Nucleus accumbens inflammation mediates anxiodepressive behavior and compulsive sucrose seeking elicited by saturated dietary fat.

Objective: The incidence of depression is significantly compounded by obesity. Obesity arising from excessive intake of high-fat food provokes anxiodepressive behavior and elicits molecular adaptations in the nucleus accumbens (NAc), a region well-implicated in the hedonic deficits associated with depression and in the control of food-motivated behavior. To determine the etiology of diet-induced depression, we studied the impact of different dietary lipids on anxiodepressive behavior and metabolic and immune outcomes and the contribution of NAc immune activity.

7T Brain MRS in HIV Infection: Correlation with Cognitive Impairment and Performance on Neuropsychological Tests.

Background And Purpose: Validated neuroimaging markers of HIV-associated neurocognitive disorder in patients on antiretroviral therapy are urgently needed for clinical trials. The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between cognitive impairment and brain metabolism in older subjects with HIV infection. It was hypothesized that MR spectroscopy measurements related to neuronal health and function (particularly -acetylaspartate and glutamate) would be lower in HIV-positive subjects with worse cognitive performance.

Water suppression in the human brain with hypergeometric RF pulses for single-voxel and multi-voxel MR spectroscopy.

Purpose: To develop and investigate a novel water suppression sequence with hypergeometric pulses at 3 T.

Methods: Simulations were used to optimize the delays and amplitudes of 5 hypergeometric prepulses, to minimize the residual water over a range of T and B values. Single-voxel data with hypergeometric water suppression (HGWS) prepulses were acquired in the centrum semiovale, 2 parietal regions, and insula of 7 subjects, and compared with VAPOR water suppression.

Remodeling of the Actin/Spectrin Membrane-associated Periodic Skeleton, Growth Cone Collapse and F-Actin Decrease during Axonal Degeneration.

Axonal degeneration occurs in the developing nervous system for the appropriate establishment of mature circuits, and is also a hallmark of diverse neurodegenerative diseases. Despite recent interest in the field, little is known about the changes (and possible role) of the cytoskeleton during axonal degeneration. We studied the actin cytoskeleton in an in vitro model of developmental pruning induced by trophic factor withdrawal (TFW).

Successfully reducing newborn asphyxia in the labour unit in a large academic medical centre: a quality improvement project using statistical process control.

Background: A safe delivery is part of a good start in life, and a continuous focus on preventing harm during delivery is crucial, even in settings with a good safety record. In January 2013, the labour unit at Copenhagen University Hospital, Hvidovre, undertook a quality improvement (QI) project to prevent asphyxia and reduced the percentage of newborns with asphyxia by 48%.

Methods: The change theory consisted of two primary elements: (1) the clinical content, including three clinical bundles of evidence-based care, a 'delivery bundle', an 'oxytocin bundle' and a 'vacuum extraction bundle'; (2) an implementation theory, including improving skills in interpretation of cardiotocography, use of QI methods and participation in a national learning network.

Does postnatal care have a role in improving newborn feeding? A study in 15 sub-Saharan African countries.

Background: Breastfeeding is known as a key intervention to improve newborn health and survival while prelacteal feeds (liquids other than breastmilk within 3 days of birth) represents a departure from optimal feeding practices. Recent programmatic guidelines from the WHO and UNICEF outline the need to improve newborn feeding and points to postnatal care (PNC) as a potential mechanism to do so. This study examines if PNC and type of PNC provider are associated with key newborn feeding practices: breastfeeding within 1 day and prelacteal feeds.

Spin Entanglement Witness for Quantum Gravity.

Understanding gravity in the framework of quantum mechanics is one of the great challenges in modern physics. However, the lack of empirical evidence has lead to a debate on whether gravity is a quantum entity. Despite varied proposed probes for quantum gravity, it is fair to say that there are no feasible ideas yet to test its quantum coherent behavior directly in a laboratory experiment.

Simultaneous editing of GABA and glutathione at 7T using semi-LASER localization.

Purpose: To demonstrate simultaneous editing of the two most commonly edited and overlapping signals, γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA), and glutathione (GSH), with Hadamard encoding and reconstruction of MEGA-edited spectroscopy (HERMES) using sLASER localization at 7T.

Methods: Density matrix simulations of HERMES at 7T were carried out and compared with phantom experiments. Additional phantom experiments were performed to characterize the echo time (TE) -dependent modulation of GABA- and GSH-edited HERMES spectra at TE of 80-160 ms.

Multivoxel proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy in facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy.

Introduction: Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD) is a hereditary disorder that causes progressive muscle wasting. This study evaluates the use of proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy ( H MRS) as a biomarker of muscle strength and function in FSHD.

Methods: Thirty-six individuals with FSHD and 15 healthy controls underwent multivoxel H MRS of a cross-section of the mid-thigh.

Addressing challenges in scaling up TB and HIV treatment integration in rural primary healthcare clinics in South Africa (SUTHI): a cluster randomized controlled trial protocol.

Background: A large and compelling clinical evidence base has shown that integrated TB and HIV services leads to reduction in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)- and tuberculosis (TB)-associated mortality and morbidity. Despite official policies and guidelines recommending TB and HIV care integration, its poor implementation has resulted in TB and HIV remaining the commonest causes of death in several countries in sub-Saharan Africa, including South Africa. This study aims to reduce mortality due to TB-HIV co-infection through a quality improvement strategy for scaling up of TB and HIV treatment integration in rural primary healthcare clinics in South Africa.

Investigation of the contribution of total creatine to the CEST Z-spectrum of brain using a knockout mouse model.

The current study aims to assign and estimate the total creatine (tCr) signal contribution to the Z-spectrum in mouse brain at 11.7 T. Creatine (Cr), phosphocreatine (PCr) and protein phantoms were used to confirm the presence of a guanidinium resonance at this field strength.

Simultaneous detection of glutathione and lactate using spectral editing at 3 T.

Two spectral editing techniques for the simultaneous detection of glutathione (GSH) and lactate (Lac) in the human brain at 3 T are described and evaluated. These methods, 'sMEGA' (sinc-MEscher and GArwood) and 'DEW' (Double Editing With), were optimized to detect GSH and Lac simultaneously at 3 T using density-matrix simulations and validation in phantoms. Simulations to test for co-edited metabolites within the detected GSH region of the spectrum were also performed.

H-MRS processing parameters affect metabolite quantification: The urgent need for uniform and transparent standardization.

Proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy ( H-MRS) can be used to quantify in vivo metabolite levels, such as lactate, γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and glutamate (Glu). However, there are considerable analysis choices which can alter the accuracy or precision of H-MRS metabolite quantification. It is currently unknown to what extent variations in the analysis pipeline used to quantify H-MRS data affect outcomes.

Male Involvement and Accommodation During Obstetric Emergencies in Rural Ghana: A Qualitative Analysis.

Context: Although men potentially play an important role in emergency obstetric care in Sub-Saharan Africa, few studies have examined the ways in which men are involved in such emergencies, the consequences of their involvement or the degree to which health facilities accommodate men.

Methods: Qualitative interviews were conducted with 39 mothers and fathers in two districts in Northern and Central Ghana who had experienced obstetric emergencies, such as severe birth complications, to obtain narratives about those experiences. In addition, interviews with six health facility workers and eight focus group discussions with community members were conducted.

Dynamic Susceptibility Contrast MRI at 7 T: Tail-Scaling Analysis and Inferences About Field Strength Dependence.

Dynamic susceptibility contrast magnetic resonance imaging (DSC-MRI) following bolus injection of gadolinium contrast agent (CA) is widely used for the estimation of brain perfusion parameters such as cerebral blood volume (CBV), cerebral blood flow (CBF), and mean transit time (MTT) for both clinical and research purposes. Although it is predicted that DSC-MRI will have superior performance at high magnetic field strengths, to the best of our knowledge, there are no reports of 7 T DSC-MRI in the literature. It is plausible that the transfer of DSC-MRI to 7 T may be accompanied by increased [Formula: see text] relaxivity in tissue and a larger difference in [Formula: see text]-versus-concentration relationships between tissue and large vessels.

Major agricultural changes required to mitigate phosphorus losses under climate change.

Phosphorus losses from land to water will be impacted by climate change and land management for food production, with detrimental impacts on aquatic ecosystems. Here we use a unique combination of methods to evaluate the impact of projected climate change on future phosphorus transfers, and to assess what scale of agricultural change would be needed to mitigate these transfers. We combine novel high-frequency phosphorus flux data from three representative catchments across the UK, a new high-spatial resolution climate model, uncertainty estimates from an ensemble of future climate simulations, two phosphorus transfer models of contrasting complexity and a simplified representation of the potential intensification of agriculture based on expert elicitation from land managers.

Effects of eddy currents on selective spectral editing experiments at 3T.

Purpose: To investigate frequency-offset effects in edited magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) experiments arising from B eddy currents.

Materials And Methods: Macromolecule-suppressed (MM-suppressed) γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA)-edited experiments were performed at 3T. Saturation-offset series of MEGA-PRESS experiments were performed in phantoms, in order to investigate different aspects of the relationship between the effective editing frequencies and eddy currents associated with gradient pulses in the sequence.

Big GABA: Edited MR spectroscopy at 24 research sites.

Magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) is the only biomedical imaging method that can noninvasively detect endogenous signals from the neurotransmitter γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) in the human brain. Its increasing popularity has been aided by improvements in scanner hardware and acquisition methodology, as well as by broader access to pulse sequences that can selectively detect GABA, in particular J-difference spectral editing sequences. Nevertheless, implementations of GABA-edited MRS remain diverse across research sites, making comparisons between studies challenging.

A simultaneous multi-slice selective J-resolved experiment for fully resolved scalar coupling information.

Proton-proton scalar coupling plays an important role in molecular structure elucidation. Many methods have been proposed for revealing scalar coupling networks involving chosen protons. However, determining all J values within a fully coupled network remains as a tedious process.

Amide proton transfer-weighted magnetic resonance image-guided stereotactic biopsy in patients with newly diagnosed gliomas.

Purpose: Pathological assessment using World Health Organization (WHO) criteria is the gold standard for diagnosis of gliomas. However, the accuracy of diagnosis is limited by tissue sampling, particularly for infiltrating, heterogeneous tumours. We assessed the accuracy of amide proton transfer-weighted (APTw) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-guided tissue sampling to identify regions of high-grade glioma via radiographic-histopathologic correlation in patients with newly suspected glioma.

Voxel Placement Precision for GABA-Edited Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy.

The purpose of the present study was to assess the reproducibility of voxel placement for GABA-edited MRS. GABA-edited MRS data were acquired in 13 healthy volunteers from (3 cm) voxel; and within the same session a second acquisition was independently prescribed. A three-dimensional voxel mask image was reconstructed in T1-image-space using the SVMask tool (in house software).

A continuous quality improvement intervention to improve the effectiveness of community health workers providing care to mothers and children: a cluster randomised controlled trial in South Africa.

Background: Community health workers (CHWs) play key roles in delivering health programmes in many countries worldwide. CHW programmes can improve coverage of maternal and child health services for the most disadvantaged and remote communities, leading to substantial benefits for mothers and children. However, there is limited evidence of effective mentoring and supervision approaches for CHWs.

Activation delay-induced mechanical dyssynchrony in single-ventricle heart disease.

We present the case of an infant with a single functional ventricle who developed ventricular dysfunction and heart failure due to an electrical activation delay and dyssynchrony. Earlier recognition of this potentially reversible aetiology may have changed her poor outcome.

Frequency-Dependent Changes in the Amplitude of Low-Frequency Fluctuations in Mild Cognitive Impairment with Mild Depression.

Background: Depression is a potential marker of preclinical Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, little is known about the abnormal characteristics revealed by resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) in mild cognitive impairment (MCI) subjects with depressive symptoms (MCI-d).

Objective: The study was to examine whether abnormalities in amplitudes of low-frequency oscillation occurred in MCI-d and tried to find the possible spectrum showed higher recognition ability to the diagnosis by utilizing functional MRI (fMRI).