European Ultrahigh-Field Imaging Network for Neurodegenerative Diseases (EUFIND).

INTRODUCTION: The goal of European Ultrahigh-Field Imaging Network in Neurodegenerative Diseases (EUFIND) is to identify opportunities and challenges of 7 Tesla (7T) MRI for clinical and research applications in neurodegeneration. EUFIND comprises 22 European and one US site, including over 50 MRI and dementia experts as well as neuroscientists. METHODS: EUFIND combined consensus workshops and data sharing for multisite analysis, focusing on 7 core topics: clinical applications/clinical research, highest resolution anatomy, functional imaging, vascular systems/vascular pathology, iron mapping and neuropathology detection, spectroscopy, and quality assurance. Across these topics, EUFIND considered standard operating procedures, safety, and multivendor harmonization. RESULTS: The clinical and research opportunities and challenges of 7T MRI in each subtopic are set out as a roadmap. Specific MRI sequences for each subtopic were implemented in a pilot study presented in this report. Results show that a large multisite 7T imaging network with highly advanced and harmonized imaging sequences is feasible and may enable future multicentre ultrahigh-field MRI studies and clinical trials. DISCUSSION: The EUFIND network can be a major driver for advancing clinical neuroimaging research using 7T and for identifying use-cases for clinical applications in neurodegeneration

A regulated deficit irrigation strategy for hedgerow olive orchards with high plant density

Background & Aims There is not a consensus on the best irrigation approach for super-high density (SHD) olive orchards. Our aim was to design and test a regulated deficit irrigation (RDI) strategy for a sustainable balance between water saving, tree vigour and oil production. Methods We tested our RDI strategy for 3 years in an ‘Arbequina’ orchard with 1,667 trees ha−1. Two levels of irrigation reduction were applied, 60RDI and 30RDI, scaled to replacing 60 % and 30 %, respectively, of the of irrigation needs (IN). We also had a full irrigation (FI) treatment as control, with IN totalling 4,701 m3 ha−1 Results The 30RDI treatment showed the best balance between water saving, tree vigour and oil production. With a yearly irrigation amount (IA) of 1,366 m3 ha−1, which meant 72 % water saving as compared to FI, the reduction in oil yield was 26 % only. Conclusions Our results, together with recent knowledge on the effect of water stress on fruit development, allowed us to suggest a potentially improved RDI strategy for which a total IA of ca. 2,100 m3 ha−1 was calculated. Both some management details and the benefits of this suggested RDI strategy are still to be tested

Differential diagnosis of neurodegenerative dementias with the explainable MRI based machine learning algorithm MUQUBIA

Biomarker-based differential diagnosis of the most common forms of dementia is becoming increasingly important. Machine learning (ML) may be able to address this challenge. The aim of this study was to develop and interpret a ML algorithm capable of differentiating Alzheimer’s dementia, frontotemporal dementia, dementia with Lewy bodies and cognitively normal control subjects based on sociodemographic, clinical, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) variables. 506 subjects from 5 databases were included. MRI images were processed with FreeSurfer, LPA, and TRACULA to obtain brain volumes and thicknesses, white matter lesions and diffusion metrics. MRI metrics were used in conjunction with clinical and demographic data to perform differential diagnosis based on a Support Vector Machine model called MUQUBIA (Multimodal Quantification of Brain whIte matter biomArkers). Age, gender, Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR) Dementia Staging Instrument, and 19 imaging features formed the best set of discriminative features. The predictive model performed with an overall Area Under the Curve of 98%, high overall precision (88%), recall (88%), and F1 scores (88%) in the test group, and good Label Ranking Average Precision score (0.95) in a subset of neuropathologically assessed patients. The results of MUQUBIA were explained by the SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) method. The MUQUBIA algorithm successfully classified various dementias with good performance using cost-effective clinical and MRI information, and with independent validation, has the potential to assist physicians in their clinical diagnosis

STEAM-MiTiS: An MR spectroscopy method for the detection of scalar-coupled metabolites and its application to glutamate at 7 T

Purpose We herein present a spectroscopic technique for the detection of scalar-coupled metabolites based on stimulated echo acquisition mode (STEAM). The method is based on the time evolution of scalar-coupled metabolites at different mixing times and a constant echo time. The technique is optimized for targeting the metabolite glutamate at 7T. Methods Numerical simulations were used to optimize the parameters to maximize the chosen metabolite signal. The maximum detection efficiency and metabolite signal as a function of echo time were used to identify the optimal parameters. In vitro and in vivo validations of the method were also performed. Results This method canceled all the strong singlet lines and signals from macromolecules and preserved signals originating from the scalar-coupled metabolites. The subtracted spectrum was strongly simplified, but the complete spectral information of the traditional STEAM acquisition was retained in the sum spectrum. Conclusions The simulations performed in this study were in agreement with the experimental results, and a clear detection of the metabolite of interest was obtained. The applicability in vivo was also demonstrated, with the selective detection of glutamate in human brain. This technique is simple, suitable for standard MR systems without sequence programming and could be used to detect other metabolites

Deformation patterns of upper Quaternary strata and their relation to active tectonics, Po Basin, Italy

Despite increased application of subsurface datasets below the limits of seismic resolution, reconstructing near-surface deformation of shallow key stratigraphic markers beneath modern alluvial and coastal plains through sediment core analysis has received little attention. Highly resolved stratigraphy of Upper Pleistocene to Holocene (Marine Isotope Stage 5e to Marine Isotope Stage 1) alluvial, deltaic and coastal depositional systems across the southern Po Plain, down to 150 m depth, provides an unambiguous documentation on the deformation of previously flat-lying strata that goes back in time beyond the limits of morphological, historical and palaeoseismic records. Five prominent key horizons, accurately selected on the basis of their sedimentological characteristics and typified for their fossil content, were used as highly effective stratigraphic markers (M1 to M5) that can be tracked for tens of kilometres across the basin. A facies-controlled approach tied to a robust chronology (102 radiocarbon dates) reveals considerable deformation of laterally extensive nearshore (M1), continental (M2 and M3) and lagoon (M4 and M5) marker beds originally deposited in a horizontal position (M1, M4 and M5). The areas where antiformal geometries are best observed are remarkably coincident with the axes of buried ramp anticlines, across which new seismic images reveal substantially warped stratal geometries of Lower Pleistocene strata. The striking spatial coincidence of fold crests with the epicentres of historic and instrumental seismicity suggests that deformation of marker beds M1 to M5 might reflect, in part at least, syntectonically generated relief and, thus, active tectonism. Precise identification and lateral tracing of chronologically constrained stratigraphic markers in the 14C time window through combined sedimentological and palaeoecological data may delineate late Quaternary subsurface stratigraphic architecture at an unprecedented level of detail, outlining cryptic stratal geometries at the sub-seismic scale. This approach is highly reproducible in tectonically active Quaternary depositional systems and can help to assess patterns of active deformation in the subsurface of modern alluvial and coastal plains worldwide

Deformation patterns of upper Quaternary strata and their relation to active tectonics, Po Basin, Italy

Despite increased application of subsurface datasets below the limits of seismic resolution, reconstructing near-surface deformation of shallow key stratigraphic markers beneath modern alluvial and coastal plains through sediment core analysis has received little attention. Highly resolved stratigraphy of Upper Pleistocene to Holocene (Marine Isotope Stage 5e to Marine Isotope Stage 1) alluvial, deltaic and coastal depositional systems across the southern Po Plain, down to 150 m depth, provides an unambiguous documentation on the deformation of previously flat-lying strata that goes back in time beyond the limits of morphological, historical and palaeoseismic records. Five prominent key horizons, accurately selected on the basis of their sedimentological characteristics and typified for their fossil content, were used as highly effective stratigraphic markers (M1 to M5) that can be tracked for tens of kilometres across the basin. A facies-controlled approach tied to a robust chronology (102 radiocarbon dates) reveals considerable deformation of laterally extensive nearshore (M1), continental (M2 and M3) and lagoon (M4 and M5) marker beds originally deposited in a horizontal position (M1, M4 and M5). The areas where antiformal geometries are best observed are remarkably coincident with the axes of buried ramp anticlines, across which new seismic images reveal substantially warped stratal geometries of Lower Pleistocene strata. The striking spatial coincidence of fold crests with the epicentres of historic and instrumental seismicity suggests that deformation of marker beds M1 to M5 might reflect, in part at least, syntectonically generated relief and, thus, active tectonism. Precise identification and lateral tracing of chronologically constrained stratigraphic markers in the 14C time window through combined sedimentological and palaeoecological data may delineate late Quaternary subsurface stratigraphic architecture at an unprecedented level of detail, outlining cryptic stratal geometries at the sub-seismic scale. This approach is highly reproducible in tectonically active Quaternary depositional systems and can help to assess patterns of active deformation in the subsurface of modern alluvial and coastal plains worldwide

Tandem 3D-QSARs approach as a valuable tool to predict binding affinity data: Design of new Gly/NMDA receptor antagonists as a key study

Quantitative structure - activity relationships (QSARs) represent a very well consolidated computational approach to correlate structural or property descriptors of chemical compounds with their chemical or biological activities. We have recently reported that autocorrelation Molecular Electrostatic Potential (autoMEP) vectors in combination to Partial Least-Square (PLS) analysis or to Response Surface Analysis (RSA) can represent an interesting alternative 3D-QSAR strategy. In the present paper, we would like to present how the applicability of in tandem linear and nonlinear 3D-QSAR methods (autoMEP/PLS&RSA) can help to predict binding affinity data of a new set of N-methyl-D-aspartate (Gly/NMDA) receptor antagonists

Health care delivery in type 2 diabetes. A survey in an Italian primary care practice

tAims: Evidence-based guidelines provide targets and performance measures for thetreatment of type 2 diabetic patients but a wide gap separates guidelines-driven recom-mendations from their clinical application, a phenomenon hindering the transfer of provenbenefits to affected populations.Methods: We analyzed the quality of diabetic care delivered by 8 general practitioners jointin a group practice attending 571 diabetic patients (5.6% of the total enlisted subjects) byassessing process (% of HbA1c, SBP and LDL-C determinations) and intermediate outcome (%of patients with HbA1c8%, systolic BP 140 mmHg, LDL-cholesterol130 mg/dL) indicators.Results: HbA1cwas at target in 49% of patients and >8% in 22%; SBP and LDL-C determinationwas available in about two-thirds of patients, only a minority at target for SBP and LDL-C.Antihyperglycemic and antihypertensive treatment was prescribed in most patients butonly a third was on statins. During the post-evaluation phase, percentages of patients withHbA1c>8%, SBP < 130 mmHg and LDL-C < 100 mg/dL and the drug prescription pattern didnot change.Conclusions: Several weaknesses affect primary care delivery to type 2 diabetic patients andefforts are needed to improve the management of this high-risk group