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Brain & Spine 2024Surgical training traditionally adheres to the apprenticeship paradigm, potentially exposing trainees to an increased risk of complications stemming from their limited...
INTRODUCTION
Surgical training traditionally adheres to the apprenticeship paradigm, potentially exposing trainees to an increased risk of complications stemming from their limited experience. To mitigate this risk, augmented and virtual reality have been considered, though their effectiveness is difficult to assess.
RESEARCH QUESTION
The PASSION study seeks to investigate the improvement of manual dexterity following intensive training with neurosurgical simulators and to discern how surgeons' psychometric characteristics may influence their learning process and surgical performance.
MATERIAL AND METHODS
Seventy-two residents were randomized into the simulation group (SG) and control group (CG). The course spanned five days, commencing with assessment of technical skills in basic procedures within a wet-lab setting on day 1. Over the subsequent core days, the SG engaged in simulated procedures, while the CG carried out routine activities in an OR. On day 5, all residents' technical competencies were evaluated. Psychometric measures of all participants were subjected to analysis.
RESULTS
The SG demonstrated superior performance (p < 0.0001) in the brain tumour removal compared to the CG. Positive learning curves were evident in the SG across the three days of simulator-based training for all tumour removal tasks (all p-values <0.05). No significant differences were noted in other tasks, and no meaningful correlations were observed between performance and any psychometric parameters.
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION
A brief and intensive training regimen utilizing 3D virtual reality simulators enhances residents' microsurgical proficiency in brain tumour removal models. Simulators emerge as a viable tool to expedite the learning curve of in-training neurosurgeons.
PubMed: 38812880
DOI: 10.1016/j.bas.2024.102829 -
Anais Da Academia Brasileira de Ciencias 2024Multirotors Aerial Vehicles are special class of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles with many practical applications. The growing demand for this class of aircraft requires tools...
Multirotors Aerial Vehicles are special class of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles with many practical applications. The growing demand for this class of aircraft requires tools that speed up their development. Simulated environments have gained increasing importance, as they facilitate testing and prototyping solutions, where virtual environments allow real-time interaction with simulated models, with similar behavior to real systems. More recently, the use of Augmented Reality has allowed an increasing experience of immersion and integration between the virtual world and a real scenario. This work proposes the use of Augmented Reality technology and a simulated model of a multirotor to create an interactive flight environment, aiming to improve the user experience in the analysis of simulated models. For this purpose, a smartphone was adopted as a hardware platform, a game engine is used as a basis for the development of the Augmented Reality application, that represents a numerical simulation of the flight dynamics and the control system of a multirotor, and a game controller is adopted for user interaction. The resulting system demonstrates that Augmented Reality is a viable technology that can be used to increase the possibilities of evaluating simulated systems.
Topics: Aircraft; Augmented Reality; Computer Simulation; Humans; User-Computer Interface; Virtual Reality
PubMed: 38808808
DOI: 10.1590/0001-3765202420220822 -
Cureus Apr 2024Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) refers to a spectrum of acute immune-mediated polyradiculoneuropathies, among which is acute motor axonal neuropathy (AMAN), which is...
Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) refers to a spectrum of acute immune-mediated polyradiculoneuropathies, among which is acute motor axonal neuropathy (AMAN), which is typified by predominant motor involvement and axonal degeneration. This case study describes the presentation, diagnosis, and physiotherapy management using virtual reality-based technology in a 29-year-old male patient with AMAN. Nerve conduction velocity testing was used to diagnose motor axonal neuropathy in the patient, who had weakness subsequent to gastrointestinal symptoms. Intravenous immunoglobulin therapy was started, and a physiotherapy protocol was planned for eight weeks according to the patient's functional status. Physiotherapy plays an important role in the rehabilitation of patients with GBS, addressing the specific motor deficits and promoting recovery. The aim was to improve muscle strength, mobility, and functional independence through progressive exercises targeting specific motor deficits. Virtual reality-based training was also part of this rehabilitation process as an adjunct to conventional rehabilitation to improve dynamic balance and function of the upper and lower limbs, which showed significant improvement in the outcome measures.
PubMed: 38803724
DOI: 10.7759/cureus.59042 -
Applied Ergonomics Sep 2024Virtual reality (VR) has gained significant attention as a technology that provides immersive experiences similar to the real world. In order for a VR system to be...
Virtual reality (VR) has gained significant attention as a technology that provides immersive experiences similar to the real world. In order for a VR system to be accepted, usability needs to be guaranteed. Accordingly, VR-related researchers are continuing their efforts to improve VR systems by conducting usability evaluations. However, existing studies have limitations in that they cannot comprehensively evaluate the detailed properties of VR systems by using questionnaires developed for general product usability evaluation or focusing only on some usability aspects of VR systems. This suggests it may be difficult to fully capture usability issues in a VR system, and that it is necessary to develop a usability evaluation tool that reflects the specific characteristics of the VR system. Therefore, this study develops and proposes the Virtual Reality System Usability Questionnaire (VRSUQ). In the development of the questionnaire, items were structured based on a literature review and discussions with experts. To account for the diverse characteristics of VR systems, the validity of the questionnaire was verified through both exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, utilizing data obtained from three distinct experimental studies that employed different VR systems. In addition, by comparing the results of VRSUQ with the results from the System Usability Scale, which is widely used for perceived usability evaluation, alternative possibilities for using VRSUQ are presented. Further testing on various VR platforms is needed to ensure the reliability and validity of VRSUQ, and as results from using VRSUQ are accumulated, it is expected to be widely used as a more powerful and robust VR-specific perceived usability evaluation tool.
Topics: Humans; Virtual Reality; Surveys and Questionnaires; Male; Female; User-Computer Interface; Adult; Reproducibility of Results; Young Adult; Factor Analysis, Statistical; Ergonomics; Psychometrics
PubMed: 38797014
DOI: 10.1016/j.apergo.2024.104319 -
Scientific Data May 2024Mixed reality navigation (MRN) technology is emerging as an increasingly significant and interesting topic in neurosurgery. MRN enables neurosurgeons to "see through"...
Mixed reality navigation (MRN) technology is emerging as an increasingly significant and interesting topic in neurosurgery. MRN enables neurosurgeons to "see through" the head with an interactive, hybrid visualization environment that merges virtual- and physical-world elements. Offering immersive, intuitive, and reliable guidance for preoperative and intraoperative intervention of intracranial lesions, MRN showcases its potential as an economically efficient and user-friendly alternative to standard neuronavigation systems. However, the clinical research and development of MRN systems present challenges: recruiting a sufficient number of patients within a limited timeframe is difficult, and acquiring low-cost, commercially available, medically significant head phantoms is equally challenging. To accelerate the development of novel MRN systems and surmount these obstacles, the study presents a dataset designed for MRN system development and testing in neurosurgery. It includes CT and MRI data from 19 patients with intracranial lesions and derived 3D models of anatomical structures and validation references. The models are available in Wavefront object (OBJ) and Stereolithography (STL) formats, supporting the creation and assessment of neurosurgical MRN applications.
Topics: Humans; Neuronavigation; Neurosurgical Procedures; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Head; Tomography, X-Ray Computed; Imaging, Three-Dimensional
PubMed: 38796526
DOI: 10.1038/s41597-024-03385-y -
Frontiers in Human Neuroscience 2024The primary objective of this research is to examine acrophobia, a widely prevalent and highly severe phobia characterized by an overwhelming dread of heights, which has...
INTRODUCTION
The primary objective of this research is to examine acrophobia, a widely prevalent and highly severe phobia characterized by an overwhelming dread of heights, which has a substantial impact on a significant proportion of individuals worldwide. The objective of our study was to develop a real-time and precise instrument for evaluating levels of acrophobia by utilizing electroencephalogram (EEG) signals.
METHODS
EEG data was gathered from a sample of 18 individuals diagnosed with acrophobia. Subsequently, a range of classifiers, namely Support Vector Classifier (SVC), K-nearest Neighbors (KNN), Random Forest (RF), Decision Tree (DT), Adaboost, Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA), Convolutional Neural Network (CNN), and Artificial Neural Network (ANN), were employed in the analysis. These methodologies encompass both machine learning (ML) and deep learning (DL) techniques.
RESULTS
The Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) and Artificial Neural Network (ANN) models demonstrated notable efficacy. The Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) model demonstrated a training accuracy of 96% and a testing accuracy of 99%, whereas the Artificial Neural Network (ANN) model attained a training accuracy of 96% and a testing accuracy of 97%. The findings of this study highlight the effectiveness of the proposed methodology in accurately categorizing real-time degrees of acrophobia using EEG data. Further investigation using correlation matrices for each level of acrophobia showed substantial EEG frequency band connections. Beta and Gamma mean values correlated strongly, suggesting cognitive arousal and acrophobic involvement could synchronize activity. Beta and Gamma activity correlated strongly with acrophobia, especially at higher levels.
DISCUSSION
The results underscore the promise of this innovative approach as a dependable and sophisticated method for evaluating acrophobia. This methodology has the potential to make a substantial contribution toward the comprehension and assessment of acrophobia, hence facilitating the development of more individualized and efficacious therapeutic interventions.
PubMed: 38770396
DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2024.1348154 -
Computational and Structural... Dec 2024Numerous research results demonstrated that understanding the subcellular localization of non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) is pivotal in elucidating their roles and regulatory...
Numerous research results demonstrated that understanding the subcellular localization of non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) is pivotal in elucidating their roles and regulatory mechanisms in cells. Despite the existence of over ten computational models dedicated to predicting the subcellular localization of ncRNAs, a majority of these models are designed solely for single-label prediction. In reality, ncRNAs often exhibit localization across multiple subcellular compartments. Furthermore, the existing multi-label localization prediction models are insufficient in addressing the challenges posed by the scarcity of training samples and class imbalance in ncRNA dataset. To address these limitations, this study proposes a novel multi-label localization prediction model for ncRNAs, named GP-HTNLoc. To mitigate class imbalance, GP-HTNLoc adopts separate training approaches for head and tail location labels. Additionally, GP-HTNLoc introduces a pioneering graph prototype module to enhance its performance in small-sample, multi-label scenarios. The experimental results based on 10-fold cross-validation on benchmark datasets demonstrate that GP-HTNLoc achieves competitive predictive performance. The average results from 10 rounds of testing on an independent dataset show that GP-HTNLoc outperforms the best existing models on the human lncRNA, human snoRNA, and human miRNA subsets, with average precision improvements of 31.5%, 14.2%, and 5.6%, respectively, reaching 0.685, 0.632, and 0.704. A user-friendly online GP-HTNLoc server is accessible at https://56s8y85390.goho.co.
PubMed: 38765609
DOI: 10.1016/j.csbj.2024.04.052 -
Applied Ergonomics Sep 2024The study aims to evaluate the impact of exposure to a highly realistic virtual facility tour prior to the on-site visit on patients and their parent/care partner's... (Randomized Controlled Trial)
Randomized Controlled Trial
AIM
The study aims to evaluate the impact of exposure to a highly realistic virtual facility tour prior to the on-site visit on patients and their parent/care partner's self-reported anxiety and physiological measures on the day of the procedure.
BACKGROUND
Preoperative anxiety impacts pediatric surgical outcomes; therefore, it is important for healthcare providers to address and manage preoperative anxiety in pediatric patients to promote better outcomes and overall wellbeing. Providing patients with a preview of the care setting before the actual procedure can be highly beneficial in mitigating preoperative anxiety.
METHODOLOGY
In this pilot randomized experimental study, sixteen patient-care partner dyads scheduled to undergo a gastrointestinal procedure either received a virtual tour identical to the places experienced on the day of the procedure (experimental group) or received no virtual tour (control group). Self-reported measures of anxiety were collected from participants before and on the day of the procedure. Physiological measures of heart rate variability and skin conductance were collected on the day of the procedure from both groups.
RESULTS
There were no significant differences between the self-reported and physiological measures of anxiety between the child groups. However, parents in the control group reported lower levels of anxiety and demonstrated lower levels of stress based on their physiological measures.
CONCLUSION
Exposure to virtual facility tours days before the surgery was not helpful in positively impacting the psychological measures related to preoperative anxiety levels for the participants.
Topics: Humans; Anxiety; Male; Female; Ambulatory Surgical Procedures; Child; Parents; Pilot Projects; Adult; Heart Rate; Galvanic Skin Response; Self Report; Adolescent; Preoperative Care
PubMed: 38761553
DOI: 10.1016/j.apergo.2024.104308 -
Games For Health Journal May 2024This research evaluates from a usability point of view the combination of a developed fully immersive virtual reality (VR) solution with the SWalker robotic device. It...
This research evaluates from a usability point of view the combination of a developed fully immersive virtual reality (VR) solution with the SWalker robotic device. It aims to contribute to research in the exploration of immersive experiences overground with a functional gait recovery device. We evaluated the system in a pilot study with 20 healthy participants aged 85.1 (SD: 6.29). Participants used the SWalker-VR platform while testing one VR application focused on walking and the other on balance practice. Afterward, the participants answered three usability questionnaires. The platform was validated in terms of safety using the Simulator Sickness Questionnaire, obtaining less than 20 points for all subscales: nausea (4.29 ± 14.47), oculomotor (0.38 ± 14.18), and disorientation (1.39 ± 14.52). For usability evaluation, the System Usability Scale provided an overall score of 70.63 ± 11.64, and the Post-Study System Usability Questionnaire (PSSUQ) rated 1.61 ± 0.54. The usability scores reported by both questionnaires were moderate and good, respectively. These results were similar in overall scores for both groups: participants with low cognitive level and participants with high cognitive level. Finally, the possible causes for the "no answered" responses on the PSSUQ were discussed. It is concluded that the SWalker-VR platform is reported to have adequate usability and high security by older adults. The potential interest of studying the effects of the long-term use of this platform by older adults with gait impairment is expressed. NCT06025981.
PubMed: 38757664
DOI: 10.1089/g4h.2023.0172 -
BMJ Surgery, Interventions, & Health... 2024Build the theoretical and evidence-base for a digital platform (map-OR) which delivers intraoperative language tests during awake craniotomy and facilitates...
OBJECTIVES
Build the theoretical and evidence-base for a digital platform (map-OR) which delivers intraoperative language tests during awake craniotomy and facilitates collaborative sharing of brain mapping data.
DESIGN
Mixed methodology study including two scoping reviews, international survey, synthesis of development guiding principles and a risk assessment using failure modes and effects analysis.
SETTING
The two scoping reviews examined the literature published in the English language. International survey was completed by members of awake craniotomy teams from 14 countries.
MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES
Scoping review 1: number of technologies described for language mapping during awake craniotomy. Scoping review 2: barriers and facilitators to adopting novel technology in surgery. International survey: degree of language mapping technology penetration into clinical practice.
RESULTS
A total of 12 research articles describing 6 technologies were included. The technologies required a range of hardware components including portable devices, virtual reality headsets and large integrated multiscreen stacks. The facilitators and barriers of technology adoption in surgery were extracted from 11 studies and mapped onto the 4 Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology constructs. A total of 37 awake craniotomy teams from 14 countries completed the survey. Of the responses, 20 (54.1%) delivered their language tests digitally, 10 (27.0%) delivered tests using cards and 7 (18.9%) used a combination of both. The most commonly used devices were tablet computers (67.7%; n=21) and the most common software used was Microsoft PowerPoint (60.6%; n=20). Four key risks for the proposed digital platform were identified, the highest risk being a software and internet connectivity failure during surgery.
CONCLUSIONS
This work represents a rigorous and structured approach to the development of a digital platform for standardized intraoperative language testing during awake craniotomy and for collaborative sharing of brain mapping data.
TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER
Scoping review protocol registrations in OSF registries (scoping review 1: osf.io/su9xm; scoping review 2: osf.io/x4wsc).
PubMed: 38756704
DOI: 10.1136/bmjsit-2023-000234