Role of CT Angiography in Detection of Extracranial Carotid and Vertebral Artery Disease in Patients With Acutely Ruptured Intracranial Aneurysms

Introduction: Computed tomography (CT) and CT angiography are standard imaging modalities for suspected acute intracerebral hemorrhage due to ruptured intracranial aneurysms. In this clinical setting, several protocols of computed tomography and CT angiography may be implemented. The standard CT angiography protocol is limited to intracranial vessels. The extended protocol may also include carotid and vertebral arteries and the aortic arch.Objective: To define the CT angiography role in detection of extracranial carotid and vertebral artery disease and clinical significance of this method for patients with suspected acute intracerebral hemorrhages due to ruptured intracranial aneurysms.Materials and methods: The study included 275 neurosurgical patients with acute nontraumatic intracranial hemorrhages due to ruptured intracranial aneurysms who were treated in Scientific Research Institute – Ochapovsky Regional Clinical Hospital No. 1 (Krasnodar, Russian Federation) from September 2017 to August 2020. Computed tomography and CT angiography were performed in all patients. The scanned area included both intracranial and extracranial arteries (an arch-to-vertex angiogram) to detect extracranial carotid and vertebral artery diseases such as stenoses, occlusions, tortuosity, and hypoplasia.Results: Atherosclerosis of internal carotid and vertebral arteries was diagnosed in 95 patients (34.5% of the total number of patients included in the study). In 13 (4.7%) patients these stenoses were hemodynamically significant. We identified a high frequency of tortuous carotid and vertebral arteries (122 cases, 44.3%) and vertebral artery hypoplasia (59 cases, 21.5%). The carotid and vertebral artery stenoses and congenital anomalies of vertebral arteries (however, not of carotid arteries) were associated with a higher incidence of unfavorable outcomes after endovascular treatment of intracranial aneurysms.Conclusions: The optimal CT angiography protocol for acute nontraumatic intracranial hemorrhage should focus on the arteries of the head and neck (up to the aortic arch). This protocol shows higher detection rate of concomitant anomalies of carotid and vertebral arteries. These findings are important for planning and successful performance of endovascular treatment for intracranial aneurysms

Центральная гемодинамика и транспорт кислорода при разном темпе активизации больных, оперированных с искусственным кровообращением

Objective: to study central hemodynamics, the determinants of myocardial oxygen balance, and the parameters of oxygen transport in various activation of patients after surgery under extracorporeal circulation. Subjects and methods. Thirty-four patients aged 57.8±2.5 years who had coronary heart disease were divided into 2 groups: 1) those with late activation (artificial ventilation time 157±9 min) and 2) those with immediate activation (artificial ventilation time 33±6 min). Group 2 patients were, if required, given fentanyl, midazolam, or myorelaxants. Results. During activation, there were no intergroup differences in the mean levels of the major parameters of cardiac pump function, in the determinants of coronary blood flow (coronary perfusion gradients) and myocardial oxygen demand (the product of heart rate by systolic blood pressure), and in the parameters of oxygen transport, including arterial lactatemia. After tracheal extubation, the left ventricular pump coefficient was increased considerably (up to 3.8±0.2 and 4.4±0.2 gm/mm Hg/m2 in Groups 1 and 2, respectively; p<0.05) with minimum inotropic support (dopamine and/or dobutamine being used at 2.7±0.3 and 2.4±0.3 mg/kg/min, respectively). In both groups, there were no close correlations between the indices of oxygen delivery and consumption at all stages of the study, which was indicative of no transport-dependent oxygen uptake. Conclusion. When the early activation protocol was followed up, the maximum acceleration of early activation, including that using specific antagonists of anesthetics, has no negative impact on central hemodynamics, the determinants of myocardial oxygen balance and transport in patients operated on under extracorporeal circulation. Key words: early activation, surgery under extracorporeal circulation, tracheal extubation in the operating-room, central hemodynamics, oxygen transport.Цель исследования — изучить центральную гемодинамику, детерминанты кислородного баланса миокарда и параметры транспорта кислорода при различном темпе активизации больных после операций с искусственным кровообращением. Материал и методы. Обследовали 34 больных ишемической болезнью сердца в возрасте 57,8±2,5 года, разделенных на 2 группы: 1-я — с отсроченной активизацией (время искусственной вентиляции легких — 157±9 мин) и 2-я — с немедленной активизацией (время искусственной вентиляции легких — 33±6 мин). При необходимости больным 2-й группы назначали антагонисты фентанила, мидазолама и миорелаксантов. Результаты. Во время активизации не было межгрупповых отличий в среднем уровне основных параметров насосной функции сердца, детерминантах коронарного кровотока (коронарные перфузионные градиенты) и потребности миокарда в кислороде (произведение частоты сердечных сокращений на систолическое артериальное давление), а также показателях транспорта кислорода, включая артериальную лактатемию. После экс-тубации трахеи существенно (

EmoEye: айтрекер и биометрическая база данных для распознавания эмоций

Original manuscript received February 01, 2023. Revised manuscript accepted February 20, 2023.Emotion recognition using Machine Learning algorithms is often used both in science and commerce. Responding to the demand for deep learning techniques of automatic emotion detection using biological signals and our own business needs as a neuromarketing laboratory, we created a large dataset of eye tracking and biometrics data suitable for emotion recognition tasks. The EmoEye database sample consisted of 200 people (147 women, 49 men, 4 non-binary individuals; 27.46 ± 11.45 years old). Each respondent was asked to view 316 images from the Open Affective Standardized Image Set (OASIS) and rate them on arousal and valence scales from the Self-Assessment Manikin questionnaire. Eye tracking, galvanic skin response (GSR), and photoplethysmogram were recorded throughout the experiment. Demographic data was also collected for each respondent. The image ratings on the valence scale did not differ statistically from the standard ratings of the corresponding images for the original stimulus base. The overall distribution trends of ratings on both scales for different categories of images were similar for standard ratings and ratings obtained from our respondents. As a result of this study, a corpus of GSR, heart rate variability and eye movement reactions data (fixation coordinates; fixation duration; average pupil size for the right and left eye) was compiled and successfully trained on a multimodal neural network algorithm within our laboratory and is ready for further implementation.Распознавание эмоций с помощью алгоритмов машинного обучения часто используется как в науке, так и в коммерции. С помощью методов глубокого обучения для автоматического обнаружения эмоций с использованием биологических сигналов мы подготовили набор данных для айтрекинга и биометрических данных, подходящих для задач распознавания эмоций. Выборка базы данных EmoEye состояла из 200 человек (147 женщин, 49 мужчин, 4 небинарных индивидуума; 27,46 ± 11,45 лет). Каждому респонденту было предложено просмотреть 316 изображений из открытого аффективного стандартизированного набора изображений (OASIS) и оценить их по шкалам возбуждения и валентности из опросника «Манекен самооценки». Отслеживание взгляда, кожно-гальваническая реакция (GSR) и фотоплетизмограмма регистрировались на протяжении всего эксперимента. Также были собраны демографические данные по каждому респонденту. Оценки изображений по валентной шкале статистически не отличались от стандартных оценок соответствующих изображений для исходной базы стимулов. Общие тенденции распределения оценок по обеим шкалам для разных категорий изображений были одинаковыми для стандартных оценок и оценок, которые были даны нашими респондентами. В результате исследования в рамках нашей лаборатории были получены данные о GSR, вариабельности сердечного ритма и реакциях движения глаз (координаты фиксации; длительность фиксации; средний размер зрачка для правого и левого глаза), которые были успешно реализованы на основе мультимодального нейросетевого алгоритма и готовы к внедрению

Proteomic analysis reveals co-ordinated alterations in protein synthesis and degradation pathways in LRRK2 knockout mice

Mutations in leucine-rich repeat kinase 2 (LRRK2) segregate with familial Parkinson’s disease (PD) and genetic variation around LRRK2 contributes to risk of sporadic disease. Although knockout (KO) of Lrrk2 or knock-in of pathogenic mutations into the mouse germline does not result in a PD phenotype, several defects have been reported in the kidneys of Lrrk2 KO mice. To understand LRRK2 function in vivo, we used an unbiased approach to determine which protein pathways are affected in LRRK2 KO kidneys. We nominated changes in cytoskeletal-associated proteins, lysosomal proteases, proteins involved in vesicular trafficking and in control of protein translation. Changes were not seen in mice expressing the pathogenic G2019S LRRK2 mutation. Using cultured epithelial kidney cells, we replicated the accumulation of lysosomal proteases and demonstrated changes in subcellular distribution of the cation-independent mannose-6-phosphate receptor. These results show that loss of LRRK2 leads to co-ordinated responses in protein translation and trafficking and argue against a dominant negative role for the G2019S mutation

Network Analysis of Oyster Transcriptome Revealed a Cascade of Cellular Responses during Recovery after Heat Shock

Oysters, as a major group of marine bivalves, can tolerate a wide range of natural and anthropogenic stressors including heat stress. Recent studies have shown that oysters pretreated with heat shock can result in induced heat tolerance. A systematic study of cellular recovery from heat shock may provide insights into the mechanism of acquired thermal tolerance. In this study, we performed the first network analysis of oyster transcriptome by reanalyzing microarray data from a previous study. Network analysis revealed a cascade of cellular responses during oyster recovery after heat shock and identified responsive gene modules and key genes. Our study demonstrates the power of network analysis in a non-model organism with poor gene annotations, which can lead to new discoveries that go beyond the focus on individual genes

Gene Expression Rhythms in the Mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis (Lam.) across an Annual Cycle

Seasonal environmental changes may affect the physiology of Mytilus galloprovincialis (Lam.), an intertidal filter-feeder bivalve occurring commonly in Mediterranean and Atlantic coastal areas. We investigated seasonal variations in relative transcript abundance of the digestive gland and the mantle (gonads) of males and females. To identify gene expression trends – in terms of relative mRNA abundance- we used a medium-density cDNA microarray (1.7 K probes) in dual-color competitive hybridization analyses. Hierarchical clustering of digestive gland microarray data showed two main branches, distinguishing profiles associated with the “hot” months (May–August) from the other months. Genes involved in chitin metabolism, associated with mussel nutrition and digestion showed higher mRNA levels during summer. Moreover, we found different gene transcriptomic patterns in the digestive glands of males when compared to females, during the four stages of mussel gonadal development. Microarray data from gonadal transcripts also displayed clear patterns during the different developmental phases respect to the resting period (stage I) with peak relative mRNA abundance at the ripe phase (stage III) for both sexes. These data showed a clear temporal pattern in transcriptomic profiles of mussels sampled over an annual cycle. Physiological response to thermal variation, food availability, and reproductive status across months may contribute to variation in relative mRNA abundance

Selective Interaction of Syntaxin 1A with KCNQ2: Possible Implications for Specific Modulation of Presynaptic Activity

KCNQ2/KCNQ3 channels are the molecular correlates of the neuronal M-channels, which play a major role in the control of neuronal excitability. Notably, they differ from homomeric KCNQ2 channels in their distribution pattern within neurons, with unique expression of KCNQ2 in axons and nerve terminals. Here, combined reciprocal coimmunoprecipitation and two-electrode voltage clamp analyses in Xenopus oocytes revealed a strong association of syntaxin 1A, a major component of the exocytotic SNARE complex, with KCNQ2 homomeric channels resulting in a ∼2-fold reduction in macroscopic conductance and ∼2-fold slower activation kinetics. Remarkably, the interaction of KCNQ2/Q3 heteromeric channels with syntaxin 1A was significantly weaker and KCNQ3 homomeric channels were practically resistant to syntaxin 1A. Analysis of different KCNQ2 and KCNQ3 chimeras and deletion mutants combined with in-vitro binding analysis pinpointed a crucial C-terminal syntaxin 1A-association domain in KCNQ2. Pull-down and coimmunoprecipitation analyses in hippocampal and cortical synaptosomes demonstrated a physical interaction of brain KCNQ2 with syntaxin 1A, and confocal immunofluorescence microscopy showed high colocalization of KCNQ2 and syntaxin 1A at presynaptic varicosities. The selective interaction of syntaxin 1A with KCNQ2, combined with a numerical simulation of syntaxin 1A's impact in a firing-neuron model, suggest that syntaxin 1A's interaction is targeted at regulating KCNQ2 channels to fine-tune presynaptic transmitter release, without interfering with the function of KCNQ2/3 channels in neuronal firing frequency adaptation

Transcriptional profile of breast muscle in heat stressed layers is similar to that of broiler chickens at control temperature

Abstract Background In recent years, the commercial importance of changes in muscle function of broiler chickens and of the corresponding effects on meat quality has increased. Furthermore, broilers are more sensitive to heat stress during transport and at high ambient temperatures than smaller egg-laying chickens. We hypothesised that heat stress would amplify muscle damage and expression of genes that are involved in such changes and, thus, lead to the identification of pathways and networks associated with broiler muscle and meat quality traits. Broiler and layer chickens were exposed to control or high ambient temperatures to characterise differences in gene expression between the two genotypes and the two environments. Results Whole-genome expression studies in breast muscles of broiler and layer chickens were conducted before and after heat stress; 2213 differentially-expressed genes were detected based on a significant (P < 0.05) genotype × treatment interaction. This gene set was analysed with the BioLayout Express3D and Ingenuity Pathway Analysis software and relevant biological pathways and networks were identified. Genes involved in functions related to inflammatory reactions, cell death, oxidative stress and tissue damage were upregulated in control broilers compared with control and heat-stressed layers. Expression of these genes was further increased in heat-stressed broilers. Conclusions Differences in gene expression between broiler and layer chickens under control and heat stress conditions suggest that damage of breast muscles in broilers at normal ambient temperatures is similar to that in heat-stressed layers and is amplified when broilers are exposed to heat stress. The patterns of gene expression of the two genotypes under heat stress were almost the polar opposite of each other, which is consistent with the conclusion that broiler chickens were not able to cope with heat stress by dissipating their body heat. The differentially expressed gene networks and pathways were consistent with the pathological changes that are observed in the breast muscle of heat-stressed broilers