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Motor cortex (M1) has been thought to form a continuous somatotopic homunculus extending down the precentral gyrus from foot to face representations1,2, despite evidence for concentric functional zones3 and maps of complex actions4. Here, using precision functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) methods, we find that the classic homunculus is interrupted by regions with distinct connectivity, structure and function, alternating with effector-specific (foot, hand and mouth) areas. These inter-effector regions exhibit decreased cortical thickness and strong functional connectivity to each other, as well as to the cingulo-opercular network (CON), critical for action5 and physiological control6, arousal7, errors8 and pain9. This interdigitation of action control-linked and motor effector regions was verified in the three largest fMRI datasets. Macaque and pediatric (newborn, infant and child) precision fMRI suggested cross-species homologues and developmental precursors of the inter-effector system. A battery of motor and action fMRI tasks documented concentric effector somatotopies, separated by the CON-linked inter-effector regions. The inter-effectors lacked movement specificity and co-activated during action planning (coordination of hands and feet) and axial body movement (such as of the abdomen or eyebrows). These results, together with previous studies demonstrating stimulation-evoked complex actions4 and connectivity to internal organs10 such as the adrenal medulla, suggest that M1 is punctuated by a system for whole-body action planning, the somato-cognitive action network (SCAN). In M1, two parallel systems intertwine, forming an integrate-isolate pattern: effector-specific regions (foot, hand and mouth) for isolating fine motor control and the SCAN for integrating goals, physiology and body movement.

Introdução: a Anredera cordifolia é uma planta reconhecida como planta alimentícia não convencional. Na medicina popular, mostra-se promissora, sendo utilizada no tratamento de doenças de pele, de diabetes e de hipertensão. Objetivos: mapear as propriedades da planta Anredera cordifolia no processo terapêutico das doenças crônicas não transmissíveis. Materiais e método: o estudo teve como base as orientações do Joanna Briggs Institute. A busca foi realizada nas fontes de dados Medline/PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science e CINAHL, em 2022 e atualizada em 2023. Os critérios de seleção foram estudos primários, de qualquer idioma, país de origem e ano de publicação, desenvolvido com seres humanos, animais e/ou modelos celulares, em contexto laboratorial e com enfoque nas propriedades da planta. A seleção ocorreu de modo duplo-independente, utilizando o software Rayyan. Os dados foram analisados por meio de análise de conteúdo. Resultados: nos 27 artigos incluídos, os resultados demonstraram que a planta tem propriedades positivas no tratamento da diabetes mellitus, da hipertensão arterial, da doença renal crônica, da obesidade e da catarata, além de ser benéfica no controle dos níveis de colesterol, de triglicerídeos e de ácido úrico. As principais propriedades terapêuticas identificadas foram efeito hipoglicêmico e diminuição dos níveis séricos de triglicerídeos e colesterol total. A planta também demonstrou efeitos benéficos na cicatrização de feridas diabéticas, na redução da frequência cardíaca e na obesidade. Conclusões: as doenças crônicas que possuem evidência sobre o uso da planta são hipertensão, diabetes, doença renal, obesidade e catarata. Além disso, a planta tem propriedades benéficas quanto a marcadores clínicos, como triglicerídeos, colesterol e glicemia.

ObjectivesFew surveys have focused on physician moral distress, burnout, and professional fulfilment. We assessed physician wellness and coping during the COVID-19 pandemic.DesignCross-sectional survey using four validated instruments.SettingSixty-two sites in Canada and the United States.SubjectsAttending physicians (adult, pediatric; intensivist, nonintensivist) who worked in North American ICUs.InterventionNone.Measurements and main resultsWe analysed 431 questionnaires (43.3% response rate) from 25 states and eight provinces. Respondents were predominantly male (229 [55.6%]) and in practice for 11.8 ± 9.8 years. Compared with prepandemic, respondents reported significant intrapandemic increases in days worked/mo, ICU bed occupancy, and self-reported moral distress (240 [56.9%]) and burnout (259 [63.8%]). Of the 10 top-ranked items that incited moral distress, most pertained to regulatory/organizational ( n = 6) or local/institutional ( n = 2) issues or both ( n = 2). Average moral distress (95.6 ± 66.9), professional fulfilment (6.5 ± 2.1), and burnout scores (3.6 ± 2.0) were moderate with 227 physicians (54.6%) meeting burnout criteria. A significant dose-response existed between COVID-19 patient volume and moral distress scores. Physicians who worked more days/mo and more scheduled in-house nightshifts, especially combined with more unscheduled in-house nightshifts, experienced significantly more moral distress. One in five physicians used at least one maladaptive coping strategy. We identified four coping profiles (active/social, avoidant, mixed/ambivalent, infrequent) that were associated with significant differences across all wellness measures.ConclusionsDespite moderate intrapandemic moral distress and burnout, physicians experienced moderate professional fulfilment. However, one in five physicians used at least one maladaptive coping strategy. We highlight potentially modifiable factors at individual, institutional, and regulatory levels to enhance physician wellness.

Abstract Background Take-home buprenorphine/naloxone is an effective method of initiating opioid agonist therapy in the Emergency Department (ED) that requires ED healthcare worker buy-in for large-scale implementation. We aimed to investigate healthcare workers perceptions of ED take-home buprenorphine/naloxone, as well as barriers and facilitators from an ED healthcare worker perspective. Methods In the context of a take-home buprenorphine/naloxone feasibility study at a tertiary care teaching hospital we conducted a descriptive qualitative study. We conducted one-on-one in person or telephone interviews and focus groups with ED healthcare workers who cared for patients given take-home buprenorphine/naloxone in the feasibility study at Vancouver General Hospital from July 2019 to March 2020. We conducted 37 healthcare worker interviews from December 2019 to July 2020. We audio recorded interviews and focus groups and transcribed them verbatim. We completed interviews until we reached thematic saturation. Data analysis We inductively coded a sample of transcripts to generate a provisional coding structure and to identify emerging themes, which were reviewed by our multidisciplinary team. We then used the final coding structure to analyze the transcripts. We present our findings descriptively. Results Participants identified a number of context-specific facilitators and barriers to take-home buprenorphine/naloxone provision in the ED. Participants highlighted ED conditions having either facilitative or prohibitive effects: provision of buprenorphine/naloxone was feasible when ED volume was low and space was available but became less so as ED volume increased and space decreased. Similarly, participants noted that patient-related factors could have a facilitative or prohibitive effect, such as willingness to wait (willing to stay in the ED for study-related activities and buprenorphine/naloxone initiation activities), receptiveness to buprenorphine/naloxone, and comprehension of the instructions. As for staff-related factors, time was identified as a consistent barrier. Time included time available and time required to initiate buprenorphine/naloxone (including time building rapport). Healthcare worker familiarity with buprenorphine/naloxone was noted as either a facilitating factor or a barrier, and healthcare workers indicated that ongoing training would have been advantageous. Many healthcare workers identified that the ED is an important first point of contact for the target patient population. Conclusion Integrating a buprenorphine/naloxone program into ED care requires organizational supports (e.g., for managing buprenorphine/naloxone within limitations of ED volume, space, and time), and ongoing education of healthcare workers to minimize identified barriers.

Objetivo: Identificar na literatura as contribuições sobre a validação de tecnologias educacionais para pessoas com hipertensão arterial. Método: Trata-se de uma revisão integrativa da literatura realizada em março de 2022, utilizando-se os descritores indexados “Tecnologia educacional” AND “Hipertensão” na base de dados Literatura Latino-Americana em Ciências de Saúde e “Educational Technology” AND “Arterial hypertension” na SciVerse Scopus e no Portal Scientific Electronic Library Online, a partir dos Descritores em Ciências da Saúde e Medical Subject Headings. Incluíram-se artigos na integra, sem recorte temporal. Resultados: Foram selecionados sete estudos de 31 publicações. Apontam-se para a socialização de experiências, troca de informações e compartilhamento de dúvidas para mudanças de comportamento relacionadas a HA. Conclusão: A área da saúde produz poucos trabalhos acadêmicos sobre a validação de tecnologias educacionais para pessoas com hipertensão arterial.

Previous studies have investigated differences in the volumes of subcortical structures (e.g., caudate nucleus, putamen, thalamus, amygdala, and hippocampus) between individuals with and without Tourette syndrome (TS), as well as the relationships between these volumes and tic symptom severity. These volumes may also predict clinical outcome in Provisional Tic Disorder (PTD), but that hypothesis has never been tested. This study aimed to examine whether the volumes of subcortical structures measured shortly after tic onset can predict tic symptom severity at one-year post-tic onset, when TS can first be diagnosed. We obtained T1-weighted structural MRI scans from 41 children with PTD (25 with prospective motion correction (vNavs)) whose tics had begun less than 9 months (mean 4.04 months) prior to the first study visit (baseline). We re-examined them at the 12-month anniversary of their first tic (follow-up), assessing tic severity using the Yale Global Tic Severity Scale. We quantified the volumes of subcortical structures using volBrain software. Baseline hippocampal volume was correlated with tic severity at the 12-month follow-up, with a larger hippocampus at baseline predicting worse tic severity at follow-up. The volumes of other subcortical structures did not significantly predict tic severity at follow-up. Hippocampal volume may be an important marker in predicting prognosis in Provisional Tic Disorder.

Abstract This work presents a new method, the SOR_FEM, spurious oscillation reduction-FEM, that uses analytical solutions of simple problems to find numerical solutions of more complex problems to reduce the spurious oscillations that occur due to solution discontinuity. With the proposed method it is possible to find numerical solutions without spurious oscillations of problems submitted to impulsive point sources without using any approximation for the Dirac delta function. To validate the proposed method, linear problems of heat diffusion and wave propagation in homogeneous and heterogeneous media are solved with the Finite Element Method (FEM).

BackgroundExercise is crucial for individuals with paraplegia to reduce the risk of secondary diseases and improve independence and quality of life. However, numerous barriers such as inadequate accessibility restrict their participation in exercise programs. Digital exercise apps can help overcome these barriers. Personalization is considered a crucial feature of mobile exercise apps, as people with paraplegia have individual requirements regarding exercise programs depending on their level of impairment. Despite the increasing popularity of mobile exercise apps, there are none available that target the individual needs of this cohort. The ParaGym mobile exercise app prototype was designed to automatically tailor exercise sessions to the individual needs of users with paraplegia. ObjectiveThis study aims to evaluate the feasibility, usability, safety, and preliminary effectiveness of the ParaGym mobile exercise app prototype. MethodsThis pilot block-randomized controlled feasibility trial will include 45 adult participants with paraplegia. Eligible participants will be block randomized to either the intervention or waitlist control group. The intervention group will perform a 6-week exercise program using the ParaGym mobile exercise app, comprising three 35-minute exercise sessions per week. The waitlist control group will continue their usual care and receive access to the app after study completion. Participants will record all exercise sessions conducted with the app as well as additional exercise sessions conducted during the study period using exercise diaries. The primary outcomes include feasibility, usability, and safety. Feasibility will be assessed through semistructured interviews, study adherence, and retention rates. Usability will be measured using the System Usability Scale. Safety will be determined by the occurrence of adverse events. Secondary outcomes include the effects of the intervention on peak exercise capacity (VO2 peak); handgrip strength; independence, which will be measured using the Spinal Cord Independence Measure III (SCIM III); and health-related quality of life, which will be measured using the Short Form–36 Health Survey (SF-36). ResultsRecruitment commenced in November 2022. Overall, 12 participants were enrolled at the time of submission. Data collection commenced in January 2023, with completion expected in April 2023. ConclusionsTo the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to assess the feasibility, usability, and safety of an intelligent mobile exercise app for individuals with paraplegia. Thereafter, the app should be adapted according to the findings of this trial. Future trials with an updated version of the app should aim for a larger sample size, longer intervention duration, and more diverse target group. In the long term, a fully marketable version of the ParaGym app should be implemented. This would increase the access to personalized, independent, and evidence-based exercise training for this cohort and, in the future, other people who use wheelchairs. Trial RegistrationGerman Clinical Trials Register DRKS00030370; https://drks.de/search/de/trial/DRKS00030370 International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID)DERR1-10.2196/45652

Mind-sets are expected to influence the process of designing, which require designers to successfully integrate complex decision-making processes into good design solutions. The study reported here analyses whether differences in mind-sets shown by design students can influence their design processes and impact the quality of the design solutions that they produce. The considerations, design activities and quality of solutions that design students produced in response to a given design task are examined to make an inference of mind-sets in actual design situations. 45 undergraduate students majoring in industrial design filled in a questionnaire that assessed their mind-set, and engaged in a design task. Two general types of mindsets can be discerned empirically: discerning and opportunistic. Significant differences between design students with a discerning or opportunistic mind-set could be observed. Evidence for the cultivation of a discerning mind-set in designing is found. Building on these results, recommendations on how to potentially support design teaching and learning are discussed.

ABSTRACT Objective To analyze the effect of lavender essential oil associated with massage on spinal pain levels in obese women. Methods The sample included 49 obese women, between 20 and 60 years of age, randomly assigned to three groups: control (n=15), intervention (n=19) and placebo (n=15). The intervention and placebo groups were submitted to eight 35-minute sessions, twice a week for one month, but the essential oil of Lavandula angustifolia was used only in the intervention group. A placebo was used for the placebo group and the control group received no intervention. Pain levels were measured before and after the intervention using the Visual Analog Scale. Results There was a significant decrease in total spinal pain (p=0.004), in the cervical region (p=0.003) and in the lumbar region (p=0.008) in the intervention group. Conclusion Lavender essential oil had a positive impact on the reduction of pain in the spine of obese women, as well as in the specific areas of the cervical and lumbar regions compared to the control and placebo groups. Level of evidence I; Randomized clinical trial.

Resumo O objetivo deste estudo é compreender como enfermeiros assistenciais de hospital universitário atuariam em casos de pacientes em fase final de vida providos de diretivas antecipadas de vontade. Trata-se de estudo qualitativo, descritivo e exploratório realizado com 20 enfermeiros de um hospital universitário e público do Sul do Brasil. Os dados foram coletados de novembro de 2017 a janeiro de 2018, por meio de entrevistas individuais semiestruturadas, e submetidos a análise textual discursiva, a partir da qual foram elencadas três categorias: aceitação da morte no contexto hospitalar como pressuposto para cumprir as diretivas; autonomia do paciente, respeitando limites; e diretiva antecipada de vontade, do (des)conhecimento à possibilidade de respaldo profissional. Concluiu-se que os enfermeiros consideram que as diretivas antecipadas de vontade facilitam o respeito à autonomia do paciente, além de oferecerem respaldo ao profissional.

The reference librarians of Trinity Western University have a strong mission-driven commitment to teach information literacy, but there is a significant contrast between the amount of instruction they can provide and the demanding task of developing all students as skilled researchers. The growing teach-the-teacher model suggested an option to enlist faculty in providing a larger portion of information literacy instruction themselves. With strong support from academic administration, three librarians devised an initial faculty workshop as part of the university's faculty professional development series, followed by four detailed weekly sessions. They based their activities on several factors: first, faculty members would need to be invited into a shared concern about student research; second, the librarians would not call for significant disruption of current curricula and teaching practices; and third, the workshops would focus on one basic idea--turning the assigned research project into a vehicle for developing students as researchers--rather than overwhelming faculty with multiple options. Faculty responded positively to the workshop series, and there are initial signs that faculty members are embracing the promoted concepts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]