Pain

In this randomized, double-blind, controlled trial of 8 weeks of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) for chronic pain, we compared the classic primary motor cortex (M1) rTMS with a novel target-selection strategy based on pre-therapy cortical connectivity. Guided by principles of homeostatic plasticity, we tested whether stimulating the cortical site with the lowest pre-therapy global connectivity would be more effective than two active comparators: stimulating the site with the ...

Resting-state electroencephalography (EEG) has been proposed as a scalable source of biomarkers for chronic pain, but its clinical potential remains uncertain. To systematically evaluate this potential, we benchmarked nine modeling strategies, spanning conventional machine learning with handcrafted features to state-of-the-art deep learning. Across 72 configurations of signal representations and model architectures, we trained models to predict self-reported pain intensity, using chronological a...

Background: Quadriceps weakness may reduce sagittal plane shock absorption during landing, shifting load toward the frontal plane and increasing knee abduction moment (KAM), a biomechanical risk factor for anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the association between isokinetic quadriceps strength and peak KAM during drop vertical jump landing in adolescent athletes. Study Design: Secondary analysis of previously collected data. Methods: He...

The use of semaglutide (SE), a glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist (GLP-1RA) with glucose-lowering and weight-loss effects, has risen rapidly, particularly among women of reproductive age. While preclinical studies suggest benefits for ovarian function via the hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian axis, its impact on the endometrial-embryo interface remains unclear. Here, we show that GLP-1R is dynamically expressed in fertile human endometrium, restricted to epithelial cells and markedly upregula...

Background and Purpose: Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for radiation therapy treatment planning is currently being used in many anatomical sites to better visualize soft tissue landmarks, a technique known as an MRI simulation. A core component of modern MRI simulation configurations are the use of external laser positioning systems (ELPS) to help set up the patient. Though necessary for accurate and reproducible patient setup, the ELPS, if left on during imaging, may interfere negatively with...

Abstract Background: Conventional MRI cannot reliably distinguish radiation necrosis (RN) from recurrent metastasis after cranial radiotherapy, as both can show similar enhancement despite different biology. We tested whether these entities are mechanically non-equivalent in vivo and separable by MRE-derived viscoelastic metrics and perilesional interface-instability features. Methods: In a prospective, histopathology-anchored cohort, 11 post-radiotherapy enhancing lesions were classified as RN ...

BackgroundMotor threshold (MT) estimation is fundamental to transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), guiding individualized stimulation intensity in research and therapy. Conventional methods such as the 5-out-of-10 rule require many stimuli, while adaptive approaches like Parameter Estimation by Sequential Testing (PEST) improve efficiency but can exhibit poor convergence under certain conditions. ObjectiveThis study introduces the Bayesian Uncertainty Dynamic Algorithm for Parameter Estimatio...

BackgroundPropofol dosing guidelines recommend age-based reductions because hypnotic sensitivity increases in older adults. Most real-world evaluations of induction practice, however, have relied on total weight-normalized dose (mg/kg) rather than estimating cerebral exposure using pharmacokinetic models. Because age-related pharmacokinetic changes alter the relationship between administered dose and peak effect-site concentration (Ce,max), mg/kg surrogates may misrepresent true age-dependent ex...

Objectives: Compare Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) Return to Sport after Injury (ACL-RSI) scores over time following ACL reconstruction (ACLR) between male and female patients aged 15 to 25 years with primary ACL injuries and ACL reinjuries. Design: Retrospective cohort design. Setting: Sports physical therapy clinics. Participants: 332 patients aged 15-25 years who underwent ACLR following either primary ACL injury or ACL reinjury, either contralateral or ipsilateral graft reinjury, and had a...

Purpose: Human anatomy remains foundational to clinical practice, yet reduced instructional hours raise concerns about graduate competence and preparedness for patient care. Although trainees often report confidence, supervisors may perceive deficiencies, creating a gap between self-assessment and external evaluation. This study examined stakeholder perspectives on anatomical competence within physical therapy education to identify areas of discordance in perceived capability. Methods: A cross-s...

Background: Psychological readiness to return to sport and subjective knee function are critical outcomes following ACL reconstruction (ACLR), yet they do not always progress in parallel. An athlete may demonstrate high subjective knee function but low psychological readiness, suggesting a mental barrier to return, or conversely, report high readiness despite persistent functional limitations, raising concerns of overconfidence and reinjury risk. Understanding how these domains change together d...

This study compared the effects of a 25-min nap opportunity and a 10-min non-sleep deep rest (NSDR) condition on perceptual, cognitive, and physical performance in physically active young adults. Sixty participants (26 female, 34 male; 22 {+/-} 4 years) were randomly assigned to one of three groups (nap, NSDR, control; n = 20 each). All groups completed identical assessments immediately, 20 min, and 40 min post-intervention. Mixed-effects models, adjusted for sex, prior-night sleep, and weekly p...

3D-DXA reconstructs DXA hip scans to 3-dimensional images allowing measurement of trabecular and cortical bone parameters. Given the higher image quality of GE Healthcare iDXA than GE Healthcare Prodigy, it could be hypothesized that the reconstruction might differ, thereby affecting 3D-DXA results. The aim of the study was to assess agreement and precision of 3D-DXA cortical and trabecular femur parameters between Prodigy and iDXA densitometers in adult subjects. The study cohort was composed o...

BackgroundEmerging research indicates that light exposure may influence sleep quality. Identifying key light-exposure behaviours associated with poor sleep quality in athletes may allow practitioners to efficiently screen for sleep difficulties and prioritise athletes for further assessment. Translating these findings into a practical screening tool could enhance willingness of high-performance professionals to monitor sleep and light exposure in athletes. HypothesisKey predictor variables iden...

BackgroundThere is disparity between the incidence of malignant hyperthermia (MH) reactions and the prevalence of variants in the RYR1 gene associated with susceptibility to MH (where susceptibility is determined by in vitro contracture tests). Our aims were to use clinical and genetic data from the UK to explain this disparity and to examine if these data are consistent with the clinical risk of MH being inherited as an autosomal dominant trait. MethodsClinical MH and genotyping data were extr...

Aim and ObjectivesThe study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of titanium inserts for interdental papilla reconstruction, comparing it with the Han and Takei technique using subepithelial connective tissue grafts. The objectives included assessing the black triangle height, papilla height and papilla presence index (PPI) at baseline, 1 month and 3 months postoperatively along with the evaluation of Early Wound Healing Score (EHS) during the first week of post operative healing period. Patient...

BackgroundCanine impaction represents one of the most challenging clinical scenarios in orthodontic practice, with maxillary canines being the second most commonly impacted teeth after third molars. The management of impacted canines through orthodontic traction requires an advanced understanding of biomechanical principles, surgical techniques, and patient-specific factors. The decision to attempt traction must be informed by accurate differentiation between mechanical impaction and primary fai...

We propose a lesion-centric phenotype learning pipeline for interpretable breast ultrasound (BUS). Predicted lesion masks are used for mask-weighted pooling of segmentation-encoder latents, producing compact embeddings that suppress background influence; a lightweight calibration step improves cross-dataset consistency. We cluster embeddings to discover latent phenotypes and relate phenotype structure to morphology descriptors (compactness, boundary sharpness). On BUSI and BUS-UCLM with external...

Digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) is a powerful imaging modality that allows for improved lesion visibility, characterization, and localization compared to conventional two-dimensional digital mammography. DBT has been increasingly adopted in screening and diagnostic settings globally, particularly for women with dense breast tissue where tissue overlap presents a significant diagnostic challenge. Here we describe DBT-2026, a real world imaging dataset with 558 DBT exams from 558 patients with ...

A critical challenge in endocrine neurosurgery is intraoperative discrimination between normal pituitary tissue and pituitary neuroendocrine tumors (PitNETs). Suggesting the universal persistence of near-infrared autofluorescence (NIRAF) in endocrine organs and inspired by routine clinical use of NIRAF for parathyroid gland identification, we discovered that pituitary NIRAF can be employed for label-free transsphenoidal surgery guidance. Ex vivo confocal spectral imaging of 33 specimens identifi...