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Context. Precise localization and characterization of active regions (AR) and coronal holes (CH) as observed by extreme ultra violet (EUV) imagers are crucial for a wide range of solar and helio-physics studies. Aims. We introduce a set of segmentation procedures (known as the SPoCA-suite) that allows one to retrieve AR and CH properties on EUV images taken from SOHO-EIT, STEREO-EUVI, PROBA2-SWAP, and SDO-AIA. Methods. We build upon our previous work on the Spatial Possibilistic Clustering Algorithm (SPoCA), that we have improved substantially in several ways. Results. We apply our algorithm on the synoptic EIT archive from 1997 to 2011 and decompose this dataset into regions that can clearly be identified as AR, quiet Sun, and CH. An antiphase between AR and CH filling factor is observed, as expected. The SPoCAsuite is next applied to datasets from EUVI, SWAP, and AIA. The time series pertaining to ARs or CHs are presented. Conclusions. The SPoCA-suite enables the extraction of several long time series of AR andCH properties from the data files of EUV imagers and also allows tracking individual ARs or CHs over time. For AIA images, AR and CH catalogs are available in near-real time fromthe Heliophysics Events Knowledgebase. The full code, which allows processing any EUV images, is available upon request to the authors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Low back pain (LBP) is a common health complaint and a prominent factor in the development of LBP among the working population is stress. Mostly, stress is addressed as a general problem, which is why LBP prevention programs are often imprecise. Accordingly, a closer look at the association between specific stress types and the development of LBP is necessary. Therefore, this paper aims (1) to identify the stress types most closely associated with LBP; (2) to examine the relationship between stress accumulation and LBP., Methods: n = 100 call-center workers were approached for participation. Stress levels and LBP were assessed with questionnaires (TICS, ERI, CPG, BPI) and hair cortisol levels were measured (ELISA-KIT, 3-months period). Mann-Whitney U tests were used to identify stress types most closely associated with LBP. Further, ANCOVA analysis was conducted to determine the association of the number of experienced stress types with LBP intensity and impairment., Results: Finally, data from n = 68 participants (mean age: 43.2 (± 12.8) years; 62% female) were used for presented analysis. Participants, who were affected by work-related stress showed higher pain severity (excessive demands at work: 23.6 ± 21.8 vs. 42.4 ± 25.0 (p = 0.005)) and more impairment (excessive demands at work: 13.7 ± 17.6 vs. 28.7 ± 22.3 (p = 0.003); work overload: 15.4 ± 20.4 vs. 26.3 ± 17.4 (p = 0.009)) than their less affected colleagues. Other stress types (e.g. Effort, Reward) showed no significant association with LBP. Furthermore, participants who experienced two or more of the most associated stress types simultaneously suffered from stronger pain and more impairment (p < 0.01)., Conclusions: The results suggest that it is essential to divide and evaluate stress in specific domains. Furthermore, the accumulation of different stress types and the resulting physiological load should be taken into account when designing prevention and intervention programs. Results may be of high relevance for the development of LBP prevention programs for people within a predominantly sitting working context., Competing Interests: Declarations. Ethics approval and consent to participate: Informed consent was obtained from all participants included in the study. The study was conceptualized and performed in accordance with the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki and was approved by the ethics committee of the University of Potsdam, Germany (no. 42/2014) with the confirmation of the ethics committee of the ETH Zürich, Switzerland. Consent for publication: Not applicable. Disclosure of interest: The authors declare that they have no competing interests., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background: Antibodies against the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) have been described in the serum of people with schizophrenia spectrum disorders (schizophrenia). However, the prevalence and clinical relevance of these antibodies in schizophrenia is unclear. This knowledge gap includes the possibility of such antibodies being associated with a distinct clinical profile, which in turn might warrant a distinct treatment approach. We aimed to assess the seroprevalence of anti-NMDAR antibodies in schizophrenia, and compare symptoms and psychosocial functioning between patients with schizophrenia who were seropositive and seronegative for these antibodies., Methods: In this case-control comparison, by combining new and existing studies, we included patients diagnosed with schizophrenia from four independent cohorts for whom anti-NMDAR serostatus had been assessed (or could be assessed by us) with live cell-based assays. Included cohorts were from the EULAST study (a trial conducted across 15 European countries and Israel), the OPTiMiSE study (an interventional study in Europe), and the PPiP1 and PPiP2 studies (conducted in the UK). Patients from these cohorts were analysed if they had complete Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) data. No participant had been diagnosed with autoimmune encephalitis or received treatment for this condition. After calculating the prevalence of serum anti-NMDAR antibodies, we examined possible differences in PANSS scores (negative, positive, and general symptom subscales, and total score) between anti-NMDAR-seropositive and anti-NMDAR-seronegative patients. Psychosocial functioning as measured by Personal Social Performance (PSP) score was also compared. All analyses were exploratory and no adjustment was done for multiple testing. People with lived experience were not involved in the conduct of this study., Findings: We collected individual patient data from 1114 patients with schizophrenia across the four cohorts. The study population had a mean age of 28·6 years (SD 7·6) and comprised 382 (34·3%) women and 732 (65·7%) men, including patients of White (929 [83·4%]), Asian (54 [4·8%]), Black (68 [6·1%]), and other (62 [5·6%]) ethnicities. Overall, 41 (3·7%) participants (range 3·1-4·0% across cohorts) tested positive for serum anti-NMDAR antibodies. Lower symptom severity on the negative symptoms PANSS subscale was observed for anti-NMDAR-seropositive patients (mean score 15·8 [SD 6·4]) than for anti-NMDAR-seronegative patients (18·2 [6·8]; Cohen's d=0·36; p=0·026), as well as on the general symptoms PANSS subscale (32·9 [8·9] vs 36·1 [10·1]; d=0·33; p=0·029) and total PANSS score (65·5 [18·5] vs 72·6 [19·3]; d=0·37; p=0·013). Mean PSP score was better in anti-NMDAR-positive patients (62·0 [17·0]) than in anti-NMDAR-negative patients (53·5 [16·3]; d=0·52; p=0·014)., Interpretation: Serum NMDAR antibodies are present in 3-4% of patients with schizophrenia and are associated with relatively low severity of negative symptoms and relatively good psychosocial functioning. Thus, although the findings await replication in cohorts from other geographical regions, serum anti-NMDAR antibodies might be associated with a different form of psychotic illness. These findings could inform future prognostic and interventional studies examining whether anti-NMDAR antibodies are associated with a specific course of illness or with treatment response., Funding: None., Competing Interests: Declaration of interests AH is an editor of the German Association for Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics schizophrenia treatment guidelines, and first author of the World Federation of Societies of Biological Psychiatry schizophrenia treatment guidelines; has been on the advisory boards of and received speakers fees from Janssen, Lundbeck, Recordati, Rovi, Boeringer-Ingelheim, and Otsuka; and has received speakers fees from AbbVie and Advanz. WWF has received grants from Otsuka and Lundbeck and speakers fees from Sumitomo Pharma. MD is CMO of Minerva Neurosciences, a biotech company developing CNS drugs. All other authors declare no competing interests., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved, including those for text and data mining, AI training, and similar technologies.)

Background: To reduce prescribing cascades occurring in clinical practice, healthcare providers require information on the prescribing cascades they can recognize and prevent., Objective: This systematic review aims to provide an overview of prescribing cascades, including dose-dependency information and recommendations that healthcare providers can use to prevent or reverse them., Methods: The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) was followed. Relevant literature was identified through searches in OVID MEDLINE, OVID Embase, OVID CINAHL, and Cochrane. Additionally, Web of Science and Scopus were consulted to analyze reference lists and citations. Publications in English were included if they analyzed the occurrence of prescribing cascades. Prescribing cascades were included if at least one study demonstrated a significant association and were excluded when the adverse drug reaction could not be confirmed in the Summary of Product Characteristics. Two reviewers independently extracted and grouped similar prescribing cascades. Descriptive summaries were provided regarding dose-dependency analyses and recommendations to prevent or reverse these prescribing cascades., Results: A total of 95 publications were included, resulting in 115 prescribing cascades with confirmed adverse drug reactions for which at least one significant association was found. For 52 of these prescribing cascades, information regarding dose dependency or recommendations to prevent or reverse prescribing cascades was found. Dose dependency was analyzed and confirmed for 12 prescribing cascades. For example, antipsychotics that may cause extrapyramidal syndrome followed by anti-parkinson drugs. Recommendations focused on dosage lowering, discontinuing medication, and medication switching. Explicit recommendations regarding alternative options were given for three prescribing cascades. One example was switching to ondansetron or granisetron when extrapyramidal syndrome is experienced using metoclopramide., Conclusions: In total, 115 prescribing cascades were identified and an overview of 52 of them was generated for which recommendations to prevent or reverse them were provided. Nonetheless, information regarding alternative options for managing prescribing cascades was scarce., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Introduction: Single-event multilevel surgery (SEMLS) is frequently used to correct pathological gait patterns in children with bilateral spastic cerebral palsy (BSCP) in a single session surgery. However, in-depth long-term evaluation reports of gait outcomes are limited. Therefore, we investigated if SEMLS is able to correct lower extremity joint and pelvic angles during gait towards typically developing gait patterns (TDC) in children with BSCP, and if so, if this effect is durable over a 10-year period., Materials and Methods: In total 13 children with BSCP GMFCS level II at time of index-surgery between the ages of 7.7-18.2 years at the time of SEMLS were retrospectively recruited. Three-dimensional gait data were captured preoperatively, as well as at short-, mid-, and long-term post-operatively, and used to analyze: movement analysis profile (MAP), gait profile score (GPS), and lower extremity joint and pelvic angles over the course of a gait cycle using statistical parametric mapping., Results: In agreement with previous studies, MAP and GPS improved towards TDCs after surgery, as did knee extension during the stance phase (ɳ 2  = 0.67; p < 0.001), while knee flexion in the swing phase (ɳ 2  = 0.67; p < 0.001) and pelvic tilt over the complete gait cycle (ɳ 2  = 0.36; p < 0.001) deteriorated; no differences were observed between follow-ups. However, further surgical interventions were required in 8 out of 13 of the participants to maintain improvements 10 years post-surgery., Conclusions: While the overall gait pattern improved, our results showed specific aspects of the gait cycle actually deteriorated post-SEMLS and that a majority of the participants needed additional surgery, supporting previous statements for the use of multilevel surgery rather than SEMLS. The results highlight that the field should not only focus on the overall gait scores when evaluating treatment outcomes but should offer additional long-term follow-up of lower extremity function., (© 2021. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH, DE part of Springer Nature.)

Background: The aim of this cross-sectional comparative study was to investigate potential differences in soleus H-reflex to M-wave ratio between obese and non-obese individuals under different postural constraints., Methods: A total of 23 obese individuals and 23 matched non-obese controls took part in the study. The maximal soleus H-reflex to M-wave ratio (peak-to-peak amplitude) was quantified in three different conditions: seated at rest, seated with a light contraction of the plantar flexors and during bipedal quiet standing., Findings: Soleus H-reflex to M-wave ratio was significantly higher in obese than in non-obese individuals in all the experimental conditions (p < 0.01)., Interpretation: Obese individuals showed larger normalized soleus H-reflex responses than their non-obese counterparts, probably as a reflect of long-term neurophysiological adaptations to excessive body weight and postural demands., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: Instrumented treadmills are potentially useful tools for the assessment of gait parameters in orthopaedic clinical settings, but their measurement properties remain uncertain., Research Question: What is the discriminant validity and reproducibility of spatiotemporal and kinetic gait parameters measured by a pressure-instrumented treadmill at different speeds and inclinations in patients with knee osteoarthritis (KOA)?, Methods: A total of 54 patients with unilateral KOA and 23 healthy controls took part in the study. Step length, single-limb support duration and ground reaction force were recorded during level and uphill walking at 3 and 4 km/h using a commercially-available treadmill instrumented with an integrated pressure platform. We examined discriminant validity (difference between involved and uninvolved side as well as against healthy controls) and test-retest reproducibility (reliability and agreement)., Results: Significant side differences were observed for single-limb support duration and ground reaction force at touchdown in all conditions (P < 0.05). All the investigated gait parameters showed acceptable reliability and agreement, except step length at 4 km/h uphill., Significance: We conclude that the pressure-instrumented treadmill used in this study may have good clinical utility for quantitative gait analysis in patients with KOA under different experimental conditions., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The relationships between sedentary lifestyle, sitting behaviour, and low back pain (LBP) remain controversial. In this study, we investigated the relationship between back pain and occupational sitting habits in 64 call-centre employees. A textile pressure mat was used to evaluate and parameterise sitting behaviour over a total of 400 h, while pain questionnaires evaluated acute and chronic LBP. Seventy-five percent of the participants reported some level of either chronic or acute back pain. Individuals with chronic LBP demonstrated a possible trend (t-test not significant) towards more static sitting behaviour compared to their pain-free counterparts. Furthermore, a greater association was found between sitting behaviour and chronic LBP than for acute pain/disability, which is plausibly due to a greater awareness of pain-free sitting positions in individuals with chronic pain compared to those affected by acute pain., (Copyright © 2019 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: Internet can accelerate information exchange. Social networks are the most accessed especially Facebook. This kind of networks might create dependency with several negative consequences in people's life. The aim of this study was to assess potential association between Facebook dependence and poor sleep quality., Methodology/principal Findings: A cross sectional study was performed enrolling undergraduate students of the Universidad Peruana de Ciencias Aplicadas, Lima, Peru. The Internet Addiction Questionnaire, adapted to the Facebook case, and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, were used. A global score of 6 or greater was defined as the cutoff to determine poor sleep quality. Generalized linear model were used to determine prevalence ratios (PR) and 95% confidence intervals (95%CI). A total of 418 students were analyzed; of them, 322 (77.0%) were women, with a mean age of 20.1 (SD: 2.5) years. Facebook dependence was found in 8.6% (95% CI: 5.9%-11.3%), whereas poor sleep quality was present in 55.0% (95% CI: 50.2%-59.8%). A significant association between Facebook dependence and poor sleep quality mainly explained by daytime dysfunction was found (PR = 1.31; IC95%: 1.04-1.67) after adjusting for age, sex and years in the faculty., Conclusions: There is a relationship between Facebook dependence and poor quality of sleep. More than half of students reported poor sleep quality. Strategies to moderate the use of this social network and to improve sleep quality in this population are needed.

While many studies ask participants to disclose sensitive information or to participate in emotionally arousing tasks, little is known about participants' subjective experiences of discomfort and benefit. Ethics review committees, therefore, have little information about participant experiences to guide their informed decision-making. We asked undergraduate females about their experiences in a study that included an experimental session, interviews, and self-report measures on sensitive topics. We examined results overall, and compared the responses of individuals with and without childhood abuse experiences. Participants who had experienced child abuse were more likely to report distress due to remembering the past, but also more likely to report that participation was helpful. Implications for future research, and recommendations for review boards, are discussed.

Increased exposure of women soldiers to combat in current conflicts heightens interest in the question of whether risk and resilience factors differ for female and male military personnel prior to deployment. The authors examined this question in a panel of 522 National Guard soldiers (462 men and 60 women) poised for deployment to Iraq. Soldiers completed a battery of self-report measures, including the PTSD Checklist, Beck Depression Inventory-II, and scales from the Deployment Risk and Resilience Inventory. Modest differences were observed between women and men on predeployment risk factors and some risk-related correlations with PTSD and depression measures; however, gender did not moderate the associations between hypothesized risk/resilience factors and baseline mental health. Implications for interventions and future research are discussed.

Objective: To estimate the cost of adding IVF treatment to a standard health care benefits package. In vitro fertilization cost is defined as the average charge for a single cycle of treatment in an existing IVF program., Design: Cost analysis., Setting: Two hundred sixty IVF centers active in the United States in 1993., Main Outcome Measures: In vitro fertilization utilization and outcomes for 1993 were estimated from data in an existing registry. In vitro fertilization charges were determined from a 1993 survey of IVF clinics. The resulting expenditures for benefits and premiums were projected to 1995 together with the additional cost if utilization were to increase by 300% or 500%., Results: In the United States in 1993 there were 31,718 IVF cycles for which the average charge was $6,233, leading to a total expenditure of approximately $197.70 million for IVF services in 1993. The projected cost of adding IVF services to a typical employer health plan in 1995 would be $2.79 per annum and the premium would be $3.14. Benefits and premium costs for a 300% utilization increase were $8.37 and $9.41, respectively, and for a 500% increase, $13.95 and $15.69, respectively., Conclusions: The cost of IVF services would be a minute fraction of the annual cost of a typical family benefits program ($3,393). Savings from reduced utilization of alternative treatments would offset a portion of this increase. Increases in utilization rates should be controlled by clinical criteria.