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Small (Weinheim An Der Bergstrasse,... Mar 2024SiC aerogels with their lightweight nature and exceptional thermal insulation properties have emerged as the most ideal materials for thermal protection in hypersonic... (Review)
Review
SiC aerogels with their lightweight nature and exceptional thermal insulation properties have emerged as the most ideal materials for thermal protection in hypersonic vehicles; However, conventional SiC aerogels are prone to brittleness and mechanical degradation when exposed to complex loads such as shock and mechanical vibration. Hence, preserving the structural integrity of aerogels under the combined influence of thermal and mechanical external forces is crucial not only for stabling their thermal insulation performance but also for determining their practicality in harsh environments. This review focuses on the optimization of design based on the structure-performance of SiC aerogels, providing a comprehensive review of the inherent correlations among structural stability, mechanical properties, and insulation performance. First, the thermal transfer mechanism of aerogels from a microstructural perspective is studied, followed by the relationship between the building blocks of SiC aerogels (0D particles, 1D nanowires/nanofibers) and their compression performance (including compressive resilience, compressive strength, and fatigue resistance). Moreover, the strategy to improve the high-temperature oxidation resistance and insulation performance of SiC aerogels is explored. Lastly, the challenges and future breakthrough directions for SiC aerogels are presented.
PubMed: 38511588
DOI: 10.1002/smll.202311464 -
Frontiers in Neurology 2023Migraine is a central nervous system disorder involving neuronal and vascular factors. The brain has a close anatomical relationship with retinal vessels and similar... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
Migraine is a central nervous system disorder involving neuronal and vascular factors. The brain has a close anatomical relationship with retinal vessels and similar regulatory processes, and the retinal vascular system is the only vessel that can be directly visualized, while optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) is an advanced retinal vascular imaging technique. In this study, OCTA was used to study the retinal vascular density (VD) and foveal avascular zone (FAZ) in migraine patients, which provided a theoretical basis for its use as a candidate for rapid and non-invasive diagnosis of migraine.
METHODS
Published studies comparing retinal microvascular profiles between migraine patients and healthy controls were obtained by a comprehensive search of electronic databases. Nine studies were finally included, including 775 eyes (migraine group: 444 eyes, control group: 331 eyes). Pooled effect sizes were presented as standardized mean differences (SMDs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Statistical analysis was performed using Review Manager software (version 5.30).
RESULTS
The combined results revealed that the superficial and deep macular whole enface VD (MWEVD) (superficial VD: SMD = -0.30, = 0.0001; deep VD: SMD = -0.61, = 0.02), superficial foveal VD (FVD) (SMD = -0.42, = 0.03), deep parafoveal VD (PFVD) (SMD = -0.31, = 0.002), and peripapillary VD (PVD) (SMD = -0.49, = 0.002) were significantly reduced in migraine patients compared with healthy people. However, there was a significant increase in the area of the FAZ in migraine patients (SMD = 0.56, < 0.0001).
CONCLUSION
Migraine patients are prone to retinal microcirculation disorders, such as decreased blood vessel density and increased avascular area in the fovea. This provides a theoretical basis for OCTA as a candidate for rapid, non-invasive diagnosis of migraine.
PubMed: 37780703
DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2023.1187559 -
Sports (Basel, Switzerland) Oct 2023Patients affected by COVID-19 are prone to facing disorders in multiple systems and organs, which can lead to deleterious diseases; in addition, people with pre-existing... (Review)
Review
Patients affected by COVID-19 are prone to facing disorders in multiple systems and organs, which can lead to deleterious diseases; in addition, people with pre-existing diseases may be more prone to the worst outcomes, and the most vulnerable are patients with type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus. The aim of this systematic review was to evaluate the effects of physical activity and/or physical exercise prescribed to individuals with diabetes on the maintenance of plasma glucose and glycated hemoglobin during the COVID-19 pandemic. Studies were found by searching PubMed, SCOPUS, Embase, Web of Science, SciELO, LILACS, SportDiscus, Bireme/BVS and Google Scholar databases. The inclusion criteria were articles that addressed only patients with type 1 or type 2 diabetes (T1D and T2D) who had evaluated the level of physical activity or physical exercise and described the effects on plasma glucose and/or glycated hemoglobin in cross-sectional, retrospective, and observational studies, meeting the main criteria established by GRADE. The PICO and GRADE strategies were used to select and assess the methodological quality of studies. Two reviewers searched and selected the articles in databases independently and blindly, during which oppositions and disagreements about the inclusion of articles were discussed and resolved by a third reviewer. Evidence corroborates that levels of physical activity were reduced due to the lockdown, leading to increased body weight and worse glycemic control. On the other hand, individuals with diabetes mellitus (DM) (T1D and T2D) who maintained and/or increased levels of physical activity or physical exercise showed reduced plasma glucose and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels. Adequate levels of physical exercise and physical activity are beneficial for glucose and HbA1c control in diabetic patients (type 1 or type 2). In addition, maintaining adequate levels of physical activity can contribute to reducing health problems when these patients are infected with COVID-19.
PubMed: 37888519
DOI: 10.3390/sports11100192 -
Frontiers in Medicine 2023Although the incidence of pressure injury in the prone position is high for the mechanically ventilated patients in the intensive care unit, evidence-based strategies...
BACKGROUND
Although the incidence of pressure injury in the prone position is high for the mechanically ventilated patients in the intensive care unit, evidence-based strategies are still lacking.
PROPOSE
To conduct a systematic review of current evidence, and to propose a series of strategies to prevent pressure injuries among mechanically ventilated patients with prone position in the intensive care unit.
METHODS
The study was guided by the Medical Research Council framework. After a systematic review of current evidence of original articles, guidelines, expert consensus and theories, a strategy draft was developed. Then we invited 20 experts to modify and refine these strategies through two rounds of Delphi consensus method.
RESULTS
After two rounds of Delphi process, the importance of coefficient of variation (Cv) and Kendall's coefficient of concordance in the strategies repository were 0.067 and 0.311, respectively. And the operability of Cv and Kendall's coefficient of concordance in the strategy draft was 0.055 and 0.294, respectively. Ultimately, we established 31 strategies for including 7 themes (assess risk factors, assess skin and tissue, body position management, skin care, nutrition, preventing medical device-related pressure injuries, education and supervision). In addition, we also developed a strategy framework to clarify our strategies.
CONCLUSION
According to the Medical Research Council framework, we developed 7 themes and 31 strategies to prevention prone-position pressure injuries among the intensive care unit mechanically ventilated patients. This study was considered to improve the clinical management of pressure injuries among prone position patients in the intensive care unit settings.
PubMed: 37644983
DOI: 10.3389/fmed.2023.1131270 -
European Journal of Orthodontics Jul 20233D facial landmarking is becoming a fundamental part of clinical and biological applications. Manual landmarking is time consuming and prone to cumulative errors, so...
BACKGROUND
3D facial landmarking is becoming a fundamental part of clinical and biological applications. Manual landmarking is time consuming and prone to cumulative errors, so attempts have been made to automate 3D facial landmarking. However, data in the literature are sparse.
OBJECTIVES
The objectives of this study are to investigate current evidence for the accuracy and reliability of various 3D facial automated landmarking methods used in medical and biological studies and evaluate their performance against the manual annotation method.
SEARCH METHODS
Electronic and manual searches of the literature were performed in April 2021.
SELECTION CRITERIA
Only studies that were published in English and evaluated the accuracy of automated landmarking algorithms in 3D facial images for medical or biological settings were included.
DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS
Two authors independently screened the articles for eligibility. The QUADAS-2 tool was used for the quality analysis of the included studies. Due to the heterogeneity of the selected studies, a meta-analysis was not possible, so a narrative synthesis of the findings was performed.
RESULTS
From 1002 identified records, after applying the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 14 articles were ultimately selected, read, and critically analysed. Different algorithms were used for the automated 3D landmarking of various numbers of facial landmarks ranging from 10 to 29 landmarks. The average difference between the manual and automated methods ranged from 0.67 to 4.73 mm, and the best performance was achieved using deep learning models. Poor study design and inadequate reporting were found in the implementation of the reference standards and population selection for the intended studies, which could have led to overfitting of the tested algorithm.
LIMITATIONS
This systematic review was limited by the quality of the included studies and uncovered several methodological limitations evident in the corresponding literature.
CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS
Compared to manual landmarking, automated Landmark localization of individual facial landmarks reported in the literature is not accurate enough to allow their use for clinical purposes. This result indicates that automatic facial landmarking is still developing, and further studies are required to develop a system that could match or exceed the performance of the current gold standard.
REGISTRATION
PROSPERO: CRD42021241531.
Topics: Humans; Reproducibility of Results; Face; Imaging, Three-Dimensional; Algorithms
PubMed: 37042196
DOI: 10.1093/ejo/cjac077 -
Journal of Health Psychology Sep 2023Refugees and asylum seekers are more prone to posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) than the general population. This systematic review aims to determine which... (Review)
Review
Effectiveness of psychosocial interventions for post-traumatic stress disorder in refugees and asylum seekers resettled in low- and middle-income countries: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
Refugees and asylum seekers are more prone to posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) than the general population. This systematic review aims to determine which psychosocial interventions effectively treat PTSD among refugees and asylum seekers in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC). Relevant papers were retrieved from the bibliographic databases. PTSD symptoms post-intervention was the primary outcome. Ten studies were selected with 1981 participants. In meta-analyses of Randomised control trials (RCTs), psychosocial interventions for PTSD (SMD -0.60, 95% CI -0.96 to -0.23; = 91%; 95% CI 75-100; nine studies, 1789 participants) were shown to be clinically effective. Also, in case of depression (SMD -0.59, 95% CI -0.95 to -0.22; = 84%; 95% CI 50-90; seven studies, 1248 participants). Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) had the greatest effect size among psychosocial therapies for this demographic. However, the number of studies is small, and their methodological rigour is limited, thus future study should concentrate on performing more rigorous trials.
PubMed: 37728258
DOI: 10.1177/13591053231199254 -
International Journal of Language &... 2023Individuals with affective-prosodic deficits have difficulty understanding or expressing emotions and attitudes through prosody. Affective prosody disorders can occur in... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
Individuals with affective-prosodic deficits have difficulty understanding or expressing emotions and attitudes through prosody. Affective prosody disorders can occur in multiple neurological conditions, but the limited knowledge about the clinical groups prone to deficits complicates their identification in clinical settings. Additionally, the nature of the disturbance underlying affective prosody disorder observed in different neurological conditions remains poorly understood.
AIMS
To bridge these knowledge gaps and provide relevant information to speech-language pathologists for the management of affective prosody disorders, this study provides an overview of research findings on affective-prosodic deficits in adults with neurological conditions by answering two questions: (1) Which clinical groups present with acquired affective prosodic impairments following brain damage? (2) Which aspects of affective prosody comprehension and production are negatively affected in these neurological conditions?
METHODS & PROCEDURES
We conducted a scoping review following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews guidelines. A literature search was undertaken in five electronic databases (MEDLINE, PsycINFO, EMBASE, CINAHL and Linguistics, and Language Behavior Abstracts) to identify primary studies reporting affective prosody disorders in adults with neurological impairments. We extracted data on clinical groups and characterised their deficits based on the assessment task used.
OUTCOMES & RESULTS
The review of 98 studies identified affective-prosodic deficits in 17 neurological conditions. The task paradigms typically used in affective prosody research (discrimination, recognition, cross-modal integration, production on request, imitation and spontaneous production) do not target the processes underlying affective prosody comprehension and production. Therefore, based on the current state of knowledge, it is not possible to establish the level of processing at which impairment occurs in clinical groups. Nevertheless, deficits in the comprehension of affective prosody are observed in 14 clinical groups (mainly recognition deficits) and deficits in the production of affective prosody (either on request or spontaneously) in 10 clinical groups. Neurological conditions and types of deficits that have not been investigated in many studies are highlighted.
CONCLUSIONS & IMPLICATIONS
The aim of this scoping review was to provide an overview on acquired affective prosody disorders and to identify gaps in knowledge that warrant further investigation. Deficits in the comprehension or production of affective prosody are common to numerous clinical groups with various neurological conditions. However, the underlying cause of affective prosody disorders across them is still unknown. Future studies should implement standardised assessment methods with specific tasks based on a cognitive model to identify the underlying deficits of affective prosody disorders.
WHAT THIS PAPER ADDS
What is already known on the subject What is already known on the subjectAffective prosody is used to share emotions and attitudes through speech and plays a fundamental role in communication and social interactions. Affective prosody disorders can occur in various neurological conditions, but the limited knowledge about the clinical groups prone to affective-prosodic deficits and about the characteristics of different phenotypes of affective prosody disorders complicates their identification in clinical settings. Distinct abilities underlying the comprehension and production of affective prosody can be selectively impaired by brain damage, but the nature of the disturbance underlying affective prosody disorders in different neurological conditions remains unclear. What this study adds Affective-prosodic deficits are reported in 17 neurological conditions, despite being recognised as a core feature of the clinical profile in only a few of them. The assessment tasks typically used in affective prosody research do not provide accurate information about the specific neurocognitive processes impaired in the comprehension or production of affective prosody. Future studies should implement assessment methods based on a cognitive approach to identify underlying deficits. The assessment of cognitive/executive dysfunctions, motor speech impairment and aphasia might be important for distinguishing primary affective prosodic dysfunctions from those secondarily impacting affective prosody. What are the potential clinical implications of this study? Raising awareness about the possible presence of affective-prosodic disorders in numerous clinical groups will facilitate their recognition by speech-language pathologists and, consequently, their management in clinical settings. A comprehensive assessment covering multiple affective-prosodic skills could highlight specific aspects of affective prosody that warrant clinical intervention.
Topics: Humans; Adult; Emotions; Speech Disorders; Aphasia; Linguistics; Language; Communication Disorders
PubMed: 37212522
DOI: 10.1111/1460-6984.12909 -
European Geriatric Medicine Apr 2024Frailty in older adults leads to progressive deterioration of their physical condition and makes them prone to develop Fear of Falling (FoF). Physical-activity... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
Frailty in older adults leads to progressive deterioration of their physical condition and makes them prone to develop Fear of Falling (FoF). Physical-activity interventions appear to be effective in managing the components of frailty but there is no clear evidence to determine whether physical-activity may affect FoF in frail and pre-frail older adults.
OBJECTIVE
Τhis systematic literature review aims to synthesize evidence on the relationship between the physical interventions to ameliorate balance, strength, and mobility and FoF reduction in frail and pre-frail older adults.
METHODS
Studies assessing physical-activity interventions for frail and pre-frail older adults aged 60 years and older were identified in English through searches in PubMed, ScienceDirect, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials databases till February 2023. Study quality was assessed, and a qualitative synthesis of results was performed.
RESULTS
A total of 13 studies published were included. All of them were Randomized Control Trials and the most frequent assessment tool used to assess FoF (10 of 13 studies) was the Fall Efficacy Scale-International (FES-I). Six studies were assessed as having a low risk of bias. Cumulatively, the findings of this review indicate that physical-activity interventions are effective in reducing the FoF of frail and pre-frail older adults.
CONCLUSION
The results are encouraging and recapitulate the positive role of physical interventions in FoF reduction. However, future research would benefit from longer follow-up periods, longer intervention duration, and participation of interdisciplinary teams.
Topics: Aged; Humans; Middle Aged; Frail Elderly; Accidental Falls; Frailty; Fear; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic
PubMed: 38411771
DOI: 10.1007/s41999-024-00944-9 -
Food Chemistry: X Oct 2023Dairy products are widely consumed in the world due to their nutritional and functional characteristics. This group of food products are consumed by all age groups due... (Review)
Review
Dairy products are widely consumed in the world due to their nutritional and functional characteristics. This group of food products are consumed by all age groups due to their health-giving properties. One of these products is cheese which has a high price compared to other dairy products. Because of this, it can be prone to fraud all over the world. Fraud in food products threatens the world's food safety and can cause serious damage to human health. There are many concerns among food authorities in the world about the fraud of food products. FDA, WHO, and the European Commission provide different legislations and definitions for fraud. The purpose of this review is to identify the most susceptible cheese type for fraud and effective methods for evaluating fraud in all types of cheeses. For this, we examined the Web of Science, Scopus, PubMed, and ScienceDirect databases. Mozzarella cheese had the largest share among all cheeses in terms of adulteration due to its many uses. Also, the methods used to evaluate different types of cheese frauds were PCR, Spectrometry, stable isotope, image analysis, electrophoretic, ELISA, sensors, sensory analysis, near-infrared and NMR. The methods that were most used in detecting fraud were PCR and spectrometry methods. Also, the least used method was sensory evaluation.
PubMed: 37780280
DOI: 10.1016/j.fochx.2023.100825 -
Cureus Dec 2023Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a burgeoning global health concern, closely associated with the rising prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and... (Review)
Review
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a burgeoning global health concern, closely associated with the rising prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and obesity. This systematic review and meta-analysis aim to comprehensively evaluate the prevalence of NAFLD in DM patients in Saudi Arabia, a country undergoing rapid socioeconomic changes. Our multifaceted search strategy identified four high-quality studies conducted between 2003 and 2022, covering hospital and community settings. The aggregate prevalence rate of NAFLD in DM patients was notably high, ranging from 47.8% to 72.8%. However, substantial heterogeneity (I² = 90.6%) was observed, indicating variability attributed to diverse study characteristics. The uniform application of ultrasound for diagnosis was noteworthy but raised concerns regarding sensitivity. This analysis underscores the urgency of public health measures for early detection and management of NAFLD in DM-prone populations in Saudi Arabia.
PubMed: 38283461
DOI: 10.7759/cureus.51092