Auditory Resting-State Network Connectivity in Tinnitus: A Functional MRI Study

The underlying functional neuroanatomy of tinnitus remains poorly understood. Few studies have focused on functional cerebral connectivity changes in tinnitus patients. The aim of this study was to test if functional MRI “resting-state” connectivity patterns in auditory network differ between tinnitus patients and normal controls. Thirteen chronic tinnitus subjects and fifteen age-matched healthy controls were studied on a 3 tesla MRI. Connectivity was investigated using independent component analysis and an automated component selection approach taking into account the spatial and temporal properties of each component. Connectivity in extra-auditory regions such as brainstem, basal ganglia/NAc, cerebellum, parahippocampal, right prefrontal, parietal, and sensorimotor areas was found to be increased in tinnitus subjects. The right primary auditory cortex, left prefrontal, left fusiform gyrus, and bilateral occipital regions showed a decreased connectivity in tinnitus. These results show that there is a modification of cortical and subcortical functional connectivity in tinnitus encompassing attentional, mnemonic, and emotional networks. Our data corroborate the hypothesized implication of non-auditory regions in tinnitus physiopathology and suggest that various regions of the brain seem involved in the persistent awareness of the phenomenon as well as in the development of the associated distress leading to disabling chronic tinnitus

Gender differences in the use of cardiovascular interventions in HIV-positive persons; the D:A:D Study

Peer reviewe

Impaired reproduction, energy reserves and dysbiosis: The overlooked consequences of heatwaves in a bivalve mollusc

: Extreme events like Marine Heatwaves (MHWs) are becoming more intense, severe, and frequent, threatening benthic communities, specifically bivalves. However, the consequences of non-lethal MHWs on animals are still poorly understood. Here, we exposed the Manila clam Ruditapes philippinarum to non-lethal MHW for 30 days and provided an integrative view of its effects. Our result indicated that albeit non-lethal, MHW reduced clam's energy reserves (by reducing their hepato-somatic index), triggered antioxidant defenses (particularly in males), impaired reproduction (via the production of smaller oocytes in females), triggered dysbiosis in the digestive gland microbiota and altered animals' behaviour (by impacting their burying capacity) and filtration rate. Such effects were seen also at RNA-seq (i.e. many down-regulated genes belonged to reproduction) and metabolome level. Interestingly, negative effects were more pronounced in males than in females. Our results show that MHWs influence animal physiology at multiple levels, likely impacting its fitness and its ecosystem services

Rationale and Design of the Percutaneous Stem Cell Injection Delivery Effects on Neomyogenesis in Dilated Cardiomyopathy (The POSEIDON-DCM Study)

BACKGROUND: While accumulating clinical trials have focused on the impact of cell-therapy in patients with acute MI and ischemic cardiomyopathy, there are fewer efforts to examine cell-based therapy in patients with non-ischemic cardiomyopathy (NICM). We hypothesized that cell-therapy could have a similar impact in NICM. METHODS/RESULTS: The POSIDEON-DCM trial is a phase I/II trial designed to address autologous vs. allogeneic bone marrow derived MSCs in patients with NICM. In this study, cells will be administered transendocardially with the NOGA injection-catheter system to patients (n=36) randomly allocated to two treatments groups: Group 1 (n=18 auto-hMSCs) and Group 2 (n=18 allo-hMSCs). The primary and secondary objectives are, respectively, to demonstrate the safety and efficacy of allo-hMSCS vs. auto-hMSCs in patients with NICM. CONCLUSIONS: This study will establish safety of transendocardial injection of stem cells (TESI), compare phenotypic outcomes, and offer promising advances in the field of cell-based therapy in patients with NICM

Mycobacterium bovis bacillus Calmette-Guerin treated human cord blood monocyte-derived dendritic cells polarize naïve T cells into a tolerogenic phenotype in newborns

Background: As one of the first infectious challenges of life, the impact of neonatal Mycobacterium bovis bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccination on the polarization of neonatal T helper subset has not been well defined. Methods: We investigated the effect of BCG-treated cord blood (CB) dendritic cells (DCs) on naïve CD4+ T cells polarization compared with that of adult blood DCs. Results: BCG-treated CB DCs had significantly lower expression of CD83 and a higher ratio of CD47/Fas than BCG-treated adult blood DCs. BCG induced significantly lower IL-12 but relatively higher IL-10 production from CB DCs than adult blood DCs. Moreover, in comparison with BCG-treated adult blood DCs, BCG-treated CB DCs induced higher IL-10 production and cytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen 4 (CTLA-4) expression, and lower interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) production from naïve CD4+ T cells. On the other hand, lipopolysaccharide- treated CB DCs had similar capacity as prime naïve CD4+ T cells did to produce higher IFN-γ, lower IL-10 production, and CTLA-4 expression compared with their adult counterparts. Conclusion: These results suggested that BCG-treated CB DCs might be semi-mature DCs which polarize naïve T cells into a tolerogenic T cell phenotype in newborns. ©Children's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, China and Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2010.link_to_subscribed_fulltex