Neuroscience of the human thalamus related to acute pain and chronic "thalamic" pain.

The association of posterior thalamic strokes with the presence of chronic "thalamic" pain was described in the early 1900s and revisited in a recent review of these patients. Acute pain in corporal structures is associated with the spinothalamic tract (STT), which originates in the dorsal horn of the spinal cord, whereas that associated with cranial structures is associated with the spinal division of the trigeminal nucleus. These pathways terminate in the ventral posterior nucleus (VP), including its posterior and inferior subnuclei and its core, which is classically associated with tactile and haptic functions.

Sleep duration and quality of Brazilian nursing staff who work in shifts.

Objective: to analyze sleep duration and sleep quality in nursing professionals who work in shifts.

Method: this is a cross-sectional, analytical research, carried out between September 2017 and April 2018, at a public hospital in southern Brazil, with the nursing team. A socio-occupational and health symptoms questionnaire, the Epworth Sleepiness Scale, and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index were used.

Application of an alchemical free energy method for the prediction of thermostable DuraPETase variants.

Non-equilibrium (NEQ) alchemical free energy calculations are an emerging tool for accurately predicting changes in protein folding free energy resulting from amino acid mutations. In this study, this method in combination with the Rosetta ddg monomer tool was applied to predict more thermostable variants of the polyethylene terephthalate (PET) degrading enzyme DuraPETase. The Rosetta ddg monomer tool efficiently enriched promising mutations prior to more accurate prediction by NEQ alchemical free energy calculations.

Multiple foreign body granulomas after mastectomy with intraoperative application of tissue adhesive vs. surgical drainage - sonographic finding.

Purpose: The use of tissue adhesive instead of a drain following mastectomy was a point of interest for many breast surgeons. Postoperative formation of multiple unusual sonographic lesions was observed in patients that underwent mastectomy with TissuGlu. The aim of this study was to describe the sonographic features of these lesions and, when possible, to examine them histologically.

Split-GFP complementation at the bacterial cell surface for antibody-free labeling and quantification of heterologous protein display.

The split-GFP system is a versatile tool with numerous applications, but it has been underutilized for the labeling of heterologous surface-displayed proteins. By inserting the 16 amino acid sequence of the GFP11-tag between a protein of interest and an autotransporter protein, it is possible to present a protein at the outer membrane of gram-negative bacteria and to fluorescently label it by complementation with externally added GFP1-10. The labeled cells could be clearly discerned from cells without the protein of interest using flow cytometry and the insertion of the GFP11-tag caused no significant alteration of the catalytic activity for the tested model enzyme CsBglA.

Vigilance to Painful Laser Stimuli is Associated with Increased State Anxiety and Tense Arousal.

Introduction: Pain is frequently accompanied by enhanced arousal and hypervigilance to painful sensations. Here, we describe our findings in an experimental vigilance task requiring healthy participants to indicate when randomly timed moderately painful stimuli occur in a long train of mildly painful stimuli.

Methods: During a continuous performance task with painful laser stimuli (CPTpain), 18 participants rated pain intensity, unpleasantness, and salience.

Analyzing the interactome of human CK2β in prostate carcinoma cells reveals HSP70-1 and Rho guanin nucleotide exchange factor 12 as novel interaction partners.

CK2β is the non-catalytic modulating part of the S/T-protein kinase CK2. However, the overall function of CK2β is poorly understood. Here, we report on the identification of 38 new interaction partners of the human CK2β from lysates of DU145 prostate cancer cells using photo-crosslinking and mass spectrometry, whereby HSP70-1 was identified with high abundance.

Anti-Inflammatory Properties of the SGLT2 Inhibitor Empagliflozin in Activated Primary Microglia.

Sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors, including empagliflozin, are routinely used as antidiabetic drugs. Recent studies indicate that beside its beneficial effects on blood glucose level, empagliflozin may also exert vascular anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective properties. In the brain, microglia are crucial mediators of inflammation, and neuroinflammation plays a key role in neurodegenerative disorders.

Shift work schedule and damage to nursing workers' health at Brazilian public hospital.

Objective: to compare work-related damage between the day and night shifts of nursing workers in at a public hospital.

Methods: a cross-sectional, and correlational study, conducted with 308 nursing workers from a Brazilian public hospital. Data collection took place from September 2017 to April 2018 using self-administered questionnaires that investigated socio-occupational variables and the effects of work (Work-Related Damage Assessment Scale).

A Cross-Sectional Time Course of COVID-19 Related Worry, Perceived Stress, and General Anxiety in the Context of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder-like Symptomatology.

The COVID-19 pandemic within the United States of America resulted in over 800,000 deaths as of February 2022 and has been addressed by social distancing or stay-at-home measures. Collective prolonged multimodal trauma on this scale is likely to elicit symptomatology in the general population consistent with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), somatization, anxiety, and stress. The psychological component of this response contributes substantially to the burden of this disease worldwide.

Enzyme cascade converting cyclohexanol into ε-caprolactone coupled with NADPH recycling using surface displayed alcohol dehydrogenase and cyclohexanone monooxygenase on E. coli.

The application of enzymes as biocatalysts in industrial processes has great potential due to their outstanding stereo-, regio- and chemoselectivity. Using autodisplay, enzymes can be immobilized on the cell surface of Gram-negative bacteria such as Escherichia coli. In the present study, the surface display of an alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) and a cyclohexanone monooxygenase (CHMO) on E.

New Developments in Non-invasive Brain Stimulation in Chronic Pain.

Purpose Of Review: The goal of this review is to present a summary of the recent literature of a non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS) to alleviate pain in people with chronic pain syndromes. This article reviews the current evidence for the use of transcranial direct current (tDCS) and repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) to improve outcomes in chronic pain. Finally, we introduce the reader to novel stimulation methods that may improve therapeutic outcomes in chronic pain.

During vigilance to painful stimuli: slower response rate is related to high trait anxiety, whereas faster response rate is related to high state anxiety.

A pathological increase in vigilance, or hypervigilance, may be related to pain intensity in some clinical pain syndromes and may result from attention bias to salient stimuli mediated by anxiety. During a continuous performance task where subjects discriminated painful target stimuli from painful nontargets, we measured detected targets (hits), nondetected targets (misses), nondetected nontargets (correct rejections), and detected nontargets (false alarms). Using signal detection theory, we calculated response bias, the tendency to endorse a stimulus as a target, and discriminability, the ability to discriminate a target from nontarget.

Behavioral, Physiological and EEG Activities Associated with Conditioned Fear as Sensors for Fear and Anxiety.

Anxiety disorders impose substantial costs upon public health and productivity in the USA and worldwide. At present, these conditions are quantified by self-report questionnaires that only apply to behaviors that are accessible to consciousness, or by the timing of responses to fear- and anxiety-related words that are indirect since they do not produce fear, e.g.

[Regional Influences on Home Visits - Is Care in Rural Areas Secured in the Long Term?].

Background: Demographic change and urbanisation are proceeding at a rapid pace in Germany. Although the need for care is increasing due to a growing older and multimorbid generation, the number of home visits by general practitioners has been declining since years. Previous studies have shown that the workload for general practitioners is increasing, especially in rural areas.

Impact of the Lysine-urethane Adhesive TissuGlu® on Postoperative Complications and Interventions After Drain-free Mastectomy.

Background/aim: The influence of a polyurethane-based tissue adhesive (TissuGlu®) on common complications following breast surgery was investigated.

Patients And Methods: Within a Randomized-Controlled-Trial 70 women (n=35 TissuGlu®, n=35 drain) underwent a mastectomy with or without sentinel lymph node excision (SLNE), followed by a 90-day postoperative follow-up.

Results: Postoperative interventions: Non-inferiority of the application of TissuGlu® was seen.

The Impact of Patient Support Programs on Adherence to Disease-Modifying Therapies of Patients with Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis in Germany: A Non-Interventional, Prospective Study.

Introduction: Disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) in multiple sclerosis (MS) are chronic therapies, and patients are likely to face challenges in adhering to DMT dosing regimens over time. DMT manufacturers offer patient support programs (PSPs) to increase adherence. PSPs are managed offerings typically encompassing nurse services, phone services, online resources, or mobile offerings.

Mapping tracts in the human subthalamic area by 11.7T ex vivo diffusion tensor imaging.

The cortico-basal ganglia-thalamo-cortical feedback loops that consist of distinct white matter pathways are important for understanding in vivo imaging studies of functional and anatomical connectivity, and for localizing subthalamic white matter structures in surgical approaches for movement disorders, such as Parkinson's disease. Connectomic analysis in animals has identified fiber connections between the basal ganglia and thalamus, which pass through the fields of Forel, where other fiber pathways related to motor, sensory, and cognitive functions co-exist. We now report these pathways in the human brain on ex vivo mesoscopic (250 μm) diffusion tensor imaging and on tractography.

Increased mobilization of mesenchymal stem cells in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome undergoing extracorporeal membrane oxygenation.

Background: The acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is characterized by pulmonary epithelial and endothelial barrier dysfunction and injury. In severe forms of ARDS, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is often the last option for life support. Endothelial progenitor (EPC) and mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) can regenerate damaged endothelium and thereby improve pulmonary endothelial dysfunction.