Search

Research on the role of working memory (WM) in language processing has typically focused on WM for phonological information. However, considerable behavioral evidence supports the existence of a separate semantic WM system that plays a greater role in language processing. We review the neural evidence that supports the distinction between phonological and semantic WM capacities and discuss how individual differences in these capacities relate to sentence processing. In terms of neural substrates, findings from multivariate functional MRI for healthy participants and voxel-based lesion-symptom mapping for brain-damaged participants imply that the left supramarginal gyrus supports phonological WM, whereas the left inferior frontal gyrus (LIFG) and angular gyrus support semantic WM. In sentence comprehension, individual variation in semantic but not phonological WM related to performance in resolving semantic information and the LIFG region implicated in semantic WM showed fMRI activation during the resolution of semantic interference. Moreover, variation for brain-damaged participants in the integrity of a fiber tract supporting semantic WM had a greater relation to the processing of complex sentences than did the integrity of fiber tracts supporting phonological WM. Overall, the neural findings provide converging evidence regarding the distinction of these two capacities and the greater contribution of individual differences in semantic than phonological WM capacity to sentence processing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Retos: Nuevas Perspectivas de Educación Física, Deporte y Recreación is the property of Federacion Espanola de Asociaciones de Docentes de Educacion Fisica and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Injury to one cerebral hemisphere can result in paresis of the contralesional hand and subsequent preference of the ipsilesional hand in daily activities. However, forced use therapy in humans can improve function of the contralesional paretic hand and increase its use in daily activities, although the ipsilesional hand may remain preferred for fine motor activities. Studies in monkeys have shown that minimal forced use of the contralesional hand, which was the preferred hand prior to brain injury, can produce remarkable recovery of function. Here we tested the hypothesis that long-term forced use of the contralesional hand during the post-lesion period can return it to preferred status. Four rhesus monkeys received tests of hand preference prior to surgical lesions of primary motor cortex, lateral premotor cortex and anterior parietal cortex (F2P2 lesion) contralateral to the preferred hand. Beginning two weeks after the lesion, forced use therapy involving contralateral hand reaches to acquire food targets occurred 3X weekly with at least 300 reaches/session until 24 weeks post-lesion. Despite initial paresis of the contralesional hand, its manipulation skill returned to near pre-lesion levels or higher and all four monkeys returned to a contralesional hand preference late in the post-lesion period. Favorable reorganization of spared cortical and subcortical neural networks may promote recovery of hand function and preference. These results have relevance for the use of extensive forced-use therapy in humans who experience unilateral periRolandic injury to potentially support better recovery of contralesional hand function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Las lesiones iatrogénicas de la vía biliar se asocian a incremento de la morbimortalidad y ocurren tras procedimientos quirúrgicos en este caso la colecistectomía, esta puede ser abierta o laparoscópica sin embargo desde el surgimiento de la colecistectomía laparoscópica la incidencia incremento siendo en la era de la convencional de 0.1-0.2% llegando hasta un 1.1%. Asociándose a determinados factores como la experiencia quirurgica, obesidad, cirrosis, adherencias por cirugías previas etc.

Introducción. La ‘viruela símica’ (MPOX) es un virus zoonótico que en México reportó más de 4000 casos (29 defunciones) a junio 2023. Aunque se declaró el fin de la emergencia (mayo del 2023), en el 2024 se reportan nuevos brotes, variantes del virus y alertas. Presentación del caso: Dos hombres (44 y 48 años; con relaciones sexuales con hombres; seropositivos, con cargas virales indetectables, CD4>600 linfocitos/mm3) acudieron a revisión con similar cuadro clínico (exantema vesicular con pústulas o vesicular/maculopapular; fiebre; cefalea, mialgia, linfa-adenopatías, artralgia, astenia). Los pacientes contactaron personas con síntomas similares en viajes previos a su atención (octubre 2022). Los pacientes son empleados de maquiladoras en Reynosa; no se hospitalizaron y se aislaron en su domicilio. El tratamiento incluyó 1g metamizol sódico cada 8h; curaciones diarias de lesiones con fomentos secantes de té de manzanilla y petrolato puro; colocación de apósito de gasa y cinta microporosa. Los picos febriles se controlaron con antipirético. Las lesiones cicatrizaron a las 4-6 semanas, resultando en cicatrices atróficas similares a las de varicela. Conclusiones. El reporte epidemiológico indicó casos sospechosos de MPOX; las muestras de raspado de lesiones y toma de biopsia identificó al virus MPOX mediante PCR en ambos pacientes.

Direct-to-patient mobile teledermoscopy is a feasible and useful adjunct to smartphone imaging for monitoring patient-identified lesions of concern, achieving comparable diagnostic and management accuracy as in-office dermatology.

Understanding and interpreting how words are organized in a sentence to convey distinct meanings is a cornerstone of human communication. The neural underpinnings of this ability, known as syntactic comprehension, are far from agreed upon in current neurocognitive models of language comprehension. Traditionally, left frontal regions (e.g. left posterior inferior frontal gyrus) were considered critical, while more recently, left temporal regions (most prominently, left posterior middle temporal gyrus) have been identified as more indispensable to syntactic comprehension. Syntactic processing has been investigated by using different types of non-canonical sentences i.e. those that do not follow prototypical word order and are considered more syntactically complex. However, non-canonical sentences can be complex for different linguistic reasons, and thus, their comprehension might rely on different neural underpinnings. In this cross-sectional study, we explored the neural correlates of syntactic comprehension by investigating the roles of left hemisphere brain regions and white matter pathways in processing sentences with different levels of syntactic complexity. Participants were assessed at a single point in time using structural MRI and behavioural tests. Employing lesion-symptom mapping and indirect structural disconnection mapping in a cohort of 131 left hemisphere stroke survivors, our analysis revealed the following left temporal regions and underlying white matter pathways as crucial for general sentence comprehension: the left mid-posterior superior temporal gyrus, middle temporal gyrus and superior temporal sulcus and the inferior longitudinal fasciculus, the inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus, the middle longitudinal fasciculus, the uncinate fasciculus and the tracts crossing the most posterior part of the corpus callosum. We further found significant involvement of different white matter tracts connecting the left temporal and frontal lobes for different sentence types. Spared connections between the left temporal and frontal regions were critical for the comprehension of non-canonical sentences requiring long-distance retrieval (spared superior longitudinal fasciculus for both subject and object extraction and spared arcuate fasciculus for object extraction) but not for comprehension of non-canonical passive sentences and canonical declarative sentences. Our results challenge traditional language models that emphasize the primary role of the left frontal regions, such as Brocas area, in basic sentence structure comprehension. Our findings suggest a gradient of syntactic complexity, rather than a clear-cut dichotomy between canonical and non-canonical sentence structures. Our findings contribute to a more nuanced understanding of the neural architecture of language comprehension and highlight potential directions for future research.

Background: The main goal of the study was to find the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) parameters that optimize contrast between tissue and thermal lesions produced by focused ultrasound (FUS) using T1-weighted (T1-W) and T2-weighted (T2-W) fast spin echo (FSE) sequences. Methods: FUS sonications were performed in ex vivo porcine tissue using a single-element FUS transducer of 2.6 MHz in 1.5 and 3 T MRI scanners. The difference in relaxation times as well as the impact of critical MRI parameters on the resultant contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) between coagulated and normal tissues were assessed. Discrete and overlapping lesions were inflicted in tissue with simultaneous acquisition of T2-W FSE images. Results: FUS lesions are characterized by lower relaxation times than intact porcine tissue. CNR values above 80 were sufficient for proper lesion visualization. For T1-W imaging, repetition time values close to 1500 ms were considered optimum for obtaining sufficiently high CNR at the minimum time cost. Echo time values close to 50 ms offered the maximum lesion contrast in T2-W FSE imaging. Monitoring of acute FUS lesions during grid sonications was performed successfully. Lesions appeared as hypointense spots with excellent contrast from surrounding tissue. Conclusion: MRI monitoring of signal intensity changes during FUS sonication in grid patterns using optimized sequence parameters can provide useful information about lesion progression and the success of ablation. This preliminary study demonstrated the feasibility of the proposed monitoring method in ex vivo porcine tissue and should be supported by in vivo studies to assess its clinical potential.

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women; approximately 1 in 8 women is diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime. Some women are at significantly higher risk of developing breast cancer, including women carrying mutations in the BRCA1/2, TP53, or other genes and women with other risk factors. Women with a high lifetime risk for breast cancer are frequently offered annual breast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examinations for early breast cancer detection. Breast MRI is commonly performed using a multiparametric imaging protocol, including dynamic contrast-enhanced T1-weighted acquisitions. The dynamic contrast-enhanced T1-weighted acquisitions are frequently transformed into subtraction series, allowing the focused visualization of areas with high signal intensity and masses associated with elevated contrast agent uptake, which are among the hallmarks of suspicious findings. Here, we report a case in which a suspicious lesion-mimicking swap artifact occurred using a T1-weighted contrast-enhanced DIXON acquisition technique in a high-risk breast cancer screening MRI examination.

Our study aimed to develop a comprehensive system for discriminating between benign and malignant breast lesions on ultrasound images. The system integrated deep learning (DL) and conventional machine learning techniques. Our database consisted of 494 ultrasound images, comprising 231 benign and 263 malignant breast lesions. In the initial stage, we evaluated the performance of non-modified DL networks, including VGG-16, ResNet-18, and InceptionRes-NetV2. We assessed the results for the entire lesion as well as its inner and outer parts. For training the networks, we employed supervised transfer learning. In the second stage, we utilized a support vector machine (SVM) model for lesion classification. The features obtained from the modified DL networks, where we removed the last layers, were used for training and testing the SVM. In the final stage, we assessed the classification results using SVM, with a focus on selecting the most significant features obtained from the modified DL networks. We employed techniques such as ReliefF, FSCNCA, and LASSO for feature selection. Our three-step approach yielded impressive results, with an accuracy of 0.987, sensitivity of 0.989, and specificity of 0.983. These results significantly outperformed using only DL or DL+SVM without feature selection. Overall, our algorithm demonstrated sufficient accuracy in the clinical task of discriminating between benign and malignant breast lesions on ultrasound images.

Background Objectives Materials and Methods Results Conclusion Acne vulgaris stands as a prevailing skin condition among adolescents worldwide.The primary aim in addressing acne is to manage it effectively, preventing the occurrence of permanent scarring.This case report outlines the experiences of two adolescent boys grappling with acne fulminans. Initial treatments encompassed isotretinoin, corticosteroids, and doxycycline, until they were discontinued due to their ineffectiveness and the emergence of adverse side effects such as headaches, nausea, and vomiting. Subsequently, fluorescent light energy (FLE) therapy was introduced to tackle these severe cases.After 4 months of FLE therapy, the patients exhibited significant improvements in their condition. Six months post treatment initiation, both patients have sustained a symptom free state, marked by the absence of active lesions.FLE therapy effectively treated the acne fulminans cases reported and could be considered as a valid treatment option. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Retos: Nuevas Perspectivas de Educación Física, Deporte y Recreación is the property of Federacion Espanola de Asociaciones de Docentes de Educacion Fisica and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Retos: Nuevas Perspectivas de Educación Física, Deporte y Recreación is the property of Federacion Espanola de Asociaciones de Docentes de Educacion Fisica and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Revista Foco (Interdisciplinary Studies Journal) is the property of Revista Foco and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Clozapine is an atypical antipsychotic (AAP) drug used in treatment-resistant schizophrenia patients. The adverse effects of clozapine on the heart may result in death and require drug discontinuation. Inflammatory mechanisms are thought to be responsible for the negative effect of clozapine on the heart. This suggests that using an agent with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, which may be specific to clozapine-induced heart damage, may prevent possible damage. The aim of our study is to evaluate the effect of taxifolin (3 , 5 , 7 , 3 ', 4'-pentahydroxy flavanone), an agent with known antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects, on myocardial damage caused by clozapine with biochemical and histopathological data. The rats were divided into three equal groups: healthy control group (HC), clozapine-treated group (CLN), and taxifolin + clozapine-treated group (TCL). To perform this experiment, taxifolin was administered to TCL (n-6) rats at a dose of 50 mg/kg orally by gavage into the stomach. In the HC (n-6) and CLN (n-6) groups, the same volume of distilled water was administered orally as a solvent. One hour after the administration of taxifolin and distilled water, clozapine was administered orally at a dose of 20 mg/kg to the TCL and CLN groups once a day for 28 days. At the end of the period, troponin I (TP I) and creatine kinase MB (CK-MB) levels were measured in the venous blood of each group. Malondialdehyde (MDA), total glutathione (tGSH), TNF-α, NF-▪B, and IL-1β levels were measured in samples taken from heart tissues. Additionally, heart tissues were evaluated histopathologically. Troponin I, CK-MB, MDA, TNF-α, NF-▪B, and IL-1β levels, myocardial degeneration, myofiber irregularity, and congestion scores were significantly higher and tGSH levels were lower in the clozapine group than in the healthy control and taxifolin + clozapine groups (P < 0.05). Compared with the healthy control group, troponin I, tGSH, and NF-KB levels were similar (P > 0.05), CK-MB, MDA, TNF-α, and IL-1β levels were higher in the taxifolin + clozapine group, while they were significantly lower than the clozapine group (P < 0.05). Histopathologically evaluated myocardial degeneration, myofiber irregularity, and congestion score were significantly lower in the taxifolin + clozapine group than in the clozapine group. In the clozapine group (CLN group), myofibers were found to have irregular patterns and were observed as irregular. In the taxifolin + clozapine group (TLC group), myofibrils generally showed a regular morphology. We found that taxifolin can ameliorate damage to myocardial tissue by regulating oxidant-antioxidant and proinflammatory cytokine levels. The data of our study suggest that taxifolin may be useful in the treatment of clozapine-induced myocardial injury. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Structural disconnectome analyses have provided valuable insights into how a stroke lesion results in widespread network disturbances and how these relate to deficits, recovery patterns, and outcomes. Previous analyses have primarily focused on patients with relatively mild to moderate deficits. However, outcomes vary among survivors of severe strokes, and the mechanisms of recovery remain poorly understood. This study assesses the association between lesion‐induced network disconnection and outcome after severe stroke. Thirty‐eight ischaemic stroke patients underwent MRI brain imaging early after stroke and longitudinal clinical follow‐up. Lesion information was integrated with normative connectome data to infer individual disconnectome profiles on a localized regional and region‐to‐region pathway level. Ordinal logistic regressions were computed to link disconnectome information to the modified Rankin Scale after 3–6 months. Disconnections of ipsilesional frontal, parietal, and temporal cortical brain areas were significantly associated with a worse motor outcome after a severe stroke, adjusted for the initial deficit, lesion volume, and age. The analysis of the underlying pathways mediating this association revealed location‐specific results: For frontal, prefrontal, and temporal brain areas, the association was primarily driven by relatively sparse intrahemispheric disconnections. In contrast, the ipsilesional primary motor cortex, the dorsal premotor cortex, and various parietal brain regions showed a remarkable involvement of either frontoparietal intrahemispheric or additionally interhemispheric disconnections. These results indicate that localized disconnection of multiple regions embedded in the structural frontoparietal network correlates with worse outcomes after severe stroke. Specifically, primary motor and parietal cortices might gain particular importance as they structurally link frontoparietal networks of both hemispheres. These data shed novel light on the significance of distinct brain networks for recovery after a severe stroke. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Retos: Nuevas Perspectivas de Educación Física, Deporte y Recreación is the property of Federacion Espanola de Asociaciones de Docentes de Educacion Fisica and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Revista Brasileira de Prescrição e Fisiologia do Exercício is the property of Instituto Brasileiro de Pesquisa e Ensino em Fisiologia do Exercicio and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Head direction (HD) neurons, signalling facing direction, generate a signal that is primarily anchored to the outside world by visual inputs. We investigated the route for visual landmark information into the HD system in rats. There are two candidates: an evolutionarily older, larger subcortical retino‐tectal pathway and a more recently evolved, smaller cortical retino‐geniculo‐striate pathway. We disrupted the cortical pathway by lesioning the dorsal lateral geniculate thalamic nuclei bilaterally, and recorded HD cells in the postsubicular cortex as rats foraged in a visual‐cue‐controlled enclosure. In lesioned rats we found the expected number of postsubicular HD cells. Although directional tuning curves were broader across a trial, this was attributable to the increased instability of otherwise normal‐width tuning curves. Tuning curves were also poorly responsive to polarizing visual landmarks and did not distinguish cues based on their visual pattern. Thus, the retino‐geniculo‐striate pathway is not crucial for the generation of an underlying, tightly tuned directional signal but does provide the main route for vision‐based anchoring of the signal to the outside world, even when visual cues are high in contrast and low in detail. Key points: Head direction (HD) cells indicate the facing direction of the head, using visual landmarks to distinguish directions.In rats, we investigated whether this visual information is routed through the thalamus to the visual cortex or arrives via the superior colliculus, which is a phylogenetically older and (in rodents) larger pathway.We lesioned the thalamic dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus (dLGN) in rats and recorded the responsiveness of cortical HD cells to visual cues.We found that cortical HD cells had normal tuning curves, but these were slightly more unstable during a trial. Most notably, HD cells in dLGN‐lesioned animals showed little ability to distinguish highly distinct cues and none to distinguish more similar cues.These results suggest that directional processing of visual landmarks in mammals requires the geniculo‐cortical pathway, which raises questions about when and how visual directional landmark processing appeared during evolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To describe features of a syphilitic vascularized iris mass on multimodal imaging and its resolution after penicillin treatment. Methods: Observational case report and literature review of syphilitic iris masses. Results: A 43-year-old woman presented with a unilateral vascularized tan iris mass in the setting of bilateral panuveitis that occurred along with bilateral papillitis, cystoid macular edema and retinal vasculitis. Laboratory work-up confirmed a diagnosis of syphilis. Ultrasound biomicroscopy (UBM) of the iris mass showed parapupillary hyperechoic full-thickness iris stromal thickening with small intrinsic circular lumens without cyst or ciliary body extension, while the anterior segment optical coherence tomography (AS-OCT) demonstrated a hyperreflective mass with deep iris extension and partial hyporeflective rim. Following treatment, the mass fully resolved without residual sequela. A review of literature identified 11 additional cases of syphilitic iris masses in the English literature from 1915 to present. Their presentations and clinical courses were reviewed herein. Conclusions: This report characterizes a syphilitic iris mass on slit-lamp photography, iris fluorescein angiography, UBM and AS-OCT; depicts key characteristics of syphilitic iris masses; and highlights the need for close inspection of the iris mass as an uncommon sign of ocular syphilis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVE: To assess the prevalence and risk factors associated with scabies in Tando Muhammad Khan, Sindh, Pakistan. METHODOLOGY: A retrospective observational study was conducted at the dermatology outpatient clinic of Indus Medical College and Hospital, reviewing medical records from January to August 2024. A total of 300 patients' records were examined for documented cases of scabies based on physical assessments. Sociodemographic and dietary data were extracted from existing medical records and hospital databases. The collected data were then analyzed using SPSS, with the results presented in tables and graphs. RESULTS: Among the 300 scabies cases, 49.1% were adult males, 32.3% were adult females, and 9.3% were teenagers and children. Adult males showed the highest Prevalence, with many cases linked to lower socioeconomic backgrounds. The mean Age for male patients was 42.71 years, and 53.3% were Sindhi. Most patients (86%) relied on surface water, and 81% were non-vegetarians. Crusted lesions were the most common, with 97% of patients exhibiting multiple lesions across various body areas. CONCLUSION: The study reveals that overcrowding, poor hygiene, and limited access to clean water are major risk factors. Public health interventions focusing on hygiene education and better water access are crucial to reducing scabies in the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To identify the prevalence and type of rotator cuff injuries in Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioners. Method: A cross-sectional and association evaluating patients through non-probabilistic, convenience sampling, performing a bilateral shoulder ultrasound. Results: In the present study, 40 patients practicing Brazilian jiu-jitsu were evaluated; 75% (n = 30) were male and 25% (n = 10) were female, in an age range of 19 to 53 years, with an average age of 31 years, a weight of 80.5 kg (BMI of 27), 82.5% (n = 33) reported pain or discomfort in any of the shoulder arcs of movement, with abduction being more common, with an overall prevalence of 70% (n = 28), followed by flexion (35%, n = 14), extension (22.5%, n = 9), internal rotation (17.5%, n = 7), rotation external (7.5%, n = 3) and adduction (7.5%, n = 3). Conclusions: Eighty percent presented ultrasound findings compatible with rotator cuff injury; the supraspinatus muscle tendon was the most affected element (72.5%). The most frequent finding was tendinopathy in 70% of the practitioners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Focal Mandibular Cemento-Osseous Dysplasia is a benign fibro-osseous lesion that primarily affects the jawbones. It is often discovered incidentally during routine dental radiographic examinations. The aim of this current case report to present a patient with Focal Mandibular Cemento-Osseous Dysplasia, and to discuss the clinical and radiographic features. The chief complain of the patient was "I want to restore my missing posterior teeth", upon clinical and radiographic examination, Mixed radiopaque radiolucent lesion appeared in the area of future implant site, Surgical excisional biopsy for histopathological confirmation was conducted under local anesthesia, and the diagnosis was confirmed. One of the deferential diagnoses after Cone beam computed tomography was, Cemento-Osseous Dysplasia. This was confirmed by histopathological examination. The present case report highlighted the importance of accurate diagnosis and appropriate management of mandibular sclerosing lesions which are crucial to ensure optimal patient care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The main goal of the study was to find the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) parameters that optimize contrast between tissue and thermal lesions produced by focused ultrasound (FUS) using T1-weighted (T1-W) and T2-weighted (T2-W) fast spin echo (FSE) sequences. Methods: FUS sonications were performed in ex vivo porcine tissue using a single-element FUS transducer of 2.6 MHz in 1.5 and 3 T MRI scanners. The difference in relaxation times as well as the impact of critical MRI parameters on the resultant contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) between coagulated and normal tissues were assessed. Discrete and overlapping lesions were inflicted in tissue with simultaneous acquisition of T2-W FSE images. Results: FUS lesions are characterized by lower relaxation times than intact porcine tissue. CNR values above 80 were sufficient for proper lesion visualization. For T1-W imaging, repetition time values close to 1500 ms were considered optimum for obtaining sufficiently high CNR at the minimum time cost. Echo time values close to 50 ms offered the maximum lesion contrast in T2-W FSE imaging. Monitoring of acute FUS lesions during grid sonications was performed successfully. Lesions appeared as hypointense spots with excellent contrast from surrounding tissue. Conclusion: MRI monitoring of signal intensity changes during FUS sonication in grid patterns using optimized sequence parameters can provide useful information about lesion progression and the success of ablation. This preliminary study demonstrated the feasibility of the proposed monitoring method in ex vivo porcine tissue and should be supported by in vivo studies to assess its clinical potential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista Foco (Interdisciplinary Studies Journal) is the property of Revista Foco and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Revista Foco (Interdisciplinary Studies Journal) is the property of Revista Foco and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

En el presente artículo se muestra la divergencia respecto de la consideración con la que médicos y abogados tratan los “sentidos corporales”. Esta divergencia ignora que la evolución del conocimiento científico es más veloz que la del jurídico. Se muestra cómo se han incorporado al saber biomédico, conceptos relativos al tema, que no se compadecen con aquellos que, históricamente, están profundamente enraizados en lo jurídico. Se siguió el método de revisión bibliográfica monográfica del estado del arte en un determinado momento. Los resultados muestran la distancia conceptual entre las categorizaciones lesionales vigentes, no sólo en el códice penal propio, sino en otras codificaciones y corrientes doctrinarias, sin considerar los avances en investigación de los sentidos corporales, no solo en el derecho continental, sino también en el common law. Como principal conclusión, esta investigación contribuye para una discusión profunda sobre la cuestión de cómo debe considerarse el tema, especialmente en las lesiones gravísimas.

Introduction: The aim of this clinical review was to evaluate the number and types of skin cancer excised by GPs in a rural clinic in South West Victoria, Australia, and analyse the number needed to treat (NNT, a common metric for evaluating skin cancer detection) and the influence of clinician experience on diagnostic accuracy. Methods: This retrospective audit of patient records was for two discrete time periods (14 October 2019 to 5 November 2020 and 1 February 2021 to 17 February 2022). Data extracted included number of lesions removed, location of lesions, skin cancers detected, and patient and clinician characteristics. Results: A total of 789 lesions were excised; of these, 449 (56.9%) were histologically confirmed to be malignant. Males were statistically more likely to be diagnosed with a malignancy (p≤0.001). The NNTs for melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancers were 5.4 and 1.4, respectively. Experienced GPs (>5 years experience) were better at detecting melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancers than their junior colleagues. Conclusion: This study investigated the demographic characteristics of rural skin cancer patients and the diagnostic skills of GPs in South West Victoria. Results obtained found males had a higher risk of skin cancer than females. The diagnostic accuracy for all skin cancers improved with clinician experience and a lower overall NNT for both melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancers when compared to existing literature. Differences in this may highlight the experience, exposure, and professional interest of rural GPs, addressing a lack of specialist services in the area.

Juvenile hyaline fibromatosis is a recessive autosomal hereditary disorder characterized by abnormal growth of hyalinized fibrous tissue. Its clinical presentation is manifested by benign skin lesions, bone lesions, joint contractures, and gingival hyperplasia. The underlying cause is an abnormal growth of hyalinized fibrous tissue with cutaneous, mucosal, osteoarticular, and systemic involvement. This report presents a case of a 4-year-old male child; with complaints of multiple painful body swellings and pus discharge from scalp swellings for the past two years admitted at Dr. Ruth Pfau Civil Hospital, Karachi, 2021. This patient had right occipital scalp swelling of 10x 10 cm due to which surgery was done and the excision was successful. Other findings included stiff joints, skin overgrowth over the scalp and back + buttocks, multiple firm cystic swellings on the scalp, back, trunk, and whole body involving the face (nose), anal region, gum hypertrophy, and various papules over the nose.

Summary: Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can help evaluate lateral epicondylitis; however, abnormal findings on MRI are not always consistent with the symptoms. The occurrence of such abnormal MRI findings at the lateral side of the elbow in patients without pain remains unclear. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the MRI findings of the lateral elbow joint in patients with no complaints of pain in the elbow joint.We retrospectively identified 152 patients who had undergone MRI of the area including the elbow from July 2015 to January 2022. We excluded patients with pain in the elbow area and those with diagnosis of diseases that could affect MRI findings at the lateral elbow. The presence of lateral collateral ligament complex (LCLC) and common extensor tendon (CET) lesions on MRI was assessed by two reviewers.In total, 22 patients (12 men and 10 women) were included in the analysis. The mean age of the patients was 54 years. Five patients, all ≥65 years old, had abnormal findings related to the LCLC or CET on MRI. Abnormal LCLC and CET findings on MRI can be encountered in older patients even in the absence of elbow pain.

Cemento-osseous dysplasia (COD) is classified, by the World Health Organization as a benign fibro-osseous lesion related to the tooth and periapical area of the jaws and is considered as a benign reactive process appearing from the apical periodontium in close relation with the apices of teeth. Usually, it is asymptomatic, discovered accidentally, and affecting particularly middle-aged African women. There are four subtypes distinguished of the lesion: periapical (PCOD), focal (FCOD), florid (FLCOD) and familial florid cemento-osseous dysplasia (FFLCOD). Pseudocysts found in the jaws go by various names, including solitary bone cyst, traumatic bone cyst, or simple bone cyst (SBC). These two pathologies have been reported separately; however, their co-occurrence remains rare and the first case of FLCOD with co-occurrence of SBC was reported by Melrose et al. in 1976 and later a few cases been reported in the literature. The aim of this report is to describe a case of a 46-year-old oriental female diagnosed with FLCOD with co-occurrence of SBC. Under local analgesia, a surgical exploration of the cyst was performed. In addition, a biopsy with a trephine was done in the region of missing right first mandibular molar. Based on the patient clinical, radiographic, and histological findings, a diagnosis of FLCOD was made in co-occurrence with a mandibular SBC. An examination of another female family member unveils a distinctive case, and the familial factor has been ruled out. No further treatment was planned and only follow-up was suggested.

Endometriosis negatively impacts the health-related quality of life of 190 million women worldwide. Novel advances in nonhormonal treatments for this debilitating condition are desperately needed. Macrophages play a vital role in the pathophysiology of endometriosis and represent a promising therapeutic target. In the current study, we revealed the full transcriptomic complexity of endometriosis-associated macrophage subpopulations using single-cell analyses in a preclinical mouse model of experimental endometriosis. We have identified two key lesion-resident populations that resemble i) tumor-associated macrophages (characterized by expression of Folr2, Mrc1, Gas6, and Ccl8+) that promoted expression of Col1a1 and Tgfb1 in human endometrial stromal cells and increased angiogenic meshes in human umbilical vein endothelial cells, and ii) scar-associated macrophages (Mmp12, Cd9, Spp1, Trem2+) that exhibited a phenotype associated with fibrosis and matrix remodeling. We also described a population of proresolving large peritoneal macrophages that align with a lipid-associated macrophage phenotype (Apoe, Saa3, Pid1) concomitant with altered lipid metabolism and cholesterol efflux. Gain of function experiments using an Apoe mimetic resulted in decreased lesion size and fibrosis, and modification of peritoneal macrophage populations in the preclinical model. Using cross-species analysis of mouse and human single-cell datasets, we determined the concordance of peritoneal and lesion-resident macrophage subpopulations, identifying key similarities and differences in transcriptomic phenotypes. Ultimately, we envisage that these findings will inform the design and use of specific macrophage-targeted therapies and open broad avenues for the treatment of endometriosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Focal imaging abnormalities in patients with parkinsonism suggest secondary etiology and require a distinctive clinical approach to diagnosis and treatment. We review different entities presenting as secondary parkinsonism associated with structural brain lesions, with emphasis on the clinical course and neuroimaging findings. Secondary parkinsonism may be due to vascular causes, hydrocephalus, space-occupying lesions, metabolic causes (including acquired hepatocerebral degeneration, diabetic uremic encephalopathy, basal ganglia calcifications, osmotic demyelination syndrome), hypoxic-ischaemic brain injury, intoxications (including methanol, carbon monoxide, cyanide, carbon disulfide, manganese poisoning and illicit drugs), infections and immune causes. The onset can vary from acute to chronic. Both uni-and bilateral presentations are possible. Rigidity, bradykinesia and gait abnormalities are more common than rest tremor. Coexisting other movement disorders and additional associated neurological signs may point to the underlying diagnosis. Neuroimaging studies are an essential part in the diagnostic work-up of secondary parkinsonism and may point directly to the underlying etiology. We focus primarily on magnetic resonance imaging to illustrate how structural imaging combined with neurological assessment can lead to diagnosis. It is crucial that typical imaging abnormalities are recognized within the relevant clinical context. Many forms of secondary parkinsonism are reversible with elimination of the specific cause, while some may benefit from symptomatic treatment. This heterogeneous group of acquired disorders has also helped shape our knowledge of Parkinson's disease and basal ganglia pathophysiology, while more recent findings in the field garner support for the network perspective on brain function and neurological disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The monkeypox virus was declared endemic in several nations when COVID-19 cases began to decline and people were readjusting to normal life. Monkeypox was identified in 1958, with the first human case occurring in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 1970. It has primarily impacted the poor Central and West African countries. Over the years, the monkeypox virus has evolved to a contagious disease due to which the situation is becoming grave and disturbing. In this paper, the genesis of the monkeypox virus, its history, and its re-emergence are discussed. Also, a quantitative analysis of cases that occurred in affected countries is performed based on several factors. This paper also discusses the role of Internet of Things (IoT) in controlling the current spread of the Monkeypox virus. An ensemble deep learning architecture is proposed to envisage the monkeypox virus through IoT devices. The convolutional neural network is incorporated to improve the performance of the proposed architecture. The proposed architecture is tested over two well-known datasets and attained better performance than the existing techniques. The impact of infected people's travel history, gender, and hospitalization requirements is also investigated. This work motivates young researchers to work on the development of vaccines and other precautionary measures to prevent the outbreak of the monkeypox virus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cemento-osseous dysplasia (COD) is classified, by the World Health Organization as a benign fibro-osseous lesion related to the tooth and periapical area of the jaws and is considered as a benign reactive process appearing from the apical periodontium in close relation with the apices of teeth. Usually, it is asymptomatic, discovered accidentally, and affecting particularly middle-aged African women. There are four subtypes distinguished of the lesion: periapical (PCOD), focal (FCOD), florid (FLCOD) and familial florid cementoosseous dysplasia (FFLCOD). Pseudocysts found in the jaws go by various names, including solitary bone cyst, traumatic bone cyst, or simple bone cyst (SBC). These two pathologies have been reported separately; however, their co-occurrence remains rare and the first case of FLCOD with co-occurrence of SBC was reported by Melrose et al. in 1976 and later a few cases been reported in the literature. The aim of this report is to describe a case of a 46- year-old oriental female diagnosed with FLCOD with co-occurrence of SBC. Under local analgesia, a surgical exploration of the cyst was performed. In addition, a biopsy with a trephine was done in the region of missing right first mandibular molar. Based on the patient clinical, radiographic, and histological findings, a diagnosis of FLCOD was made in cooccurrence with a mandibular SBC. An examination of another female family member unveils a distinctive case, and the familial factor has been ruled out. No further treatment was planned and only follow-up was suggested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In medical diagnosis, mammographic imaging is mainly concerned with the breast parenchymal patterns (counterbalance of glandular tissue and fatty tissue) by which an expert radiologist can easily determine the abnormalities in the breast of cancer patients and if the interpretation of mammogram and the quality of mammogram both are well provided. Accordingly, improved mammographic view via an efficient image processing algorithm plays a significant role in the medical diagnosis of mammograms. This study introduces a sharpening method based on the modified Laplacian filter (MLF) on compute unified device architecture (CUDA) to improve the visibility and detection of pernicious lesions in a mammogram. To process considerably large mammograms on CPU, the conventional Laplacian sharpening is more time-consuming due to the processing of all pixels with serial execution manner. Although this type of image sharpening is well established for improved image quality, its effect on a larger image for use in the GPU environment has not been extensively studied. The proposed framework is successfully devised and implemented in an efficient parallel execution manner on a computing platform of graphic processing units (GPU). To examine the impact of mammograms and filter size on performance along with the comparative processing time between serial execute on CPU and parallel computing on GPU (except data transfer time). To accelerate the performance of the proposed model, we adopt both global and shared memory in GPU to realize further improvements of the execution speed. The proposed framework applies a new nonlinear filter constraints module in the sharping stage while the Laplacian filter attenuate noise sensitivity and leads to achieving visually improved results in comparison with formal sharping. The proposed framework has been extensively compared with other recent baseline methods showing to improvement in the computational cost of the image sharping approach. Experimental results establish that the two proposed sharping methods outperform the state-of-the-art methods with respect to execution speed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bone lesions are commonly encountered on radiographs. Often, bone lesions are incidental findings on radiographs obtained for trauma or joint pain. Because of the wide spectrum of pathology that can be present, it useful for anyone who evaluates bone radiographs to have an idea of how to approach these lesions. In this article, we provide 10 facts to help clinicians evaluate and risk stratify bone lesions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: A skin lesion refers to an area of the skin that exhibits anomalous growth or distinctive visual characteristics compared to the surrounding skin. Benign skin lesions are noncancerous and generally pose no threat. These irregular skin growths can vary in appearance. On the other hand, malignant skin lesions correspond to skin cancer, which happens to be the most prevalent form of cancer in the United States. Skin cancer involves the unusual proliferation of skin cells anywhere on the body. The conventional method for detecting skin cancer is relatively more painful. Methods: This work involves the automated prediction of skin cancer and its types using two stage Convolutional Neural Network (CNN). The first stage of CNN extracts low level features and second stage extracts high level features. Feature selection is done using these two CNN and ABCD (Asymmetry, Border irregularity, Colour variation, and Diameter) technique. The features extracted from the two CNNs are fused with ABCD features and fed into classifiers for the final prediction. The classifiers employed in this work include ensemble learning methods such as gradient boosting and XG boost, as well as machine learning classifiers like decision trees and logistic regression. This methodology is evaluated using the International Skin Imaging Collaboration (ISIC) 2018 and 2019 dataset. Results: As a result, the first stage CNN which is used for creation of new dataset achieved an accuracy of 97.92%. Second stage CNN which is used for feature selection achieved an accuracy of 98.86%. Classification results are obtained for both with and without fusion of features. Conclusion: Therefore, two stage prediction model achieved better results with feature fusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To investigate the microstructural properties of T2 lesion and normal-appearing white matter (NAWM) in 20 white matter tracts between multiple sclerosis (MS) and neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) and correlations between the tissue damage and clinical variables. Methods: The white matter (WM) compartment of the brain was segmented for 56 healthy controls (HC), 48 patients with MS, and 38 patients with NMOSD, and for the patients further subdivided into T2 lesion and NAWM. Subsequently, the diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) tissue characterization parameters of fractional anisotropy (FA), mean diffusivity (MD), axial diffusivity (AD), and radial diffusivity (RD) were compared for 20 principal white matter tracts. The correlation between tissue damage and clinical variables was also investigated. Results: The higher T2 lesion volumes of 14 fibers were shown in MS compared to NMOSD. MS showed more microstructure damage in 13 fibers of T2 lesion, but similar microstructure in seven fibers compared to NMOSD. MS and NMOSD had microstructure damage of NAWM in 20 fibers compared to WM in HC, with more damage in 20 fibers in MS compared to NMOSD. MS patients showed higher correlation between the microstructure of T2 lesion areas and NAWM. The T2 lesion microstructure damage was correlated with duration and impaired cognition in MS. Conclusions: Patients with MS and NMOSD show different patterns of microstructural damage in T2 lesion and NAWM areas. The prolonged disease course of MS may aggravate the microstructural damage, and the degree of microstructural damage is further related to cognitive impairment. Clinical relevance statement: Microstructure differences between T2 lesion areas and normal-appearing white matter help distinguish multiple sclerosis and neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder. In multiple sclerosis, lesions rather than normal-appearing white matter should be a concern, because the degree of lesion severity correlated both with normal-appearing white matter damage and cognitive impairment. Key Points: • Multiple sclerosis and neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder have different damage patterns in T2 lesion and normal-appearing white matter areas. • The microstructure damage of normal-appearing white matter is correlated with the microstructure of T2 lesion in multiple sclerosis and neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder. • The microstructure damage of T2 lesion in multiple sclerosis is correlated with duration and cognitive impairment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The distinction and precise identification of tumor nodules are crucial for timely lung cancer diagnosis and planning intervention. This research work addresses the major issues pertaining to the field of medical image processing while focusing on lung cancer Computed Tomography (CT) images. In this context, the paper proposes an improved lung cancer segmentation technique based on the strengths of nature-inspired approaches. The better resolution of CT is exploited to distinguish healthy subjects from those who have lung cancer. In this process, the visual challenges of the K-means are addressed with the integration of four nature-inspired swarm intelligent techniques. The techniques experimented in this paper are K-means with Artificial Bee Colony (ABC), K-means with Cuckoo Search Algorithm (CSA), K-means with Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO), and K-means with Firefly Algorithm (FFA). The testing and evaluation are performed on Early Lung Cancer Action Program (ELCAP) database. The simulation analysis is performed using lung cancer images set against metrics: precision, sensitivity, specificity, f-measure, accuracy, Matthews Correlation Coefficient (MCC), Jaccard, and Dice. The detailed evaluation shows that the K-means with Cuckoo Search Algorithm (CSA) significantly improved the quality of lung cancer segmentation in comparison to the other optimization approaches utilized for lung cancer images. The results exhibit that the proposed approach (K-means with CSA) achieves precision, sensitivity, and F-measure of 0.942, 0.964, and 0.953, respectively, and an average accuracy of 93%. The experimental results prove that K-means with ABC, K-means with PSO, K-means with FFA, and K-means with CSA have achieved an improvement of 10.8%, 13.38%, 13.93%, and 15.7%, respectively, for accuracy measure in comparison to K-means segmentation for lung cancer images. Further, it is highlighted that the proposed K-means with CSA have achieved a significant improvement in accuracy, hence can be utilized by researchers for improved segmentation processes of medical image datasets for identifying the targeted region of interest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective(s): Numerous stem cells are distributed throughout various regions of the central nervous system. Currently, extensive research has been conducted on the potential use of neural stem cells (NSCs) for the repair of the central nervous system. These neural stem cells possess the ability to differentiate into several cell types, including neurons, astrocytes, and oligodendrocytes. The suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) is crucial in regulating the circadian rhythm as well as the sleep-wake cycle. This research investigates the NSCs transplantation on the sleep-wake cycle in suprachiasmatic nucleus lesions of rats. Methods: Apigenin-coated gold nanoparticles have been synthesized. NSCs were cultured in DMEM F12 enriched with apigenin-coated gold nanoparticles. Thirty adult male Wistar rats weighing between 220-250 g, were classified into three groups (Lesion, experimental, and control). The Subventricular zone (SVZ) of newborn rat brains was applied for NSCs separation. The animals received Suprachiasmatic nucleus lesions (2mA current, 8 seconds), (0.2 mm ML, -9.2 mm DV, -0.6 mm AP from bregma). To record the sleep cycle, 2 Electromyography (EMG) and 3 electroencephalogram (EEG) electrodes were situated in the neck, muscles, and skull, respectively. A transmission electron microscope (TEM) was used for ultrastructural analysis of cells. Results: In this study, we observed the expression of Nestin and Sox2 in NSCs and neurospheres. The lesion group showed a significant increase of REM and NREM sleep compared to the control group. After NSCs transplantationin, a huge diminish in REM and NREM sleep was observed in the experimental group compared to the lesion group. In TEM analysis, NSCs labeled with gold nanoparticles were observed in the injury area. Nanoparticles were evident in the cytoplasm and mitochondria of these cells. Conclusions: The current study demonstrates that gold nanoparticles can interact well with NSCs and can be used to investigate cell transplantation. Also, NSCs transplantation improves sleep-wake cycle disruption after Suprachiasmatic nucleus lesion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) and stroke both have the potential to cause significant damage to the brain, with resultant neuropsychological impairments. How these different mechanisms of injury influence cognitive and behavioral changes associated with brain damage, however, is not well understood. Moreover, previous research directly comparing TBI and stroke has not accounted carefully for lesion location and size. Here, using a detailed lesion-matching approach that was used previously to compare neuropsychological outcomes in stroke versus tumor, we compared the neuropsychological profiles of 14 patients with focal lesions caused by TBI to those of 27 lesion-matched patients with stroke. Each patient with TBI was matched to two patients with stroke, based on lesion location and size (except 1 TBI case where only 1 stroke match was available). Demographic attributes (age, gender, handedness, education) were also matched in the TBI: stroke triplets, as much as possible. The patients with TBI versus stroke had similar performances across all cognitive and behavioral measures, with no significant or clinically meaningful differences. A supplemental analysis on developmental- versus adult-onset TBI cases (with their respective stroke matches) also yielded non-significant results, with TBI and stroke groups being statistically indistinguishable. Our results suggest that focal lesions caused by TBI versus stroke have similar neuropsychological outcomes in the chronic recovery phase, when location and size of lesion are comparable across TBI versus stroke mechanisms of injury. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]