Academic Articles & Research Papers

Epidemiology and burden of osteoarthritis

BACKGROUND: Osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative joint disease involving the cartilage and many of its surrounding tissues. Disease progression is usually slow but can ultimately lead to joint failure with pain and disability. OA of the hi...

Quality of life, psychological distress and violence among women in close relationships: a population-based study in Finland

Abstract Background The aim of this study was to examine associations between exposure to violence, quality of life, and psychological distress. Women aged 19–54 years who had been exposed to violence by someone in a close relationship were...

A novel sensor-based assessment of lower limb spasticity in children with cerebral palsy

Abstract Background To provide effective interventions for spasticity, accurate and reliable spasticity assessment is essential. For the assessment, the Modified Tardieu Scale (MTS) has been widely used owing to its simplicity and convenien...

Emergence of chaotic resonance controlled by extremely weak feedback signals in neural systems

IntroductionChaotic resonance is similar to stochastic resonance, which emerges from chaos as an internal dynamical fluctuation. In chaotic resonance, chaos-chaos intermittency (CCI), in which the chaotic orbits shift between the separated ...

Theoretical framework of the neuro and psychomotor therapist for developmental age: an Italian perspective for paediatric rehabilitation of neurodevelopmental disabilities

PurposeThe rehabilitation of neurodevelopmental disabilities is a complex process aimed at enhancing children’s functional abilities, minimizing the impact of disabilities on family dynamics, and promoting autonomy in daily life. Although s...

Marine Robots Mapping the Present and the Past: Unraveling the Secrets of the Deep

Underwater cultural heritage sites are subject to constant change, whether due to natural forces such as sediments, waves, currents or human intervention. Until a few decades ago, the documentation and research of these sites was mostly don...

Innovations in repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation: a review of clinical evidence and patient-reported outcomes for ExoTMS

IntroductionTranscranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is a non-invasive neuromodulation technique with demonstrated efficacy in the treatment of multiple psychiatric and neurological disorders. ExoTMS represents an evolution in TMS system des...

Evolutionary Robotics

Evolutionary robotics is a new technique for the automatic creation of autonomous robots. Inspired by the Darwinian principle of selective reproduction of the fittest, it views robots as autonomous artificial organisms that develop their ow...

The state of quantum computing applications in health and medicine

Abstract Quantum computing hardware and software have made enormous strides over the last years1. Questions around quantum computing’s impact on research and society have changed from “if” to “when/how”. The 2020s have been described as the...

Natural language processing in mental health applications using non-clinical texts

Abstract Natural language processing (NLP) techniques can be used to make inferences about peoples’ mental states from what they write on Facebook, Twitter and other social media. These inferences can then be used to create online pathways ...

Neuromodulation Effect According to Lesion Location After Dual-Mode Brain Stimulation in Patients with Subacute Stroke: A Preliminary Study

Dual-mode non-invasive brain stimulation using repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation and transcranial direct current stimulation is known to help neurorehabilitation in patients with stroke. However, this neuromodulation effect may v...

Nonlinear Dynamics of Swinging Clapper Bells under Arbitrary or Resonant Forcing Functions

Study of swinging clapper bells involves aspects encompassing sound and acoustic engineering, mechanical engineering, and structural engineering. From the musical point of view, clapper bells are directly played idiophone instruments, where...

Effectiveness of nurse-led hypertension interventions on retention, adherence, and blood pressure control among adults in low- and middle-income countries: A systematic review.

Generational Differences in Dietary Behaviours: A Cross-Sectional Study of Generations X, Y, and Z [version 1; peer review: 2 approved]

Background Dietary behaviours influence obesity and chronic disease. In Saudi Arabia, Westernised diets and sedentary lifestyles have driven rising obesity. This study explores generational dietary patterns to inform Saudi Vision 2030 plann...

The Balanced Opioid Initiative: protocol for a clustered, sequential, multiple-assignment randomized trial to construct an adaptive implementation strategy to improve guideline-concordant opioid prescribing in primary care

Abstract Background Rates of opioid prescribing tripled in the USA between 1999 and 2015 and were associated with significant increases in opioid misuse and overdose death. Roughly half of all opioids are prescribed in primary care. Althoug...

Development and validation of an online dynamic nomogram based on the atherogenic index of plasma to screen nonalcoholic fatty liver disease

Abstract Background Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), a common liver disease worldwide, can be reversed early in life with lifestyle and medical interventions. This study aimed to develop a noninvasive tool to screen NAFLD accuratel...

Mental health impacts of climate mitigation and adaptation interventions in high income countries: A scoping review(✰,✰✰).

From neuromodulation to bone homeostasis: therapeutic targets of nerve growth factor in skeletal diseases

The skeletal system is an important support structure in the human body, and its homeostatic state is highly relevant to the development of a wide range of orthopaedic diseases. The search for key regulatory factors associated with skeletal...

The Role of Mast Cells and Their Potential as a Therapeutic Target For Neuroinflammation

Sarah Adriana Scuderi,1 Rossella Basilotta,2 Laura Cucinotta,2 Alessio Ardizzone,3 Emanuela Esposito21Genetics and Pharmacogenetics Unit, ‘Gaetano Martino’ University Hospital, Messina, Italy; 2Department of Chemical, Biological, Pharmaceut...

Targeting Inflammation With Nanosized Drug Delivery Platforms in Cardiovascular Diseases: Immune Cell Modulation in Atherosclerosis

Atherosclerosis (AS) is a disorder of large and medium-sized arteries; it consists in the formation of lipid-rich plaques in the intima and inner media, whose pathophysiology is mostly driven by inflammation. Currently available interventio...