scholarly journals Brain Symmetry Index in Healthy and Stroke Patients for Assessment and Prognosis

2017 ◽  
Vol 2017 ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrei Agius Anastasi ◽  
Owen Falzon ◽  
Kenneth Camilleri ◽  
Malcolm Vella ◽  
Richard Muscat
Keyword(s):  
Motor Function ◽  
Visual Cues ◽  
Healthy Controls ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Stroke Patients ◽  
Symmetry Index ◽  
Signal Parameters ◽  
Cortical Stroke ◽  
The Difference

Objective.Quantitative neurophysiological signal parameters are of value in predicting motor recovery after stroke. The novel role of EEG-derived brain symmetry index for motor function prognostication in the subacute phase after stroke is explored.Methods. Ten male stroke patients and ten matched healthy controls were recruited. Motor function was first assessed clinically using the MRC score, its derivative Motricity Index, and the Fugl–Meyer assessment score. EEG was subsequently recorded first with subjects at rest and then during hand grasping motions, triggered by visual cues. Brain symmetry index (BSI) was used to identify the differences in EEG-quantified interhemispheric cortical power asymmetry observable in healthy versus cortical and subcortical stroke patients. Subsequently, any correlation between BSI and motor function was explored.Results. BSI was found to be significantly higher in stroke subjects compared to healthy controls (p=0.023). The difference in BSI was more pronounced in the cortical stroke subgroup (p=0.016). BSI showed only a mild general decrease on repeated monthly recording. Notably, a statistically significant correlation was observed between early BSI and Fugl–Meyer score later in recovery (p<0.050).Conclusions. Brain symmetry index is increased in the subacute poststroke phase and correlates with motor function 1-2 months after stroke.

The Role of Organizational Development in Achieving the Competitive Advantage of University of Hail as one of the requirements of The vision of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia 2030

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
pp. 71-82
Author(s):  
Nada Zwayyid Almutairi ◽  
Eman Salah Ibrahim Rizk
Keyword(s):  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Organizational Development ◽  
Visual Cues ◽  
Kingdom Of Saudi Arabia ◽  
Auditory Cues ◽  
Learning Retention ◽  
Lr Test ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Academic Year

This study explores interactive e-book cues and Information Processing Levels (IPL)’s effectiveness on Learning Retention (LR) and External Cognitive Load (ECL). 117 middle school pupils (MSP) were divided into six experimental groups based on their IPL and cues during the second term of the academic year 2019–2020. Visual Cues (VC)/Audiovisual Cues (VAC) and Auditory Cues (AC)/Audiovisual Cues (VAC) statistically varied in the Ie-book in LR test and ECL scale, same for the average scores when testing the LR in Science for MSP due to the difference between IPL for the DL. There is a statistically significant effect of cue types' interaction in Ie-book with IPL in ECL scale for MSP, at its highest peak in the case of the AVC with DL, followed by the interaction resulting from the VC with DL then AC with SL. Also, cues interaction in Ie-book with IPL immensely affect the LR test for MEP, which is at its highest peak in the case of the AVC with DL. The interactions between (DL–SL) and (AC–VC) seem to equally influence the ELC.

scholarly journals The Role of Continuous Theta Burst TMS in the Neurorehabilitation of Subacute Stroke Patients: A Placebo-Controlled Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana Dionísio ◽  
Rita Gouveia ◽  
João Castelhano ◽  
Isabel Catarina Duarte ◽  
Gustavo C. Santo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Motor Function ◽  
Primary Motor Cortex ◽  
Phase Iii ◽  
Repeated Measure ◽  
Controlled Study ◽  
Stroke Patients ◽  
Post Stroke ◽  
Subacute Stroke ◽  
Theta Burst

Objectives: Transcranial magnetic stimulation, in particular continuous theta burst (cTBS), has been proposed for stroke rehabilitation, based on the concept that inhibition of the healthy hemisphere helps promote the recovery of the lesioned one. We aimed to study its effects on cortical excitability, oscillatory patterns, and motor function, the main aim being to identify potentially beneficial neurophysiological effects.Materials and Methods: We applied randomized real or placebo stimulation over the unaffected primary motor cortex of 10 subacute (7 ± 3 days) post-stroke patients. Neurophysiological measurements were performed using electroencephalography and electromyography. Motor function was assessed with the Wolf Motor Function Test. We performed a repeated measure study with the recordings taken pre-, post-cTBS, and at 3 months' follow-up.Results: We investigated changes in motor rhythms during arm elevation and thumb opposition tasks and found significant changes in beta power of the affected thumb's opposition, specifically after real cTBS. Our results are consistent with an excitatory response (increase in event-related desynchronization) in the sensorimotor cortical areas of the affected hemisphere, after stimulation. Neither peak-to-peak amplitude of motor-evoked potentials nor motor performance were significantly altered.Conclusions: Consistently with the theoretical prediction, this contralateral inhibitory stimulation paradigm changes neurophysiology, leading to a significant excitatory impact on the cortical oscillatory patterns of the contralateral hemisphere. These proof-of-concept results provide evidence for the potential role of continuous TBS in the neurorehabilitation of post-stroke patients. We suggest that these changes in ERS/ERD patterns should be further explored in future phase IIb/phase III clinical trials, in larger samples of poststroke patients.

scholarly journals Insight into motor control and motor impairment from stroke and beta oscillations

2015 ◽  
Vol 114 (6) ◽  
pp. 3033-3035
Author(s):  
Ramina Adam ◽  
Silvia Isabella ◽  
Jason L. Chan
Keyword(s):  
Motor Control ◽  
Motor Function ◽  
Potential Role ◽  
Motor Impairment ◽  
Stroke Recovery ◽  
Stroke Patients ◽  
Beta Oscillations ◽  
Insight Into

Beta oscillations are associated with motor function and are thought to play a role in movement impairment. In a recent magnetoencephalography (MEG) study, Rossiter et al. ( J Neurophysiol 112: 2053–2058, 2014) found a disruption in the modulation of movement-related beta oscillations in stroke patients that correlated with motor impairment. We discuss how beta oscillatory measures characterize motor impairment, the implications of stroke variability, and the potential role of GABA in modulating oscillations following stroke and during stroke recovery.

scholarly journals The role of haematological parameters in patients with COVID-19 and influenza virus infection

2020 ◽  
Vol 148 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sumeyye Kazancioglu ◽  
Aliye Bastug ◽  
Bahadir Orkun Ozbay ◽  
Nizamettin Kemirtlek ◽  
Hurrem Bodur
Keyword(s):  
Laboratory Data ◽  
Influenza Virus Infection ◽  
Haematological Parameters ◽  
Severe Illness ◽  
Healthy Controls ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Lymphocyte Ratio ◽  
End Of Treatment ◽  
Novel Coronavirus

Abstract SARS-CoV-2, the causative agent of coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19), was identified in Wuhan, China. Since then, the novel coronavirus started to be compared to influenza. The haematological parameters and inflammatory indexes are associated with severe illness in COVID-19 patients. In this study, the laboratory data of 120 COVID-19 patients, 100 influenza patients and 61 healthy controls were evaluated. Lower lymphocytes, eosinophils, basophils, platelets and higher delta neutrophil index (DNI), neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) were found in COVID-19 and influenza groups compared to healthy controls. The eosinophils, lymphocytes and PLR made the highest contribution to differentiate COVID-19 patients from healthy controls (area under the curves (AUCs): 0.819, 0.817 and 0.716, respectively; P-value is <0.0001 for all). The NLR, the optimal cut-off value was 3.58, which resulted in a sensitivity of 30.8 and a specificity of 100 (AUC: 0.677, P < 0.0001). Higher leucocytes, neutrophils, DNI, NLR, PLR and lower lymphocytes, red blood cells, haemoglobin, haematocrit levels were found in severe patients at the end of treatment. Nonsevere patients showed an upward trend for lymphocytes, eosinophils and platelets, and a downward trend for neutrophils, DNI, NLR and PLR. However, there was an increasing trend for eosinophils, platelets and PLR in severe patients. In conclusion, NLR and PLR can be used as biomarkers to distinguish COVID-19 patients from healthy people and to predict the severity of COVID-19. The increasing value of PLR during follow-up may be more useful compared to NLR to predict the disease severity.

scholarly journals Increased Zinc Serum Level: New Clues in Babol Stroke Patients, Northern Iran

2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-5
Author(s):  
Alijan Ahmadi Ahangar ◽  
Payam Saadat ◽  
Sona Niroomand ◽  
Shayan Alijanpour ◽  
Reza Sohrabnezhad ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Heart Disease ◽  
Serum Level ◽  
Ischemic Heart Disease ◽  
Serum Levels ◽  
Ischemic Heart ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Stroke Patients ◽  
Northern Iran ◽  
The Difference

Background. Stroke is the second leading cause of death worldwide. The role of zinc as a new predictor of stroke was considered. Methods. This prospective study was conducted in Ayatollah Rouhani Hospital within a year on 100 stroke and 100 control patients. Findings. The difference in zinc serum level in two groups was significant (deficiency: 3 (3%) in patients versus 20 (20%) in control group, normal: 25 (25%) versus 54 (54%), and increased level: 72 (72%) versus 26 (26%); p<0.001). Difference in zinc serum levels was statistically significant with ischemic heart disease (deficiency: 0 cases (0%), normal: 8 cases (24%), increased level: 24 cases (75%), p=0.003). Increases in zinc serum level were significantly correlated with the frequency of hemorrhagic and ischemic patients (deficiency: 3 (3.3%) hemorrhagic versus 0 (0%) ischemic; normal: 19 (21%) versus 6 (60%), increased level: 68 (75.6%) versus 4 (40%); p=0.025). Regression logistics showed that ischemic heart disease (p<0.001; OR = 28.29, %95 CI: 5.53; 144.87), hyperlipidemia (p<0.001; OR = 0.26, %95 CI: 0.12; 0.56), and zinc serum level (p<0.001, OR = 15.53, %95 CI: 4.03; 59.83) each had a significant role. Conclusions. Babol stroke patients are prone to increased zinc serum level as a new parameter. Ischemic heart disease, increased levels of zinc, and hyperlipidemia were found to be probable predictor factors for stroke in Babol.

scholarly journals Matrix Metalloproteinase-3 in Myasthenia Gravis Compared to Other Neurological Disorders and Healthy Controls

2011 ◽  
Vol 2011 ◽  
pp. 1-4 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven P. Luckman ◽  
Nils Erik Gilhus ◽  
Fredrik Romi
Keyword(s):  
Myasthenia Gravis ◽  
Neurological Disorders ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Healthy Controls ◽  
Stroke Patients ◽  
Pathogenic Role ◽  
Matrix Metalloproteinase 3 ◽  
Very High

MMP-3 is capable of degrading a variety of proteins, including agrin, which plays a critical role in neuromuscular signaling by controlling acetylcholine receptor clustering. High MMP-3 levels in a proportion of myasthenia gravis (MG) patients have been reported. A pathogenic role of MMP-3 in other neurological disorders has been suggested but not proven. We have therefore examined the levels of MMP-3 in 124 MG patients and compared them to 59 multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, 74 epilepsy patients, 33 acute stroke patients, and 90 healthy controls. 15.3% of the patients in the MG group were MMP-3-positive (defined as higher than cutoff value 48 ng/mL) with very high mean MMP-3 concentration (79.9 ng/mL), whereas the proportion of MMP-3 positive patients in the MS (3.4%), epilepsy (6.7%), stroke (0%), and the control group (4.4%) was significantly lower. Mean MMP-3 concentration in the total MG group (25.5 ng/mL) was significantly higher than in the MS (16.6 ng/mL) and stroke (11.7 ng/mL) groups, but did not differ significantly from the epilepsy (19.4 ng/mL) and the control group (23.4 ng/mL). MMP-3 may have a specific pathogenic effect in MG in addition to being associated with autoimmune diseases in general.

scholarly journals Nurslings Of Protestantism: The Questionable Privilege Of Freedom In Charlotte Brontë’s Villette

2014 ◽  
Vol 49 (4) ◽  
pp. 37-54
Author(s):  
Monika Mazurek
Keyword(s):  
Political Discourse ◽  
Code Of Conduct ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Psychosomatic Illness ◽  
Public Places ◽  
The Difference ◽  
The Church

Abstract In Charlotte Brontë’s Villette, a number of foreigners at various points express their amazement or admiration of the behaviour of Englishwomen, who, like the novel’s narrator Lucy Snowe, travel alone, visit public places unchaperoned and seem on the whole to lead much less constrained lives than their Continental counterparts. This notion was apparently quite widespread at this time, as the readings of various Victorian texts confirm – they often refer to the independence Englishwomen enjoyed, sometimes with a note of caution but often in a self-congratulatory manner. Villette, the novel which, similarly to its predecessor, The Professor, features a Protestant protagonist living in a Catholic country, makes a connection between Lucy’s Protestantism and her freedom, considered traditionally in English political discourse to be an essentially English and Protestant virtue. However, as the novel shows, in the case of women the notion of freedom is a complicated issue. While the pupils at Mme Beck’s pensionnat have to be kept in check by a sophisticated system of surveillance, whose main purpose is to keep them away from men and sex, Lucy can be trusted to behave according to the Victorian code of conduct, but only because her Protestant upbringing inculcated in her the need to control her desires. The Catholics have the Church to play the role of the disciplinarian for them, while Lucy has to grapple with and stifle her own emotions with her own hands, even when the repression is clearly the cause of her psychosomatic illness. In the end, the expectations regarding the behaviour of women in England and Labassecour are not that much different; the difference is that while young Labassecourians are controlled by the combined systems of family, school and the Church, young Englishwomen are expected to exercise a similar control on their own.

A Study On The Correlation Between Slit2/Robo1 Signaling Pathway Proteins And Polymyositis/Dermatomyositis

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ke-Xia Chai ◽  
Yu-Qi Chen ◽  
Ling-Shuang Kong ◽  
Pei-Lin Fan ◽  
Xia Yuan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Vascular Disease ◽  
Signaling Pathway ◽  
Muscle Tissue ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Healthy Controls ◽  
Positive Expression ◽  
Study Results ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Pm 10

Aims: To investigate the role of Slit2 and Robo1 during the vascular disease of Polymyositis (PM) / dermatomyositis (DM). Background : PM and DM are non-suppurative inflammatory myopathies that mainly invade the skeletal muscles. Objective: This study attempted to explore the specific mechanism of Slit2/Robo1 signaling pathway proteins during the vascular disease of PM/DM. Methods: The mRNA expressions of Slit2 and Robo1 in the muscle tissue were detected by RT-qPCR between newly-diagnosed PM/DM patients and healthy controls. The number of Slit2 and Robo1 positive cells in the serial sections of muscle paraffin tissues was measured by immunohistochemistry in 10 patients with PM, 10 patients with DM and 20 healthy controls. Results: The study results revealed that the mRNA expressions of Slit2 and Robo1 in muscle tissue in the PM and DM groups were higher than that in the control group (P<0.05). The positive expression rates of Slit2 and Robo1 in muscle tissue in the PM and DM groups were 80.0%, 80.0%, 70.0% and 70.0%, respectively. The difference was statistically significant (P<0.001), when compared to the control group (the positive expression rates were 0% and 10%, respectively). Conclusion: The activation of the Slit2/Robo1 signaling pathway is an important mechanism leading to the development of PM/DM.

scholarly journals Evaluation of Role of Beta 2 Microglobulin and P- ANCA in the diagnosis of Ulcerative Colitis and Their Correlation to Disease Activity

QJM ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 113 (Supplement_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
W A Aboelmaged ◽  
A S A Abdelhalym ◽  
M M M Eltabbakh ◽  
Y N A Omar
Keyword(s):  
Ulcerative Colitis ◽  
Disease Activity ◽  
Statistical Significance ◽  
Healthy Controls ◽  
Chronic Inflammatory Condition ◽  
Beta 2 ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Beta 2 Microglobulin ◽  
Endoscopic Picture

Abstract Background Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic inflammatory condition of the gastrointestinal tract. Diagnosis of IBD has been based on a combination of clinical data, blood parameters, radiology and endoscopy. Activity in IBD is determined by direct and non-invasive laboratory markers. The ideal marker for IBD that is easy, specific and predictor of relapse of the disease has not yet been identified. The aim of this work is to evaluate the role of P-ANCA and Beta 2 microglobulin as new biomarkers in predictors of diagnosis and disease activity in patients with ulcerative colitis. Materials and Methods The current case control study was conducted in Tropical Department of Ain-Shams University Hospitals on 40 cases of ulcerative colitis which included twenty patients in activity and twenty patients in remission. 40 controls were consisting of twenty patients with irritable bowel syndrome and twenty healthy controls in the period from October 2016 to May 2018. Results Mean B2-M values were significantly higher in active ulcerative colitis (2.26± 0.55mg/L) than in healthy controls (1.43 ± 0.22 mg/L) and IBS (1.51 ± 0.23 mg/L). Also, mean B2-M values were significantly higher in active disease when compared to patients in remission. The difference between different disease severities according to endoscopic picture in terms of serum B2-M levels was statistically insignificant (P &gt; 0.05).Also the difference between mild disease and inactive group was insignificant. Regarding the P-ANCA, most of active UC cases (80 %) have positive P-ANCA. While only 15 % of the inactive cases have positive P-ANCA and the difference between them is highly statistically significant (P = 0.000). Most of P-ANCA positive ulcerative colitis patients (52.6%) have moderate endoscopic activity and (21.1%) have severe endoscopic activity, while only (10.5%) have mild activity with high statistical significance (P = 0.001). Conclusion B2-M and P-ANCA may be a predictor of disease activity in UC

Multimodal Neuroimaging Using Concurrent EEG/fNIRS for Poststroke Recovery Assessment: An Exploratory Study

2020 ◽  
Vol 34 (12) ◽  
pp. 1099-1110
Author(s):  
Rihui Li ◽  
Sheng Li ◽  
Jinsook Roh ◽  
Chushan Wang ◽  
Yingchun Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Motor Function ◽  
Premotor Cortex ◽  
Cortical Reorganization ◽  
Healthy Controls ◽  
Multimodal Neuroimaging ◽  
Stroke Patients ◽  
Functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy ◽  
Source Imaging ◽  
Eeg Source Imaging ◽  
Function Recovery

Background Persistent motor deficits are very common in poststroke survivors and often lead to disability. Current clinical measures for profiling motor impairment and assessing poststroke recovery are largely subjective and lack precision. Objective A multimodal neuroimaging approach was developed based on concurrent functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) and electroencephalography (EEG) to identify biomarkers associated with motor function recovery and document the poststroke cortical reorganization. Methods EEG and fNIRS data were simultaneously recorded from 9 healthy controls and 18 stroke patients during a hand-clenching task. A novel fNIRS-informed EEG source imaging approach was developed to estimate cortical activity and functional connectivity. Subsequently, graph theory analysis was performed to identify network features for monitoring and predicting motor function recovery during a 4-week intervention. Results The task-evoked strength at ipsilesional primary somatosensory cortex was significantly lower in stroke patients compared with healthy controls ( P < .001). In addition, across the 4-week rehabilitation intervention, the strength at ipsilesional premotor cortex (PMC) ( R = 0.895, P = .006) and the connectivity between bilateral primary motor cortices (M1) ( R = 0.9, P = .007) increased in parallel with the improvement of motor function. Furthermore, a higher baseline strength at ipsilesional PMC was associated with a better motor function recovery ( R = 0.768, P = .007), while a higher baseline connectivity between ipsilesional supplementary motor cortex (SMA)–M1 implied a worse motor function recovery ( R = −0.745, P = .009). Conclusion The proposed multimodal EEG/fNIRS technique demonstrates a preliminary potential for monitoring and predicting poststroke motor recovery. We expect such findings can be further validated in future study.

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