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Changes in bone mineral density in individuals with cerebral palsy
Publication . Viegas, M.; Ribeiro, L. P. V.; Pinheiro, João; Vicente, B.; Rodrigues, S. I.; Abrantes, A.
According to Scheinberg, et al. (2015) citing Bianchi ML. (2013) Cerebral Palsy (CP) is one of the most prevalent diseases within those that affect bone mass, and is often related to other pathologies such as osteoporosis. According to António, D., H., et al, (2020) citing NIH, (2002); WHO, (2003) osteoporosis is a pathology that involves others and is defined by the deterioration of bone tissue. In this way, with the alterations caused in the bone tissue and with the reduced BMD values, the bones lose resistance to traumas, causing their fragility and, consequently, a greater probability of the occurrence of fractures. In this way, BMD measurement will help in the diagnosis of osteopenia/osteoporosis and in the prevention of future bone fractures. In addition to bone densitometry, there are other methods, less invasive and less expensive, that effectively analyze BMD. CP is characterized as a permanent, though not invariable, disturbance of movement and posture due to a non-progressive defect or lesion of the brain early in life. (Rosa, A.C.A. & Matos, M.R. (2017)) Depending on the area of the nervous system affected, the patient with CP presents neuromuscular alterations. Each change will compromise differently and to different degrees, affecting the functional performance of these patients.
Morphological and biomechanical characterization of early cesarean section scars: a cross-sectional observational study
Publication . Kiselova, Liliya; Pacheco, Camila Maria Ribeiro; de Mattos, Ana Carolina Pucci; Noites, Andreia; de Almeida Fontes, Ana Paula; Guirro, Elaine Caldeira de Oliveira
Cesarean section is a surgical procedure that involves the extraction of the fetus, the placenta, and the fetal membranes through an abdominal and uterine incision. As one of the most common childbirth methods worldwide, its increasing prevalence has raised concerns regarding potential postoperative sequelae that may affect tissue mobility, pain perception, and functional recovery. However, detailed characterization of early cesarean scars remains limited. This study aimed to characterize the morphological, sensory, and biomechanical properties of cesarean section scars during the early postoperative phase. A cross-sectional observational study was conducted including 20 women evaluated between 15 and 30 days after cesarean delivery. Clinical and sensory assessments were performed using the Patient and Observer Scar Assessment Scale (POSAS 3.0) and pain evaluation. Tissue mobility was assessed using a modified adheremeter, while biomechanical properties were measured with the MyotonPRO device. Ultrasound imaging was used to evaluate structural tissue characteristics. The scars predominantly exhibited increased tissue stiffness and heterogeneous texture patterns. Participants reported moderate pain intensity (mean 4.15 ± 2.18), with slightly higher scores in the patient-reported POSAS compared with the observer scale. Ultrasound findings revealed dermal and hypodermal edema in most participants and signs of fibrosis, with regional heterogeneity in tissue adhesions. Biomechanical analysis confirmed reduced tissue deformability in scar tissue compared with adjacent healthy tissue. These findings indicate that early cesarean scars present relevant structural and functional alterations, highlighting the importance of early assessment to support individualized rehabilitation strategies.
Abdominal Ultrasound Phantom – A potential training tool
Publication . Pinheiro, João; Ribeiro, A. D. M.; Ribeiro, L. P. V. P. V.
The purpose of this educational intervention was to evaluate the effectiveness of abdominal ultrasound phantoms as a simulation-based learning tool in the training of Medical Imaging and Radiology students. Abdominal ultrasonography is a highly operator-dependent modality, yet undergraduate training is often limited by restricted patient access, ethical considerations, and reduced opportunities for supervised practice [3,6]. Simulation-based learning offers a safe and reproducible environment for hands-on training, supporting experiential learning and skill acquisition [3,4].
Reduced N2 fixation in the tropical Atlantic Ocean during the warm late Pliocene
Publication . Yehudai, Maayan; Farmer, Jesse R.; Straub, Marietta; Ogretmen, Nazik; Studer, Anja S.; Oesch, Lukas; Creel, Roger C.; Schiebel, Ralf; Auderset, Alexandra; Lawrence, Kira; Haug, Gerald H.; Sigman, Daniel M.; Martínez-García, Alfredo
Water column denitrification, a major oceanic nitrogen (N) sink, decreased under past warmer-than-present climates, but the response of N2 fixation, the main oceanic N source, remains unresolved. Here we address this gap using foraminifera-bound N isotope records from the tropical Atlantic spanning the warm late Pliocene, a geological analog for projected 21st century warming. Our records show that tropical North Atlantic N2 fixation was reduced during the late Pliocene and had increased markedly by the late Pleistocene, likely due to an increase in water column denitrification, a process that globally engenders N-poor, phosphorus (P)-bearing surface waters. After ~ 2.8 million years ago, as glaciations intensified, our records show that obliquity-paced variations in the intensity of N2 fixation emerged, likely reflecting sea-level controlled changes in continental shelf area and benthic denitrification in the western tropical Atlantic, again through the generation of N-poor, P-bearing surface waters. These findings show that N2 fixation responds to the ocean’s N loss processes both over millions of years and on orbital timescales, suggesting that the global marine fixed N budget may rebalance under warmer climates by reducing both water column denitrification and N2 fixation.
Parsimony, homology and the continuity of stone tool use in the hominin clade
Publication . Proffitt, Tomos; Reeves, Jonathan S.; Bandini, Elisa
Whether the last common ancestor (LCA) of Homo and Pan (ca. 6–7 Ma) used stone tools is a foundational question in palaeoanthropology. However, it is often treated as known rather than as a hypothesis requiring substantiation. Lacking fossil evidence for the LCA, this assumption is based on data from extant primates and the available hominin fossil record. Phylogenetic approaches invoking parsimony argue that the presence of stone tool use in both Pan and Homo reflects homology rather than convergent evolution. While methodologically legitimate, we argue that this framework has been applied without sufficient attention to the specific criteria for this to be true. For homology to hold, stone tool use must have been continuously expressed across generations of both lineages from the LCA to the present. We evaluate this claim against three lines of evidence: behavioural data from extant primates, showing that stone tool use is heterogeneous within Pan; the hominin fossil and archaeological record, which leaves a substantial evidential gap between the LCA and the earliest known documented technologies; and comparative data from phylogenetically distant tool using animals, which show that similar behaviours can arise independently under comparable ecological conditions. Together, these lines of evidence favour a model of multiple, context-dependent origins of stone tool use over unbroken inheritance from a tool using LCA.