scholarly journals The Usefulness of Diffusion Tensor Tractography in Diagnosing Neuropathic Pain: A Narrative Review

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Seoyon Yang ◽  
SuYeon Kwon ◽  
Min Cheol Chang

Diffusion tensor tractography (DTT) is derived from diffusion tensor imaging. It has allowed visualization and estimation of neural tract injury, which may be associated with the pathogenesis of neuropathic pain (NP). The aim of the present study was to review DTT studies that demonstrated the relationship between neural injuries and NP and to describe the potential use of DTT in the evaluation of neural injuries that are involved in the pathophysiological process of NP. A PubMed search was conducted for articles published until July 3, 2020, which used DTT to investigate the association between neural injuries and NP. The key search phrase for identifying potentially relevant articles was (diffusion tensor tractography AND pain). The following inclusion criteria were applied for article selection: (1) studies involving patients with NP and (2) studies in which DTT was applied for the evaluation of NP. Review articles were excluded. Altogether, 108 potentially relevant articles were identified. After reading the titles and abstracts and assessment of eligibility based on the full-text articles, 46 publications were finally included in our review. The results of the included studies suggested that DTT may be beneficial in identifying the pathophysiological mechanism of NP of various origins including central pain caused by brain injuries, trigeminal neuralgia, sciatica, and some types of headache. Further studies are needed to validate the efficacy of DTT in investigating the pathophysiology of other types of NP.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jesus Gomez Rossi ◽  
Ben Feldberg ◽  
Joachim Krois ◽  
Falk Schwendicke

BACKGROUND Research and Development (R&D) of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in medicine involve clinical, technical and economic aspects. Better understanding the relationship between these dimensions seems necessary to coordinate efforts of R&D among stakeholders. OBJECTIVE To assess systematically existing literature on the cost-effectiveness of Artificial Intelligence (AI) from a clinical, technical and economic perspective. METHODS A systematic literature review was conducted to study the cost-effectiveness of AI solutions and summarised within a scoping framework of health policy analysis developed to study clinical, technical and economic dimensions. RESULTS Of the 4820 eligible studies, 13 met the inclusion criteria. Internal medicine and emergency medicine were the most studied clinical disciplines. Technical R&D aspects have not been uniformly disclosed in the studies we analysed. Monetisation aspects such as payment models assumed have not been reported in the majority of cases. CONCLUSIONS Existing scientific literature on the cost-effectiveness of AI currently does not allow to draw conclusive recommendations. Further research and improved reporting on technical and economic aspects seem necessary to assess potential use-cases of this technology, as well as to secure reproducibility of results. CLINICALTRIAL Not applicable


2019 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ran Zhang ◽  
Xiaowei Jiang ◽  
Miao Chang ◽  
Shengnan Wei ◽  
Yanqing Tang ◽  
...  

Abstract Objective Although many studies have shown that the corpus callosum (CC) may play an important role in bipolar disorder (BD) and suicide, the pathophysiological mechanism of BD underlying suicidal behavior is still unclear. This study aimed to explore the relationship between the CC, and BD and suicidal ideation using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). Method A total of 203 participants (47 BD patients with suicidal ideation, 59 with BD without suicidal ideation, and 97 healthy controls [HC]) underwent DTI scanning at a single site. We examined the white matter integrity of the CC in the three groups. Results A comparison among groups showed that BD patients with suicidal ideation had significant lower fractional anisotropy (FA) values than those of BD without suicidal ideation and HCs in the body and genu of the CC, and FA values of BD without suicidal ideation were significantly lower than those of HCs. However, in the splenium of corpus callosum, no difference was found between BD without suicidal ideation and HCs. Conclusions Our findings add to the evidence suggesting that the CC plays a key role in BD with suicidal ideation, especially with respect to the role of the genu and body of the CC subserving emotion regulation.


2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (12) ◽  
pp. 377 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chan-Hyuk Park ◽  
Su-Hong Kim ◽  
Han-Young Jung

Many studies have examined the relationship between cognition, and the cingulum and uncinate fasciculus (UF). In this study, diffusion tensor tractography (DTT) was used to investigate the correlation between fractional-anisotropy (FA) values and the number of fibers in the cingulum and UF in patients with and without cognitive impairment. The correlation between cognitive function, and the cingulum and UF was also investigated. Thirty patients (14 males, age = 70.68 ± 7.99 years) were divided into a control group (n = 14) and mild-cognitive-impairment (MCI) group (n = 16). The Seoul Neuropsychological Screening Battery (SNSB) and DTT were performed to assess cognition and bilateral tracts of the cingulum and UF. The relationship between SNSB values and the cingulum and UF was analyzed. The number of fibers in the right cingulum and right UF were significantly different between the two groups. The MCI group showed thinner tracts in both the cingulum and UF compared to the control group. A significant relationship was found between the number of fibers in the right UF and delayed memory recall. In conclusion, memory loss in MCI was associated with a decreased number of fibers in the right UF, while language and visuospatial function were related to the number of fibers in the right cingulum.


2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 38-43
Author(s):  
Luiz Severo Bem Junior ◽  
Gustavo De Souza Andrade ◽  
Joao Ribeiro Memória Júnior ◽  
Hildo Rocha Cirne de Azevedo Filho

Terson's sign (TS) is classically defined as vitreous hemorrhage associated with subarachnoid hemorrhage of aneurysmal origin, being an important predictor of severity, indicating greater morbidity and mortality when compared to patients without the sign. The objective of this study is to review the relationship of Terson syndrome/Terson sign with the prognosis of aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage. A search for original articles, research and case reports was performed on the PubMed, Scielo, Cochrane and ScienceDirect platform, with the following descriptors: Terson sign and subarachnoid hemorrhage. Retrospective, prospective articles and case reports published in the last 5 years and which were in accordance with the established objective and inclusion criteria were selected. Ten (10) articles were selected, in which the available results show an unfavorable prognostic relationship of TS and subarachnoid hemorrhage, because these patients had a worse clinical status assessed on the Glasgow scales ≤ 8, Hunt & Hess > III, Fisher > 3, in addition to intracranial hypertension and location of the aneurysm in the anterior communicating artery complex. The early recognition of this condition described by Albert Terson in 1900 brought an important contribution to neurosurgery, being recognized until nowadays.


2020 ◽  
Vol 26 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bei Wang ◽  
Wen Xu ◽  
Yuxuan Cai ◽  
Chong Guo ◽  
Gang Zhou ◽  
...  

Background: CASC15, one of long non-coding RNA, is involved in the regulation of many tumor biological processes, and is expected to become a new biological therapeutic target. This paper aims to elucidate the pathophysiological function of CASC15 in various tumors. Methods: The relationship between CASC15 and tumors was analyzed by searching references, and summarizes the specific pathophysiological mechanism of CASC15. Results: LncRNA CASC15 is closely related to tumor development, and has been shown to be abnormally high expressed in all kinds of tumors, including breast cancer, cervical cancer, lung cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma, gastric cancer, bladder cancer, colon cancer, colorectal cancer, cardiac hypertrophy, intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma, leukemia, melanoma, tongue squamous cell carcinoma, nasopharyngeal carcinoma. However, CASC15 has been found to be downexpressed abnormally in ovarian cancer, glioma and neuroblastoma. Besides, it is identified that CASC15 can affect the proliferation, invasion and apoptosis of tumors. Conclusion: LncRNA CASC15 has the potential to become a new therapeutic target or marker for a variety of tumors.


2021 ◽  
pp. 101258
Author(s):  
Bojan D. Petrovic ◽  
Doug Burman ◽  
Shakeel Chowdhry ◽  
Julian E. Bailes ◽  
Joel Meyer

Author(s):  
Mark David Walker ◽  
Mihály Sulyok

Abstract Background Restrictions on social interaction and movement were implemented by the German government in March 2020 to reduce the transmission of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Apple's “Mobility Trends” (AMT) data details levels of community mobility; it is a novel resource of potential use to epidemiologists. Objective The aim of the study is to use AMT data to examine the relationship between mobility and COVID-19 case occurrence for Germany. Is a change in mobility apparent following COVID-19 and the implementation of social restrictions? Is there a relationship between mobility and COVID-19 occurrence in Germany? Methods AMT data illustrates mobility levels throughout the epidemic, allowing the relationship between mobility and disease to be examined. Generalized additive models (GAMs) were established for Germany, with mobility categories, and date, as explanatory variables, and case numbers as response. Results Clear reductions in mobility occurred following the implementation of movement restrictions. There was a negative correlation between mobility and confirmed case numbers. GAM using all three categories of mobility data accounted for case occurrence as well and was favorable (AIC or Akaike Information Criterion: 2504) to models using categories separately (AIC with “driving,” 2511. “transit,” 2513. “walking,” 2508). Conclusion These results suggest an association between mobility and case occurrence. Further examination of the relationship between movement restrictions and COVID-19 transmission may be pertinent. The study shows how new sources of online data can be used to investigate problems in epidemiology.


Nutrients ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 868
Author(s):  
Jorge Lorenzo Calvo ◽  
Xueyin Fei ◽  
Raúl Domínguez ◽  
Helios Pareja-Galeano

Cognitive functions are essential in any form of exercise. Recently, interest has mounted in addressing the relationship between caffeine intake and cognitive performance during sports practice. This review examines this relationship through a structured search of the databases Medline/PubMed and Web of Science for relevant articles published in English from August 1999 to March 2020. The study followed PRISMA guidelines. Inclusion criteria were defined according to the PICOS model. The identified records reported on randomized cross-over studies in which caffeine intake (as drinks, capsules, energy bars, or gum) was compared to an identical placebo situation. There were no filters on participants’ training level, gender, or age. For the systematic review, 13 studies examining the impacts of caffeine on objective measures of cognitive performance or self-reported cognitive performance were selected. Five of these studies were also subjected to meta-analysis. After pooling data in the meta-analysis, the significant impacts of caffeine only emerged on attention, accuracy, and speed. The results of the 13 studies, nevertheless, suggest that the intake of a low/moderate dose of caffeine before and/or during exercise can improve self-reported energy, mood, and cognitive functions, such as attention; it may also improve simple reaction time, choice reaction time, memory, or fatigue, however, this may depend on the research protocols.


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