Dementia Care Practice.

This study employs electroencephalography (EEG) to assess the efficacy of a person-centered communication intervention in the context of dementia care. Seventy-seven individuals in the early stage of dementia, attending day care centers, were divided into experimental and control groups following a non-equivalence control design. The communication intervention consisted of 30 minutes of semi-structured, topic-specific in-person interactions, incorporating elements of self-introduction, rapport-building, emotional exploration, reminiscence, and cognitive stimulation.

Dementia Care Practice.

In the treatment of Alzheimer's disease (AD), traditional 40Hz gamma wave stimulation, while effective in improving cognitive function, has been limited by the lengthy duration of treatment. To address this, our study sought to enhance the time efficiency of 40Hz stimulation by utilizing intermittent theta-burst stimulation (iTBS) as a pretreatment. Experiments were conducted on AD mouse models, divided into four groups: no stimulation, 40Hz stimulation only, iTBS stimulation only, and combined iTBS and 40Hz stimulation.

Dementia Care Practice.

Objective: This study aims to validate the effectiveness of the education program for dementia family caregivers (so-called Value Care program), and to assess the applicability of the program at local dementia centers in the community.

Method: The Value Care program is an educational program designed for family caregivers of dementia, conducted once a week for 90 minutes over a total duration of 8 weeks. This program aims to enhance understanding of the characteristics and symptoms of dementia at various stages and to provide specific response strategies for caregivers.

Technology and Dementia Preconference.

Background: Electroencephalography (EEG) is a non-intrusive technique that provides comprehensive insights into the electrical activities of the brain's cerebral cortex. The brain signals obtained from EEGs can be used as a neuropsychological biomarker to detect different stages of Alzheimer's disease (AD) through quantitative EEG (qEEG) analysis. This paper investigates the difference in the abnormalities of resting state EEG (rEEG) signals between eyes-open (EOR) and eyes-closed (ECR) in AD by analyzing 19- scalp electrode EEG signals and making a comparison with healthy controls (HC).

Surgical outcomes of radial polydactyly according to a modified Wassel-Flatt classification: A retrospective study of 211 patients with 223 thumbs.

We previously introduced the modified Wassel-Flatt classification to overcome the limitation of the traditional classification for radial polydactyly. This study aimed to evaluate this modified classification in terms of surgical planning and clinical outcomes using the Japanese Society for Surgery of the Hand scoring system. A retrospective review of 211 patients with 223 thumbs treated for radial polydactyly between October 2017 and November 2022 was conducted.

Urinary RANTES and MCP-1 as noninvasive biomarkers for differential diagnosis and prediction of treatment response in acute interstitial nephritis.

Background: Although kidney biopsy is definitive for the diagnosis of acute interstitial nephritis (AIN) and acute tubular necrosis (ATN), its invasiveness limits its use. We aimed to identify urine biomarkers for differentiating AIN and ATN and to predict the response of patients with AIN to steroid treatment.

Methods: In this prospective cohort study, biopsy-proven ATN ( = 34) and AIN ( = 55) were included.

Glycine Decarboxylase Regulates Renal Carcinoma Progression via Interferon Stimulated Gene Factor 3-Mediated Pathway.

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is considered as a "metabolic disease" due to various perturbations in metabolic pathways that could drive cancer development. Glycine decarboxylase (GLDC) is a mitochondrial enzyme that takes part in the oxidation of glycine to support nucleotide biosynthesis via transfer of one-carbon units. Herein, we aimed to investigate the potential role of GLDC in RCC development.

Elevated Serum IL-6 as a Negative Prognostic Biomarker in Glioblastoma: Integrating Bioinformatics and Clinical Validation.

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most lethal type of primary brain tumor, necessitating the discovery of reliable serum prognostic biomarkers. This study aimed to investigate the prognostic value of serum Interleukin-6 (IL-6) in GBM patients. Bioinformatics analysis via gene set enrichment analysis was conducted on The Cancer Genome Atlas RNA-seq data to explore the pathways enriched in samples with high expression.

Early intervention in psychosis programs in Africa, Asia and Latin America; challenges and recommendations.

Background: While early intervention in psychosis (EIP) programs have been increasingly implemented across the globe, many initiatives from Africa, Asia and Latin America are not widely known. The aims of the current review are (a) to describe population-based and small-scale, single-site EIP programs in Africa, Asia and Latin America, (b) to examine the variability between programs located in low-and-middle income (LMIC) and high-income countries in similar regions and (c) to outline some of the challenges and provide recommendations to overcome existing obstacles.

Methods: EIP programs in Africa, Asia and Latin America were identified through experts from the different target regions.

Evaluating the potential of in alleviation of aluminium stress in .

Soil contamination with toxic heavy metals [such as aluminum (Al)] is becoming a serious global problem due to the rapid development of the social economy. Although plant growth-promoting rhizo-bacteria (PGPR) are the major protectants to alleviate metal toxicity, the study of these bacteria to ameliorate the toxic effects of Al is limited. Therefore, the present study was conducted to investigate the combined effects of different levels of (5 ppm and 10 ppm) of accession number of MT123456 on plant growth and biomass, photosynthetic pigments, gas exchange attributes, oxidative stress and response of antioxidant compounds (enzymatic and nonenzymatic), and their specific gene expression, sugars, nutritional status of the plant, organic acid exudation pattern and Al accumulation from the different parts of the plants, which was spiked with different levels of Al [0 µM (i.

Biosecurity Practices for Reducing Antimicrobial Use in Commercial Broiler Farms in Korea.

Farm biosecurity is valuable for reducing the indiscriminate use of antimicrobials. However, its relationship with antimicrobial usage can be difficult to assess because of multiple factors. This study evaluated the impact of biosecurity practices on productivity, frequency of antimicrobial use, and development of antimicrobial resistance.

Brain-inspired learning rules for spiking neural network-based control: a tutorial.

Robotic systems rely on spatio-temporal information to solve control tasks. With advancements in deep neural networks, reinforcement learning has significantly enhanced the performance of control tasks by leveraging deep learning techniques. However, as deep neural networks grow in complexity, they consume more energy and introduce greater latency.

Assessment of conductive textile-based electrocardiogram measurement for the development of a lonely death prevention system.

The rise in individuals living alone in ageing societies raises concerns about social isolation and associated health risks, notably lonely deaths among the elderly. Traditional electrocardiogram (ECG) monitoring systems, reliant on intrusive and potentially irritating electrodes, pose practical challenges. This study examines the efficacy of conductive textile electrodes (CTEs) vis-á-vis conventional electrodes (CEs) in ECG monitoring, along with the effect of electrode positioning.

Orthopedic surgeon level joint angle assessment with artificial intelligence based on photography: a pilot study.

Unlabelled: Accurate assessment of shoulder range of motion (ROM) is crucial for evaluating patient progress. Traditional manual goniometry often lacks precision and is subject to inter-observer variability, especially in measuring shoulder internal rotation (IR). This study introduces an artificial intelligence (AI)-based approach that uses clinical photography to improve the accuracy of ROM quantification.

Speech-mediated manipulation of da Vinci surgical system for continuous surgical flow.

Unlabelled: With the advent of robot-assisted surgery, user-friendly technologies have been applied to the da Vinci surgical system (dVSS), and their efficacy has been validated in worldwide surgical fields. However, further improvements are required to the traditional manipulation methods, which cannot control an endoscope and surgical instruments simultaneously. This study proposes a speech recognition control interface (SRCI) for controlling the endoscope via speech commands while manipulating surgical instruments to replace the traditional method.

New user authentication method based on eye-writing patterns identified from electrooculography for virtual reality applications.

Demand for user authentication in virtual reality (VR) applications is increasing such as in-app payments, password manager, and access to private data. Traditionally, hand controllers have been widely used for the user authentication in VR environment, with which the users can typewrite a password or draw a pre-registered pattern; however, the conventional approaches are generally inconvenient and time-consuming. In this study, we proposed a new user authentication method based on eye-writing patterns identified using electrooculogram (EOG) recorded from four locations around the eyes in contact with the face-pad of a VR headset.

Excessive propagation of right frontal beta oscillations in patients with a history of major depressive disorder.

Unlabelled: Patients suffering from various neurological disorders, including major depressive disorder (MDD), often exhibit abnormal brain connectivity. In particular, patients with MDD show atypical brain oscillations propagation. This study aims to investigate an association between abnormal brain connectivity and atypical oscillatory propagation of electroencephalogram (EEG) signals in patients with a history of MDD.

Expansion of stereotactic work envelope using transformation matrices and geometric algebra for neurosurgery.

Stereotactic systems have traditionally used Cartesian coordinate combined with linear algebraic mathematical models to navigate the brain. Previously, the development of a novel stereotactic system allowed for improved patient comfort, reduced size, and carried through a simplified interface for surgeons. The system was designed with a work envelope and trajectory range optimized for deep brain stimulation applications only.

Driver fatigue recognition using limited amount of individual electroencephalogram.

Unlabelled: This study aims to create a fatigue recognition system that utilizes electroencephalogram (EEG) signals to assess a driver's physiological and mental state, with the goal of minimizing the risk of road accidents by detecting driver fatigue regardless of physical cues or vehicle attributes. A fatigue state recognition system was developed using transfer learning applied to partial ensemble averaged EEG power spectral density (PSD). The study utilized layer-wise relevance propagation (LRP) analysis to identify critical cortical regions and frequency bands for effective fatigue discrimination.

Enhanced diagnosis of pes planus and pes cavus using deep learning-based segmentation of weight-bearing lateral foot radiographs: a comparative observer study.

Unlabelled: A weight-bearing lateral radiograph (WBLR) of the foot is a gold standard for diagnosing adult-acquired flatfoot deformity. However, it is difficult to measure the major axis of bones in WBLR without using auxiliary lines. Herein, we develop semantic segmentation with a deep learning model (DLm) on the WBLR of the foot for enhanced diagnosis of pes planus and pes cavus.

Preclinical evaluation of a surgical assistant robot for use in minimally invasive abdominal surgeries.

In recent years, robotic assistance has become increasingly used and applied in minimally invasive surgeries. A new cooperative surgical robot system that includes a joystick-guided robotic scope holder was developed in this study, and its feasibility for use in minimally invasive abdominal surgery was evaluated in a preclinical setting. The cooperative surgical robot consists of a six-degree-of-freedom collaborative robot arm and a one-degree-of-freedom bidirectional telescopic end-effector specializing in surgical assistance.

Therapeutic potential of a systemically applied humanized monoclonal antibody targeting Toll‑like receptor 2 in atopic‑dermatitis‑like skin lesions in a mouse model.

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a prevalent, persistent inflammatory skin disorder distinguished by pruritic and irritated skin. Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are specialized receptors that recognize specific patterns associated with pathogens and tissue damage, triggering an innate immune response that protects the host from invading pathogens. Previously, it was demonstrated that intradermal injection of the humanized anti-TLR2 monoclonal antibody (Ab) Tomaralimab effectively relieved AD-like skin inflammation in BALB/c mouse models exposed to house dust mite extracts.

A Novel Cell-Penetrating Peptide-Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Small Interfering Ribonucleic Acid Complex That Mediates the Inhibition of Angiogenesis by Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells and in an Ex Vivo Mouse Aorta Ring Model.

Angiogenesis is mediated by vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), a protein that plays a key role in wound healing, inflammatory diseases, cardiovascular processes, ocular diseases, and tumor growth. Indeed, modulation of angiogenesis represents a potential approach to treating cancer and, as such, therapeutic approaches targeting VEGF and its receptors have been widely investigated as part of the broader search for curative interventions. Equally, RNA interference is a powerful tool for treating diseases, but its application as a disease treatment has been limited in part because of a lack of efficient small interfering RNA (siRNA) delivery systems.

Surgical Outcomes of Lateral Ulnar Collateral Ligament Reconstruction Versus Repair for Posterolateral Rotatory Instability of the Elbow: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Background: The aim of surgical treatment for posterolateral rotatory instability (PLRI) of the elbow is to restore the integrity of the lateral ulnar collateral ligament (LUCL), with ligamentous reconstruction being the preferred option for recurrent symptomatic PLRI. However, there is no clinical evidence demonstrating the superiority of reconstruction versus repair. Treatment options currently depend on the cause of the LUCL injury and surgeon preference.