39 research outputs found
Development of a closed loop FES system and application to standing up movement for persons with paraplegia.
No full textStanding up exerciser based on functional electrical stimulation and body weight relief.
No full textTouch-screen system for assessing visuo-motor exploratory skills in neuropsychological disorders of spatial cognition.
No full textIdentification and molecular characterization of Candidatus Phytoplasma mali isolates in north-western Italy
No full textApple proliferation (AP) is an important disease and is
prevalent in several European countries. The causal
agent of AP is Candidatus Phytoplasma mali ( Ca.
Phytoplasma mali ). In this work, isolates of Ca.
Phytoplasma mali were detected and characterized
through polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and restriction
fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analyses
of 16S rRNA gene and non-ribosomal DNA fragment.
The presence of three AP subtypes (AT-1, AT-2 and
AP-15) was identified in 31 symptomatic apple trees
and two samples each constituted by a pool of five
insects, collected in north-western Italy, where AT-1 is
a dominant subtype. Subsequent nucleotide sequence
analysis of the PCR-amplified 1.8 kb (P1 ⁄ P7) fragment,
containing the 16S rDNA, the 16S–23S
intergenic ribosomal region and the 5¢-end of the 23S
rDNA, revealed the presence of at least two phytoplasmal
genetic lineages within the AT-1 subtype, designed
AT-1a and AT-1b. Moreover, in silico single nucleotide
polymorphism (SNP) analysis based on 16S
rDNA sequence can differentiate AT-1 subtype from
AT-2 and AP-15 subtypes. Our data showed a high
degree of genetic diversity among Ca. Phytoplasma
mali population in north-western Italy and underlined
the possible use of the 16S rDNA analysis for the
identification and the geographical origin assignation
of isolates of AP phytoplasma. Molecular markers on
16S rDNA, here identified, could be useful for studying
the epidemiology of AP disease
Energy consumption of locomotion with orthosis versus Parastep-assisted gait: a single case study
No full textEnergy consumption of locomotion with orthosis versus Parastep-assisted gait: a single case study.
No full textStudy design: Single case study. Objectives: To evaluate the energy expenditure during ambulation with the Advanced Reciprocating Gait Orthosis (ARGO), with and without functional electrical stimulation (FES), and with the Parastep system in a single subject, in order to avoid the effect of intersubject variability. Setting: The Centre of Sport Medicine and Bioengineering Centre 'Don C Gnocchi' Foundation ONLUS IRCCS, Milano, Italy. Methods: A single patient (lesion level T5-T6) was trained specifically for each walking system and was evaluated after each training period. The effects of FES on muscle conditioning, spasticity and bone density were also evaluated. The HR/VO2 relationship and the energy cost of locomotion were measured during wheelchair (WHCH) use, during locomotion with ARGO (with and without FES) and Parastep system at different speeds. Results: The following was observed at the end of the whole training: (a) circumferences of both lower limbs and quadriceps forces were increased, whereas fatigue index was slightly decreased, spasticity and bone density were unchanged; (b) compared to WHCH locomotion, the slope of HR/VO2 curves with ARGO was higher (slope difference = 51.1 b 1O2-1), with ARGO + FES was similar (slope difference = -5.3 b 1O2-1) and with Parastep was smaller (slope difference = -55.6 b 1O2-1); (c) HR increased linearly with all locomotion systems, but did not rise above 125 bpm with Parastep; (d) the cost of locomotion was higher with Parastep than with ARGO (with and without FES), tested at each velocity; (e) Parastep appears to be easier to use for the subject. Conclusions: (a) FES can improve ambulation with orthosis, but the cost of locomotion remains very high; (b) the Parastep assisted gait elicits a higher energy expenditure than other orthoses, probably due to the lower speed of locomotion and to the high isometric effort of the stimulated muscles. Sponsorship: This work has been partially supported by the Italian Minister of Public Health
Multimodal-3D imaging based on μMRI and μCT techniques bridges the gap with histology in visualization of the bone regeneration process
No full textBone repair/regeneration is usually investigated through X-ray computed microtomography (μCT) supported by histology of extracted samples, to analyse biomaterial structure and new bone formation processes. Magnetic resonance imaging (μMRI) shows a richer tissue contrast than μCT, despite at lower resolution, and could be combined with μCT in the perspective of conducting non-destructive 3D investigations of bone. A pipeline designed to combine μMRI and μCT images of bone samples is here described and applied on samples of extracted human jawbone core following bone graft. We optimized the coregistration procedure between μCT and μMRI images to avoid bias due to the different resolutions and contrasts. Furthermore, we used an Adaptive Multivariate Clustering, grouping homologous voxels in the coregistered images, to visualize different tissue types within a fused 3D metastructure. The tissue grouping matched the 2D histology applied only on 1 slice, thus extending the histology labelling in 3D. Specifically, in all samples, we could separate and map 2 types of regenerated bone, calcified tissue, soft tissues, and/or fat and marrow space. Remarkably, μMRI and μCT alone were not able to separate the 2 types of regenerated bone. Finally, we computed volumes of each tissue in the 3D metastructures, which might be exploited by quantitative simulation. The 3D metastructure obtained through our pipeline represents a first step to bridge the gap between the quality of information obtained from 2D optical microscopy and the 3D mapping of the bone tissue heterogeneity and could allow researchers and clinicians to non-destructively characterize and follow-up bone regeneration
Multimodal-3D imaging based on μMRI and μCT techniques bridges the gap with histology in visualization of the bone regeneration process
No full textBone repair/regeneration is usually investigated through X-ray computed microtomography (CT) supported by histology of extracted samples, to analyse biomaterial structure and new bone formation processes. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) shows a richer tissue contrast than CT, despite at lower resolution, and could be combined with CT in the perspective of conducting non-destructive 3D investigations of bone. A pipeline designed to combine MRI and CT images of bone samples is here described and applied on samples of extracted human jawbone core following bone graft. We optimized the coregistration procedure between CT and MRI images to avoid bias due to the different resolutions and contrasts. Furthermore, we used an Adaptive Multivariate Clustering, grouping homologous voxels in the coregistered images, to visualize different tissue types within a fused 3D metastructure. The tissue grouping matched the 2D histology applied only on 1 slice, thus extending the histology labelling in 3D. Specifically, in all samples, we could separate and map 2 types of regenerated bone, calcified tissue, soft tissues, and/or fat and marrow space. Remarkably, MRI and CT alone were not able to separate the 2 types of regenerated bone. Finally, we computed volumes of each tissue in the 3D metastructures, which might be exploited by quantitative simulation. The 3D metastructure obtained through our pipeline represents a first step to bridge the gap between the quality of information obtained from 2D optical microscopy and the 3D mapping of the bone tissue heterogeneity and could allow researchers and clinicians to non-destructively characterize and follow-up bone regeneration
