Disability in multiple sclerosis is related to thalamic connectivity and cortical network atrophy.

BACKGROUND: Thalamic atrophy is proposed to be a major predictor of disability progression in multiple sclerosis (MS), while thalamic function remains understudied. OBJECTIVES: To study how thalamic functional connectivity (FC) is related to disability and thalamic or cortical network atrophy in two large MS cohorts. METHODS: Structural and resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was obtained in 673 subjects from Amsterdam (MS: N = 332, healthy controls (HC): N = 96) and Graz (MS: N = 180, HC: N = 65) with comparable protocols, including disability measurements in MS (Expanded Disability Status Scale, EDSS). Atrophy was measured for the thalamus and seven well-recognized resting-state networks. Static and dynamic thalamic FC with these networks was correlated with disability. Significant correlates were included in a backward multivariate regression model. RESULTS: Disability was most strongly related (adjusted R2 = 0.57, p < 0.001) to higher age, a progressive phenotype, thalamic atrophy and increased static thalamic FC with the sensorimotor network (SMN). Static thalamus-SMN FC was significantly higher in patients with high disability (EDSS ⩾ 4) and related to network atrophy but not thalamic atrophy or lesion volumes. CONCLUSION: The severity of disability in MS was related to increased static thalamic FC with the SMN. Thalamic FC changes were only related to cortical network atrophy, but not to thalamic atrophy

Antifungal activity of intraocularly used liquids against Aspergillus

The antifungal effectiveness of liquids used as intraocular tamponading agents in vitrectomy was tested against a strain of Aspergillus niger. This microorganism is a frequent causative factor of endophthalmitis. The strain belonged to the ATCC collection (A. niger ATCC 16404). The samples tested were: (a) perfluorocarbons: perfluorodecalin and perfluoroctane, (b) silicone oils: Siloil 1,000 and Siloil 5,000, and (c) balanced salt solutions: BSS and BSS Plus. The experiment consisted in inoculating the samples with the microorganism, in preserving the samples in 25°C in the dark, and in taking small amounts of each product for counting surviving microorganisms at t = 0 and then after 1 day, and 1, 2, 3 and 4 weeks. Among the samples tested, perfluorocarbons and silicone oils conform to the standards. No increase, and in some samples decrease, in the number of microorganisms is observed during the second week, while the number drops to zero at the end of the experiment. Therefore, the use of these liquids is safe. Copyright © 2004 S. Karger AG, Basel

The EUROFAMCARE Common Assessment Tool (CAT): Item and scale development and description

The chapter describes the survey tool used for the EUROFAMCARE study, including how it was derived, the scales that were included and their psychometric properties, and some descriptive analyse

The EUROFAMCARE Common Assessment Tool (CAT): Item and scale development and description

The chapter describes the psychometric properties of the survey tool used in the European study Eurofamcar

Typology of caregiving situations in Europe: A cluster analysis approach

The chapter describes the development, by using cluster analysis, of a typology of caregiving situations in Europe on the basis of the main variables included in the Eurofamcare study. Both variables regarding the older person and variables regarding the caregiver were include

Microstructure and nanomechanical properties of pulsed excimer laser deposited DLC:Ag films: Enhanced nanotribological response

Diamond-like carbon:silver (DLC:Ag) thin films, with metal contents as high as 16.8 at.%, have been deposited on silicon substrates using pulsed excimer laser deposition; the produced DLC:Ag films sustain a substantial sp3 content (36%) in the DLC matrix even for the highest Ag content (~ 16.8 at.%), in contrast to previous reports. The morphological, topographical, crystallographic, compositional and mechanical/tribological characteristics of the films have been studied using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and nanoindentation/nanoscratch tests, respectively. The low miscibility between carbon and silver leads to a nanocomposite material that exhibits a reduced elastic modulus and hardness that scale inversely with the silver content. The mechanical capacity reduction is attributed to the incorporation of the soft/compliant silver phase and the subsequent graphitization of the amorphous carbon matrix, as quantified through XPS. This mechanical softening response, however, is coupled with an increased ductility and an enhanced tribomechanical response (70% increase in the critical load to film failure), making this class of DLC-metal nanocomposites of great interest for protective coatings and other functional applications

Enhancing the nanoscratch resistance of pulsed laser deposited DLC films through molybdenum-doping

Pulsed laser deposition was used to grow DLC and molybdenum-doped DLC (DLC:Mo) films, with metal contents up to 3.2 at.%, on silicon substrates. The microstructural details of the films were investigated using X-ray reflectivity (XRR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), atomic force microscopy (AFM), scan electron microscopy (SEM), and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). Residual stresses were quantified through curvature measurements while the nanoscale mechanical properties of the films were probed using an instrumented indentation platform in the nanoindentation and nanoscratch mode, respectively. The deposition conditions used in this study resulted in an amorphous carbon matrix with sp3 content of 77 at.% and density of 2.9 g/cm3. Molybdenum-doping reduced the percentage of sp3 hybridization within the amorphous carbon matrix and generated Mo-C bonds as detected through XPS. The increase in the molybdenum content reduced the residual stresses which can be related to the percentage reduction of the highly directional four-fold coordinated carbon atoms and the subsequent release of the strain energy in the system. Furthermore, the resistance to penetration of the DLC:Mo films was also reduced which again could be attributed to the severe graphitization of the amorphous carbon matrix. The effect of molybdenum on the coefficient of friction (COF) was of secondary importance with deviations from the COF of pure DLC on the order of ± 12%. In contrast, all DLC:Mo films deposited herein exhibited higher critical loads to failure/delamination with DLC:Mo3.2 at.% showing the highest enhancement (+ 87% compared to pure DLC). This improvement on the critical load to failure can be traced back to (a) the graphitization and softening of the amorphous carbon matrix that increased the ductility of the matrix, (b) the formation of the Mo-C bonds that can operate as obstacles to the micro-fracture processes and (c) the reduction of the residual stresses that increased the mechanical capacity of the film/substrate material system

Performance evaluation of a small-scale latent heat thermal energy storage unit for heating applications based on a nanocomposite organic PCM

A small-scale latent heat thermal energy storage (LHTES) unit for heating applications was studied experimentally using an organic phase change material (PCM). The unit comprised of a tank filled with the PCM, a staggered heat exchanger (HE) for transferring heat from and to the PCM, and a water pump to circulate water as a heat transfer fluid (HTF). The performance of the unit using the commercial organic paraffin A44 was studied in order to understand the thermal behavior of the system and the main parameters that influence heat transfer during the PCM melting and solidification processes. The latter will assist the design of a large-scale unit. The effect of flow rate was studied given that it significantly affects charging (melting) and discharging (solidification) processes. In addition, as organic PCMs have low thermal conductivity, the possible improvement of the PCM’s thermal behavior by means of nanoparticle addition was investigated. The obtained results were promising and showed that the use of graphite-based nanoplatelets improves the PCM thermal behavior. Charging was clearly faster and more efficient, while with the appropriate tuning of the HTF flow rate, an efficient discharging was accomplished. © 2019 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland