Differentiating comorbidities and predicting prognosis in idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus using cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers: a review

Idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus (iNPH) is a condition resulting from impaired cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) absorption and excretion characterized by a triad of symptoms comprising dementia, gait disturbance (impaired trunk balance), and urinary incontinence. CSF biomarkers not only assist in diagnosis but are also important for analyzing the pathology and understanding appropriate treatment indications. As the neuropathological findings characteristic of iNPH have yet to be defined, there remains no method to diagnose iNPH with 100% sensitivity and specificity. Neurotoxic proteins are assumed to be involved in the neurological symptoms of iNPH, particularly the appearance of cognitive impairment. The symptoms of iNPH can be reversed by improving CSF turnover through shunting. However, early diagnosis is essential as once neurodegeneration has progressed, pathological changes become irreversible and symptom improvement is minimal, even after shunting. Combining a variety of diagnostic methods may lead to a more definitive diagnosis and accurate prediction of the prognosis following shunt treatment. Identifying comorbidities in iNPH using CSF biomarkers does not contraindicate shunting-based intervention, but does limit the improvement in symptoms it yields, and provides vital information for predicting post-treatment prognosi

Development of an experimental platform for combinative use of an XFEL and a high-power nanosecond laser

We developed an experimental platform for combinative use of an X-ray free electron laser (XFEL) and a high-power nanosecond laser. The main target of the platform is an investigation of matter under high-pressure states produced by a laser-shock compression. In this paper, we show details of the experimental platform, including XFEL parameters and the focusing optics, the laser irradiation system and X-ray diagnostics. As a demonstration of the high-power laser-pump XFEL-probe experiment, we performed an X-ray diffraction measurement. An in-situ single-shot X-ray diffraction pattern expands to a large angle side, which shows a corundum was compressed by laser irradiation.Inubushi, Y.; Yabuuchi, T.; Togashi, T.; Sueda, K.; Miyanishi, K.; Tange, Y.; Ozaki, N.; Matsuoka, T.; Kodama, R.; Osaka, T.; Matsuyama, S.; Yamauchi, K.; Yumoto, H.; Koyama, T.; Ohashi, H.; Tono, K.; Yabashi, M. Development of an Experimental Platform for Combinative Use of an XFEL and a High-Power Nanosecond Laser. Appl. Sci. 2020, 10, 2224. https://doi.org/10.3390/app10072224

Delayed non-parenchymal cisternal abscess following surgical intervention for the treatment of an endodermal cyst: A case report

We report a case of a 61-year-old woman with delayed non-parenchymal cisternal abscess following surgical intervention for the treatment of an endodermal cyst. Although non-parenchymal cisternal abscess is an extremely rare condition, it is essential to include it in the differential diagnosis of mass lesions that are localized to the cisterna in patients who have undergone intracranial surgeries. Keywords: Brain abscess, Endodermal cyst, Complication, Non-parenchymal absces

Liquid structure of tantalum under internal negative pressure

In situ femtosecond x-ray diffraction measurements and ab initio molecular dynamics simulations were performed to study the liquid structure of tantalum shock-released from several hundred gigapascals (GPa) to the ambient condition on the nanosecond timescale. The results show that the internal negative pressure applied to the liquid tantalum reached -5.6 (0.8) GPa, suggesting the existence of a liquid-gas mixing state due to cavitation. This is the first direct evidence to prove the classical nucleation theory which predicts that liquids with high surface tension can support GPa regime tensile stress

Ultrafast olivine-ringwoodite transformation during shock compression

International audienceMeteorites from interplanetary space often include high-pressure polymorphs of their constituent minerals, which provide records of past hypervelocity collisions. These collisions were expected to occur between kilometre-sized asteroids, generating transient high-pressure states lasting for several seconds to facilitate mineral transformations across the relevant phase boundaries. However, their mechanisms in such a short timescale were never experimentally evaluated and remained speculative. Here, we show a nanosecond transformation mechanism yielding ringwoodite, which is the most typical high-pressure mineral in meteorites. An olivine crystal was shock-compressed by a focused high-power laser pulse, and the transformation was time-resolved by femtosecond diffractometry using an X-ray free electron laser. Our results show the formation of ringwoodite through a faster, diffusionless process, suggesting that ringwoodite can form from collisions between much smaller bodies, such as metre to submetre-sized asteroids, at common relative velocities. Even nominally unshocked meteorites could therefore contain signatures of high-pressure states from past collisions