Depth enhancement of optical scanning holography with a spiral phase plate

Poster Session (DW2A): no. DW2A.3A spiral phase plate is applied to the optical scanning holography system to improve the depth resolution of the reconstruction, the simulation results show that the depth interval can be resolved at a 0.4 mm with only a single hologram. © 2015 OSApostprin

Relationship between cognitive function and symptomology with self-stigma in patients with schizophrenia-spectrum disorders

E-PosterBACKGROUND: Self-stigma can be understood as a process of an individual gaining awareness of the associated stereotypes, agreeing with them and thus applying them to oneself [1]. This suggests the involvement of complex cognitive processes behind the development of self-stigma. Previous studies have also suggested that clinical symptoms are related to both cognitive function and self-stigma [2,3]. The current study examined the relationship of cognitive functions, clinical symptoms and self-stigma ...published_or_final_versio

Retrospective unbiased plasma lipidomic of progressive multiple sclerosis patients-identifies lipids discriminating those with faster clinical deterioration.

The disease course of patients with a confirmed diagnosis of primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS) is uncertain. In an attempt to identify potential signaling pathways involved in the evolution of the disease, we conducted an exploratory unbiased lipidomic analysis of plasma from non‑diseased controls (n = 8) and patients with primary progressive MS (PPMS, n = 19) and either a rapid (PPMS‑P, n = 9) or slow (PPMS‑NP, n = 10) disease course based on worsening disability and/or MRI‑visible appearance of new T2 lesions over a one‑year‑assessment. Partial least squares‑discriminant analysis of the MS/MSALL lipidomic dataset, identified lipids driving the clustering of the groups. Among these lipids, sphingomyelin‑d18:1/14:0 and mono‑hexosylceramide‑d18:1/20:0 were differentially abundant in the plasma of ppMS patients compared to controls and their levels correlated with MRI signs of disease progression. Lyso‑phosphatidic acid‑18:2 (LPA‑18:2) was the only lipid with significantly lower abundance in PPMS patients with a rapidly deteriorating disease course, and its levels inversely correlated with the severity of the neurological deficit. Decreased levels of LPA‑18:2 were detected in patients with more rapid disease progression, regardless of therapy and these findings were validated in an independent cohort of secondary progressive (SPMS) patients, but not in a third cohorts of relapsing–remitting (RRMS) patients. Collectively, our analysis suggests that sphingomyelin‑d18:1/14:0, mono‑hexosylceramide‑d18:1/20:0, and LPA‑18:2 may represent important targets for future studies aimed at understanding disease progression in MS

Exogenous WNT5A and WNT11 proteins rescue CITED2 dysfunction in mouse embryonic stem cells and zebrafish morphants

Mutations and inadequate methylation profiles of CITED2 are associated with human congenital heart disease (CHD). In mouse, Cited2 is necessary for embryogenesis, particularly for heart development, and its depletion in embryonic stem cells (ESC) impairs cardiac differentiation. We have now determined that Cited2 depletion in ESC affects the expression of transcription factors and cardiopoietic genes involved in early mesoderm and cardiac specification. Interestingly, the supplementation of the secretome prepared from ESC overexpressing CITED2, during the onset of differentiation, rescued the cardiogenic defects of Cited2-depleted ESC. In addition, we demonstrate that the proteins WNT5A and WNT11 held the potential for rescue. We also validated the zebrafish as a model to investigate cited2 function during development. Indeed, the microinjection of morpholinos targeting cited2 transcripts caused developmental defects recapitulating those of mice knockout models, including the increased propensity for cardiac defects and severe death rate. Importantly, the co-injection of anti-cited2 morpholinos with either CITED2 or WNT5A and WNT11 recombinant proteins corrected the developmental defects of Cited2-morphants. This study argues that defects caused by the dysfunction of Cited2 at early stages of development, including heart anomalies, may be remediable by supplementation of exogenous molecules, offering the opportunity to develop novel therapeutic strategies aiming to prevent CHD.Agência financiadora: Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) Comissão de Coordenação e Desenvolvimento Regional do Algarve (CCDR Algarve) ALG-01-0145-FEDER-28044; DFG 568/17-2 Algarve Biomedical Center (ABC) Municipio de Louléinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Use of intravitreal bevacizumab in a patient with a Von Hippel-Lindau-associated retinal haemangioblastoma of the optic nerve head: a case report

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Introduction</p> <p>The optimum management of a capillary haemangioblastoma affecting the optic nerve head is not clear. A number of treatment modalities have been used to treat the tumours and their consequences. Ocular haemangioblastomas express high levels of vascular endothelial growth factor and levels have been correlated with tumour growth and activity. Treatment with vascular endothelial growth factor inhibitors would therefore seem a logical approach.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>We describe a 23-year-old man with an exophytic capillary haemangioblastoma of the optic nerve head that was treated with intravitreal bevacizumab injections.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Unfortunately, treatment with intravitreal bevacizumab on three occasions had no effect on either tumour size or exudation in this patient.</p

Body Mass Index in Multiple Sclerosis modulates ceramide-induced DNA methylation and disease course.

abstract Background: Multiple Sclerosis (MS) results from genetic predisposition and environmental variables, including elevated Body Mass Index (BMI) in early life. This study addresses the effect ofBMI on the epigenome ofmono- cytesand diseasecourseinMS. Methods: Fifty-four therapy-naive Relapsing Remitting (RR)MS patientswith high and normal BMI received clin- ical andMRI evaluation. Blood samples were immunophenotyped, and processed for unbiased plasma lipidomic profiling and genome-wide DNA methylation analysis of circulating monocytes. The main findings at baseline were validated in an independent cohort of 91 therapy-naïve RRMS patients. Disease course was evaluated by a two-year longitudinal follow up and mechanistic hypotheses tested in human cell cultures and in animal models ofMS. Findings: Higher monocytic counts and plasma ceramides, and hypermethylation of genes involved in negative regulation ofcell proliferationwere detected in the high BMI group ofMSpatients compared to normal BMI. Cer- amide treatment of monocytic cell cultures increased proliferation in a dose-dependent manner and was prevented by DNA methylation inhibitors. The high BMI group ofMS patients showed a negative correlation be- tween monocytic counts and brain volume. Those subjects at a two-year follow-up showed increased T1 lesion load, increased disease activity, and worsened clinical disability. Lastly, the relationship between body weight, monocytic infiltration, DNA methylation and disease course was validated in mouse models ofMS. Interpretation: High BMI negatively impacts disease course in Multiple Sclerosis by modulating monocyte cell number through ceramide-induced DNA methylation of anti-proliferative genes

Therapeutic DNA vaccine induces broad T cell responses in the gut and sustained protection from viral rebound and AIDS in SIV-infected rhesus macaques.

Immunotherapies that induce durable immune control of chronic HIV infection may eliminate the need for life-long dependence on drugs. We investigated a DNA vaccine formulated with a novel genetic adjuvant that stimulates immune responses in the blood and gut for the ability to improve therapy in rhesus macaques chronically infected with SIV. Using the SIV-macaque model for AIDS, we show that epidermal co-delivery of plasmids expressing SIV Gag, RT, Nef and Env, and the mucosal adjuvant, heat-labile E. coli enterotoxin (LT), during antiretroviral therapy (ART) induced a substantial 2-4-log fold reduction in mean virus burden in both the gut and blood when compared to unvaccinated controls and provided durable protection from viral rebound and disease progression after the drug was discontinued. This effect was associated with significant increases in IFN-γ T cell responses in both the blood and gut and SIV-specific CD8+ T cells with dual TNF-α and cytolytic effector functions in the blood. Importantly, a broader specificity in the T cell response seen in the gut, but not the blood, significantly correlated with a reduction in virus production in mucosal tissues and a lower virus burden in plasma. We conclude that immunizing with vaccines that induce immune responses in mucosal gut tissue could reduce residual viral reservoirs during drug therapy and improve long-term treatment of HIV infection in humans

A 10-year outcome study of an early intervention program for psychosis in Hong Kong (EASY) compared with standard care service

Session - 9. Health Economics & Services Research: no. 1521946This journal suppl. contain Abstracts for the 14th International Congress on Schizophrenia ResearchBACKGROUND: Despite the service model of early intervention for first-episode psychosis being wildly adopted, evidence of long-term effects are limited. This study aimed to compare 10-year outcomes of patients with early intervention in first-episode psychosis and those received standard care in Hong Kong. METHODS: In this historical control study, 148 first-episode psychosis patients who received early intervention ...postprin

An edge-from-focus approach to 3D inspection and metrology

Best Paper Award 2015We propose an edge-based depth-from-focus technique for high-precision non-contact industrial inspection and metrology applications. In our system, an objective lens with a large numerical aperture is chosen to resolve the edge details of the measured object. By motorizing this imaging system, we capture the high-resolution edges within every narrow depth of field. We can therefore extend the measured range and keep a high resolution at the same time. Yet, on the surfaces with a large depth variation, a significant amount of data around each measured point are out of focus within the captured images. Then, it is difficult to extract the valuable information from these out-of-focus data due to the depth-variant blur. Moreover, these data impede the extraction of continuous contours for the measurement objects in high-level machine vision applications. The proposed approach however makes use of the out-of-focus data to synthesize a depth-invariant smoothed image, and then robustly locates the positions of high contrast edges based on non-maximum suppression and hysteresis thresholding. Furthermore, by focus analysis of both the in-focus and the out-of-focus data, we reconstruct the high-precision 3D edges for metrology applications