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Background. Brachial plexus injury is a serious peripheral nerve injury that severely disables upper limbs and affects patients' daily life and work Acupuncture and Electroacupuncture have traditionally been used to treat neuropathic pain. However, there is still lacking evidence as regard to their effects on pain following traumatic nerve and plexus lesions. Neurotmesis after brachial plexus injury also causes movement disorders of the denervated muscles and loss of sensory function in the skin. Case report. We report a case of a brachial plexus injury due to humeral fracture, predominantly involving the lower trunk and the medial cord, treated with electroacupuncture. Results. We documented a positive significant response, based on clinical examination, pain scores and neurophysiologic findings. Conclusions. Repeated Electroacupuncture can relieve neuropathic pain due to brachial plexus injury. However, additional studies are needed to verify the efficacy and effectiveness of this approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: A range of signs and symptoms that often impair up-per extremity function characterizes Multiple Sclerosis (MS). People with MS may have impairments that make some activities of daily living difficult and reduce functional independence. A multidisciplinary rehabilitation approach, combined with pharmacological treatment, can be helpful in improving hand and upper limb function in people with Multiple Sclerosis. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effects of Kinesio Taping® in addition to upper limb-specific rehabilitation on dominant hand in people with Multiple Sclerosis., Methods: In this pilot study, patients were divided into two groups according to clinical indications: the experimental group underwent application of Kinesio Taping®, while the control group of Inelastic-Tape, 3 times a week for 4 consecutive weeks. All patients were assessed at baseline (T0) and after 4 weeks (T1) with scales for manual dexterity, fine motor skills, strength and quality of life., Results: Statistical analysis showed that the hand-dominant function of the entire sample improved. Patients in experimental group achieved greater benefits in manual dexterity and the ability to perform activities of daily living., Conclusion: It would appear that Kinesio Tape® in addition to appropriate and individualized physical therapy is effective in improving some aspects of hand function., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: C.P. has served on scientific advisory boards for Novartis, Merck, Biogen, Sanofi, Genzyme, Teva, and Actelion; received funding for travel and speaker honoraria from Biogen, Teva, Sanofi Genzyme, Actelion, and Novartis; received research support from Biogen, Teva, Novartis, and Genzyme., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Background: Brachial plexus injury is a serious peripheral nerve injury that severely disables upper limbs and affects patients' daily life and work Acupuncture and Electroacupuncture have traditionally been used to treat neuropathic pain. However, there is still lacking evidence as regard to their effects on pain following traumatic nerve and plexus lesions. Neurotmesis after brachial plexus injury also causes movement disorders of the denervated muscles and loss of sensory function in the skin., Case Report: We report a case of a brachial plexus injury due to humeral fracture, predominantly involving the lower trunk and the medial cord, treated with electroacupuncture. Results. We documented a positive significant response, based on clinical examination, pain scores and neurophysiologic findings., Conclusions: Repeated Electroacupuncture can relieve neuropathic pain due to brachial plexus injury. However, additional studies are needed to verify the efficacy and effectiveness of this approach.

Background: Over the last years, there has been an increasing concern about a global decline in men's fertility. Specifically, some evidence indicates that sperm quality has decreased over the last years. However, reports showing the changes in sperm quality with time are inconsistent. Part of the contradictions between studies is attributed to geographical differences. Surprisingly, few studies include data from South American countries, creating a bias in the conclusions. This study aims to determine how sperm quality has evolved over the past 30 years in Uruguay. For this purpose, 317 medical records from allegedly healthy sperm donor candidates, aged between 18 and 36 years old, who voluntarily requested to be considered as sperm donors between 1988 and 2019, were analyzed. The studied variables were the following sperm parameters: semen volume, sperm cell concentration, total sperm number, progressive motility, vitality, and sperm morphology. A correlative statistical analysis was performed between seminal parameter values and the year data were collected., Results: We found a statistically significant decrease in sperm concentration and normal sperm morphology during the studied period. There was no decrease in vitality, seminal volume, and total progressive motility. Semen parameters were not associated with tobacco, drugs, or alcohol consumption., Conclusions: We conclude that the sperm quality of donor candidates in Uruguay decreased during this period. Further studies should be carried out to verify the occurrence of this phenomenon in the general population and find its possible causes.

A device architecture utilizing a single-molecule magnet (SMM) as a device element between two ferromagnetic electrodes may open vast opportunities to create novel molecular spintronics devices. Here, we report a method of connecting an SMM to the ferromagnetic electrodes. We utilized a nickel (Ni)-AlO x -Ni magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) with the exposed side edges as a test bed. In the present work, we utilized an SMM with a hexanuclear [Mn 6 (μ 3 -O) 2 (H 2 N-sao) 6 (6-atha) 2 (EtOH) 6 ] [H 2 N-saoH = salicylamidoxime, 6-atha = 6-acetylthiohexanoate] complex that is attached to alkane tethers terminated with thiols. These Mn-based molecules were electrochemically bonded between the two Ni electrodes of an exposed-edge tunnel junction, which was produced by the lift-off method. The SMM-treated MTJ exhibited current enhancement and transitory current suppression at room temperature. Monte Carlo simulation was utilized to understand the transport properties of our molecular spintronics device., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts to declare., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)

Almost all the solar cells created so far have been based on electronic charge. This paper reports a photovoltaic effect based on the spin property of electrons. This spin-based photovoltaic effect was observed on magnetic tunnel junction based molecular spintronics devices (MTJMSD). MTJMSDs were produced by covalently bonding organometallic molecular clusters (OMCs) between the top and bottom ferromagnetic electrodes of Co/NiFe/AlOx/NiFe magnetic tunnel junctions along the exposed side edges. The MTJMSD configuration, which showed the photovoltaic effect, also exhibited OMC induced strong antiferromagnetic coupling (Tyagi et al 2015 Nanotechnology 26 305602) and room temperature current suppression (Tyagi et al 2019 Org. Electron. 64 188-194). Our MTJMSD were fabricated below 100 °C temperature and employed earth-abundant transition metals like nickel and iron. This paper shows that the MTJMSD's photovoltaic effect was susceptible to the magnetic field, temperature, and light intensity. The solar cell efficiency was estimated to be ∼3%. Our MTJMSD approach provides a mass-producible platform for harvesting solar energy and opens a myriad of opportunities to incorporate photogenerated charges for the logic and memory operation in the molecular spintronics devices.