Electrostatic colloid-membrane complexation

We investigate numerically and on the scaling level the adsorption of a charged colloid on an oppositely charged flexible membrane. We show that the long ranged character of the electrostatic interaction leads to a wrapping reentrance of the complex as the salt concentration is varied. The membrane wrapping depends on the size of the colloid and on the salt concentration and only for intermediate salt concentration and colloid sizes we find full wrapping. From the scaling model we derive simple relations for the phase boundaries between the different states of the complex, which agree well with the numerical minimization of the free energy.Comment: 7 page, 11 figure

Fuzzy approximate entropy analysis of resting state fMRI signal complexity across the adult life span

Acknowledgment The authors would like to acknowledge the work of the International Consortium for Brain Mapping (ICBM) fMRI community in creating the resting state database and making it publicly available within the framework of the 1000 Functional Connectomes project (https://www.nitrc.org/projects/fcon_1000/). M.O. Sokunbi was supported by an MRC grant G1100629.Peer reviewedPreprin

Klotho, APOEε4, cognitive ability, brain size, atrophy and survival : A study in the Aberdeen Birth Cohort of 1936

We thank the cohort participants who contributed to these studies. The study was supported by the University of Aberdeen Development Trust; the UK’s Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC); the Wellcome Trust; the Chief Scientist Office (Scotland); and the Alzheimer’s Research Trust (now ARUK).Peer reviewedPostprin

Occurrence and population densities of yeast species in a fresh-water lake

Quantitative studies of yeasts present in surface and deep water samples from a fresh water body (Douglas Lake, Michigan) revealed 12 species ( Candida parapsilosis, C. pulcherrima, Cryptococcus albidus, Cr. diffluens, Cr. gastricus, Cr. laurentii, Rhodotorula glutinis, R. pilimanae, R. rubra, Trichosporon cutaneum, Debaryomyces sp., “black yeasts”). In two regions of surface sampling the population densities averaged 39.6 and 5.5 cells per 100 ml respectively, whereas the average deep water count was 40.3 cells per 100 ml. Yeasts of the genus Rhodotorula predominated.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/41778/1/10482_2005_Article_BF02046074.pd

Intramyocellular lipid saturation as a new metabolic biomarker

Background: Endurance trained athletic healthy volunteers (Athl-HV) and type 2 diabetes patients (T2D) have higher levels of lipids in their skele- tal myocytes compared to healthy controls. Despite apparently similar metabolic storage, they are at opposite ends of insulin sensitivity and cardio-metabolic risk. Purpose: We investigated if the degree of saturation of the IntraMyoCel- lular Lipids (IMCL) will differentiate Athl-HV from T2D; and explored if an exercise intervention will induce changes in the IMCL saturation. Methods: Male, age matched Athl-HV and T2D were enrolled (n=25/group). Athl-HV had ≥ 5 years endurance training, T2D were seden- tary. Subjects were studied at baseline and after an exercise intervention (4 week deconditioning in Athl-HV and supervised bike training at ≥ 65% of peakVO2, 5 hours/week x 8 weeks in T2D). All subjects underwent cardio-pulmonary exercise testing (CPET), blood sampling for insulin sen- sitivity (QUICKI*) and single voxel 1H-magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS) of the right vastus lateralis. 1H-MRS was acquired on 3T Philips Achieva with a 16-channel coil, point-resolved spectroscopy, variable pulse power and optimized relaxation delay water suppression and analysed in LCModel. We derived fractional lipid mass (fLM) and fractions of saturated (fSL) and unsaturated (fUL) lipids. Data were analysed by t tests, shown as mean±SEM, statistical significance p < 0.05. Results: CPET and insulin sensitivity are presented in Table 1. T2D had higher fLM in the skeletal muscle compared to Athl-HV, at base- line (p=0.003) and after the exercise intervention (p=0.009), Figure 1A. At baseline, T2D had a different phenotype with a lower fSL and higher fUL compared to Athl-HV (82±3 vs 88±1% and 18±3 vs 12±1%, p=0.02 for both). Whilst deconditioning did not attract any significant changes in either fSL or fUL in Athl-HV (88±1 to 86±1% and 12±1 to 14±1, p=0.2), in contrast, with exercise training T2D significantly increased fSL (82±3 to 88±1%) and decreased their fUL (18±3 to 12±1%) (both p=0.01). Figure 1B and 1C. Conclusion: We demonstrate for the first time, in vivo, significant differ- ences in the IMCL amount and saturation between Athl-HV and T2D. IMCL saturation was changed by exercise training in T2D to mirror the phenotype seen in Athl-HV uncovering a new, independent biomarker of improved cardio-metabolic health

Inter-individual Differences in fMRI Entropy Measurements in Old Age

The file attached to this record is the author's final peer reviewed version. The Publisher's final version can be found by following the DOI linkWe investigated the association between individual differences in cognitive performance in old age and the approximate entropy (ApEn) measured from functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data acquired from 40 participants of the Aberdeen Birth Cohort 1936 (ABC1936), while undergoing a visual information processing task: inspection time (IT). Participants took a version of the Moray House Test (MHT) No. 12 at age 11, a valid measure of childhood intelligence. The same individuals completed a test of non-verbal reasoning (Raven’s Standard Progressive Matrices [RPM]) aged about 68 years. The IT, MHT and RPM scores were used as indicators of cognitive performance. Our results show that higher regional signal entropy is associated with better cognitive performance. This finding was independent of ability in childhood but not independent of current cognitive ability. ApEn is used for the first time to identify a potential source of individual differences in cognitive ability using fMRI data

Parkinson’s-adapted cognitive stimulation therapy: a pilot randomized controlled clinical trial

© The Author(s), 2019. Cognitive stimulation therapy (CST) is widely used with people with dementia, but there is no evidence of its efficacy in mild cognitive impairment or dementia in Parkinson’s disease (PD-MCI; PDD) or dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB). We aimed to explore the impact of ‘CST-PD’, which is home-based, individualized CST adapted for this population. In a single-blind, randomized controlled exploratory pilot trial (RCT), we randomized 76 participant–dyads [PD-MCI (n = 15), PDD (n = 40), DLB (n = 21) and their care partners] to CST-PD or treatment as usual (TAU). CST-PD involves home-based cognitively stimulating and engaging activities delivered by a trained care partner. Exploratory outcomes at 12 weeks included cognition (Addenbrooke’s Cognitive Evaluation; ACE-III), neuropsychiatric symptoms and function. In care partners, we assessed burden, stress and general health status. Relationship quality and quality of life were assessed in both dyad members. At 12 weeks, the ACE-III showed a nonstatistically significant improvement in the CST-PD group compared with the TAU group, although neuropsychiatric symptoms increased significantly in the former. In contrast, care partners’ quality of life (d = 0.16) and relationship quality (‘satisfaction’, d = 0.01; ‘positive interaction’, d = 0.55) improved significantly in the CST-PD group, and care burden (d = 0.16) and stress (d = 0.05) were significantly lower. Qualitative findings in the CST-PD recipients revealed positive ‘in the moment’ responses to the intervention, supporting the quantitative results. In conclusion, care-partner-delivered CST-PD may improve a range of care-partner outcomes that are important in supporting home-based care. A full-scale follow-up RCT to evaluate clinical and cost effectiveness is warranted

Potential of Low Dose Leuco-Methylthioninium Bis(Hydromethanesulphonate) (LMTM) Monotherapy for Treatment of Mild Alzheimer’s Disease : Cohort Analysis as Modified Primary Outcome in a Phase III Clinical Trial

The supplementary material is available in the electronic version of this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.3233/JAD-170560. The study was sponsored by TauRx Therapeutics (Singapore). We thank Lon Schneider and Howard Feldman for their contribution to the Scientific Advisory Board. We gratefully acknowledge study investigators and the generosity of study participants. Authors’ disclosures available online (http://j-alz.com/manuscript disclosures/17-0560r3).Peer reviewedPublisher PD