Search results for "Neural"
showing 10 items of 2783 documents
Animal models in the study and treatment of orofacial pain
2019
Background Pain is one of the first causes of medical consultation in the world and by extension of dental consultation too. Orofacial pain comprehends the oral and facial regions including teeth, oral mucosa, gingiva, tongue and lips, but also the muscles of the jaw and neck, the temporomandibular joint, face, head and neck. Despite its highly estimated prevalence, it appears controversial and hard to quantify given the lack of common criteria to select the population under study and the difficulties to classify the different types of pain. Although for many patients the problem eventually fades after tissue healing, certain sub-chronic and chronic pain conditions remain notoriously undert…
Changes on blood filterability in patients with fluctuant hearing loss
2006
Abstract We conducted a two-year follow-up of thirteen subjects with fluctuating sensorineural hearing loss, measuring their blood filterability (BF) and correlating it to the onset of episodes of deafness. We observed a decrease in the BF levels of all the patients when they experienced hearing loss. When the patients recovered their normal level of hearing, the BF also increased. The use of reactive techniques to avoid these decreases in BF could potentially prevent or correct fluctuating deafness.
Community detection-based deep neural network architectures: A fully automated framework based on Likert-scale data
2020
[EN] Deep neural networks (DNNs) have emerged as a state-of-the-art tool in very different research fields due to its adaptive power to the decision space since they do not presuppose any linear relationship between data. Some of the main disadvantages of these trending models are that the choice of the network underlying architecture profoundly influences the performance of the model and that the architecture design requires prior knowledge of the field of study. The use of questionnaires is hugely extended in social/behavioral sciences. The main contribution of this work is to automate the process of a DNN architecture design by using an agglomerative hierarchical algorithm that mimics th…
Dropout from exercise randomized controlled trials among people with depression: A meta-analysis and meta regression
2015
Abstract Objective Exercise has established efficacy in improving depressive symptoms. Dropouts from randomized controlled trials (RCT’s) pose a threat to the validity of this evidence base, with dropout rates varying across studies. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to investigate the prevalence and predictors of dropout rates among adults with depression participating in exercise RCT’s. Method Three authors identified RCT’s from a recent Cochrane review and conducted updated searches of major electronic databases from 01/2013 to 08/2015. We included RCT’s of exercise interventions in people with depression (including major depressive disorder (MDD) and depressive symptoms…
Reducing the burden of Herpes Zoster in Italy.
2015
Herpes Zoster (HZ) is a viral disease with painful neuro-dermatologic manifestations. Incidence increases with age. In Italy, the estimated incidence is 6.3 cases/1000 person/year; hospital admissions are less than 2%, 69% in patients aged over 65 years. The most frequent complication of HZ is Post-Herpetic Neuralgia (PHN) characterized by metameric pain, allodynia, and hyperalgesia. In Italy 20.6% and 9.2% of HZ patients experience PHN after 3 and 6 months, respectively. Available antiviral and analgesic treatments are relatively unsatisfactory in reducing pain and length of the disease. Prevention has recently become possible with the live attenuated vaccine Oka/Merck. Clinical studies sh…
Laparoscopic neurolysis of the sacral plexus and the sciatic nerve for extensive endometriosis of the pelvic wall
2007
Background: The aim of this study is to report on the feasibility of laparoscopic neurolysis of the plexus sacralis and the sciatic nerve in deep endometriotic infiltration of the lateral pelvic wall. Methods: A transperitoneal approach to the pelvic nerves combined with the LANN technique for intraoperative assessment of the function of the exposed nerves permit exposure and sparing of all somatic nerves during resection of the endometriotic lesion. Results: We report on our short experience with 21 patients who underwent this technique for the treatment of endometriotic infiltration of the sacral plexus at different levels. Conclusion: In young patients with chronic unilateral sciatica or…
Influence of Lymphangio (L), Vascular (V), and Perineural (Pn) Invasion on Recurrence and Survival of Resected Intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma
2021
(1) Background: Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) is a rare malignancy. Besides tumor, nodal, and metastatic status, the UICC TNM classification describes further parameters such as lymphangio- (L0/L1), vascular (V0/V1/V2), and perineural invasion (Pn0/Pn1). The aim of this study was to analyze the influence of these parameters on recurrence and survival. (2) Methods: All surgical explorations for patients with ICC between January 2008 and June 2018 were collected and further analyzed in our institutional database. Statistical analyses focused on perineural, lymphangio-, and vascular invasion examined histologically and their influence on tumor recurrence and survival. (3) Results: Of 2…
cGMP MODULATES STEM CELLS DIFFERENTIATION TO NEURONS IN BRAIN IN VIVO
2010
During brain development neural stem cells may differentiate to neurons or to other cell types. The aim of this work was to assess the role of cGMP (cyclic GMP) in the modulation of differentiation of neural stem cells to neurons or non-neuronal cells. cGMP in brain of fetuses was reduced to 46% of controls by treating pregnant rats with nitroarginine-methylester (L-NAME) and was restored by co-treatment with sildenafil.Reducing cGMP during brain development leads to reduced differentiation of stem cells to neurons and increased differentiation to non-neuronal cells. The number of neurons in the prefrontal cortex originated from stem cells proliferating on gestational day 14 was 715 +/- 14/…
Neural Networks for Modeling the Contact Foot-Shoe Upper
2010
Recently, important advances in virtual reality have made possible real improvements in computer aided design, CAD. These advances are being applied to all the fields and they have reached to the footwear design. The majority of the interaction foot-shoe simulation processes have been focused on the interaction between the foot and the sole. However, few efforts have been made in order to simulate the interaction between the shoe upper and the foot surface. To simulate this interaction, flexibility tests (characterization of the relationship between exerted force and displacement) are carried out to evaluate the materials used for the shoe upper. This chapter shows a procedure based on arti…
Low Back Pain: Guidelines for the Clinical Classification of Predominant Neuropathic, Nociceptive, or Central Sensitization Pain
2015
Background: Low back pain (LBP) is a heterogeneous disorder including patients with dominant nociceptive (e.g., myofascial low back pain), neuropathic (e.g., lumbar radiculopathy), and central sensitization pain. In order to select an effective and preferably also efficient treatment in daily clinical practice, LBP patients should be classified clinically as either predominantly nociceptive, neuropathic, or central sensitization pain. Objective: To explain how clinicians can differentiate between nociceptive, neuropathic, and central sensitization pain in patients with LBP. Study Design: Narrative review and expert opinion. Setting: Universities, university hospitals and private practices. …