Inserting Needles Into the Body: A Meta-Analysis of Brain Activity Associated With Acupuncture Needle Stimulation

Abstract Background one of the most important age-dependent physiologic alterations in the body composition of older adult people is obesity and overweight, increasing the risk of cardiovascular disease and mortality rate. Objective The aim of the present study is to determine the prevalence of obesity in older adults in Iran. Methods The present study was conducted via meta-analysis and systematic review method, from March 2000 to October 2018. Subject-related literature was obtained via searches in ScienceDirect, Medline (PubMed), SID, Magiran, Scopus, and Google Scholar databases. Heterogeneity of studies was assessed using the I2 index, and data were analyzed by Comprehensive-Meta analysis software. Results In the assessment of 18 studies and 29,943 persons aged over 50 years, the prevalence of obesity in older adults of Iran was 21.4% (95%CI: 26.6–16.9%) based on the meta-analysis. The highest obesity prevalence was obtained in older adults of Babol (Amir Shahr) which was 44.2% (95%CI: 41.1–47.2%) in 2007, while the minimum obesity prevalence was found in older adults of Razavi Khorasan which was 11.3% (95%CI, 10–12.8%) in 2007. Further, as the sample size and the study year increased, the obesity prevalence diminished in older Iranian adults (p < 0.05). Conclusion This study suggests that the prevalence of obesity in the older adults of Iran is high. Accordingly, healthcare planners and politicians should consider effective and practical policies to reduce obesity in older adults.

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Protective Treatments against Endothelial Glycocalyx Degradation in Surgery: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Applied Sciences ◽

10.3390/app11156994 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (15) ◽

pp. 6994

Author(s):

Hasnain Q. R. B. Khan ◽

Gwendolen C. Reilly

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Randomised Controlled Trials ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Mean Difference ◽

The Body ◽

Endothelial Glycocalyx ◽

Controlled Trials ◽

Post Operation ◽

Mean Differences ◽

Randomised Controlled

The aim was to explore the body of literature focusing on protective treatments against endothelial glycocalyx degradation in surgery. A comprehensive systematic review of relevant articles was conducted across databases. Inclusion criteria: (1) treatments for the protection of the endothelial glycocalyx in surgery; (2) syndecan-1 used as a biomarker for endothelial glycocalyx degradation. Outcomes analysed: (1) mean difference of syndecan-1 (2) correlation between glycocalyx degradation and inflammation; (3) correlation between glycocalyx degradation and extravasation. A meta-analysis was used to present mean differences and 95% confidence intervals. Seven articles with eight randomised controlled trials were included. The greatest change from baseline values in syndecan-1 concentrations was generally from the first timepoint measured post-operatively. Interventions looked to either dampen the inflammatory response or fluid therapy. Methylprednisolone had the highest mean difference in plasma syndecan-1 concentrations. Ulinastatin showed correlations between alleviation of degradation and preserving vascular permeability. In this systematic review of 385 patients, those treated were more likely than those treated with placebo to exhibit less shedding of the endothelial glycocalyx. Methylprednisolone has been shown to specifically target the transient increase of glycocalyx degradation immediately post-operation and has displayed anti-inflammatory effects. We have proposed suggestions for improved uniformity and enhanced confidence for future randomised controlled trials.

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Mortal Body, Immortal Mind

Forum Philosophicum ◽

10.35765/forphil.2012.1701.01 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 17 (1) ◽

pp. 5-26

Author(s):

Hans Goller

Keyword(s):

Brain Activity ◽

The Body ◽

Activity Data ◽

Brain Functions ◽

Body Experiences ◽

Research Findings ◽

The Relationship ◽

Near Death Experiences ◽

The Brain ◽

Alternative Theories

Neuroscientists keep telling us that the brain produces consciousness and consciousness does not survive brain death because it ceases when brain activity ceases. Research findings on near-death-experiences during cardiac arrest contradict this widely held conviction. They raise perplexing questions with regard to our current understanding of the relationship between consciousness and brain functions. Reports on veridical perceptions during out-of-body experiences suggest that consciousness may be experienced independently of a functioning brain and that self-consciousness may continue even after the termination of brain activity. Data on studies of near-death-experiences could be an incentive to develop alternative theories of the body-mind relation as seen in contemporary neuroscience.

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Effectiveness of Body Roundness Index (BRI) and a Body Shape Index (ABSI) in Predicting Hypertension: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Observational Studies

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph182111607 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (21) ◽

pp. 11607

Author(s):

Julián F. Calderón-García ◽

Raúl Roncero-Martín ◽

Sergio Rico-Martín ◽

Jorge M. De Nicolás-Jiménez ◽

Fidel López-Espuela ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Body Shape ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Characteristic Curve ◽

Shape Index ◽

Diagnostic Odds Ratio ◽

The Body ◽

Adult Women ◽

Summary Receiver Operating Characteristic ◽

The Difference ◽

A Body Shape Index

Introduction: The body roundness index (BRI) and a body shape index (ABSI) are novel anthropometric indices established to determine both the amount visceral adipose tissue and body fat. Objective: to investigate whether BRI and ABSI are better predictors of hypertension than body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC) or waist-to-height ratio (WHtR). Methods: A systematic search was conducted in the Scopus, PubMed and Web of Science databases up until 31 December 2020. Results: The estimated pooled area under curve [AUC (95% CI)] for BRI [0.67 (0.65–0.70)] for the prediction of hypertension were superior to that of ABSI (0.58 (0.56–0.60)), similar to that of BMI [0.67 (0.64–0.69)], and lower than those WC [0.68 (0.66–0.70)] and WHtR [0.68 (0.66–0.71)]. Nevertheless, the difference of BRI compared to WC and WHtR in the context of predicting hypertension was non-significant. ABSI was significantly lower (p < 0.05) than BRI, BMI, WC and WHtR. Similar findings were observed with the summary receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC-SROC). There were no significant differences between subgroups according to type of population or diagnostic criteria of hypertension. The diagnostic odds ratio (dORs) proved that increased BRI and ABSI were related with an elevated hypertension risk. Conclusions: BRI and ABSI have discriminatory power for hypertension in adult women and men from different populations. Although, WHtR and WC provided the best performance when assessing hypertension, no significant differences were found for BRI. Finally, BRI was significantly better predictor of hypertension than ABSI.

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Emotion Modulation of the Body-Selective Areas in the Developing Brain

10.1101/564633 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Paddy Ross ◽

Beatrice de Gelder ◽

Frances Crabbe ◽

Marie-Hélène Grosbras

Keyword(s):

Conflict Of Interest ◽

Right Hemisphere ◽

Brain Activity ◽

The Body ◽

Childhood And Adolescence ◽

Body Perception ◽

Body Area ◽

Potential Conflict ◽

First Time ◽

Posterior Superior Temporal Sulcus

AbstractEmotions are strongly conveyed by the human body and the ability to recognize emotions from body posture or movement is still developing through childhood and adolescence. To date, there are very few studies exploring how these behavioural observations are paralleled by functional brain development. Furthermore, there are currently no studies exploring the development of emotion modulation in these areas. In the current study, we used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to compare the brain activity of 25 children (age 6-11), 18 adolescents (age 12-17) and 26 adults while they passively viewed short videos of angry, happy or neutral body movements. We observed that when viewing bodies generally, adults showed higher activity than children bilaterally in the body-selective areas; namely the extra-striate body area (EBA), fusiform body area (FBA), posterior superior temporal sulcus (pSTS) and amygdala (AMY). Adults also showed higher activity than adolescents, but only in right hemisphere body-selective areas. Crucially, however, we found that there were no age differences in the emotion modulation of activity in these areas. These results indicate, for the first time, that despite activity selective to body perception increasing across childhood and adolescence, emotion modulation of these areas in adult-like from 7 years of age.Conflict of InterestThe author declares that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

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Brain as agent and conscious mind as action guide: from Libet-style experiments to necessary conditions for free will

Filosofia Unisinos ◽

10.4013/fsu.2021.221.09 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 22 (1) ◽

pp. 78-83

Author(s):

Jonas Gonçalves Coelho

Keyword(s):

Free Will ◽

Necessary Conditions ◽

Brain Activity ◽

The Body ◽

General View ◽

Conscious Mind ◽

Sociocultural Environment ◽

Starting Point ◽

Conscious Intention ◽

The Brain

Many neuroscientific experiments, based on monitoring brain activity, suggest that it is possible to predict the conscious intention/choice/decision of an agent before he himself knows that. Some neuroscientists and philosophers interpret the results of these experiments as showing that free will is an illusion, since it is the brain and not the conscious mind that intends/chooses/decides. Assuming that the methods and results of these experiments are reliable the question is if they really show that free will is an illusion. To address this problem, I argue that first it is needed to answer three questions related to the relationship between conscious mind and brain: 1. Do brain events cause conscious events? 2. Do conscious events cause brain events? 3. Who is the agent, that is, who consciously intends/chooses/ decides, the conscious mind, the brain, or both? I answer these questions by arguing that the conscious mind is a property of the brain due to which the brain has the causal capacity to interact adaptively with its body, and trough the body, with the physical and sociocultural environment. In other words, the brain is the agent and the conscious mind, in its various forms - cognitive, volitional and emotional - and contents, is its guide of action. Based on this general view I argue that the experiments aforementioned do not show that free will is an illusion, and as a starting point for examining this problem I point out, from some exemplary situations, what I believe to be some of the necessary conditions for free will.Key-words: Agent brain, conscious mind, free will, Libet-style experiments.

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From the lateral edge to the center of the cortex: The development of the human insula

Neuroforum ◽

10.1515/nf-2018-a008 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 24 (4) ◽

pp. A151-A158

Author(s):

Gundela Meyer

Keyword(s):

Pyramidal Neurons ◽

Radial Glia ◽

Brain Activity ◽

Prenatal Development ◽

Initial Position ◽

The Body ◽

Cortical Region ◽

Lateral Edge ◽

External Capsule ◽

Adjacent Structures

Abstract The human insula is a key node in a neuronal network which integrates interoceptive stimuli from the own body, and exteroceptive stimuli from the environment, and thus maintains the autonomic, emotional and socio-cognitive homeostasis of the body. In the last years, the insula has come into the focus of attention. Comparative anatomical studies showed that in many species the insula forms the lateral edge of the cortex. Very little is known about the prenatal development of the human insula, which is the first cortical region to mature. The origin of the pyramidal neurons for the insula is a small sector of the proliferating ventricular/subventricular zone at the cortico-striatal boundary (CSB). The CSB contains the radial glia cells, which are stem cells and give rise to a dense fascicle of radial glia processes. This fascicle traverses the external capsule and serves as a migration substrate for the neuroblasts on their way from the CSB into the insula. Around the 10/11th week of gestation, the lateral ventricle and its adjacent structures including the CSB bend in a C-shaped fashion. The insula now develops between a dorsal, fronto-parietal and a ventral, temporal CSB, which provide descending and ascending streams of neuroblasts, respectively, migrating along the radial glia fascicle. As a consequence of the ventricular rotation during ontogenesis, the human insula changes its initial position at the lateral edge of the cortex to its final central location, which reflects its integrative functions in brain activity.

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Effect of Inulin-Type Carbohydrates on Insulin Resistance in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes and Obesity: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Journal of Diabetes Research ◽

10.1155/2019/5101423 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 2019 ◽

pp. 1-13 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Mingyue Rao ◽

Chenlin Gao ◽

Ling Xu ◽

Lan Jiang ◽

Jianhua Zhu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Insulin Resistance ◽

Type 2 Diabetes ◽

Subgroup Analysis ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

The Body ◽

Obese Patients ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Simple Obesity

Background. Insulin resistance (IR) is a physiological condition related to type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and obesity, which is associated with high blood insulin and glucose. Inulin-type carbohydrate (ITC) is a kind of fermentable fructan that can reduce glucose and ameliorate IR in an animal model, but the effect in clinical trials is controversial. Objective. The authors conducted a systematic literature review to evaluate the effect of ITC supplementation in ameliorating IR in T2DM and obese patients. Methods. Multiple databases were queried for studies before December 25, 2018, which involved supplementation with ITC in ameliorating IR in T2DM and obese patients. Studies that involved meta-analysis of the body mass index (BMI), fasting plasma glucose (FPG), fasting insulin (FI), HbA1c, homeostatic model assessment IR (HOMA-IR), and quantitative insulin sensitivity check index (QUICKI) of T2DM subjects were included. HOMA-IR and QUICKI were identified as the primary outcomes. A systematic review was performed to evaluate the effect of ITC on IR in obese patients. Results. The database search yielded 25 studies, which met the inclusion criteria; 11 articles were meta-analyzed, and 5 other articles on T2DM and 9 articles on simple obesity were systematically reviewed. Our results did not find ITC supplementation decrease postintervention and reduction data of BMI (P=0.08). However, it can significantly decrease postintervention and reduction data of FPG, FI, HbA1c, and HOMA-IR. Heterogeneity was eliminated by subgroup analysis according to baseline BMI. There was no significant difference in the amelioration of QUICKI between the ITC and control groups. However, the difference was statistically significant and the heterogeneity was eliminated after subgroup analysis according to intakes of ITC. 14 articles for a systematic review found that the results of blood glucose, insulin, and HbA1c were controversial. Only one of the seven studies on simple obesity concluded that ITC intervention significantly ameliorated HOMA-IR, while the other six did not. Conclusion. Supplementation of ITC can ameliorate IR in T2DM, especially in obese T2DM patients, but the effects are controversial in obese patients.

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