Mild behavioral impairment in Parkinson's disease: Data from the Parkinson's disease cognitive impairment study (PACOS)

Neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS) have been frequently described in Parkinson's disease (PD), even in the earliest stages of the disease. Recently the construct of mild behavioral impairment (MBI) has been proposed as an at-risk state for incident cognitive decline and dementia. The aim of the present study is to evaluate the prevalence and associated factors of MBI in PD. Cross-sectional data from 429 consecutive PD patients enrolled in the PArkinson's disease COgnitive impairment Study (PACOS) were included in the study. All subjects underwent neuropsychological assessment, according to the MDS Level II criteria. NPS were evaluated with the Neuropsychiatric Inventory. Multivariate logistic regression models were used to evaluate clinical and behavioral characteristics, which are associated with PD-MBI. The latter was ascertained in 361 (84.1%) subjects of whom 155 (36.1%) were newly diagnosed patients (disease duration ≥1 year) and 206 (48.0%) had a disease duration <1 year. Furthermore, 68 (15.9%) out of 429 subjects were PDw (without MBI). Across the MBI domains, Impulse Dyscontrol was significantly more prevalent among PD-MBI with disease duration <1 year than newly diagnosed patients. The frequency of Social Inappropriateness and Abnormal Perception significantly increased throughout the entire PD-MBI sample with increasing Hoehn andYahr (H&Y) stages. PD-MBI in newly diagnosed PDwas significantly associated with H&Y stage (OR 2.35, 95% CI 1.05-5.24) and marginally with antidepressant drug use (OR 2.94, 95% CI 0.91-9.47), while in patients with a disease duration >1 year was associated with UPDRS-ME (OR 3.37, 95% CI 1.41-8.00). The overall MBI frequency in the PACOS sample was 84% and 36% among newly diagnosed patients. The presence of MBI mainly related to motor impairment and disability

Incidence of mild cognitive impairment and dementia in Parkinson's disease: The Parkinson's disease cognitive impairment study

Background: Cognitive impairment in Parkinson's disease (PD) includes a spectrum varying from Mild Cognitive Impairment (PD-MCI) to PD Dementia (PDD). The main aim of the present study is to evaluate the incidence of PD-MCI, its rate of progression to dementia, and to identify demographic and clinical characteristics which predict cognitive impairment in PD patients. Methods: PD patients from a large hospital-based cohort who underwent at least two comprehensive neuropsychological evaluations were retrospectively enrolled in the study. PD-MCI and PDD were diagnosed according to the Movement Disorder Society criteria. Incidence rates of PD-MCI and PDD were estimated. Clinical and demographic factors predicting PD-MCI and dementia were evaluated using Cox proportional hazard model. Results: Out of 139 enrolled PD patients, 84 were classified with normal cognition (PD-NC), while 55 (39.6%) fulfilled the diagnosis of PD-MCI at baseline. At follow-up (mean follow-up 23.5 ± 10.3 months) 28 (33.3%) of the 84 PD-NC at baseline developed MCI and 4 (4.8%) converted to PDD. The incidence rate of PD-MCI was 184.0/1000 pyar (95% CI 124.7-262.3). At multivariate analysis a negative association between education and MCI development at follow-up was observed (HR 0.37, 95% CI 0.15-0.89; p = 0.03). The incidence rate of dementia was 24.3/1000 pyar (95% CI 7.7-58.5). Out of 55 PD-MCI patients at baseline, 14 (25.4%) converted to PDD, giving an incidence rate of 123.5/1000 pyar (95% CI 70.3-202.2). A five time increased risk of PDD was found in PD patients with MCI at baseline (RR 5.09, 95% CI 1.60-21.4). Conclusion: Our study supports the relevant role of PD-MCI in predicting PDD and underlines the importance of education in reducing the risk of cognitive impairment

FaaS: Federation-as-a-Service

This document is the main high-level architecture specification of the SUNFISH cloud federation solution. Its main objective is to introduce the concept of Federation-as-a-Service (FaaS) and the SUNFISH platform. FaaS is the new and innovative cloud federation service proposed by the SUNFISH project. The document defines the functionalities of FaaS, its governance and precise objectives. With respect to these objectives, the document proposes the high-level architecture of the SUNFISH platform: the software architecture that permits realising a FaaS federation. More specifically, the document describes all the components forming the platform, the offered functionalities and their high-level interactions underlying the main FaaS functionalities. The document concludes by outlining the main implementation strategies towards the actual implementation of the proposed cloud federation solution.Comment: Technical Report Edited by Francesco Paolo Schiavo, Vladimiro Sassone, Luca Nicoletti and Andrea Margher

Sviluppo di una micro CT con sorgente Quasi-Monocromatica Multi-Energy per lo studio in vivo della crescita e della metastasi tumorale

Un innovativo micro scanner CT per piccolo animali – basato su di una sorgente che genera una coppia di fasci X Quasi-Monocromatici paralleli con diverse energie selezionabili – è in corso di installazione e caratterizzazione al Dipartimento di Fisica dell’Università di Bologna. Lo scopo della ricerca è quello di effettuare l’imaging radiologico in vivo del tessuto tumorale e/o dei pattern di neo-angiogenesi in una fase diagnostica precoce realizzando la separazione del tessuto patologico da quello sano per mezzo della tecnica multi-energy che consiste nell’utilizzo di due o più fasci di raggi X quasi-monocromatici in sostituzione dell’unico fascio policromatico utilizzato nella radiologia convenzionale. Lo strumento consentirà inoltre lo studio, sui topi, della crescita tumorale e della formazione delle metastasi per differenti tipologie di tumore. Per la diagnosi precoce del tumore è essenziale essere in grado di rivelare i cambiamenti tissutali precancerosi, come la neo-angiogenesi. Si tratta di un meccanismo che si verifica in una fase iniziale dello sviluppo della patologia ed è dovuto alla produzione di molecole che stimolano la creazione di nuovi vasi sanguigni per alimentare la crescita delle cellule cancerose. Come dimostrato in precedenti studi di fattibilità [1], un sistema di imaging basato su due fasci di raggi X quasi-monocromatici di differenti energie fornisce maggiore sensibilità nella rivelazione di basse concentrazioni di mezzo di contrasto iodato rispetto ai tradizionali apparati RX con fascio policromatico. La K-edge dual energy radiology è una tecnologia potenzialmente in grado di rivelare il processo di neo-angiogenesi tumorale in uno stadio precoce quando la strumentazione convenzionale non dispone di sufficiente sensibilità. Inoltre, la possibilità di selezionare le energie dei fasci quasi-monocromatici consente l’applicazione della Multi-Energy Quasi-MonochromaticRadiology: selezionando opportunamente le energie è possibile esaltare le differenze fra i coefficienti di attenuazione lineare del tessuto patologico rispetto a quello sano aumentando il contrasto della patologia. Infatti, la tecnica multi-energy consente di ricostruire il numero atomico efficace e persino la composizione chimica del tessuto irradiato. Tuttavia, per ottenere questo risultato, si dovrebbero conoscere le bande di energia in cui l’assorbimento dei raggi X da parte del tessuto tumorale eventualmente differisce significativamente da quello dei tessuti sani. Per questo motivo è stata iniziata una sistematica caratterizzazione radiologica di molti tipi di tessuti sani e neoplastici, murini e umani allo scopo di costituire un catalogo delle finestre di energia in cui sarà possibile applicare la metodica multi-energy

Cardiovascular autonomic function and MCI in Parkinson's disease

Introduction: dysautonomic dysfunction and cognitive impairment represent the most disabling non-motor features of Parkinson's Disease (PD). Recent evidences suggest the association between Orthostatic Hypotension (OH) and PD-Dementia. However, little is known on the interactions between cardiovascular dysautonomia and Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI). We aimed to evaluate the association between cardiovascular dysautonomia and MCI in patients with PD. Methods: non-demented PD patients belonging to the PACOS cohort underwent a comprehensive instrumental neurovegetative assessment including the study of both parasympathetic and sympathetic function (30:15 ratio, Expiratory-Inspiratory ratio [E-I] and presence of Orthostatic Hypotension [OH]). Diagnosis of MCI was made according to the MDS criteria level II. Results: we enrolled 185 PD patients of whom 102 (55.1%) were men, mean age was 64.6 ± 9.7 years, mean disease duration of 5.6 ± 5.5 years with a mean UPDRS-ME score of 31.7 ± 10.9. MCI was diagnosed in 79 (42.7%) patients. OH was recorded in 52 (28.1%) patients, altered 30:15 ratio was recorded in 39 (24.1%) patients and an altered E-I ratio was found in 24 (19.1%) patients. Presence of MCI was associated with an altered 30:15 ratio (adjOR 2.83; 95%CI 1.25–6.40) but not with an altered E-I ratio, while OH was associated only with the amnestic MCI subgroup (OR 2.43; 95% CI 1.05–5.06). Conclusion: in our study sample, MCI was mainly associated with parasympathetic dysfunction in PD

Phenotypical Characterization and Clinical Outcome of Canine Burkitt-Like Lymphoma

In dogs, Burkitt-like lymphoma (B-LL) is rare tumor and it is classified as a high-grade B-cell malignancy. The diagnosis is challenging because of the similar histologic appearance with other histotypes, no defined phenotypical criteria and poorly described clinical aspects. The aim of the study was to provide a detailed description of clinical and morphological features, as well as immunophenotypical profile of B-LL in comparison with the human counterpart. Thirteen dogs with histologically proven B-LL, for which a complete staging and follow-up were available, were retrospectively selected. Immunohistochemical expression of CD20, PAX5, CD3, CD10, BCL2, BCL6, MYC, and caspase-3 was evaluated. Histologically, all B-LLs showed a diffuse architecture with medium to large-sized cells, high mitotic rate and diffuse starry sky appearance. B-phenotype of neoplastic cells was confirmed both by flow-cytometry and immunohistochemistry. Conversely, B-LLs were negative for BCL2 and MYC, whereas some cases co-expressed BCL6 and CD10, suggesting a germinal center B-cell origin. Disease stage was advanced in the majority of cases. All dogs received CHOP-based chemotherapy with or without immunotherapy. Despite treatment, prognosis was poor, with a median time to progression and survival of 130 and 228 days, respectively. Nevertheless, ~30% of dogs survived more than 1 year. An increased apoptotic index, a high turnover index and caspase-3 index correlated with shorter survival. In conclusion, canine B-LL shows phenotypical differences with the human counterpart along with features that might help to differentiate this entity from diffuse large B-cell lymphoma

Look What I Am Doing: Does Observational Learning Take Place in Evocative Task-Sharing Situations?

Two experiments were conducted to investigate whether physical and observational practice in task-sharing entail comparable implicit motor learning. To this end, the social-transfer-of-learning (SToL) effect was assessed when both participants performed the joint practice task (Experiment 1 \u2013 complete task-sharing), or when one participant observed the other performing half of the practice task (Experiment 2 \u2013 evocative task-sharing). Since the inversion of the spatial relations between responding agent and stimulus position has been shown to prevent SToL, in the present study we assessed it in both complete and evocative task-sharing conditions either when spatial relations were kept constant or changed from the practice to the transfer session. The same pattern of results was found for both complete and evocative task-sharing, thus suggesting that implicit motor learning in evocative task-sharing is equivalent to that obtained in complete task-sharing. We conclude that this motor learning originates from the simulation of the complementary (rather than the imitative) action