PET and P300 Relationships in Early Alzheimer\u27s Disease

The P300 (P3) wave of the auditory brain event-related potential was investigated in patients with probable Alzheimer\u27s disease to determine whether P300 latency discriminated these patients from controls and whether prolonged P300 latency correlated with rates of brain glucose metabolism as measured by Positron Emission Tomography. P300 latency was prolonged by more than 1.5 standard deviations from age expectancy in 14 of 18 patients, but none of 17 controls. In these subjects P300 latency was shown to be inversely correlated with relative metabolic rates of parietal and, to a lesser extent, temporal and frontal association areas, but not with subcortical areas

The age-specific incidence of hospitalized paediatric malaria in Uganda.

BACKGROUND: Understanding the relationship between malaria infection risk and disease outcomes represents a fundamental component of morbidity and mortality burden estimations. Contemporary data on severe malaria risks among populations of different parasite exposures are scarce. Using surveillance data, we compared rates of paediatric malaria hospitalisation in areas of varying parasite exposure levels. METHODS: Surveillance data at five public hospitals; Jinja, Mubende, Kabale, Tororo, and Apac were assembled among admissions aged 1 month to 14 years between 2017 and 2018. The address of each admission was used to define a local catchment population where national census data was used to define person-year-exposure to risk. Within each catchment, historical infection prevalence was assembled from previously published data and current infection prevalence defined using 33 population-based school surveys among 3400 children. Poisson regression was used to compute the overall and site-specific incidences with 95% confidence intervals. RESULTS: Both current and historical Plasmodium falciparum prevalence varied across the five sites. Current prevalence ranged from < 1% in Kabale to 54% in Apac. Overall, the malaria admission incidence rate (IR) was 7.3 per 1000 person years among children aged 1 month to 14 years of age (95% CI: 7.0, 7.7). The lowest rate was described at Kabale (IR = 0.3; 95 CI: 0.1, 0.6) and highest at Apac (IR = 20.3; 95 CI: 18.9, 21.8). There was a correlation between IR across the five sites and the current parasite prevalence in school children, though findings were not statistically significant. Across all sites, except Kabale, malaria admissions were concentrated among young children, 74% were under 5 years. The median age of malaria admissions at Kabale hospital was 40 months (IQR 20, 72), and at Apac hospital was 36 months (IQR 18, 69). Overall, severe anaemia (7.6%) was the most common presentation and unconsciousness (1.8%) the least common. CONCLUSION: Malaria hospitalisation rates remain high in Uganda particularly among young children. The incidence of hospitalized malaria in different locations in Uganda appears to be influenced by past parasite exposure, immune acquisition, and current risks of infection. Interruption of transmission through vector control could influence age-specific severe malaria risk

A Self-Consistent Microscopic Theory of Surface Superconductivity

The electronic structure of the superconducting surface sheath in a type-II superconductor in magnetic fields $H_{c2}<H<H_{c3}$ is calculated self-consistently using the Bogoliubov-de Gennes equations. We find that the pair potential $\Delta(x)$ exhibits pronounced Friedel oscillations near the surface, in marked contrast with the results of Ginzburg-Landau theory. The role of magnetic edge states is emphasized. The local density of states near the surface shows a significant depletion near the Fermi energy due to the development of local superconducting order. We suggest that this structure could be unveiled by scanning-tunneling microscopy studies performed near the edge of a superconducting sample.Comment: 12 pages, Revtex 3.0, 3 postscript figures appende

PET and P300 relationships in early Alzheimer's disease

The P300 (P3) wave of the auditory brain event-related potential was investigated in patients with probable Alzheimer's disease to determine whether P300 latency discriminated these patients from controls and whether prolonged P300 latency correlated with rates of brain glucose metabolism as measured by Positron Emission Tomography. P300 latency was prolonged by more than 1.5 standard deviations from age expectancy in 14 of 18 patients, but none of 17 controls. In these subjects P300 latency was shown to be inversely correlated with relative metabolic rates of parietal and, to a lesser extent, temporal and frontal association areas, but not with subcortical areas.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/28511/1/0000308.pd

Sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease in 2 Plasma Product Recipients, United Kingdom

Sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD) has not been previously reported in patients with clotting disorders treated with fractionated plasma products. We report 2 cases of sCJD identified in the United Kingdom in patients with a history of extended treatment for clotting disorders; 1 patient had hemophilia B and the other von Willebrand disease. Both patients had been informed previously that they were at increased risk for variant CJD because of past treatment with fractionated plasma products sourced in the United Kingdom. However, both cases had clinical and investigative features suggestive of sCJD. This diagnosis was confirmed in both cases on neuropathologic and biochemical analysis of the brain. A causal link between the treatment with plasma products and the development of sCJD has not been established, and the occurrence of these cases may simply reflect a chance event in the context of systematic surveillance for CJD in large populations

Phase transition observations and discrimination of small cloud particles by light polarization in expansion chamber experiments

Cloud microphysical processes involving the ice phase in tropospheric clouds are among the major uncertainties in cloud formation, weather, and general circulation models. The detection of aerosol particles, liquid droplets, and ice crystals, especially in the small cloud particle-size range below 50 μm, remains challenging in mixed phase, often unstable environments. The Cloud Aerosol Spectrometer with Polarization (CASPOL) is an airborne instrument that has the ability to detect such small cloud particles and measure the variability in polarization state of their backscattered light. Here we operate the versatile Cosmics Leaving OUtdoor Droplets (CLOUD) chamber facility at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) to produce controlled mixed phase and other clouds by adiabatic expansions in an ultraclean environment, and use the CASPOL to discriminate between different aerosols, water, and ice particles. In this paper, optical property measurements of mixed-phase clouds and viscous secondary organic aerosol (SOA) are presented. We report observations of significant liquid–viscous SOA particle polarization transitions under dry conditions using CASPOL. Cluster analysis techniques were subsequently used to classify different types of particles according to their polarization ratios during phase transition. A classification map is presented for water droplets, organic aerosol (e.g., SOA and oxalic acid), crystalline substances such as ammonium sulfate, and volcanic ash. Finally, we discuss the benefits and limitations of this classification approach for atmospherically relevant concentrations and mixtures with respect to the CLOUD 8–9 campaigns and its potential contribution to tropical troposphere layer analysis

The Vehicle, 1969, Vol. 11 no. 2

Vol. 11, No. 2 Table of Contents Short Story: The TripCharles Whitepage 4 PhotoDale Huberpage 5 A NightRoger Zulaufpage 6 Sixteen-year-old Students...NBpage 6 LostJim Biropage 6 The AmateurRoger Zulaufpage 7 ManRoger Zulaufpage 7 My CamelotRonald Garnerpage 7 The Rose and the BriarKenneth L. Folkertspage 9 Who Am I?Frank McKennedypage 10 PhotoDale Huberpage 11 Mr. Samuel ClemensLarry A. Millerpage 11 Lock OutAra Childspage 12 Excuse MeRoger Zulaufpage 12 On Shadows from a Candle \u2767Michael G. McKeepage 12 beginning of an endCaryl Dagropage 12 DrawingMADpage 13 We Ain\u27t Un HurJames Birchlerpage 13 Genesis II, 18 \u2767Michael G. McKeepage 13 Short Story: A Patent Leather PaleEleanor Aikenpage 14 hungry childRoger Zulaufpage 15 DrawingRoger Zulaufpage 15 PhotoRoger Digglepage 16 Do You Like The Rain?Linda Boltmanpage 17 Seasons ChangePerry J. Carterpage 17 PhotoDale Huberpage 19 Whistling TreesPam McKinneypage 19 PostscriptThomas W. Reapage 20 PhotoDale Huberpage 20https://thekeep.eiu.edu/vehicle/1020/thumbnail.jp

The Vehicle, 1969, Vol. 11 no. 2

Vol. 11, No. 2 Table of Contents Short Story: The TripCharles Whitepage 4 PhotoDale Huberpage 5 A NightRoger Zulaufpage 6 Sixteen-year-old Students...NBpage 6 LostJim Biropage 6 The AmateurRoger Zulaufpage 7 ManRoger Zulaufpage 7 My CamelotRonald Garnerpage 7 The Rose and the BriarKenneth L. Folkertspage 9 Who Am I?Frank McKennedypage 10 PhotoDale Huberpage 11 Mr. Samuel ClemensLarry A. Millerpage 11 Lock OutAra Childspage 12 Excuse MeRoger Zulaufpage 12 On Shadows from a Candle \u2767Michael G. McKeepage 12 beginning of an endCaryl Dagropage 12 DrawingMADpage 13 We Ain\u27t Un HurJames Birchlerpage 13 Genesis II, 18 \u2767Michael G. McKeepage 13 Short Story: A Patent Leather PaleEleanor Aikenpage 14 hungry childRoger Zulaufpage 15 DrawingRoger Zulaufpage 15 PhotoRoger Digglepage 16 Do You Like The Rain?Linda Boltmanpage 17 Seasons ChangePerry J. Carterpage 17 PhotoDale Huberpage 19 Whistling TreesPam McKinneypage 19 PostscriptThomas W. Reapage 20 PhotoDale Huberpage 20https://thekeep.eiu.edu/vehicle/1020/thumbnail.jp

Financing of U.S. Biomedical Research and New Drug Approvals across Therapeutic Areas

We estimated U.S. biomedical research funding across therapeutic areas, determined the association with disease burden, and evaluated new drug approvals that resulted from this investment.We calculated funding from 1995 to 2005 and totaled Food and Drug Administration approvals in eight therapeutic areas (cardiovascular, endocrine, gastrointestinal, genitourinary, HIV/AIDS, infectious disease excluding HIV, oncology, and respiratory) primarily using public data. We then calculated correlations between funding, published estimates of disease burden, and drug approvals. Financial support for biomedical research from 1995 to 2005 increased across all therapeutic areas between 43% and 369%. Industry was the principal funder of all areas except HIV/AIDS, infectious disease, and oncology, which were chiefly sponsored by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Total (rho = 0.70; P = .03) and industry funding (rho = 0.69; P = .04) were correlated with projected disease burden in high income countries while NIH support (rho = 0.80; P = .01) was correlated with projected disease burden globally. From 1995 to 2005 the number of new approvals was flat or declined across therapeutic areas, and over an 8-year lag period, neither total nor industry funding was correlated with future approvals.Across therapeutic areas, biomedical research funding increased substantially, appears aligned with disease burden in high income countries, but is not linked to new drug approvals. The translational gap between funding and new therapies is affecting all of medicine, and remedies must include changes beyond additional financial investment