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Fulltext The Effect of Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation on Postural Stability After Acute Stroke: A Clinical Trial

Forogh B, Ahadi T, Nazari M, Sajadi S, Abdul Latif L, Akhavan Hejazi SM, et al.

Basic Clin Neurosci, 2017 Sep-Oct;8(5):405-411.
PMID: 29167727 DOI: 10.18869/nirp.bcn.8.5.405

Introduction: Balance impairment is a common problem and a major cause of motor disability after stroke. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate whether low-frequency repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) improves the postural balance problems in stroke patients.

Methods: This randomized double blind clinical trial with 12 weeks follow-up was conducted on stroke patients. Treatment was carried with 1 Hz rTMS in contralateral brain hemisphere over the primary motor area for 20 minutes (1200 pulses) for 5 consecutive days. Static postural stability, Medical Research Council (MRC), Berg Balance Scale (BBS), and Fugl-Meyer assessments were evaluated immediately, 3 weeks and 12 weeks after intervention.

Results: A total of 26 patients were enrolled (age range=53 to 79 years; 61.5% were male) in this study. Administering rTMS produced a significant recovery based on BBS (df=86, 7; F=7.4; P=0.01), Fugl-Meyer Scale (df=86, 7; F=8.7; P<0.001), MRC score (df=87, 7; F=2.9; P=0.01), and static postural stability (df=87, 7; F=9.8; P<0.001) during the 12 weeks follow-up.

Conclusion: According to the findings, rTMS as an adjuvant therapy may improve the static postural stability, falling risk, coordination, motor recovery, and muscle strength in patients with stroke.
Fulltext The investigation of energy management and atomic interaction between coronavirus structure in the vicinity of aqueous environment of H2O molecules via molecular dynamics approach

Guo HH, Yazid Bajuri M, Alrabaiah H, Muhammad T, Mohammad Sajadi S, Ghaemi F, et al.

J Mol Liq, 2021 Nov 01;341:117430.
PMID: 34483415 DOI: 10.1016/j.molliq.2021.117430

The coronavirus pandemic is caused by intense acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Identifying the atomic structure of this virus can lead to the treatment of related diseases in medical cases. In the current computational study, the atomic evolution of the coronavirus in an aqueous environment using the Molecular Dynamics (MD) approach is explained. The virus behaviors by reporting the physical attributes such as total energy, temperature, potential energy, interaction energy, volume, entropy, and radius of gyration of the modeled virus are reported. The MD results indicated the atomic stability of the simulated virus significantly reduced after 25.33 ns. Furthermore, the volume of simulated virus changes from 182397 Å3 to 372589 Å3 after t = 30 ns. This result shows the atomic interaction between various atoms in coronavirus structure decreases in the vicinity of H2O molecules. Numerically, the interaction energy between virus and aqueous environment converges to -12387 eV and -251 eV values in the initial and final time steps of the MD study procedure, respectively.
Fulltext Predicting the environmental suitability for onchocerciasis in Africa as an aid to elimination planning

Cromwell EA, Osborne JCP, Unnasch TR, Basáñez MG, Gass KM, Barbre KA, et al.

PLoS Negl Trop Dis, 2021 07;15(7):e0008824.
PMID: 34319976 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0008824

Recent evidence suggests that, in some foci, elimination of onchocerciasis from Africa may be feasible with mass drug administration (MDA) of ivermectin. To achieve continental elimination of transmission, mapping surveys will need to be conducted across all implementation units (IUs) for which endemicity status is currently unknown. Using boosted regression tree models with optimised hyperparameter selection, we estimated environmental suitability for onchocerciasis at the 5 × 5-km resolution across Africa. In order to classify IUs that include locations that are environmentally suitable, we used receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis to identify an optimal threshold for suitability concordant with locations where onchocerciasis has been previously detected. This threshold value was then used to classify IUs (more suitable or less suitable) based on the location within the IU with the largest mean prediction. Mean estimates of environmental suitability suggest large areas across West and Central Africa, as well as focal areas of East Africa, are suitable for onchocerciasis transmission, consistent with the presence of current control and elimination of transmission efforts. The ROC analysis identified a mean environmental suitability index of 0·71 as a threshold to classify based on the location with the largest mean prediction within the IU. Of the IUs considered for mapping surveys, 50·2% exceed this threshold for suitability in at least one 5 × 5-km location. The formidable scale of data collection required to map onchocerciasis endemicity across the African continent presents an opportunity to use spatial data to identify areas likely to be suitable for onchocerciasis transmission. National onchocerciasis elimination programmes may wish to consider prioritising these IUs for mapping surveys as human resources, laboratory capacity, and programmatic schedules may constrain survey implementation, and possibly delaying MDA initiation in areas that would ultimately qualify.
Fulltext Estimating global injuries morbidity and mortality: methods and data used in the Global Burden of Disease 2017 study

James SL, Castle CD, Dingels ZV, Fox JT, Hamilton EB, Liu Z, et al.

Inj Prev, 2020 Oct;26(Supp 1):i125-i153.
PMID: 32839249 DOI: 10.1136/injuryprev-2019-043531

BACKGROUND: While there is a long history of measuring death and disability from injuries, modern research methods must account for the wide spectrum of disability that can occur in an injury, and must provide estimates with sufficient demographic, geographical and temporal detail to be useful for policy makers. The Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2017 study used methods to provide highly detailed estimates of global injury burden that meet these criteria.
METHODS: In this study, we report and discuss the methods used in GBD 2017 for injury morbidity and mortality burden estimation. In summary, these methods included estimating cause-specific mortality for every cause of injury, and then estimating incidence for every cause of injury. Non-fatal disability for each cause is then calculated based on the probabilities of suffering from different types of bodily injury experienced.
RESULTS: GBD 2017 produced morbidity and mortality estimates for 38 causes of injury. Estimates were produced in terms of incidence, prevalence, years lived with disability, cause-specific mortality, years of life lost and disability-adjusted life-years for a 28-year period for 22 age groups, 195 countries and both sexes.
CONCLUSIONS: GBD 2017 demonstrated a complex and sophisticated series of analytical steps using the largest known database of morbidity and mortality data on injuries. GBD 2017 results should be used to help inform injury prevention policy making and resource allocation. We also identify important avenues for improving injury burden estimation in the future.
Fulltext Global injury morbidity and mortality from 1990 to 2017: results from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017

James SL, Castle CD, Dingels ZV, Fox JT, Hamilton EB, Liu Z, et al.

Inj Prev, 2020 10;26(Supp 1):i96-i114.
PMID: 32332142 DOI: 10.1136/injuryprev-2019-043494

BACKGROUND: Past research in population health trends has shown that injuries form a substantial burden of population health loss. Regular updates to injury burden assessments are critical. We report Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2017 Study estimates on morbidity and mortality for all injuries.
METHODS: We reviewed results for injuries from the GBD 2017 study. GBD 2017 measured injury-specific mortality and years of life lost (YLLs) using the Cause of Death Ensemble model. To measure non-fatal injuries, GBD 2017 modelled injury-specific incidence and converted this to prevalence and years lived with disability (YLDs). YLLs and YLDs were summed to calculate disability-adjusted life years (DALYs).
FINDINGS: In 1990, there were 4 260 493 (4 085 700 to 4 396 138) injury deaths, which increased to 4 484 722 (4 332 010 to 4 585 554) deaths in 2017, while age-standardised mortality decreased from 1079 (1073 to 1086) to 738 (730 to 745) per 100 000. In 1990, there were 354 064 302 (95% uncertainty interval: 338 174 876 to 371 610 802) new cases of injury globally, which increased to 520 710 288 (493 430 247 to 547 988 635) new cases in 2017. During this time, age-standardised incidence decreased non-significantly from 6824 (6534 to 7147) to 6763 (6412 to 7118) per 100 000. Between 1990 and 2017, age-standardised DALYs decreased from 4947 (4655 to 5233) per 100 000 to 3267 (3058 to 3505).
INTERPRETATION: Injuries are an important cause of health loss globally, though mortality has declined between 1990 and 2017. Future research in injury burden should focus on prevention in high-burden populations, improving data collection and ensuring access to medical care.