ABSTRACT
Occupants' perception of a space depends on their experience [1], [2], [3]. Four kinds of visiting experiences were carried out inside the Natural History Museum of the University of Pisa [4]. The museum is housed, together with the National Museum of the Charterhouse [5], inside the Monumental Charterhouse of Calci, near Pisa. Four of the permanent exhibition halls of the Museum were selected for the survey: Historical Gallery, Mammal's Hall, Ungulates' Gallery and Cetaceans' Gallery. A total of 117 participants were divided into four groups depending on their visiting experience: real-life, or virtual based respectively on videos, photos or computer-generated photorealistic images (renders). Experiences are compared. The comparison comprehends objective data (measured illuminance levels) and subjective data (questionnaire outcomes on the perception of the space). The illuminance levels were measured using a photoradiometer: datalogger Delta Ohm HD2102.2 equipped with LP 471 PHOT probe. The probe was placed 1.20 m above floor level, and it was set to measure vertical illuminance at 10 seconds intervals. To evaluate participants' perception of the space questionnaires were used. The presented data refer to the article: "Perception of light in museum environments: comparison between real-life and virtual visual experiences" [1]. This kind of data provides a base to assess if virtual kinds of experience can be implemented in museum environments as an alternative to the real-life experience, and to understand if such an implementation is detrimental or not in terms of participants' perception of the space. Virtual experiences can be particularly useful for spreading culture, making it accessible even in presence of moving restrictions for people, such as those in force today due to the SARS-CoV-2 emergency.
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: Dystonia is a movement disorder substantially affecting the quality of life. Botulinum Neurotoxin (BoNT) is used intramuscularly as a treatment for dystonia; however, not all dystonia patients respond to this treatment. Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is an established treatment for Parkinson's disease (PD) and essential tremor, but it can help in dystonia as well. OBJECTIVES: We studied a total of 67 dystonia patients who were treated with DBS over a period of 7 years to find out the long-term efficacy of DBS in those patients. First, we calculated patient improvement in post-surgery follow-up programs using the Global Dystonia Severity scale (GDS) and Burke-Fahn-Marsden dystonia rating scale (BFMDRS). Secondly, we analyzed the scales scores to see if there was any statistical significance. METHODS: In our study we analyzed patients with ages from 38 to 78 years with dystonia who underwent DBS surgery between January 2014 and December 2020 in four different centers (India, Kuwait, Egypt, and Turkey). The motor response to DBS surgery was retrospectively measured for each patient during every follow-up visit using the GDS and the BFMDRS scales. RESULTS: Five to 7 years post-DBS, the mean reduction in the GDS score was 30 ± 1.0 and for the BFMDRS score 26 ± 1.0. The longitudinal change in scores at 12 and 24 months post-op was also significant with mean reductions in GDS and BFMDRS scores of 68 ± 1.0 and 56 ± 1.0, respectively. The p-values were <0.05 for our post-DBS dystonia patients. CONCLUSIONS: This study illustrates DBS is an established, effective treatment option for patients with different dystonias, such as generalized, cervical, and various brain pathology-induced dystonias. Although symptoms are not completely eliminated, continuous improvements are noticed throughout the post-stimulation time frame.
