Oculomotor Patterns in Children with Poor Reading Abilities Measured Using the Development Eye Movement Test.

Objectives: The main purpose of this work was to clinically assess the oculomotricity of one hundred Mexican children with poor reading skills but without any specific learning disorder. Methods: The D.E.M. psychometric test was used. Sex and age analyses of the ratio, type, horizontal and vertical performance, and errors were carried out. Results: Our data suggest that 84% of poor readers exhibit oculomotor difficulties. Sex did not significantly influence the results (p > 0.05), whereas age was associated with the horizontal (p = 0.04) and vertical (p = 0.29) performance, as well as the number of errors (p = 0.001). Omissions were the most prevalent error type. Conclusions: This research gives insights into the role of oculomotricity in children with poor reading skills. Our results suggest that oculomotor performance should be included in the evaluation protocol to assess poor readers to identify any influence of the visual system.

Actualización sobre apnea obstructiva del sueño en la etapa de movimientos oculares rápidos / Update on obstructive sleep apnea in the rapid eye-movement stage

La apnea obstructiva del sueño durante los movimientos oculares rápidos del sueño (AOS REM), se define como la presencia de episodios de apnea y/o hipopnea obstructivos en la etapa del sueño REM. La epidemiología de esta patología es compleja y no existe una definición estandarizada actualmente. Aunque no se ha logrado llegar a un consenso para definir AOS REM, la evidencia señala que está asociada a factores de riesgos cardiovasculares, metabólicos y neurocognitivos de forma independiente. A pesar que su tratamiento principal es la presión positiva continua de las vías respiratorias (CPAP), los criterios de un adecuado uso de CPAP en la AOS, no son suficientes para tratar de forma adecuada la AOS REM. Es necesario estandarizar una definición universal y realizar estudios prospectivos diseñados para buscar estrategias de tratamientos específicos para la AOS REM.

Obstructive sleep apnea during rapid eye movement sleep (REM OSA) is defined as the presence of obstructive episodes of apnea and/or hypopnea in REM sleep. The epidemiology of this pathology is complex and there is currently no standardized definition. Although no consensus has been reached to define REM OSA, the evidence indicates that it is independently associated with cardiovascular, metabolic and neurocognitive risk factors. Although its main treatment is continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), the criteria for an adequate use of CPAP in OSA are not sufficient to adequately treat REM OSA. It is necessary to standardize a universal definition and carry out prospective studies designed to search for specific treatment strategies for REM OSA.

Diagnostic Performance of an Eye-Tracking Assisted Visual Inference Language Test in the Assessment of Cognitive Decline due to Alzheimer's Disease.

BACKGROUND: The assessment of language changes associated with visual search impairment can be an important diagnostic tool in the Alzheimer's disease (AD) continuum. OBJECTIVE: Investigate the performance of an eye-tracking assisted visual inference language task in differentiating subjects with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or AD dementia from cognitively unimpaired older adults (controls). METHODS: We assessed a group of 95 older adults (49 MCI, 18 mild dementia due to AD, and 28 controls). The subjects performed the same task under multiple experimental conditions which generate correlated responses that need to be taken into account. Thus, we performed a non-parametric repeated measures ANOVA model for verbal answers, and a linear mixed model (LMM) or its generalized version for the analysis of eye tracking variables. RESULTS: Significant differences were found in verbal answers across all diagnostic groups independently of type of inference, i.e., logic or pragmatic. Also, eye-tracking parameters were able to discriminate AD from MCI and controls. AD patients did more visits to challenge stimulus (Control-AD, -0.622, SE = 0.190, p = 0.004; MCI-AD, -0.514, SE = 0.173, p = 0.011), more visits to the correct response stimulus (Control-AD, -1.363, SE = 0.383, p = 0.002; MCI-AD, -0.946, SE = 0.349, p = 0.022), more fixations on distractors (Control-AD, -4.580, SE = 1.172, p = 0.001; MCI-AD, -2.940, SE = 1.070, p = 0.020), and a longer time to first fixation on the correct response stimulus (Control-AD, -0.622, SE = 0.190, p = 0.004; MCI-AD, -0.514, SE = 0.173, p = 0.011). CONCLUSION: The analysis of oculomotor behavior along with language assessment protocols may increase the sensitivity for detection of subtle deficits in the MCI-AD continuum, representing an important diagnostic tool.

The prevalence of sleep paralysis in medical students in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Objectives: The objectives of this study were to determine the prevalence of sleep paralysis (SP) in medical students from the University of Buenos Aires (UBA). Materials and Methods: An ad hoc questionnaire based on the diagnosis of SP and a demographic survey was electronically presented to students of Internal Medicine at the School of Medicine of the UBA. The respondents answered both questionnaires using Google Forms®. Results: The prevalence of SP was 40.7% (95% CI 33.5-47.8). A higher percentage of the respondents (76%) reported experiencing SP-related anxiety. An association between self-perceived quality of sleep and the incidence of SP was found (χ2: 12.712, P = 0.002). The highest frequency was hypnopompic SP (55.55%), and the highest percentage (55.4%) suffered from SP less than once every 6 months. Most respondents (59.5%) reported having started with SP symptoms after 18 years of age, and the highest percentage (66.2%) had exacerbated their symptoms at college. The frequency of the Incubus phenomenon was 14.5% (95% CI 6.2-23). Most respondents (70.8%) denied the association of SP with religious or paranormal beliefs. Conclusion: SP is highly prevalent in medical students and is associated with poor sleep habits and perceived poor sleep quality. Clinicians should be aware of this parasomnia to avoid a misdiagnosis of psychosis and inform sufferers of the nature of SP.

SaFiDe: Detection of saccade and fixation periods based on eye-movement attributes from video-oculography, scleral coil or electrooculography data.

In this work we present SaFiDe, a deterministic method to detect eye movements (saccades and fixations) from eye-trace data. We developed this method for human and nonhuman primate data from video- and coil-recorded eye traces and further applied the algorithm to eye traces computed from electrooculograms. All the data analyzed were from free-exploration paradigms, where the main challenge was to detect periods of saccades and fixations that were uncued by the task. The method uses velocity and acceleration thresholds, calculated from the eye trace, to detect saccade and fixation periods. We show that our fully deterministic method detects saccades and fixations from eye traces during free visual exploration. The algorithm was implemented in MATLAB, and the code is publicly available on a GitHub repository.•The algorithm presented is entirely deterministic, simplifying the comparison between subjects and tasks.•Thus far, the algorithm presented can operate over video-based eye tracker data, human electrooculogram records, or monkey scleral eye coil data.

Online eye-movement classification with temporal convolutional networks.

The simultaneous classification of the three most basic eye-movement patterns is known as the ternary eye-movement classification problem (3EMCP). Dynamic, interactive real-time applications that must instantly adjust or respond to certain eye behaviors would highly benefit from accurate, robust, fast, and low-latency classification methods. Recent developments based on 1D-CNN-BiLSTM and TCN architectures have demonstrated to be more accurate and robust than previous solutions, but solely considering offline applications. In this paper, we propose a TCN classifier for the 3EMCP, adapted to online applications, that does not require look-ahead buffers. We introduce a new lightweight preprocessing technique that allows the TCN to make real-time predictions at about 500 Hz with low latency using commodity hardware. We evaluate the TCN performance against other two deep neural models: a CNN-LSTM and a CNN-BiLSTM, also adapted to online classification. Furthermore, we compare the performance of the deep neural models against a lightweight real-time Bayesian classifier (I-BDT). Our results, considering two publicly available datasets, show that the proposed TCN model consistently outperforms other methods for all classes. The results also show that, though it is possible to achieve reasonable accuracy levels with zero-length look ahead, the performance of all methods improve with the use of look-ahead information. The codebase, pre-trained models, and datasets are available at https://github.com/elmadjian/OEMC.

Two birds, one stone: a surgical approach for third nerve palsy with aberrant regeneration / Tratamento cirúrgico de paralisia de terceiro nervo craniano com regeneração aberrante

ABSTRACT Aberrant regeneration in third nerve palsies, linking medial rectus contraction to the levator palpebrae muscle, is a great opportunity for surgical planning to address both the ptosis and horizontal deviation in a single procedure. We report a case of severe ptosis associated with exotropia that was successfully corrected with a single horizontal strabismus surgery owing to aberrant regeneration and discuss the basis underlying the surgical planning.

RESUMO A regeneração aberrante nas paralisias do terceiro nervo, ligando a contração do reto medial ao músculo levantador da pálpebra, é uma grande oportunidade para fazer um planejamento cirúrgico para tratar tanto a ptose quanto o desvio horizontal em um procedimento único. Relatamos uma ptose grave associada à exotropia corrigida com sucesso com uma única cirurgia de estrabismo horizontal devido à regeneração aberrante e discutimos as bases do planejamento cirúrgico.

Impact of Cognitive Demand on Eye Movement Pattern in Patients with Alzheimer's Disease.

BACKGROUND: Eye-movement behavior has been used as a reliable tool to identify cognitive and behavioral patterns in individuals with different neuropsychiatric disorders including Alzheimer's disease (AD). Most studies in the field have been dedicated to evaluating eye-movement behavior during cognitive tasks in different protocols using multiple parameters. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to evaluate the differences of eye-movement behavior in healthy subjects, subjects with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and those with AD in a simple color task with and without cognitive demand. METHODS: 91 subjects: 18 AD, 47 MCI, and 26 healthy controls had their oculomotor parameters assessed during baseline (no cognitive demand involved) and during a simple computational color memory task using an eye-tracker. RESULTS: Baseline showed statistically different and heterogeneous results between normal cognition and MCI groups. Familiarization phase of the task could not discriminate between groups in any of the analyzed parameters. AD subjects made longer fixations and visits on distractors, and more frequent fixations and visits on the target areas than other groups during the response phase. CONCLUSION: Eye-tracking time-related parameters differentiate AD subjects from other groups under cognitive demand even in a simple color memory task.

Aproximaciones psicoterapéuticas para el manejo del tinnitus crónico no pulsátil / Psychotherapy approaches for the management of non-pulsatile chronic tinnitus

Resumen La fisiopatología del tinnitus crónico no pulsátil es poco clara, pero se reconoce un componente psicológico relevante, por tanto, existen distintas aproximaciones psicoterapéuticas que han sido estudiadas. La terapia cognitivo conductual es la que cuenta con mayor evidencia. Ella contempla la reestructuración de las cogniciones disfuncionales que favorecen la presencia del tinnitus. Se ha verificado su eficacia en los niveles de distrés, calidad de vida, severidad, sintomatología depresiva e insomnio asociados. La desensibilización y reprocesamiento por movimientos oculares recoge algunos presupuestos de la terapia cognitivo conductual, pero considera técnicas como la estimulación bilateral. Sus resultados en patologías crónicas somáticas han sugerido la aplicación en tinnitus, corroborando su eficacia en calidad de vida, distrés y sintomatología depresiva. Dos psicoterapias basadas en mindfulness aplicadas en tinnitus son la reducción del estrés basado en el mindfulness y la terapia cognitiva basada en mindfulness. La primera ha demostrado eficacia en la calidad de vida y en la disminución y el refuerzo de cogniciones negativas y positivas, respectivamente. La segunda, es eficaz en la severidad, intensidad, distrés, ansiedad, depresión y discapacidad asociadas a tinnitus. Finalmente, la terapia de aceptación y compromiso promueve la aceptación como componente central del tratamiento de condiciones crónicas, considerando el control que ejerce el contexto sobre la vivencia de estas condiciones y el compromiso terapéutico. Esta terapia es eficaz en calidad de vida. Se promueve la investigación en aproximaciones psicoterapéuticas para el tinnitus, lo que posibilitará la aplicación de terapias más específicas y la clarificación de su fisiopatología.

Abstract The pathophysiology of non-pulsatile chronic tinnitus is unclear, but it is recognized a relevant psychological component. In this sense, different psychotherapeutic approaches have been studied. Cognitive behavioral therapy is the psychotherapy with the most evidence. It considers the restructuring of dysfunctional cognitions that favor the presence of tinnitus. Its efficacy has been verified on distress, quality of life, severity, associated depressive symptoms and insomnia. Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing includes some conceptions of cognitive behavioral therapy and considers techniques such as bilateral stimulation. Its results in chronic somatic pathologies have suggested its application in tinnitus, corroborating its efficacy in quality of life, distress, and depressive symptoms. Two mindfulness-based psychotherapies applied in tinnitus are mindfulness-based stress reduction and mindfulness-based cognitive therapy. The first has shown efficacy on quality of life and reduction and reinforcement of negative and positive cognitions, respectively. The second is effective on severity, loudness, distress, anxiety, depression and disability associated with tinnitus. Finally, acceptance and commitment therapy promote acceptance as a central component of the treatment of chronic conditions, considering the control exerted by the context over the experience of these conditions and the therapeutic commitment. This therapy is effective on quality of life. We foster the research on psychotherapeutic approaches to tinnitus, which will make it possible the application of more specific interventions and, at the same time, elucidate its pathophysiology.

Eye movement impairments in children with malnutrition.

Malnutrition is characterised by deficient nutrient ingestion and absorption and is still one of the most important causes of morbidity and mortality in children worldwide. Our main rationale was that protein-energy malnutrition (PEM) may affect eye movement in children with malnutrition. Twenty children without PEM (mean age = 10.8; SD = 1.0 years) and 18 children with PEM (mean age = 10.9; SD = 1.2 years) were included in the present study. We applied three types of tests: one that consisted of a maze and two versions of the Spot the Seven Errors test using boats and elephants. Our results indicated that children with PEM exhibited performance deficits in the maze test (p < .001) and Spot the Seven Errors test for both boats (p < .001) and elephants (p < .001). These data suggest that nutritional impairments during the first year of life (i.e., a critical period) can directly impact eye movement. Eye tracking is a reliable technique to investigate higher-order processes, but our results should be interpreted with caution. Our findings highlight the relevance of cognitive development in malnourished children, which can negatively affect their development. Screening, assessment and rehabilitation strategies are essential in this at-risk population.

Desensibilización y reprocesamiento por movimientos oculares (EMDR) para trastornos ansiosos y depresivos en niños y adolescentes: revisión de la evidencia disponible / Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) for anxiety and depressive disorders in children and adolescents: a review of the available literature

Resumen Introducción: la desensibilización y reprocesamiento por movimientos oculares (EMDR) tiene abundante evidencia de eficacia en desórdenes del espectro traumático. Su eficacia en trastornos ansiosos (TA) y depresivos (TD) en niños, niñas y adolescentes ha sido escasamente estudiada. Método: se realizó una revisión narrativa para describir la evidencia disponible sobre eficacia de EMDR en TA y TD en población infantojuvenil. Se buscaron artículos disponibles en PubMed/Medline, SciELO, PsycINFO y Cochrane Library. Se incluyeron todos los artículos primarios y secundarios que evaluaron el efecto de EMDR en TA y TD en población infantojuvenil. Se revisaron sus referencias como segundo método de inclusión. Resultados: se identificaron nueve estudios (cinco en TA y cuatro en TD); tres fueron observacionales y seis experimentales. Todos tuvieron tamaños muestrales reducidos. En TA, los estudios corroboraron la eficacia de EMDR sobre el temor fóbico en fobia a las arañas, pero no sobre la conducta evitativa, donde sería superior la exposición in vivo. Dos series de casos expusieron la utilidad de EMDR en fagogobia y en TA asociados a epilepsia. En TD, EMDR fue eficaz en la reducción de sintomatología depresiva en el contexto del trastorno depresivo mayor, trastorno de estrés agudo y trastornos conductuales. EMDR fue comparable a terapia cognitivo-conductual. Conclusiones: la evidencia corrobora la eficacia de EMDR en TA y TD en niños, niñas y adolescentes. Sin embargo, es muy escasa y cuenta con limitaciones metodológicas. Es necesario realizar estudios experimentales con protocolos estandarizados y especializados de EMDR para TA y TD en población infantojuvenil.

Introduction: Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) has abundant evidence of efficacy in traumatic spectrum disorders. Its efficacy in anxiety disorders (AD) and depressive disorders (DD) in children and adolescents has been scarcely studied. Methods: We conducted a narrative review to describe the available evidence on the efficacy of EMDR in AD and DD in children and adolescents. We searched for articles available in PubMed/Medline, SciELO, PsycInfo and the Cochrane Library. All primary and secondary studies evaluating the effect of EMDR on AD and DD in children and adolescents were included. Their references were reviewed as a second method of inclusion. Results: nine studies were identified (five in AD and four in DD); three were observational and six experimental. All had small sample sizes. In AD, studies corroborated the efficacy of EMDR on phobic fear in spider phobia, but not on avoidance behavior, where in vivo exposure would be superior. Two case series reported the efficacy of EMDR in choking phobia and AD associated with epilepsy. In DD, EMDR was effective in reducing depressive symptomatology in the context of major depressive disorder, acute stress disorder, and conduct disorders. EMDR was comparable to cognitive behavioral therapy. Conclusions: The evidence corroborates the efficacy of EMDR in AD and DD in children and adolescents. However, it is very scarce and has methodological limitations. It is necessary to carry out experimental studies with standardized and specialized EMDR protocols for AD and DD in the child and adolescent population.

Leitura de palavras e pseudopalavras em adultos jovens: um estudo de rastreamento ocular / Word and pseudoword reading in young adults: an eye-tracking study

RESUMO Objetivo Avaliar e caracterizar o comportamento oculomotor durante a leitura de pseudopalavras e palavras do português brasileiro caracterizadas quanto à frequência, extensão e regularidade e verificar sua relação com o desempenho em testes neuropsicológicos. Método 21 alunos universitários com média de idade de 20,9 anos realizaram a Tarefa de Leitura de Palavras e Pseudopalavras (TLPP) da Bateria Anele, além de testes de fluência verbal e de memória operacional fonológica. Foram estudados os padrões de duração da primeira fixação do olhar no estímulo, duração total das fixações no estímulo e a taxa de refixações (taxa de retornos ao estímulo). Resultados A duração da primeira fixação e a duração total das fixações foram significativamente menores para palavras em relação às pseudopalavras, bem como a duração total das fixações foi menor para palavras frequentes e curtas. Também foram encontradas interações significativas entre o desempenho na fluência verbal e a duração da primeira fixação. Conclusão Nossos resultados demonstram a aplicabilidade do rastreador ocular para avaliar a leitura no nível da palavra no Português Brasileiro. O rastreador ocular pode ser um instrumento adicional na investigação de transtornos de leitura do desenvolvimento e adquiridos, podendo auxiliar na detecção de dificuldades de leitura a partir da análise de diferenças do comportamento oculomotor entre leitores fluentes e não-fluentes.

ABSTRACT Purpose To evaluate and characterize the oculomotor behavior during the reading of words and pseudowords in Brazilian Portuguese organized by frequency, length and regularity and verify its association with performance on neuropsychological tests. Methods 21 university students, with a mean age of 20.9 years, were submitted to a word and pseudoword reading task (TLPP) from the Anele Battery, in addition to verbal fluency and phonological working memory tests. The patterns of first fixation duration, gaze duration and rate of refixation were studied. Results The first fixation duration and the gaze duration were significantly lower for words if compared to pseudowords and the gaze duration was also lower for high-frequency and short words. Significant interactions were also found between verbal fluency performance and the first fixation duration. Conclusion Our results demonstrate the applicability of eye tracking to study reading patterns at the word-level in Brazilian Portuguese. The eye tracker can be an additional tool in the investigation of acquired and developmental reading disorders and can assist in the detection of reading difficulties based on comparisons of the oculomotor behavior between fluent and non-fluent readers.

Cannabidiol for Rapid Eye Movement Sleep Behavior Disorder.

BACKGROUND: REM sleep behaviour disorder (RBD) is a common non-motor feature of Parkinson's disease (PD). Cannabidiol (CBD) is one of the main non-psychoactive components of Cannabis sativa and may represent an alternative route for treating RBD. OBJECTIVE: This study assessed the efficacy and safety of CBD for RBD in PD. METHODS: We conducted a phase II/III, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial in 33 patients with RBD and PD. Patients were randomized 1:1 to CBD in doses of 75 to 300mg or matched capsules placebo and were followed up for 14 weeks. The primary outcomes were the frequency of nights with RBD, CGI-I, and CGI-S. RESULTS: CBD showed no difference to placebo for primary outcomes. Regarding secondary outcomes, we observed a significant improvement in average sleep satisfaction from the 4th to 8th week in the CBD versus placebo group with P = 0.049 and P = 0.038, respectively. CONCLUSION: CBD, as an adjunct therapy, showed no reduction in RBD manifestations in PD patients. A transient improvement in sleep satisfaction with a dose of 300mg has been noted. © 2021 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society.

Manifestaciones neuroftalmológicas en pacientes con enfermedad cerebrovascular isquémica / Neuro-ophthalmological manifestations in patients with ischemic cerebrovascular disease

La enfermedad cerebrovascular isquémica tiene una elevada incidencia y prevalencia en Cuba, y constituye la tercera causa de muerte en el país. Existen diferencias anatómicas y clínicas entre el infarto de la circulación anterior y la posterior. En ocasiones, los elementos distintivos que ayudan al diagnóstico topográfico de la enfermedad cerebrovascular isquémica son las manifestaciones neuroftalmológicas. Con el objetivo de profundizar en el conocimiento actual sobre las alteraciones neuroftalmológicas que se asocian a la enfermedad cerebrovascular isquémica, se realizó una revisión bibliográfica, donde se consultaron un total de 69 fuentes de información digital de los últimos 5 años. La circulación cerebral se divide de manera general en anterior y posterior. Los síntomas y signos principales del ictus que afecta la circulación anterior son la desviación conjugada de la mirada, la afectación de las sácadas, la hemianopsia homónima, la heminegligencia y la apraxia de la apertura ocular; mientras que las alteraciones asociadas a la afectación de la circulación posterior son el nistagmo, las anormalidades en la alineación y los movimientos oculares, así como la hemianopsia homónima con conservación macular. Se concluye que en la enfermedad cerebrovascular isquémica aparecen síntomas y signos como consecuencia de la afectación, tanto de la vía visual aferente, como de la eferente. La hemianopsia homónima es el signo más frecuente reportado(AU)

Ischemic cerebrovascular disease has a high incidence and prevalence in Cuba, and it is the third cause of death in the country. A number of anatomical and clinical differences distinguish anterior from posterior circulation infarction. On certain occasions the distinguishing elements that aid in the topographic diagnosis of ischemic cerebrovascular disease are its neuro-ophthalmological manifestations. With the purpose of gaining insight into the current knowledge about the neuro-ophthalmological alterations associated to ischemic cerebrovascular disease, a bibliographic review was conducted based on the analysis of 69 digital information sources from the last five years. Cerebral circulation is generally divided into anterior and posterior. The main symptoms and signs of the stroke that affects anterior circulation are conjugate gaze deviation, altered saccades, homonymous hemianopsia, heminegligence and eyelid opening apraxia, whereas the alterations associated to posterior circulation involvement are nystagmus, eye movement and alignment abnormalities, and homonymous hemianopsia with macular preservation. It is concluded that ischemic cerebrovascular disease presents symptoms and signs related to both the afferent and the efferent visual pathways. Homonymous hemianopsia is the most common sign reported(AU)

Cannabinoids and Sleep/Wake Control.

The sleep-wake cycle is a complex process that includes wake (W), non-rapid-eye-movement (NREM) and rapid-eye-movement (REM) sleep. Each phase is regulated by specialized brain structures that, by means of different neurotransmitters, maintain the constant expression of the sleep-wake cycle. Molecules like orexin, serotonin, noradrenaline, histamine, for waking; GABA, adenosine, prostaglandins, for NREM sleep and acetylcholine and glutamate for REM sleep, among other molecules are responsible for the expression and maintenance of each phase. When the endocannabinoid system was being described for the first time, almost three decades ago, oleamide's sleep promoting properties were highlighted. Nowadays, enough evidence has been cumulated to support the endocannabinoid system role in the sleep-wake cycle regulation. The endocannabinoids oleamide anandamide, and 2-arachidonylglycerol promote NREM and/or REM sleep via the CB1R, thereby making this system a target to treat sleep disorders, such as insomnia.

Association between convergence insufficiency and temporomandibular disorder cross-sectional study.

OBJECTIVES: Evaluate whether there is an association between convergence insufficiency and temporomandibular disorder (TMD) and whether there is an association between pain and range of motion in different degrees of TMD. METHODS: We evaluated 138 individuals with TMD and 46 without TMD using the Research Diagnostic Criteria for temporomandibular disorders, the Fonseca Anamnestic Index (FAI), Numeric Pain Rating Scale, and the measurement of mandibular range of motion (ROM). Convergence insufficiency was diagnosed using the convergence test and Convergence Insufficiency Symptom Survey. Analysis of variance was used to compare age and mandibular ROM. The Kruskal-Wallis was used to compare mandibular ROM and pain between groups. The chi-square test was used to evaluate associations between TMD subgroups and the FAI, sex, and ocular convergence. RESULTS: The majority of individuals without TMD did not exhibit convergence insufficiency. The frequency convergence insufficiency was significantly higher among individuals with severe TMD (p < 0.003). Mean pain severity differed between individuals with and without TMD. Mandibular ROM diminished with the increase in TMD severity. CONCLUSIONS: Convergence insufficiency, age, the increase in pain, and the reduction in mandibular range of motion were associated with the degrees of TMD severity. Despite the significant associations between convergence insufficiency and both pain and TMD severity, these variables cannot be indicated as predictive factors due to the low variability in the linear regression analysis. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: The present findings can assist in decision making regarding the treatment of severe TMD and the evaluation of ocular convergence.

Alteraciones en el sueño por el consumo de cannabis / Sleep disturbances from the use of cannabis

RESUMEN Esta es una revisión de algunos ensayos clínicos realizados acerca de las repercusiones en la estructura, arquitectura y percepción del sueño en los consumidores de cannabis. Para la búsqueda bibliográfica se consultó bases de datos, con especial énfasis en revisiones sistemáticas, metaanálisis, estudios de cohortes, ensayos controlados aleatorios y estudios de casos y controles. Las palabras claves incluyeron términos que describen el uso del cannabis combinado con otros que se refieren al sueño o anormalidades del sueño (por ejemplo: sueño, insomnio, polisomnografía, tiempo total de sueño, latencia del sueño, sueño de onda lenta, sueño de movimiento ocular rápido y su latencia). Se extrajeron datos relevantes de cada uno de los artículos consultados. Se resumió la literatura disponible sobre mediciones subjetivas y objetivas, correlaciones clínicas y paraclínicas, diferencias entre el consumo agudo, crónico y la abstinencia, y otros puntos de discusión. Se realizaron varias correlaciones moleculares y anatómicas que explican los cambios en el sueño desde el punto de vista del sistema nervioso central. Finalmente, los resultados demuestran una disminución de la latencia del sueño con el uso agudo a dosis bajas, además menor tiempo de vigilia luego del inicio del sueño, aumento del sueño de ondas lentas y disminución del sueño de movimientos oculares rápidos; estos efectos no permanecen con el uso crónico, ya que posteriormente se presenta una peor calidad del sueño; el escenario también varía con la abstinencia, puede presentarse insomnio, disminución del tiempo total del sueño de onda lenta y del sueño total.

ABSTRACT This is a review of some clinical trials conducted on the impact on sleep structure, architecture and perception in cannabis users. For the literature search, consult database queries with special emphasis on systematic reviews, meta-analyzes, cohort studies, randomized controlled trials, and case-control studies. Keywords include terms that describe cannabis use combined with others that specify sleep or sleep abnormalities (for example: sleep, insomnia, polysomnography, total sleep time, sleep latency, slow wave sleep, motion sleep fast eyepiece and its latency). Relevant data was extracted in each of the articles consulted. The available literature is summarized on: subjective and objective measurements, clinical and paraclinical correlations, differences between acute and chronic consumption and abstinence, and other points of discussion. Tese are various molecular and anatomical correlations that explain changes in sleep from the point of view of the central nervous system. Finally, results frequently decrease sleep latency with acute use at low doses, plus shorter waking time after sleep onset, increased slow wave sleep and decreased rapid eye movement sleep, these effects do not persist with chronic use since later there is a worse quality of sleep; The setting also changes with abstinence where insomnia may occur, decreased total time for slow wave sleep and total sleep.

Enhancing innate immunity against virus in times of COVID-19: Trying to untangle facts from fictions.

INTRODUCTION: In light of the current COVID-19 pandemic, during which the world is confronted with a new, highly contagious virus that suppresses innate immunity as one of its initial virulence mechanisms, thus escaping from first-line human defense mechanisms, enhancing innate immunity seems a good preventive strategy. METHODS: Without the intention to write an official systematic review, but more to give an overview of possible strategies, in this review article we discuss several interventions that might stimulate innate immunity and thus our defense against (viral) respiratory tract infections. Some of these interventions can also stimulate the adaptive T- and B-cell responses, but our main focus is on the innate part of immunity. We divide the reviewed interventions into: 1) lifestyle related (exercise, >7 h sleep, forest walking, meditation/mindfulness, vitamin supplementation); 2) Non-specific immune stimulants (letting fever advance, bacterial vaccines, probiotics, dialyzable leukocyte extract, pidotimod), and 3) specific vaccines with heterologous effect (BCG vaccine, mumps-measles-rubeola vaccine, etc). RESULTS: For each of these interventions we briefly comment on their definition, possible mechanisms and evidence of clinical efficacy or lack of it, especially focusing on respiratory tract infections, viral infections, and eventually a reduced mortality in severe respiratory infections in the intensive care unit. At the end, a summary table demonstrates the best trials supporting (or not) clinical evidence. CONCLUSION: Several interventions have some degree of evidence for enhancing the innate immune response and thus conveying possible benefit, but specific trials in COVID-19 should be conducted to support solid recommendations.

Exposure to the cannabinoid agonist WIN 55, 212-2 in adolescent rats causes sleep alterations that persist until adulthood.

Cannabis and, to a lesser extent, synthetic cannabinoids are used during adolescence, a period in which multiple brain areas are still undergoing development. Among such areas is the hypothalamus, which is implicated in the control of sleep-wake cycle. In the present report, we show that exposing adolescent rats to the cannabinoid receptor agonist WIN 55, 212-2 (0.1, 0.3 or 1.0 mg/kg, i.p) for 14 days during adolescence (i.e., from post-natal day 30-44) resulted in significant sleep disturbances when the animals became adult (post-natal day 80). These included decreased wakefulness and enhanced rapid eye movement sleep. Furthermore, we found that labeling for NeuN, a marker of postmitotic neurons, was significantly increased the dorsomedial hypothalamic nucleus of rats treated with WIN 55, 212-2. The results suggest that excessive cannabinoid receptor activation during adolescence can persistently influence sleep patterns and neuronal activity later in life.