Abnormal Regional and Global Connectivity Measures in Subjective Cognitive Decline Depending on Cerebral Amyloid Status

Background: Amyloid-β accumulation was found to alter precuneus-based functional connectivity (FC) in mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer’s disease (AD) dementia, but its impact is less clear in subjective cognitive decline (SCD), which in combination with AD pathologic change is theorized to correspond to stage 2 of the Alzheimer’s continuum in the 2018 NIA-AA research framework. Objective: This study addresses how amyloid pathology relates to resting-state fMRI FC in SCD, especially focusing on the precuneus. Methods: From the DELCODE cohort, two groups of 24 age- and gender-matched amyloid-positive (SCDAβ+) and amyloidnegative SCD (SCDβ−) patients were selected according to visual [18F]-Florbetaben (FBB) PET readings, and studied with resting-state fMRI. Local (regional homogeneity [ReHo], fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations [fALFF]) and global (degree centrality [DC], precuneus seed-based FC) measures were compared between groups. Follow-up correlation analyses probed relationships of group differences with global and precuneal amyloid load, as measured by FBB standard uptake value ratios (SUVR=⫖FBB). Results: ReHo was significantly higher (voxel-wise p < 0.01, cluster-level p < 0.05) in the bilateral precuneus for SCDAβ+patients, whereas fALFF was not altered between groups. Relatively higher precuneus-based FC with occipital areas (but no altered DC) was observed in SCDAβ+ patients. In this latter cluster, precuneus-occipital FC correlated positively with global (SCDAβ+) and precuneus SUVRFBB (both groups). Conclusion: While partial confounding influences due to a higher APOE ε4 carrier ratio among SCDAβ+ patients cannot be excluded, exploratory results indicate functional alterations in the precuneus hub region that were related to amyloid-β load, highlighting incipient pathology in stage 2 of the AD continuum

AMINO ACID PROFILE AND IN VITRO PROTEIN DIGESTIBILITY-CORRECTED AMINO ACID SCORE (PDCAAS) OF READY-TO-EAT BREAKFAST CEREALS: AN ASSESSMENT OF PROTEIN QUALITY

The aim of this study was to determine the amino acid content and in vitro protein digestibility of breakfast cereals and evaluate their protein quality using in vitro protein digestibility-corrected amino acid score (PDCAAS) methods. Statistically big differences were found in the proportions of essential amino acids between breakfast cereals. Higher protein digestibility was found in samples containing rice and corn than those containing oats. The first limiting amino acid score (AAS) in 6 out of 12 samples was methionine + cysteine, in 4 out of 12 samples was lysine, and in 2 out of 12 samples was tryptophan. According to the first limiting AAS, the in vitro PDCAAS ranged from 0.19 +/- 0.01 to 0.86 +/- 0.02 in breakfast cereals. When we evaluated the first limiting AAS, lysine, methionine+cysteine and tryptophan predominantly determined PDCAAS. As a result, the PDCAAS, which is an indicator of protein quality, was generally low in breakfast cereal products

Neuroprotective and&nbsp;antioxidant effects of ghrelin in an experimental glaucoma model

Nagehan Can,1 Onur Catak,2 Burak Turgut,2 Tamer Demir,2 Nevin Ilhan,3 Tuncay Kuloglu,4 Ibrahim Hanifi Ozercan5 1Department of Ophthalmology, Elaziğ Training and Research Hospital, 2Department of Ophthalmology, 3Department of Biochemistry, 4Department of Histology and Embryology, 5Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, Firat University, Elaziğ, Turkey Abstract: Damage to retinal ganglion cells due to elevation of intraocular pressure (IOP) is responsible for vision loss in glaucoma. Given that loss of these cells is irreversible, neuroprotection is crucial in the treatment of glaucoma. In this study, we investigated the possible antioxidant and neuroprotective effects of ghrelin on the retina in an experimental glaucoma model. Twenty-one Sprague&ndash;Dawley rats were randomly assigned to three groups comprising seven rats each. The rats in the control group were not operated on and did not receive any treatment. In all rats in the other groups, IOP was increased by cauterization&nbsp;of the&nbsp;limbal veins. After creation of the IOP increase, saline 1 mL/kg or&nbsp;ghrelin 40 &micro;g/kg was administered intraperitoneally every day for 14 days in the vehicle control group and ghrelin groups, respectively. On day 14 of the study, the eyes were enucleated. Levels of malondialdehyde (MDA), nitric oxide (NO), and nitric oxide synthase-2 (NOS2) in anterior chamber fluid were measured. The retinas were subjected to immunohistochemistry staining for glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), S-100, and&nbsp;vimentin expression. Mean levels of MDA, NO, and NOS2 in the aqueous humor were higher in the vehicle control group than in the control group (P&lt;0.05). Mean levels of MDA, NO, and NOS2 in the ghrelin group did not show a significant increase compared with levels in the control group (P&gt;0.05). Retinal TUNEL and immunohistochemistry staining in the vehicle control group showed an increase in apoptosis and expression of GFAP, S-100, and vimentin compared with the control group (P&lt;0.05). In the ghrelin group, apoptosis and expression of GFAP, S-100, and vimentin was significantly lower than in the vehicle control group (P&lt;0.05). This study suggests that ghrelin has antioxidant and neuroprotective effects on the retina in an experimental glaucoma model. Keywords: experimental glaucoma, ganglion cells, ghrelin, neuroprotective, antioxidan

Tulevaisuuden vamuka : Varhaisiän musiikkikasvattajien työnkuva nyt ja tulevaisuudessa

Opinnäytetyössäni tutkin varhaisiän musiikkikasvattajien työnkuvaa ja sen monia muotoja tulevaisuudessa. Tutkin asiaa työllistymisen, työnkuvan, koulutuksen ja alan yleisten ilmiöiden kannalta. Samalla pohdin omaa työllistymistäni. Opinnäytetyöni perustana ovat haastattelut, jotka tehtiin keväällä 2017. Haastattelin neljää Metropolia Ammattikorkeakoulusta pääaineenaan varhaisiän musiikkikasvatus ja taiteen soveltava käyttö valmistunutta musiikkipedagogia heidän nykyisestä työnkuvastaan, työn parhaista puolista, työssä kohdatuista haasteista, koulutuksen suhteesta nykyiseen työnkuvaan sekä varhaisiän musiikkikasvattajien ja musiikkikasvatuksen tulevaisuudesta. Haastatteluiden lisäksi tutkin aiheeseen liittyvää tietoaineistoa eri näkökulmista. Opinnäytetyöni tulosten mukaan varhaisiän musiikkikasvatuksen suosio, arvostus ja tarve tulevat kasvamaan Suomessa. Työn sirpaloituminen eri musiikkioppilaitoksiin ja jopa eri kuntiin on yksi suurimmista varhaisiän musiikkikasvattajien tulevaisuuden haasteista. Erilaiset taiteen soveltavan käytön työt yleistyvät, ja yrittäjyys sekä musiikkikasvatuksen että taiteen soveltavan käytön alalla lisääntyy yhä. Pedagogisesti varhaisiän musiikkikasvattajat ovat tällä hetkellä sekä suomalaisessa musiikinopetuksessa että opetusalalla käynnissä olevaa pedagogista murrosta edellä. Haastattelutulosten ja tietoaineiston avulla olen luonut kuvaa varhaisiän musiikkikasvattajien työllistymisestä ja koko musiikin opetuksen alan tulevaisuudesta kattavasti. Uskon, että opinnäytetyöstäni on apua omaa työllistymistään pohtivalle varhaisiän musiikkikasvattajalle tai koulutukseen pyrkimistä pohtivalle.In my Bachelor’s thesis, I studied the future of early childhood music education and the future work field of early childhood music educators. I studied the subject from the viewpoint of employment opportunities, education and the phenomena taking place in the music education world. I base my thesis on an interview study that was conducted in the spring of 2017. I interviewed four early childhood music educators who had graduated from Metropolia University of Applied Sciences specializing in early childhood music education and community music. The interviews covered their work fields, accomplishments and challenges faced in early childhood music education and their opinions about the future of music education and music educators. In addition to the interviews, I studied the source materials from the viewpoint of the thesis. I also compared the state of the early childhood music educator’s education with the future and present challenges of the music education field. My thesis shows that early childhood music education’s popularity, appreciation and need will grow in the future. Early childhood music educator’s work field fragmenting to different employers and even different cities will be one of the biggest challenges. All kinds of community music jobs will increase exponentially. In both fields, entrepreneurship is going to be the source of income for most. Pedagogically early childhood education is on the top of the pedagogical development occurring in the school world. With the results of the interview study and source materials, I have managed to create a reliable glimpse to the future of early childhood music education and music education altogether. I believe that my Bachelor’s thesis will be helpful to early childhood music educators wondering about their future workfields or a student thinking of applying to study to become an early childhood music educator

Uptake of 18F-Fluorothymidine in Experimental Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms of Small Rodents Detected Using PET/CT

PSMA-targeting alpha-therapy (PSMA-TAT) of mCRPC with 225Ac-PSMA-617 (8 MBq, 3 cycles, 8 week intervals) already demonstrated promising anti-tumor activity, but also induced severe and often irreversible xerostomia (1,2). Our objective was to optimize the treatment protocol to improve tolerability.JRC.G.I.5-Advanced Nuclear Knowledg

Synthesis of 2-hydroxy-1,4-oxazin-3-ones through ring transformation of 3-hydroxy-4-(1,2-dihydroxyethyl)-β-lactams and study of their reactivity

The reactivity of 3-hydroxy-4-(1,2-dihydroxyethyl)--lactams with regard to the oxidant sodium periodate was evaluated, unexpectedly resulting in the exclusive formation of new 2-hydroxy-1,4-oxazin-3-ones through a C3C4 bond cleavage of the intermediate 4-formyl-3-hydroxy--lactams followed by a ring expansion. This peculiar transformation stands in sharp contrast with the known NaIO4-mediated oxidation of 3-alkoxy- and 3-phenoxy-4-(1,2-dihydroxyethyl)--lactams, which exclusively leads to the corresponding 4-formyl--lactams without a subsequent ring enlargement. In addition, this new class of functionalized oxazin-3-ones was further evaluated for its potential use as building blocks in the synthesis of a variety of differently substituted oxazin-3-ones, morpholin-3-ones and pyrazinones. Furthermore, additional insights into the mechanism and the factors governing this new ring-expansion reaction were provided by means of density functional theory calculations