Search results for "Musculoskeletal"
showing 10 items of 1714 documents
The Effects of Selective Stellate Ganglion Manipulation on Ventricular Refractoriness and Excitability
1992
The effects of selective stellate ganglion stimulation or stellectomy on ventricular excitability were studied in 30 open chest mongrel dogs anesthetized with alpha-chloralose. The effective refractory period (ERP) and strength interval curves (stimulus intensity [S2] = twice the diastolic threshold [ERP], and 2, 3, 5, 7, and 14 mA) were determined using bipolar epicardial electrodes placed in the mid-anterior wall of the right ventricle (RV) and the mid-posterolateral wall of the left ventricle (LV) during left stellate ganglion stimulation (LSGSt, n = 8) or right stellate ganglion stimulation (RSGSt, n = 8), or after left stellectomy (LSGEx, n = 7) or right stellectomy (RSGEx, n = 7). LSG…
Treating cachexia using soluble ACVR2B improves survival, alters mTOR localization, and attenuates liver and spleen responses.
2018
Background Cancer cachexia increases morbidity and mortality, and blocking of activin receptor ligands has improved survival in experimental cancer. However, the underlying mechanisms have not yet been fully uncovered. Methods The effects of blocking activin receptor type 2 (ACVR2) ligands on both muscle and non‐muscle tissues were investigated in a preclinical model of cancer cachexia using a recombinant soluble ACVR2B (sACVR2B‐Fc). Treatment with sACVR2B‐Fc was applied either only before the tumour formation or with continued treatment both before and after tumour formation. The potential roles of muscle and non‐muscle tissues in cancer cachexia were investigated in order to understand th…
Combining Ergonomic Risk Assessment (RULA) with Inertial Motion Capture Technology in Dentistry—Using the Benefits from Two Worlds
2021
Traditional ergonomic risk assessment tools such as the Rapid Upper Limb Assessment (RULA) are often not sensitive enough to evaluate well-optimized work routines. An implementation of kinematic data captured by inertial sensors is applied to compare two work routines in dentistry. The surgical dental treatment was performed in two different conditions, which were recorded by means of inertial sensors (Xsens MVN Link). For this purpose, 15 (12 males/3 females) oral and maxillofacial surgeons took part in the study. Data were post processed with costume written MATLAB® routines, including a full implementation of RULA (slightly adjusted to dentistry). For an in-depth comparison, five newly i…
Impact of periodontal treatment on the RANKL/OPG ratio in crevicular fluid.
2020
Aim Alveolar resorption is one of the most important events in periodontitis. Osteoclast activity is regulated by the ratio between receptor activator of NF-κB ligand (RANKL) and osteoprotegerin (OPG). The aim of this study was to evaluate changes in the RANKL/OPG ratio in crevicular fluid after periodontal treatment. Material and methods A total of 15 patients with periodontitis were included in the study group. Samples were collected from an area with active periodontitis and a healthy area. The RANKL and OPG levels were measured before and after periodontal scaling and root planing (SRP) treatment. The study group was compared to the control group, which included 10 patients without peri…
Heme oxygenase-1 regulates the progression of K/BxN serum transfer arthritis.
2012
Background Heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) is induced in many cell types as a defense mechanism against stress. We have investigated the possible role of endogenous HO-1 in the effector phase of arthritis using the K/BxN serum transfer model of arthritis in HO-1 heterozygous and homozygous knock-out mice. Methodology/Principal Findings Arthritis was induced in C57/Black-6 xFVB (HO-1+/+, HO-1+/− and HO-1−/−) mice by intraperitoneal injection of 150 µl serum from arthritic K/BxN mice at days 0 and 2. Blood was collected and animals were sacrificed at day 10. Histological analysis was performed in ankle sections. The levels of inflammatory mediators were measured in serum and paw homogenates by enzyme…
Prevalence of fatigue in Parkinson disease and its clinical correlates
2014
Objective: To assess in a noninterventional setting the prevalence and severity of fatigue in patients with Parkinson disease (PD). Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted in Italian patients with PD. Objectives included the evaluation of the current prevalence and severity of fatigue in patients with PD measured using the 16-item Parkinson Fatigue Scale (PFS-16), distressing fatigue (defined as a PFS-16 mean score $3.3), and assessment of its clinical correlates. Results: A total of 402 patients were enrolled and 394 patients completed the PFS-16 questionnaire with a PFS-16 mean (6SD) score of 2.87 6 0.99. Of these, 136 patients (33.8%) reported distressing fatigue (PFS-16 mean…
Structural and functional identification of two distinct inspiratory neuronal populations at the level of the phrenic nucleus in the rat cervical spi…
2018
The diaphragm is driven by phrenic motoneurons that are located in the cervical spinal cord. Although the anatomical location of the phrenic nucleus and the function of phrenic motoneurons at a single cellular level have been extensively analyzed, the spatiotemporal dynamics of phrenic motoneuron group activity have not been fully elucidated. In the present study, we analyzed the functional and structural characteristics of respiratory neuron population in the cervical spinal cord at the level of the phrenic nucleus by voltage imaging, together with histological analysis of neuronal and astrocytic distribution in the cervical spinal cord. We found spatially distinct two cellular populations…
Longterm Retention of Tumor Necrosis Factor-α Inhibitor Therapy in a Large Italian Cohort of Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis from the GISEA Regist…
2012
Objective.To evaluate 4-year retention rates of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) inhibitors adalimumab, etanercept, and infliximab among patients with longstanding rheumatoid arthritis (RA), as derived from an Italian national registry.Methods.The clinical records of 853 adult patients with RA in the GISEA (Gruppo Italiano Studio Early Arthritis) registry were prospectively analyzed to compare drug survival rates and the baseline factors that may predict adherence to therapy.Results.In 2003 and 2004, 324 patients started treatment with adalimumab, 311 with etanercept, and 218 with infliximab. After 4 years, the global retention rate of anti-TNF-α therapy was 42%. Etanercept survival (51.4%) …
Ipsilateral corticomotor responses are confined to the homologous muscle following cross-education of muscular strength
2017
Cross-education of strength occurs when strength-training 1 limb increases the strength of the untrained limb and is restricted to the untrained homologous muscle. Cortical circuits located ipsilateral to the trained limb might be involved. We used transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to determine the corticomotor responses from the untrained homologous (biceps brachii) and nonhomologous (flexor carpi radialis) muscle following strength-training of the right elbow flexors. Motor evoked potentials were recorded from the untrained left biceps brachii and flexor carpi radialis during a submaximal contraction from 20 individuals (10 women, 10 men; aged 18–35 years; training group, n = 10; c…
Supplementing sleep actigraphy with button pressing while awake
2020
Objective/backgroundWrist-worn sleep actigraphs are limited for evaluating sleep, especially in sleepers who lie awake in bed without moving for extended periods. Sleep logs depend on the accuracy of perceiving and remembering times of being awake. Here we evaluated pressing an event-marker button while lying awake under two conditions: self-initiated pressing every 5 to 10 minutes or pressing when signaled every 5 minutes by a vibration pulse from a wristband. We evaluated the two conditions for acceptability and their concordance with actigraphically scored sleep.Participants and methodsTwenty-nine adults wore actigraphs on six nights. On nights 1 and 4, they pressed the marker to a vibra…