Prognostic Value of EEG Microstates in Acute Stroke.

Given the importance of neuronal plasticity in recovery from a stroke and the huge variability of recovery abilities in patients, we investigated neuronal activity in the acute phase to enhance information about the prognosis of recovery in the stabilized phase. We investigated the microstates in 47 patients who suffered a first-ever mono-lesional ischemic stroke in the middle cerebral artery territory and in 20 healthy control volunteers. Electroencephalographic (EEG) activity at rest with eyes closed was acquired between 2 and 10 days (T0) after ischemic attack.

Changing trends in the use of kratom (Mitragyna speciosa) in Southeast Asia.

Objective: Kratom (Mitragyna speciosa. Korth) is an indigenous medicinal plant of Southeast Asia. This review paper aims to describe the trends of kratom use in Southeast Asia.

Fifty Years of Research in ARDS. Gas Exchange in Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome.

Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is characterized by severe impairment of gas exchange. Hypoxemia is mainly due to intrapulmonary shunt, whereas increased alveolar dead space explains the alteration of CO clearance. Assessment of the severity of gas exchange impairment is a requisite for the characterization of the syndrome and the evaluation of its severity.

Captagon: use and trade in the Middle East.

Background: Fenetheylline, a psychostimulant drug, often branded as Captagon, is a combination of amphetamine and theophylline. Since the cessation of its legal production in 1986, counterfeited products have been produced illicitly in south-east Europe and far-east Asia. Its profitable trade has been linked to terrorist organizations, including Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.

Bispectral pairwise interacting source analysis for identifying systems of cross-frequency interacting brain sources from electroencephalographic or magnetoencephalographic signals.

Brain cognitive functions arise through the coordinated activity of several brain regions, which actually form complex dynamical systems operating at multiple frequencies. These systems often consist of interacting subsystems, whose characterization is of importance for a complete understanding of the brain interaction processes. To address this issue, we present a technique, namely the bispectral pairwise interacting source analysis (biPISA), for analyzing systems of cross-frequency interacting brain sources when multichannel electroencephalographic (EEG) or magnetoencephalographic (MEG) data are available.

Management, prognosis and reproductive outcomes of borderline ovarian tumor relapse during pregnancy: from diagnosis to potential treatment options.

Background: fertility sparing surgery is the first option for treatment of childbearing age women affected by borderline ovarian tumor (BOT). This review put in evidence the benefits and the risks of conservative surgery procedure. Moreover, the literature review is aimed to analyze the possibility of fertility sparing surgery in BOTs and to define a standard treatment in the management of this pathology during pregnancy.

Five-Kilometers Time Trial: Preliminary Validation of a Short Test for Cycling Performance Evaluation.

Background: The five-kilometer time trial (TT5km) has been used to assess aerobic endurance performance without further investigation of its validity.

Objectives: This study aimed to perform a preliminary validation of the TT5km to rank well-trained cyclists based on aerobic endurance fitness and assess changes of the aerobic endurance performance.

Materials And Methods: After the incremental test, 20 cyclists (age = 31.

Responses of peripheral blood mononuclear cells to moderate exercise and hypoxia.

The purpose of this study was to analyze the physiological features of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) isolated from healthy female trekkers before and after physical activity carried out under both normoxia (low altitude, < 2000 m a.s.l.

How many injections did you miss last month? A simple question to predict interferon β-1a adherence in multiple sclerosis.

Objectives: Adherence to treatment is of utmost importance in multiple sclerosis (MS) to achieve full benefits from disease-modifying treatments. Thus, we investigated predictors of adherence to interferon β-1a.

Methods: 114 relapsing-remitting MS subjects were recruited and followed-up during 1.

Detection of the Lactate Threshold in Runners: What is the Ideal Speed to Start an Incremental Test?

Incremental tests on a treadmill are used to evaluate endurance athletes; however, no criterion exists to determine the intensity at which to start the test, potentially causing the loss of the first lactate threshold. This study aimed to determine the ideal speed for runners to start incremental treadmill tests. The study consisted of 94 runners who self-reported the average speed from their last competitive race (10-42.

Haploinsufficiency of the NOTCH1 Receptor as a Cause of Adams-Oliver Syndrome With Variable Cardiac Anomalies.

Background: Adams-Oliver syndrome (AOS) is a rare disorder characterized by congenital limb defects and scalp cutis aplasia. In a proportion of cases, notable cardiac involvement is also apparent. Despite recent advances in the understanding of the genetic basis of AOS, for the majority of affected subjects, the underlying molecular defect remains unresolved.

Mutations in the NHEJ component XRCC4 cause primordial dwarfism.

Non-homologous end joining (NHEJ) is a key cellular process ensuring genome integrity. Mutations in several components of the NHEJ pathway have been identified, often associated with severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID), consistent with the requirement for NHEJ during V(D)J recombination to ensure diversity of the adaptive immune system. In contrast, we have recently found that biallelic mutations in LIG4 are a common cause of microcephalic primordial dwarfism (MPD), a phenotype characterized by prenatal-onset extreme global growth failure.

Prevalence and predictors of low bone mineral density and fragility fractures among HIV-infected patients at one Italian center after universal DXA screening: sensitivity and specificity of current guidelines on bone mineral density management.

Low bone mineral density (BMD) is frequent in HIV infection regardless of the use of antiretroviral therapy (ART). Uncertainties remain, however, as to when in HIV infection BMD screening should be performed. We designed a prospective study to estimate the efficacy of universal BMD screening by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA).

A novel LIPE nonsense mutation found using exome sequencing in siblings with late-onset familial partial lipodystrophy.

Background: Familial lipodystrophies are rare inherited disorders associated with redistribution of body fat and development of dyslipidemia, insulin resistance, and diabetes. We previously reported 2 siblings with unusual late-onset familial partial lipodystrophy in whom heretofore known causative genes had been excluded. We hypothesized they had a mutation in a novel lipodystrophy gene.

Mutations in CKAP2L, the human homolog of the mouse Radmis gene, cause Filippi syndrome.

Filippi syndrome is a rare, presumably autosomal-recessive disorder characterized by microcephaly, pre- and postnatal growth failure, syndactyly, and distinctive facial features, including a broad nasal bridge and underdeveloped alae nasi. Some affected individuals have intellectual disability, seizures, undescended testicles in males, and teeth and hair abnormalities. We performed homozygosity mapping and whole-exome sequencing in a Sardinian family with two affected children and identified a homozygous frameshift mutation, c.

Time-domain analysis of scrotal thermoregulatory impairment in varicocele.

Varicocele is a common male disease defined as the pathological dilatation of the pampiniform plexus and scrotal veins with venous blood reflux. Varicocele usually impairs the scrotal thermoregulation via a hemodynamic alteration, thus inducing an increase in cutaneous temperature. The investigation of altered scrotal thermoregulation by means of thermal infrared imaging has been proved to be useful in the study of the functional thermal impairment.

Determination of blood lactate training zone boundaries with rating of perceived exertion in runners.

This study aimed to determine the rating of perceived exertion (RPE) values corresponding to the blood lactate concentration (BLC) training zone boundaries (2 and 4 mmol·L) in moderately trained runners using the Borg CR-10 scale. Moderately trained runners (n = 95) performed a submaximal incremental test on a treadmill, recording BLC and RPE at every stage. Simple linear regression analysis was used to determine the RPE values corresponding to the BLC training zone boundaries, which revealed that RPE was significantly and strongly correlated with BLC (r = 0.

p53 Codon 72 Genetic Polymorphism in Asthmatic Children: Evidence of Interaction With Acid Phosphatase Locus 1.

Several lines of evidence are implicating an increased persistence of apoptotic cells in patients with asthma. This is largely due to a combination of inhibition, or defects in the apoptotic process and/or impaired apoptotic cell removal mechanisms. Among apoptosis-inducing genes, an important role is played by p53.

A very rare case of HPV-53-related cervical cancer, in a 79-year-old woman with a previous history of negative Pap cytology.

The introduction of organized cervical cancer (CC) screening programs has drastically reduced the prevalence of CC. However the incidence is still too high, especially among elderly women. All guidelines strongly recommend a regular Papanicolaou (Pap) testing for young and middle-aged patients.

Immediate denture fabrication: a clinical report.

The aim of the present clinical report was to describe the use of a patient's extensive fixed prosthesis, where the supporting teeth were hopeless, for fabricating an interim immediate complete denture. The present procedure was used to replicate the vertical dimension, phonetic and aesthetic of the existing fixed prostheses as part of an immediate denture and a final complete denture.

Nectin-4 mutations causing ectodermal dysplasia with syndactyly perturb the rac1 pathway and the kinetics of adherens junction formation.

Defective nectin-1 and -4 have been implicated in ectodermal dysplasia (ED) syndromes with variably associated features including orofacial and limb defects. In particular, nectin-1 mutations cause cleft lip/palate ED (CLPED1; OMIM#225060), whereas defective nectin-4 is associated with ED-syndactyly syndrome (EDSS1; OMIM#613573). Although the broad phenotypic overlap suggests a common mode of action of nectin-1 and -4, little is known about the pathogenic mechanisms involved.