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Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) May 2024In this study, an innovative laser 3D-scanning technology is proposed to scan pipe inner walls in order to solve the problems of the exorbitant expenses and operational...
In this study, an innovative laser 3D-scanning technology is proposed to scan pipe inner walls in order to solve the problems of the exorbitant expenses and operational complexities of the current equipment for the 3D data acquisition of the pipe inner wall, and the difficulty of both the efficiency and accuracy of traditional light stripe-center extraction methods. The core of this technology is the monocular-structured light 3D scanner, the image processing strategy based on tracking speckles, and the improved gray barycenter method. The experimental results demonstrate a 52% reduction in the average standard error of the improved gray barycenter method when compared to the traditional gray barycenter method, along with an 83% decrease in the operation time when compared to the Steger method. In addition, the size data of the inner wall of the pipe obtained using this technology is accurate, and the average deviation of the inner diameter and length of the pipe is less than 0.13 mm and 0.41 mm, respectively. In general, it not only reduces the cost, but also ensures high efficiency and high precision, providing a new and efficient method for the 3D data acquisition of the inner wall of the pipe.
PubMed: 38894345
DOI: 10.3390/s24113554 -
NeuroImage. Clinical Jun 2024Childhood maltreatment (CM) is a major risk factor for the development of major depressive disorder (MDD). To gain more knowledge on how adverse childhood experiences...
BACKGROUND
Childhood maltreatment (CM) is a major risk factor for the development of major depressive disorder (MDD). To gain more knowledge on how adverse childhood experiences influence the development of brain architecture, we studied functional connectivity (FC) alterations of neural networks of depressed patients with, or without the history of CM.
METHODS
Depressed patients with severe childhood maltreatment (n = 18), MDD patients without maltreatment (n = 19), and matched healthy controls (n = 20) were examined with resting state functional MRI. History of maltreatment was assessed with the 28-item Childhood Trauma Questionnaire. Intra- and inter-network FC alterations were evaluated using FMRIB Software Library and CONN toolbox.
RESULTS
We found numerous intra- and inter-network FC alterations between the maltreated and the non-maltreated patients. Intra-network FC differences were found in the default mode, visual and auditory networks, and cerebellum. Network modelling revealed several inter-network FC alterations connecting the default mode network with the executive control, salience and cerebellar networks. Increased inter-network FC was found in maltreated patients between the sensory-motor and visual, cerebellar, default mode and salience networks.
LIMITATIONS
Relatively small sample size, cross-sectional design, and retrospective self-report questionnaire to assess adverse childhood experiences.
CONCLUSIONS
Our findings confirm that severely maltreated depressed patients display numerous alterations of intra- and inter-network FC strengths, not only in their fronto-limbic circuits, but also in sensory-motor, visual, auditory, and cerebellar networks. These functional alterations may explain that maltreated individuals typically display altered perception and are prone to develop functional neurological symptom disorder (conversion disorder) in adulthood.
PubMed: 38889524
DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2024.103632 -
PloS One 2024The thoracic surgical procedure leads to a reduction in respiratory muscle strength. To restore it, certain strategies must be employed. Physiotherapy utilizes resources... (Randomized Controlled Trial)
Randomized Controlled Trial
INTRODUCTION
The thoracic surgical procedure leads to a reduction in respiratory muscle strength. To restore it, certain strategies must be employed. Physiotherapy utilizes resources and techniques such as deep breathing stimulation, cough stimulation, use of incentive spirometers, mobilization, and ambulation. However, at times these resources and techniques may prove insufficient, and additional measures, such as Non-Invasive Ventilation (NIV), are employed Pieczkoski (2017). Non-Invasive Positive Pressure Ventilation (NPPV) has been utilized to expedite pulmonary function recovery as well as to prevent and treat postoperative pulmonary complications Nasrala 2018. NIV diminishes the risk of ventilator-associated complications due to its non-invasive nature. Consequently, NIV has been adopted to avert post-extubation complications in postoperative patients Liu 2020. The objective of this study is to conduct a randomized clinical trial and assess the efficacy of NIV in comparison to conventional physiotherapy in terms of pulmonary function among patients undergoing cardiac surgery at a selected hospital in Campina Grande, Paraíba, Brazil.
METHODS AND ANALYSES
This randomized, controlled, double-blind (patient and analyst) clinical trial will be conducted at Hospital João XXIII in Campina Grande, Paraíba, Brazil. Patients do not know which group they are allocated to. Those in the group that use CPAP or BIPAP will not be able to distinguish one from the other. The data analyst at the end of the collections will also be blinded. Only the health professional who will be applying the protocol cannot be blinded. The sample size, determined via sample calculation, yielded a total of 21 patients per group (63 patients). The patients will be allocated into 3 groups (CPAP group - CPAP + standard physiotherapy, BiPAP group - BiPAP + standard physiotherapy, and Control group - standard physiotherapy) in a 1:1:1 allocation ratio. The control group will receive the usual physiotherapeutic treatment as per the kinesiotherapy protocol. The treatment will be administered twice daily, starting in the ICU and progressing to the ward. In the CPAP group, nasal CPAP at 10cmH2O will be administered for 1 hour, twice daily, using an approved device. In the BiPAP group, nasal BiPAP with an IPAP of 13cmH2O and EPAP of 8cmH2O will be administered for 1 hour, twice daily, using an approved device. The NIV sessions will be conducted over the course of 5 days of hospitalization, both in the ICU and the ward. Assessments will be conducted at two time points: on day 1 preoperatively and on day 5 postoperatively. The following measures will be evaluated: pulmonary function, length of hospital stay, presence of postoperative pulmonary complications, score of the Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire (MLHFQ) in its Portuguese version, functional capacity, the Global Perception of Change Scale, and the Functional Independence Measure (MIF). The normality of variables will be assessed using the Shapiro-Wilk test. IBM SPSS Statistics Base 25.0, using the Shapiro-Wilk test for normality and paired Student's t-test for pre-post intervention comparison. They will use linear mixed effects models for longitudinal analysis and GLMMs to compare NIV effects over time between groups. They will employ ITT for missing data, INAR models for time dependence, fixed effects models for endogeneity, and Cohen's d for effect sizes. Parametric model assumptions will be checked, and various models will be considered for data characteristics.
PRIMARY OUTCOMES
Pulmonary function, Length of hospital stay.
SECOND OUTCOMES
Score of the Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire (MLHFQ) in Portuguese version, Funcional capacity, The global perception of change scale, The functional independence measure (MIF), pO2 (partial pressure of oxygen), pCO2 (partial pressure of carbon dioxide), HCO3 (bicarbonate), Arterial Oxygen Saturation (SaO2), Base Excess (BE), Presence of lung complications.
OTHER PRE-SPECIFIED OUTCOMES
Duration of cardiopulmonary bypass, type of surgery, personal history, preoperative ejection fraction, previous respiratory complications, body mass index (BMI), gender and age.
TRIAL REGISTRATION
Trial register number NCT05966337.
Topics: Humans; Noninvasive Ventilation; Cardiac Surgical Procedures; Double-Blind Method; Postoperative Complications; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; Male; Physical Therapy Modalities; Brazil; Female
PubMed: 38889140
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0304569 -
Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health... Jun 2024The rates of obesity among immigrant populations within the USA rise with increasing duration of residency. The aims of this study were to examine weight self-perception...
BACKGROUND
The rates of obesity among immigrant populations within the USA rise with increasing duration of residency. The aims of this study were to examine weight self-perception and body image discrepancy within a large community sample of Hispanic and Somali predominantly immigrant adults.
METHODS
Utilizing a community-based participatory research (CBPR) approach to collect survey data from a sample of adults who self-identified as Hispanic, Latino, or Somali in Southeast Minnesota. Correlations among actual body mass index (BMI), perceived weight category, and perceived body size were assessed with Spearman rank correlation coefficients. Associations of weight loss intentions with actual BMI, perceived weight category, perceived body size, and body image discrepancy were assessed using Kruskal-Wallis nonparametric tests.
RESULTS
A total of 1256 adults completed the survey and biometric measurements (610 Hispanic, 646 Somali); 81% (457) and 50% (328) had a BMI in the overweight or obese category in the Hispanic and Somali cohorts, respectively. Among participants with a BMI of > 25, more participants reported a perceived body size that was overweight or obese than a perceived weight category that was in the overweight or obese category (79% vs. 48%, p = < 0.0001). Body image discrepancy, but not actual BMI, was associated with weight loss intentions for both groups. Perceived body size and perceived weight category were associated with weight loss intentions for Hispanic participants only.
CONCLUSIONS
Perceived body size is a more accurate self-report proxy of BMI-defined weight status compared with the perceived weight category among Hispanic and Somali immigrant groups. Body image discrepancy may be more predictive of weight loss intentions than actual BMI.
PubMed: 38888879
DOI: 10.1007/s40615-024-02045-6 -
Attention, Perception & Psychophysics Jun 2024The purpose of the present study was to examine the influence of visual cues in audiovisual perception of interrupted speech by nonnative English listeners and to...
The purpose of the present study was to examine the influence of visual cues in audiovisual perception of interrupted speech by nonnative English listeners and to identify the role of working memory, long-term memory retrieval, and vocabulary knowledge in audiovisual perception by nonnative listeners. The participants included 31 Mandarin-speaking English learners between 19 and 41 years of age. The perceptual stimuli were noise-filled periodically interrupted AzBio and QuickSIN sentences with or without visual cues that showed a male speaker uttering the sentences. In addition to sentence recognition, the listeners completed a semantic fluency task, verbal (operation span) and visuospatial (symmetry span) working memory tasks, and two vocabulary knowledge tests (Vocabulary Level Test and Lexical Test for Advanced Learners of English). The results revealed significantly better speech recognition in the audio-visual condition than the audio-only condition, but the magnitude of visual benefit was substantially attenuated for sentences that had limited semantic context. The listeners' vocabulary size in English played a key role in the restoration of missing speech information and audiovisual integration in the perception of interrupted speech. Meanwhile, the listeners' verbal working memory capacity played an important role in audiovisual integration especially for the difficult stimuli with limited semantic context.
PubMed: 38886302
DOI: 10.3758/s13414-024-02909-3 -
Gerontology Jun 2024Background Given the known female disadvantage in physical and mental health, this study aims to investigate sex differences in self-rated health (SRH) among older...
Background Given the known female disadvantage in physical and mental health, this study aims to investigate sex differences in self-rated health (SRH) among older adults, considering the longitudinal course by age, birth cohort and educational level. Methods Data from birth cohort 1911-1937 with baseline age 55-81 years (n=3107) and birth cohort 1938-1947 with baseline age 55-65 years (n=1002) from the Longitudinal Ageing Study Amsterdam (LASA) were used. Mixed models analyses were used to examine sex differences in SRH (RAND General Health Perception Questionnaire (RAND-GHPQ, range 0-16) over the age course, testing for effect modification by birth cohort and educational level (low, middle, high). Results For both sexes, a decline in SRH was seen with increasing age. Over the age course, there was no significant sex difference in SRH within the older (1911-1937) birth cohort (0.13 lower score on SRH for women compared to men, 95% CI -0.35 - 0.09) and only a small sex difference in the more recent (1938-1947) birth cohort (0.35 lower score on SRH for women compared to men (95% CI -0.69 - - 0.02), p=0.04). There was no significant cohort difference in the size of the sex difference (p=0.279). Those with a higher level of education reported a higher SRH, but between educational levels there was no significant difference in the size of the sex difference in SRH. Discussion In this study, no relevant sex difference in SRH over the age course was observed among older adults. Future research on SRH trajectories by sex during ageing should take health-related, cognitive, psychosocial and behavioral factors into account.
PubMed: 38885629
DOI: 10.1159/000539759 -
Journal of Pharmacy & Bioallied Sciences Apr 2024To assess the dentist perception of efficiency, treatment outcome, and stability of the tooth movement treated with mysmartalign clear aligner therapy (MSA CAT).
AIM AND OBJECTIVE
To assess the dentist perception of efficiency, treatment outcome, and stability of the tooth movement treated with mysmartalign clear aligner therapy (MSA CAT).
MATERIALS AND METHOD
A cross-sectional web-based questionnaire survey was carried out to evaluate the dentist perception of MYSMARTALIGN (MSA). To determine the sample size, a pilot study has been carried out and the final sample arrived was 4990 subjects. The current study's inclusion criteria took into account those who had finished their BDS and MDS as well as dentists and orthodontists who had been using the MSA CAT system on their patients for the previous 7 years.
RESULTS
The result of the study showed that most research participants (3650) used MSA to treat mild to moderate malocclusion, and 3996 participants said that initial digital treatment plans have been authorised with no revisions. In view of efficiency, 3894 doctors were satisfied with the final outcome.
CONCLUSIONS
Finally concluded that recent survey showed that dentists were very satisfied with the effectiveness and treatment results of the MSA clear aligner procedure.
PubMed: 38882901
DOI: 10.4103/jpbs.jpbs_1095_23 -
Journal of Pharmacy & Bioallied Sciences Apr 2024The current purpose of the survey is to completely evaluate parents' attitudes, knowledge, and perceptions of myofunctional appliances.
AIM
The current purpose of the survey is to completely evaluate parents' attitudes, knowledge, and perceptions of myofunctional appliances.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Parents in Chennai participated in this cross-sectional web-based questionnaire survey. Pilot study was carried out to determine the sample size, and 500 individuals were the final sample size. The 10 organized, predesigned, and validated questions are on awareness of myofunctional appliance.
RESULTS
The result of the survey showed that in 500 subjects, 79.8% were aware of skeletal problems. The proportion of parents willing to recommend the use of such treatments is about 70%, while 69% believe that myofunctional appliances are important in correcting skeletal problems.
CONCLUSION
The present study has established that most parents know about the functional appliance and have an understanding of how to distinguish between skeletal problems. In order to diagnose skeletal issues in an appropriate age range for the individual, more awareness about appliances is necessary and needs to be developed.
PubMed: 38882836
DOI: 10.4103/jpbs.jpbs_953_23 -
Ophthalmology Science 2024To assess the efficacy and safety of the PRIMA neurostimulation system with a subretinal microchip for improving visual acuity (VA) in patients with geographic atrophy...
OBJECTIVE
To assess the efficacy and safety of the PRIMA neurostimulation system with a subretinal microchip for improving visual acuity (VA) in patients with geographic atrophy (GA) due to age-related macular degeneration (AMD) at 48-months postimplantation.
DESIGN
Feasibility clinical trial of the PRIMA subretinal prosthesis in patients with atrophic AMD, measuring best-corrected ETDRS VA (Clinicaltrials.govNCT03333954).
SUBJECTS
Five patients with GA, no foveal light perception, and VA of logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution (logMAR) 1.3 to 1.7 (20/400-20/1000) in their worse-seeing "study" eye.
METHODS
In patients subretinally implanted with a photovoltaic neurostimulation array containing 378 pixels of 100 μm in size, the VA was measured with and without the PRIMA system using ETDRS charts at 1 m. The system's external components, augmented reality glasses, and pocket computer provide image processing capabilities, including zoom.
MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES
Visual acuity using ETDRS charts with and without the system, as well as light sensitivity in the central visual field, measured by Octopus perimetry. Anatomical outcomes demonstrated by fundus photography and OCT up to 48 months postimplantation.
RESULTS
All 5 subjects met the primary end point of light perception elicited by the implant in the scotoma area. In 1 patient, the implant was incorrectly inserted into the choroid. One subject died 18 months postimplantation due to study-unrelated reasons. ETDRS VA results for the remaining 3 subjects are reported here. Without zoom, VA closely matched the pixel size of the implant: 1.17 ± 0.13 pixels, corresponding to a mean logMAR of 1.39, or Snellen of 20/500, ranging from 20/438 to 20/565. Using zoom at 48 months, subjects improved their VA by 32 ETDRS letters versus baseline (standard error 5.1) 95% confidence intervals (13.4, 49.9; < 0.0001). Natural peripheral visual function in the treated eye did not decline after surgery or during the 48-month follow-up period ( = 0.08).
CONCLUSIONS
Subretinal implantation of PRIMA in subjects with GA experiencing profound vision loss due to AMD is feasible and well tolerated, with no reduction of natural peripheral vision up to 48 months. Prosthetic central vision provided by photovoltaic neurostimulation enabled patients to reliably recognize letters and sequences of letters, and with zoom, it improved VA of up to 8 ETDRS lines.
FINANCIAL DISCLOSURES
Proprietary or commercial disclosure may be found in the Footnotes and Disclosures at the end of this article.
PubMed: 38881600
DOI: 10.1016/j.xops.2024.100510 -
Journal of Social Work in End-of-life &... Jun 2024The perception of social support among patients with advanced diseases is influenced by various factors. The socio-cultural context of Bangladesh significantly shapes...
The perception of social support among patients with advanced diseases is influenced by various factors. The socio-cultural context of Bangladesh significantly shapes the experience of patients with advanced cancer and their perception of social support. This study's aim was to assess the perceived social support by these patients and investigate the factors that shape their perception. This cross-sectional study was conducted among 115 advanced cancer patients admitted to the palliative medicine department of a tertiary care hospital in Bangladesh. Perceived social support was measured by the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS). Perceived social support was moderate to high for most (74.7%) of the participants. The majority (97.4%) perceived moderate to high level of support from their families. The lowest level of support was perceived from friends (53%). Factors such as economic status, family size, companionship of children, and emotional support from spouses influenced the level of perceived social support. Social support is one of the important aspects of palliative care. Identifying the factors influencing the perception of social support among cancer patients is essential for palliative care professionals to effectively address their care needs.
PubMed: 38879815
DOI: 10.1080/15524256.2024.2367004