Oxcarbazepine reduces seizure frequency in a high proportion of patients with both newly diagnosed and refractory partial seizures in clinical practice

n/

Lightweight high-density diffuse optical tomography using sCMOS detection

The widespread adoption of optical neuroimaging has been restricted by the tradeoff between cap wearability and brain coverage [1]. Increased coverage requires more fibers and larger imaging consoles, however these changes drastically reduce the wearability of the imaging cap and the portability of the entire system. The size of the detection fibers, which is driven by signal-to-noise considerations, is the primary obstacle to fabricating more wearable and portable optical neuroimaging arrays. Here we report on a design that leverages the low-noise of scientific CMOS cameras, along with binning and noise reduction algorithms to use fibers with approximately 30x smaller cross-sectional area than current high-density diffuse optical tomography (HD-DOT) systems [2]. We have developed a Super-Pixel sCMOS Diffuse Optical Tomography (SP-DOT) system (Fig. 1a) that uses 200um diameter source and detector fibers, with a lightweight low-profile, wearable design. A super-pixel algorithm leverages pixel binning to provide dynamic range (DNR), Noise Equivalent Power (NEP), and cross- talk (CT) specifications comparable to previous HD-DOT [2]. We have demonstrated retinotopic mapping with a SP-DOT system (Fig. 1). The system has a high DNR (\u3e105), high frame rate (\u3e6Hz) and low NEP (\u3c 9fW/√Hz). Please click Additional Files below to see the full abstract

Persistent organochlorine compounds in fetal and maternal tissues: evaluation of their potential influence on several indicators of fetal growth and health

Some organochlorine compounds, such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), have a tendency to bioaccumulate in humans and predators at the top of the food chain. We have recently confirmed the transplacental transfer of these compounds and the present study has been designed on the same material with the aim of investigating their potential health effects on newborns from 70 pregnant women, resident in a Northern Italy industrial town. Organochlorine compounds [namely, p,p'-dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (p,p'-DDT), p,p'-dichlorodiphenyldichloroethene (p,p'-DDE), hexachlorobenzene (HCB), and PCBs] have been analyzed both in cord and maternal serum, placenta, and maternal subcutaneous adipose tissue by GC-MSD. p,p'-DDT levels in the adipose tissue resulted significantly (p<0.05) related to birth length. Mothers of neonates born by preterm programmed caesarean delivery showed significantly (p<0.005 for both) higher serum p,p'-DDE serum concentrations and p,p'-DDT levels in the adipose tissue, as compared to mothers delivering at term

Distant echoes: evoking the soundscapes of the past in the radio documentary series Noise: a human history

This article asks whether radio can ever successfully evoke an accurate sense of the sound of the past. It does so through a reflective critical analysis of the 2013 BBC Radio 4 documentary series, Noise: A Human History, by its own writer and presenter. It explores how the ‘sound design’ of the series met the challenge of providing a longue durée history of sound without having recourse to authentic sound archive recordings for most of the period being covered. Through an analysis of key sequences, and by highlighting the significance of the broader context of production, it argues that it is possible for epistemologically valuable history to emerge, even via a medium that treats sound more as a device for evoking the imagination than as something possessing evidential status in itself. The article does this by invoking the series as a practical example of ‘historical acoustemology’, and by suggesting that in radio notions of subjectivity and perceptual mimesis are key to understanding the medium's success. In doing so, the article calls for a redefinition of the notion of the radiogenic – arguing for a move away from seeing ‘raw’ sound as the key ingredient of sound design, and towards greater attention to the influence of radio's other characteristics as a time-based, institutionally-produced mass medium

Synthesis, structural studies and photochemistry of cobalt(III) complexes of anthracenylcyclam macrocycles

This work reports the syntheses, structures and some photochemistry in DMF of the cobalt complexes trans-[CoIII( 2)Cl2]Cl·0.5CH3OH and trans-[CoIII( 3)Cl2]Cl·4H2O, where 2 is 6-(anthracen-9-ylmethyl)-1,4,8,11-tetraazacyclotetradecane-5,7-dione and 3 is 6-(anthracen-9-ylmethyl)-1,4,8,11-tetraazacyclotetradecane. In the preparation of the macrocyclic ligand, 3, the formation of a polycyclic bis(aminal) intermediate and its subsequent acid hydrolysis to 3 is a cleaner route than the traditional procedure in which the analogous dioxocyclam 2 is reduced with borane reagents. The crystal structure of trans-[CoIII( 3)Cl2]Cl·4H2O shows that the macrocycle adopts the trans-III conformation, in which the anthracene moiety is extended away from the cobalt ion and the anthracene to Co separation is 7.22 . For the related complex trans-[CoIII( 2)Cl2]Cl·0.5CH3OH, however, the anthracene is bent over the highly conjugated tetracycle and significant interactions between the anthracene and the complex occur. A novel new complex, trans-[Co( 12)Cl2](where 12 is 5,7-hydroxy-6-oxo-1,4,8,11-tetraazacyclotetradecane-4,7-diene) which is a degradation product of the complex trans-[CoIII( 2)Cl2]Cl is also reported

Evaluating the SERCA2 and VEGF mRNAs as Potential Molecular Biomarkers of the Onset and Progression in Huntington's Disease

Abnormalities of intracellular Ca2+ homeostasis and signalling as well as the down-regulation of neurotrophic factors in several areas of the central nervous system and in peripheral tissues are hallmarks of Huntington\u2019s disease (HD). As there is no therapy for this hereditary, neurodegenerative fatal disease, further effort should be made to slow the progression of neurodegeneration in patients through the definition of early therapeutic interventions. For this purpose, molecular biomarker(s) for monitoring disease onset and/or progression and response to treatment need to be identified. In the attempt to contribute to the research of peripheral candidate biomarkers in HD, we adopted a multiplex real-time PCR approach to analyse the mRNA level of targeted genes involved in the control of cellular calcium homeostasis and in neuroprotection. For this purpose we recruited a total of 110 subjects possessing the HD mutation at different clinical stages of the disease and 54 sex- and agematched controls. This study provides evidence of reduced transcript levels of sarco-endoplasmic reticulum-associated ATP2A2 calcium pump (SERCA2) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of manifest and premanifest HD subjects. Our results provide a potentially new candidate molecular biomarker for monitoring the progression of this disease and contribute to understanding some early events that might have a role in triggering cellular dysfunctions in HD

Phosphorescent Sensor for Robust Quantification of Copper(II) Ion

A phosphorescent sensor based on a multichromophoric iridium(III) complex was synthesized and characterized. The construct exhibits concomitant changes in its phosphorescence intensity ratio and phosphorescence lifetime in response to copper(II) ion. The sensor, which is reversible and selective, is able to quantify copper(II) ions in aqueous media, and it detects intracellular copper ratiometrically.National Institute of General Medical Sciences (U.S.) ((Grant GM065519)Ewha Woman's University (Korea) (RP-Grant 2009