Autistic traits,ADHD symptoms,neurological soft signs and regional cerebral blood flow in adults with autism spectrum disorders

The resting regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) patterns related to co-occurring symptoms such as inattention, hyperactivity, neurological soft signs and motor problems have not yet been disclosed in autism spectrum disorders (ASD). In this study thirteen adults with ASD and ten matched neurotypical controls underwent PET. The scores of rating scales for autistic traits, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and neurological soft signs were included in a factorial analysis and correlated with rCBF. Factors corresponding to \u27\u27autistic/ADHD traits\u27\u27, \u27\u27sensory-motor integration\u27\u27 and \u27\u27Intelligence/Motor sequencing\u27\u27 were identified. In the ASD group, positive correlations with CBF were found for \u27\u27autistic/ADHD traits\u27\u27 in caudate bilaterally and the inferior parietal lobule, for \u27\u27sensory-motor integration\u27\u27 in parieto-occipital cortex and for \u27\u27Intelligence/Motor sequencing\u27\u27 in the right temporal cortex. Notably, CBF in the left thalamus correlated negatively with all three factors. Autistic traits and ADHD symptoms were associated with shared neural substrates. The correlation between \u27\u27autistic/ADHD traits\u27\u27 and rCBF in the caudate is possibly associated with the executive impairments and ritualistic/stereotyped behaviors apparent in ASD. Furthermore, sensory-motor deficits were correlated with rCBF in the occipital visual cortex, involved in atypical visual perception in ASD. Various behavioral and neurological symptoms are suggested to converge into the ASD phenotype

Biofidelity Implications for Developing Design Concept of Female Physical Test Device based on Human Body Simulations

AbstractIntroductionStudies have shown that most of the whiplash injuries are caused by the rear crashes [1,2], and therefore, there is a need for evaluate restraint systems in this specific type of crash. Currently, BioRID is the most biofidelic Anthropometric Test Device (ATD) for rear impacts and it represents an average male anthropometry [3]. However, epidemiological data has shown that females have a higher risk for whiplash injury compared to males [4]. Presently, there is only a prototype female ATD developed for evaluating whiplash injuries with respect to rear impacts [5]. This study was conducted to evaluate biofidelity of design changes in a Finite Element (FE) human body model of an average sized female with objective to provide a design concept of a physical test device. The results of this study could provide guidance for development of the future ATDs.MethodsThe open source ViVA 50th percentile female model [4] was adopted as a baseline model for this study. The FE simulations were conducted with the solver LS-DYNA (LSTC, Livermore,CA). Simplifications were made to the spinal column. Design-1 had a rigid thoracolumbar spine (T1-L5), and Design-2 had a rigid thoracic spine (T1-T12). Output were parameters such as cervical spine curvatures and kinematics. A rear impact was simulated with the models positioned on a simplified rigid seat [4].ResultsDesign-1 and 2 both had almost similar head kinematics. The cervical kinematics changed when the inferior spinal portions were made rigid. After positioning the models with gravity, the initial cervical curvatures were different with more pronounced lordosis and superior location of T1 in the Design-1 and Design-2.DiscussionThis study indicates the importance of thoraco-lumbar spinal curvature and stiffness on the cervical kinematics in rear impacts. In the design with rigid thoraco-lumbar spine, the cervical joints will be subjected to larger flexion-extension motions with slightly difference in head kinematics. This study is a first attempt to identify simplifications of the spine for implementation in a physical model with maintained main characteristics that allow the model to identify injury protective performances of the seat. Simulations with different seat models will be needed to ensure that the simplifications do not affect the ability of the model to distinguish between such characteristics of a seat.AcknowledgementsThis study was funded by the Swedish Governmental Agency for Innovation Systems (VINNOVA) and was carried out at SAFER.References1.Galasko,CSB.,et al.,(1993).Injury,Vol.24.No.3pp.155-1572.Krafft,M.,(1998).IRCOBI.,pp.235-2483.Davidsson,J.,et al.,(2000)J.CrashPrevInjControl,Vol.2(3) pp.202–2204. 6sth,J.,et al.,(2017).IRCOBI.,pp.443-4665.Carlsson,A.,et al.,(2012).IRCOBI.,pp.249–26

Perioperative outcome of laparoscopic left lateral liver resection is improved by using a bioabsorbable staple line reinforcement material in a porcine model

Hypothesis Laparoscopic liver surgery is significantly limited by the technical difficulty encountered during transection of substantial liver parenchyma, with intraoperative bleeding and bile leaks. This study tested whether the use of a bioabsorble staple line reinforcement material would improve outcome during stapled laparoscopic left lateral liver resection in a porcine model. Study design A total of 20 female pigs underwent stapled laparoscopic left lateral liver resection. In group A (n = 10), the stapling devices were buttressed with a bioabsorbable staple line reinforcement material. In group B (n = 10), standard laparoscopic staplers were used. Operative data and perioperative complications were recorded. Necropsy studies and histopathological analysis were performed at 6 weeks. Data were compared between groups with the Student's t-test or the chi-square test. Results Operating time was similar in the two groups (64 +/- 11 min in group A versus 68 +/- 9 min in group B, p = ns). Intraoperative blood loss was significantly higher in group B (185 +/- 9 mL versus 25 +/- 5 mL, p <0.05). There was no mortality. There was no morbidity in the 6-week follow-up period; however, two animals in group B had subphrenic bilomas (20%) at necropsy. At necropsy, methylene blue injection via the main bile duct revealed leakage from the biliary tree in four animals in group B and none in group A (p <0.05). Histopathological examination of the resection site revealed minor abnormalities in group A while animals in group B demonstrated marked fibrotic changes and damaged vascular and biliary endothelium. Conclusion Use of a bioabsorbable staple line reinforcement material reduces intraoperative bleeding and perioperative bile leaks during stapled laparoscopic left lateral liver resection in a porcine model

Plasmodium falciparum population dynamics in a cohort of pregnant women in Senegal

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Pregnant women acquire protective antibodies that cross-react with geographically diverse placental <it>Plasmodium falciparum </it>isolates, suggesting that surface molecules expressed on infected erythrocytes by pregnancy-associated malaria (PAM) parasites have conserved epitopes and, that designing a PAM vaccine may be envisaged. VAR2CSA is the main candidate for a pregnancy malaria vaccine, but vaccine development may be complicated by its sequence polymorphism.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The dynamics of <it>P. falciparum </it>genotypes during pregnancy in 32 women in relation to VAR2CSA polymorphism and immunity was determined. The polymorphism of the <it>msp2 </it>gene and five microsatellites was analysed in consecutive parasite isolates, and the <it>DBL5ε + Interdomain 5 </it>(<it>Id5</it>) part of the <it>var2csa </it>gene of the corresponding samples was cloned and sequenced to measure variation.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>In primigravidae, the multiplicity of infection in the placenta was associated with occurrence of low birth weight babies. Some parasite genotypes were able to persist over several weeks and, still be present in the placenta at delivery particularly when the host anti-VAR2CSA antibody level was low. Comparison of diversity among genotyping markers confirmed that some PAM parasites may harbour more than one <it>var2csa </it>gene copy in their genome.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Host immunity to VAR2CSA influences the parasite dynamics during pregnancy, suggesting that the acquisition of protective immunity requires pre-exposure to a limited number of parasite variants. Presence of highly conserved residues in surface-exposed areas of the VAR2CSA immunodominant DBL5ε domain, suggest its potential in inducing antibodies with broad reactivity.</p

The IPDGC/GP2 Hackathon - an open science event for training in data science, genomics, and collaboration using Parkinson’s disease data

Open science and collaboration are necessary to facilitate the advancement of Parkinson's disease (PD) research. Hackathons are collaborative events that bring together people with different skill sets and backgrounds to generate resources and creative solutions to problems. These events can be used as training and networking opportunities, thus we coordinated a virtual 3-day hackathon event, during which 49 early-career scientists from 12 countries built tools and pipelines with a focus on PD. Resources were created with the goal of helping scientists accelerate their own research by having access to the necessary code and tools. Each team was allocated one of nine different projects, each with a different goal. These included developing post-genome-wide association studies (GWAS) analysis pipelines, downstream analysis of genetic variation pipelines, and various visualization tools. Hackathons are a valuable approach to inspire creative thinking, supplement training in data science, and foster collaborative scientific relationships, which are foundational practices for early-career researchers. The resources generated can be used to accelerate research on the genetics of PD