Hyperglycemia induces key genetic and phenotypic changes in human liver epithelial HepG2 cells which parallel the Leprdb/J mouse model of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a growing global health concern. With a propensity to progress towards non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma, NAFLD is an important link amongst a multitude of comorbidities including obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular and kidney disease. As several in vivo models of hyperglycemia and NAFLD are employed to investigate the pathophysiology of this disease process, we aimed to characterize an in vitro model of hyperglycemia that was amenable to address molecular mechanisms and therapeutic targets at the cellular level.

Amyloid Load, Hippocampal Volume Loss, and Diffusion Tensor Imaging Changes in Early Phases of Brain Aging.

Background And Purpose: Amyloid imaging, gray matter (GM) morphometry and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) have all been used as predictive biomarkers in dementia. Our objective was to define the imaging profile of healthy elderly controls as a function of their cognitive trajectories and explore whether amyloid burden and white matter (WM) microstructure changes are associated with subtle decrement of neuropsychological performances in old age.

Materials And Methods: We performed a 4.

Application of a new methodology and R package reveals a high burden of healthcare-associated infections (HAI) in Germany compared to the average in the European Union/European Economic Area, 2011 to 2012.

BackgroundHealthcare-associated infections (HAIs) pose a major challenge to health systems. Burden of disease estimations in disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) are useful for comparing and ranking HAIs.AimTo estimate the number of five common HAIs, their attributable number of deaths and burden for Germany.

[Medical Daily Routine in the Tropics: A Case-Based Overview].

Medical Daily Routine in the Tropics: A Case-Based Overview When we speak about «medicine in the tropics» it is malaria epidemics, diarrheal diseases and worm infections that come to mind. A lesser-known fact is the impact of the new epidemic of non-communicable diseases, which are currently responsible for about half of all deaths occurring in the tropical world regions. Changing demographic, social and economic factors are the drivers for diseases such as hypertension, diabetes and obesity.

Interleukin 21 (IL-21) regulates chronic allograft vasculopathy (CAV) in murine heart allograft rejection.

IL-21 is the most recently discovered common gamma-chain cytokine that promotes persistent T-cell responses in chronic infections, autoimmunity and cancer. However, the therapeutic potential of inhibiting the IL-21-BATF signaling axis, particularly in transplant rejection, remains unclear. We used heart transplant models to examine the effects of IL-21 blockade in prevention of chronic cardiac allograft vasculopathy (CAV) using genetic knock-out and therapeutic approaches.

Impact of anti-obesity medication initiation and duration on weight loss in a comprehensive weight loss programme.

Objective: This retrospective study aimed to evaluate the impact of anti-obesity medication (AOM) initiation, usage and duration on weight loss in a 72-week precision obesity programme. The type of AOM, diet and exercise plan was chosen based upon an individual's biological and psychosocial needs. The 72-week study duration allowed for a fair investigation of the downstream impact of delayed versus early AOM initiation.

Different patterns of cerebral perfusion in SLE patients with and without neuropsychiatric manifestations.

To investigate brain perfusion patterns in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients with and without neuropsychiatric systemic lupus erythematosus (NPSLE and non-NPSLE, respectively) and to identify biomarkers for the diagnosis of NPSLE using noninvasive three-dimensional (3D) arterial spin labeling (ASL). Thirty-one NPSLE and 24 non-NPSLE patients and 32 age- and sex-matched normal controls (NCs) were recruited. Three-dimensional ASL-MRI was applied to quantify cerebral perfusion.

A study of neural activity and functional connectivity within the olfactory brain network in Parkinson's disease.

Olfactory dysfunction is an early manifestation of Parkinson's disease (PD). The present study aimed to illustrate potential differences between PD patients and healthy controls in terms of neural activity and functional connectivity within the olfactory brain network. Twenty PD patients and twenty healthy controls were examined with olfactory fMRI and resting-state fMRI.

The rise in vancomycin-resistant in Germany: data from the German Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance (ARS).

Background: Due to limited therapeutic options, vancomycin-resistant (VREF) is of great clinical significance. Recently, rising proportions of vancomycin resistance in enterococcal infections have been reported worldwide. This study aims to describe current epidemiological trends of VREF in German hospitals and to identify factors that are associated with an increased likelihood of vancomycin resistance in clinical isolates.

Early Rapid Decline in Kidney Function in Medically Managed Patients With Atherosclerotic Renal Artery Stenosis.

Background Early rapid declines of kidney function may occur in patients with atherosclerotic renal artery stenosis with institution of medical therapy. The causes and consequences are not well understood. Methods and Results Patients enrolled in the medical therapy-only arm of the CORAL (Cardiovascular Outcomes With Renal Artery Lesions) study were assessed for a rapid decline (RD) in estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), defined as a ≥30% decrease from baseline to either 3 months, 6 months, or both.

MRI detection of cerebral microbleeds: size matters.

Purpose: Cerebral microbleeds (CMB) play an important role as an imaging biomarker notably in vascular and neurodegenerative diseases. Current clinical brain MRI underestimates the number of CMB with respect to histopathology. It is expected that small CMBs are more likely to be false-negatives, yet this has not been demonstrated and the average size of false-negative and true-positive CMBs have not been established.

Advancing clinical neuroscience through enhanced tools: Pediatric social anxiety as an example.

Background: Clinical researchers face challenges when trying to quantify diverse processes engaged during social interactions. We report results from two studies, each demonstrating the potential utility of tools for examining processes engaged during social interactions.

Method: In the first study, youth (n = 57) used a smartphone-based tool to rate mood and responses to social events.

Gray Matter Densities in Limbic Areas and APOE4 Independently Predict Cognitive Decline in Normal Brain Aging.

Cross-sectional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies reported significant associations between gray matter (GM) density changes in various limbic and neocortical areas and worst cognitive performances in elderly controls. Longitudinal studies in this field remain scarce and led to conflicting data. We report a clinico-radiological investigation of 380 cognitively preserved individuals who undergo neuropsychological assessment at baseline and after 18 months.

Circulating Lactonase Activity but Not Protein Level of PON-1 Predicts Adverse Outcomes in Subjects with Chronic Kidney Disease.

The burden of cardiovascular disease and death in chronic kidney disease (CKD) outpaces that of the other diseases and is not adequately described by traditional risk factors alone. Diminished activity of paraoxonase (PON)-1 is associated with increased oxidant stress, a common feature underlying the pathogenesis of CKD. We aimed to assess the prognostic value of circulating PON-1 protein and PON lactonase activity on adverse clinical outcomes across various stages and etiologies of CKD.

Exposure to the Harmful Algal Bloom (HAB) Toxin Microcystin-LR (MC-LR) Prolongs and Increases Severity of Dextran Sulfate Sodium (DSS)-Induced Colitis.

Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) represents a collection of gastrointestinal disorders resulting from genetic and environmental factors. Microcystin-leucine arginine (MC-LR) is a toxin produced by cyanobacteria during algal blooms and demonstrates bioaccumulation in the intestinal tract following ingestion. Little is known about the impact of MC-LR ingestion in individuals with IBD.

Higher nicotinic receptor availability in the cingulo-insular network is associated with lower cardiac parasympathetic tone.

The dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) and the anterior insula (AI) constitute the salience network and form as well the major cortical components of the central autonomic nervous system. These two cortical regions have the highest density in α4β2 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) within the whole cortex.The aim of the study was to test the association between nAChRs density/availability in the salience network and the heart rate variability in humans.

Proinflammatory Effects of Cardiotonic Steroids Mediated by NKA α-1 (Na+/K+-ATPase α-1)/Src Complex in Renal Epithelial Cells and Immune Cells.

Cardiotonic steroids (CTSs) are NKA α-1 (Na/K-ATPase α-1) ligands that are increased in volume expanded states and associated with cardiac and renal diseases. Although initiation and resolution of inflammation is an important component of cellular injury and repair in renal disease, it is unknown whether CTS activation of NKA α-1 signaling in this setting regulates this inflammatory response. On this background, we hypothesized that CTS signaling through the NKA α-1-Src kinase complex promotes a proinflammatory response in renal epithelial and immune cells.

The Heterogeneity of Anxious Phenotypes: Neural Responses to Errors in Treatment-Seeking Anxious and Behaviorally Inhibited Youths.

Objective: Although behaviorally inhibited (BI) temperament predicts risk for anxiety, anxiety in BI may involve distinct neural responses to errors. The current study examines the relations between anxiety and neural correlates of error processing both in youths identified as BI in early childhood and in youths seeking treatment for an anxiety disorder.

Method: All participants underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging using a flanker task to assess responses to errors.

Author Correction: Closed-loop brain training: the science of neurofeedback.

In this article, the affiliation for Mohit Rana was incorrectly listed as the Institute for Biological and Medical Engineering, Department of Psychiatry, and Section of Neuroscience, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Vicuña Mackenna 4860 Hernán Briones, piso 2, Macul 782-0436, Santiago, Chile. The listed affiliation should have been the following: Departamento de Psiquiatría, Escuela de Medicina, Centro Interdisciplinario de Neurociencias, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile; and the Laboratory for Brain-Machine Interfaces and Neuromodulation, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile. An acknowledgement to Mohit Rana's funding source was also missing.

The Effect of Electronic-Cigarette Vaping on Cardiac Function and Angiogenesis in Mice.

The rapid increase in use of electronic-cigarettes (e-cigarettes), especially among youth, raises the urgency for regulating bodies to make informed decisions, guidance, and policy on these products. This study evaluated cardiac function in an experimental model following exposure to e-cigarettes. We subjected C57BL/6 mice to e-cigarette vaping for 2-weeks, and cardiac function was assessed using echocardiography.

Dementia imaging in clinical practice: a European-wide survey of 193 centres and conclusions by the ESNR working group.

Purpose: Through a European-wide survey, we assessed the current clinical practice of imaging in the primary evaluation of dementia, with respect to standardised imaging, evaluation and reporting.

Methods: An online questionnaire was emailed to all European Society of Neuroradiology (ESNR) members (n = 1662) and non-members who had expressed their interest in ESNR activities in the past (n = 6400). The questionnaire featured 42 individual items, divided into multiple choice, single best choice and free text answers.

Regional Cerebral Perfusion and Cerebrovascular Reactivity in Elderly Controls With Subtle Cognitive Deficits.

Recent studies suggested that arterial spin labeling (ASL)-based measures of cerebral blood flow (CBF) as well as cerebral vasoreactivity to CO (CVR CO) show significant alterations mainly in posterior neocortical areas both in mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer disease. It remains, however, unknown whether similar changes occur in at risk healthy elders without clinically overt symptoms. This longitudinal study investigated patterns of ASL perfusion and CVR CO as a function of the cognitive trajectories in asymptomatic elderly individuals.

Inter-Network High-Order Functional Connectivity (IN-HOFC) and its Alteration in Patients with Mild Cognitive Impairment.

Little is known about the high-order interactions among brain regions measured by the similarity of higher-order features (other than the raw blood-oxygen-level-dependent signals) which can characterize higher-level brain functional connectivity (FC). Previously, we proposed FC topographical profile-based high-order FC (HOFC) and found that this metric could provide supplementary information to traditional FC for early Alzheimer's disease (AD) detection. However, whether such findings apply to network-level brain functional integration is unknown.