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Embodied cognition theory proposes that spatial cognition preferences facilitate the simulation of action language. Importantly, spatial cognition relies on either egocentric (body-dependent) or allocentric (body-independent) representations. Research demonstrates that spatial representation proclivity influences the simulation of non-transfer action sentences. However, the impact of individual spatial cognition preferences on transfer action sentence simulation remains unexplored. We administered an egocentric and allocentric memory task and an action sentence recognition task to 37 participants. We used an egocentric–allocentric recall strategy proclivity index to classify participants and employed this metric as a moderator between the transfer perspective (first-person perspective, 1PP vs. third-person perspective, 3PP) and the transfer type (concrete vs. abstract). We found that spatial preferences do not moderate 1PP transfer action sentence recognition. Importantly, we found that egocentric proclivity improves 3PP transfer action sentence recognition and that allocentric proclivity hampers 3PP transfer action sentence recognition. No moderation was found for the transfer type. The study suggests that recognition memory for sentences describing others’ actions is related to body-dependent spatial representations, suggesting a possible link between spatial memory proclivity and action language simulation.
Bipolar disorder is highly prevalent and consists of biphasic recurrent mood episodes of mania and depression, which translate into altered mood, sleep and activity alongside their physiological expressions.
Aims
The IdenTifying dIgital bioMarkers of illnEss activity and treatment response in BipolAr diSordEr with a novel wearable device (TIMEBASE) project aims to identify digital biomarkers of illness activity and treatment response in bipolar disorder.
Method
We designed a longitudinal observational study including 84 individuals. Group A comprises people with acute episode of mania (n = 12), depression (n = 12 with bipolar disorder and n = 12 with major depressive disorder (MDD)) and bipolar disorder with mixed features (n = 12). Physiological data will be recorded during 48 h with a research-grade wearable (Empatica E4) across four consecutive time points (acute, response, remission and episode recovery). Group B comprises 12 people with euthymic bipolar disorder and 12 with MDD, and group C comprises 12 healthy controls who will be recorded cross-sectionally. Psychopathological symptoms, disease severity, functioning and physical activity will be assessed with standardised psychometric scales. Physiological data will include acceleration, temperature, blood volume pulse, heart rate and electrodermal activity. Machine learning models will be developed to link physiological data to illness activity and treatment response. Generalisation performance will be tested in data from unseen patients.
Results
Recruitment is ongoing.
Conclusions
This project should contribute to understanding the pathophysiology of affective disorders. The potential digital biomarkers of illness activity and treatment response in bipolar disorder could be implemented in a real-world clinical setting for clinical monitoring and identification of prodromal symptoms. This would allow early intervention and prevention of affective relapses, as well as personalisation of treatment.
This systematic literature review aimed to provide an overview of the characteristics and methods used in studies applying the disability-adjusted life years (DALY) concept for infectious diseases within European Union (EU)/European Economic Area (EEA)/European Free Trade Association (EFTA) countries and the United Kingdom. Electronic databases and grey literature were searched for articles reporting the assessment of DALY and its components. We considered studies in which researchers performed DALY calculations using primary epidemiological data input sources. We screened 3053 studies of which 2948 were excluded and 105 studies met our inclusion criteria. Of these studies, 22 were multi-country and 83 were single-country studies, of which 46 were from the Netherlands. Food- and water-borne diseases were the most frequently studied infectious diseases. Between 2015 and 2022, the number of burden of infectious disease studies was 1.6 times higher compared to that published between 2000 and 2014. Almost all studies (97%) estimated DALYs based on the incidence- and pathogen-based approach and without social weighting functions; however, there was less methodological consensus with regards to the disability weights and life tables that were applied. The number of burden of infectious disease studies undertaken across Europe has increased over time. Development and use of guidelines will promote performing burden of infectious disease studies and facilitate comparability of the results.
The concept of “passive risk taking”, which refers to the risk brought on or magnified by inaction, has recently appeared in the literature on risk taking. Keinan and Bereby-Meyer (2012) have developed a scale to measure the personal tendency for passive risk taking (PRT); the scale has criterion validity and high test-retest reliability; it correlates with reported passive risk taking in everyday life and with the DOSPERT scale. Furthermore, it presents divergent validity from classic risk-taking constructs such as sensation seeking, and convergent validity with procrastination and avoidance. In this paper we propose a validation of the PRT scale in Italian. We performed the linguistic adaptation to Italian via the five steps suggested by Guillemin and colleagues (1993) and Beaton and colleagues (2000); we then submitted the derived questionnaire to a 297-adult sample. Results show that two out of three factors from the original scale were confirmed. However the third factor, originally composed of 6 items, was not consistent. We present the scale derived from such results, and discuss the differences with the original scale.
Disruptive telemedicine tools can help overcome the lack of specialized care and electroencephalographic (EEG) support for diagnosing and treating nervous system disorders such as epilepsy in remote communities. However, evidence on how such cloud-based platforms could enhance data-driven health care is limited. The utility of telemedicine-based apps to achieve EEG screening of communities in rural areas of Paraguay was investigated.
Methods
This descriptive study was carried out by the Telemedicine Unit of the Ministry of Public Health in collaboration with the Department of Biomedical Engineering and Imaging of the Health Science Research Institute in Paraguay and the Basque Country University in Spain to evaluate the utility of telediagnostic apps for EEG screening. For this purpose, the results obtained by tele-EEG apps implemented in nineteen public community hospitals were analyzed to determine the utility of the apps as epidemiological surveillance tools.
Results
Among the 10,791 remote EEG studies performed, the most common reasons for the test included epileptic seizure (44%), headache (22%), seizure disorder (8%), follow up (6%), attention deficits in children (5%), cognitive impairment (4%), cranioencephalic trauma (3%), brain death (1%), history of seizure (0.9%), abnormal movements (0.7%), and behavioral disorders (0.5%).
Conclusions
The results showed that telemedicine apps can significantly enhance nationwide EEG screening by freeing up professional time and increasing productivity, improving access and equity, and reducing costs. However, before their systematic implementation a contextualization of the apps using the regional epidemiological profile must be performed.
The functional assessment of cancer therapy-bone marrow transplant (FACT-BMT) is a widely used instrument to assess quality of life (QOL) in hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) patients, but there is little evidence of its validity in Latin American populations. This study evaluated the psychometric properties of the Spanish language version of the FACT-BMT in Mexican patients.
Method
First, the original version was piloted with 15 HSCT patients to obtain an adequate cultural version, resulting in the adaptation of one item. After that, the new version was completed by 139 HSCT patients.
Results
The results showed a FACT factor structure that explains 70.84% of the total variance, a factor structure similar to the original FACT structure, and with a high internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.867). For the BMT subscale, the best factor structure included 17 items which explain 61.65% of the total variance with an adequate internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.696).
Significance of the results
The FACT-BMT was found to be a valid and reliable instrument to evaluate QOL in Mexican patients. Our results constitute new FACT-BMT empirical evidence that supports its clinical and research uses.
In this commentary on Bastin et al., we suggest that spatial context plays a critical role in the encoding and retrieval of events. Specifically, the translation process between the viewpoint-independent content of a memory and the viewpoint-dependent stimuli activating the retrieval (mental frame syncing) plays a critical role in spatial memory recollection. This perspective also provides an explanatory model for pathological disturbances such as Alzheimer's disease.
Innovative methods to manage frailty are critical to managing the needs of an ageing population. Evidence suggests there are opportunities to reverse or prevent frailty through early intervention. However, little is known about older adults’, families’ and practitioners’ beliefs about the malleability of frailty. This study examined European stakeholders’ accounts of the acceptability and feasibility of frailty screening and prevention to inform future intervention development. Semi-structured focus groups and individual interviews were conducted in three European Union countries (Italy, Poland and the United Kingdom) with key stakeholders – frail and non-frail older adults, family care-givers, and health and social care professionals. Thematic analysis identified four themes: synchronicity between the physical and the psychological in frailty, living with frailty in the social world, the need for a new kind of care, and screening for and preventing frailty. Findings emphasised the need for a holistic approach to frailty care and early intervention. Integrated care services and advocacy were important in the organisation of care. Central to all stakeholders was the significance of the psychological and social alongside the physical elements of frailty and frailty prevention. Support and care for older adults and their family care-givers needs to be accessible and co-ordinated. Interventions to prevent frailty must encompass a social dimension to help older adults maintain a sense of self while building physical and psychological resilience.
The aim of the current study was to asses the effect of goat or cow milk-based diets, either normal or Fe-overloaded and folic acid supplement on some aspects of hepatic physiology, enzymatic antioxidant defence and lipid peroxidation in liver, brain and erythrocyte of control and anaemic rats after chronic Fe repletion. 160 male Wistar rats were placed on 40 d in two groups, a control group receiving normal-Fe diet and the Fe-deficient group receiving low Fe diet. Lately, the rats were fed with goat and cow milk-based diets during 30 d, with normal-Fe content or Fe-overload and either with normal folic or folic acid supplemented. Fe-overload increased plasma alanine transaminase and aspartate transaminase levels when cow milk was supplied. Dietary folate supplementation reduced plasma transaminases levels in animals fed goat milk with chronic Fe overload. A remarkable increase in the superoxide dismutase activity was observed in the animals fed cow milk. Dietary folate supplement lead to a decrease on the activity of this enzyme in all the tissues studied with both milk-based diets. A concomitant increment in catalase was also observed. The increase in lipid peroxidation products levels in rats fed cow milk with Fe-overload, suggest an imbalance in the functioning of the enzymatic antioxidant defence. In conclusion, dietary folate-supplemented goat milk reduces both plasma transaminases levels, suggesting a hepatoprotective effect and has beneficial effects in situation of Fe-overload, improving the antioxidant enzymes activities and reducing lipid peroxidation.
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