Molecular patterns of evolutionary changes throughout the whole nervous system of multiple nematode species.

One avenue to better understand brain evolution is to map molecular patterns of evolutionary changes in neuronal cell types across entire nervous systems of distantly related species. Generating whole-animal single-cell transcriptomes of three nematode species from the genus, we observed a remarkable stability of neuronal cell type identities over more than 45 million years of evolution. Conserved patterns of combinatorial expression of homeodomain transcription factors are among the best classifiers of homologous neuron classes.

Longitudinal markers of cognitive procedural learning in fronto-striatal circuits and putative effects of a BDNF plasticity-related variant.

Procedural learning and automatization have widely been studied in behavioral psychology and typically involves a rapid improvement, followed by a plateau in performance throughout repeated training. More recently, brain imaging studies have implicated frontal-striatal brain circuits in skill learning. However, it is largely unknown whether frontal-striatal activation during skill learning and behavioral changes follow a similar learning curve pattern.

Enhanced Predictability of Urea Crystallization by an Optimized Laser Repetition Rate.

Laser-induced crystallization is a novel alternative to classical methods for crystallizing organic molecules but requires a judicious choice of experimental parameters for the onset of crystallization to be predictable. This study investigated the impact of the laser repetition rate on the time delay from the start of the pulsed laser illumination to the initiation of crystallization, the so-called induction time. A supersaturated urea solution was irradiated with near-infrared (λ = 1030 nm) laser pulses of pulse duration τ = 5 ps at a pulse energy of approximately = 340 μJ while varying the repetition rate from 10 to 20,000 Hz.

Early-life stress alters chromatin modifications in VTA to prime stress sensitivity.

Early-life stress increases sensitivity to subsequent stress, which has been observed among humans, other animals, at the level of cellular activity, and at the level of gene expression. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying such long-lasting sensitivity are poorly understood. We tested the hypothesis that persistent changes in transcription and transcriptional potential were maintained at the level of the epigenome, through changes in chromatin.

Multimodal Associations of FKBP5 Methylation With Emotion-Regulatory Brain Circuits.

Background: Understanding the biological processes that underlie individual differences in emotion regulation and stress responsivity is a key challenge for translational neuroscience. The gene FKBP5 is a core regulator in molecular stress signaling that is implicated in the development of psychiatric disorders. However, it remains unclear how FKBP5 DNA methylation in peripheral blood is related to individual differences in measures of neural structure and function and their relevance to daily-life stress responsivity.

Analgosedation for less-invasive surfactant administration: Variations in practice.

Background: Less-invasive surfactant administration (LISA) is widely used for surfactant delivery to spontaneously breathing preterm infants on nasal CPAP. However, the use of analgesia and/or sedation for the LISA procedure remains controversial.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional survey of all tertiary neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) in Austria, Germany, and Switzerland to assess current practices of analgosedation for LISA in preterm infants.

Circulating microRNAs correlate with structural and functional MRI parameters in patients with multiple sclerosis.

Introduction: Circulating microRNAs are promising biomarkers for multiple sclerosis (MS). Our aim was to correlate serum microRNA levels with various magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) parameters.

Methods: We recruited 50 MS patients and measured cervical spine and cerebral white matter lesions together with regional brain volumes.

Drilling accuracy evaluation of a mouldable surgical targeting system for minimally invasive access to anatomic targets in the temporal bone.

Purpose: Minimally invasive cochlear implant surgery using a micro-stereotactic surgical targeting system with on-site moulding of the template aims for a reliable, less experience-dependent access to the inner ear under maximal reduction of trauma to anatomic structures. We present an accuracy evaluation of our system in ex-vivo testing.

Methods: Eleven drilling experiments were performed on four cadaveric temporal bone specimens.

Structure/function interrelationships and illness insight in patients with schizophrenia: a multimodal MRI data fusion study.

Illness insight in schizophrenia (SZ) has an important impact on treatment outcome, integration into society and can vary over the course of the disorder. To deal with and treat reduced or absent illness insight, we need to better understand its functional and structural correlates. Previous studies showed regionally abnormal brain volume in brain areas related to cognitive control and self-reference.

Neuropathic pain as a trigger for histone modifications in limbic circuitry.

Chronic pain involves both central and peripheral neuronal plasticity that encompasses changes in the brain, spinal cord, and peripheral nociceptors. Within the forebrain, mesocorticolimbic regions associated with emotional regulation have recently been shown to exhibit lasting gene expression changes in models of chronic pain. To better understand how such enduring transcriptional changes might be regulated within brain structures associated with processing of pain or affect, we examined epigenetic modifications involved with active or permissive transcriptional states (histone H3 lysine 4 mono and trimethylation, and histone H3 lysine 27 acetylation) in periaqueductal gray (PAG), lateral hypothalamus (LH), nucleus accumbens (NAc), and ventral tegmental area (VTA) 5 weeks after sciatic nerve injury in mice to model chronic pain.

Simulating multilevel diffractive optical elements on a spatial light modulator.

Multilevel diffractive optical elements (DOEs) offer a solution to approximate complex diffractive phase profiles in a stepwise manner. However, while much attention has focused on efficiency, the impact on modal content in the context of structured light has, to our best knowledge, remained unexplored. Here, we outline a simple theory that accounts for efficiency and modal purity in arbitrary structured light produced by multilevel DOEs.

Mainstreaming germline genetic testing for patients with pancreatic cancer increases uptake.

Germline genetic testing is recommended for all patients with pancreatic cancer (PC) but uptake rates are low. We implemented a mainstreaming program in oncology clinics to increase testing for PC patients. Genetic counselors trained oncology providers to offer a standardized multigene panel and obtain informed consent using an educational video.

The Predictive Value of the "Identification of Seniors at Risk" Score on Mortality, Length of Stay, Mobility and the Destination of Discharge of Geriatric Hip Fracture Patients.

Purpose: The German Society for Geriatrics recommends the "ISAR" questionnaire as a screening tool for patients ≥70 for geriatric screening in emergency rooms. Although the ISAR-score is collected routinely in the "AltersTraumaRegister DGU" (ATR-DGU), to date less is known about the predictive value of the "ISAR"-score in geriatric trauma patients.

Patients And Methods: Currently, 84 clinics participate in the ATR-DGU.

[Experiences of Stigmatization Among Professional Caregivers in the Context of Covid-19 - a Qualitative Study].

Objective: Healthcare workers seem to be more affected by stigma due to the Covid-19 pandemic compared to other occupational groups. However, there is very little research on this topic. The aims of the present study were to investigate pandemic-related stigmatization experiences among nursing and medical staff in Germany and determine the type and effects of stigmatization as well as appropriate prevention and intervention measures.

Cortical morphology and illness insight in patients with schizophrenia.

Insight into illness in schizophrenia (SZ) patients has a major impact on treatment adherence and outcome. Previous studies have linked distinct deviations of brain structure to illness insight, specifically in frontoparietal and subcortical regions. Some of these abnormalities are thought to reflect aberrant cortical development.

Evaluation of Potential Sustainable Bedding Substrates Focusing on Preference, Behavior, and Stress Physiology in Rats-A Pilot Study.

Ensuring optimal housing conditions for laboratory animals is a crucial prerequisite for high-quality and ethically justifiable in vivo science. In addition to guaranteeing animal welfare and promoting scientific validity, environmental sustainability is also increasingly gaining attention in laboratory animal facilities. Consequently, comprehensive management of such aspects is one of the core tasks of any research vivarium.

White matter microstructure alterations in cortico-striatal networks are associated with parkinsonism in schizophrenia spectrum disorders.

The specific role of white matter (WM) microstructure in parkinsonism among patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SSD) is largely unknown. To determine whether topographical alterations of WM microstructure contribute to parkinsonism in SSD patients, we examined healthy controls (HC, n=16) and SSD patients with and without parkinsonism, as defined by Simpson-Angus Scale total score of ≥4 (SSD-P, n=33) or <4 (SSD-nonP, n=62). We used whole brain tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS), tractometry (along tract statistics using TractSeg) and graph analytics (clustering coefficient (CCO), local betweenness centrality (BC)) to provide a framework of specific WM microstructural changes underlying parkinsonism in SSD.

Structural alterations in brainstem, basal ganglia and thalamus associated with parkinsonism in schizophrenia spectrum disorders.

The relative roles of brainstem, thalamus and striatum in parkinsonism in schizophrenia spectrum disorder (SSD) patients are largely unknown. To determine whether topographical alterations of the brainstem, thalamus and striatum contribute to parkinsonism in SSD patients, we conducted structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of SSD patients with (SSD-P, n = 35) and without (SSD-nonP, n = 64) parkinsonism, as defined by a Simpson and Angus Scale (SAS) total score of ≥ 4 and < 4, respectively, in comparison with healthy controls (n = 20). FreeSurfer v6.

A neurodevelopmental signature of parkinsonism in schizophrenia.

While sensorimotor abnormalities in schizophrenia (SZ) are of increasing scientific interest, little is known about structural changes and their developmental origins that may underlie parkinsonism. This multimodal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) study examined healthy controls (HC, n = 20) and SZ patients with (SZ-P, n = 38) and without (SZ-nonP, n = 35) parkinsonism, as defined by Simpson-Angus Scale total scores of ≥4 or ≤1, respectively. Using the Computational Anatomy Toolbox (CAT12), voxel- and surface-based morphometry were applied to investigate cortical and subcortical gray matter volume (GMV) and three cortical surface markers of distinct neurodevelopmental origin: cortical thickness (CTh), complexity of cortical folding (CCF) and sulcus depth.

Analysis of COVID-19-Related RT-qPCR Test Results in Hungary: Epidemiology, Diagnostics, and Clinical Outcome.

Effective testing is an essential tool for controlling COVID-19. We aimed to analyse the data from first-wave PCR test results in Hungary's Southern Transdanubian region to improve testing strategies. We performed a retrospective analysis of all suspected COVID-19 cases between 17 March and 8 May 2020, collecting epidemiological, demographic, clinical and outcome data (ICU admission and mortality) with RT-qPCR test results.

Small Interfering RNAs Are Highly Effective Inhibitors of Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever Virus Replication In Vitro.

Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus (CCHFV) is one of the prioritized diseases of the World Health Organization, considering its potential to create a public health emergency and, more importantly, the absence of efficacious drugs and/or vaccines for treatment. The highly pathogenic characteristic of CCHFV restricts research to BSL-4 laboratories, which complicates effective research and developmental strategies. In consideration of antiviral therapies, RNA interference can be used to suppress viral replication by targeting viral genes.

Generative network models of altered structural brain connectivity in schizophrenia.

Alterations in the structural connectome of schizophrenia patients have been widely characterized, but the mechanisms remain largely unknown. Generative network models have recently been introduced as a tool to test the biological underpinnings of altered brain network formation. We evaluated different generative network models in healthy controls (n=152), schizophrenia patients (n=66), and their unaffected first-degree relatives (n=32), and we identified spatial and topological factors contributing to network formation.

Multiparametric mapping of white matter microstructure in catatonia.

Catatonia is characterized by motor, affective and behavioral abnormalities. To date, the specific role of white matter (WM) abnormalities in schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SSD) patients with catatonia is largely unknown. In this study, diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (dMRI) data were collected from 111 right-handed SSD patients and 28 healthy controls.

Stress-Induced Morphological, Cellular and Molecular Changes in the Brain-Lessons Learned from the Chronic Mild Stress Model of Depression.

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a severe illness imposing an increasing social and economic burden worldwide. Numerous rodent models have been developed to investigate the pathophysiology of MDD. One of the best characterized and most widely used models is the chronic mild stress (CMS) model which was developed more than 30 years ago by Paul Willner.