C Radiolabeling of anle253b: a Putative PET Tracer for Parkinson's Disease That Binds to α-Synuclein Fibrils in vitro and Crosses the Blood-Brain Barrier.

There is an urgent clinical need for imaging of α-synuclein (αSyn) fibrils, the hallmark biomarker for Parkinson's disease, in neurodegenerative disorders. Despite immense efforts, promising tracer candidates for nuclear imaging of αSyn are rare. Diphenyl pyrazoles are known modulators of αSyn aggregation and thus bear potential for non-invasive detection of this biomarker in vivo.

Hot topics in the mechanisms of pulmonary arterial hypertension disease: cancer-like pathobiology, the role of the adventitia, systemic involvement, and right ventricular failure.

In order to intervene appropriately and develop disease-modifying therapeutics for pulmonary arterial hypertension, it is crucial to understand the mechanisms of disease pathogenesis and progression. We herein discuss four topics of disease mechanisms that are currently highly debated, yet still unsolved, in the field of pulmonary arterial hypertension. Is pulmonary arterial hypertension a cancer-like disease? Does the adventitia play an important role in the initiation of pulmonary vascular remodeling? Is pulmonary arterial hypertension a systemic disease? Does capillary loss drive right ventricular failure? While pulmonary arterial hypertension does not replicate all features of cancer, anti-proliferative cancer therapeutics might still be beneficial in pulmonary arterial hypertension if monitored for safety and tolerability.

Silicon Oxycarbide-Tin Nanocomposite as a High-Power-Density Anode for Li-Ion Batteries.

Tin-based materials are an emerging class of Li-ion anodes with considerable potential for use in high-energy-density Li-ion batteries. However, the long-lasting electrochemical performance of Sn remains a formidable challenge due to the large volume changes occurring upon its lithiation. The prevailing approaches toward stabilization of such electrodes involve embedding Sn in the form of nanoparticles (NPs) in an active/inactive matrix.

Lung Purinoceptor Activation Triggers Ventilator-Induced Brain Injury.

Objectives: Mechanical ventilation can cause ventilator-induced brain injury via afferent vagal signaling and hippocampal neurotransmitter imbalances. The triggering mechanisms for vagal signaling during mechanical ventilation are unknown. The objective of this study was to assess whether pulmonary transient receptor potential vanilloid type-4 (TRPV4) mechanoreceptors and vagal afferent purinergic receptors (P2X) act as triggers of ventilator-induced brain injury.

Gap junctions regulate vessel diameter in chick chorioallantoic membrane vasculature by both tone-dependent and structural mechanisms.

Objective: In this study, we examined the impact of gap junction blockade on chick chorioallantoic membrane microvessels.

Methods: Expression of Cx37, Cx40/42, and Cx43 in chick chorioallantoic membrane tissue was studied by PCR, Western blot, and confocal immunofluorescence microscopy. Vessel diameter changes occurring under gap junction blockade with carbenoxolone (175 µmol/L), palmitoleic acid (100 µmol/L), GAP27 (1 mmol/L) were analyzed by intravital microscopy.

Transfusion-related Acute Lung Injury in the Perioperative Patient.

Transfusion-related acute lung injury is a leading cause of death associated with the use of blood products. Transfusion-related acute lung injury is a diagnosis of exclusion which can be difficult to identify during surgery amid the various physiologic and pathophysiologic changes associated with the perioperative period. As anesthesiologists supervise delivery of a large portion of inpatient prescribed blood products, and since the incidence of transfusion-related acute lung injury in the perioperative patient is higher than in nonsurgical patients, anesthesiologists need to consider transfusion-related acute lung injury in the perioperative setting, identify at-risk patients, recognize early signs of transfusion-related acute lung injury, and have established strategies for its prevention and treatment.

Imaging SERT Availability in a Rat Model of L-DOPA-Induced Dyskinesia.

Purpose: The development of L-DOPA-induced dyskinesia (LID) is one of the most severe side effects of chronic L-DOPA treatment in Parkinson's disease patients. [C]DASB positron emission tomography (PET) provides a prominent tool to visualize and quantify serotonin transporter (SERT) pathology in vivo in patients and in animal models. To evaluate the effect of chronic L-DOPA treatment on SERT availability in an animal model of LID, we performed a longitudinal PET study.

A Surgical Endovascular Trauma Service Increases Case Volume and Decreases Time to Hemostasis.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of a recently active endovascular trauma service (ETS) on case volume and time to hemostasis, as a complement to an existing interventional radiology (IR) service.

Summary Background Data: Endovascular techniques are vital for trauma care, but timely access can be a challenge. There is a paucity of data on the effect of a multispecialty team for delivery of endovascular hemorrhage control.

Alveolar dynamics during mechanical ventilation in the healthy and injured lung.

Mechanical ventilation is a life-saving therapy in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). However, mechanical ventilation itself causes severe co-morbidities in that it can trigger ventilator-associated lung injury (VALI) in humans or ventilator-induced lung injury (VILI) in experimental animal models. Therefore, optimization of ventilation strategies is paramount for the effective therapy of critical care patients.

Home-based color card screening for biliary atresia: the first steps for implementation of a nationwide newborn screening in Germany.

Introduction: Biliary atresia is a rare neonatal disease and the most common indication for pediatric liver transplantation. Kasai portoenterostomy is the initial treatment, aiming to prevent liver transplantation. Beyond age at Kasai, few prognostic factors are known.

Ultrasound Monitoring after Pelvis-Sparing Dismembered Pyeloplasty: High Sensitivity and Low Specificity for the Success of Operation.

Introduction:  A decrease in the anteroposterior diameter (APD) of the renal pelvis on ultrasound has been postulated to be indicative of sufficient pelvic drainage after pyeloplasty. Traditionally, pyeloplasty is combined with a reduction of the renal pelvis. We have recently demonstrated that resection of the pelvis during pyeloplasty is not necessary.

The addition of a lipid-rich dietary supplement eliminates seizure-like activity and paralysis in the drosophila bang sensitive mutants.

Objective: To investigate the effect that a diet supplemented with KetoCal 4:1, a commercially available dietary formula consisting of a 4:1 ratio of fats to carbohydrates plus proteins, had on the seizure-like activity (SLA) and paralysis normally exhibited by the Drosophila Bang-sensitive (BS) paralytic mutants following mechanical shock.

Methods: Given that dietary changes are known to reduce seizures in humans and animal models, three BS mutants, easily-shocked (eas), bang-senseless (para), and technical knockout (tko), were fed a standard cornmeal/yeast/sugar diet supplemented with 10% KetoCal 4:1 (KetoCal-sup diet). Newly eclosed BS flies were fed this diet for 3-7 days and the effect this had on SLA, paralysis, locomotor activity, triglyceride levels, and glucose levels was examined.

Comparison of different devices to measure the intraocular pressure in thyroid-associated orbitopathy.

Purpose: To evaluate the correlation of the intraocular pressure measurements (IOP) with non-contact tonometer Corvis Scheimpflug technology (Corvis ST), Goldmann applanation tonometry (GAT), ocular response analyzer (ORA), and iCARE rebound tonometer in patients with thyroid-associated orbitopathy (TAO) and eye-healthy subjects (control group).

Methods: Twenty-nine consecutive patients with TAO (79% female) and 30 eye-healthy subjects (60% female) were included in this prospective, age- and sex-matched study. The IOP measurement with Corvis, ORA, GAT, iCARE, and central corneal thickness (CCT) with Corvis was obtained from all study participants.

Hepatocyte growth factor levels in livers and serum at Kasai-portoenterostomy are not predictive of clinical outcome in infants with biliary atresia.

Biliary atresia (BA) is characterized by progressive destruction of the biliary system leading to liver fibrosis and deterioration of liver function. Serum hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) has been shown to be increased in cirrhotic diseases including BA. The aim of this study was to investigate the prognostic value of HGF levels in sera and liver tissue for the further disease course.

Quantitative Rodent Brain Receptor Imaging.

Positron emission tomography (PET) is a non-invasive imaging technology employed to describe metabolic, physiological, and biochemical processes in vivo. These include receptor availability, metabolic changes, neurotransmitter release, and alterations of gene expression in the brain. Since the introduction of dedicated small-animal PET systems along with the development of many novel PET imaging probes, the number of PET studies using rats and mice in basic biomedical research tremendously increased over the last decade.

Safety analysis of rFVIIa with emicizumab dosing in congenital hemophilia A with inhibitors: Experience from the HAVEN clinical program.

Background: Recombinant activated factor VII (rFVIIa; eptacog alfa activated, NovoSeven , Novo Nordisk A/S) is a bypassing agent used in congenital hemophilia A patients with inhibitors. Emicizumab (Hemlibra ; F Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd) is a recombinant, humanized, bispecific monoclonal antibody used for routine prophylaxis in patients with congenital hemophilia A with inhibitors. Concomitant use of the hemostatic agents rFVIIa and emicizumab carries a theoretical increased risk of thrombotic complications.

Investigation into the diversity in the fractal dimensions of arterioles and venules in a microvascular network - A quantitative analysis.

Fractal dimension is a robust fractal parameter for estimating the morphology of vascular networks. It reflects the property of vascular networks that may vary and thus, differentiate between individual networks and/or identify physiological and pathological conditions. As such, fractal dimension differs also between arteriolar and venular compartments, yet the underlying reason is so far unclear.

Fabrication of high-aspect-ratio structures using Bessel-beam-activated photopolymerization.

Microfabrication based on photopolymerization is typically achieved by scanning a focal spot within the material point by point, which significantly limits fabrication speed. In this paper, we explore a method for rapid fabrication of high-aspect-ratio microstructures based on photopolymerization using a femtosecond laser beam that is converted into a Bessel beam by an axicon. With stationary exposure, a polymer fiber measured at 200 μm in length and 400 nm in width (500∶1 aspect ratio) was fabricated within 50 ms of exposure time.

Effects of a Home-based Exercise Program on Anxiety and Mood Disturbances in Older Adults with Cancer Receiving Chemotherapy.

Background/objective: Exercise interventions improve anxiety and mood disturbances in patients with cancer. However, studies are limited in older adults with cancer. We assessed the effects of exercise on anxiety, mood, and social and emotional well-being in older patients with cancer during their first 6 weeks of chemotherapy.

Thirty Years of Minimally Invasive Surgery in Children: Analysis of Meta-Analyses.

Introduction:  In the last three decades, minimally invasive surgery (MIS) has been widely used in pediatric surgery. Meta-analyses (MAs) showed that studies comparing minimally invasive with the corresponding open operations are available only for selected procedures. We evaluated all available MAs comparing MIS with the corresponding open procedure in pediatric surgery.

Effects of exercise on inflammation in patients receiving chemotherapy: a nationwide NCORP randomized clinical trial.

Purpose: A growing body of research suggests that inflammation plays a role in many chemotherapy-related toxicities such as fatigue, anxiety, and neuropathy. Regular exercise can change levels of individual cytokines (e.g.

Cardiovascular sequelae of pneumonia.

Purpose Of Review: In this brief review, we discuss the current epidemiological data and latest results from basic research on the cardiovascular sequelae after lower respiratory tract infection.

Recent Findings: Novel epidemiological evidence substantiates the association between pneumonia and subsequent cardiovascular events (CVEs) in the short- and long-term after viral or bacterial acute infection. Biomarkers such as cardiac troponin or coronary artery calcium may represent useful predictive tools for the detection of cardiac involvement during and after pneumonia.