There is an accumulating volume of research into neurological manifestations of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19). However, inconsistent study designs, inadequate controls, poorly validated tests, ...and differing settings, interventions, and cultural norms weaken study quality and comparability, hence the understanding of the spectrum, burden, and pathophysiology of these complications. Therefore, a global COVID‐19 Neuro Research Coalition, together with the World Health Organization, has reviewed reports of COVID‐19 neurological complications and harmonized clinical measures for future research. This will facilitate well‐designed studies using precise, consistent case definitions of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) infection and neurological complications, with standardized forms for pooled data analyses that nonspecialists can use, including those in low‐income settings. ANN NEUROL 2021;89:1059–1067
The review examines the vital role of prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) in the diagnosis, staging, and treatment of prostate cancer ...(PCa). It focuses on the superior diagnostic abilities of PSMA PET/CT for identifying both nodal and distant PCa, and its potential as a prognostic indicator for biochemical recurrence and overall survival. Additionally, we focused on the variability of PSMA's expression and its impact on personalised treatment, particularly the use of
Lu Lu-PSMA-617 radioligand therapy. This review emphasises the essential role of PSMA PET/CT in enhancing treatment approaches, improving patient outcomes, and reducing unnecessary interventions, positioning it as a key element in personalised PCa management.
Photoperiod plays an essential role in the synchronization of metabolism, physiology, and behavior to the cyclic variations of the environment. In vertebrates, information is relayed by the pineal ...cells and translated into the nocturnal production of melatonin. The duration of this signal corresponds to the duration of the night. In fish, the pinealocytes are true photoreceptors in which the amplitude of the nocturnal surge is modulated by temperature in a species-dependent manner. Thus, the daily and annual variations in the amplitude and duration of the nocturnal melatonin signal provide information on daily and calendar time. Both light and temperature act on the activity of the penultimate enzyme in the melatonin biosynthesis pathway, the arylalkylamine N-acetyltransferase (serotonin → N-acetylserotonin). Although the mechanisms of the light/dark regulation of melatonin secretion are quite well understood, those of temperature remain unelucidated. More generally, the mechanisms of thermoreception are unknown in ectotherms. Here we provide the first evidence that two thermotransient receptor potential (TRP) channels, TRPV1 and TRPV4, are expressed in the pineal photoreceptor cells of a teleost fish, in which they modulate melatonin secretion in vitro. The effects are temperature dependent, at least for TRPV1. Our data support the idea that the pineal of fish is involved in thermoregulation and that the pineal photoreceptors are also thermoreceptors. In other nervous and nonnervous tissues, TRPV1 and TRPV4 display a ubiquitous but quantitatively variable distribution. These results are a fundamental step in the elucidation of the mechanisms of temperature transduction in fish.
ObjectiveManagement of reproductive health-related issues is crucial for patients with SLE, given this is a disease that primarily affects women of childbearing age. Little is known as to how the ...2020 American College of Rheumatology (ACR) Reproductive Health in Rheumatic Disease Guideline is experienced by an underserved, primarily Hispanic population and their physicians as it relates to pregnancy planning and contraception conversations. Given this population experiences high rates of unplanned pregnancies and worse SLE outcomes compared with the non-Hispanic white population, it is crucial to understand how reproductive health is discussed in this setting.MethodsA survey based on the 2020 ACR Reproductive Health Guideline was created and distributed in English and Spanish in the outpatient setting to 151 patients with SLE to determine patients’ beliefs, experiences and limitations with reproductive health discussions. Associations between categorical variables were evaluated using Pearson’s χ2 or Fisher’s exact test, as appropriate, and differences in continuous variables were assessed using Wilcoxon rank-sum test.ResultsEnglish language survey respondents were significantly more likely to report having conversations regarding contraception, pregnancy planning and peripartum medication use than the Spanish survey respondents. Two-thirds of all respondents relied on the rheumatologist as a top source of reproductive health information.ConclusionDisparities exist regarding reproductive health conversations on multiple topics between English-speaking and Spanish-speaking populations with SLE. Further understanding is needed to clarify why reproductive health conversations occur at lower frequencies in Spanish-speaking SLE populations.
For the investigation of the physical processes of human phonation, inhomogeneous synthetic vocal folds were developed to represent the full fluid-structure-acoustic coupling. They consisted of ...polyurethane rubber with a stiffness in the range of human vocal folds and were mounted in a channel, shaped like the vocal tract in the supraglottal region. This test facility permitted extensive observations of flow-induced vocal fold vibrations, the periodic flow field, and the acoustic signals in the far field of the channel. Detailed measurements were performed applying particle-image velocimetry, a laser-scanning vibrometer, a microphone, unsteady pressure sensors, and a hot-wire probe, with the aim of identifying the physical mechanisms in human phonation. The results support the existence of the Coanda effect during phonation, with the flow attaching to one vocal fold and separating from the other. This behavior is not linked to one vocal fold and changes stochastically from cycle to cycle. The oscillating flow field generates a tonal sound. The broadband noise is presumed to be caused by the interaction of the asymmetric flow with the downstream-facing surfaces of the vocal folds, analogous to trailing-edge noise.
Abstract Clinical pain, as a consequence of inflammation or injury of peripheral organs (inflammatory pain) or nerve injury (neuropathic pain), represents a serious public health issue. Treatment of ...pain-related suffering requires knowledge of how pain signals are initially interpreted and subsequently transmitted and perpetuated. To limit duration and intensity of pain, inhibitory signals participate in pain perception. Cortistatin is a cyclic-neuropeptide that exerts potent inhibitory actions on cortical neurons and immune cells. Here, we found that cortistatin is a natural analgesic component of the peripheral nociceptive system produced by peptidergic nociceptive neurons of the dorsal root ganglia in response to inflammatory and noxious stimuli. Moreover, cortistatin is produced by GABAergic interneurons of deep layers of dorsal horn of spinal cord. By using cortistatin-deficient mice, we demonstrated that endogenous cortistatin critically tunes pain perception in physiological and pathological states. Furthermore, peripheral and spinal injection of cortistatin potently reduced nocifensive behavior, heat hyperalgesia and tactile allodynia in experimental models of clinical pain evoked by chronic inflammation, surgery and arthritis. The analgesic effects of cortistatin were independent of its anti-inflammatory activity and directly exerted on peripheral and central nociceptive terminals via Gαi-coupled somatostatin-receptors (mainly sstr2) and blocking intracellular signaling that drives neuronal plasticity including protein kinase A-, calcium- and Akt/ERK-mediated release of nociceptive peptides. Moreover, cortistatin could modulate, through its binding to ghrelin-receptor (GHSR1), pain-induced sensitization of secondary neurons in spinal cord. Therefore, cortistatin emerges as an anti-inflammatory factor with potent analgesic effects that offers a new approach to clinical pain therapy, especially in inflammatory states.
Death anxiety is powerful, potentially contributes to suffering, and yet has to date not been extensively studied in the context of palliative care. Availability of a validated Death Anxiety and ...Distress Scale (DADDS) opens the opportunity to better assess and redress death anxiety in serious illness.
We explored death anxiety/distress for associations with physical and psychosocial factors.
Ancillary to a randomized clinical trial (RCT) of Dignity Therapy (DT), we enrolled a convenience sample of 167 older adults in the United States with cancer and receiving outpatient palliative care (mean age 65.9 7.3 years, 62% female, 84% White, 62% stage 4 cancer). They completed the DADDS and several measures for the stepped-wedged RCT, including demographic factors, religious struggle, dignity-related distress, existential quality of life (QoL), and terminal illness awareness (TIA).
DADDS scores were generally unrelated to demographic factors (including religious affiliation, intrinsic religiousness, and frequency of prayer). DADDS scores were positively correlated with religious struggle (
< 0.001) and dignity-related distress (
< 0.001) and negatively correlated with existential QoL (
< 0.001). TIA was significantly nonlinearly associated with both the total DADDS (
= 0.007) and its Finitude subscale (
≤ 0.001) scores. There was a statistically significant decrease in Finitude subscale scores for a subset of participants who completed a post-DT DADDS (
= 0.04).
Findings, if replicable, suggest that further research on death anxiety and prognostic awareness in the context of palliative medicine is in order. Findings also raise questions about the optimal nature and timing of spiritual and psychosocial interventions, something that might entail evaluation or screening for death anxiety and prognostic awareness for maximizing the effectiveness of care.
2‐Periodic self‐dual tilings Delgado-Friedrichs, Olaf; O'Keeffe, Michael
Acta crystallographica. Section A, Foundations and advances,
January 2017, 2017-Jan-01, 2017-01-01, 20170101, Letnik:
73, Številka:
1
Journal Article
Recenzirano
2‐Periodic self‐dual tilings are important in fields ranging from crystal chemistry to mathematical physics. They have been systematically enumerated using combinatorial tiling theory, and 1, 5 and ...62 uninodal, binodal and trinodal self‐dual tilings have been found. This paper illustrates all uninodal and binodal self‐dual tilings and selected trinodal self‐dual tilings. Most of these structures are described for the first time.
All uninodal, binodal and trinodal 2‐periodic self‐dual tilings are enumerated and described.
Antibodies have enormous therapeutic and biotechnology potential. G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), the main targets in drug development, are of major interest in antibody development programs. ...Metabotropic glutamate receptors are dimeric GPCRs that can control synaptic activity in a multitude of ways. Here we identify llama nanobodies that specifically recognize mGlu2 receptors, among the eight subtypes of mGluR subunits. Among these nanobodies, DN10 and 13 are positive allosteric modulators (PAM) on homodimeric mGlu2, while DN10 displays also a significant partial agonist activity. DN10 and DN13 have no effect on mGlu2-3 and mGlu2-4 heterodimers. These PAMs enhance the inhibitory action of the orthosteric mGlu2/mGlu3 agonist, DCG-IV, at mossy fiber terminals in the CA3 region of hippocampal slices. DN13 also impairs contextual fear memory when injected in the CA3 region of hippocampal region. These data highlight the potential of developing antibodies with allosteric actions on GPCRs to better define their roles in vivo.
PDF
