Stroke recovery and lesion reduction following acute isolated bilateral ischaemic pontine infarction : a case report

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly credited. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated. Acknowledgements The initial scan was offered as part of the standard clinical service provided by NHS Grampian and the follow-up scan was funded by a grant from the NHS Grampian Endowments Trust (grant number 12/35). We thank Dr Olive Robb, Dr Arnab Rana, Professor Alison Murray for reporting the imaging scans, Lisa Marshall for providing information regarding the patient’s on-going community physiotherapy input following discharge from Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, Gordon Buchan for his technical support during scanning, the research radiographers (Baljit Jagpal, Beverly Maclennan, Nichola Crouch and Katrina Klaasen), the Aberdeen Biomedical Imaging Centre staff especially Teresa Morris and Dawn Younie for coordinating the scanning appointments, the stroke research nurses (Anu Joyson, Heather Gow and Janice Irvine) and above all the patient for agreeing to take part in this case study.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Resting state connectivity and cognitive performance in adults with cerebral autosomal-dominant arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leukoencephalopathy

Cognitive impairment is an inevitable feature of cerebral autosomal-dominant arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leukoencephalopathy (CADASIL), affecting executive function, attention and processing speed from an early stage. Impairment is associated with structural markers such as lacunes, but associations with functional connectivity have not yet been reported. Twenty-two adults with genetically-confirmed CADASIL (11 male; aged 49.8 ± 11.2 years) underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging at rest. Intrinsic attentional/executive networks were identified using group independent components analysis. A linear regression model tested voxel-wise associations between cognitive measures and component spatial maps, and Pearson correlations were performed with mean intra-component connectivity z-scores. Two frontoparietal components were associated with cognitive performance. Voxel-wise analyses showed an association between one component cluster and processing speed (left middle temporal gyrus; peak −48, −18, −14; ZE = 5.65, pFWEcorr = 0.001). Mean connectivity in both components correlated with processing speed (r = 0.45, p = 0.043; r = 0.56, p = 0.008). Mean connectivity in one component correlated with faster Trailmaking B minus A time (r = −0.77, p < 0.001) and better executive performance (r = 0.56, p = 0.011). This preliminary study provides evidence for associations between cognitive performance and attentional network connectivity in CADASIL. Functional connectivity may be a useful biomarker of cognitive performance in this population

HF-DSR: dynamic source routing for high frequency radio networks

HF-DSR is an ad hoc routing protocol designed to operate efficiently over high frequency (HF) radio networks. Ad hoc routing protocols allow networks to provide dynamic routing between endpoints. In contrast, static routing schemes require networks to be configured with potential routes in advance. As such, ad hoc routing mechanisms can compensate for unanticipated factors such as radio frequency (RF) interference or node mobility. HF-DSR is largely based on Dynamic Source Routing (DSR), a level 3 ad hoc networking protocol that emits network control information on demand. HF-DSR incorporates portions of DSR which minimize the quantity of control information transmitted. In this manner, as much network bandwidth as possible is conserved for user-initiated data transfers. During this project, an implementation of HF-DSR was developed to operate over the NATO standard STANAG 5066 data transfer protocol. A four node network was assembled using Microsoft Windows PCs, HF modems, HF radios, synchronous RS-232 interfaces, and Harris RF-6750W Wireless Gateways. Two different network topologies were constructed using the four nodes. Finally, HF-DSR route discovery and file transfer were exercised on both network topologies

Associations of the plasma lipidome with mortality in the acute respiratory distress syndrome: a longitudinal cohort study

Abstract Background It is unknown if the plasma lipidome is a useful tool for improving our understanding of the acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Therefore, we measured the plasma lipidome of individuals with ARDS at two time-points to determine if changes in the plasma lipidome distinguished survivors from non-survivors. We hypothesized that both the absolute concentration and change in concentration over time of plasma lipids are associated with 28-day mortality in this population. Methods Samples for this longitudinal observational cohort study were collected at multiple tertiary-care academic medical centers as part of a previous multicenter clinical trial. A mass spectrometry shot-gun lipidomic assay was used to quantify the lipidome in plasma samples from 30 individuals. Samples from two different days were analyzed for each subject. After removing lipids with a coefficient of variation > 30%, differences between cohorts were identified using repeated measures analysis of variance. The false discovery rate was used to adjust for multiple comparisons. Relationships between significant compounds were explored using hierarchical clustering of the Pearson correlation coefficients and the magnitude of these relationships was described using receiver operating characteristic curves. Results The mass spectrometry assay reliably measured 359 lipids. After adjusting for multiple comparisons, 90 compounds differed between survivors and non-survivors. Survivors had higher levels for each of these lipids except for five membrane lipids. Glycerolipids, particularly those containing polyunsaturated fatty acid side-chains, represented many of the lipids with higher concentrations in survivors. The change in lipid concentration over time did not differ between survivors and non-survivors. Conclusions The concentration of multiple plasma lipids is associated with mortality in this group of critically ill patients with ARDS. Absolute lipid levels provided more information than the change in concentration over time. These findings support future research aimed at integrating lipidomics into critical care medicine.https://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/143134/1/12931_2018_Article_758.pd

Associations of the plasma lipidome with mortality in the acute respiratory distress syndrome: a longitudinal cohort study

Abstract Background It is unknown if the plasma lipidome is a useful tool for improving our understanding of the acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Therefore, we measured the plasma lipidome of individuals with ARDS at two time-points to determine if changes in the plasma lipidome distinguished survivors from non-survivors. We hypothesized that both the absolute concentration and change in concentration over time of plasma lipids are associated with 28-day mortality in this population. Methods Samples for this longitudinal observational cohort study were collected at multiple tertiary-care academic medical centers as part of a previous multicenter clinical trial. A mass spectrometry shot-gun lipidomic assay was used to quantify the lipidome in plasma samples from 30 individuals. Samples from two different days were analyzed for each subject. After removing lipids with a coefficient of variation > 30%, differences between cohorts were identified using repeated measures analysis of variance. The false discovery rate was used to adjust for multiple comparisons. Relationships between significant compounds were explored using hierarchical clustering of the Pearson correlation coefficients and the magnitude of these relationships was described using receiver operating characteristic curves. Results The mass spectrometry assay reliably measured 359 lipids. After adjusting for multiple comparisons, 90 compounds differed between survivors and non-survivors. Survivors had higher levels for each of these lipids except for five membrane lipids. Glycerolipids, particularly those containing polyunsaturated fatty acid side-chains, represented many of the lipids with higher concentrations in survivors. The change in lipid concentration over time did not differ between survivors and non-survivors. Conclusions The concentration of multiple plasma lipids is associated with mortality in this group of critically ill patients with ARDS. Absolute lipid levels provided more information than the change in concentration over time. These findings support future research aimed at integrating lipidomics into critical care medicine.https://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/143134/1/12931_2018_Article_758.pd

Genomic and physiological variability within Group II (non-proteolytic) Clostridium botulinum

BACKGROUND: Clostridium botulinum is a group of four physiologically and phylogenetically distinct bacteria that produce botulinum neurotoxin. While studies have characterised variability between strains of Group I (proteolytic) C. botulinum, the genetic and physiological variability and relationships between strains within Group II (non-proteolytic) C. botulinum are not well understood. In this study the genome of Group II strain C. botulinum Eklund 17B (NRP) was sequenced and used to construct a whole genome DNA microarray. This was used in a comparative genomic indexing study to compare the relatedness of 43 strains of Group II C. botulinum (14 type B, 24 type E and 5 type F). These results were compared with characteristics determined from physiological tests. RESULTS: Whole genome indexing showed that strains of Group II C. botulinum isolated from a wide variety of environments over more than 75 years clustered together indicating the genetic background of Group II C. botulinum is stable. Further analysis showed that strains forming type B or type F toxin are closely related with only toxin cluster genes targets being unique to either type. Strains producing type E toxin formed a separate subset. Carbohydrate fermentation tests supported the observation that type B and F strains form a separate subset to type E strains. All the type F strains and most of type B strains produced acid from amylopectin, amylose and glycogen whereas type E strains did not. However, these two subsets did not differ strongly in minimum growth temperature or maximum NaCl concentration for growth. No relationship was found between tellurite resistance and toxin type despite all the tested type B and type F strains carrying tehB, while the sequence was absent or diverged in all type E strains. CONCLUSIONS: Although Group II C. botulinum form a tight genetic group, genomic and physiological analysis indicates there are two distinct subsets within this group. All type B strains and type F strains are in one subset and all type E strains in the other

EphA2 as a Diagnostic Imaging Target in Glioblastoma: A Positron Emission Tomography/Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study

Noninvasive imaging is a critical technology for diagnosis, classification, and subsequent treatment planning for patients with glioblastoma. It has been shown that the EphA2 receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) is overexpressed in a number of tumors, including glioblastoma. Expression levels of Eph RTKs have been linked to tumor progression, metastatic spread, and poor patient prognosis. As EphA2 is expressed at low levels in normal neural tissues, this protein represents an attractive imaging target for delineation of tumor infiltration, providing an improved platform for image-guided therapy. In this study, EphA2-4B3, a monoclonal antibody specific to human EphA2, was labeled with Cu-64 through conjugation to the chelator 1,4,7-triazacyclononane-1,4,7-triacetic acid (NOTA). The resulting complex was used as a positron emission tomography (PET) tracer for the acquisition of high-resolution longitudinal PET/magnetic resonance images. EphA2-4B3-NOTA-Cu-64 images were qualitatively and quantitatively compared to the current clinical standards of [F-18] FDOPA and gadolinium (Gd) contrast-enhanced MRI. We show that EphA2-4B3-NOTA-Cu-64 effectively delineates tumor boundaries in three different mouse models of glioblastoma. Tumor to brain contrast is significantly higher in EphA2-4B3-NOTA-Cu-64 images than in [F-18] FDOPA images and Gd contrast-enhanced MRI. Furthermore, we show that nonspecific uptake in the liver and spleen can be effectively blocked by a dose of nonspecific (isotype control) IgG

Effects on mortality of a nutritional intervention for malnourished HIV-infected adults referred for antiretroviral therapy: a randomised controlled trial.

Malnourished HIV-infected African adults are at high risk of early mortality after starting antiretroviral therapy (ART). We hypothesized that short-course, high-dose vitamin and mineral supplementation in lipid nutritional supplements would decrease mortality

On the assembly of the Milky Way dwarf satellites and their common mass scale

We use a particle tagging technique to dynamically populate the N-body Via Lactea II high-resolution simulation with stars. The method is calibrated using the observed luminosity function of Milky Way satellites and the concentration of their stellar populations, and self-consistently follows the accretion and disruption of progenitor dwarfs and the build-up of the stellar halo in a cosmological "live host". Simple prescriptions for assigning stellar populations to collisionless particles are able to reproduce many properties of the observed Milky Way halo and its surviving dwarf satellites, like velocity dispersions, sizes, brightness profiles, metallicities, and spatial distribution. Our model predicts the existence of approximately 1,850 subhalos harboring "extremely faint" satellites (with mass-to-light ratios >5,000) lying beyond the Sloan Digital Sky Survey detection threshold. Of these, about 20 are "first galaxies", i.e. satellites that formed a stellar mass above 10 Msun before redshift 9. The ten most luminous satellites (L> 1e6 Lsun) in the simulation are hosted by subhalos with peak circular velocities today in the range V_max=10-40 km/s that have shed between 80% and 99% of their dark mass after being accreted at redshifts 1.7< z <4.6. The satellite maximum circular velocity and stellar line-of-sight velocity dispersion today follow the relation V_max=2.2 sigma_los. We apply a standard mass estimation algorithm based on Jeans modelling of the line-of-sight velocity dispersion profiles to the simulated dwarf spheroidals, and test the accuracy of this technique. The inner (within 300 pc) mass-luminosity relation for currently detectable satellites is nearly flat in our model, in qualitative agreement with the "common mass scale" found in Milky Way dwarfs. We do, however, predict a weak, but significant positive correlation for these objects: M_300 ~L^{0.088 \pm 0.024}.Comment: 14 pages, 9 figures, accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journa