The impact of government measures and human mobility trend on COVID-19 related deaths in the UK

The COVID-19 global pandemic has rapidly expanded, with the UK being one of the countries with the highest number of cases and deaths in proportion to its population. Major clinical and human behavioural measures have been taken by the UK government to control the spread of the epidemic and to support the health system. It remains unclear how exactly human mobility restrictions have affected the virus spread in the UK. This research uses driving, walking and transit real-time data to investigate the impact of government control measures on human mobility reduction, as well as the connection between trends in human-mobility and severe COVID-19 outcomes. Human mobility was observed to gradually decrease as the government was announcing more measures and it stabilized at a scale of around 80 % after a lockdown was imposed. The study shows that human-mobility reduction had a significant impact on reducing COVID-19-related deaths, thus providing crucial evidence in support of such government measures

Arachnoiditis ossificans with progressive syringomyelia and spinal arachnoid cyst

We present a 30-year-old man with progressive spastic paraparesis. Spinal imaging revealed extensive calcification of the thoracic cord and cauda equina arachnoid, an intradural extramedullary cyst and evidence of rapidly progressing syringomyelia. Radiological diagnosis was arachnoiditis ossificans and an attempt at surgical decompression was made because of progressive neurologic deterioration. Due to tenacious adhesion of the calcified plaques to the cord and roots, only cyst drainage was achieved; the patient had no clinical improvement. A literature review revealed only two other cases reported in the literature with co-existence of arachnoiditis ossificans and syringomyelia. In none of the previous cases was there an intradural extramedullary arachnoid cyst, nor did the syrinx progress in such a rapid fashion. An attempt is made to explain possible pathophysiological mechanisms leading to this unusual pathology. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Use of a single semilinear incision in Deep Brain Stimulation for movement disorders

This technical note presents the authors experience in using a single semilinear incision for bilateral implantation of Deep Brain Stimulation electrodes in the treatment of movement disorders, in order to avoid some of the hardware and skin related complications of this procedure. The advantages and disadvantages of this technique are presented and discussed

High incidence of neuroendocrine dysfunction in long-term survivors of aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage

Background and Purpose - To investigate the incidence, pattern, and magnitude of neuroendocrine changes in long-term survivors of aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). Methods - Thirty patients (16 women) with a mean age of 50±13 years underwent endocrine assessment between 12 and 24 months after aneurysmal SAH. SAH severity was graded clinically by the Hunt & Hess scale (median, II) and radiologically by the Fisher classification (median, II). Patients underwent measurement of basal hormone levels and dynamic assessment by the low-dose (1 μg) corticotropin stimulation test. Functional outcome was examined concurrently with endocrine testing by the modified Rankin Scale and the Barthel Index. Results - Of the 30 patients tested, 14 patients (47%) showed isolated or combined endocrine abnormalities. These included low insulin-like growth factor 1 levels compatible with growth hormone deficiency in 37%, hypogonadism in 13%, and cortisol hyporesponsiveness to the low-dose corticotropin stimulation test in 10%; thyroid dysfunction in the form of subclinical hypothyroidism was observed in 7% of patients. Median modified Rankin Scale and Barthel Index at the time of endocrine testing were 1 and 100, respectively. There was no correlation between the presence of endocrine dysfunction and SAH severity indices or functional outcome scores. Conclusions - Long-term survivors of aneurysmal SAH frequently exhibit endocrine changes, with growth hormone and gonadal deficiencies predominating. Thus, screening of pituitary function is recommended in patients surviving SAH. The relationship between late hormonal alterations and functional outcome in patients with SAH warrants further study

P68/Ddx5 RNA Helicase Interacts and Co-localizes In Vivo with the De Novo DNA Methyltransferases Dnmt3a1 and Dnmt3a2

The 5-methyl cytosine (5meC) genomic methylation patterns play crucial roles in mammalian development and are altered in cancer. The enzymes that create, maintain and modify the DNA methylation patterns are the DNA methyltransferases (Dnmts) which are all encoded by essential genes. The de novo Dnmts -Dnmt3a and Dnmt3b-establish the DNA methylation patterns early in mammalian development by introducing DNA methylation marks where no previous methylation exists. These enzymes do not exhibit affinity for specific DNA sequences, thus their recruitment to specifc DNA loci and their activities must be tightly regulated. In particular, Dnmt3a2 -one of the two protein isoforms produced by the Dnmt3a locus- is the most abundant DNA methyltransferase in mouse Embryonic Stem Cells. To identify Dnmt3a (and DNA methylation) regulators we have searched for Dnmt3a2 interacting proteins in mESCs by pull down and Mass Spectrometry. The DEAD box p68/Ddx5 RNA helicase was identified to directly interact with Dnmt3a1 and Dnmt3a2 in vitro and in vivo. We have created a mutant Ddx5 (Dd×5 MUT) protein exhibiting an altered nuclear localization pattern compared to the wt protein. Both wt and mutant Ddx5 interact directly in vitro and co localize in vivo with Dnmt3a proteins. Our data suggest that the Dnmt3a/Ddx5 interaction might be significant for modulating the DNA methylation/demethylation dynamics in vivo. © 2012 Mpakali A, et al

Endocrine alterations in critically ill patients with stroke during the early recovery period

Introduction: Endocrine abnormalities in critically ill patients with stroke during the early recovery period have not been well characterized. Methods: To investigate this issue, 33 consecutive mechanically ventilated patients (27 men) with hemorrhagic (n = 21) or ischemic (n = 12) stroke having a mean age of 57 +/- 12 years were studied. Glasgow Coma Scale score on admission in the hospital was 8 +/- 3. The following basal hormones were measured within 72 hours postextubation: cortisol, corticotropin (ACTH), free thyroxine, tri-iodothyronine, thyroid-stimulating hormone, testosterone, estradiol, follicle-stimulating hormone, luteinizing hormone, growth hormone, and insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-1. Subsequently, a low-dose (1 mu g) ACTH stimulation test was performed. Results: Twenty-six (79%) patients showed endocrine alterations. The most common change was low IGF-1 levels compatible with growth hormone deficiency (45%), followed by hypogonadism (39%), thyroid dysfunction (36%), and cortisol hyporesponsiveness (33%). Conclusion: Neuroendocrine changes occur with high frequency in critically ill patients with stroke during the early recovery period. It remains to be determined whether these changes have implications for functional and/or clinical outcome