Widespread severe cerebral elevations of haptoglobin and haemopexin in sporadic Alzheimer's disease: Evidence for a pervasive microvasculopathy.

Sporadic Alzheimer's disease (sAD) is the commonest cause of age-related neurodegeneration but there are no available treatments with demonstrated disease-modifying actions. It is therefore relevant to study hitherto-unknown aspects of brain structure and function to seek new disease-related mechanisms that might be targeted by novel disease-modifying interventions. During hypothesis-generating proteomic investigations in a case-control study of sAD, we observed widespread elevations of haptoglobin and haemopexin in all six brain-regions studied, which together represent much of the brain.

Monitoring of Dynamic Plantar Foot Temperatures in Diabetes with Personalised 3D-Printed Wearables.

Diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) are a life-changing complication of diabetes that can lead to amputation. There is increasing evidence that long-term management with wearables can reduce incidence and recurrence of this condition. Temperature asymmetry measurements can alert to DFU development, but measurements of dynamic information, such as rate of temperature change, are under investigated.

Widespread Decreases in Cerebral Copper Are Common to Parkinson's Disease Dementia and Alzheimer's Disease Dementia.

Several studies of Parkinson's disease (PD) have reported dysregulation of cerebral metals, particularly decreases in copper and increases in iron in substantia nigra (SN). However, few studies have investigated regions outside the SN, fewer have measured levels of multiple metals across different regions within the same brains, and there are no currently-available reports of metal levels in Parkinson's disease dementia (PDD). This study aimed to compare concentrations of nine essential metals across nine different brain regions in cases of PDD and controls.

Impact of an urban regional medical campus: perceptions of community stakeholders.

Background: Regional medical campuses (RMC) have shown promise in addressing physician shortages. RMCs have been positively evaluated in rural/remote communities, however, it is unclear whether this model will be as beneficial in underserved urban areas. This study evaluated the impact of a RMC on a midsized urban city (Windsor, Ontario).

Modeling physician variability to prioritize relevant medical record information.

Objective: Patient information can be retrieved more efficiently in electronic medical record (EMR) systems by using machine learning models that predict which information a physician will seek in a clinical context. However, information-seeking behavior varies across EMR users. To explicitly account for this variability, we derived hierarchical models and compared their performance to nonhierarchical models in identifying relevant patient information in intensive care unit (ICU) cases.

Trends and outcomes for cardiac surgery in the United Kingdom from 2002 to 2016.

Objectives: Cardiac surgery has evolved significantly since the turn of the century. The objective of this study was to investigate trends in cardiac surgery activity and outcomes in the United Kingdom utilizing a mandatory national cardiac surgical clinical database in the context of a comprehensive public health care system (ie, the UK National Health Service).

Methods: Data for all cardiac surgery procedures performed between 2002 and 2016 were extracted from the UK National Adult Cardiac Surgery Audit database.

Retrospective Summary of Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae Diagnosed in Avian Species in California (2000-19).

Erysipelas is a bacterial disease caused by Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae that affects multiple mammalian and avian species. In poultry, the disease is of sporadic prevalence and more often observed in older birds, leading to decreased egg production and mortality. Among avian species, turkey breeders seem to be the most affected, but outbreaks have been reported in ducks, layer chickens, quails, geese, and various captive and free-range birds.

Ten recent insights for our understanding of cooperation.

Since Hamilton published his seminal papers in 1964, our understanding of the importance of cooperation for life on Earth has evolved beyond recognition. Early research was focused on altruism in the social insects, where the problem of cooperation was easy to see. In more recent years, research into cooperation has expanded across the entire tree of life, and has been revolutionized by advances in genetic, microbiological and analytical techniques.

Barriers to Follow-Up Colonoscopy After Positive FIT or Multitarget Stool DNA Testing.

Background: Fecal immunochemical testing (FIT) and multi-target stool DNA testing (mt-sDNA) are recommended colorectal cancer screening options but require follow-up with colonoscopy to determine the source of a positive result. We performed a retrospective analysis in an academic health system to determine adherence to colonoscopy in these patients.

Methods: We identified all patients aged 40 years and older with at least 1 primary care visit who had a positive FIT or mt-sDNA between January 2016 and June 2018.

Observations of pressure anisotropy effects within semi-collisional magnetized plasma bubbles.

Magnetized plasma interactions are ubiquitous in astrophysical and laboratory plasmas. Various physical effects have been shown to be important within colliding plasma flows influenced by opposing magnetic fields, however, experimental verification of the mechanisms within the interaction region has remained elusive. Here we discuss a laser-plasma experiment whereby experimental results verify that Biermann battery generated magnetic fields are advected by Nernst flows and anisotropic pressure effects dominate these flows in a reconnection region.

Aberrant regulation of a poison exon caused by a non-coding variant in a mouse model of Scn1a-associated epileptic encephalopathy.

Dravet syndrome (DS) is a developmental and epileptic encephalopathy that results from mutations in the Nav1.1 sodium channel encoded by SCN1A. Most known DS-causing mutations are in coding regions of SCN1A, but we recently identified several disease-associated SCN1A mutations in intron 20 that are within or near to a cryptic and evolutionarily conserved "poison" exon, 20N, whose inclusion is predicted to lead to transcript degradation.

Racial Disparities in Epigenetic Aging of the Right vs Left Colon.

There are well-documented racial differences in age-of-onset and laterality of colorectal cancer. Epigenetic age acceleration is postulated to be an underlying factor. However, comparative studies of side-specific colonic tissue epigenetic aging are lacking.

Fentanyl-contaminated cocaine outbreak with laboratory confirmation in New York City in 2019.

Background: Illicitly manufactured fentanyl and fentanyl analogues (IMFs) are being increasingly suspected in overdose deaths. However, few prior outbreaks have been reported thus far of patients with laboratory-confirmed IMF toxicity after reporting intent to use only nonopioid substances. Herein we report a case series of nine patients without opioid use disorder who presented to two urban emergency departments (EDs) with opioid toxicity after insufflating a substance they believed to be cocaine.

Benign or not benign? Deep phenotyping of liver Glycogen Storage Disease IX.

Introduction: Liver Glycogen Storage Disease Type IX (GSD IX) is one of the most common forms of GSD. It is caused by a deficiency in enzyme phosphorylase kinase (PhK), a complex, hetero-tetrameric enzyme comprised of four subunits - α, β, γ, and δ - each with tissue specific isoforms encoded by different genes. Until the recent availability of gene panels and exome sequencing, the diagnosis of liver GSD IX did not allow for differentiation of these subtypes.

Metabolomic signatures for visceral adiposity and dysglycaemia in Asian Chinese and Caucasian European adults: the cross-sectional TOFI_Asia study.

Background: Asian Chinese are more susceptible to deposition of visceral adipose tissue (VAT) and type 2 diabetes (T2D) development than European Caucasians when matched for gender, age and body mass index (BMI). Our aims were: (i) characterise the ethnicity-specific metabolomic signature of visceral adiposity measured by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) and fasting plasma glucose (FPG), and (ii) identify individuals susceptible to worse metabolic health outcomes.

Methods: Fasting plasma samples from normoglycaemic (n = 274) and prediabetic (n = 83) participants were analysed with liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry using untargeted metabolomics.

A state-based approach to genomics for rare disease and population screening.

Purpose: The Alabama Genomic Health Initiative (AGHI) is a state-funded effort to provide genomic testing. AGHI engages two distinct cohorts across the state of Alabama. One cohort includes children and adults with undiagnosed rare disease; a second includes an unselected adult population.

Magnetic resonance T1w/T2w ratio in the middle cerebellar peduncle might be a sensitive biomarker for multiple system atrophy.

Objective: We aimed to investigate the use of a myelin-sensitive MRI contrast, the standardized T1-weighted/T2-weighted (sT1w/T2w) ratio, for detecting early changes in the middle cerebellar peduncle (MCP) in cerebellar subtype multiple system atrophy (MSA-C) patients.

Methods: We included 28 MSA-C patients, including a subset of 17 MSA-C patients within 2 years of disease onset (early MSA-C), and 28 matched healthy controls. T1w and T2w scans were acquired using a 3-T MR system.

Anti-MOG antibody-associated disorders: differences in clinical profiles and prognosis in Japan and Germany.

Background: Neurological disorders with IgG antibodies against myelin-oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG-IgG) have been increasingly recognised as a new type of neuroinflammatory disorder.

Objective: The study aimed to identify regional and ethnic differences in clinical profiles of MOG-IgG-associated disorders between East Asian (Japanese) and Caucasian (German) patients.

Methods: Demographic, clinical and therapeutic data from 68 MOG-IgG-positive adults were collected (Japanese, n=44; German, n=24).