Standardized Data Elements for Patients With Acute Pulmonary Embolism: A Consensus Report From the Pulmonary Embolism Research Collaborative.

Recent advances in therapy and the promulgation of multidisciplinary pulmonary embolism teams show great promise to improve management and outcomes of acute pulmonary embolism (PE). However, the absence of randomized evidence and lack of consensus leads to tremendous variations in treatment and compromises the wide implementation of new innovations. Moreover, the changing landscape of health care, where quality, cost, and accountability are increasingly relevant, dictates that a broad spectrum of outcomes of care must be routinely monitored to fully capture the impact of modern PE treatment.

Modelling costs of interventional pulmonary embolism treatment: implications of US trends for a European healthcare system.

Aims: Catheter-directed treatment (CDT) of acute pulmonary embolism (PE) is entering a growth phase in Europe following a steady increase in the USA in the past decade, but the potential economic impact on European healthcare systems remains unknown.

Methods And Results: We built two statistical models for the monthly trend of proportion of CDT among patients with severe (intermediate- or high-risk) PE in the USA. The conservative model was based on admission data from the National Inpatient Sample (NIS) 2016-20 and the model reflecting increasing access to advanced treatment from the PERT™ national quality assurance database registry 2018-21.

Spatiotemporal Dynamics of Neuroinflammation Relate to Behavioral Recovery in Rats with Spinal Cord Injury.

Purpose: The degree and dynamic progression of neuroinflammation after traumatic spinal cord injuries (SCI) are crucial determinants of the severity of injury and potential for recovery. We used Positron Emission Tomography (PET) to monitor neuroinflammation longitudinally, correlating it with Chemical Exchange Saturation Transfer (CEST) Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and behavior in contusion-injured rats. These studies help validate CEST metrics and confirm how imaging may be used to evaluate the efficacy of therapies and understand their mechanisms of action.

Model-based parcellation of diffusion MRI of injured spinal cord predicts hand use impairment and recovery in squirrel monkeys.

A mathematical model-based parcellation of magnetic resonance diffusion tensor images (DTI) has been developed to quantify progressive changes in three types of tissues - grey (GM), white matter (WM), and damaged spinal cord tissue, along with behavioral assessments over a 6 month period following targeted spinal cord injuries (SCI) in monkeys. Sigmoid Gompertz function based fittings of DTI metrics provide early indicators that correlate with, and predict, recovery of hand grasping behavior. Our three tissue pool model provided unbiased, data-driven segmentation of spinal cord images and identified DTI metrics that can serve as reliable biomarkers of severity of spinal cord injuries and predictors of behavioral outcomes.

Detection and characterization of resting state functional networks in squirrel monkey brain.

Resting-state fMRI based on analyzing BOLD signals is widely used to derive functional networks in the brain and how they alter during disease or injury conditions. Resting-state networks can also be used to study brain functional connectomes across species, which provides insights into brain evolution. The squirrel monkey (SM) is a non-human primate (NHP) that is widely used as a preclinical model for experimental manipulations to understand the organization and functioning of the brain.

Disrupting nociceptive information processing flow through transcranial focused ultrasound neuromodulation of thalamic nuclei.

Background: MRI-guided transcranial focused ultrasound (MRgFUS) as a next-generation neuromodulation tool can precisely target and stimulate deep brain regions with high spatial selectivity. Combined with MR-ARFI (acoustic radiation force imaging) and using fMRI BOLD signal as functional readouts, our previous studies have shown that low-intensity FUS can excite or suppress neural activity in the somatosensory cortex.

Objective: To investigate whether low-intensity FUS can suppress nociceptive heat stimulation-induced responses in thalamic nuclei during hand stimulation, and to determine how this suppression influences the information processing flow within nociception networks.

Longitudinal multiparametric MRI of traumatic spinal cord injury in animal models.

Multi-parametric MRI (mpMRI) technology enables non-invasive and quantitative assessments of the structural, molecular, and functional characteristics of various neurological diseases. Despite the recognized importance of studying spinal cord pathology, mpMRI applications in spinal cord research have been somewhat limited, partly due to technical challenges associated with spine imaging. However, advances in imaging techniques and improved image quality now allow longitudinal investigations of a comprehensive range of spinal cord pathological features by exploiting different endogenous MRI contrasts.

Validation of the Nine-Item Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder Screen Among Transgender and Nonbinary Youth and Young Adults.

Purpose: The purpose of the study was to provide initial evidence for the internal consistency and convergent validity of the nine-item avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder screen (NIAS) in a sample of transgender and nonbinary (TGNB) youth and young adults.

Methods: Returning patients at a Midwestern gender clinic (=164) ages 12-23 completed the NIAS, sick, control, one stone, fat, food (SCOFF), patient health questionnaire 9 (PHQ-9), and generalized anxiety disorder 7 (GAD-7) during their clinic visit. Age, sex assigned at birth, gender identity, weight, and height were also collected.

Regressive changes in sizes of somatosensory cuneate nucleus after sensory loss in primates.

Neurons in the early stages of processing sensory information suffer transneuronal atrophy when deprived of their activating inputs. For over 40 y, members of our laboratory have studied the reorganization of the somatosensory cortex during and after recovering from different types of sensory loss. Here, we took advantage of the preserved histological material from these studies of the cortical effects of sensory loss to evaluate the histological consequences in the cuneate nucleus of the lower brainstem and the adjoining spinal cord.

Detection of laser-associated heating in the brain during simultaneous fMRI and optogenetic stimulation.

Purpose: To calculate temperatures from T *-weighted images collected during optogenetic fMRI based on proton resonance frequency (PRF) shift thermometry, to monitor confounding heating effects and determine appropriate light parameters for optogenetic stimulation.

Methods: fMRI is mainly based on long-TE gradient-recalled echo acquisitions that are also suitable for measuring small temperature changes via the PRF shift. A motion- and respiration-robust processing pipeline was developed to calculate temperature changes based on the PRF shift directly from the T *-weighted images collected for fMRI with a two-shot 2D gradient-recalled echo-EPI sequence at 9.

Disordered Eating, Food Insecurity, and Weight Status Among Transgender and Gender Nonbinary Youth and Young Adults: A Cross-Sectional Study Using a Nutrition Screening Protocol.

The purpose of this study was to describe the prevalence of and relationships among disordered eating, food insecurity, and weight status among transgender and gender nonbinary youth and young adults. This cross-sectional study involved a screening protocol to assess disordered eating and food insecurity risk from September to December of 2019 at a gender clinic using five validated measures: (1) previous eating disorder diagnosis (yes/no); (2) Sick, Control, One Stone, Fat, Food Questionnaire (SCOFF); (3) Adolescent Binge Eating Disorder Questionnaire (ADO-BED); (4) Nine-Item Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder Screen (NIAS); and (5) Hunger Vital Sign. Age, assigned sex at birth, gender identity, stage of medical transition, and body mass index were collected.

Management of Hypertriglyceridemia-Induced Acute Pancreatitis in a Nondiabetic Patient.

Treatment strategies for hypertriglyceridemia-induced acute pancreatitis are not well defined in the current literature or guidelines. One therapeutic option is an insulin infusion accompanied by a dextrose infusion to avoid hypoglycemia. The purpose of this case report is to highlight dosing considerations for dextrose infusions in nondiabetic patients.

Longitudinal fMRI measures of cortical reactivation and hand use with and without training after sensory loss in primates.

In a series of previous studies, we demonstrated that damage to the dorsal column in the cervical spinal cord deactivates the contralateral somatosensory hand cortex and impairs hand use in a reach-to-grasp task in squirrel monkeys. Nevertheless, considerable cortical reactivation and behavioral recovery occurs over the following weeks to months after lesion. This timeframe may also be a window for targeted therapies to promote cortical reactivation and functional reorganization, aiding in the recovery process.

Sensitivity and specificity of CEST and NOE MRI in injured spinal cord in monkeys.

Purpose: The sensitivity and accuracy of chemical exchange saturation transfer (CEST) and nuclear Overhauser enhancement (NOE) effects for assessing injury-associated changes in cervical spinal cords were evaluated in squirrel monkeys. Multiple interacting pools of protons, including one identified by an NOE at -1.6 ppm relative to water (NOE(-1.

Management of Hypertriglyceridemia-Induced Acute Pancreatitis in a Nondiabetic Patient.

Hypertriglyceridemia-induced acute pancreatitis treatment strategies are not well defined in current literature or guidelines. One therapy option is an insulin infusion accompanied by a dextrose infusion to avoid hypoglycemia. The purpose of this case report is to highlight dosing considerations for dextrose infusions in nondiabetic patients.

Corticocuneate projections are altered after spinal cord dorsal column lesions in New World monkeys.

Recovery of responses to cutaneous stimuli in the area 3b hand cortex of monkeys after dorsal column lesions (DCLs) in the cervical spinal cord relies on neural rewiring in the cuneate nucleus (Cu) over time. To examine whether the corticocuneate projections are modified during recoveries after the DCL, we injected cholera toxin subunit B into the hand representation in Cu to label the cortical neurons after various recovery times, and related results to the recovery of neural responses in the affected area 3b hand cortex. In normal New World monkeys, labeled neurons were predominately distributed in the hand regions of contralateral areas 3b, 3a, 1 and 2, parietal ventral (PV), secondary somatosensory cortex (S2), and primary motor cortex (M1), with similar distributions in the ipsilateral cortex in significantly smaller numbers.

Microchiropterans have a diminutive cerebral cortex, not an enlarged cerebellum, compared to megachiropterans and other mammals.

Small echolocating bats are set apart from most other mammals by their relatively large cerebellum, a feature that has been associated to echolocation, as it is presumed to indicate a relatively enlarged number of neurons in the cerebellum in comparison to other brain structures. Here we quantify the neuronal composition of the cerebral cortex, cerebellum and remaining brain structures of seven species of large Pteropodid bats (formerly classified as megachiropterans), one of which echolocates, and six species of small bats (formerly classified as microchiropterans), all of which echolocate. This chiropteran data is compared to 60 mammalian species in our dataset to determine whether the relatively large cerebellum of the small echolocating bats, and possibly that of the echolocating Pteropodid, contains a relatively enlarged number of neurons.

Reorganization of Higher-Order Somatosensory Cortex After Sensory Loss from Hand in Squirrel Monkeys.

Unilateral dorsal column lesions (DCL) at the cervical spinal cord deprive the hand regions of somatosensory cortex of tactile activation. However, considerable cortical reactivation occurs over weeks to months of recovery. While most studies focused on the reactivation of primary somatosensory area 3b, here, for the first time, we address how the higher-order somatosensory cortex reactivates in the same monkeys after DCL that vary across cases in completeness, post-lesion recovery times, and types of treatments.

Second-order spinal cord pathway contributes to cortical responses after long recoveries from dorsal column injury in squirrel monkeys.

Months after the occurrence of spinal cord dorsal column lesions (DCLs) at the cervical level, neural responses in the hand representation of somatosensory area 3b hand cortex recover, along with hand use. To examine whether the second-order spinal cord pathway contributes to this functional recovery, we injected cholera toxin subunit B (CTB) into the hand representation in the cuneate nucleus (Cu) to label the spinal cord neurons, and related results to cortical reactivation in four squirrel monkeys () at least 7 months after DCL. In two monkeys with complete DCLs, few CTB-labeled neurons were present below the lesion, and few neurons in the affected hand region in area 3b responded to touch on the hand.

Effect of substrate storage conditions on the stability of "Smart" films used for mammalian cell applications.

When poly(-isopropyl acrylamide) (pNIPAM) is tethered to a surface, it can induce the spontaneous release of a sheet of mammalian cells. The release of cells is a result of the reversible phase transition the polymer undergoes at its lower critical solution temperature (LCST). Many techniques are used for the deposition of pNIPAM onto cell culture substrates.

Optimization of electrospun poly(N-isopropyl acrylamide) mats for the rapid reversible adhesion of mammalian cells.

Poly(N-isopropyl acrylamide) (pNIPAM) is a "smart" polymer that responds to changes in altering temperature near physiologically relevant temperatures, changing its relative hydrophobicity. Mammalian cells attach to pNIPAM at 37 °C and detach spontaneously as a confluent sheet when the temperature is shifted below the lower critical solution temperature (∼32 °C). A variety of methods have been used to create pNIPAM films, including plasma polymerization, self-assembled monolayers, and electron beam ionization.

Plasticity and Recovery After Dorsal Column Spinal Cord Injury in Nonhuman Primates.

Here, we review recent work on plasticity and recovery after dorsal column spinal cord injury in nonhuman primates. Plasticity in the adult central nervous system has been established and studied for the past several decades; however, capacities and limits of plasticity are still under investigation. Studies of plasticity include assessing multiple measures before and after injury in animal models.

Distributions of Cells and Neurons across the Cortical Sheet in Old World Macaques.

According to previous research, cell and neuron densities vary across neocortex in a similar manner across primate taxa. Here, we provide a more extensive examination of this effect in macaque monkeys. We separated neocortex from the underlying white matter in 4 macaque monkey hemispheres (1 Macaca nemestrina, 2 Macaca radiata, and 1 Macaca mulatta), manually flattened the neocortex, and divided it into smaller tissue pieces for analysis.