Informal caregiving for dementia patients: the contribution of patient characteristics and behaviours to caregiver burden.

Objectives: The burden often associated with informal caregiving for patients with dementia is associated with negative effects on health, both physiologically and in terms of caregiver cognition. There is wide variation in the level of burden experienced by dementia caregivers. To better understand caregiver burden, it is thus important to understand the factors associated with level of burden.

Focused Representation of Successive Task Episodes in Frontal and Parietal Cortex.

Complex cognition is dynamic, with each stage of a task requiring new cognitive processes appropriately linked to stimulus or other content. To investigate control over successive task stages, we recorded neural activity in lateral frontal and parietal cortex as monkeys carried out a complex object selection task, with each trial separated into phases of visual selection and learning from feedback. To study capacity limitation, complexity was manipulated by varying the number of object targets to be learned in each problem.

Mechanical and functional validation of a perfused, robot-assisted partial nephrectomy simulation platform using a combination of 3D printing and hydrogel casting.

Introduction And Objectives: There is a scarcity of high-fidelity, life-like, standardized and anatomically correct polymer-based kidney models for robot-assisted partial nephrectomy (RAPN) simulation training. The purpose of this technical report is to present mechanical and functional testing data as evidence for utilizing a perfused hydrogel kidney model created utilizing 3D printed injection casts for RAPN simulation and training.

Methods: Anatomically correct, tumor-laden kidney models were created from 3D-printed casts designed from a patient's CT scan and injected with poly-vinyl alcohol (PVA).

Predicting pathology on small bowel capsule endoscopy: a good FIT.

 Small bowel capsule endoscopy [SBCE) has an established role in investigating suspected small bowel bleeding [SSBB). Identification of a biomarker to predict pathology would maximize utility of this valuable diagnostic modality. This study aimed to investigate if fecal immunochemical test [FIT) could predict likelihood of small bowel pathology on SBCE.

Adverse Hemodynamic Events Associated With Concomitant Dexmedetomidine and Propofol for Sedation in Mechanically Ventilated ICU Patients.

Purpose: Nonbenzodiazepines are preferred for continuous sedation in mechanically ventilated intensive care unit (ICU) patients. Although dexmedetomidine and propofol have blood pressure lowering properties, limited data exist about the hemodynamic effects of concomitant administration. The purpose of this study was to compare the adverse hemodynamic event rate with concomitant dexmedetomidine and propofol compared to either agent alone in mechanically ventilated ICU patients.

A case study of vertebral fusion in a 19-century horse from Serbia.

Objective: To evaluate the etiology of skeletal changes noted in equid vertebrae from a 19- century context near Belgrade, Serbia.

Materials: A vertebral column consisting of 15 fused thoracic vertebrae (T2-T16), with right ribs fused to T4 and T5 and small remnants of ribs articulating with T4, T5 and T6 on the left side were accidentally recovered during industrial exploitation of sand.

Methods: The specimen was subjected to morphological analysis and collagen fingerprinting by mass spectrometry for species identification.

Design of a Bioreactor to Assess the Effect of Passive Joint Loading in a Live Chick Embryo .

There is increasing interest in understanding how mechanical cues (e.g., physical forces due to kicking and other movements) influence the embryological development of tissues and organs.

Clinical Pharmacist-Led Impact on Inappropriate Albumin Use and Costs in the Critically Ill.

Optimal albumin use in the intensive care unit (ICU) remains challenging with inappropriate use approaching 50%. No published reports have described clinical pharmacist impact aimed at mitigating inappropriate albumin use in the ICU. To evaluate the clinical and economic impact of a clinical pharmacist-led intervention strategy targeting inappropriate albumin in the ICU.

Improving the provision of clinical skills teaching for undergraduate medical students during their psychiatry placement: a trainee-led quality improvement project.

Objective: To increase the provision of clinical skills training during their psychiatry placement by providing a new teaching course to enhance both their clinical knowledge and communication skills.

Method: We delivered a pilot teaching course consisting of five workshops (incorporating facilitated, 'near peer' role-play) during the students' psychiatry placement. Qualitative and quantitative feedback was collected pre- and post-course to allow for development of the course.

Incidence, Natural History, and Factors Associated With Paravalvular Leak Following Surgical Aortic Valve Replacement.

Our study investigates the incidence, cumulative incidence, natural history, and factors associated with intraoperative paravalvular leak (PVL) and the development of a postoperative PVL in a contemporary consecutive cohort of patients following surgical aortic valve replacement. A total of 636 patients underwent surgical aortic valve replacement from 2006 to 2016; 410 (64.5%) underwent minimally invasive aortic valve replacement and 226 (35.

The interleukin-33-mediated inhibition of expression of two key genes implicated in atherosclerosis in human macrophages requires MAP kinase, phosphoinositide 3-kinase and nuclear factor-κB signaling pathways.

Atherosclerosis, a chronic inflammatory disorder of the walls of arteries, causes more deaths worldwide than any other disease. Cytokines, which are present at high levels in atherosclerotic plaques, play important roles in regulating the initiation and the progression of the disease. Previous studies using animal and cell culture model systems revealed protective, anti-atherogenic effects of the cytokine interleukin-33 (IL-33).

Effects of the 2013 American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association guidelines on racial and ethnic disparities in statin treatment among diabetics.

Background: Significant racial and ethnic disparities in statin prescribing and utilization have been constantly documented.

Objective: To examine whether racial/ethnic disparities in statin treatment have decreased among the diabetic population after the release of the 2013 American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association (ACC/AHA) guidelines.

Methods: This retrospective study analyzed patients with diabetes aged 40-75 years old in the Medicare Expenditure Panel Survey (2011-2012 and 2014-2015).

Fetal diagnosis of Mowat-Wilson syndrome by whole exome sequencing.

Mowat-Wilson syndrome (MWS) is a complex genetic disorder associated with heterozygous variation in ZEB2. It is mainly characterized by moderate-to-severe intellectual disability, facial dysmorphism, epilepsy, and various malformations including Hirschsprung disease, corpus callosum anomalies, and congenital heart defects. It is rarely diagnosed prenatally and there is limited information available on the prenatal phenotype associated with MWS.

GHSR-1 agonist sensitizes rat colonic intrinsic and extrinsic neurons to exendin-4: A role in the manifestation of postprandial gastrointestinal symptoms in irritable bowel syndrome?

Background: Patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) may experience postprandial symptom exacerbation. Nutrients stimulate intestinal release of glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1), an incretin hormone with known gastrointestinal effects. However, prior to the postprandial rise in GLP-1, levels of the hunger hormone, ghrelin, peak.

Dietary supplementation with Zyflamend poly-herbal extracts and fish oil inhibits intimal hyperplasia development following vascular intervention.

The polyherbal blend Zyflamend™ has been shown to have anti-inflammatory properties and attenuate inflammatory-modulated pathologies. Fish oils have also been shown to have cardioprotective properties. However, the beneficial effects of their combination have not been investigated.

Tendon Biomechanics and Crimp Properties Following Fatigue Loading Are Influenced by Tendon Type and Age in Mice.

In tendon, type-I collagen assembles together into fibrils, fibers, and fascicles that exhibit a wavy or crimped pattern that uncrimps with applied tensile loading. This structural property has been observed across multiple tendons throughout aging and may play an important role in tendon viscoelasticity, response to fatigue loading, healing, and development. Previous work has shown that crimp is permanently altered with the application of fatigue loading.

Methylome and transcriptome maps of human visceral and subcutaneous adipocytes reveal key epigenetic differences at developmental genes.

Adipocytes support key metabolic and endocrine functions of adipose tissue. Lipid is stored in two major classes of depots, namely visceral adipose (VA) and subcutaneous adipose (SA) depots. Increased visceral adiposity is associated with adverse health outcomes, whereas the impact of SA tissue is relatively metabolically benign.

Non-Invasive Ultrasound Quantification of Scar Tissue Volume Identifies Early Functional Changes During Tendon Healing.

Tendon injuries are very common and disrupt the transmission of forces from muscle to bone, leading to impaired function and quality of life. Successful restoration of tendon function after injury is a challenging clinical problem due to the pathological, scar-mediated manner in which the tendons heal. Currently, there are no standard treatments to modulate scar tissue formation and improve tendon healing.

Mutations in GDF11 and the extracellular antagonist, Follistatin, as a likely cause of Mendelian forms of orofacial clefting in humans.

Cleft lip with or without cleft palate (CL/P) is generally viewed as a complex trait with multiple genetic and environmental contributions. In 70% of cases, CL/P presents as an isolated feature and/or deemed nonsyndromic. In the remaining 30%, CL/P is associated with multisystem phenotypes or clinically recognizable syndromes, many with a monogenic basis.

Glibenclamide treatment in a Cantú syndrome patient with a pathogenic ABCC9 gain-of-function variant: Initial experience.

Cantú syndrome (CS), characterized by hypertrichosis, distinctive facial features, and complex cardiovascular abnormalities, is caused by pathogenic variants in ABCC9 and KCNJ8 genes. These genes encode gain-of-function mutations in the regulatory (SUR2) and pore-forming (Kir6.1) subunits of K channels, respectively, suggesting that channel-blocking sulfonylureas could be a viable therapy.

Pathogenic variants in result in a Stickler syndrome-like connective tissue disorder with vascular complications.

Background: Pathogenic variants cause a connective tissue disorder (CTD) that has been described rarely. We further characterise this CTD and propose a clinical diagnostic label to improve recognition and diagnosis of -related disease.

Methods: Reported phenotypes were compared with known CTDs utilising data from three further individuals from a consanguineous family with a homozygous c.

Mnemonic Introspection in Macaques Is Dependent on Superior Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex But Not Orbitofrontal Cortex.

The human PFC has been associated more with meta-perceptual as opposed to meta-memory decisions from correlational neuroimaging investigations. Recently, metacognitive abilities have also been shown to be causally dependent upon anterior and dorsal PFC in nonhuman primate lesion studies. Two studies, using postdecision wagering paradigms and reversible inactivation, challenged this meta-perceptual versus meta-memory notion and showed that dorsal and anterior prefrontal areas are associated with metamemory for experienced objects and awareness of ignorance, respectively.