Long-Term Spasticity Management in Post-Stroke Patients: Issues and Possible Actions-A Systematic Review with an Italian Expert Opinion.

Spasticity is a well-known motor dysfunction occurring after a stroke. A group of Italian physicians' experts in treating post-stroke spasticity (PSS) reviewed the current scientific evidence concerning the state-of-the-art clinical management of PSS management and the appropriate use of botulinum toxin, aiming to identify issues, possible actions, and effective management of the patient affected by spasticity. The participants were clinicians specifically selected to cover the range of multidisciplinary clinical and research expertise needed to diagnose and manage PSS.

How Do Nursing Students Perceive Moral Distress? An Interpretative Phenomenological Study.

Background: Research shows that the longer nurses care for terminally ill patients, the greater they experience moral distress. The same applies to nursing students. This study aims to analyze episodes of moral distress experienced by nursing students during end-of-life care of onco-hematologic patients in hospital settings.

Four distinct cytoplasmic structures generate and release specific vesicles, thus opening the way to intercellular communication.

In all cells, generation and release of specific vesicles are the initial steps of back-and-forth intercellular communication. These processes are critical in normal physiology and pathophysiology. Vesicles have particular functions appropriate to their targets.

Beta 2 glycoprotein I and neutrophil extracellular traps: Potential bridge between innate and adaptive immunity in anti-phospholipid syndrome.

Antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) is a systemic autoimmune disorder characterized by recurrent vascular thrombosis and miscarriages in the absence of known causes. Antibodies against phospholipid-binding proteins (aPL) are pathogenic players in both clotting and pregnancy APS manifestations. There is sound evidence that antibodies specific for beta2 glycoprotein I (β2GPI) trigger thrombotic and pregnancy complications by interacting with the molecule on the membranes of different cell types of the coagulation cascade, and in placenta tissues.

Post-Stroke Rehabilitation: Challenges and New Perspectives.

A stroke is determined by insufficient blood supply to the brain due to vessel occlusion (ischemic stroke) or rupture (hemorrhagic stroke), resulting in immediate neurological impairment to differing degrees [...

Dexmedetomidine versus remifentanil for sedation under monitored anesthetic care in complex endovascular aortic aneurysm repair: a single center experience with mid-term follow-up.

Background: Sedation protocols in patients undergoing complex endovascular aortic aneurysm repair are not fully investigated. The aim of this study was to compare a dexmedetomidine (DEX) based sedation protocol with a remifentanil-based sedation protocol.

Methods: Seventy-nine consecutive patients undergoing complex endovascular aortic repair were enrolled and retrospectively analyzed.

The role of feedback in the robotic-assisted upper limb rehabilitation in people with multiple sclerosis: a systematic review.

Introduction: Robotic-assisted upper limb rehabilitation might improve upper limb recovery in people with multiple sclerosis (PwMS) with moderate-to-severe disability. In the few existing studies, the training effects have been related to the type of intervention, if intensive, repetitive, or task-oriented training might promote neuroplasticity and recovery. Notably, most of these devices operate within a serious game context providing different feedback.

Unconventional protein secretion (UPS): role in important diseases.

Unconventional protein secretion (UPS) is the new secretion process discovered in liquid form over three decades ago. More recently, UPS has been shown to operate also in solid forms generated from four types of organelles: fractions of lysosomes and autophagy (APh) undergoing exocytosis; exosomes and ectosomes, with their extracellular vesicles (EVs). Recently many mechanisms and proteins of these solid forms have been shown to depend on UPS.

Genetics of nonpharmacological treatments of depression.

Nonpharmacological antidepressant treatments are effective and well tolerated in selected patients. However, response is heterogeneous and validated biomarkers would be precious to aid treatment choice. We searched Pubmed, Scopus, and Google Scholar until May 2022 for original articles evaluating the association of genetic variables with the efficacy of nonpharmacological treatments for major depressive episodes.

Influence of Oxidative Stress and Inflammation on Nutritional Status and Neural Plasticity: New Perspectives on Post-Stroke Neurorehabilitative Outcome.

Beyond brain deficits caused by strokes, the effectiveness of neurorehabilitation is strongly influenced by the baseline clinical features of stroke patients, including a patient's current nutritional status. Malnutrition, either as a pre-stroke existing condition or occurring because of ischemic injury, predisposes patients to poor rehabilitation outcomes. On the other hand, a proper nutritional status compliant with the specific needs required by the process of brain recovery plays a key role in post-stroke rehabilitative outcome favoring neuroplasticity mechanisms.

Reference theories and future perspectives on robot-assisted rehabilitation in people with neurological conditions: A scoping review and recommendations from the Italian Consensus Conference on Robotics in Neurorehabilitation (CICERONE).

Background: Robot-based treatments are developing in neurorehabilitation settings. Recently, the Italian National Health Systems recognized robot-based rehabilitation as a refundable service. Thus, the Italian neurorehabilitation community promoted a national consensus on this topic.

Predictors and outcomes of delirium in the emergency department during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Milan.

Background: Respiratory infections can be complicated by acute brain failure. We assessed delirium prevalence, predictors and outcomes in COVID-19 ED patients.

Methods: This was a retrospective observational study conducted at the San Raffaele ED (Italy).

Sensor based assessment of turning during instrumented Timed Up and Go Test for quantifying mobility in chronic stroke patients.

Background: Turning may be particularly challenging for stroke patients leading to decreased mobility and increased functional restriction. Timed up and go instrumentation using a simple technology in the clinical context could allow for the collection of both traditional and potentially more discriminatory variables in turning ability.

Aim: Determine whether the speed turning metrics obtained by a single inertial sensor are suitable for differentiating between stroke patients with varying levels of mobility and disability.

Exploring the Potential of Immersive Virtual Reality in the Treatment of Unilateral Spatial Neglect Due to Stroke: A Comprehensive Systematic Review.

The present review aims to explore the use of Immersive Virtual Reality (IVR) in the treatment of visual perception in Unilateral Spatial Neglect (USN) after a stroke. PubMed, Scopus, Embase and Pedro databases were searched, from inception to 1 February 2022. All studies that investigated the effect of IVR on USN, such as outcome in the stroke population, have been included.

The Arrival of the Metaverse in Neurorehabilitation: Fact, Fake or Vision?

The metaverse is a new technology thought to provide a deeper, persistent, immersive 3D experience combining multiple different virtual approaches in a full continuum of physical-digital interaction spaces. Different from virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR), the metaverse has a service-oriented solid model with an emphasis on social and content dimensions. It has widely been demonstrated that motor or cognitive deficits can be more effectively treated using VR/AR tools, but there are several issues that limit the real potential of immersive technologies applied to neurological patients.

News about Structure and Function of Synapses: Health and Diseases.

During the last century, synapses have been intensely investigated as the most interesting sites of neuroscience development [...

DPCfam: Unsupervised protein family classification by Density Peak Clustering of large sequence datasets.

Proteins that are known only at a sequence level outnumber those with an experimental characterization by orders of magnitude. Classifying protein regions (domains) into homologous families can generate testable functional hypotheses for yet unannotated sequences. Existing domain family resources typically use at least some degree of manual curation: they grow slowly over time and leave a large fraction of the protein sequence space unclassified.

Does Non-Immersive Virtual Reality Improve Attention Processes in Severe Traumatic Brain Injury? Encouraging Data from a Pilot Study.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a sudden injury that causes damage to the brain. Rehabilitation therapies include specific training, such as attention process training (APT) programs using either standard or innovative approaches. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effects of a non-immersive virtual reality-based attention training to stimulate attention processes and mood in TBI patients.

Post-Synapses in the Brain: Role of Dendritic and Spine Structures.

Brain synapses are neuronal structures of the greatest interest. For a long time, however, the knowledge about them was variable, and interest was mostly focused on their pre-synaptic portions, especially neurotransmitter release from axon terminals. In the present review interest is focused on post-synapses, the structures receiving and converting pre-synaptic messages.

Targeting MDM2 enhances antileukemia immunity after allogeneic transplantation via MHC-II and TRAIL-R1/2 upregulation.

Patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) often achieve remission after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (allo-HCT) but subsequently die of relapse driven by leukemia cells resistant to elimination by allogeneic T cells based on decreased major histocompatibility complex II (MHC-II) expression and apoptosis resistance. Here we demonstrate that mouse-double-minute-2 (MDM2) inhibition can counteract immune evasion of AML. MDM2 inhibition induced MHC class I and II expression in murine and human AML cells.