Unilateral vs. bilateral STN DBS effects on working memory and motor function in Parkinson disease

Bilateral subthalamic nucleus deep brain stimulation (STN DBS) can reduce working memory while improving motor function in Parkinson disease (PD), but findings are variable. One possible explanation for this variability is that the effects of bilateral STN DBS on working memory function depend in part on functional or disease asymmetry. The goal of this study was to determine the relative contributions of unilateral DBS to the effects seen with bilateral DBS. Motor (Unified Parkinson Disease Rating Scale Part III, UPDRS) and working memory function (Spatial Delayed Response, SDR) were measured in 49 PD patients with bilateral STN DBS while stimulators were Both-off, Left-on, Right-on and Both-on in a randomized, double-blind manner. Patients were off PD medications overnight. Effects of unilateral DBS were compared to effects of bilateral STN DBS. Mean UPDRS and SDR responses to Left-on vs. Right-on conditions did not differ (p>.20). However, improvement in contralateral UPDRS was greater and SDR performance was more impaired by unilateral DBS in the more affected side of the brain than in the less affected side of the brain (p=.008). The effect of unilateral DBS on the more affected side on contralateral UPDRS and SDR responses was equivalent to that of bilateral DBS. These results suggest that motor and working memory function respond to unilateral STN DBS differentially depending on the asymmetry of motor symptoms

Fabrication and subband gap optical properties of silicon supersaturated with chalcogens by ion implantation and pulsed laser melting

Topographically flat, single crystal silicon supersaturated with the chalcogens S, Se, and Te was prepared by ion implantation followed by pulsed laser melting and rapid solidification. The influences of the number of laser shots on the atomic and carrier concentration-depth profiles were measured with secondary ion mass spectrometry and spreading resistance profiling, respectively. We found good agreement between the atomic concentration-depth profiles obtained from experiments and a one-dimensional model for plane-front melting, solidification, liquid-phase diffusion, with kinetic solute trapping, and surface evaporation. Broadband subband gap absorption is exhibited by all dopants over a wavelength range from 1 to 2.5 microns. The absorption did not change appreciably with increasing number of laser shots, despite a measurable loss of chalcogen and of electronic carriers after each shot.One of the authors M.T. acknowledges the financial support of the Fulbright Program. This research was supported in part by the U.S. Army ARDEC under Contract No. W15QKN-07- P-0092

Effects of Fusarium graminearum and Fusarium poae on disease parameters, grain quality and mycotoxin contamination in barley (part II)

BACKGROUND: Barley is one of the most important winter crops in the world, with multiple uses such as human consumption, animal feed and for the malting industry. This crop is affected by different diseases, such as Fusarium Head Blight (FHB), that causes losses in yield and quality. In the last years F. graminearum and F. poae were two of the most frequently isolated species in barley grains, so the aim of this study was to evaluate the interaction between these Fusarium species and the effects on disease parameters, grain quality and mycotoxin contamination on five barley genotypes under field conditions. RESULTS: Statistical differences between Fusarium treatments for some parameters depending mainly on the year/genotype were found. The results showed that germination process was affected by both Fusarium species. As to grain quality and the different hordein fractions, it was observed that F. graminearum affects preferentially D and C hordeins Different concentrations of nivalenol, deoxynivalenol and their acetylated derivatives (3-ADON and 15-ADON) were detected. CONCLUSIONS: In the present work, no evidence of synergism between F. graminearum and F. poae were found regarding disease parameters and mycotoxin contamination. However, at least in the years with favorable climatic conditions to FHB development and depending on the barley genotype, a continuous monitoring is deemed necessary to prevent the negative impact on protein composition and germinative parametersFil: Martínez, Mauro. Universidad Nacional del Centro de la Provincia de Buenos Aires; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Cientifico Tecnolológico Mar del Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Biotecnología. Laboratorio de Biología Funcional y Biotecnología; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mar del Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Biotecnología; ArgentinaFil: Ramirez Albuquerque, Lady Diana. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Micología y Botánica. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Micología y Botánica; ArgentinaFil: Dinolfo, María Inés. Universidad Nacional del Centro de la Provincia de Buenos Aires; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Cientifico Tecnolológico Mar del Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Biotecnología. Laboratorio de Biología Funcional y Biotecnología; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mar del Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Biotecnología; ArgentinaFil: Biganzoli, Fernando. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Agronomía. Departamento de Métodos Cuantitativos y Sistemas de Información; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Instituto de Investigaciones Fisiológicas y Ecológicas Vinculadas a la Agricultura. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Agronomía. Instituto de Investigaciones Fisiológicas y Ecológicas Vinculadas a la Agricultura; ArgentinaFil: Fernández Pinto, Virginia Elena. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Micología y Botánica. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Micología y Botánica; ArgentinaFil: Stenglein, Sebastian Alberto. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Cientifico Tecnolológico Mar del Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Biotecnología. Laboratorio de Biología Funcional y Biotecnología; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mar del Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Biotecnología; Argentin

Pregnancy in multiple system atrophy: a case report

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Introduction</p> <p>Multiple system atrophy is a late, adult-onset α-synucleinopathy with no data on the effect of pregnancy on the disease course. Early stage multiple system atrophy can be difficult to distinguish from Parkinson's disease.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>We describe the case of an Irish woman with parkinsonism starting at age 31, initially diagnosed as having dopa-responsive, idiopathic Parkinson's disease, who successfully delivered a full-term child at age 35. Her pregnancy was complicated by severe orthostatic hypotension and motor fluctuations. Two years post-partum, she underwent bilateral subthalamic nuclei deep brain stimulation for intractable motor fluctuations and disabling dyskinesia. After this treatment course she experienced deterioration of motor symptoms and death eight years after disease onset. Post-mortem neuropathological examination revealed striatonigral degeneration and α-synuclein-positive glial cytoplasmic inclusions in brain stem nuclei, basal ganglia and white matter tracts, consistent with a neuropathological diagnosis of multiple system atrophy.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Multiple system atrophy can affect women of child-bearing age and pregnancy may be associated with marked disease progression.</p

Emergence of Very Broad Infrared Absorption Band by Hyperdoping of Silicon with Chalcogens

We report the near through mid-infrared (MIR) optical absorption spectra, over the range 0.05–1.3 eV, of monocrystalline silicon layers hyperdoped with chalcogen atoms synthesized by ion implantation followed by pulsed laser melting. A broad mid-infrared optical absorption band emerges, peaking near 0.5 eV for sulfur and selenium and 0.3 eV for tellurium hyperdoped samples. Its strength and width increase with impurity concentration. Its strength decreases markedly with subsequent thermal annealing. The emergence of a broad MIR absorption band is consistent with the formation of an impurity band from isolated deep donor levels as the concentration of chalcogen atoms in metastable local configurations increases.Engineering and Applied Science

High-throughput mutational analysis of TOR1A in primary dystonia

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Although the c.904_906delGAG mutation in Exon 5 of <it>TOR1A </it>typically manifests as early-onset generalized dystonia, DYT1 dystonia is genetically and clinically heterogeneous. Recently, another Exon 5 mutation (c.863G>A) has been associated with early-onset generalized dystonia and some ΔGAG mutation carriers present with late-onset focal dystonia. The aim of this study was to identify <it>TOR1A </it>Exon 5 mutations in a large cohort of subjects with mainly non-generalized primary dystonia.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>High resolution melting (HRM) was used to examine the entire <it>TOR1A </it>Exon 5 coding sequence in 1014 subjects with primary dystonia (422 spasmodic dysphonia, 285 cervical dystonia, 67 blepharospasm, 41 writer's cramp, 16 oromandibular dystonia, 38 other primary focal dystonia, 112 segmental dystonia, 16 multifocal dystonia, and 17 generalized dystonia) and 250 controls (150 neurologically normal and 100 with other movement disorders). Diagnostic sensitivity and specificity were evaluated in an additional 8 subjects with known ΔGAG DYT1 dystonia and 88 subjects with ΔGAG-negative dystonia.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>HRM of <it>TOR1A </it>Exon 5 showed high (100%) diagnostic sensitivity and specificity. HRM was rapid and economical. HRM reliably differentiated the <it>TOR1A </it>ΔGAG and c.863G>A mutations. Melting curves were normal in 250/250 controls and 1012/1014 subjects with primary dystonia. The two subjects with shifted melting curves were found to harbor the classic ΔGAG deletion: 1) a non-Jewish Caucasian female with childhood-onset multifocal dystonia and 2) an Ashkenazi Jewish female with adolescent-onset spasmodic dysphonia.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>First, HRM is an inexpensive, diagnostically sensitive and specific, high-throughput method for mutation discovery. Second, Exon 5 mutations in <it>TOR1A </it>are rarely associated with non-generalized primary dystonia.</p

No Differential Regulation of Dopamine Transporter (DAT) and Vesicular Monoamine Transporter 2 (VMAT2) Binding in a Primate Model of Parkinson Disease

Radioligands for DAT and VMAT2 are widely used presynaptic markers for assessing dopamine (DA) nerve terminals in Parkinson disease (PD). Previous in vivo imaging and postmortem studies suggest that these transporter sites may be regulated as the numbers of nigrostriatal neurons change in pathologic conditions. To investigate this issue, we used in vitro quantitative autoradioradiography to measure striatal DAT and VMAT2 specific binding in postmortem brain from 14 monkeys after unilateral internal carotid artery infusion of 1-Methyl-4-Phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) with doses varying from 0 to 0.31 mg/kg. Quantitative estimates of the number of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH)-immunoreactive (ir) neurons in substantia nigra (SN) were determined with unbiased stereology, and quantitative autoradiography was used to measure DAT and VMAT2 striatal specific binding. Striatal VMAT2 and DAT binding correlated with striatal DA (rs = 0.83, rs = 0.80, respectively, both with n = 14, p<0.001) but only with nigra TH-ir cells when nigral cell loss was 50% or less (r = 0.93, n = 8, p = 0.001 and r = 0.91, n = 8, p = 0.002 respectively). Reduction of VMAT2 and DAT striatal specific binding sites strongly correlated with each other (r = 0.93, n = 14, p<0.0005). These similar changes in DAT and VMAT2 binding sites in the striatal terminal fields of the surviving nigrostriatal neurons demonstrate that there is no differential regulation of these two sites at 2 months after MPTP infusion