Short-term effects of transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation on T-wave alternans in people with focal epilepsy - An exploratory pilot study.

High levels of T-wave alternans (TWA) are linked to an increased risk of sudden cardiac death. People with epilepsy display elevated TWA levels that are decreased by chronic vagus nerve stimulation via implanted devices after 2-4 weeks or later. Our objective was to explore short-term effects of transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (tVNS) on TWA.

Atrioventricular Conduction in Mesial Temporal Lobe Seizures.

Asymmetric cerebral representation of autonomic function could help to stratify cardiac complications in people with epilepsy, as some seizures are associated with potentially deleterious arrhythmias including bradycardia and atrioventricular (AV) conduction block. We investigated seizure-related changes in AV conduction and ascertained whether these alterations depend on the hemisphere in mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (mTLE). EEG and ECG data of people with pharmacoresistant mTLE undergoing pre-surgical video-EEG telemetry with seizures independently arising from both hippocampi, as determined by intracranial depths electrodes were reviewed.

A Novel Testing Device to Assess the Effect of Neck Strength on Risk of Concussion.

Concussion awareness has become more prevalent in the past decade, leading to growing calls for prevention programs such as neck strengthening. However, previous research work has shown that not all training programs have been effective, and there is a need for a reliable testing device to measure cervical strength dynamically before and after training. Therefore, this work proposes a novel Concussion Active Prevention Testing Device composed of inertial measurement units mounted on the head and a custom-designed frame to measure head kinematics during controlled sub-concussive impacts.

Semi-automatic quantification of seizure-related effects on heart activity.

Objective: Seizure-related modulation of heart rate (HR) was examined extensively in previous studies. However, the overall effect on HR attributable to epileptic seizures is difficult to determine, given the considerable fluctuations of HR before and during seizures. Here, we developed a semi-automatic procedure allowing quantification of the total impact of seizures on HR and determination of temporal relationships between seizure onset assessed by intracranial EEG (iEEG) and ECG.

INI1/SMARCB1-Deficient Carcinoma (Rhabdoid Tumor) of the Lacrimal Gland.

Integrase interactor 1 (INI1) is a tumor suppressor gene that is ubiquitously expressed in all nucleated cells. The loss of INI1 protein activity was first demonstrated in aggressive pediatric tumors, including atypical teratoid/rhabdoid (AT/RT) tumor of the central nervous system and malignant rhabdoid tumor of the kidney. Subsequently, INI1 deficiency was discovered in other pediatric and some adult neoplasms.

Mental Health Trainees' Explicit and Implicit Attitudes Toward Transracial Adoptive Families Headed by Lesbian, Gay, and Heterosexual Couples.

We investigated 109 (79.8% female; 76% White, and 83.5% Heterosexual) mental health trainees' explicit and implicit attitudes toward heterosexual, lesbian, and gay White couples adopting and raising Black children.

Structure and properties of nitrogen-rich 1,4-dicyanotetrazine, C4N6: a comparative study with related tetracyano electron acceptors.

The crystal structure, redox electrochemical stability, and reaction chemistry of 1,4-dicyanotetrazine (DCNT) has been experimentally characterized. These experimental results were rationalized by the results of theoretical calculations of the electronic structure, spin and charge distributions, electronic absorption spectra, and electron affinity and compared with the results for related the tetracyano electron acceptors tetracyanoethylene (TCNE), 7,7,8,8-tetracyano-p-quinodimethane (TCNQ), and 2,3,5,6-tetracyanopyrazine (TCNP). DCNT is made from the dehydration of 1,2,4,5-tetrazine-3,6-dicarboxamide, and because of the unusual deep-magenta color of the dicarboxamide in the solid state, its hydrogen-bonded layered structure, electronic structure, and electronic absorption spectra were determined.

Ictal modulation of cardiac repolarization, but not of heart rate, is lateralized in mesial temporal lobe epilepsy.

Objectives: Human and animal studies provided controversial data on asymmetric cortical representation of cardiac function, which may partially be due to different study designs and inter-individual variability. Here, we investigated whether seizure-related changes in heart rate (HR) and cardiac repolarization depend on the side of seizure-activity in people with mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (mTLE).

Methods: To account for inter-individual variability, EEG and ECG data were reviewed from patients with medically refractory mTLE undergoing pre-surgical video-EEG telemetry with at least 2 seizures arising from each hippocampus as assessed by bilateral hippocampal depths electrodes.

The relationship between change in therapeutic alliance ratings and improvement in youth symptom severity: whose ratings matter the most?

This paper presents the psychometric evaluation of brief measures of therapeutic alliance (TA) for youths, clinicians and caregivers and a longitudinal analysis of relationships between changes in TA and changes in youth symptom and functioning severity. Psychometric analyses using methods from Classical Test Theory, Item Response Theory, and Factor Analysis indicate that the measures of TA used in this study offer something new for both practice and research. The measures have variability, sensitivity to change over time, brevity and can be used with multiple parties through parallel forms.

Urine drug testing in chronic pain.

Therapeutic use, overuse, abuse, and diversion of controlled substances in managing chronic non-cancer pain continue to be an issue for physicians and patients. The challenge is to eliminate or significantly curtail abuse of controlled prescription drugs while still assuring the proper treatment of those patients. Some physicians are apprehensive regarding the use of chronic opioid therapy in chronic non-cancer pain due to a perceived lack of proven evidence, the misuse of opioids, tolerance, dependence, and hyperalgesia.

Stabilization of magnetic ordering observed for the bridging NCN group.

The reaction of meso-tetraphenylporphyrinatomanganese(II) (MnTPP) and N,7,7-tricyanoquinomethanimine (TCQMI) forms {[Mn(III)TPP](+)}(2)[TCQMI](2)(2-), which possesses a one-dimensional chain with μ(1,3)-NCN linkages. The reduced [TCQMI](•-) dimerizes as [TCQMI](2)(2-) with a long, central 1.611(8) Å C-C bond and leads to a honeycomb, two-dimensionally layered structure with 24-membered rings.

Tristability arising from singlet-triplet and quartet spin states for dimeric Co(II)salen.

The magnetic behavior of N,N'-ethylenebis(salicylideniminato)cobalt(II) (Co(II)Salen, 1) has been reinvestigated and reveals spin-crossover behavior above 295 K. It has a singlet ground state and a triplet excited state at 30 K (21 cm(-1); 60 cal/mol) above the ground state, and at a higher temperature spin crossover to the quartet, a second excited state occurs.

Guidelines for the use of controlled substances in the management of chronic pain.

Controlled substance abuse has increased at an alarming rate. However, available evidence suggests a wide variance in the use of controlled substances, as documented by different medical specialties, medical boards, advocacy groups, and the Drug Enforcement Administration. The primary objective of controlled substance guidelines by American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians (ASIPP) is to provide guidance for the use of controlled substances for the treatment of chronic pain.

Opioid guidelines in the management of chronic non-cancer pain.

Background: Opioid abuse has increased at an alarming rate. However, available evidence suggests a wide variance in the use of opioids, as documented by different medical specialties, medical boards, advocacy groups, and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).

Objectives: The objective of these opioid guidelines by the American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians (ASIPP) is to provide guidance for the use of opioids for the treatment of chronic non-cancer pain, to bring consistency in opioid philosophy among the many diverse groups involved, to improve the treatment of chronic non-cancer pain, and to reduce the incidence of drug diversion.