Deep Brain Stimulation: A Paradigm Shifting Approach to Treat Parkinson's Disease

Parkinson disease (PD) is a chronic and progressive movement disorder classically characterized by slowed voluntary movements, resting tremor, muscle rigidity, and impaired gait and balance. Medical treatment is highly successful early on, though the majority of people experience significant complications in later stages. In advanced PD, when medications no longer adequately control motor symptoms, deep brain stimulation (DBS) offers a powerful therapeutic alternative. DBS involves the surgical implantation of one or more electrodes into specific areas of the brain, which modulate or disrupt abnormal patterns of neural signaling within the targeted region. Outcomes are often dramatic following DBS, with improvements in motor function and reductions motor complications having been repeatedly demonstrated. Given such robust responses, emerging indications for DBS are being investigated. In parallel with expansions of therapeutic scope, advancements within the areas of neurosurgical technique and the precision of stimulation delivery have recently broadened as well. This review focuses on the revolutionary addition of DBS to the therapeutic armamentarium for PD, and summarizes the technological advancements in the areas of neuroimaging and biomedical engineering intended to improve targeting, programming and overall management

Available and emerging treatments for Parkinson’s disease: a review

Parkinson’s disease is a commonly encountered neurodegenerative disorder primarily found in aged populations. A number of medications are available to control symptoms, although these are less effective in advanced disease. Deep brain stimulation provides a practicable alternative at this stage, although a minority of patients meet the strict criteria for surgery. Novel medications that provide enhanced symptomatic control remain in developmental demand. Both gene and cell-based therapies have shown promise in early clinical studies. A major unmet need is a treatment that slows or stops disease progression

Pain Points and Solutions: Bringing Data for Startups to Campus

Entrepreneurship is growing as a cross- and inter-disciplinary area of focus for higher education. From patent and tech transfer offices to business, science, and engineering programs, the demand for entrepreneurship resources and support delivered via libraries is booming. Building library collections to help patrons design, launch, and run successful businesses is challenging: Market research and private equity/venture capital resources arrive at premium prices. Increasingly, these resources must interoperate with software used to clean, analyze, and visualize data. This data is often difficult to find and deploy. Restrictive, corporate-style licenses reflect that new vendors are not yet acclimated to the academic market’s access requirements and licensing constraints. This paper will share a framework for how to understand entrepreneurship in higher education and explain the types of information commonly requested by users. Such information often exists in disciplinary silos, emphasizing the importance of collaborative collection development across subject lines. The authors will explore the unique challenges to building collections that serve patrons developing new ventures. This includes collaborating with external stakeholders to fund resources that have not been traditionally purchased by libraries. Strategies for licensing data and other e-resources in this space will be discussed, including the central complications arising from universities as incubators for for-profit startups. The authors will suggest best practices for building relationships with stakeholders, developing relevant collections and services, and marketing these resources to support communities

Open educational resources

This community presentation on open educational resources is adapted from slides provided by the Open Education Network. The content is modified for localization and purpose.Teaching, Learning and LeadershipLibrar

Nanolaminate Membranes as Cylindrical Telescope Reflectors

A document discusses a proposal to use axially stretched metal nanolaminate membranes as lightweight parabolic cylindrical reflectors in the Dual Anamorphic Reflector Telescope (DART) - a planned spaceborne telescope in which the cylindrical reflectors would be arranged to obtain a point focus. The discussion brings together a combination of concepts reported separately in several prior NASA Tech Briefs articles, the most relevant being "Nanolaminate Mirrors With Integral Figure-Control Actuators" NPO -30221, Vol. 26, No. 5 (May 2002), page 90; and "Reflectors Made From Membranes Stretched Between Beams" NPO -30571, Vol. 33, No. 10 (October 2009), page 11a. The engineering issues receiving the greatest emphasis in the instant document are (1) the change in curvature associated with the Poisson contraction of a stretched nanolaminate reflector membrane and (2) the feasibility of using patches of poly(vinylidene fluoride) on the rear membrane surface as piezoelectric actuators to correct the surface figure for the effect of Poisson contraction and other shape errors

QualiBuild Train the Trainer Lessons Learned from the Development of a Program for Training Trainers of Construction

In response to recent directives to promote quality energy efficient buildings throughout Europe, the EU funded Build UP Skills Ireland (BUSI) project launched a national skills gap analysis of the construction sector in 2011. Generally, the gap that was identified was one of knowledge rather than skills. However, this knowledge is fundamental for the successful implementation of low energy buildings. The BUSI analysis also found that the majority of trainers of construction related crafts lacked the experience and knowledge on the implementation of energy efficient buildings. Consequently, the follow on Build UP Skills QualiBuild project focussed on the development and delivery of a Train the Trainer programme which would address this. The QualiBuild Train the Trainer pilot was designed with a focus on active learning, incorporating a flipped learning model for the delivery of a blended learning programme. This was facilitated by the development of learner manuals for each of the programme modules which presented the course content to the learners ahead of face-to-face workshop events. Group learning activities were then employed as a means for achieving one of the key learning outcomes identified in the programme development, a need for attitudinal change. This paper will offer a rationale for the design, structure and delivery methods adopted for the programme. It will also present and discuss the successes and failures of the pilot along with recommendations for future offerings of similar type programmes

A medical study on wireless inertial measurement technology as a tool for identifying patients at risk of death or imminent clinical deterioration

This paper provides a system description and preliminary results for an ongoing clinical study currently being carried out at the Mid-Western Regional Hospital, Nenagh, Ireland. The goal of the trial is to determine if wireless inertial measurement technology can be employed to identify elderly patients at risk of death or imminent clinical deterioration. The system measures cumulative movement and provides a score that will help provide a robust early warning to clinical staff of clinical deterioration. In addition the study examines some of the logistical barriers to the adoption of wearable wireless technology in front-line medical care

Stroke and Aphasia in Canada

As is the case in many areas of the world, aphasia treatment is far from being a priority within the Canadian healthcare system. This poster represents one part of a larger initiative planned to begin addressing the challenges of aphasia intervention and developing aphasia research capacity in Canada by aligning with the stroke community. While the presentation will focus on the Canadian experience in the area of stroke and aphasia, we hope to stimulate an international exchange of views

Fel d 1–derived peptide antigen desensitization shows a persistent treatment effect 1 year after the start of dosing: A randomized, placebo-controlled study

BackgroundAllergic rhinoconjunctivitis is an increasingly common source of morbidity, with sensitivity to cats accounting for 10% to 15% of disease burden. Allergy to cats is also a major risk factor for the development of asthma.ObjectivesWe sought to probe the persistence of the treatment effect of a novel Fel d 1–derived peptide antigen desensitization (Cat-PAD) 1 year after the start of treatment in subjects with cat allergy–induced rhinoconjunctivitis after standardized allergen challenge.MethodsIn a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group clinical trial, subjects attended an environmental exposure chamber in which they were exposed to cat allergen before and after treatment with 2 different regimens of Cat-PAD over a 3-month period. Clinical efficacy was assessed as a change in total rhinoconjunctivitis symptom scores 18 to 22 weeks and 50 to 54 weeks after the start of treatment.ResultsTreatment with Cat-PAD showed greater efficacy with 4 administrations of a 6-nmol dose 4 weeks apart than with 8 administrations of a 3-nmol dose 2 weeks apart. The treatment effect of 6 nmol persisted 1 year after the start of treatment and was significantly different from that of 3 nmol (P = .0342) and placebo (P = .0104). The treatment effect was apparent on both nasal and ocular symptoms at 1 year.ConclusionsA short course of Cat-PAD improves the ocular and nasal components of rhinoconjunctivitis symptoms in subjects with cat allergy, with the treatment effect persisting 1 year after the start of treatment