OFSEP, a nationwide cohort of people with multiple sclerosis: Consensus minimal MRI protocol

International audienceMultiple sclerosis (MS) is most generally considered as a severe disease with high physical and mental risks of disability. Since the end of the 1990s, several high cost long-term disease-modifying treatments provided some clinical efficiency. However, patient's follow-up was needed for the detection and the assessment of their side-effects. The “Observatoire français de la sclérose en plaques” (OFSEP) project aims to improve the clinical, biological and imaging systematic longitudinal follow-up of patients. It should increase the quality, efficiency and safety of patients’ care, with a unique opportunity of large scale, about 41,000 patients followed in 62 French centers using the European Database for Multiple Sclerosis (EDMUS) software. OFSEP is divided into three working groups (clinical, biological and imaging). The imaging working group defines standards for routine MRI follow-up in the whole cohort and contains three subgroups: acquisition, workflow, and data processing. A common and feasible brain and spinal cord acquisition protocol has been defined by the acquisition group, and accepted by the OFSEP steering and scientific committees. This protocol can be implemented in all French MRI centers. The major MRI manufacturers have agreed to provide the dedicated collection of sequences as an “OFSEP box” with every software upgrade or new MRI machine. The new OFSEP protocol will provide a unique opportunity to study a population-based collection of data from people with MS

Right Anterior Insula: Core Region of Hallucinations in Cognitive Neurodegenerative Diseases

International audienceObjectives: We investigated the neural basis of hallucinations Alzheimer's disease (AD) by applying voxel-based morphometry (VBM) to anatomical and functional data from the AD Neuroimaging Initiative.Methods: AD patients with hallucinations, based on the Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI-Q) (AD-hallu group; n = 39), were compared to AD patients without hallucinations matched for age, sex, educational level, handedness and MMSE (AD-c group; n = 39). Focal brain volume on MRI was analyzed and compared between the two groups according to the VBM method. We also performed voxel-level correlations between brain volume and hallucinations intensity. A similar paradigm was used for the PET analysis. “Core regions” (i.e. regions identified in both MRI and PET analyses, simply done by retaining the clusters obtained from the two analyses that are overlapping) were then determined.Results: Regions with relative atrophy in association with hallucinations were: anterior part of the right insula, left superior frontal gyrus and lingual gyri. Regions with relative hypometabolism in association with hallucinations were a large right ventral and dorsolateral prefrontal area. "Core region" in association with hallucinations was the right anterior part of the insula. Correlations between intensity of hallucinations and brain volume were found in the right anterior insula, precentral gyrus, superior temporal gyrus, and left precuneus. Correlations between intensity of hallucinations and brain hypometabolism were found in the left midcingulate gyrus. We checked the neuropathological status and we found that the 4 patients autopsied in the AD-hallu group had the mixed pathology AD and Dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB).Conclusion: Neural basis of hallucinations in cognitive neurodegenerative diseases (AD or AD and DLB) include a right predominant anterior-posterior network, and the anterior insula as the core region. This study is coherent with the top-down/bottom-up hypotheses on hallucinations but also hypotheses of the key involvement of the anterior insula in hallucinations in cognitive neurodegenerative diseases

History of Cyclodextrins

Cyclodextrins are cyclic oligosaccharides obtained by enzymatic degradation of starch. They are remarkable macrocyclic molecules that have led major theoretical and practical advances in chemistry, biology, biochemistry, health science, and agriculture. Their molecular structure is composed of a hydrophobic cavity that can encapsulate other substances to form inclusion complexes through host-guest interactions. This unique feature is at the origin of many applications. Cyclodextrins and their derivatives have a wide variety of practical applications in almost all sectors of the industry, including pharmacy, medicine, foods, cosmetics, chromatography, catalysis, biotechnology, and the textile industry.Villiers published the first reference to cyclodextrins in 1891. Since the beginning of the twentieth century, major researchers, such as Schardinger, Pringsheim, Karrer, Freudenberg, French, Cramer, Casu, Bender, Saenger, Nagai, Szejtli, and Pitha, have paved the history of the cyclodextrins. Several time periods have marked their history. After their discovery and characterization from 1891 to 1911, there has been a period of doubt and disagreement from 1911 to 1935. Then, the 1935–1950 exploration period was marked by structural results on the “Schardinger dextrins.” In 1949, Cramer introduced the cyclodextrin-based nomenclature. Research between 1950 and 1970, the period of maturation, focused on conformations and spectroscopic data of cyclodextrins and their inclusion complexes, with applications in catalysis and as enzyme models. Finally, the period of use has been ongoing since 1970 and has seen cyclodextrins find many industrial applications. Cyclodextrins have then found many industrial applications, initially in the pharmaceutical and food sectors. In 1984, the first chromatographic columns were commercialized. At that time, many cyclodextrin-based catalysts were developed for biomimetic chemistry and other applications such as artificial enzymes. Currently, more than 2000 publications on cyclodextrins are published each year.In this chapter, we present a historical overview of the discovery, development, and applications of cyclodextrins