Raman Spectroscopy of the Sampleite Group of Minerals

Raman and infrared spectroscopy has enabled insights into the molecular structure of the sampleite group of minerals. These minerals are based upon the incorporation of either phosphate or arsenate with chloride anion into the structure and as a consequence the spectra refect the bands attributable to these anions, namely phosphate or arsenate with chloride. The sampleite vibrational spectrum reflects the spectrum of the phosphate anion and consists of ν1 at 964, ν2 at 451 cm-1, ν3 at 1016 and 1088 and ν4 at 643, 604, 591 and 557 cm-1. The lavendulan spectrum consists of ν1 at 854, ν2 at 345 cm-1, ν3 at 878 cm-1 and ν4 at 545 cm-1. The Raman spectrum of lemanskiite is different from that of lavendulan consistent with a different structure. Low wavenumber bands at 227 and 210 cm-1 may be assigned to CuCl TO/LO optic vibrations. Raman spectroscopy identified the substitution of arsenate by phosphate in zdenekite and lavendulan

Theory of mind and executive dysfunction in chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy

Background and purpose Although chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP) is understood as a disease affecting the peripheral nervous system, mild cognitive dysfunction, particularly in the executive domain, has been described to form part of the condition. Here our interest lay in CIDP-related theory of mind (ToM) capacities as an aspect of social cognition relevant for many aspects of everyday life. Methods Twenty-nine patients with CIDP and 23 healthy controls participated in this study. They were subjected to overview cognitive testing, different executive function (EF) tasks, as well as to the Faux Pas Recognition Task (FPRT) for assessing cognitive ToM and the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test (RMET) with respect to affective ToM. Results Persons with CIDP and controls did not differ with respect to their overall cognitive state. However, in the German verbal fluency standard, the digit span forward and the digit span backward tests used as EF tasks patients performed significantly worse than controls. Further, performance was abnormally low in the FPRT, whilst the groups did not differ with respect to RMET results. The FPRT and digit span backward results correlated with each other. Conclusions Patients with CIDP showed deficits in cognitive ToM performance together with EF dysfunction, whilst affective ToM was preserved. Altogether, the results suggest that low cognitive ToM capacities in patients with CIDP arise as a particular aspect of disease-related executive dysfunction.Peer Reviewe

Reversible magnetic mercury extraction from water

A facile and efficient way to decontaminate mercury(II) polluted water with the aid of magnetic, highly stable and recyclable carbon coated cobalt (Co/C) nanoparticles is reported. Comparing non-functionalised Co/C nanomagnets with particles that were functionalised with amino moieties, the latter one proved to be more effective for scavenging mercury with respect to extraction capacity and recyclability. A novel nanoparticle–poly(ethyleneimine) hybrid (Co/C–PEI) prepared by direct ring opening polymerization of aziridine initiated by an amine functionalised nanoparticle surface led to a high capacity material (10 mmol amino groups per g nanomaterial) and thus proved to be the best material for scavenging toxic mercury at relevant concentrations (mg L−1/μg L−1) for at least 6 consecutive cycles. On a large-scale, 20 L of drinking water with an initial Hg2+ concentration of 30 μg L−1 can be decontaminated to the level acceptable for drinking water (≤2 μg L−1) with just 60 mg of Co/C–PEI particles

Effectiveness and safety of opicapone in Parkinson's disease patients with motor fluctuations: The OPTIPARK open-label study

BACKGROUND: The efficacy and safety of opicapone, a once-daily catechol-O-methyltransferase inhibitor, have been established in two large randomized, placebo-controlled, multinational pivotal trials. Still, clinical evidence from routine practice is needed to complement the data from the pivotal trials. METHODS: OPTIPARK (NCT02847442) was a prospective, open-label, single-arm trial conducted in Germany and the UK under clinical practice conditions. Patients with Parkinson’s disease and motor fluctuations were treated with opicapone 50 mg for 3 (Germany) or 6 (UK) months in addition to their current levodopa and other antiparkinsonian treatments. The primary endpoint was the Clinician’s Global Impression of Change (CGI-C) after 3 months. Secondary assessments included Patient Global Impressions of Change (PGI-C), the Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS), Parkinson’s Disease Questionnaire (PDQ-8), and the Non-Motor Symptoms Scale (NMSS). Safety assessments included evaluation of treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs) and serious adverse events (SAEs). RESULTS: Of the 506 patients enrolled, 495 (97.8%) took at least one dose of opicapone. Of these, 393 (79.4%) patients completed 3 months of treatment. Overall, 71.3 and 76.9% of patients experienced any improvement on CGI-C and PGI-C after 3 months, respectively (full analysis set). At 6 months, for UK subgroup only (n = 95), 85.3% of patients were judged by investigators as improved since commencing treatment. UPDRS scores at 3 months showed statistically significant improvements in activities of daily living during OFF (mean ± SD change from baseline: − 3.0 ± 4.6, p < 0.0001) and motor scores during ON (− 4.6 ± 8.1, p < 0.0001). The mean ± SD improvements of − 3.4 ± 12.8 points for PDQ-8 and -6.8 ± 19.7 points for NMSS were statistically significant versus baseline (both p < 0.0001). Most of TEAEs (94.8% of events) were of mild or moderate intensity. TEAEs considered to be at least possibly related to opicapone were reported for 45.1% of patients, with dyskinesia (11.5%) and dry mouth (6.5%) being the most frequently reported. Serious TEAEs considered at least possibly related to opicapone were reported for 1.4% of patients. CONCLUSIONS: Opicapone 50 mg was effective and generally well-tolerated in PD patients with motor fluctuations treated in clinical practice. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Registered in July 2016 at clinicaltrials.gov (NCT02847442)

Raman Spectroscopy of Some Basic Chloride Containing Minerals of Lead and Copper

Raman spectroscopy has been used to characterise several lead and mixed cationic-lead minerals including mendipite, perite, laurionite, diaboléite, boléite, pseudoboléite, chloroxiphite, and cumengéite. Raman spectroscopy enables their vibrational spectra to be compared. The low wavenumber region is characterised by the bands assigned to cation-chloride stretching and bending modes. Phosgenite is a mixed chloride-carbonate mineral and a comparison is made with the molecular structure of the aforementioned minerals. Each mineral shows different hydroxyl-stretching vibrational patterns, but some similarity exists in the Raman spectra of the hydroxyl deformation modes. Raman spectroscopy lends itself to the study of these types of minerals in complex mineral systems involving secondary mineral formation

Raman Spectroscopy of Beaverite and Plumbojarosite

Raman spectroscopy has been used to characterise the compound of formula Pb(Fe 3+,Cu2+)3(SO4)2(OH)6 equivalent to synthetic beaverite, one of the jarosite subgroup minerals. The mineral is characterised by multiple OH stretching vibrations attributed to non-equivalent OH units in the structure. Multiple vibrations are observed for the stretching vibrations indicating the non-equivalence of the sulphate units in the structure. This multiplicity is also reflected in the ν2 and ν4 bending modes. The Raman spectrum of beaverite is significantly different from that of plumbojarosite for which multiple bands are not observed

a study on telemedically treated patients

Einleitung: Fluktuationen motorischer und non-motorischer Symptome sind häufige und belastende Komplikationen beim fortgeschrittenen Morbus Parkinson. Einige non-motorische Symptome treten in Phasen schlechter Beweglichkeit (motorisches „OFF“) häufiger und in stärkerer Ausprägung auf als in vergleichsweise guten Bewegungszuständen (motorisches „ON“). Hauptziel dieser Arbeit war die Untersuchung des dynamischen Zusammenhangs motorischer und non- motorischer Symptomfluktuationen im tageszeitlichen Verlauf unabhängig von einer dichotomen Einteilung in die Extreme motorisches „ON“ versus „OFF“. Methodik: 44 Patienten mit fortgeschrittenem Morbus Parkinson nahmen während einer 30-tägigen, telemedizinischen Therapiemaßnahme viermal täglich standardisierte, an der Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale, Teil III (UPDRS III) orientierte Videoaufnahmen auf. An neun Tagen (Tag 2-4, Tag 14-16, Tag 27-29) bewerteten die Patienten im Anschluss an die Videoaufnahmen ihre motorischen (Gesamt-, Über- und Unterbeweglichkeit) und nicht-motorischen Beschwerden (Affekt, Aufregung, Vigilanz, Zufriedenheit, Anspannung und Schmerz) mittels standardisierter Tagebucheintragungen. Des Weiteren wurden neun der aufgezeichneten Videoaufnahmen pro Patient nachträglich durch den Patienten selbst und einen auf Bewegungsstörungen spezialisierten Neurologen bezüglich der darin abgebildeten Beweglichkeit bewertet und zu den während der Maßnahme bewerteten non-motorischen Symptomen in Beziehung gesetzt. In einer Generalized-Estimating-Equation-Analyse wurden klinisch relevante Korrelationen bei einem p-Wert ≤0,05 und ab einem Korrelationskoeffizienten r (spearman) ≥0,3 angenommen. Ergebnisse: 1\. Alle Patienten zeigten Fluktuationen (95,5% non-motorische Fluktuationen; je nach Rating 88,6% bis 95,5% motorische Fluktuationen). Die häufigsten non-motorischen Fluktuationen betrafen Vigilanz, Anspannung und Zufriedenheit. 2\. Ausgeprägte Fluktuationen von Motorik, Vigilanz, Anspannung und Zufriedenheit waren mit einer längeren Krankheitsdauer und einem früheren Krankheitsbeginn (p ≤0,05) assoziiert. Patienten mit ausgeprägten Fluktuationen von Motorik, Vigilanz und Anspannung nahmen höhere Levodopa-Äquivalenzdosen (p ≤0,05) ein. 3\. Motorische und non- motorische Fluktuationen korrelierten gemäß des initialen Patientenratings (p≤0,05) gleichsinnig (Affekt r = 0,334, Vigilanz r = 0,310, Zufriedenheit r = 0,371). In der video-gestützten Symptomeinschätzung durch Arzt und Patient ergab sich kein Anhalt auf klinisch relevante Korrelationen der motorischen und non-motorischen Fluktuationen (r<0,3). 4\. Die Ausprägung motorischer und non-motorischer Symptome (Affekt r = 0,405, Aufregung r = 0,381, Anspannung r = 0,313, Zufriedenheit r = 0,345) korrelierte (p≤0,05) gleichsinnig nach unmittelbarer Patienteneinschätzung, jedoch nicht gemäß videobasiertem Patienten- bzw. Arztrating. Schlussfolgerung: Zusammenfassend ergab sich kein Anhalt auf einen klinisch-relevanten Zusammenhang der Ausprägung bzw. Veränderung motorischer und non-motorischer Symptome im Tagesverlauf. Die Korrelationen der zeitgleich eingeschätzten non-motorischen und motorischen Symptome in der Patientenbewertung sind wahrscheinlich durch den Einfluss des Gesamtbefindens auf die Wahrnehmung körperlicher Beschwerden zu erklären. Ausgeprägte Fluktuationen waren mit längerer Krankheitsdauer, jüngerem Alter bei Krankheitsbeginn und der Einnahme höherer Levodopa-Äquivalenzdosen assoziiert.Objective: Fluctuations of motor (MS) and non-motor symptoms (NMS) in advanced Parkinson’s disease are frequent and disabling. Some NMS occur more frequently in phases of very poor mobility (motor „OFF“) than in phases of comparatively good mobility (motor „ON“). The aim of this study was to assess the relationship of MS and NMS and their fluctuations in Parkinsonian patients irrespective of the motor extremes „ON“/“OFF“. Methods: 44 Patients with fluctuating Parkinson’s disease, participating in a 30-day telemedicine-based therapy program, recorded standardized movement sequences based on the UPDRS III four times a day. Patients self-rated their MS (general mobility, akinesia, dyskinesia) and NMS (mood, excitement, sleepiness, contentment, mental tension, pain) during each recording at day 2-4, 14-16 and 27-29 using standardized diary entries. After completion of the program, MS exhibited in nine of the recorded videos were evaluated by the patients and a blinded neurologist, and analyzed with respect to the self-ratings of NMS made during the therapy program. In a generalized estimation-equation, clinically relevant correlations were assumed for a p-value ≤0.05 and from a correlation coefficient r ≥ 0.3. Results: 1\. All patients showed fluctuations (95.5% NMS fluctuations; depending on rating 88.6% to 95.5% MS fluctuations). NMS most prone to fluctuations were sleepiness, tension and satisfaction. 2\. Severe fluctuations of MS, sleepiness, tension and satisfaction were associated with longer disease duration and earlier disease onset (p ≤0.05). Patients with severe fluctuations (MS, sleepiness and tension) took higher levodopa equivalent doses (p ≤0.05). 3\. Fluctuations of NMS (mood r = 0.334, sleepiness r = 0.310, satisfaction r = 0.371) correlated (p ≤0.05) with motor fluctuations when based on patients` self-ratings. However, no clinically relevant correlations (r < 0.3) were found in the video-based assessments by expert and patients. 4\. Severity of NMS (mood r = 0.405, excitement r = 0.381, tension r = 0.313, satisfaction r = 0.345) only correlated (p ≤0.05) with MS based on patients’ self-ratings. Conclusions: A clinically relevant association of MS and NMS and their fluctuations throughout the day seems unlikely, as no associations could be seen based on the video-based ratings by expert and patients. The moderate correlations of NMS with MS as initially rated by the patients are probably due to the influence of non-motor states on the motor self-evaluation. Severe fluctuations of NMS and MS were associated with longer disease duration, earlier onset of disease and higher levodopa equivalent doses