Στην βιολογία, το περιβάλλον μπορεί να καθοριστεί σαν ενα σύνολο κλιματικών, βιοτικών, κοινωνικών και εδαφικών παραγόντων που δρουν σε έναν οργανισμό και καθορίζουν την ανάπτυξη και την επιβίωση του. Έτσι, περιλαμβάνει οτιδήποτε μπορεί να επηρεάσει άμεσα τον μεταβολισμό ή τη συμπεριφορά των ζωντανών οργανισμών ή ειδών, όπως το φως, ο αέρας, το νερό, το έδαφος και άλλοι παράγοντες. Δείτε επίσης το άρθρο για το φυσικό περιβάλλον και τη φυσική επιλογή.
Στην αρχιτεκτονική, την εργονομία και την ασφάλεια στην εργασία, περιβάλλον είναι το σύνολο των χαρακτηριστικών ενός δωματίου ή κτιρίου που επηρεάζουν την ποιότητα ζωής και την αποδοτικότητα, περιλαμβανομένων των διαστάσεων και της διαρρύθμισης των χώρων διαβίωσης και της επίπλωσης, του φωτισμού, του αερισμού, της θερμοκρασίας, του θορύβου κλπ. Επίσης μπορεί να αναφέρεται στο σύνολο των δομικών κατασκευών. Δείτε επίσης το άρθρο για το δομημένο περιβάλλον.
Στην ψυχολογία, περιβαλλοντισμός είναι η θεωρία ότι το περιβάλλον (με τη γενική και κοινωνική έννοια) παίζει μεγαλύτερο ρόλο από την κληρονομικότητα καθορίζοντας την ανάπτυξη ενός ατόμου. Συγκεκριμένα, το περιβάλλον είναι ένας σημαντικός παράγοντας πολλών ψυχολογικών θεωριών.
Στην τέχνη, το περιβάλλον αποτελεί κινητήριο μοχλό και μούσα εμπνέοντας τους ζωγράφους ή τους ποιητές. Σε όλες τις μορφές της Τέχνης αποτελεί έμπνευση και οι Καλές Τέχνες φανερώνουν την επιρροή οπού άσκησε σε όλους τους καλλιτέχνες με όποιο είδος Τέχνης κι αν ασχολούνται. Ο άνθρωπος μέσα στο περιβάλλον δημιουργεί Μουσική, Ζωγραφική, Ποίηση, Γλυπτική, χορό, τραγούδι, θέατρο, αλλά και όλες οι μορφές τέχνης έχουν άμεση έμπνευση από το περιβάλλον.

Τετάρτη 2 Φεβρουαρίου 2022

Effects of oral screen exercise on orofacial and pharyngeal activity: An exploratory study using videofluoroscopy and surface electromyography in healthy adults

xlomafota13 shared this article with you from Inoreader

pubmed-meta-image.png

Clin Exp Dent Res. 2022 Feb 1. doi: 10.1002/cre2.538. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: The oral screen is a device commonly used for treatment of orofacial disorders. The objective of this exploratory study was to examine the effect of oral screen exercise on the muscle activity in the lips, submental complex, masseter muscle, and kinematic activity of the tongue base, soft palate, pharynx, and larynx in healthy adults. This was compared with the kinematic activity during a dry swallow. It was hypothesized that not only the lip musculature but also other structures in the oral and pharyngeal cavities are activated while using an oral screen device.

METHOD: Ten healthy subjects used an oral screen during examination with videofluoroscopy and surface electromyography (EMG). Three different instructions for oral screen application and a dry swallow were examined.

RESULTS: The lip muscles showed the highest activity during oral screen exercise. The other muscle groups were activated to a lesser degree. The pattern of activation differed between individuals. Compared with a dry swallow, the range of motion of the tongue base, posterior pharyngeal wall, and the larynx was significantly smaller during oral screen activation. No major differences were found between three different instructions.

CONCLUSION: This study indicates that the lips and submental complex and, to a lesser degree, oral, pharyngeal, and laryngeal structures are activa ted with the oral screen, but the pattern of activation varied between individuals. In comparison to the activity during a dry swallow, range of motion during oral screen exercise is small.

PMID:35106972 | DOI:10.1002/cre2.538

View on the web

An analysis of hematological, coagulation and biochemical markers in COVID-19 disease and their association with clinical severity and mortality: an Indian outlook

xlomafota13 shared this article with you from Inoreader

Am J Blood Res. 2021 Dec 15;11(6):580-591. eCollection 2021.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: The "cytokine storm" (CS) in COVID-19 leads to the worst stage of illness which can be controlled only with timely intervention. There is an urgent need to identify laboratory markers of disease progression for optimum allocation of resources in developing countries like India.

METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 100 COVID-19 positive patients over two months. The cases were sub-classified based on disease severity into mild to moderate (n=61), severe (n=26) and very severe (n=13) and into survivors (n=85) and non-survivors (n=15) based on survivor status. These patients were tested for hematological parameters (total blood lymphocyte counts, NLR, PLR, platelet indices etc.), coagulation markers (D-dimer, fibrin degradation products (FDP), fibrinogen etc.) and biochemical markers (LDH, ferritin, IL-6, procalcitonin, hs-CRP).

RESU LTS: Statistically significant differences were observed in hematological variables (ANC, NLR and ESR), coagulation parameters (D-dimer, FDP, fibrinogen and thrombin time) and biochemical markers (LDH, ferritin, IL-6, procalcitonin and hs-CRP) with regard to subcategories based of disease severity as well as survivor status. There was strong correlation between NLR, D-dimer, IL-6, procalcitonin and ferritin. IL-6 emerged as the single best marker of disease severity (AUC: 0.997, P=0.00), however procalcitonin, LDH, D-dimer, FDP and NLR could also predict severe disease with a good sensitivity and specificity.

CONCLUSION: To conclude, study demonstrates a plethora of biomarkers which could be utilized to accurately identify the hyperinflammation and tissue damage reminiscent of cytokine storm in COVID-19 patients so that timely, safe, and effective therapies can be administered to prevent progression and potentially reduce mortality.

PMID:35103112 | PMC:PMC8784646

View on the web

A review of neoplasms with MITF/MiT family translocations

xlomafota13 shared this article with you from Inoreader

Histol Histopathol. 2022 Feb 2:18426. doi: 10.14670/HH-18-426. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Microphthalmia-associated transcription factor (MITF/MiT) family is a group of basic helix-loop-helix leucine zipper (bHLH-LZ) transcription factors including TFE3 (TFEA), TFEB, TFEC and MITF. The first renal neoplasms involving MITF family translocation were renal cell carcinomas with chromosome translocations involving ASPL-TFE3/t(X;17)(p11.23;q25) or MALAT1-TFEB/t(6;11)(p21.1;q12), and now it is known as MiT family translocation RCC in 2016 WHO classification. Translocations involving MITF family genes also are found in other tumor types, such as perivascular epithelioid cell neoplasm (PEComa), Alveolar soft part sarcoma (ASPS), epithelioid hemangioendothelioma, ossifying fibromyxoid tumor (OFMT), and clear cell tumor with melanocytic differentiation and ACTIN-MITF translocation. In this review, we summarize the features of different types of neoplasms with MITF family translocations.

PMID:35107169 | DOI:10.14670/HH-18-426

View on the web

Sonographische Diagnostik tonsillärer Abszesse: Eigene Erfahrungen und eine systematische Übersicht

xlomafota13 shared this article with you from Inoreader

Laryngorhinootologie
DOI: 10.1055/a-1744-6305

Hintergrund Die transkutane Sonografie ist seit einigen Jahrzehnten ein fester Bestandteil der bildgebenden Diagnostik im Kopf-Hals-Bereich. Insbesondere in der Darstellung von Abszessen der Fossa tonsillaris ist die Sonografie eine schnelle, sichere und kostengünstige diagnostische Methode. Diese Arbeit soll einen Überblick über die derzeit publizierten Studien in Bezug auf die diagnostische Wertigkeit geben. Material und Methoden Systematische Literaturrecherche in folgenden Online-Datenbanken: PubMed und MEDLINE nach den Suchbegriffen transcutaneous ultrasound, tonsillar abscess, peritonsillar abscess, intratonsillar abscess, peritonsillar cellulitis und parapharyngeal abscess. Bewertung der wissenschaftlichen Relevanz der Arbeiten nach festgelegten Kriterien. Ergebnisse Die Publikationen wurden in Bezug auf die klinische Anwendung, die klinische Befunderhebung und die diagnostische Genauigkeit analysiert. Die Sensitivität und Spezifität werden je nach Studie und Patientenkollektiv zwischen 67 % und 100 % bzw. 50 % und 93 % angegeben. Schlussfolgerungen In Zusammenschau der aktuell publizierten Ergebnisse verspricht die transkutane Sonografie ein großes Potenzial, die Diagnostik des Peritonsillarabszesses zu verbessern, und ermöglicht eine gute Abgrenzbarkeit zur peritonsillären Zellulitis. Dies ist für das klinische Management von Patienten mit Abszessverdacht von entscheidender Bedeutung.
[...]

Georg Thieme Verlag KG Rüdigerstraße 14, 70469 Stuttgart, Germany

Article in Thieme eJournals:
Table of contents  |  Abstract  |& nbsp; Full text

View on the web

Τρίτη 1 Φεβρουαρίου 2022

Markerless registration approach using dynamic touchable region model

xlomafota13 shared this article with you from Inoreader

Abstract

Background

Markerless registration is required for image-guided surgery; it has limited accuracy due to the ambiguity of the correspondence point set. In this study, we proposed a registration framework to improve registration accuracy for markerless registration using a dynamic touchable region model (DTRM).

Methods

The DTRM is defined using the geometric characteristics of the surface around the fiducial area using Intrinsic Shape Signature (ISS) keypoints. The new registration procedure, which combines the DTRM with iterative closest point-based registration (ICDTP) was implemented and verified with phantom experiments for a single-user and multi-user study.

Results

The ICDTP registration framework provides improved performance over the paired-point registration for surgeries, where it is inappropriate to construct the corresponding positions with adhesive fiducial markers.

Conclusion

The proposed method can be an alternative approach for image-guided surgery in operations for which it is not appropriate to set up markers for registration.

This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

View on the web

Symptomatic Lingual Thyroglossal Duct Cyst in Children: A Laryngomalacia Phenotype

xlomafota13 shared this article with you from Inoreader

pubmed-meta-image.png

Ann Otol Rhinol Laryngol. 2022 Jan 31:34894221075082. doi: 10.1177/00034894221075082. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: Patients with lingual thyroglossal duct cyst (TGDC) can present as symptomatic with obstructive airway and feeding difficulties.

METHODS: We present 3 cases of symptomatic lingual TGDC.

RESULTS: All 3 patients were diagnosed with laryngomalacia and underwent further concurrent or delayed airway intervention, in addition to cyst removal .

CONCLUSIONS: We reason that there is a phenotype of laryngomalacia in the symptomatic lingual thyroglossal duct cyst patients who present with symptoms due to disruption in laryngeal anatomy rather than the cyst itself causing obstructive symptoms. Distinguishing this phenotype, especially in comparison to other pathologies such as vallecular cysts, may better allow for planning of concurrent or delayed airway procedures and overall counseling of parents.

PMID:35100842 | DOI:10.1177/00034894221075082

View on the web

Sino-nasal hemangiopericytoma: a case series and systematic literature review

xlomafota13 shared this article with you from Inoreader

Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol. 2022 Feb 1. doi: 10.1007/s00405-021-07239-w. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Hemangiopericytoma is a rare tumor of the sino-nasal tract. Its clinical behavior is controversial. Whereas some describe an indolent course, others consider it to be an aggressive lesion with a tendency toward rapid local recurrence. Here, we describe our experience in the management of sino-nasal hemangiopericytoma (SN-HPC), comparing our experience with the current literature, and evaluating signs and tools to improve diagnosis and treatment.

METHODS: All cases of SN-HPC between 2010 and 2020 were extracted and reviewed from our institutional electronic medical records. SN-HPC cases from PubMed and EMBASE between 2010 and 2020 were analyzed in a systematic literature review using the preferred reporting items for systematic review and meta-analysis (PRISMA) guidelines. Data regarding demographics, presentation, d iagnosis, treatment, and outcome were collected.

RESULTS: We identified four cases of SN-HPC in the nasal cavity in our institution and an additional 53 cases in previous reports. The mean age at the time of diagnosis was 59 years, with a 1.2:1 male to female ratio. SN-HPC mostly appears unilaterally, arising in the ethmoid sinus (42.1%). The most common presenting symptoms were epistaxis (47.3) and nasal obstruction (47.3%). Both computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were required for diagnosis and for tailoring the treatment plan. Endoscopic surgical excision was used in 85.9% of the patients, and in 15.7%, an additional preoperative embolization was performed, which was associated with septal necrosis in one patient (2.6%). The recurrence rate was 7%.

CONCLUSION: Although previous reports attribute an aggressive tumoral behavior to SN-HPC, our experience and the literature review support a more indolent course with low recurrence rates followin g complete endoscopic resection. Preoperative embolization can be useful in certain cases, but due to potential complications, it should not be routinely indicated.

PMID:35103868 | DOI:10.1007/s00405-021-07239-w

View on the web