Evaluating chemical effects on human neural cells through calcium imaging and deep learning.

New substances intended for human consumption must undergo extensive preclinical safety pharmacology testing prior to approval. These tests encompass the evaluation of effects on the central nervous system, which is highly sensitive to chemical substances. With the growing understanding of the species-specific characteristics of human neural cells and advancements in machine learning technology, the development of effective and efficient methods for the initial screening of chemical effects on human neural function using machine learning platforms is anticipated.

Factors and clinical prediction score for complication development after cellulitis diagnosis in adult patients.

Background: Cellulitis is defined as a bacterial infection of the skin and subcutaneous tissue that can cause multiple complications, such as sepsis and necrotizing fasciitis. In extreme cases, it may lead to multiorgan failure and death. We sought to analyze the clinical factors that contribute to the development of complicated disease, including demographics, clinical presentation, initial vital signs, and laboratory studies.

Elevations of Ventricular Lactate Levels Occur in Both Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia.

Background: Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) and fibromyalgia (FM) frequently have overlapping symptoms, leading to the suggestion that the same disease processes may underpin the two disorders - the unitary hypothesis. However, studies investigating the two disorders have reported substantial clinical and/or biological differences between them, suggesting distinct pathophysiological underpinnings.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to further add to the body of evidence favoring different disease processes in CFS and FM by comparing ventricular cerebrospinal fluid lactate levels among patients with CFS alone, FM alone, overlapping CFS and FM symptoms, and healthy control subjects.

Multimodal and simultaneous assessments of brain and spinal fluid abnormalities in chronic fatigue syndrome and the effects of psychiatric comorbidity.

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether CFS patients without comorbid psychiatric diagnoses differ from CFS patients with comorbid psychiatric diagnoses and healthy control subjects in neuropsychological performance, the proportion with elevated spinal fluid protein or white cell counts, cerebral blood flow (CBF), brain ventricular lactate and cortical glutathione (GSH). The results of the study did not show any differences in any of the outcome measures between CFS patients with and without psychiatric comorbidity, thus indicating that psychiatric status may not be an exacerbating factor in CFS. Importantly, significant differences were found between the pooled samples of CFS compared to controls.

Effect of Milnacipran Treatment on Ventricular Lactate in Fibromyalgia: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial.

Unlabelled: Milnacipran, a serotonin/norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor, has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of fibromyalgia (FM). This report presents the results of a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of milnacipran conducted to test the hypotheses that a) similar to patients with chronic fatigue syndrome, patients with FM have increased ventricular lactate levels at baseline; b) 8 weeks of treatment with milnacipran will lower ventricular lactate levels compared with baseline levels and with ventricular lactate levels after placebo; and c) treatment with milnacipran will improve attention and executive function in the Attention Network Test compared with placebo. In addition, we examined the results for potential associations between ventricular lactate and pain.

Optical approach to the salivary pellicle.

The salivary pellicle plays an important role in oral physiology, yet noninvasive in situ characterization and mapping of this layer remains elusive. The goal of this study is to develop an optical approach for the real-time, noninvasive mapping and characterization of salivary pellicles using optical coherence tomography (OCT) and optical coherence microscopy (OCM). The long-term goals are to improve diagnostic capabilities in the oral cavity, gain a better understanding of physiological and pathological processes related to the oral hard tissues, and monitor treatment responses.