Biomarkers.

Background: Recent advances in automatic face recognition have increased the risk that de-identified research imaging data could be re-identified from face imagery in brain scans.

Method: An ADNI committee of independent imaging experts evaluated 11 published techniques for face-deidentification ("de-facing") and selected four algorithms (FSL-UK Biobank, HCP/XNAT, mri_reface, and BIC) for formal testing using 183 longitudinal scans of 61 racially and ethnically diverse ADNI participants, evaluated by their facial feature removal on 3D rendered surfaces (confirming sufficient privacy protection) and by comparing measurements from ADNI routine image analyses on unmodified vs. de-faced images (confirming negligible side effects on analyses).

Biomarkers.

Background: Associations between cognition and brain markers of amyloid, tau, and neurodegeneration are poorly understood in the oldest-old (>90 years) compared to younger populations. Prior work suggests that the link between neuropathology and cognition may become weaker in advanced old age, reducing the applicability of accepted biomarker cascade models of Alzheimer's disease progression. Addressing this question in the oldest-old is challenging, partly due to limited data and methodological challenges of neuroimaging analysis.

Biomarkers.

Background: Cerebrovascular disease features as the most common comorbidity in older individuals with dementia. White matter (WM) injury identified through white matter hyperintensities (WMH) on FLAIR represents evident late-stage pathophysiological manifestations of CVD. This study aims to assess the role of baseline microstructural WM integrity, using free water (FW), a measure from diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), in predicting WMH growth dynamic.

Biomarkers.

Background: The UCD ADRC longitudinal diversity cohort consists of individuals from diverse backgrounds including White, Black African or Hispanic/Latino Americans that vary in cognitive ability from normal to dementia. Prior studies show differences in the pathological substrate of dementia in this group as well as the relationship between MRI measures and cognition. Prior work also indicates differential influence of ApoE genotype on dementia by race.

Biomarkers.

Background: Cortical brain atrophy is an excellent marker of clinical decline and can support future clinical course prediction in cognitive impairment. We used a U-Net image-generation deep learning network to predict future cortical atrophy rates in elderly populations, with initial T1-weighted (T1w-) MRI or baseline amyloid-PET serving as inputs to the model.

Method: MRI and PET data were retrospectively collected from Alzheimer's Disease Imaging Initiative (ADNI) and all participants had two serial T1w-MRI scans (Figure 1A,B).

Biomarkers.

Background: The relationship between tau pathology and cognition as a function of age and whether these relationships are consistent across samples is unknown. A growing number of studies now perform positron emission tomography with tau ligands (tau-PET), making it possible for an improved understanding of the dynamics of tau and cognition in relation to other biomarkers.

Method: We used data from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) cohort (ages 55-90) and The 90+ Study (Table 1) to cover a broad age range.

Developing Topics.

Background: Comprehending the role of participatory lifestyle factors influencing the aging process and subsequent cognitive outcomes is imperative for postulating ways to combat cognitive decline. Recent research points to the independent impacts of leisure time activities (LTAs), physical performance (measures of physical fitness) and socialization (relationships and interaction frequency) on healthy cognitive aging, although the relative importance of this triad of factors is poorly delineated.

Method: From baseline data of two studies examining cognitive aging in older, diverse populations- "Study of Healthy Aging in African Americans" and "Kaiser Healthy Aging and Diverse Life Experiences," we scraped subjects' self-reported data and Spanish and English Neuropsychological Assessment Scales (SENAS) measured cognitive performance scores.

Alzheimer's Imaging Consortium.

Background: Recent advances in automatic face recognition have increased the risk that de-identified research imaging data could be re-identified from face imagery in brain scans.

Method: An ADNI committee of independent imaging experts evaluated 11 published techniques for face-deidentification ("de-facing") and selected four algorithms (FSL-UK Biobank, HCP/XNAT, mri_reface, and BIC) for formal testing using 183 longitudinal scans of 61 racially and ethnically diverse ADNI participants, evaluated by their facial feature removal on 3D rendered surfaces (confirming sufficient privacy protection) and by comparing measurements from ADNI routine image analyses on unmodified vs. de-faced images (confirming negligible side effects on analyses).

Alzheimer's Imaging Consortium.

Background: The UCD ADRC longitudinal diversity cohort consists of individuals from diverse backgrounds including White, Black African or Hispanic/Latino Americans that vary in cognitive ability from normal to dementia. Prior studies show differences in the pathological substrate of dementia in this group1 as well as the relationship between MRI measures and cognition2. Prior work also indicates differential influence of ApoE genotype on dementia by race3.

Alzheimer's Imaging Consortium.

Background: Cortical brain atrophy is an excellent marker of clinical decline and can support future clinical course prediction in cognitive impairment. We used a U-Net image-generation deep learning network to predict future cortical atrophy rates in elderly populations, with initial T1-weighted (T1w-) MRI or baseline amyloid-PET serving as inputs to the model.

Method: MRI and PET data were retrospectively collected from Alzheimer's Disease Imaging Initiative (ADNI) and all participants had two serial T1w-MRI scans (Figure 1A,B).

Alzheimer's Imaging Consortium.

Background: The relationship between tau pathology and cognition as a function of age and whether these relationships are consistent across samples is unknown. A growing number of studies now perform positron emission tomography with tau ligands (tau-PET), making it possible for an improved understanding of the dynamics of tau and cognition in relation to other biomarkers.

Method: We used data from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) cohort (ages 55-90) and The 90+ Study (Table 1) to cover a broad age range.

Tract-specific white matter hyperintensities and neuropsychiatric syndromes: a multicentre memory clinic study.

Background: White matter hyperintensities (WMH) have been implicated in the pathogenesis of neuropsychiatric symptoms of dementia but the functional significance of WMH in specific white matter (WM) tracts is unclear. We investigate whether WMH burden within major WM fibre classes and individual WM tracts are differentially associated with different neuropsychiatric syndromes in a large multicentre study.

Method: Neuroimaging and neuropsychiatric data of seven memory clinic cohorts through the Meta VCI Map consortium were harmonised.

Discordance between MR enterography and endoscopic detection of Crohn's disease ileal strictures: evidence to inform recommendations.

Purpose: To evaluate correlation between terminal ileal (TI) stricture diagnosis at MR enterography (MRE) and ileocolonoscopy (IC) in patients with Crohn's disease (CD).

Methods: One hundred and four patients with CD (51% females; 41 ± 15 years) underwent IC and MRE within 3 months in this retrospective case-control study. Positive cases had TI strictures diagnosed by endoscopy (n = 35); or MRE (threshold small bowel dilation ≥ 3cm; n = 34).

Ion channel modulator DPI-201-106 significantly enhances antitumor activity of DNA damage response inhibitors in glioblastoma.

Background: Glioblastoma, a lethal high-grade glioma, has not seen improvements in clinical outcomes in nearly 30 years. Ion channels are increasingly associated with tumorigenesis, and there are hundreds of brain-penetrant drugs that inhibit ion channels, representing an untapped therapeutic resource. The aim of this exploratory drug study was to screen an ion channel drug library against patient-derived glioblastoma cells to identify new treatments for brain cancer.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on first-episode psychosis presentations in two early intervention in psychosis services.

Objectives: To assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on first-episode psychosis (FEP) presentations across two Early Intervention in Psychosis (EIP) services in Ireland, by comparing pre-pandemic and post-pandemic cohorts.

Methods: A cross-sectional observational design with retrospective medical record review was employed. The study population comprised 187 FEP patients (77 in pre-pandemic and 110 in post-pandemic cohort).

Childhood adversity and late-life cognitive and brain health in a diverse cohort.

Introduction: Childhood adversity harms neurodevelopment. Literature on late-life brain health is limited, and findings on late-life cognition are mixed.

Methods: Pooling data from Kaiser Healthy Aging and Diverse Life Experiences (KHANDLE) and Study of Healthy Aging in African Americans (STAR) cohorts, we assessed the impact of childhood adversity (factor score from seven self-reported items) on (a) executive function and verbal memory decline using linear mixed effects models (n = 2447), (b) structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) using linear regression (n = 618), and (c) amyloid positron emission tomography (PET) using generalized linear models (n = 331), all adjusting for early-life demographic and socioeconomic confounders.

Defining within-host SARS-CoV-2 RNA viral load kinetics during acute COVID-19 infection within different respiratory compartments and their respective associations with host infectiousness: a protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Introduction: Understanding how RNA viral load changes (viral load kinetics) during acute infection in SARS-CoV-2 can help to identify when and which patients are most infectious. We seek to summarise existing data on the longitudinal RNA viral load kinetics of SARS-CoV-2 sampled from different parts of the respiratory tract (nose, nasopharynx, oropharynx, saliva and exhaled breath) and how this may vary with age, sex, ethnicity, immune status, disease severity, vaccination, treatment and virus variant.

Methods And Analysis: We will conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis, using studies identified through MEDLINE and EMBASE (via Ovid).

A dose escalation study to evaluate the safety of an aerosol BCG infection in previously BCG-vaccinated healthy human UK adults.

Introduction: Tuberculosis (TB) is the leading cause of death worldwide from a single infectious agent. Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG), the only licensed vaccine, provides limited protection. Controlled human infection models (CHIMs) are useful in accelerating vaccine development for pathogens with no correlates of protection; however, the need for prolonged treatment makes an unethical challenge agent.

The association between cancer risk assessment tool use and GP consultation duration: an observational study.

Background: England is short of General Practitioners (GPs). GP consultation rates, consultation duration, and workload are increasing. Electronic clinical decision support (eCDS) tools assist decision-making for screening, diagnosis, and risk-management.

A data-driven, multi-domain brain gray matter signature as a powerful biomarker associated with several clinical outcomes.

Introduction: Characterizing pathological changes in the brain that underlie cognitive impairment, including Alzheimer's disease and related disorders, is central to clinical concerns of prevention, diagnosis, and treatment.

Methods: We describe the properties of a brain gray matter region ("Union Signature") that is derived from four behavior-specific, data-driven signatures in a discovery cohort.

Results: In a separate validation set, the Union Signature demonstrates clinically relevant properties.

Ultrastructural alterations and mitochondrial dysfunction in skeletal muscle of peripheral artery disease patients: implications for early therapeutic interventions.

Peripheral artery disease (PAD) is an atherosclerotic condition that impairs blood flow to the lower extremities, resulting in myopathy in affected skeletal muscles. Improving our understanding of PAD and developing novel treatment strategies necessitates a comprehensive examination of cellular structural alterations that occur in the muscles with disease progression. Here we aimed to employ electron microscopy to quantify skeletal muscle ultrastructural alterations responsible for the myopathy of PAD.

Clinical decision making and risk appraisal using electronic risk assessment tools (eRATs) for cancer diagnosis: A qualitative study of GP experiences.

Background: Electronic Risk Assessment Tools (eRATs) are intended to improve early primary care cancer diagnosis. eRATs which interrupt a consultation to suggest a possibility of a cancer diagnosis, could impact clinical appraisal and the experience of the consultation. This study explores this issue using data collected within the context of the ERICA trial.