trip hazard in older adults.

Amyloid-β Deposition Predicts Grocery Shopping Performance in Older Adults Without Cognitive Impairment.

Background: A screening tool sensitive to Alzheimer's disease (AD) risk factors, such as amyloid-β (Aβ) deposition, and subtle cognitive changes, best elicited by complex everyday tasks, is needed.

Objective: To determine if grocery shopping performance could differentiate older adults at elevated risk of developing AD (OAer), older adults at low risk of developing AD (OAlr), and young adults (YA), and if amount of Aβ deposition could predict grocery shopping performance in older adults (OA).

Methods: Twenty-one OAer (78±5 years), 33 OAlr (78±5 years), and 28 YA (31±3 years) performed four grocery shopping trials, with the best and worst performances analyzed.

Global Cognition, Gender, and Level of Education Predict Dual-Task Gait Speed Variability Metrics in Older Adults.

Introduction: The purpose of this study was to determine if demographic variables and measures of cognitive function, functional mobility, self-reported balance self-efficacy, and self-reported physical activity can predict gait speed variability during single-task walking (STGSCV), during cognitive-motor dual-tasking (DTGSCV), and dual-task effect on gait speed variability (DTEGSCV) in older adults.

Methods: In 62 older adults, demographics were recorded and cognitive function (including the Montreal Cognitive Assessment, MoCA), functional mobility, balance self-efficacy (Activities-specific Balance Confidence Scale, ABC), and self-reported physical activity (Physical Activity Scale for the Elderly, PASE) were assessed. Three linear regression models were used to determine whether the functional mobility tests, PASE score, ABC score, and tests of cognitive function predicted gait speed variability outcomes (STGSCV, DTGSCV, DTEGSCV), with demographics included as covariates.

Age and beta amyloid deposition impact gait speed, stride length, and gait smoothness while transitioning from an even to an uneven walking surface in older adults.

Background: Capturing a measure of movement quality during a complex walking task may indicate the earliest signs of detrimental changes to the brain due to beta amyloid (Aβ) deposition and be a potential differentiator of older adults at elevated and low risk of developing Alzheimer's disease. This study aimed to determine: 1) age-related differences in gait speed, stride length, and gait smoothness while transitioning from an even to an uneven walking surface, by comparing young adults (YA) and older adults (OA), and 2) if gait speed, stride length, and gait smoothness in OA while transitioning from an even to an uneven walking surface is influenced by the amount of Aβ deposition present in an OA's brain.

Methods: Participants included 56 OA (>70 years of age) and 29 YA (25-35 years of age).

Prematriculation Predictors of Academic Difficulties During the First Year of a Doctor of Physical Therapy Program.

Purpose: To analyze the ability of pre-matriculation metrics to predict difficulties during the first year of a Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) program with a pass-fail grading system.

Methods: Undergraduate cumulative, science, and pre-requisite grade point averages (GPAs) and verbal and quantitative Graduate Record Examination (GRE) percentiles were collected during the admissions process of 190 students in an accredited DPT program at a southeastern US private university between 2019-2021. Students were dichotomized to groups with and without academic difficulties in coursework and a first-year comprehensive assessment (CA).

Novel non-MRI imaging techniques for primary diagnosis of prostate cancer: micro-ultrasound, contrast-enhanced ultrasound, elastography, multiparametric ultrasound, and PSMA PET/CT.

Background: Multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging (mpMRI) provides enhanced diagnostic accuracy in the detection of prostate cancer, but is not devoid of limitations. Given the recent evolution of non-MRI imaging techniques, this critical review of the literature aimed at summarizing the available evidence on ultrasound-based and nuclear medicine imaging technologies in the initial diagnosis of PCa.

Methods: Three databases (PubMed®, Web of Science™, and Scopus®) were queried for studies examining their diagnostic performance in the primary diagnosis of PCa, weighted against a histological confirmation of PCa diagnosis, using a free-text protocol.

The evolution of Big Data in neuroscience and neurology.

Unlabelled: Neurological diseases are on the rise worldwide, leading to increased healthcare costs and diminished quality of life in patients. In recent years, Big Data has started to transform the fields of Neuroscience and Neurology. Scientists and clinicians are collaborating in global alliances, combining diverse datasets on a massive scale, and solving complex computational problems that demand the utilization of increasingly powerful computational resources.

Single-Port Robot-Assisted Radical Prostatectomy: Where Do We Stand?

In 2018, the da Vinci Single Port (SP) robotic system was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for urologic procedures. Available studies for the application of SP to prostate cancer surgery are limited. The aim of our study is to summarize the current evidence on the techniques and outcomes of SP robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (SP-RARLP) procedures.

Fall history in older adults impacts acceleration profiles after a near collision with a moving pedestrian hazard.

Background: Environmental hazards (e.g., pedestrian traffic) cause falls and testing environment impacts gait in older adults.

Including cognitive assessments with functional testing predicts capabilities relevant to everyday walking in older adults.

Background: Dual-task (DT) testing reflects real-world walking demands in older adults but is not always feasible to perform in clinic. Whether clinical measures that predict single-task (ST) performance also predict DT performance or dual-task effects (DTEs) has not been fully explored.

Research Question: What are the relationships between cognitive performance, functional mobility, and self-reported physical activity and balance confidence and ST and DT Gait Speed and Cognitive Reaction Time, as well as DTEs on Gait Speed (DTE) and Cognitive Reaction Time (DTE), in older adults?

Methods: Sixty-two older adults (71.

Acute effects of virtual reality treadmill training on gait and cognition in older adults: A randomized controlled trial.

Introduction: Everyday walking often involves walking with divided attention (i.e., dual-tasking).

Assessment of different markers of ovarian reserve in women with papillary thyroid cancer treated with radioactive iodine.

Treatment with radioactive iodine (RAI) in women with differentiated thyroid cancer is associated with decreased serum concentrations of anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH); however, other markers have not been investigated. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the effect of RAI treatment on antral follicle count (AFC) and the serum concentration of inhibin B, follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), and AMH in women with papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) treated with RAI. We examined 25 women at a median age of 33 years treated with a single dose of RAI.

Assessment of Clinical Utility of Assaying FGF-23, Klotho Protein, Osteocalcin, NTX, and Sclerostin in Patients with Primary Hyperparathyroidism.

The purpose of this study was to assess the clinical usefulness of assaying the fibroblast growth factor (FGF-23), Klotho, osteocalcin, N-terminal telopeptide of type I collagen (NTX), and sclerostin levels in patients with primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT) as markers of bone damage as well as for surgical treatment success. Seventeen patients with hypercalcemic PHPT and normal kidney function were studied. In all patients, PTH (parathormone), serum calcium, and creatinine were performed before and six months after parathyroidectomy (PTX).

Dosimetry during adjuvant I therapy in patients with differentiated thyroid cancer-clinical implications.

The activity of radioiodine (I) used in adjuvant therapy for thyroid cancer ranges between 30 mCi (1.1 GBq) and 150 mCi (5.5 GBq).

Pre-Processing Method for Contouring the Uptake Levels of [18F] FDG for Enhanced Specificity of PET Imaging of Solitary Hypermetabolic Pulmonary Nodules.

Background: The paper presents a pre-processing method which, based on positron-emission tomography (PET) images of F-fluorodeoxyglucose ([18F] FDG) hypermetabolic pulmonary nodules, makes it possible to obtain additional visual characteristics and use them to enhance the specificity of imaging.

Material And Methods: A retrospective analysis of 69 FDG-PET/CT scans of solitary hypermetabolic pulmonary nodules (40 cases of lung cancer and 29 benign tumours), where in each case, the standardised uptake value of the hottest voxel within the defined volume of interest was greater than 2.5 (SUVmax > 2.

Light/Clock Influences Membrane Potential Dynamics to Regulate Sleep States.

The circadian rhythm is a fundamental process that regulates the sleep-wake cycle. This rhythm is regulated by core clock genes that oscillate to create a physiological rhythm of circadian neuronal activity. However, we do not know much about the mechanism by which circadian inputs influence neurons involved in sleep-wake architecture.

Dual-tasking impacts gait, cognitive performance, and gaze behavior during walking in a real-world environment in older adult fallers and non-fallers.

Introduction: Everyday walking often involves simultaneous performance of a cognitive task in environments with competing auditory and visual stimuli. Previous research has not evaluated task performance in these situations, where older adults are known to fall, limiting our understanding of how older adults adjust their gait, visual scanning (gaze), and cognitive processing to avoid falls (or not). The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of dual-task walking in a high-distraction real-world environment on cognitive performance, gait performance, and gaze behavior in older adult fallers relative to non-fallers.

Cognitive-motor dual-task gait training within 3 years after stroke: A randomized controlled trial.

Background: Dual-task gait training may improve dual-task gait speed after stroke, but the effects on the relative amount of dual-task interference are unclear.

Objective: To compare the efficacy of dual-task gait training (DTGT) and single-task gait training (STGT) on cognitive-motor dual-task interference after stroke.

Methods: 36 adults within 3 years of stroke were randomized 1:1 to STGT or DTGT, 3 times a week for 4 weeks.

The Role of the CYP11B2 Promoter Polymorphism in the Diagnosis of Primary Aldosteronism.

Background: nowadays, primary aldosteronism (PA) is suggested to be the most frequent cause of secondary hypertension and it reaches 10% of whole hypertensive population. The CYP11B2 promoter polymorphism might cause aldosterone overproduction. The aim of this study was to establish whether the polymorphism CYP11B2 promoter has a significant impact on diagnostic of PA.

Attentional prioritization in dual-task walking: Effects of stroke, environment, and instructed focus.

Background: The impact of high distraction, real-world environments on dual-task interference and flexibility of attentional prioritization during dual-task walking in people with stroke is unknown.

Research Question: How does a real-world environment affect dual-task performance and flexible task prioritization during dual-task walking in adults with and without stroke?

Methods: Adults with stroke (n = 29) as well as age-, gender-, and education-matched adults without stroke (n = 23) participated. Single and dual-task walking were examined in two different environments (lab hallway, hospital lobby).

Effect of the environment on gait and gaze behavior in older adult fallers compared to older adult non-fallers.

Introduction: Compared to controlled laboratory settings, the real world is highly distracting with constant demands on visual attention to avoid hazards and falling. Fall-risk assessments do not adequately take into account the potential role of everyday distractions and environmental hazards. The purpose of this project was to identify the effect of the environment on gait and gaze behavior during walking in older adult fallers relative to non-fallers.

Enhancing the efficacy of I therapy in non-toxic multinodular goitre with appropriate use of methimazole: an analysis of randomized controlled study.

Purpose: It is possible to raise the rate of the uptake of I in the thyroid gland (RAIU) by increasing the endogenous TSH level through appropriate use of methimazole (MMI) prior to I therapy. The purpose of this paper is to assess the impact of pre treatment with MMI on the efficacy of I therapy in non-toxic multinodular goitre (NMG).

Methods: Thirty-one patients with NMG received I treatment in order to reduce the volume of the thyroid (TVR).

Changes in Midline Tremor and Gait Following Deep Brain Stimulation for Essential Tremor.

Background: Essential tremor (ET) is a common movement disorder characterized by kinetic and postural tremor in the upper extremities and frequently in the midline. Persons with ET often also exhibit gait ataxia. Previous studies have observed associations between midline tremor severity and gait ataxia in persons with ET, suggesting a common pathophysiology distinct from that of upper extremity tremor.

Relationships between gait variability and ambulatory activity post stroke.

Background: Fall risk and balance confidence are related to gait variability and ambulatory activity post stroke, yet whether a relationship exists between gait variability and ambulatory activity is unknown. Knowing if gait variability measured under naturalistic conditions is related to ambulatory activity could explain more about the relationship between falls and walking activity post-stroke.

Objectives: To examine relationships between spontaneous, daily ambulatory activity and gait variability during single- and dual-task walking, in low- and high-distraction settings in adults post stroke.

Efficacy of Tc-DTPA SPECT/CT in diagnosing Orbitopathy in graves' disease.

Background: The most frequently used methods of assessing Graves' orbithopathy (GO) include: Clinical Activity Score (CAS), ultrasonography (USG), computed tomography (CT), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). There exists another, slightly forgotten, imaging method: single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) with the use of diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid tagged with Tc (Tc-DTPA). These days it is possible to conduct a SPECT examination fused with a CT scan (SPECT/CT), which increases the diagnostic value of the investigation.