Dorsi Muscle Research Articles

Assessment of Viscoelastic Parameters of Muscles in Children Aged 4-9 Months with Minor Qualitative Impairment of the Motor Pattern after Vojta Therapy Implementation.

The aim of this study was to assess if there are any objective changes in the viscoelastic parameters of the erector spinae muscle after Vojta stimulation. The study involved 22 healthy children at an average age of 7 months and with an Apgar score of 8–10 points, who were referred for rehabilitation due to a slight delay in the phases of psychomotor development. The first group consisted of 11 children with increased muscle tone (IMT) and the second group consisted of 11 children with non-increased muscle tone (nonIMT). All study participants received a one-time Vojta therapy session, which was continued for 4 weeks by parents at home. The viscoelastic parameters of the dorsal extensor muscle were measured three times. In the first study group, changes in the viscoelastic parameters of the extensor muscles of the back occurred immediately after the therapy at the first examination, whereas changes in the supporting and extensor function of the limbs occurred in both groups at the second examination. Analysis featuring an objective assessment allows physiotherapists to diagnose local changes in the viscoelastic parameters after the implementation of therapy. These studies are the first pilot studies to be continued with a 30- or 60-day follow-up.

A morphology-based feature set for automated Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis diagnosis on surface electromyography

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is a fast-progressing disease with no cure. Nowadays, needle electromyography (nEMG) is the standard practice for electrodiagnosis of ALS. Surface electromyography (sEMG) is emerging as a more practical and less painful alternative to nEMG but still has analytical and technical challenges. The objective of this work was to study the feasibility of using a set of morphological features extracted from sEMG to support a machine learning pipeline for ALS diagnosis. We developed a novel feature set to characterize sEMG based on quantitative measurements to surface representation of Motor Unit Action Potentials. We conducted several experiments to study the relevance of the proposed feature set either individually or combined with conventional feature sets from temporal, statistical, spectral, and fractal domains. We validated the proposed machine learning pipeline on a dataset with sEMG upper limb muscle data from 17 ALS patients and 24 control subjects. The results support the utility of the proposed feature set, achieving an F1 score of (81.9 ± 5.7) for the onset classification approach and (83.6 ± 6.9) for the subject classification approach, solely relying on features extracted from the proposed feature set in the right first dorsal interosseous muscle. We concluded that introducing the proposed feature set is relevant for automated ALS diagnosis since it increased the classifier performance during our experiments. The proposed feature set might also help design more interpretable classifiers as the features give additional information related to the nature of the disease, being inspired by the clinical interpretation of sEMG.

The phase of sensorimotor mu and beta oscillations has the opposite effect on corticospinal excitability

BackgroundNeural oscillations in the primary motor cortex (M1) shape corticospinal excitability. Power and phase of ongoing mu (8–13 Hz) and beta (14–30 Hz) activity may mediate motor cortical output. However, the functional dynamics of both mu and beta phase and power relationships and their interaction, are largely unknown. ObjectiveHere, we employ recently developed real-time targeting of the mu and beta rhythm, to apply phase-specific brain stimulation and probe motor corticospinal excitability non-invasively. For this, we used instantaneous read-out and analysis of ongoing oscillations, targeting four different phases (0°, 90°, 180°, and 270°) of mu and beta rhythms with suprathreshold single-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to M1. Ensuing motor evoked potentials (MEPs) in the right first dorsal interossei muscle were recorded. Twenty healthy adults took part in this double-blind randomized crossover study. ResultsMixed model regression analyses showed significant phase-dependent modulation of corticospinal output by both mu and beta rhythm. Strikingly, these modulations exhibit a double dissociation. MEPs are larger at the mu trough and rising phase and smaller at the peak and falling phase. For the beta rhythm we found the opposite behavior. Also, mu power, but not beta power, was positively correlated with corticospinal output. Power and phase effects did not interact for either rhythm, suggesting independence between these aspects of oscillations. ConclusionOur results provide insights into real-time motor cortical oscillation dynamics, which offers the opportunity to improve the effectiveness of TMS by specifically targeting different frequency bands.

Growth Performance and Meat Quality of Growing Pigs Fed with Black Soldier Fly (Hermetia illucens) Larvae as Alternative Protein Source

Insects have been used as animal feed protein sources in livestock and poultry breeding, and their impact on pork quality needs to be studied. This experiment mainly explores the effect of adding black soldier flies to the feed on the growth performance and meat quality of pigs. All 24 weaned piglets were randomly divided into three groups, one group was given a normal diet as the control group (C), and the other two groups were supplemented with 4% (T1) and 8% (T2) black soldier flies as an alternative protein source, respectively. Pig growth performance and carcass traits were measured at the end of the 113-day experiment. After euthanizing the pigs, we used metabolomics to detect pig dorsal muscle and qPCR to detect gene expression in dorsal muscle and adipose tissue. For the average daily gain and backfat thickness, T2 group was significantly higher than T1 group and C group (p < 0.05). Intramuscular fat content was significantly elevated in the T1 and T2 groups (p < 0.05). The metabolomics results showed that there were significant differences in metabolites among the three groups (p < 0.05). The addition of black soldier flies could increase the content of some free amino acids, and the content of lipid metabolites also changed significantly (p < 0.05). The gene expression of type 1 muscle fibers in the T1 group and the PGC-1α gene expression in the T1 and T2 groups were significantly increased in the dorsal muscle (p < 0.05). The results of the present study showed that adding 4% black soldier fly instead of fish meal in the diet of growing pigs can significantly improve meat quality and supplementation of 8% black soldier flies has beneficial effects on growth performance of pigs.

Three different short-interval intracortical inhibition methods in early diagnosis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Objectives: To compare the utility of conventional amplitude measurements of short-interval intracortical inhibition (A-SICI) with two threshold-tracking (T-SICI) methods, as aids to early diagnosis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The new parallel threshold-tracking method (T-SICIp) was compared with the previously used serial tracking method (T-SICIs). Methods: 112 consecutive patients referred with the suspicion of ALS and 40 healthy controls were prospectively included. Based on clinical follow-up, patients were divided into 67 patients with motor neuron disease (MND) comprising progressive muscular atrophy (PMA) as well as ALS, and 45 patient controls. SICI was recorded from first dorsal interosseus muscle using the three different protocols. Results: MND patients had significantly reduced T-SICIp, T-SICIs and A-SICI, compared with healthy controls and patient controls, while healthy and patient controls were similar. Paradoxically, T-SICIp was least affected in MND patients with the most upper motor neuron (UMN) signs (Spearman ρ = 0.537, P < 0.0001) whereas there was no correlation for T-SICIs or A-SICI. T-SICIp also provided the best discrimination between patient controls and MND as determined by the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. For patients with no UMN signs, area under ROC curve for 2-3ms inter-stimulus intervals was 0.931 for T-SICIp, 0.771 for T-SICIs and 0.786 for A-SICI. Conclusions: SICI is a sensitive measure for detection of cortical involvement in ALS patients. T-SICIp has higher sensitivity and specificity than T-SICIs and A-SICI, particularly in patients without any upper motor neuron signs.

The relationship between compensatory hyperplasia of the myodural bridge complex and reduced compliance of the various structures within the cranio-cervical junction.

The myodural bridge complex (MDBC) is described as a functional anatomic structure that involves the dense connective tissue fibers, muscles, and ligaments in the suboccipital region. It has recently been proposed that the MDBC can influence cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) circulation. In the present study, bleomycin (BLM), a type of antibiotic that is poisonous to cells, was injected into the posterior atlanto-occipital interspace (PAOiS) of rats to induce fibrous hyperplasia of structures in PAOiS. Sagittal sections of tissues obtained from the posterior-occipital region of the rats were stained utilizing the Masson Trichrome staining method. Semiquantitative analysis evidenced that the collagen volume fraction of collagen fibers of the MDBC, as well as the sum of the area of the spinal dura mater and the posterior atlanto-occipital membrane in the BLM group were significantly increased (p < .05) compared to that of the other groups. This finding illustrates that the MDBC fibers as well as other tissues in the PAOiS of rats in the BLM group developed fibrotic changes which reduced compliance of the spinal dura mater. Indeed, the sectional area of the rectus capitis dorsal minor muscle in the BLM group was measured to be increased. These changes may further restrict CSF flow. The present research provides support for the recent hypothesis proposed by Labuda et al. concerning the pathophysiology observed in symptomatic adult Chiari malformation Type I patients, that there exists a relationship between the altered compliance of the anatomic structures within the craniocervical region and the resultant compensatory hyperplasia of the MDBC.

A guide for standardized interpretation of lumbar multifidus ultrasonography; an observational study

BackgroundInconsistent descriptions of Lumbar multifidus (LM) morphology were previously identified, especially in research applying ultrasonography (US), hampering its clinical applicability with regard to diagnosis and therapy. The aim of this study is to determine the LM-sonoanatomy by comparing high-resolution reconstructions from a 3-D digital spine compared to standard LM-ultrasonography.MethodsAn observational study was carried out. From three deeply frozen human tissue blocks of the lumbosacral spine, a large series of consecutive photographs at 78 μm interval were acquired and reformatted into 3-D blocks. This enabled the reconstruction of (semi-)oblique cross-sections that could match US-images obtained from a healthy volunteer. Transverse and oblique short-axis views were compared from the most caudal insertion of LM to L1.ResultsBased on the anatomical reconstructions, we could distinguish the LM from the adjacent erector spinae (ES) in the standard US imaging of the lower spine. At the lumbosacral junction, LM is the only dorsal muscle facing the surface. From L5 upwards, the ES progresses from lateral to medial. A clear distinction between deep and superficial LM could not be discerned. We were only able to identify five separate bands between every lumbar spinous processes and the dorsal part of the sacrum in the caudal anatomical cross-sections, but not in the standard US images.ConclusionThe detailed cross-sectional LM-sonoanatomy and reconstructions facilitate the interpretations of standard LM US-imaging, the position of the separate LM-bands, the details of deep interspinal muscles, and demarcation of the LM versus the ES. Guidelines for electrode positioning in EMG studies should be refined to establish reliable and verifiable findings. For clinical practice, this study can serve as a guide for a better characterisation of LM compared to ES and for a more reliable placement of US-probe in biofeedback.

Development, maturation, and growth of the myodural bridge within the posterior atlanto‐axial interspace in the rat

The myodural bridge (MDB) complex are fibrous bridges that functionally connect the spinal dura mater to the suboccipital musculature. Previously, we described the maturational sequence of the MDBwithin the posterior atlanto-occipital interspace of the rat. The present paper describes the morphology and developmental maturation of the MDB within the posterior atlanto-axial interspace of the rat. In the present study, E18 embryonic rats, newborn rats, and adult rats were selected to evaluate the development and growth of the MDB. Within the posterior atlanto-axial interspace of the rat, the fibers of the MDB and its associated muscles, in the embryonic rat, were observed to be scarce and lightly stained. In contrast, these same structures observed in the postnatal rat were quite apparent and robustly stained. After birth, it was observed that MDB originated from the rectus capitis dorsal major muscle, extended forward and downward, and finally merged with the posterior atlanto-axial membrane. As the rats developed and matured, the observed MDB fibers passing through the posterior atlanto-axial interspace appeared denser and more organized. This study evidenced that the MDB fibers within the posterior atlanto-axial interspace were primarily composed of type I collagen fibers in the postnatal rat. By observing the suboccipital region, we are able to hypothesize that the MDB complex plays a key role in maintaining the subdural space located within the upper cervical segment during growth and development. This study provides a morphological basis for future research on the function of the MDB complex.

A method to investigate muscle target-specific transcriptional signatures of single motor neurons.

Motor neurons in the vertebrate spinal cord have long served as a paradigm to study the transcriptional logic of cell type specification and differentiation. At limb levels, pool-specific transcriptional signatures first restrict innervation to only one particular muscle in the periphery, and get refined, once muscle connection has been established. Accordingly, to study the transcriptional dynamics and specificity of the system, a method for establishing muscle target-specific motor neuron transcriptomes would be required. To investigate target-specific transcriptional signatures of single motor neurons, here we combine ex-ovo retrograde axonal labeling in mid-gestation chicken embryos with manual isolation of individual fluorescent cells and Smart-seq2 single-cell RNA-sequencing. We validate our method by injecting the dorsal extensor metacarpi radialis and ventral flexor digiti quarti wing muscles and harvesting a total of 50 fluorescently labeled cells, in which we detect up to 12,000 transcribed genes. Additionally, we present visual cues and cDNA metrics predictive of sequencing success. Our method provides a unique approach to study muscle target-specific motor neuron transcriptomes at a single-cell resolution. We anticipate that our method will provide key insights into the transcriptional logic underlying motor neuron pool specialization and proper neuromuscular circuit assembly and refinement.

Trophic Structure and Diet of Predatory Teleost Fishes in a Tropical Demersal Shelf Ecosystem

Predatory fishes are a major component of many tropical fisheries, although little is known about their diet and trophic structure, which can hinder effective management. We used stable isotopes δ15N and δ13C in conjunction with dietary prey items of five fishes (Lutjanus sebae, Lethrinus punctulatus, Epinephelus areolatus, Epinephelus multinotatus, and Plectropomus maculatus) to describe the diet and trophic structure across this assemblage. A total of 153 isotope and 87 stomach content samples were collected at two locations that were ≈30 km apart, over two sampling trips, separated by three months. There was clear separation of species’ mean δ15N and δ13C values in isotopic space; the highest mean δ15N was exhibited by E. multinotatus (13.50 ± 0.11 SE) and the lowest was L. punctulatus (11.05 ± 0.13). These two species had the lowest overlap of isotopic niche space, whereas the highest overlap occurred between L. sebae and P. maculatus. δ15N increased with fish body size for all species. However, body size was not significantly related to δ13C values for any species. There was a notable shift in both δ15N and δ13C between sampling trips, with δ13C being more depleted in the second trip. There was also a difference in δ13C between locations for all species, suggesting localised foraging. A multiple tissue comparison for L. sebae indicated positive relationships for both δ15N and δ13C between dorsal fin and muscle tissue. Mean δ15N values were the same for both fin (12.1 ± 0.10 SE) and muscle tissue (12.1 ± 0.09 SE), although δ13C was more enriched in fin (-15.6 ± 0.14 SE) compared to muscle tissue (-17.3 ± 0.11 SE). The most common dietary items across species were teleosts and crustaceans, which was consistent with isotope data indicating a reliance on a demersal food web (δ13C values ranging from -18 to -15‰). The results from our study indicate a dynamic spatio-temporal trophic structure and diet for commercially important demersal species and highlight the benefits of a multi-facetted sampling approach.

The Effect of a Physical Training Program on Several Body Variables and Depression Degree of Female Trainees while Banned During the Corona Pandemic

نظرًا للظروف الراهنة التي يمر بها العالم أجمع بسبب جائحة الكورونا، وفرض الحجر الصحي المنزلي الذاتي في بداية الجائحة بهدف تقليل فرصة التعرض لفيروس الكورونا، هدفت هذه الدراسة التعرف إلى أثر برنامج تدريبي عن بعد على بعض المتغيرات الجسمية ودرجة الاكتئاب لدى المتدربات أثناء فترة الحظر خلال جائحة الكورونا، بلغت عينة الدراسة 20 متدربة من السيدات المرتادات للمركز الاستشاري في مدينة الزاوية الغرب/ ليبيا، تضمن البرنامج التدريبي المقترح تمرينات هوائية إيقاعية بمصاحبة الموسيقى لمدة 8 أسابيع بواقع 3 لقاءات أسبوعيا لمدة 45 دقيقة في الجلسة الواحدة، استخدمت الباحثات أدوات لقياس المتغيرات الجسمية ومقياس بيك للاكتئاب، وأظهرت النتائج تطورا واضحا وملموسا في تحسن المتغيرات الجسمية والمتمثلة بكل من الوزن، ومؤشر كتلة الجسم، والمحيطات الجسمية المختارة وسمك ثنايا الجلد )العضلة ذات الرأسين، العضلة ذات الثلاثة رؤوس، العضلة المنحرفة الخارجية، العضلة الظهرية العريضة، عضلة البطن الأمامية( وانخفاض درجة الاكتئاب، توصي الباحثات بتوظيف برامج التدريب المنوع عن بعد لمختلف الأعمار والشرائح في المجتمع خلال جائحة الكورونا.

Corticospinal Excitability and Inhibition Are Not Different between Concussed Males and Females

It has been consistently demonstrated that females report greater numbers of concussions in sex-comparable sports and take longer to recover from concussive symptoms than males. However, it is unknown if the neurophysiological consequences of concussion may contribute to these sex differences in concussion symptoms and recovery. The purpose of this study was to examine potential sex-related differences in neurophysiology in healthy and concussed individuals. Twenty-one (nine F) concussed individuals (20.9 ± 4.1 years; CONC) and twenty-one age-, sex-, height-, weight-, and activity-matched controls (21.2 ± 4.2 years; CONT) participated in the study. The CONC group reported to the lab within 72 h, 1-week, and 2-weeks post-injury and the CONT group followed a similar measurement schedule. Using transcranial magnetic stimulation, motor evoked potential (MEP) amplitude and cortical silent period (CSP) duration were measured from the first dorsal interosseous muscle to assess corticospinal excitability and inhibition, respectively. There were no significant differences across time (p ≥ 0.13) or between the CONC and CONT group in MEP amplitude (p = 0.72) or CSP duration (p = 0.54). Overall, males (119.08 ± 29.91 ms) had significantly longer CSP durations compared with females (101.24 ± 33.43 ms), indicating greater corticospinal inhibition in males, regardless of injury status (p = 0.04). An important and novel finding of this study was the lack of differences in these neurophysiological measures between males and females following concussion. To our knowledge, this is the first study to document greater corticospinal inhibition in males compared with females.

Effects of Elephantopus scaber extract on growth, proximate composition, immunity, intestinal microbiota and resistance of the GIFT strain of Nile tilapia Oreochromis niloticus to Streptococcus agalactiae

This study aimed to investigate the effects of Elephantopus scaber extract on the GIFT (genetic improvement of farmed tilapia) strain of Nile tilapia Oreochromis niloticus. A total of 800 tilapia with an initial body weight of 1.34 ± 0.09 g each were randomly divided into five groups. The tilapia in the control group (E0 group) were fed on a basal diet only. Meanwhile, tilapia in the four experimental groups were fed on a basal diet supplemented with 1 g/kg (E1 group), 3 g/kg (E2 group), 5 g/kg (E3 group), and 7 g/kg (E4 group) of E. scaber extract for 10 weeks. Results showed that the survival rate was higher in the experimental groups than in the control group. Compared with the control group, some growth parameters (FW, WGR, SGR, VSI, and HSI) were significantly improved in the E1 group and E2 group. The crude lipid content in the dorsal muscle and liver was lower in the E1 group than in the control group. After E. scaber extract supplementation, activities of immunity-related enzymes (ACP, AKP, T-AOC, SOD, CAT, GSH-Px and LZM) in plasma, liver, spleen and head kidney, and expressions of immunity-related genes (IL-1β, IFN-γ, TNF-α, and CCL-3) in liver, spleen and head kidney showed various degrees of improvement, while MDA content and Hsp70 expression level were decreased. The survival rate of tilapia increased in all the supplementation groups after Streptococcus agalactiae treatment. E. scaber extract addition changed the species composition, abundance, and diversity of intestinal microbiota in tilapia. These results demonstrate that E. scaber extract supplementation in diet can improve the growth, immunity, and disease resistance of GIFT against S. agalactiae. E. scaber extract supplementation can also change intestinal microbiota and reduce crude lipid content in dorsal muscle and liver. The above indicators show that the optimal dose of E. scaber extract for GIFT is 1 g/kg.

A new method to quantify innervation of the ulnar intrinsic hand muscles by the anterior interosseous nerve in Martin‐Gruber anastomosis and nerve transfer surgery

It is important to quantify the amount of crossover innervation from the anterior interosseous nerve (AIN) through Martin-Gruber anastomosis (MGA) particularly in patients with high ulnar nerve injury who undergo nerve transfer surgery. The objective of this study is to describe a novel electrophysiological method for quantifying innervation from the AIN that can be done using conventional nerve conduction study setup and commonly available software for analysis. Seven subjects with MGA and nine patients who had undergone AIN to ulnar nerve transfer underwent conventional motor nerve conduction studies. Recording was done over the hypothenar and first dorsal interosseous muscles while stimulating the median and ulnar nerves at the wrist and elbow. Datapoint-by-datapoint subtraction of the compound muscle action potentials evoked at the elbow and wrist was performed after they had been onset-aligned. The results were compared to the collision technique and innervation ratio method. Results from the digital subtraction method were highly correlated with the collision technique (r= 0.96, p< 0.05). In contrast, its correlation with the innervation ratio method is substantially lower. In comparison to previously described techniques, the digital subtraction method has a number of practical advantages. It uses conventional nerve conduction study setup, and the added step of digital alignment and subtraction can be done through commonly available software. With the increasing use of nerve transfer surgery in severe high ulnar nerve injury, this could be a useful method to identify the presence of MGA prior to surgery and for evaluating nerve recovery following surgery.

First dorsal interosseous muscle transfer to restore opposition of the new thumb after index pollicization: anatomical description of an original technique and case report

Index pollicization in severe thumb hypoplasia or aplasia in children or for the reconstruction of a mutilated thumb in adults is a rare and technically demanding procedure. Weakness of the new thumb is routinely reported after index pollicization. An inappropriate position of the first dorsal interosseous muscle (FDIM) can partly explain this strength deficit. Here, we report an original anatomical study on FDIM transfer for reanimation of the new thumb’s opposition function and its clinical application. An anatomical study was carried out on three upper limbs from fresh, non-embalmed adult cadavers. We demonstrated the feasibility of an FDIM transfer pedicled on the proper FDIM artery and the deep branch of the ulnar nerve. The proximal FDIM insertions were sutured to the lateral border of the flexor retinaculum to recreate the superficial thenar musculature. This procedure was performed on a 52-year-old man who was referred to us with swelling on his hand. We discovered a myxoid inflammatory fibroblastic sarcoma of the thumb that required proximal thumb amputation while preserving the base of the first metacarpal. To our knowledge, this is the first description of FDIM pedicled flap transfer during an index pollicization procedure among an adult population. However, in severe thumb hypoplasia or aplasia cases, this procedure is limited by the size and anatomical variations of the neurovascular structures among a population affected by radial longitudinal deficiency.

The recent history of afferent stimulation modulates corticospinal excitability

BackgroundTranscranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is widely used to probe corticospinal excitability and fast sensorimotor integration in the primary motor hand area (M1-HAND). A conditioning electrical stimulus, applied to the contralateral hand, can suppress the motor evoked potential (MEP) elicited by TMS of M1-HAND when the afferent stimulus arrives in M1-HAND at the time of TMS. The magnitude of this short-latency afferent inhibition (SAI) is expressed as the ratio between the conditioned and unconditioned MEP amplitude. Objective/HypothesisWe hypothesized that corticospinal excitability and SAI are influenced by the recent history of peripheral electrical stimulation. MethodsIn twenty healthy participants, we recorded MEPs from the right first dorsal interosseus muscle. MEPs were evoked by single-pulse TMS of the left M1-HAND alone (unconditioned TMS) or by TMS preceded by electrical stimulation of the right index finger (“homotopic” conditioning) or little finger (“heterotopic” conditioning). The three conditions were either pseudo-randomly intermixed or delivered in blocks in which a single condition was repeated five or ten times. MEP amplitudes and SAI magnitudes were compared using linear mixed-effect models and one-way ANOVAs. ResultsAll stimulation protocols consistently produced SAI, which was stronger after homotopic stimulation. Randomly intermingling the three stimulation conditions reduced the relative magnitude of homotopic and heterotopic SAI as opposed to blocked stimulation. The apparent attenuation of SAI was caused by a suppression of the unconditioned but not the conditioned MEP amplitude during the randomly intermixed pattern. Conclusion(s): The recent history of afferent stimulation modulates corticospinal excitability. This “history effect” impacts on the relative magnitude of SAI depending on how conditioned and unconditioned responses are intermixed and needs to be taken into consideration when probing afferent inhibition and corticospinal excitability.

Dietary Supplementation With Hydroxyproline Enhances Growth Performance, Collagen Synthesis and Muscle Quality of Carassius auratus Triploid

An eight-week experiment was undertaken to examine the effect of dietary hydroxyproline (Hyp) supplementation on growth performance, collagen synthesis, muscle quality of an improved triploid crucian carp (Carassius auratus Triploid) (ITCC). Six isonitrogenous (340 g/kg diet), isolipidic (60 g/kg diet) and isocaloric (17.80 MJ/kg diet) diets were formulated containing a certain amount of Hyp: 0.09% (the control group), 0.39, 0.76, 1.14, 1.53 and 1.90%. Each diet was randomly assigned to three tanks and each group was fed two times daily until apparent satiation. The results showed that growth performance and feed utilization of ITCC were significantly improved with the dietary Hyp level was increased from 0.09 to 0.76%. Crude protein, threonine and arginine content in the dorsal muscle in 0.76% hydroxyproline group were significantly higher than those in basic diet group (p < 0.05). The muscle textural characteristics increased remarkably with the amount of Hyp in the diet rising from 0.09 to 1.53% (p < 0.05). Meanwhile, the contents of type I collagen (Col I) and Pyridinium crosslink (PYD) in the muscle of fish were significantly increased by dietary Hyp (p < 0.05). The muscle fiber diameter and density of the fish were significantly increased when fed with 0.76% Hyp (p < 0.05). Furthermore, dietary supplementation with an appropriate concentration of Hyp substantially increased the expression of genes involved in collagen synthesis (col1a1, col1a2, p4hα1, p4hβ, smad4, smad5, smad9, and tgf-β) and muscle growth (igf-1, tor, myod, myf5, and myhc) (p < 0.05). In conclusion, dietary supplementation of Hyp can enhance fish growth performance, collagen production, muscle textural characteristics and muscle growth of ITCC. According to the SGR broken-line analysis, the recommended supplementation level of Hyp was 0.74% in the diet for ITCC, corresponding to 2.2% of dietary protein.

Brain–computer interface-based action observation combined with peripheral electrical stimulation enhances corticospinal excitability in healthy subjects and stroke patients

Objective. Action observation (AO) combined with brain–computer interface (BCI) technology enhances cortical activation. Peripheral electrical stimulation (PES) increases corticospinal excitability, thereby activating brain plasticity. To maximize motor recovery, we assessed the effects of BCI-AO combined with PES on corticospinal plasticity. Approach. Seventeen patients with chronic hemiplegic stroke and 17 healthy subjects were recruited. The participants watched a video of repetitive grasping actions with four different tasks for 15 min: (A) AO alone; (B) AO + PES; (C) BCI-AO + continuous PES; and (D) BCI-AO + triggered PES. PES was applied at the ulnar nerve of the wrist. The tasks were performed in a random order at least three days apart. We assessed the latency and amplitude of motor evoked potentials (MEPs). We examined changes in MEP parameters pre-and post-exercise across the four tasks in the first dorsal interosseous muscle of the dominant hand (healthy subjects) and affected hand (stroke patients). Main results. The decrease in MEP latency and increase in MEP amplitude after the four tasks were significant in both groups. The increase in MEP amplitude was sustained for 20 min after tasks B, C, and D in both groups. The increase in MEP amplitude was significant between tasks A vs. B, B vs. C, and C vs. D. The estimated mean difference in MEP amplitude post-exercise was the highest for A and D in both groups. Significance. The results indicate that BCI-AO combined with PES is superior to AO alone or AO + PES for facilitating corticospinal plasticity in both healthy subjects and patients with stroke. Furthermore, this study supports the idea that synchronized activation of cortical and peripheral networks can enhance neuroplasticity after stroke. We suggest that the BCI-AO paradigm and PES could provide a novel neurorehabilitation strategy for patients with stroke.

Anterolateral defect of left congenital diaphragmatic hernia with hepatic herniation

Anterolateral defect of the diaphragm is an extremely rare type of congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH). We report our experience with a rare anterolateral type of CDH. His birth weight was estimated as 2700 g. A CDH was suspected on fetal ultrasound at 20 weeks' gestation. Fetal MRI performed at 34 weeks and 1 day of gestation showed elevation of the intestinal tract, stomach, and outer left lobe of the liver. A boy was delivered by caesarian section at 37 weeks and 0 days of gestation. Surgery was performed on the fourth day after delivery. The dorsal muscle bundle was well developed, but the ventral diaphragm was deficient, and a diagnosis of anterolateral type CDH was made. The size of the diaphragmatic defect was 5 × 3 cm. On the 15th day after surgery, the tracheal tube was extubated, and the patient was discharged 51 days after delivery. The patient is still being followed up, but no signs of recurrence have been observed. We experienced a case of an unusual form of left anterolateral CDH. The postnatal course was relatively stable, although a severe form was predicted due to the presence of hepatic elevation.

Cytokine Pattern of Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells Isolated from Children Affected by Generalized Epilepsy Treated with Different Protein Fractions of Meat Sources.

The objective of the present study was the evaluation of cytokine patterns in terms of TNF-α, IL-10, IL-6, and IL-1β secretion in peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) supernatants isolated from blood of children affected by generalized epilepsy and treated in vitro with myofibrillar, sarcoplasmic, and total protein fractions of meat and fish sources. Children with generalized epilepsy (EC group, n = 16) and children without any clinical signs of disease, representing a control group (CC group n = 16), were recruited at the Complex Structure of Neuropsychiatry Childhood-Adolescence of Policlinico Riuniti (Foggia, Italy). Myofibrillar (MYO), sarcoplasmic (SA), and total (TOT) protein fractions were obtained from longissimus thoracis muscle of beef (BF) and lamb (LA); from pectoralis muscle of chicken (CH); and from dorsal white muscle of sole (Solea solea, SO), European hake (Merluccius merluccius, EH), and sea bass fish (Dicentrarchus labrax, SB), respectively. PBMCs were isolated from peripheral blood of EC and CC groups, and an in vitro stimulation in the presence of 100 μg/mL for each protein fraction from different meat sources was performed. Data were classified according to three different levels of cytokines produced from the EC group relative to the CC group. TNF-α, IL-10, and IL-6 levels were not affected by different meat fractions and meat sources; on the contrary, IL-1β levels were found to be significantly affected by the tested proteins fractions, as well as different meat sources, in high-level cytokine group. On average, the protein fractions obtained from LB, BF, and CH meat sources showed a higher level of IL-1β than the protein fractions obtained from EH and SB fish samples. When all cytokine classes were analyzed, on average, a significant effect was observed for IL-10, IL-1β, and TNF-α. Data obtained in the present study evidence that the nutritional strategy based on protein from fish and meat sources may modulate the immunological cytokine pattern of infants with generalized epilepsy.