Syringopleural Shunt Insertion Using a Minimally Invasive Approach: Technical Note, Case Series, and Review of the Literature

Objective Syringomyelia is a rare neurosurgical condition that could benefit from insertion of a syringopleural shunt in selected symptomatic cases. Treatment of syringomyelia through minimally invasive intervention is an attractive alternative to open approach. The objective of this report is to demonstrate the technical aspect, assess the feasibility, outcomes, and complications of syringopleural shunt insertion through minimally invasive surgical (MIS) approach. Methods Single-center retrospective chart review was done on patients with syringomyelia who underwent insertion of syringopleural shunts using the Metrx QuadrantTM retractor system from January 1, 2008 to April 1, 2020. A technical report of the steps of the surgical intervention is also described. Results Ten procedures were performed on 9 patients with a mean follow-up of 7.2 years. The etiologies of syringomyelia included post-traumatic, Chiari malformation, idiopathic, and diastematomyelia. All patients underwent correction of underlying etiologies prior to insertion of syringopleural shunts. Six patients (67%) had sustained neurological improvement, and 3 (33%) had halted progression of myelopathy. One patient was admitted for urgent removal of newly inserted syringopleural shunt due to immediate postoperative neurological decline and subsequently returned to their neurological baseline. The remaining eight patients were discharged on the same day of surgery. Conclusion Minimally invasive techniques have not been widely utilized in the treatment of syringomyelia. Our case series presents a novel, minimally invasive technique for the insertion of a syringopleural shunt, with reduced hospital stay and durable outcomes. Further, our series demonstrates that this technique is feasible and safe in appropriately selected patients

Real-Time Neural Signals of Disorder and Order Perception

Order and disorder are prevalent in everyday life, yet little is known about the neural real-time processing that occurs during the perception of disorder relative to order. In the present study, from a cognitive perspective, by adopting the ERP method, we aimed to examine the elicited real-time neural signals of disorder and order perception when participants processed physical environmental and basic visual disorder and order pictures in an irrelevant red or green rectangle detection task, and we attempted to test the hypothesis of cognitive disfluency in disorder perception. Generally, we observed that at each measured time interval, the ERPs elicited by order stimuli were more positive (less negative) in amplitude than those elicited by disorder stimuli at the frontal electrodes (represented by F7/F8, FT7/FT8, Fz, and FCz), whereas at the posterior electrodes (represented by P7/P8, PO7/PO8, Pz, and POz), the opposite was true. These data reveal for the first time the neural underpinnings of disorder and order perception, extending our understanding of the nature of disorder and order. This study also contributes to the cognitive fluency literature and indirectly expands the research on disorder and order stimuli in cognitive fluency

Isolation and Characterization of Microsatellite Loci for Hibiscus aridicola (Malvaceae), an Endangered Plant Endemic to the Dry-Hot Valleys of Jinsha River in Southwest China

Hibiscus aridicola (Malvaceae) is an endangered ornamental shrub endemic to the dry-hot valleys of Jinsha River in southwest China. Only four natural populations of H. aridicola exist in the wild according to our field investigation. It can be inferred that H. aridicola is facing a very high risk of extinction in the wild and an urgent conservation strategy is required. By using a modified biotin-streptavidin capture method, a total of 40 microsatellite markers were developed and characterized in H. aridicola for the first time. Polymorphisms were evaluated in 39 individuals from four natural populations. Fifteen of the markers showed polymorphisms with two to six alleles per locus; the observed heterozygosity ranged from 0.19 to 0.72. These microsatellite loci would be useful tools for population genetics studies on H. aridicola and other con-generic species which are important to the conservation and development of endangered species

Overall and cause-specific mortality rates among men and women with high exposure to indoor air pollution from the use of smoky and smokeless coal: a cohort study in Xuanwei, China

OBJECTIVES: Never-smoking women in Xuanwei (XW), China, have some of the highest lung cancer rates in the country. This has been attributed to the combustion of smoky coal used for indoor cooking and heating. The aim of this study was to evaluate the spectrum of cause-specific mortality in this unique population, including among those who use smokeless coal, considered 'cleaner' coal in XW, as this has not been well-characterised. DESIGN: Cohort study. SETTING: XW, a rural region of China where residents routinely burn coal for indoor cooking and heating. PARTICIPANTS: Age-adjusted, cause-specific mortality rates between 1976 and 2011 were calculated and compared among lifetime smoky and smokeless coal users in a cohort of 42 420 men and women from XW. Mortality rates for XW women were compared with those for a cohort of predominately never-smoking women in Shanghai. RESULTS: Mortality in smoky coal users was driven by cancer (41%), with lung cancer accounting for 88% of cancer deaths. In contrast, cardiovascular disease (CVD) accounted for 32% of deaths among smokeless coal users, with 7% of deaths from cancer. Total cancer mortality was four times higher among smoky coal users relative to smokeless coal users, particularly for lung cancer (standardised rate ratio (SRR)=17.6). Smokeless coal users had higher mortality rates of CVD (SRR=2.9) and pneumonia (SRR=2.5) compared with smoky coal users. These patterns were similar in men and women, even though XW women rarely smoked cigarettes. Women in XW, regardless of coal type used, had over a threefold higher rate of overall mortality, and most cause-specific outcomes were elevated compared with women in Shanghai. CONCLUSIONS: Cause-specific mortality burden differs in XW based on the lifetime use of different coal types. These observations provide evidence that eliminating all coal use for indoor cooking and heating is an important next step in improving public health particularly in developing countries

Household air pollution and epigenetic aging in Xuanwei, China

BACKGROUND: Household air pollution (HAP) from indoor combustion of solid fuel is a global health burden linked to lung cancer. In Xuanwei, China, lung cancer rate for nonsmoking women is among the highest in the world and largely attributed to high levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) that are produced from combustion of smoky (bituminous) coal used for cooking and heating. Epigenetic age acceleration (EAA), a DNA methylation-based biomarker of aging, has been shown to be highly correlated with biological processes underlying the susceptibility of age-related diseases. We aim to assess the association between HAP exposure and EAA. METHODS: We analyzed data from 106 never-smoking women from Xuanwei, China. Information on fuel type was collected using a questionnaire, and validated exposure models were used to predict levels of 43 HAP constituents. Exposure clusters were identified using hierarchical clustering. EAA was derived for five epigenetic clocks defined as the residuals resulting from regressing each clock on chronological age. We used generalized estimating equations to test associations between exposure clusters derived from predicted levels of HAP exposure, ambient 5-methylchrysene (5-MC), a PAH previously found to be associated with risk of lung cancer, and EAA, while accounting for repeated-measurements and confounders. RESULTS: We observed an increase in GrimAge EAA for clusters with 31 and 33 PAHs reflecting current (β = 0.77 y per standard deviation (SD) increase, 95 % CI:0.36,1.19) and childhood (β = 0.92 y per SD, 95 % CI:0.40,1.45) exposure, respectively. 5-MC (ng/m 3-year) was found to be associated with GrimAge EAA for current (β = 0.15 y, 95 % CI:0.05,0.25) and childhood (β = 0.30 y, 95 % CI:0.13,0.47) exposure. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that exposure to PAHs from indoor smoky coal combustion, particularly 5-MC, is associated with GrimAge EAA, a biomarker of mortality

Household air pollution and epigenetic aging in Xuanwei, China

BACKGROUND: Household air pollution (HAP) from indoor combustion of solid fuel is a global health burden linked to lung cancer. In Xuanwei, China, lung cancer rate for nonsmoking women is among the highest in the world and largely attributed to high levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) that are produced from combustion of smoky (bituminous) coal used for cooking and heating. Epigenetic age acceleration (EAA), a DNA methylation-based biomarker of aging, has been shown to be highly correlated with biological processes underlying the susceptibility of age-related diseases. We aim to assess the association between HAP exposure and EAA. METHODS: We analyzed data from 106 never-smoking women from Xuanwei, China. Information on fuel type was collected using a questionnaire, and validated exposure models were used to predict levels of 43 HAP constituents. Exposure clusters were identified using hierarchical clustering. EAA was derived for five epigenetic clocks defined as the residuals resulting from regressing each clock on chronological age. We used generalized estimating equations to test associations between exposure clusters derived from predicted levels of HAP exposure, ambient 5-methylchrysene (5-MC), a PAH previously found to be associated with risk of lung cancer, and EAA, while accounting for repeated-measurements and confounders. RESULTS: We observed an increase in GrimAge EAA for clusters with 31 and 33 PAHs reflecting current (β = 0.77 y per standard deviation (SD) increase, 95 % CI:0.36,1.19) and childhood (β = 0.92 y per SD, 95 % CI:0.40,1.45) exposure, respectively. 5-MC (ng/m 3-year) was found to be associated with GrimAge EAA for current (β = 0.15 y, 95 % CI:0.05,0.25) and childhood (β = 0.30 y, 95 % CI:0.13,0.47) exposure. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that exposure to PAHs from indoor smoky coal combustion, particularly 5-MC, is associated with GrimAge EAA, a biomarker of mortality

A study of ocular dominance plasticity : probing the molecular mechanisms and exploring its effect on functional connectivity

Ocular dominance plasticity (ODP) is a well-characterized example of experience-dependent plasticity. Multiple molecular mechanisms have been implicated in the studying of ODP. We have previously demonstrated a temporal correlation between long-term depression (LTD) and ocular dominance plasticity. It has also been shown that blockade of LTD abolishes ocular dominance shift during the critical period, suggesting that LTD is necessary for ocular dominance plasticity. Here I go on to explore if LTD is sufficient for ocular dominance plasticity by augmenting it in adulthood. By administering D-serine, an NMDAR co-agonist that selectively enhances LTD in adult visual cortex, I am able to enhance ocular dominance plasticity in adulthood, as evidenced by data collected from single-unit recordings. D-serine operates via an LTD-like mechanism as its effect could be abolished by GluR23Y peptide, a selective LTD blocker. I therefore argue that LTD plays a key regulatory role in both juvenile and adult ocular dominance plasticity. In addition, D-serine helps facilitate recovery of visual input in long-term monocularly deprived adult mice, suggestive of therapeutic potentials. In addition, I have examined the functional consequences of monocular deprivation on the rest of primary visual cortex (V1) and cerebral cortex. This is achieved with help of in vivo imaging of intrinsic optic signals and calcium imaging. Within the visual cortex, monocular deprivation decreases the correlation between the contralateral monocular zone with the rest of V1. I have also observed transient changes in global functional connectivity correlating with the duration of lid suture during the critical period, in keeping with cross-modal plasticity. However, this change in functional connectivity is not observed in adulthood, suggesting a sensory period for cross-modal connectivity.Medicine, Faculty ofGraduat