12 research outputs found
Noninvasive prediction of shunt operation outcome in idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus
Idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus (iNPH) is a syndrome characterized by gait disturbance, cognitive deterioration and urinary incontinence in elderly individuals. These symptoms can be improved by shunt operation in some but not all patients. Therefore, discovering predictive factors for the surgical outcome is of great clinical importance. We used normalized power variance (NPV) of electroencephalography (EEG) waves, a sensitive measure of the instability of cortical electrical activity, and found significantly higher NPV in beta frequency band at the right fronto-temporo-occipital electrodes (Fp2, T4 and O2) in shunt responders compared to non-responders. By utilizing these differences, we were able to correctly identify responders and non-responders to shunt operation with a positive predictive value of 80% and a negative predictive value of 88%. Our findings indicate that NPV can be useful in noninvasively predicting the clinical outcome of shunt operation in patients with iNPH
The intestinal microbiota and cardiovascular disease
The intestinal microbiota of human hosts is the community of
microorganisms living in the small and, mainly, the large intestine of
humans. This microbial ecosystem has co-evolved with humans across the
millennia, has come to play an important interactive role in human
physiology and has been aptly called our forgotten organ. Significant
properties of the microbiota benefiting its host include energy harvest
from food sources indigestible by humans, protection from pathogen
colonization, and vitamin synthesis. Mounting evidence has linked
changes in the composition or metabolic profiles of the microbiota with
human disease, including disorders of the cardiovascular spectrum.
Although cause and effect mechanisms are as yet essentially unproven in
the relevant literature, the established associations point to the
importance of the microbiota in the pathophysiology of cardiovascular
disease (CVD). In this review, we first summarize key information on the
gut microbial communities and the elaborate tools developed to analyse
their structure and metabolic functions. Ecological terms are explained
and analytical techniques are simplified, to enhance the understanding
of published studies. Statistical methods used in microbial analysis are
also described in simple terms. We then present published literature on
the association of the compositional and functional changes of the
microbiota with CVD, including heart failure, hypertension, and
atherosclerosis. Each section of the review deals with the underlying
pathophysiology of the relevant associations, connecting the
observational and mechanistic aspects. Finally, we discuss the
challenges that remain to be met before this field of research can
generate knowledge which can impact everyday clinical practice
Diagnostic performance of coronary angiography utilizing intraprocedural 320-row computed tomography with minimal contrast medium
Recently developed coronary angiography with intraprocedural 320-row
computed tomography can be performed in a catheterization laboratory
(XACT) by injecting contrast medium from a place close to the coronary
arteries, thereby requiring a minimal amount of contrast medium.
However, its clinical application has not yet been established. This
study aimed to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of XACT angiography with
a minimal volume of contrast medium in patients with suspected coronary
artery disease (CAD). A total of 167 coronary segments were analyzed in
14 patients (9 males, median age 70 years) with suspected CAD by XACT
angiography with 7.5 ml of contrast medium and invasive coronary
angiography (ICA) with standard techniques. The segmental-based
diagnostic accuracy of XACT angiography in detecting stenosis of >= 50%
and >= 75% and visualized by ICA was good (sensitivity: 74% and 62%,
specificity: 99% and 99%, positive predictive value: 93% and 80%,
and negative predictive value: 97% and 97%, respectively). These
results suggest that XACT angiography with a very low amount of contrast
medium may have strong clinical utility for screening coronary arteries
in patients with renal dysfunction or undergoing clinical procedures
such as pacemaker implantation
Frontal midline theta rhythm and gamma power changes during focused attention on mental calculation: an MEG beamformer analysis
Frontal midline theta rhythm and gamma power changes during focused attention on mental calculation: an MEG beamformer analysis
Frontal midline theta rhythm (Fmθ) appears widely distributed over medial prefrontal areas in EEG recordings, indicating focused attention. Although mental calculation is often used as an attention-demanding task, little has been reported on calculation-related activation in Fmθ experiments. In this study we used spatially filtered MEG and permutation analysis to precisely localize cortical generators of the magnetic counterpart of Fmθ, as well as other sources of oscillatory activity associated with mental calculation processing (i.e., arithmetic subtraction). Our results confirmed and extended earlier EEG/MEG studies indicating that Fmθ during mental calculation is generated in the dorsal anterior cingulate and adjacent medial prefrontal cortex. Mental subtraction was also associated with gamma event-related synchronization, as an index of activation, in right parietal regions subserving basic numerical processing and number-based spatial attention. Gamma event-related desynchronization appeared in the right lateral prefrontal cortex, likely representing a mechanism to interrupt neural activity that can interfere with the ongoing cognitive task
Emotion Regulation of Neuroticism: Emotional Information Processing Related to Psychosomatic State Evaluated by Electroencephalography and Exact Low-Resolution Brain Electromagnetic Tomography
Emotion regulation is the process that adjusts the type or amount of emotion when we experience an emotional situation. The aim of this study was to reveal quantitative changes in brain activity during emotional information processing related to psychosomatic states and to determine electrophysiological features of neuroticism. Twenty-two healthy subjects (mean age 25 years, 14 males and 8 females) were registered. Electroencephalography (EEG) was measured during an emotional audiovisual memory task under three conditions (neutral, pleasant and unpleasant sessions). We divided the subjects into two groups using the Cornell Medical Index (CMI): (CMI-I: control group, n = 10: CMI-II, III or IV: neuroticism group, n = 12). We analyzed the digital EEG data using exact low-resolution brain electromagnetic tomography (eLORETA) current source density (CSD) and functional connectivity analysis in several frequency bands (?, ?, ?, ?, ? and whole band). In all subjects, bilateral frontal ? CSD in the unpleasant session increased compared to the pleasant session, especially in the control group (p < 0.05). CSD of the neuroticism group was significantly higher than that of the control group in the full band at the amygdala and inferior temporal gyrus, and in the ? band at the right temporal lobe (p < 0.05). Additionally, we found an increase in functional connectivity between the left insular cortex and right superior temporal gyrus in all subjects during the unpleasant session compared to the pleasant session (p < 0.05). In this study, using EEG analysis, we could find a novel cortical network related to brain mechanisms underlying emotion regulation. Overall findings indicate that it is possible to characterize neuroticism electrophysiologically, which may serve as a neurophysiological marker of this personality trait
Emotion Regulation of Neuroticism: Emotional Information Processing Related to Psychosomatic State Evaluated by Electroencephalography and Exact Low-Resolution Brain Electromagnetic Tomography
Mechanisms, therapeutic implications, and methodological challenges of gut microbiota and cardiovascular diseases: a position paper by the ESC Working Group on Coronary Pathophysiology and Microcirculation
The human gut microbiota is the microbial ecosystem in the small and large intestines of humans. It has been naturally preserved and evolved to play an important role in the function of the gastrointestinal tract and the physiology of its host, protecting from pathogen colonization, and participating in vitamin synthesis, the functions of the immune system, as well as glucose homeostasis and lipid metabolism, among others. Mounting evidence from animal and human studies indicates that the composition and metabolic profiles of the gut microbiota are linked to the pathogenesis of cardiovascular disease, particularly arterial hypertension, atherosclerosis, and heart failure. In this review article, we provide an overview of the function of the human gut microbiota, summarize, and critically address the evidence linking compositional and functional alterations of the gut microbiota with atherosclerosis and coronary artery disease and discuss the potential of strategies for therapeutically targeting the gut microbiota through various interventions
Mechanisms, therapeutic implications, and methodological challenges of gut microbiota and cardiovascular diseases: a position paper by the ESC Working Group on Coronary Pathophysiology and Microcirculation
The human gut microbiota is the microbial ecosystem in the small and large intestines of humans. It has been naturally preserved and evolved to play an important role in the function of the gastrointestinal tract and the physiology of its host, protecting from pathogen colonization, and participating in vitamin synthesis, the functions of the immune system, as well as glucose homeostasis and lipid metabolism, among others. Mounting evidence from animal and human studies indicates that the composition and metabolic profiles of the gut microbiota are linked to the pathogenesis of cardiovascular disease, particularly arterial hypertension, atherosclerosis, and heart failure. In this review article, we provide an overview of the function of the human gut microbiota, summarize, and critically address the evidence linking compositional and functional alterations of the gut microbiota with atherosclerosis and coronary artery disease and discuss the potential of strategies for therapeutically targeting the gut microbiota through various interventions