An Electrocorticographic Brain Interface in an Individual with Tetraplegia

Brain-computer interface (BCI) technology aims to help individuals with disability to control assistive devices and reanimate paralyzed limbs. Our study investigated the feasibility of an electrocorticography (ECoG)-based BCI system in an individual with tetraplegia caused by C4 level spinal cord injury. ECoG signals were recorded with a high-density 32-electrode grid over the hand and arm area of the left sensorimotor cortex. The participant was able to voluntarily activate his sensorimotor cortex using attempted movements, with distinct cortical activity patterns for different segments of the upper limb. Using only brain activity, the participant achieved robust control of 3D cursor movement. The ECoG grid was explanted 28 days post-implantation with no adverse effect. This study demonstrates that ECoG signals recorded from the sensorimotor cortex can be used for real-time device control in paralyzed individuals

Sialylation on O-linked glycans protects von Willebrand factor from macrophage galactose lectin mediated clearance

Terminal sialylation determines the plasma half-life of von Willebrand factor (VWF). A role for macrophage galactose lectin (MGL) in regulating hyposialylated VWF clearance has recently been proposed. In this study, we showed that MGL influences physiological plasma VWF clearance. MGL inhibition was associated with a significantly extended mean residence time and 3-fold increase in endogenous plasma VWF antigen levels (P<0.05). Using a series of VWF truncations, we further demonstrated that the A1 domain of VWF is predominantly responsible for enabling the MGL interaction. Binding of both full-length and VWF-A1-A2-A3 to MGL was significantly enhanced in the presence of ristocetin (P<0.05), suggesting that the MGL-binding site in A1 is not fully accessible in globular VWF. Additional studies using different VWF glycoforms demonstrated that VWF O-linked glycans, clustered at either end of the A1 domain, play a key role in protecting VWF against MGLmediated clearance. Reduced sialylation has been associated with pathological, increased clearance of VWF in patients with von Willebrand disease. Herein, we demonstrate that specific loss of α2-3 linked sialylation from O-glycans results in markedly increased MGL-binding in vitro, and markedly enhanced MGL-mediated clearance of VWF in vivo. Our data further show that the asialoglycoprotein receptor (ASGPR) does not have a significant role in mediating the increased clearance of VWF following loss of O-sialylation. Conversely however, we observed that loss of N-linked sialylation from VWF drives enhanced circulatory clearance predominantly via the ASGPR. Collectively, our data support the hypothesis that in addition to regulating physiological VWF clearance, the MGL receptor works in tandem with ASGPR to modulate enhanced clearance of aberrantly sialylated VWF in the pathogenesis of von Willebrand disease

Phonon-assisted radiofrequency absorption by gold nanoparticles resulting in hyperthermia

It is suggested that in gold nanoparticles (GNPs) of about 5 nm sizes used in the radiofrequency (RF) hyperthermia, an absorption of the RF photon by the Fermi electron occurs with involvement of the longitudinal acoustic vibrational mode (LAVM), the dominating one in the distribution of vibrational density of states (VDOS). This physical mechanism helps to explain two observed phenomena: the size dependence of the heating rate (HR) in GNPs and reduced heat production in aggregated GNPs. The argumentation proceeds within the one-electron approximation, taking into account the discretenesses of energies and momenta of both electrons and LAVMs. The heating of GNPs is thought to consist of two consecutive processes: first, the Fermi electron absorbs simultaneously the RF photon and the LAVM available in the GNP; hereafter the excited electron gets relaxed within the GNP's boundary, exciting a LAVM with the energy higher than that of the previously absorbed LAVM. GNPs containing the Ta and/or Fe impurities are proposed for the RF hyperthermia as promising heaters with enhanced HRs, and GNPs with rare-earth impurity atoms are also brought into consideration. It is shown why the maximum HR values should be expected in GNPs with about 5-7 nm size.Comment: proceedings at the NATO Advanced Research workshop FANEM-2015 (Minsk, May 25-27, 2015). To be published in the final form in: "Fundamental and Applied NanoElectroMagnetics" (Springer Science + Business Media B.V.

Characteristics associated with quality of life among people with drug-resistant epilepsy

Quality of Life (QoL) is the preferred outcome in non-pharmacological trials, but there is little UK population evidence of QoL in epilepsy. In advance of evaluating an epilepsy self-management course we aimed to describe, among UK participants, what clinical and psycho-social characteristics are associated with QoL. We recruited 404 adults attending specialist clinics, with at least two seizures in the prior year and measured their self-reported seizure frequency, co-morbidity, psychological distress, social characteristics, including self-mastery and stigma, and epilepsy-specific QoL (QOLIE-31-P). Mean age was 42 years, 54% were female, and 75% white. Median time since diagnosis was 18 years, and 69% experienced ≥10 seizures in the prior year. Nearly half (46%) reported additional medical or psychiatric conditions, 54% reported current anxiety and 28% reported current depression symptoms at borderline or case level, with 63% reporting felt stigma. While a maximum QOLIE-31-P score is 100, participants’ mean score was 66, with a wide range (25–99). In order of large to small magnitude: depression, low self-mastery, anxiety, felt stigma, a history of medical and psychiatric comorbidity, low self-reported medication adherence, and greater seizure frequency were associated with low QOLIE-31-P scores. Despite specialist care, UK people with epilepsy and persistent seizures experience low QoL. If QoL is the main outcome in epilepsy trials, developing and evaluating ways to reduce psychological and social disadvantage are likely to be of primary importance. Educational courses may not change QoL, but be one component supporting self-management for people with long-term conditions, like epilepsy

'What gets measured gets managed': revisiting the indicators for maternal and newborn health programmes

BACKGROUND: The health of women and children are critical for global development. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) agenda and the Global Strategy for Women’s, Children’s, and Adolescent’s Health 2016–2030 aim to reduce maternal and newborn deaths, disability, and enhancement of well-being. However, information and data on measuring countries’ progress are limited given the variety of methodological challenges of measuring care around the time of birth, when most maternal and neonatal deaths and morbidities occur. MAIN BODY: In 2015, the World Health Organization launched Mother and Newborn Information for Tracking Outcomes and Results (MoNITOR), a technical advisory group to WHO. MoNITOR comprises 14 independent global experts from a variety of disciplines selected in a competitive process for their technical expertise and regional representation. MoNITOR will provide technical guidance to WHO to ensure harmonized guidance, messages, and tools so that countries can collect useful data to track progress toward achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. SHORT CONCLUSION: Ultimately, MoNITOR will provide technical guidance to WHO to ensure harmonized guidance, messages, and tools so that countries can collect useful data to track progress toward achieving the Sustainable Development Goals

'What gets measured gets managed': revisiting the indicators for maternal and newborn health programmes.

BACKGROUND: The health of women and children are critical for global development. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) agenda and the Global Strategy for Women's, Children's, and Adolescent's Health 2016-2030 aim to reduce maternal and newborn deaths, disability, and enhancement of well-being. However, information and data on measuring countries' progress are limited given the variety of methodological challenges of measuring care around the time of birth, when most maternal and neonatal deaths and morbidities occur. MAIN BODY: In 2015, the World Health Organization launched Mother and Newborn Information for Tracking Outcomes and Results (MoNITOR), a technical advisory group to WHO. MoNITOR comprises 14 independent global experts from a variety of disciplines selected in a competitive process for their technical expertise and regional representation. MoNITOR will provide technical guidance to WHO to ensure harmonized guidance, messages, and tools so that countries can collect useful data to track progress toward achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. SHORT CONCLUSION: Ultimately, MoNITOR will provide technical guidance to WHO to ensure harmonized guidance, messages, and tools so that countries can collect useful data to track progress toward achieving the Sustainable Development Goals

Towards a pathway definition of Parkinson’s disease: a complex disorder with links to cancer, diabetes and inflammation

We have previously established a first whole genome transcriptomic profile of sporadic Parkinson’s disease (PD). After extensive brain tissue-based validation combined with cycles of iterative data analysis and by focusing on the most comparable cases of the cohort, we have refined our analysis and established a list of 892 highly dysregulated priority genes that are considered to form the core of the diseased Parkinsonian metabolic network. The substantia nigra pathways, now under scrutiny, contain more than 100 genes whose association with PD is known from the literature. Of those, more than 40 genes belong to the highly significantly dysregulated group identified in our dataset. Apart from the complete list of 892 priority genes, we present pathways revealing PD ‘hub’ as well as ‘peripheral’ network genes. The latter include Lewy body components or interact with known PD genes. Biological associations of PD with cancer, diabetes and inflammation are discussed and interactions of the priority genes with several drugs are provided. Our study illustrates the value of rigorous clinico-pathological correlation when analysing high-throughput data to make optimal use of the histopathological phenome, or morphonome which currently serves as the key diagnostic reference for most human diseases. The need for systematic human tissue banking, following the highest possible professional and ethical standard to enable sustainability, becomes evident

Stress related epigenetic changes may explain opportunistic success in biological invasions in Antipode mussels

Different environmental factors could induce epigenetic changes, which are likely involved in the biological invasion process. Some of these factors are driven by humans as, for example, the pollution and deliberate or accidental introductions and others are due to natural conditions such as salinity. In this study, we have analysed the relationship between different stress factors: time in the new location, pollution and salinity with the methylation changes that could be involved in the invasive species tolerance to new environments. For this purpose, we have analysed two different mussels’ species, reciprocally introduced in antipode areas: the Mediterranean blue mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis and the New Zealand pygmy mussel Xenostrobus securis, widely recognized invaders outside their native distribution ranges. The demetylathion was higher in more stressed population, supporting the idea of epigenetic is involved in plasticity process. These results can open a new management protocols, using the epigenetic signals as potential pollution monitoring tool. We could use these epigenetic marks to recognise the invasive status in a population and determine potential biopollutants

Affine differential geometry analysis of human arm movements

Humans interact with their environment through sensory information and motor actions. These interactions may be understood via the underlying geometry of both perception and action. While the motor space is typically considered by default to be Euclidean, persistent behavioral observations point to a different underlying geometric structure. These observed regularities include the “two-thirds power law” which connects path curvature with velocity, and “local isochrony” which prescribes the relation between movement time and its extent. Starting with these empirical observations, we have developed a mathematical framework based on differential geometry, Lie group theory and Cartan’s moving frame method for the analysis of human hand trajectories. We also use this method to identify possible motion primitives, i.e., elementary building blocks from which more complicated movements are constructed. We show that a natural geometric description of continuous repetitive hand trajectories is not Euclidean but equi-affine. Specifically, equi-affine velocity is piecewise constant along movement segments, and movement execution time for a given segment is proportional to its equi-affine arc-length. Using this mathematical framework, we then analyze experimentally recorded drawing movements. To examine movement segmentation and classification, the two fundamental equi-affine differential invariants—equi-affine arc-length and curvature are calculated for the recorded movements. We also discuss the possible role of conic sections, i.e., curves with constant equi-affine curvature, as motor primitives and focus in more detail on parabolas, the equi-affine geodesics. Finally, we explore possible schemes for the internal neural coding of motor commands by showing that the equi-affine framework is compatible with the common model of population coding of the hand velocity vector when combined with a simple assumption on its dynamics. We then discuss several alternative explanations for the role that the equi-affine metric may play in internal representations of motion perception and production