T1 and ECV Mapping in Myocardial Disease

T1 mapping using cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) introduces novel techniques for myocardial tissue characterization to detect and quantify disease processes occurring at the microscopic level. Even though T1 mapping has limited spatial resolution, cellular and molecular changes occurring within each voxel can affect the aggregate T1 signal rendering them quantifiable. The estimated T1-based parameters quantified on a “map” demonstrate the spatial localization of these changes whereby each pixel expresses the quantitative value of that parameter. This quantification permits detection of diffuse disease even if it is not directly visible. Rather than relying on nonspecific functional measures, T1 mapping focuses on intrinsic changes of myocardial composition that advances understanding about specific disease pathways. These changes in myocardial tissue composition inform diagnosis and prognosis. T1 mapping encompasses two key parameters: native (i.e., precontrast) T1 and extracellular volume fraction (ECV) derived from additional postcontrast T1 and blood T1 measurements. These advances introduce new tools to detect focal and diffuse myocardial derangements occurring in cardiac disease that can be otherwise difficult to detect. T1 and ECV mapping foster precision medicine and personalized care, promising to improve patient outcomes through targeted therapy. Capitalizing on the opportunities introduced by T1 mapping and ECV requires further investigation

Vårt tempel : En kvalitativ studie om DreamHack, gamers och kommersialiseringen av ett brand community

Problemformulering: E-sporten och marknaden som omger den har gått från att vara ett relativt okänt fenomen till att idag vara en miljardindustri. Den är ett fenomen som fortsätter växa både när det kommer till omsättning och publik och i centrum står världens största datorfestivalsarrangör: svenska DreamHack. DreamHack fungerar som en samlingsplats för e-sportsentusiaster och gamers och lockar över 26 000 av dessa till deras största evenemang. I samband med dessa typer av festivaler syns idag många av de marknadsledande företagen inom olika varumärkeskategorier, däribland Estrella, Telia, och Intel. Ökningen som skett av sponsorer på den här typen av evene­mang skulle kunna ses som ett exempel på den kommersialisering som sker av evene­mang idag. Den fortsatta ökningen pekar också mot att marknaden kring e-sport inte bara är ett temporärt fenomen utan något som kommer att fortsätta växa. Med detta som bakgrund ämnar studien bidra till djupare förståelse för subkulturen gamers och genom dem få insikt i DreamHack som brand community och kommer­sialiserat evenemang. Metod och material: Kvalitativa samtalsintervjuer med 13 respondenter på Dream­Hack Winter 2015 samt en informantintervju med Lisa Müller, Senior Brand Man­ager and Budget Communications Manager på livsmedelsföretaget Estrella. Huvudresultat: Ur respondenternas svar framgår att kommersialiseringen av Dream­Hack anses legitimera subkulturen gamers i allt högre grad. Detta tycks gamers, till skillnad från andra subkulturer, välkomna snarare än avfärda. Vidare visar också studien på att DreamHack går att se som ett brand community men inte absolut ett klassiskt sådant, då gemenskapen snarare än varumärket tycks vara central. Nyckelord: subkultur, gamers, brand community, kommersialisering, kongruens, sponsorska

T1 and ECV Mapping in Myocardial Disease

T1 mapping using cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) introduces novel techniques for myocardial tissue characterization to detect and quantify disease processes occurring at the microscopic level. Even though T1 mapping has limited spatial resolution, cellular and molecular changes occurring within each voxel can affect the aggregate T1 signal rendering them quantifiable. The estimated T1-based parameters quantified on a “map” demonstrate the spatial localization of these changes whereby each pixel expresses the quantitative value of that parameter. This quantification permits detection of diffuse disease even if it is not directly visible. Rather than relying on nonspecific functional measures, T1 mapping focuses on intrinsic changes of myocardial composition that advances understanding about specific disease pathways. These changes in myocardial tissue composition inform diagnosis and prognosis. T1 mapping encompasses two key parameters: native (i.e., precontrast) T1 and extracellular volume fraction (ECV) derived from additional postcontrast T1 and blood T1 measurements. These advances introduce new tools to detect focal and diffuse myocardial derangements occurring in cardiac disease that can be otherwise difficult to detect. T1 and ECV mapping foster precision medicine and personalized care, promising to improve patient outcomes through targeted therapy. Capitalizing on the opportunities introduced by T1 mapping and ECV requires further investigation

The AxBioTick Study: Borrelia Species and Tick-Borne Encephalitis Virus in Ticks, and Clinical Responses in Tick-Bitten Individuals on the Aland Islands, Finland

The AxBioTick Study: Borrelia Species and Tick-Borne Encephalitis Virus in Ticks, and Clinical Responses in Tick-Bitten Individuals on the Aland Islands, Finlandby  Nellie Carlströmer Berthén 1,2,*,† , Eszter Tompa 3,† , Susanne Olausson 1,2, Clara Nyberg 1, Dag Nyman 1,2, Malin Ringbom 1,4, Linda Perander 1,4, Joel Svärd 3, Per-Eric Lindgren 3,5, Pia Forsberg 3, Peter Wilhelmsson 3,5,‡, Johanna Sjöwall 3,6,‡  and Marika Nordberg 1,4,‡  1Borrelia Research Group of the Aland Islands, 22100 Mariehamn, The Aland Islands, Finland2Bimelix AB, 22100 Mariehamn, The Aland Islands, Finland3Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, Division of Inflammation and Infection, Linkoping University, 581 83 Linkoping, Sweden4The Aland Islands Healthcare Services, 22100 Mariehamn, The Aland Islands, Finland5Clinical Microbiology, Laboratory Medicine, County Hospital Ryhov, 551 85 Jonkoping, Sweden6Department of Infectious Diseases, Vrinnevi Hospital, 603 79 Norrkoping, Sweden*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.†These authors contributed equally to the study.‡These authors contributed equally to the study.Microorganisms 2023, 11(5), 1100; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms11051100Received: 30 March 2023 / Revised: 17 April 2023 / Accepted: 19 April 2023 / Published: 22 April 2023(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research on Ticks and Tick-Borne Pathogens) Download Browse Figures Versions NotesArticle Views585  AbstractThe AxBioTick study was initiated to investigate the prevalence of ticks and tick-borne pathogens and their impact on antibody and clinical responses in tick-bitten individuals on the Aland Islands. This geographical area is hyperendemic for both Lyme borreliosis (LB) and Tick-borne encephalitis (TBE). Blood samples and ticks were collected from 100 tick-bitten volunteers. A total of 425 ticks was collected, all determined to Ixodes ricinus using molecular tools. Of them 20% contained Borrelia species, of which B. garinii and B. afzelii were most common. None contained the TBE virus (TBEV). Blood samples were drawn in conjunction with the tick bite, and eight weeks later. Sera were analyzed for Borrelia- and TBEV-specific antibodies using an ELISA and a semiquantitative antibody assay. In total 14% seroconverted in Borrelia C6IgG1, 3% in TBEV IgG, and 2% in TBEV IgM. Five participants developed clinical manifestations of LB. The high seroprevalence of both Borrelia (57%) and TBEV (52%) antibodies are likely attributed to the endemic status of the corresponding infections as well as the TBE vaccination program. Despite the similar prevalence of Borrelia spp. detected in ticks in other parts of Europe, the infection rate in this population is high. The AxBioTick study is continuing to investigate more participants and ticks for co-infections, and to characterize the dermal immune response following a tick bite.Funding agencies: The Wilhelm and Else Stockmann foundation, The foundation for medical research of the Åland cultural foundation, The Jubilee foundation from the provincial government of the Aland Island (Borrelia Research Group of the Aland Islands), Region Östergötland (ALF Grant, RÖ968220) (J.S. (Johanna Sjöwall)), the Medical Research Council of Southeast Sweden (FORSS, 931010) (P.W.), the Division of Laboratory Medicine, Region Jönköping County, and the European Union through the European Regional Development Fund and the Interreg North Sea Region Program 2014–2020 as part of the NorthTick project (reference number J-No.: 38-2-7-19) (P.-E.L.).</p

Extracellular volume associates with outcomes more strongly than native or post-contrast myocardial T1

OBJECTIVES: Because risk stratification data represents a key domain of biomarker validation, we compared associations between outcomes and various cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) metrics quantifying myocardial fibrosis (MF) in noninfarcted myocardium: extracellular volume fraction (ECV), native T1, post-contrast T1, and partition coefficient. // BACKGROUND: MF associates with vulnerability to adverse events (e.g., mortality and hospitalization for heart failure [HHF]), but investigators still debate its optimal measurement; most histological validation data show strongest ECV correlations with MF. // METHODS: We enrolled 1,714 consecutive patients without amyloidosis or hypertrophic cardiomyopathy from a single CMR referral center serving an integrated healthcare network. We measured T1 (MOdified Look-Locker Inversion recovery [MOLLI]) in nonenhanced myocardium, averaged from 2 short-axis slices (basal and mid) before and 15 to 20 min after a gadolinium contrast bolus. We compared chi-square test values from CMR MF measures in univariable and multivariable Cox regression models. We assessed "dose-response" relationships in Kaplan-Meier curves using log-rank statistics for quartile strata. We also computed net reclassification improvement (NRI) and integrated discrimination improvement (IDI for Cox models with ECV vs. native T1). // RESULTS: Over a median of 5.6 years, 374 events occurred after CMR (162 HHF events and 279 deaths, 67 with both). ECV yielded the best separation of Kaplan-Meier curves and the highest log-rank statistics. In univariable and multivariable models, ECV associated most strongly with outcomes, demonstrating the highest chi-square test values. Native T1 or post-contrast T1 did not associate with outcomes in the multivariable model. ECV provided added prognostic value to models with native T1, for example, in multivariable models IDI = 0.0037 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.0009 to 0.0071), p = 0.02; NRI = 0.151 (95% CI: 0.022 to 0.292), p = 0.04. // CONCLUSIONS: Analogous to histological previously published validation data, ECV myocardial fibrosis measures exhibited more robust associations with outcomes than other surrogate CMR MF measures. Superior risk stratification by ECV supports claims that ECV optimally measures MF in noninfarcted myocardium

Nicotine Enhances Footshock- and Lithium Chloride-Conditioned Place Avoidance in Male Rats

Introduction: Numerous studies have shown that nicotine (NIC) can enhance the reinforcing effects of non-NIC stimuli through a nonassociative mechanism. To date, it is unclear whether NIC reinforcement enhancement serves to increase behaviors motivated by rewarding stimuli only, or whether NIC potentiates behavior motivated by all stimuli, regardless of valence. Methods: The current study used a place conditioning procedure to examine whether acute NIC injection modulates avoidance of an environment previously associated with an aversive stimulus. Separate groups of rats underwent place conditioning using either lithium chloride (125 mg/kg/ml, i.p.) or footshock (0.75 mA) as the aversive stimulus. Other rats served as nonconditioned controls. The magnitude of place avoidance was assessed after acute NIC (0.1 or 0.4 mg/kg/ml, s.c.) or saline. Results: Rats avoided chambers previously paired with either lithium chloride or footshock, and conditioned place avoidance was significantly enhanced by NIC pre-treatment. Conclusions: These results demonstrate that the ability of NIC to enhance motivated behavior extends to behaviors elicited by aversive stimuli, evidence that NIC affects behavior motivated by a broader range of stimuli than previously appreciated. Implications: The current study examined whether the reinforcement enhancement properties of NIC apply to aversive stimuli by testing NIC enhancement of conditioned place avoidance in rats. The results demonstrate that NIC enhances the motivational impact of these distinct aversive stimuli, providing novel evidence that NIC affects behavior motivated by a broader range of stimuli than has previously been demonstrated