The Anticipated Stigma and Concealment Questionnaire (ASCQ): Psychometric properties of a Spanish version in a Chilean sample of brain injury survivors.

Stigma represents a major obstacle in rehabilitation and community reintegration after brain injury. However, appropriate tools to measure stigma in Spanish-speaking countries are lacking. This study examined the psychometric properties of the Spanish version of the Anticipated Stigma and Concealment Questionnaire (ASCQ).

Comparison of Plasma p-tau217 and [F]FDG-PET for Identifying Alzheimer Disease in People With Early-Onset or Atypical Dementia.

Background And Objectives: To compare the diagnostic performance of an immunoassay for plasma concentrations of phosphorylated tau (p-tau) 217 with visual assessments of fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose [F]FDG-PET in individuals who meet appropriate use criteria for Alzheimer dementia (AD) biomarker assessments.

Methods: We performed a retrospective analysis of individuals with early-onset (age <65 years at onset) and/or atypical dementia (features other than memory at onset), who were evaluated at a tertiary care memory clinic. All participants underwent measurements of CSF biomarkers (Aβ42, p-tau181, and total tau levels), as well as [F]FDG-PET scans, amyloid-PET scans, and plasma p-tau217 quantifications.

Plasma phosphorylated tau181 outperforms [F] fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography in the identification of early Alzheimer disease.

Background And Purpose: This study was undertaken to compare the performance of plasma p-tau181 with that of [F]fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) in the identification of early biological Alzheimer disease (AD).

Methods: We included 533 cognitively impaired participants from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative. Participants underwent PET scans, biofluid collection, and cognitive tests.

Validation of Checklists and Evaluation of Clinical Skills in Cases of Abdominal Pain With Simulation in Formative, Objective, Structured Clinical Examination With Audiovisual Content in Third-Year Medical Students' Surgical Clerkship.

Objectives: The objective of this study was to develop and validate 6 checklists for evaluating abdominal pain in clinical simulation scenarios; to assess student competencies in managing 6 clinical cases using OSCE, based on faculty evaluations; and to analyze discrepancies between faculty and student evaluations.

Design: A practical workshop was designed to address 6 clinical scenarios of abdominal surgical conditions. Four scenarios employed medium fidelity simulators, while 2 scenarios employed standardized patient methodology.

ShapeAXI: Shape Analysis Explainability and Interpretability.

ShapeAXI represents a cutting-edge framework for shape analysis that leverages a multi-view approach, capturing 3D objects from diverse viewpoints and subsequently analyzing them via 2D Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs). We implement an automatic N-fold cross-validation process and aggregate the results across all folds. This ensures insightful explainability heat-maps for each class across every shape, enhancing interpretability and contributing to a more nuanced understanding of the underlying phenomena.

Brain PET Imaging in Small Animals: Tracer Formulation, Data Acquisition, Image Reconstruction, and Data Analysis.

Positron emission tomography (PET) is a noninvasive functional imaging modality that involves in vivo detection of spatiotemporal changes in the binding of radioactive pharmaceuticals (a.k.a.

Fluoroscopy-free semirigid ureteroscopy for ureteral stone treatment: A prospective single-arm study of feasibility, efficacy, and safety.

Objectives: Patients with urolithiasis receive a significant amount of radiation during diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up of their pathology, with nearly 20% receiving more than the annual recommended, creating a growing concern regarding radiation exposure faced by patients and health personnel. The objectives of the study were to describe a standardized fluoroscopy-free (FF) semirigid (SR) ureteroscopy (URS) technique for ureteral stone treatment and to determine the feasibility, efficacy, and safety of this technique for the treatment of ureteral stones comparing it to a historical cohort of fluoroscopy-guided (FG) SR-URS.

Materials And Methods: A prospective single-arm study of patients submitted to FF SR-URS was conducted.

The contribution of executive functions to the process of return to work after brain injury: A systematic review.

Acquired brain injury (ABI) is a worldwide public health issue for its high prevalence rate and the disability it produces. The consequences of ABI, including cognitive deficits, may impact return to work. This review focuses on the association between executive functions (EFs) and return to work after ABI.

Molecular Analysis of the Superior Efficacy of a Dual Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR)-DNA-Targeting Combi-Molecule in Comparison with Its Putative Prodrugs 6-Mono-Alkylamino- and 6,6-Dialkylaminoquinazoline in a Human Osteosarcoma Xenograft Model.

: ZR2002 is a dual EGFR-DNA-targeting combi-molecule that carries a chloroethyl group at the six-position of the quinazoline ring designed to alkylate DNA. Despite its good pharmacokinetics, ZR2002 is metabolized in vivo into dechlorinated metabolites, losing the DNA-alkylating function required to damage DNA. To increase the DNA damage activity in tumor cells in vivo, we compared ZR2002 with two of its 6-N,N-disubstituted analogs: "JS61", with a nitrogen mustard function at the six-position of the quinazoline ring, and "JS84", with an N-methyl group.

Distribution of [C]-JNJ-42491293 in the marmoset brain: a positron emission tomography study.

JNJ-42491293 is a metabotropic glutamate 2 (mGlu) positive allosteric modulator (PAM) that was radiolabelled with [C]- to serve as a positron emission tomography (PET) ligand. Indeed, in vitro, the molecule displays high selectivity at mGlu receptors. However, PET experiments performed in rats, macaques and humans, have suggested that [C]-JNJ-42491293 could interact with an unidentified, non-mGlu receptor binding site.

Discordance and Concordance Between Cerebrospinal and [F]FDG-PET Biomarkers in Assessing Atypical and Early-Onset AD Dementia Cases.

Background And Objectives: To assess the concordance and discordance between the core Alzheimer disease (AD) CSF biomarkers and [F]fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG)-PET patterns evaluated clinically in memory clinic patients who meet appropriate use criteria for AD biomarker investigations.

Methods: We retrospectively assessed participants with atypical and/or early-onset dementia evaluated at a tertiary care memory clinic. All individuals underwent CSF evaluations for Aβ42, phosphorylated tau (P-tau181) and total tau, and brain [F]FDG-PET.

Effects of a Digital Patient Empowerment and Communication Tool on Metabolic Control in People With Type 2 Diabetes: The DeMpower Multicenter Ambispective Study.

Background: Diabetes is a major health care problem, reaching epidemic numbers worldwide. Reducing hemoglobin A (HbA) levels to recommended targets is associated with a marked decrease in the risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM)-related complications. The implementation of new technologies, particularly telemedicine, may be helpful to facilitate self-care and empower people with T2DM, leading to improved metabolic control of the disease.

Standardization and diagnostic utility of the Frontal Assessment Battery for healthy people and patients with dementia in the Chilean population.

Unlabelled: The Frontal Assessment Battery (FAB) is a screening test that measures executive functions. Although this instrument has been validated in several countries, its diagnostic utility in a Chilean population has not been studied yet.

Objectives: This study aimed to (1) adapt FAB in a Chilean population; (2) study the psychometric properties of the FAB in a Chilean population; (3) assess the sociodemographic influence in the performance of the FAB in a sample of healthy controls (HC); and (4) develop normative data for this healthy group.

Radiosynthesis and Evaluation of Four Positron Emission Tomography Tracer Candidates for Imaging of Melatonin Receptors.

Melatonin is a neurohormone that modulates several physiological functions in mammals through the activation of melatonin receptor type 1 and 2 (MT and MT). The melatonergic system is an emerging therapeutic target for new pharmacological interventions in the treatment of sleep and mood disorders; thus, imaging tools to further investigate its role in the brain are highly sought-after. We aimed to develop selective radiotracers for imaging of both MT and MT by positron emission tomography (PET).

Preliminary Evaluations of [C]Verubulin: Implications for Microtubule Imaging With PET.

[C]Verubulin (a.k.a.

Preclinical longitudinal assessment of KG207-M as a disease-modifying Alzheimer's disease therapeutic.

biomarker abnormalities provide measures to monitor therapeutic interventions targeting amyloid-β pathology as well as its effects on downstream processes associated with Alzheimer's disease pathophysiology. Here, we applied an longitudinal study design combined with imaging and cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers, mirroring those used in human clinical trials to assess the efficacy of a novel brain-penetrating anti-amyloid fusion protein treatment in the McGill-R-Thy1-APP transgenic rat model. The bi-functional fusion protein consisted of a blood-brain barrier crossing single domain antibody (FC5) fused to an amyloid-β oligomer-binding peptide (ABP) via Fc fragment of mouse IgG (FC5-mFc2a-ABP).

Social isolation after acquired brain injury: Exploring the relationship between network size, functional support, loneliness and mental health.

Social isolation can be a consequence of acquired brain injury (ABI). Few studies have examined the relationship between social isolation and mental health after ABI. In this cross-sectional and case-control study, we compared 51 ABI survivors and 51 matched healthy controls on measures of social isolation (network size, social support and loneliness) mental health and mental health problems.

Functionalization of Gold Nanostars with Cationic β-Cyclodextrin-Based Polymer for Drug Co-Loading and SERS Monitoring.

Gold nanostars (AuNSs) exhibit modulated plasmon resonance and have a high SERS enhancement factor. However, their low colloidal stability limits their biomedical application as a nanomaterial. Cationic β-cyclodextrin-based polymer (CCD/P) has low cytotoxicity, can load and transport drugs more efficiently than the corresponding monomeric form, and has an appropriate cationic group to stabilize gold nanoparticles.

Neogene precipitation, vegetation, and elevation history of the Central Andean Plateau.

Andean uplift played a fundamental role in shaping South American climate and species distribution, but the relationship between the rise of the Andes, plant composition, and local climatic evolution is poorly known. We investigated the fossil record (pollen, leaves, and wood) from the Neogene of the Central Andean Plateau and documented the earliest evidence of a puna-like ecosystem in the Pliocene and a montane ecosystem without modern analogs in the Miocene. In contrast to regional climate model simulations, our climate inferences based on fossil data suggest wetter than modern precipitation conditions during the Pliocene, when the area was near modern elevations, and even wetter conditions during the Miocene, when the cordillera was around ~1700 meters above sea level.

Determining the Need for Thrombectomy-Capable Stroke Centers Based on Travel Time to the Nearest Comprehensive Stroke Center.

Background: In January 2018 The Joint Commission introduced its Thrombectomy-Capable Stroke Center (TSC) certification program to recognize hospitals capable of performing endovascular thrombectomy for patients with ischemic strokes due to large vessel occlusions, intended for hospitals not in close geographic proximity to Comprehensive Stroke Centers (CSCs). This study was conducted to determine (1) the travel times between current and potential TSCs and the nearest CSC and (2) the proportion of TSCs that were in areas of high need.

Methods: The locations of current and applicant TSCs (N = 44) were mapped and paired with the closest CSCs.

Amyloid-beta modulates the association between neurofilament light chain and brain atrophy in Alzheimer's disease.

Neurofilament light chain (NFL) measurement has been gaining strong support as a clinically useful neuronal injury biomarker for various neurodegenerative conditions. However, in Alzheimer's disease (AD), its reflection on regional neuronal injury in the context of amyloid pathology remains unclear. This study included 83 cognitively normal (CN), 160 mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and 73 AD subjects who were further classified based on amyloid-beta (Aβ) status as positive or negative (Aβ+ vs Aβ-).

Efficient radiosynthesis and preclinical evaluation of [ F]FOMPyD as a positron emission tomography tracer candidate for TrkB/C receptor imaging.

Herein we report an efficient radiolabeling of a F-fluorinated derivative of dual inhibitor GW2580, with its subsequent evaluation as a positron emission tomography (PET) tracer candidate for imaging of two neuroreceptor targets implicated in the pathophysiology of neurodegeneration: tropomyosin receptor kinases (TrkB/C) and colony stimulating factor receptor (CSF-1R). [ F]FOMPyD was synthesized from a boronic acid pinacolate precursor via copper-mediated F-fluorination concerted with thermal deprotection of the four Boc groups on a diaminopyrimidine moiety in an 8.7±2.

Association between affective disorders presenting before and during pregnancy and pre-term birth, considering socio-demographic factors, obstetric factors, health conditions, and use of medication.

Objective: To study the relationship between maternal affective disorders (AD) before and during pregnancy, and pre-term birth.

Design: Retrospective observational study.

Location: Sexual and reproductive health units at the Institut Català de la Salut (ICS) in Catalonia, Spain.

Identification of [F]TRACK, a Fluorine-18-Labeled Tropomyosin Receptor Kinase (Trk) Inhibitor for PET Imaging.

Changes in expression and dysfunctional signaling of TrkA/B/C receptors and oncogenic Trk fusion proteins are found in neurological diseases and cancers. Here, we describe the development of a first F-labeled optimized lead suitable for in vivo imaging of Trk, [F]TRACK, which is radiosynthesized with ease from a nonactivated aryl precursor concurrently combining largely reduced P-gp liability and improved brain kinetics compared to previous leads while displaying high on-target affinity and human kinome selectivity.