Ectopically expressed rhodopsin is not sensitive to X-rays.

Visual perception of X-radiation is a well-documented, but poorly understood phenomenon. Scotopic rod cells and rhodopsin have been implicated in visual responses to X-rays, however, some evidence suggests that X-rays excite the retina via a different mechanism than visible light. While rhodopsin's role in X-ray perception is unclear, the possibility that it could function as an X-ray receptor has led to speculation that it could act as a transgenically expressed X-ray receptor.

Compatibility of Standard Vagus Nerve Stimulation and Investigational Microburst Vagus Nerve Stimulation Therapy with fMRI.

Vagus nerve stimulation devices are conditionally approved for MR imaging with stimulation turned off, and the requirement to modify the stimulation settings may be a barrier to scanning in some radiology practices. There is increasing interest in studying the effects of stimulation during MR imaging/fMRI. This study evaluated the safety of standard and investigational microburst vagus nerve stimulation therapies during MR imaging/fMRI.

Neuromorphometric associations with mood, cognition, and self-reported exercise levels in epilepsy and healthy individuals.

Regular physical activity may promote beneficial neuroplasticity, e.g., increased hippocampus volume.

Cortical Mechanisms Underlying Immersive Interactive Virtual Walking Treatment for Amelioration of Neuropathic Pain after Spinal Cord Injury: Findings from a Preliminary Investigation of Thalamic Inhibitory Function.

Background: Neuropathic pain following spinal cord injury (SCI) affects approximately 60% of individuals with SCI. Effective pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatments remain elusive. We recently demonstrated that our immersive virtual reality walking intervention (VRWalk) may be effective for SCI NP.

LITE-1 mediates behavioral responses to X-rays in .

Rapid sensory detection of X-ray stimulation has been documented across a wide variety of species, but few studies have explored the underlying molecular mechanisms. Here we report the discovery of an acute behavioral avoidance response in wild type to X-ray stimulation. The endogenous UV-photoreceptor protein LITE-1 was found to mediate the locomotory avoidance response.

Effects of a brief HIIT intervention on cognitive performance in older women.

Cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) mitigates age-related decline in cognition and brain volume. Little is known, however, about the effects of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) on cognitive aging and the relationship between HIIT, cognition, hippocampal subfield volumes, and cerebral oxygen extraction fraction (OEF). Older sedentary women participated in an 8-week HIIT intervention.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Focused Ultrasound Radiation Force Strain Fields for Discrimination of Solid and Liquid Phases.

Objective: Focused ultrasound (FUS) has become a non-invasive option for some surgical procedures, including tumor ablation and thalamotomy. Extension of magnetic resonance (MR) imaging-guided focused ultrasound for ablation of slowly perfused cerebrovascular lesions requires a novel treatment monitoring method that does not rely on thermometry or high-frequency Doppler methods. The goal of this study was to evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of strain estimates based on MR acoustic radiation force imaging (MR-ARFI) for differentiation of solids and liquids.

Harmonized Multisite MRI-Based Quantification of Human Liver Fat and Stiffness: A Pilot Study.

Background: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a leading cause of end-stage liver disease. NAFLD diagnosis and follow-up relies on a combination of clinical data, liver imaging, and/or liver biopsy. However, intersite imaging differences impede diagnostic consistency and reduce the repeatability of the multisite clinical trials necessary to develop effective treatments.

Direct selection of functional fluorescent-protein antibody fusions by yeast display.

Antibodies are important reagents for research, diagnostics, and therapeutics. Many examples of chimeric proteins combining the specific target recognition of antibodies with complementing functionalities such as fluorescence, toxicity or enzymatic activity have been described. However, antibodies selected solely on the basis of their binding specificities are not necessarily ideal candidates for the construction of chimeras.

X-ray perception: Animal studies of sensory and behavioral responses to X-rays.

Since their discovery in 1895, many studies have been conducted to understand the effect of X-rays on neural function and behavior in animals. These studies examined a range of acute and chronic effects, and a subset of studies has attempted to determine if X-rays can produce any sensory responses. Here we review literature on animal behavioral responses to X-rays from 1895 until 2021 to assess the evidence for detection of X-rays by sensory receptors in animals.

Somatotopic Mapping of the Fingers in the Somatosensory Cortex Using Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging: A Review of Literature.

Multiple studies have demonstrated finger somatotopy in humans and other primates using a variety of brain mapping techniques including functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Here, we review the literature to better understand the reliability of fMRI for mapping the somatosensory cortex. We have chosen to focus on the hand and fingers as these areas have the largest representation and have been the subject of the largest number of somatotopic mapping experiments.

X-ray excited luminescence spectroscopy and imaging with NaGdF:Eu and Tb.

X-ray excited optical luminescence from nanophosphors can be used to selectively generate light in tissue for imaging and stimulating light-responsive materials and cells. Herein, we synthesized X-ray scintillating NaGdF:Eu and Tb nanophosphors co-precipitate and hydrothermal methods, encapsulated with silica, functionalized with biotin, and characterized by X-ray excited optical luminescence spectroscopy and imaging. The nanophosphors synthesized by co-precipitate method were ∼90 and ∼106 nm in diameter, respectively, with hydrothermally synthesized particles showing the highest luminescence intensity.

Linkages between Forestry Best Management Practices and erosion in the southeastern U.S.

Numerous studies have concluded that forestry Best Management Practices (BMPs) are effective at mitigating erosion and sedimentation caused by forest operations; however, the complex relationship between forestry BMPs and erosion is largely unexamined. In this study, BMP implementation rates, which are percentages ranging from 0 to 100% that indicates how well an operator instituted recommended practices in the field, and predicted erosion rates, obtained by using USLE-Forest, were calculated for 108 recent harvests in twelve states and three physiographic regions in the southeastern U.S.

Revealing the Fast and Durable Na Insertion Reactions in a Layered NaFe(PO) Anode for Aqueous Na-Ion Batteries.

Aqueous sodium-ion batteries represent a promising approach for stationary energy storage; however, the lack of appropriate anode materials has substantially retarded their development. Herein, we demonstrated an iron-based phosphate material of NaFe(PO) as an inexpensive and efficacious anode alternative. While the Fe/Fe redox couple renders a two-Na-insertion reaction with desirable potentials, its unique layered structure further facilitates the Na-insertion kinetics and reversibility.

Focused Ultrasound Ablation of an Arteriovenous Malformation Model.

Brain AVMs are rare but serious vascular lesions that often pose a management dilemma between the risk of various treatment modalities and uncertain natural history during observation. We describe preliminary data on the use of focused ultrasound as a novel therapeutic strategy. In an AVM model, one session of ultrasound gradually reduced flow through the lesion without inducing rupture.

Feasibility of cerium-doped LSO particles as a scintillator for x-ray induced optogenetics.

Non-invasive light delivery into the brain is needed foroptogenetics to avoid physical damage. An innovative strategy could employ x-ray activation of radioluminescent particles (RLPs) to emit localized light. However, modulation of neuronal or synaptic function by x-ray induced radioluminescence from RLPs has not yet been demonstrated.

Somatotopic Arrangement of the Human Primary Somatosensory Cortex Derived From Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging.

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to estimate neuronal activity in the primary somatosensory cortex of six participants undergoing cutaneous tactile stimulation on skin areas spread across the entire body. Differences between the accepted somatotopic maps derived from Penfield's work and those generated by this fMRI study were sought, including representational transpositions or replications across the cortex. MR-safe pneumatic devices mimicking the action of a Wartenberg wheel supplied touch stimuli in eight areas.

White matter and neurite morphology differ in psychogenic nonepileptic seizures.

Objective: To further evaluate the relationship between the clinical profiles and limbic and motor brain regions and their connecting pathways in psychogenic nonepileptic seizures (PNES). Neurite Orientation Dispersion and Density Indices (NODDI) multicompartment modeling was used to test the relationships between tissue alterations in patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI) and multiple psychiatric symptoms.

Methods: The sample included participants with prior TBI (TBI; N = 37) but no PNES, and with TBI and PNES (TBI + PNES; N = 34).

A Benchtop Approach to the Location Specific Blood Brain Barrier Opening using Focused Ultrasound in a Rat Model.

Stereotaxic surgery is the gold standard for localized drug and gene delivery to the rodent brain. This technique has many advantages over systemic delivery including precise localization to a target brain region and reduction of off target side effects. However, stereotaxic surgery is highly invasive which limits its translational efficacy, requires long recovery times, and provides challenges when targeting multiple brain regions.

Focused ultrasound blood brain barrier opening mediated delivery of MRI-visible albumin nanoclusters to the rat brain for localized drug delivery with temporal control.

There is an ongoing need for noninvasive tools to manipulate brain activity with molecular, spatial and temporal specificity. Here we have investigated the use of MRI-visible, albumin-based nanoclusters for noninvasive, localized and temporally specific drug delivery to the rat brain. We demonstrated that IV injected nanoclusters could be deposited into target brain regions via focused ultrasound facilitated blood brain barrier opening.

Effects of a carbohydrate-restricted diet on hepatic lipid content in adolescents with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: A pilot, randomized trial.

Background: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has emerged as the most common form of liver disease among adolescents in industrialized countries. While lifestyle intervention remains the hallmark treatment for NAFLD, the most effective dietary strategy to reverse NAFLD in children is unknown.

Objective: The objective of this study was to determine the effects of a moderately CHO-restricted diet (CRD) vs fat-restricted diet (FRD) in adolescents with NAFLD on reduction in liver fat and insulin resistance.

Functional characterization of SMN evolution in mouse models of SMA.

Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) is a monogenic neurodegenerative disorder and the leading genetic cause of infantile mortality. While several functions have been ascribed to the SMN (survival motor neuron) protein, their specific contribution to the disease has yet to be fully elucidated. We hypothesized that some, but not all, SMN homologues would rescue the SMA phenotype in mouse models, thereby identifying disease-relevant domains.

Role of Surface Chemistry in Mediating the Uptake of Ultrasmall Iron Oxide Nanoparticles by Cancer Cells.

Ultrasmall iron oxide nanoparticles (USIONPs) (<4 nm) have recently attracted significant attention because of their potential as positive T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast agent contrary to larger superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (>6 nm) which act as negative T MRI contrast agents. However, studies on the cellular uptake behavior of these nanoparticles are very limited compared to their counterpart, larger-sized superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles. In particular, the effects of specific nanoparticle parameters on the cellular uptake behavior of USIONPs by various cancer cells are not available.