Interictal Functional Connectivity of Human Epileptic Networks Assessed by Intracerebral EEG and BOLD Signal Fluctuations

In this study, we aimed to demonstrate whether spontaneous fluctuations in the blood oxygen level dependent (BOLD) signal derived from resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) reflect spontaneous neuronal activity in pathological brain regions as well as in regions spared by epileptiform discharges. This is a crucial issue as coherent fluctuations of fMRI signals between remote brain areas are now widely used to define functional connectivity in physiology and in pathophysiology. We quantified functional connectivity using non-linear measures of cross-correlation between signals obtained from intracerebral EEG (iEEG) and resting-state functional MRI (fMRI) in 5 patients suffering from intractable temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE). Functional connectivity was quantified with both modalities in areas exhibiting different electrophysiological states (epileptic and non affected regions) during the interictal period. Functional connectivity as measured from the iEEG signal was higher in regions affected by electrical epileptiform abnormalities relative to non-affected areas, whereas an opposite pattern was found for functional connectivity measured from the BOLD signal. Significant negative correlations were found between the functional connectivities of iEEG and BOLD signal when considering all pairs of signals (theta, alpha, beta and broadband) and when considering pairs of signals in regions spared by epileptiform discharges (in broadband signal). This suggests differential effects of epileptic phenomena on electrophysiological and hemodynamic signals and/or an alteration of the neurovascular coupling secondary to pathological plasticity in TLE even in regions spared by epileptiform discharges. In addition, indices of directionality calculated from both modalities were consistent showing that the epileptogenic regions exert a significant influence onto the non epileptic areas during the interictal period. This study shows that functional connectivity measured by iEEG and BOLD signals give complementary but sometimes inconsistent information in TLE

Value of ultrasonography as a marker of early response to abatacept in patients with rheumatoid arthritis and an inadequate response to methotrexate: results from the APPRAISE study

Objectives: To study the responsiveness of a combined power Doppler and greyscale ultrasound (PDUS) score for assessing synovitis in biologic-naïve patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) starting abatacept plus methotrexate (MTX). Methods: In this open-label, multicentre, single-arm study, patients with RA (MTX inadequate responders) received intravenous abatacept (∼10 mg/kg) plus MTX for 24 weeks. A composite PDUS synovitis score, developed by the Outcome Measures in Rheumatology–European League Against Rheumatism (OMERACT–EULAR)-Ultrasound Task Force, was used to evaluate individual joints. The maximal score of each joint was added into a Global OMERACT–EULAR Synovitis Score (GLOESS) for bilateral metacarpophalangeal joints (MCPs) 2–5 (primary objective). The value of GLOESS containing other joint sets was explored, along with clinical efficacy. Results: Eighty-nine patients completed the 24-week treatment period. The earliest PDUS sign of improvement in synovitis was at week 1 (mean change in GLOESS (MCPs 2–5): −0.7 (95% CIs −1.2 to −0.1)), with continuous improvement to week 24. Early improvement was observed in the component scores (power Doppler signal at week 1, synovial hyperplasia at week 2, joint effusion at week 4). Comparable changes were observed for 22 paired joints and minimal joint subsets. Mean Disease Activity Score 28 (C reactive protein) was significantly reduced from weeks 1 to 24, reaching clinical meaningful improvement (change ≥1.2) at week 8. Conclusions: In this first international prospective study, the composite PDUS score is responsive to abatacept. GLOESS demonstrated the rapid onset of action of abatacept, regardless of the number of joints examined. Ultrasound is an objective tool to monitor patients with RA under treatment. Trial registration number: NCT00767325

Nat Genet

The function of the majority of genes in the mouse and human genomes remains unknown. The mouse embryonic stem cell knockout resource provides a basis for the characterization of relationships between genes and phenotypes. The EUMODIC consortium developed and validated robust methodologies for the broad-based phenotyping of knockouts through a pipeline comprising 20 disease-oriented platforms. We developed new statistical methods for pipeline design and data analysis aimed at detecting reproducible phenotypes with high power. We acquired phenotype data from 449 mutant alleles, representing 320 unique genes, of which half had no previous functional annotation. We captured data from over 27,000 mice, finding that 83% of the mutant lines are phenodeviant, with 65% demonstrating pleiotropy. Surprisingly, we found significant differences in phenotype annotation according to zygosity. New phenotypes were uncovered for many genes with previously unknown function, providing a powerful basis for hypothesis generation and further investigation in diverse systems.Comment in : Genetic differential calculus. [Nat Genet. 2015] Comment in : Scaling up phenotyping studies. [Nat Biotechnol. 2015

From Galilean Covariance to Maxwell Equations: Back to the Quasi-Static Regimes

International audienceGalilean electromagnetism is derived from a thermodynamic approach. Attention is paid on various regimes allowed by the quasi-static limit. It is emphasized that classical definition of electro-quasi-stationary and magneto-quasi-static regimes does not cover all the low-frequency case studies. As suggested by the thermodynamic approach of electromagnetism, it is proposed to: 1) discuss the validity of the regimes at the device scale and 2) derive the set of equations underlying the regimes from the variations of the magnetic and electrostatic powers instead of the magnitudes of the magnetic flux density and the electric field

Emotion Recognition Based on High-Resolution EEG Recordings and Reconstructed Brain Sources

International audienceElectroencephalography (EEG)-based emotion recognition is currently a hot issue in the affective computing community. Numerous studies have been published on this topic, following generally the same schema 1) presentation of emotional stimuli to a number of subjects during the recording of their EEG, 2) application of machine learning techniques to classify the subjects' emotions. The proposed approaches vary mainly in the type of features extracted from the EEG and in the employed classifiers, but it is difficult to compare the reported results due to the use of different datasets. In this paper, we present a new database for the analysis of valence (positive or negative emotions), which is made publicly available. The database comprises physiological recordings and 257-channel EEG data, contrary to all previously published datasets, which include at most 62 EEG channels. Furthermore, we reconstruct the brain activity on the cortical surface by applying source localization techniques. We then compare the performances of valence classification that can be achieved with various features extracted from all source regions (source space features) and from all EEG channels (sensor space features), showing that the source reconstruction improves the classification results. Finally, we discuss the influence of several parameters on the classification scores. © 2010-2012 IEEE

Adaptive meshing for eddy current calculations

International audienceEddy currents are at the origin of losses and signal distorsions in power electrical. In order to address their considerable impacts on both the energy efficiency and the performance requirement, eddy current modeling and its accuraccy are discussed from a thermodynamic approach. Whereas adaptive meshing strategies were extensively used in static cases, some valuable results are carried out in an induction machine case-study, providing a general validation for transient regimes

Methotrexate does not influence infliximab pharmacokinetics and concentration-effect relationship in ankylosing spondylitis patients

International audienc

Pharmacological treatment (biotherapy excluded) of peripheral psoriatic arthritis: Development of recommendations for clinical practice based on data from the literature and experts opinion

International audienceObjectives: To develop recommendations about treatment (except anti-TNF agents) of psoriatic arthritis with peripheral joint involvement (PsA) seen in everyday practice, using evidence from the literature, supplemented with expert opinion when needed. Methods: The recommendations were based on evidence from the literature. First, a scientific committee used a Delphi procedure to select five focal points of interest. Then, a literature task force looked for relevant publications in the following: Cochrane, Pubmed, and Ovid databases and abstracts from the French Society for Rheumatology, European League against Rheumatism and American College of Rheumatology. Based on the data from these publications, recommendations were drafted and then validated by a group of 68 experts. The strength of each recommendation was determined, as well as the extent of agreement among the experts. Results: The evidence extracted from 73 selected papers was presented to experts during interactive workshops. At the end of the workshops, the experts drafted six recommendations, which were then validated by a final vote including all participants. These six recommendations displayed various strength from B to D. Conclusion: These recommendations should help to improve practice uniformity and, ultimately, to improve the management of PsA in France. (C) 2009 Societe francaise de rhumatologie. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved

Diagnosis of peripheral psoriatic arthritis: recommendations for clinical practice based on data from the literature and experts opinion.

International audienceOBJECTIVE: To propose French recommendations for the clinical, biological and radiological diagnosis of peripheral psoriatic arthritis (PsA) in daily practice based on data from the literature and expert opinion. METHOD: The strategy was the following: the choice of four questions, concerning this topic by the scientific committee according to the Delphi method, forming the basis of the recommendations. The Systematic literature research based on Medline, Cochrane and abstracts from the annual meetings of the French society of rheumatology (SFR), American college of rheumatology (ACR) and European ligue against rheumatism (EULAR). An experts committee of rheumatologists elaborated, validated specifying the strength and the degree of agreement of each recommendation. RESULTS: The questions selected were: (1) What clinical data should be collected to assist in the diagnosis of psoriatic arthritis? (2) What laboratory tests, immunological tests, and genetic tests should be performed to assist in the diagnosis of psoriatic arthritis? (3) What are the radiological investigations useful in the diagnosis of psoriatic arthritis? (4) What classification and/or diagnosis criteria can assist in the diagnosis of psoriatic arthritis? A literature search identified 1627 abstracts and 33 articles were included and analyzed. Four recommendations relative to the diagnosis were drafted and validated by a final vote of the experts committee. CONCLUSION: Recommendations concerning the diagnosis of PsA for daily practice were developed and validated on the basis of data from the literature and expert opinion. They should help to establish the diagnosis of PsA in daily practice