Neural Prosthetic Advancement: identification of circuitry in the Posterior Parietal Cortex

There are limited options for rehabilitation following an established Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) resulting in paralysis. For most of the individuals affected, SCI means a lifetime of confinement to a wheelchair and overall reduced independence. Brain-Computer and Brain-Machine Interface (BCI and BMI) techniques may be of aid when used for assistive purposes. However, these techniques are still far from being implemented in daily rehabilitative practice. Existing literature on the use of BCI and BMI techniques in SCI is limited and focuses on the extraction of motor control signals from the primary motor cortex (M1). However, evidence suggests that in long-term established SCI the functional activation of motor and premotor areas tends to decrease over time. In the present project, we explore the possibility of successful implementation of assistive BCI and BMI systems using posterior parietal areas as extraction sites of motor control activity. Firstly, we will investigate the representation of space in the posterior parietal cortex (PPC) and whether evidence of body-centered reference frames can be found in healthy individuals. We will then proceed to extract information regarding the residual level of motor imagery activity in individuals suffering from long-term and high-level SCI. Our aim is to ascertain whether functional activation of motor and posterior areas is comparable to that of matched controls. Finally, we will present work that was done in collaboration with the Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research that can offer an example of successful application of a BCI technique for rehabilitation purposes

An Economical Approach to Stop an Experimental Campaign with the Aim of Reducing Cost

Nowadays, in a period of stagnation and economic crisis, the continuous improvement of the production technologies in order to optimize economic, energetic and productive resources is crucial. The increase in efficiency, measured in terms of cost reduction, is therefore a key problem that requires the attention of more and more companies and researchers. In particular, the productivity of a machining system and its related costs depend on the setup of the machining parameters. This choice plays a key role when the machining material is expensive, the production batch has a limited size and the tool to be used is new: typical examples are the aircraft and die/mold industries. In order to optimally setup a machine, the study of the tool life according to the material and the machining parameters is critical. The expression of the tool life could be estimated using an appropriate experimental campaign, which should have a limited size in order to reduce the experimental costs. This approach becomes of primary importance when the production is not in series where the costs can be spread over a large number of pieces. The aim of this paper is to propose a new methodology that stops the experimental campaign as soon as the expected gain in carrying on the experimentation does not justify the marginal cost of experimentation. To prove our idea, a simple problem from the well-known turning cutting condition optimization is used and the optimization technique Response Surface Methodology is selected

MALDI Mass Spectrometry Imaging Highlights Specific Metabolome and Lipidome Profiles in Salivary Gland Tumor Tissues

Salivary gland tumors are relatively uncommon neoplasms that represent less than 5% of head and neck tumors, and about 90% are in the parotid gland. The wide variety of histologies and tumor characteristics makes diagnosis and treatment challenging. In the present study, Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry imaging (MALDI-MSI) was used to discriminate the pathological regions of patient-derived biopsies of parotid neoplasms by metabolomic and lipidomic profiles. Fresh frozen parotid tissues were analyzed by MALDI time-of-flight (TOF) MSI, both in positive and negative ionization modes, and additional MALDI-Fourier-transform ion cyclotron resonance (FT-ICR) MSI was carried out for metabolite annotation. MALDI-TOF-MSI spatial segmentation maps with different molecular signatures were compared with the histologic annotation. To maximize the information related to specific alterations between the pathological and healthy tissues, unsupervised (principal component analysis, PCA) and supervised (partial least squares-discriminant analysis, PLS-DA) multivariate analyses were performed presenting a 95.00% accuracy in cross-validation. Glycerophospholipids significantly increased in tumor tissues, while sphingomyelins and triacylglycerols, key players in the signaling pathway and energy production, were sensibly reduced. In addition, a significant increase of amino acids and nucleotide intermediates, consistent with the bioenergetics request of tumor cells, was observed. These results underline the potential of MALDI-MSI as a complementary diagnostic tool to improve the specificity of diagnosis and monitoring of pharmacological therapies

Citrus aurantium L. Dry Extracts Ameliorate Adipocyte Differentiation of 3T3-L1 Cells Exposed to TNFα by Down-Regulating miR-155 Expression

Citrus aurantium L. dry extracts (CAde) improve adipogenesis in vitro. These effects are dependent from an early modulation of CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein beta (C/Ebpβ) expression and cyclic Adenosine Monophosphate (cAMP) response element-binding protein (CREB) activation. C/Ebpβ and Creb are also targets of miR-155. This study investigated whether CAde regulates miR-155 expression in the early stages of adipogenesis and whether it ameliorates adipocyte differentiation of cells exposed to tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNFα). Adipogenic stimuli (AS) were performed in 3T3-L1 pre-adipocytes treated with CAde, TNFα, or both. Gene and miRNA expression were determined by quantitative real-time PCR. Adipogenesis was evaluated by Oil-Red O staining. CAde treatment enhanced AS effects during the early adipogenesis phases by further down-regulating miR-155 expression and increasing both C/Ebpβ and Creb mRNA and protein levels. At variance, TNFα inhibited 3T3-L1 adipogenesis and abolished AS effects on miR-155, C/Ebpβ, and Creb expression. However, in cells exposed to TNFα, CAde improved adipocyte differentiation and restored the AS effects on miRNA and gene expression at early time points. In conclusion, this study identified miR-155 down-regulation as part of the mechanism through which CAde enhances adipogenesis of pre-adipocytes in vitro. Furthermore, it provides evidence of CAde efficacy against TNFα negative effects on adipogenesis

Understanding Factors Associated With Psychomotor Subtypes of Delirium in Older Inpatients With Dementia

Objectives: Few studies have analyzed factors associated with delirium subtypes. In this study, we investigate factors associated with subtypes of delirium only in patients with dementia to provide insights on the possible prevention and treatments. Design: This is a cross-sectional study nested in the \u201cDelirium Day\u201d study, a nationwide Italian point-prevalence study. Setting and Participants: Older patients admitted to 205 acute and 92 rehabilitation hospital wards. Measures: Delirium was evaluated with the 4-AT and the motor subtypes with the Delirium Motor Subtype Scale. Dementia was defined by the presence of a documented diagnosis in the medical records and/or prescription of acetylcholinesterase inhibitors or memantine prior to admission. Results: Of the 1057 patients with dementia, 35% had delirium, with 25.6% hyperactive, 33.1% hypoactive, 34.5% mixed, and 6.7% nonmotor subtype. There were higher odds of having venous catheters in the hypoactive (OR 1.82, 95% CI 1.18-2.81) and mixed type of delirium (OR 2.23, CI 1.43-3.46), whereas higher odds of urinary catheters in the hypoactive (OR 2.91, CI 1.92-4.39), hyperactive (OR 1.99, CI 1.23-3.21), and mixed types of delirium (OR 2.05, CI 1.36-3.07). We found higher odds of antipsychotics both in the hyperactive (OR 2.87, CI 1.81-4.54) and mixed subtype (OR 1.84, CI 1.24-2.75), whereas higher odds of antibiotics was present only in the mixed subtype (OR 1.91, CI 1.26-2.87). Conclusions and Implications: In patients with dementia, the mixed delirium subtype is the most prevalent followed by the hypoactive, hyperactive, and nonmotor subtype. Motor subtypes of delirium may be triggered by clinical factors, including the use of venous and urinary catheters, and the use of antipsychotics. Future studies are necessary to provide further insights on the possible pathophysiology of delirium in patients with dementia and to address the optimization of the management of potential risk factors