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Cochlear Implants International Dec 2023Device activation typically occurs four weeks post cochlear implant surgery. Emerging evidence suggests earlier activation is feasible and beneficial, giving patients... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
Device activation typically occurs four weeks post cochlear implant surgery. Emerging evidence suggests earlier activation is feasible and beneficial, giving patients quicker access to sound and rehabilitation.
OBJECTIVES
Assess current literature for effects of early cochlear implant activation.
METHODS
Electronic searches of Medline/PubMed, AMED, EMBASE, CINAHL and the Cochrane Library following PRISMA guidelines. Studies investigating any aspect of early activation were included for review.
RESULTS
From 15 studies, 625 patients received early activation, compared with 243 patients in the control groups. Early activation was considered as within 7 days post-operatively with 12 studies reporting within 1 day post-operatively, compared with standard activation of 9-46 days post-operatively in the control group. Some studies indicated earlier low levels of impedance in the early activation group. Magnet strength adjustment or off-ear processor wear was often recommended within the early activation cohort. Complication rates were low in both groups. Early activation improved patient satisfaction and anxiety levels without detriment to speech recognition or rehabilitation.
CONCLUSION
Early cochlear implant activation is feasible and allows patients with no contraindications, earlier access to auditory perception and rehabilitation and reduces anxiety linked to delay in activation. Further evidence is required to monitor long-term effects of early activation.
PubMed: 38111171
DOI: 10.1080/14670100.2023.2290777 -
Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science... Nov 2023Improvement of crop varieties can be a powerful strategy for addressing food, nutrition, and climate challenges in the Global South if it is guided by market...
Improvement of crop varieties can be a powerful strategy for addressing food, nutrition, and climate challenges in the Global South if it is guided by market intelligence. We conducted a systematic literature review of stakeholder preference studies that aim at guiding crop improvement in rice, the Global South's most important staple food. We review behavioral indicators such as purchase intention, willingness to pay, acceptance, probability of adoption, and preference. Results from 106 studies reveal important gaps in terms of geographical and stakeholder representation: (1) Southcentral Asia is underrepresented and (2) studies focused either on upstream (farmers) or downstream (consumers) stakeholders along the value chain, while missing out on midstream actors (processors, traders). From the consumer studies, urban consumption zones are adequately represented as sources of end-market opportunities for farmers to tap into demand. Evidence suggests that consumer preferences for intrinsic attributes revolve around eating and cooking quality attributes (i.e., aroma, texture, swelling capacity, taste) and physical traits (i.e., whiteness, size and shape, proportion of broken grains). Evidence from farmer studies reveals that (1) preferences for agronomic attributes dominate and focus on yield, maturity, plant height, lodging tolerance, and tillering ability; (2) yield and early maturity were generally considered priority attributes and were often jointly considered as such; and (3) preferences for abiotic stress tolerance revolve around drought, submergence, and salinity. These insights can help refocus market intelligence research to aid crop improvement in addressing food, nutrition, and climate challenges in the Global South, which may be expanded globally.
Topics: Oryza; Cooking; Odorants; Food; Consumer Behavior
PubMed: 37602888
DOI: 10.1111/1541-4337.13228 -
Soa--ch'ongsonyon Chongsin Uihak =... Apr 2023This study aimed to analyze research trends in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and savant syndrome and their cognitive characteristics through a systematic literature...
OBJECTIVES
This study aimed to analyze research trends in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and savant syndrome and their cognitive characteristics through a systematic literature review. The objectives of this study were to establish an overview of research trends in ASD and savant syndrome, analyze the overall characteristics of individuals with ASD and savant syndrome, and examine their cognitive characteristics.
METHODS
For the systematic literature review, three criteria were used to select review articles: 1) literature from peer-reviewed journals, published in the past 15 years, from 2008 to 2022; 2) subjects with ASD and savant syndrome; 3) study objectives focused on the basic phenomenon and cognitive characteristics of ASD and savant syndrome. Finally, based on the selection criteria, a total of 40 articles were included.
RESULTS
Five themes and nine subthemes were derived from the analysis of 40 studies. The five main themes were as follows: 1) What is savant syndrome? 2) Demographic characteristics of savant syndrome; 3) Spectra of savant syndrome; 4) Savant syndrome and ASD; and 5) Cognitive characteristics of ASD with savant syndrome. The subthemes of the cognitive characteristics were weak central coherence, detail-focused cognitive processing, enhanced perceptual functioning, and hyper-systemizing.
CONCLUSION
Several studies have been conducted to understand ASD and savant syndrome; however, no single theory can specify the cognitive characteristics of people with ASD and savant syndrome. Therefore, further systematic and multi-layered research on ASD and savant syndrome are required for more comprehensive results.
PubMed: 37035789
DOI: 10.5765/jkacap.230003 -
BMC Medical Informatics and Decision... Jan 2023The lack of interoperability between health information systems reduces the quality of care provided to patients and wastes resources. Accordingly, there is an urgent...
BACKGROUND
The lack of interoperability between health information systems reduces the quality of care provided to patients and wastes resources. Accordingly, there is an urgent need to develop integration mechanisms among the various health information systems. The aim of this review was to investigate the interoperability requirements for heterogeneous health information systems and to summarize and present them.
METHODS
In accordance with the PRISMA guideline, a broad electronic search of all literature was conducted on the topic through six databases, including PubMed, Web of science, Scopus, MEDLINE, Cochrane Library and Embase to 25 July 2022. The inclusion criteria were to select English-written articles available in full text with the closest objectives. 36 articles were selected for further analysis.
RESULTS
Interoperability has been raised in the field of health information systems from 2003 and now it is one of the topics of interest to researchers. The projects done in this field are mostly in the national scope and to achieve the electronic health record. HL7 FHIR, CDA, HIPAA and SNOMED-CT, SOA, RIM, XML, API, JAVA and SQL are among the most important requirements for implementing interoperability. In order to guarantee the concept of data exchange, semantic interaction is the best choice because the systems can recognize and process semantically similar information homogeneously.
CONCLUSIONS
The health industry has become more complex and has new needs. Interoperability meets this needs by communicating between the output and input of processor systems and making easier to access the data in the required formats.
Topics: Humans; Health Information Systems; Electronic Health Records; Systematized Nomenclature of Medicine
PubMed: 36694161
DOI: 10.1186/s12911-023-02115-5 -
Brain Sciences Nov 2022The functioning of the brain has been a complex and enigmatic phenomenon. From the first approaches made by Descartes about this organism as the vehicle of the mind to... (Review)
Review
The functioning of the brain has been a complex and enigmatic phenomenon. From the first approaches made by Descartes about this organism as the vehicle of the mind to contemporary studies that consider the brain as an organism with emergent activities of primary and higher order, this organism has been the object of continuous exploration. It has been possible to develop a more profound study of brain functions through imaging techniques, the implementation of digital platforms or simulators through different programming languages and the use of multiple processors to emulate the speed at which synaptic processes are executed in the brain. The use of various computational architectures raises innumerable questions about the possible scope of disciplines such as computational neurosciences in the study of the brain and the possibility of deep knowledge into different devices with the support that information technology (IT) brings. One of the main interests of cognitive science is the opportunity to develop human intelligence in a system or mechanism. This paper takes the principal articles of three databases oriented to computational sciences (EbscoHost Web, IEEE Xplore and Compendex Engineering Village) to understand the current objectives of neural networks in studying the brain. The possible use of this kind of technology is to develop artificial intelligence (AI) systems that can replicate more complex human brain tasks (such as those involving consciousness). The results show the principal findings in research and topics in developing studies about neural networks in computational neurosciences. One of the principal developments is the use of neural networks as the basis of much computational architecture using multiple techniques such as computational neuromorphic chips, MRI images and brain-computer interfaces (BCI) to enhance the capacity to simulate brain activities. This article aims to review and analyze those studies carried out on the development of different computational architectures that focus on affecting various brain activities through neural networks. The aim is to determine the orientation and the main lines of research on this topic and work in routes that allow interdisciplinary collaboration.
PubMed: 36421877
DOI: 10.3390/brainsci12111552 -
International Journal of Environmental... Oct 2022Nowadays, water pollution has become a global issue affecting most countries in the world. Water quality should be monitored to alert authorities on water pollution, so... (Review)
Review
Nowadays, water pollution has become a global issue affecting most countries in the world. Water quality should be monitored to alert authorities on water pollution, so that action can be taken quickly. The objective of the review is to study various conventional and modern methods of monitoring water quality to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the methods. The methods include the Internet of Things (IoT), virtual sensing, cyber-physical system (CPS), and optical techniques. In this review, water quality monitoring systems and process control in several countries, such as New Zealand, China, Serbia, Bangladesh, Malaysia, and India, are discussed. Conventional and modern methods are compared in terms of parameters, complexity, and reliability. Recent methods of water quality monitoring techniques are also reviewed to study any loopholes in modern methods. We found that CPS is suitable for monitoring water quality due to a good combination of physical and computational algorithms. Its embedded sensors, processors, and actuators can be designed to detect and interact with environments. We believe that conventional methods are costly and complex, whereas modern methods are also expensive but simpler with real-time detection. Traditional approaches are more time-consuming and expensive due to the high maintenance of laboratory facilities, involve chemical materials, and are inefficient for on-site monitoring applications. Apart from that, previous monitoring methods have issues in achieving a reliable measurement of water quality parameters in real time. There are still limitations in instruments for detecting pollutants and producing valuable information on water quality. Thus, the review is important in order to compare previous methods and to improve current water quality assessments in terms of reliability and cost-effectiveness.
Topics: Water Quality; Reproducibility of Results; Water Pollution; Internet of Things; Computers
PubMed: 36360992
DOI: 10.3390/ijerph192114080 -
International Archives of... Jul 2022Bone conduction implants, responsible for transmitting sound from an external processor to the inner ear, can be divided into active and passive, depending on the...
Bone conduction implants, responsible for transmitting sound from an external processor to the inner ear, can be divided into active and passive, depending on the vibratory stimulus location. The use of transcutaneous device has increased, given its aesthetic appeal, the complications and limitations of percutaneous devices, and patient's treatment adherence, focusing mainly on efficacy. However, various complications are associated with the use of transcutaneous prosthesis, which can often be serious. To approach the literature on complications involving transcutaneous bone-anchored prostheses through a systematic review of articles published in the past 10 years (2011-2021). The MEDLINE, EMBASE, Scopus, and Cochrane Library databases were searched. All articles written in English reporting on currently available transcutaneous prosthesis implantation and its complications were selected. Studies on both children and adults were included. The data on complications were extracted, and complications were classified as minor or major and associated to each device used. Thirty-seven articles were included in the study, of which 14 were prospective cohort studies, 22 were retrospective case series, and 1 was a case report. Most studies (18) included both adults and children. Moreover, 901 implantations were performed, of which 552 implanted Baha Attract (Cochlear Ltd., Sydney, Australia), 244 implanted BoneBridge (MED-EL, Innsbruck, Austria), and 105 implanted Sophono (Sophono Inc., Boulder, CO, USA]). Furthermore, 192 adverse events were reported (total complication rate, 21.3%), with 161 minor complications (84.3%) and 31 major complications (16.1%). Transcutaneous prosthesis is an audiological alternative with fewer complications than percutaneous prosthesis. However, its indication should be judicious because complications are common, and although most complications are minor, serious infections requiring explantation may develop.
PubMed: 35846823
DOI: 10.1055/s-0042-1742352 -
Frontiers in Veterinary Science 2021Pig and poultry production systems have reached high-performance levels over the last few decades. However, there is still room for improvement when it comes to their...
Pig and poultry production systems have reached high-performance levels over the last few decades. However, there is still room for improvement when it comes to their environmental sustainability. This issue is even more relevant due to the growing demand for food demand since this surplus food production needs to be met at an affordable cost with minimum impact on the environment. This study presents a systematic review of peer-reviewed manuscripts that investigated the environmental impacts associated with pig and poultry production. For this purpose, independent reviews were performed and two databases were constructed, one for each production system. Previous studies published in peer-reviewed journals were considered for the databases if the method of life cycle assessment (LCA) was applied to pig (pork meat) or poultry (broiler meat or table eggs) production to estimate at least the potential effects of climate change, measured as CO-eq. Studies considering the cradle-to-farm gate were considered, as well as those evaluating processes up to the slaughterhouse or processor gate. The pig database comprised 55 studies, while 30 publications were selected for the poultry database. These studies confirmed feeding (which includes the crop cultivation phase, manufacturing processes, and transportation) as the main contributor to the environmental impact associated with pig and poultry production systems. Several studies evaluated feeding strategies, which were indicated as viable alternatives to mitigate the environmental footprint associated with both production chains. In this study, precision feeding techniques are highlighted given their applicability to modern pig and poultry farming. These novel feeding strategies are good examples of innovative strategies needed to break paradigms, improve resource-use efficiency, and effectively move the current productive scenario toward more sustainable livestock systems.
PubMed: 34778435
DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2021.750733 -
Pathogens (Basel, Switzerland) May 2021In this paper, we carried out a systematic literature review to document the emerging scientific knowledge about COVID-19 impact on livestock systems and food security... (Review)
Review
In this paper, we carried out a systematic literature review to document the emerging scientific knowledge about COVID-19 impact on livestock systems and food security in developing countries to identify gaps and possible avenues for future research undertakings. Specifically, we systematically reviewed 68 peer-reviewed articles extracted based on rigorous selection criteria from Scopus, PubMed and ISI Web of Science databases and published between December 2019 and February 2021. Our results reveal that livestock supply chains presented an important 'intermediary' pathway through which the pandemic affected various dimensions of food security in developing countries. Although the research response has been rapid in terms of both quantity and temporal succession, we find a highly suggestive disjunction in studies analyzing the interconnections between COVID-19 pandemic, livestock systems and food security in developing countries. With respect to the livestock supply chain, the bulk of the reviewed evidence focuses on production and consumption, whereas considerably less focus is given to the pandemic's impact on intermediaries within livestock chains, including traders, intermediaries and processors. The analysis of livestock supply chain resilience revolves predominantly around the 'absorbance' and 'recovery' phases of resilience, whereas only a small subset of the literature investigates actions taken by supply chain actors to 'plan' or to 'adapt' livestock systems in order to reduce their vulnerability and enhance their overall resilience. Furthermore, food security has often been narrowly defined, with the majority of articles focusing on 'availability' and 'accessibility' to food due to the pandemic, and other dimensions of food security, including utilization, stability and sustainability, have been widely neglected. Based on our findings, we recommend future research to examine the dynamics of propagation of COVID-19 impact through livestock supply chains in order to develop more targeted interventions that enhance the capacity of developing countries to cope with this and future disruptions and mitigate their food insecurity outcomes. To this end, more holistic, integrated and resilience-based approaches are much recommended to recognize the complex nature of livestock systems in developing countries and to address the multifaceted and widespread effects of COVID-19 on food security channeled through livestock chains.
PubMed: 34064749
DOI: 10.3390/pathogens10050586 -
Journal of Biological Regulators and... 2020There are different treatment options that employ a bone conduction transmission of the sound, for different types of hearing loss, as well as hearing aids, medical...
There are different treatment options that employ a bone conduction transmission of the sound, for different types of hearing loss, as well as hearing aids, medical intervention via prostheses and surgically implanted medical devices. A middle ear disease causes a decline in the conductive mechanism of hearing. The current possibilities of compensating Conductive Hearing Loss (CHL) solutions include both surgical and no surgical Bone Conduction Devices (BCDs). Due to the invasiveness of the implantable devices and their specific requirements in terms of the temporal bone anatomy, non-implantable BCDs are in some cases preferred in the clinical routine. The goal of this review is to investigate the beneficial effects and safety of non-implantable BC devices, analysing the different type of solutions found so far. A systematic review was performed to identify all the clinical studies evaluating the use of non-invasive BCDs. A qualitative analysis based on data extracted was conducted. From 37 articles, 11 prospective studies and 1 retrospective study were selected for a full analysis, for a total of 173 patients from 4- to 77-years-old. Eight of these studies included adult patients, while the other four are paediatric studies. All the studies analyse non-implantable BCDs commonly used in case of CHL, sensorineural HL and single side deafness. Three of them analyse an adhesive device, six compare the adhesive device with a sound processor mounted on a support fitted on the head, one compare it also with an implant, one analyse the sound processor mounted on different type of support, and one compare different type of sound processor. All the studies showed advantages from the use of non-invasive BCDs, both on adults and children. The non-invasive BCDs analysed in this review show good results both from the audiological and subjective point of view and could be considered a safe and effective solution for patients suffering from conductive hearing loss, sensorineural hearing loss or single-side deafness. More studies are required to confirm these promising results.
Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Bone Conduction; Child; Child, Preschool; Hearing Aids; Hearing Loss; Humans; Middle Aged; Prospective Studies; Prostheses and Implants; Retrospective Studies; Young Adult
PubMed: 33386039
DOI: No ID Found