DSpace Collection:
https://hdl.handle.net/10316/27716
2024-03-29T09:17:48ZMental health and post-traumatic stress disorder in firefighters: an integrated analysis from an action research study
https://hdl.handle.net/10316/114173
Title: Mental health and post-traumatic stress disorder in firefighters: an integrated analysis from an action research study
Authors: Oliveira, Joana; Aires Dias, Joana; Duarte, Isabel Catarina; Caldeira, Salomé; Marques, António Reis; Rodrigues, Vítor; Redondo, João; Castelo-Branco, Miguel
Abstract: Introduction: The presence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
symptomatology in firefighters is an ever-pressing issue that requires close
attention for adequate interventions. The present study investigated PTSD and
global psychopathology prevalence in a sample of highly risk-exposed Portuguese
firefighters, collected after the widespread deadly wildfires in 2017 that ravaged
the country. Following an action research approach, the aim of this study was to
depict this sample and examine the impact of cumulative adverse experiences on
their mental health, which is a phenomenon worth attention.
Method: From an initial sample of 283 firefighters who manifested interest in
participating, a total of 139 firefighters from the Coimbra District, of whom 130
unequivocally experienced a potentially traumatic/adverse event as a firefighter,
completed BSI (to obtain indicators on psychopathology), QEPAT (an inventory
of adverse events possibly experienced as a firefighter), and PCL-5 (a measure
of PTSD symptomatology) through an online survey during the year 2018 by the
Regional Medical Organization, as proposed and supervised by the local Centre
for Prevention and Treatment of Psychological Trauma (CPTTP).
Results: We found a global prevalence of 8.6% of possible PTSD and 14.4%
of possible psychopathology (n = 139). When considering only firefighters who
unequivocally reported a potentially traumatic/adverse event as a firefighter
(n = 130), 9.2% present possible PTSD, and 13.8% present possible global
psychopathology. This sample experienced a mean of 28 adverse events during
firefighting work. Linear regressions (n = 118) demonstrated that the perceived
severity of the most traumatic event reported and the experience of more
adverse events were both related to an increase in PTSD symptomatology. Global
psychopathology was associated with PCL-5 scores, with an emphasis on paranoid
ideation, hostility, depression, anxiety, and phobic anxiety.
Discussion: The severe wildfires of 2017 did not impact PTSD scores in this sample
(collected the year after), suggesting that cumulative adverse events are more
important than particular episodes. However, the number of reported events was
related to PTSD scores. These results can be used to develop interventions that
target all firefighters by addressing risk and protective factors. This action research
study motivated specialized aid for firefighters involved in this study.2023-01-01T00:00:00ZAssessing MR-compatibility of somatosensory stimulation devices: A systematic review on testing methodologies
https://hdl.handle.net/10316/114155
Title: Assessing MR-compatibility of somatosensory stimulation devices: A systematic review on testing methodologies
Authors: Travassos, Carolina; Sayal, Alexandre; Direito, Bruno; Pereira, João; Sousa, Teresa; Castelo-Branco, Miguel
Abstract: Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) has been extensively used as a tool to map the brain processes related to somatosensory stimulation. This mapping includes the localization of task-related brain activation and the characterization of brain activity dynamics and neural circuitries related to the processing of somatosensory information. However, the magnetic resonance (MR) environment presents unique challenges regarding participant and equipment safety and compatibility. This study aims to systematically review and analyze the state-of-the-art methodologies to assess the safety and compatibility of somatosensory stimulation devices in the MR environment. A literature search, following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement guidelines, was performed in PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science to find original research on the development and testing of devices for somatosensory stimulation in the MR environment. Nineteen records that complied with the inclusion and eligibility criteria were considered. The findings are discussed in the context of the existing international standards available for the safety and compatibility assessment of devices intended to be used in the MR environment. In sum, the results provided evidence for a lack of uniformity in the applied testing methodologies, as well as an in-depth presentation of the testing methodologies and results. Lastly, we suggest an assessment methodology (safety, compatibility, performance, and user acceptability) that can be applied to devices intended to be used in the MR environment.2023-01-01T00:00:00ZAssociations between cortical β-amyloid burden, fornix microstructure and cognitive processing of faces, places, bodies and other visual objects in early Alzheimer's disease
https://hdl.handle.net/10316/114149
Title: Associations between cortical β-amyloid burden, fornix microstructure and cognitive processing of faces, places, bodies and other visual objects in early Alzheimer's disease
Authors: Bourbon-Teles, José; Jorge, Lília; Canário, Nádia; Martins, Ricardo; Santana, Isabel; Castelo-Branco, Miguel
Abstract: Using two imaging modalities, that is, Pittsburgh compound B (PiB) positron emission tomography (PET) and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) the present study tested associations between cortical amyloid-beta (Aβ) burden and fornix microstructural changes with cognitive deficits in early Alzheimer's disease (AD), namely deficits in working memory (1-back) processing of visual object categories (faces, places, objects, bodies and verbal material). Second, we examined cortical Aβ associations with fornix microstructure. Seventeen early AD patients and 17 healthy-matched controls were included. Constrained spherical deconvolution-based tractography was used to segment the fornix and a control tract the central branch of the superior longitudinal fasciculus (CB-SLF) previously implicated in working memory processes. Standard uptake value ratios (SUVR) of Aβ were extracted from 45 cortical/subcortical regions from the AAL atlas and subject to principal component analysis for data reduction. Patients exhibited (i) impairments in cognitive performance (ii) reductions in fornix fractional anisotropy (FA) and (iii) increases in a component that loaded highly on cortical Aβ. There were no group differences in CB-SLF FA and in a component loading highly on subcortical Aβ. Partial correlation analysis in the patient group showed (i) positive associations between fornix FA and performance for all the visual object categories and (ii) a negative association between the cortical Aβ component and performance for the object categories but not for the remaining classes of visual stimuli. A subsequent analysis showed a positive association between overall cognition (performance across distinct 1-back task conditions) with fornix FA but no association with cortical Aβ burden, in keeping with influential accounts on early onset AD. This indicates that the fornix degenerates early in AD and contributes to deficits in working memory processing of visual object categories; though it is also important to acknowledge the importance of prospective longitudinal studies with larger samples. Overall, the effect sizes of fornical degeneration on visual working memory appeared stronger than the ones related to amyloid burden.2023-02-01T00:00:00ZA Deep Learning-Based Integrated Framework for Quality-Aware Undersampled Cine Cardiac MRI Reconstruction and Analysis
https://hdl.handle.net/10316/114131
Title: A Deep Learning-Based Integrated Framework for Quality-Aware Undersampled Cine Cardiac MRI Reconstruction and Analysis
Authors: Machado, Inês; Puyol-Anton, Esther; Hammernik, Kerstin; Cruz, Gastao; Ugurlu, Devran; Olakorede, Ihsane; Oksuz, Ilkay; Ruijsink, Bram; Castelo-Branco, Miguel; Young, Alistair; Prieto, Claudia; Schnabel, Julia; King, Andrew
Abstract: Cine cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging is considered the gold standard for cardiac function evaluation. However, cine CMR acquisition is inherently slow and in recent decades considerable effort has been put into accelerating scan times without compromising image quality or the accuracy of derived results. In this article, we present a fully-automated, quality-controlled integrated framework for reconstruction, segmentation and downstream analysis of undersampled cine CMR data. The framework produces high quality reconstructions and segmentations, leading to undersampling factors that are optimised on a scan-by-scan basis. This results in reduced scan times and automated analysis, enabling robust and accurate estimation of functional biomarkers. To demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed approach, we perform simulations of radial k-space acquisitions using in-vivo cine CMR data from 270 subjects from the UK Biobank (with synthetic phase) and in-vivo cine CMR data from 16 healthy subjects (with real phase). The results demonstrate that the optimal undersampling factor varies for different subjects by approximately 1 to 2 seconds per slice. We show that our method can produce quality-controlled images in a mean scan time reduced from 12 to 4 seconds per slice, and that image quality is sufficient to allow clinically relevant parameters to be automatically estimated to lie within 5% mean absolute difference.2024-03-01T00:00:00Z