Psychological factors and health-related quality of life in fibromyalgia patients.

Background: Fibromyalgia (FM) has been associated with decreased health-related quality of life (HRQoL), which has been linked to psychological variables such as anxiety, depression, coping, and social support. This study aimed to simultaneously analyse the association of these variables with HRQoL in FM patients and explore their mediating role in the relationship between somatic symptoms and HRQoL.

Participants And Procedure: A cross-sectional sample of 134 FM patients (97% women) with no other rheumatologic diseases followed in specialized healthcare services completed self-report questionnaires to evaluate pain, fatigue, sleep, anxiety, depression, coping, social support, and HRQoL.

Classification of recovery states in U15, U17, and U19 sub-elite football players: a machine learning approach.

Introduction: A promising approach to optimizing recovery in youth football has been the use of machine learning (ML) models to predict recovery states and prevent mental fatigue. This research investigates the application of ML models in classifying male young football players aged under (U)15, U17, and U19 according to their recovery state. Weekly training load data were systematically monitored across three age groups throughout the initial month of the 2019-2020 competitive season, covering 18 training sessions and 120 observation instances.

Multi-level therapeutic actions of cannabidiol in ketamine-induced schizophrenia psychopathology in male rats.

Repeated administration of ketamine (KET) has been used to model schizophrenia-like symptomatology in rodents, but the psychotomimetic neurobiological and neuroanatomical underpinnings remain elusive. In parallel, the unmet need for a better treatment of schizophrenia requires the development of novel therapeutic strategies. Cannabidiol (CBD), a major non-addictive phytocannabinoid has been linked to antipsychotic effects with unclear mechanistic basis.

Assessing Different Histological Preparations for Reconstruction of Astrocyte Tridimensional Structure.

Astrocytes are ubiquitous in the brain and spinal cord and display a complex morphology important for the local interactions with neighboring cells, resulting in the modulation of circuit function. Thus, studies focusing on astrocyte physiology in the healthy and diseased brain generally present analyses of astrocytic structure. The labeling method used to visualize the astrocytic structure defines the morphological level to observe and may vary depending on the anatomical sub-regions.

Microcapsules of Poly(butylene adipate--terephthalate) (PBAT) Loaded with Aliphatic Isocyanates for Adhesive Applications.

This work introduces the encapsulation of hexamethylene diisocyanate derivatives (HDI, TriHDI, and PHDI) with the biodegradable polymer poly(butylene adipate--terephthalate) (PBAT) through a solvent evaporation method. These microcapsules (MCs) were then employed in adhesive formulations for footwear. Moreover, MCs containing PHDI were produced in a closed vessel, demonstrating the potential for recovering and reusing organic solvents for the first time.

Activation of a Rhythmic Lower Limb Movement Pattern during the Use of a Multimodal Brain-Computer Interface: A Case Study of a Clinically Complete Spinal Cord Injury.

Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) that integrate virtual reality with tactile feedback are increasingly relevant for neurorehabilitation in spinal cord injury (SCI). In our previous case study employing a BCI-based virtual reality neurorehabilitation protocol, a patient with complete T4 SCI experienced reduced pain and emergence of non-spastic lower limb movements after 10 sessions. However, it is still unclear whether these effects can be sustained, enhanced, and replicated, as well as the neural mechanisms that underlie them.

Genetic Ablation of Inositol 1,4,5-Trisphosphate Receptor Type 2 (IPR2) Fails to Modify Disease Progression in a Mouse Model of Spinocerebellar Ataxia Type 3.

Spinocerebellar ataxia type 3 (SCA3) is a rare neurodegenerative disease caused by an abnormal polyglutamine expansion within the ataxin-3 protein (ATXN3). This leads to neurodegeneration of specific brain and spinal cord regions, resulting in a progressive loss of motor function. Despite neuronal death, non-neuronal cells, including astrocytes, are also involved in SCA3 pathogenesis.

Fusion Object Detection and Action Recognition to Predict Violent Action.

In the context of Shared Autonomous Vehicles, the need to monitor the environment inside the car will be crucial. This article focuses on the application of deep learning algorithms to present a fusion monitoring solution which was three different algorithms: a violent action detection system, which recognizes violent behaviors between passengers, a violent object detection system, and a lost items detection system. Public datasets were used for object detection algorithms (COCO and TAO) to train state-of-the-art algorithms such as YOLOv5.

Using Object Detection Technology to Identify Defects in Clothing for Blind People.

Blind people often encounter challenges in managing their clothing, specifically in identifying defects such as stains or holes. With the progress of the computer vision field, it is crucial to minimize these limitations as much as possible to assist blind people with selecting appropriate clothing. Therefore, the objective of this paper is to use object detection technology to categorize and detect stains on garments.

Astrocyte structural heterogeneity in the mouse hippocampus.

Astrocytes are integral components of brain circuits, where they sense, process, and respond to surrounding activity, maintaining homeostasis and regulating synaptic transmission, the sum of which results in behavior modulation. These interactions are possible due to their complex morphology, composed of a tree-like structure of processes to cover defined territories ramifying in a mesh-like system of fine leaflets unresolved by conventional optic microscopy. While recent reports devoted more attention to leaflets and their dynamic interactions with synapses, our knowledge about the tree-like "backbone" structure in physiological conditions is incomplete.

AI based monitoring violent action detection data for in-vehicle scenarios.

With the evolution of technology associated with mobility and autonomy, Shared Autonomous Vehicles will be a reality. To ensure passenger safety, there is a need to create a monitoring system inside the vehicle capable of recognizing human actions. We introduce two datasets to train human action recognition inside the vehicle, focusing on violence detection.

Patient reported outcomes in oncology: changing perspectives-a systematic review.

In public health context, oncology is associated with severe negative impact on patients and on their relatives' quality of life. Over the last decades, survival has remained at 50% worldwide for some tumor locations. Patient reported outcomes (PROs) assessment and, the corresponding use in clinical practice, help establishing patient individualized profiling involving caregivers.

Astrocyte regulation of neural circuit activity and network states.

Astrocytes are known to influence neuronal activity through different mechanisms, including the homeostatic control of extracellular levels of ions and neurotransmitters and the exchange of signaling molecules that regulate synaptic formation, structure, and function. While a great effort done in the past has defined many molecular mechanisms and cellular processes involved in astrocyte-neuron interactions at the cellular level, the consequences of these interactions at the network level in vivo have only relatively recently been identified. This review describes and discusses recent findings on the regulatory effects of astrocytes on the activity of neuronal networks in vivo.

Automated segmentation of normal and diseased coronary arteries - The ASOCA challenge.

Cardiovascular disease is a major cause of death worldwide. Computed Tomography Coronary Angiography (CTCA) is a non-invasive method used to evaluate coronary artery disease, as well as evaluating and reconstructing heart and coronary vessel structures. Reconstructed models have a wide array of for educational, training and research applications such as the study of diseased and non-diseased coronary anatomy, machine learning based disease risk prediction and in-silico and in-vitro testing of medical devices.

Beyond New Neurons in the Adult Hippocampus: Imipramine Acts as a Pro-Astrogliogenic Factor and Rescues Cognitive Impairments Induced by Stress Exposure.

Depression is a prevalent, socially burdensome disease. Different studies have demonstrated the important role of astrocytes in the pathophysiology of depression as modulators of neurotransmission and neurovascular coupling. This is evidenced by astrocyte impairments observed in brains of depressed patients and the appearance of depressive-like behaviors upon astrocytic dysfunctions in animal models.

AI Based Monitoring of Different Risk Levels in COVID-19 Context.

COVID-19 was responsible for devastating social, economic, and political effects all over the world. Although the health authorities imposed restrictions provided relief and assisted with trying to return society to normal life, it is imperative to monitor people's behavior and risk factors to keep virus transmission levels as low as possible. This article focuses on the application of deep learning algorithms to detect the presence of masks on people in public spaces (using RGB cameras), as well as the detection of the caruncle in the human eye area to make an accurate measurement of body temperature (using thermal cameras).

Constitutive deficiency of the neurogenic hippocampal modulator AP2γ promotes anxiety-like behavior and cumulative memory deficits in mice from juvenile to adult periods.

The transcription factor activating protein two gamma (AP2γ) is an important regulator of neurogenesis both during embryonic development as well as in the postnatal brain, but its role for neurophysiology and behavior at distinct postnatal periods is still unclear. In this work, we explored the neurogenic, behavioral, and functional impact of a constitutive and heterozygous AP2γ deletion in mice from early postnatal development until adulthood. AP2γ deficiency promotes downregulation of hippocampal glutamatergic neurogenesis, altering the ontogeny of emotional and memory behaviors associated with hippocampus formation.

Hippocampal cytogenesis abrogation impairs inter-regional communication between the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex and promotes the time-dependent manifestation of emotional and cognitive deficits.

Impaired ability to generate new cells in the adult brain has been linked to deficits in multiple emotional and cognitive behavioral domains. However, the mechanisms by which abrogation of adult neural stem cells (NSCs) impacts on brain function remains controversial. We used a transgenic rat line, the GFAP-Tk, to selectively eliminate NSCs and assess repercussions on different behavioral domains.

Astrocyte-derived TNF and glutamate critically modulate microglia activation by methamphetamine.

Methamphetamine (Meth) is a powerful illicit psychostimulant, widely used for recreational purposes. Besides disrupting the monoaminergic system and promoting oxidative brain damage, Meth also causes neuroinflammation, contributing to synaptic dysfunction and behavioral deficits. Aberrant activation of microglia, the largest myeloid cell population in the brain, is a common feature in neurological disorders triggered by neuroinflammation.

Rapid Artificial Intelligence Solutions in a Pandemic - The COVID-19-20 Lung CT Lesion Segmentation Challenge.

Artificial intelligence (AI) methods for the automatic detection and quantification of COVID-19 lesions in chest computed tomography (CT) might play an important role in the monitoring and management of the disease. We organized an international challenge and competition for the development and comparison of AI algorithms for this task, which we supported with public data and state-of-the-art benchmark methods. Board Certified Radiologists annotated 295 public images from two sources (A and B) for algorithms training (n=199, source A), validation (n=50, source A) and testing (n=23, source A; n=23, source B).

Reactive astrocyte nomenclature, definitions, and future directions.

Reactive astrocytes are astrocytes undergoing morphological, molecular, and functional remodeling in response to injury, disease, or infection of the CNS. Although this remodeling was first described over a century ago, uncertainties and controversies remain regarding the contribution of reactive astrocytes to CNS diseases, repair, and aging. It is also unclear whether fixed categories of reactive astrocytes exist and, if so, how to identify them.

Clinical, psychological and quality of life differences in fibromyalgia patients from secondary and tertiary healthcare.

Background: The 'funnel effect' of Fibromyalgia (FM) assumes that as patients access healthcare services, they present greater severity and a more complex clinical situation than individuals with FM from the general population, but the studies comparing patients treated in different levels of healthcare are scarce. The aim of this study was to analyse the 'funnel effect' hypothesis by comparing patients from secondary and tertiary healthcare services.

Methods: A cross-sectional sample of female patients was selected in secondary (rheumatology practices - RP) and in tertiary healthcare (chronic pain clinics - CPC).

Astrocyte-mediated switch in spike timing-dependent plasticity during hippocampal development.

Presynaptic spike timing-dependent long-term depression (t-LTD) at hippocampal CA3-CA1 synapses is evident until the 3 postnatal week in mice, disappearing during the 4 week. At more mature stages, we found that the protocol that induced t-LTD induced t-LTP. We characterized this form of t-LTP and the mechanisms involved in its induction, as well as that driving this switch from t-LTD to t-LTP.

Validation of a Wireless Bluetooth Photoplethysmography Sensor Used on the Earlobe for Monitoring Heart Rate Variability Features during a Stress-Inducing Mental Task in Healthy Individuals.

Heart rate variability (HRV), using electrocardiography (ECG), has gained popularity as a biomarker of the stress response. Alternatives to HRV monitoring, like photoplethysmography (PPG), are being explored as cheaper and unobtrusive non-invasive technologies. We report a new wireless PPG sensor that was tested in detecting changes in HRV, elicited by a mentally stressful task, and to determine if its signal can be used as a surrogate of ECG for HRV analysis.

IP R2 null mice display a normal acquisition of somatic and neurological development milestones.

Astrocytes are key players in the regulation of brain development and function. They sense and respond to the surrounding activity by elevating their intracellular calcium (Ca ) levels. These astrocytic Ca elevations emerge from different sources and display complex spatio-temporal properties.