Young People With Traumatic Brain Injury in Custody: An Evaluation of a Linkworker Service for Barrow Cadbury Trust and The Disabilities Trust

Neurological disability (ND) is a major source of human suffering and socio-health burden. Acquired Brain Injury (ABI) is one main form of ND where the brain is affected by a virus, stroke or trauma. Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is the main form of ABI and the leading cause of death and disability in children and young adults. TBI is widely acknowledged as a major global health and social concern.This report looks at individuals with ND who are 'at-risk' of offending and entering the Criminal Justice System (CJS). ND is a major issue in this population and TBI is particularly prevalent. For the purposes of this report we draw on the ND literature, in particular with reference to ABI and TBI. Where relevant we note the 'umbrella' of disorders referred to in specific studies and programmes. ABI and TBI are not directly interchangeable, and every individual with a ND may have various degrees of impairment severity, with limits set by society on their optimal life experience. Nevertheless, there is a substantial heterogeneity of experience across and within ND and key themes emerge that may apply to the care, treatment and support of this population.The development, organisation and evaluation of a service is discussed that addresses the needs of YP, aged 15-21 years with ND, particularly with TBI, and who are in the CJS. The term Young People who Offend (YPO) and/or Service User (SU) will be used as appropriate. The report draws conclusions from the study and makes recommendations that will optimise care, support and better outcomes for this vulnerable population

Structural, functional, and metabolic alterations in human cerebrovascular endothelial cells during toxoplasma gondii infection and amelioration by verapamil in vitro

© 2020 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii), the causative agent of toxoplasmosis, is a frequent cause of brain infection. Despite its known ability to invade the brain, there is still a dire need to better understand the mechanisms by which this parasite interacts with and crosses the blood–brain barrier (BBB). The present study revealed structural and functional changes associated with infection and replication of T. gondii within human brain microvascular endothelial cells (BMECs) in vitro. T. gondii proliferated within the BMECs and disrupted the integrity of the cerebrovascular barrier through diminishing the cellular viability, disruption of the intercellular junctions and increasing permeability of the BMEC monolayer, as well as altering lipid homeostasis. Proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR)-based metabolomics combined with multivariate data analysis revealed profiles that can be attributed to infection and variations in the amounts of certain metabolites (e.g., amino acids, fatty acids) in the extracts of infected compared to control cells. Notably, treatment with the Ca2+ channel blocker verapamil rescued BMEC barrier integrity and restricted intracellular replication of the tachyzoites regardless of the time of treatment application (i.e., prior to infection, early-and late-infection). This study provides new insights into the structural and functional changes that accompany T. gondii infection of the BMECs, and sheds light upon the ability of verapamil to inhibit the parasite proliferation and to ameliorate the adverse effects caused by T. gondii infection

Surface Sensing of Quantum Dots by Electron Spins

The nanoscale design of quantum dots (QDs) requires advanced analytical techniques. However, those that are commonly used do not have sufficient sensitivity or spatial resolution. Here, we use magnetic resonance techniques combined with paramagnetic Mn impurities in PbS QDs for sensitive probing of the QD surface and environment. In particular, we reveal inequivalent proton spin relaxations of the capping ligands and solvent molecules, strengths and anisotropies of the Mn nuclear spin interactions, and Mn nuclei distances with ∼1 Å sensitivity. These findings demonstrate the potential of magnetically doped QDs as sensitive magnetic nanoprobes and the use of electron spins for surface sensing

A census of atmospheric variability from seconds to decades

This paper synthesizes and summarizes atmospheric variability on time scales from seconds to decades through a phenomenological census. We focus mainly on unforced variability in the troposphere, stratosphere, and mesosphere. In addition to atmosphere-only modes, our scope also includes coupled modes, in which the atmosphere interacts with the other components of the Earth system, such as the ocean, hydrosphere, and cryosphere. The topics covered include turbulence on time scales of seconds and minutes, gravity waves on time scales of hours, weather systems on time scales of days, atmospheric blocking on time scales of weeks, the Madden–Julian Oscillation on time scales of months, the Quasi-Biennial Oscillation and El Niño–Southern Oscillation on time scales of years, and the North Atlantic, Arctic, Antarctic, Pacific Decadal, and Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillations on time scales of decades. The paper serves as an introduction to a special collection of Geophysical Research Letters on atmospheric variability. We hope that both this paper and the collection will serve as a useful resource for the atmospheric science community and will act as inspiration for setting future research directions

Inline dynamometry provides reliable measurements of quadriceps strength in healthy and ACL-reconstructed individuals and is a valid substitute for isometric electromechanical dynamometry following ACL reconstruction.

BackgroundQuadriceps strength testing is recommended to guide rehabilitation and mitigate the risk of second injury following anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction. Hand-held dynamometry is a practical alternative to electromechanical dynamometry but demonstrates insufficient reliability and criterion validity in healthy and ACL-reconstructed participants respectively. The purpose of this study is to investigate the reliability and concurrent validity of inline dynamometry for measuring quadriceps strength. The hypotheses are that intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) values will be >0.90 for reliability and concurrent validity.MethodsThis was a cross sectional study using a within-participant, repeated measures design. Isometric quadriceps testing was performed at 60° knee flexion in 50 healthy and 52 ACL-reconstructed participants. Interrater reliability, intrarater reliability, and concurrent validity of inline dynamometry was investigated through calculation of ICCs, Bland-Altman analysis, linear regression, standard error of measurement (SEM) and minimal detectable change (MDC).ResultsThe lower bounds of the 95% confidence intervals were >0.90 for all reliability and validity ICCs in healthy and ACL-reconstructed participants, except for intrarater reliability in healthy participants using absolute scores (ICC = 0.936 [95% CI 0.890-0.963]). In ACL-reconstructed participants, Bland-Altman bias was 0.01 Nm/kg for absolute and average scores, limits of agreement were -11.74% to 12.59% for absolute scores, the SEM was 0.13Nm/kg (95% CI 0.10-0.17) and the MDC was 0.36Nm/kg (95% CI 0.28 - 0.47).ConclusionInline dynamometry is a reliable and economical alternative to electromechanical dynamometry for the assessment of quadriceps strength following ACL-reconstruction.Clinical trial registration numberClinicalTrials.gov (NCT05109871)

Variation in Recent Onset Parkinson's Disease : Implications for Prodromal Detection

The research was funded by Parkinson’s UK and supported by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) DeNDRoN network, the NIHR Newcastle Biomedical Research Unit based at Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Newcastle University, and the NIHR funded Biomedical Research Centre in Cambridge.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Developing and validating Parkinson's disease subtypes and their motor and cognitive progression

Peer reviewedPublisher PD