Normative trajectories of extra-axial cerebrospinal fluid during childhood and adolescence defined in a clinically-acquired MRI dataset.

Background: Extra-axial cerebrospinal fluid (eaCSF) refers to the CSF in the subarachnoid spaces that surrounds the brain parenchyma. Benign enlargement of the subarachnoid space (BESS), a condition marked by increased eaCSF thickness, has been associated with macrocephaly and may be associated with subdural collections. However, diagnosis of BESS is complicated by the lack of age-specific normative data which hinders rigorous investigation of its clinical associations.

ComBatLS: A location- and scale-preserving method for multi-site image harmonization.

Recent work has leveraged massive datasets and advanced harmonization methods to construct normative models of neuroanatomical features and benchmark individuals' morphology. However, current harmonization tools do not preserve the effects of biological covariates including sex and age on features' variances; this failure may induce error in normative scores, particularly when such factors are distributed unequally across sites. Here, we introduce a new extension of the popular ComBat harmonization method, ComBatLS, that preserves biological variance in features' locations and scales.

Efficacy of gastric stimulator as an adjunct to pyloroplasty for gastroparesis: characterizing patients suitable for single procedure vs dual procedure approach.

Background: Pyloroplasty is an effective surgery for gastroparesis. However, some patients fail to improve after pyloric drainage and may require subsequent gastric electric stimulation. There is a paucity of data on the efficacy of gastric stimulator as an adjunct to failed pyloroplasty.

Magnetic Sphincter Augmentation for Laryngopharyngeal Reflux: An Assessment of Efficacy and Predictors of Outcome.

Introduction: Magnetic sphincter augmentation (MSA) is an effective treatment for typical reflux symptoms, but data on its impact on laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR) is limited. This study aimed to determine the efficacy of MSA for LPR and to identify predictors of outcome.

Methods: This was a retrospective review of 775 patients who underwent MSA between 2013 and 2021.

Brain Growth Charts for Quantitative Analysis of Pediatric Clinical Brain MRI Scans with Limited Imaging Pathology.

Background Clinically acquired brain MRI scans represent a valuable but underused resource for investigating neurodevelopment due to their technical heterogeneity and lack of appropriate controls. These barriers have curtailed retrospective studies of clinical brain MRI scans compared with more costly prospectively acquired research-quality brain MRI scans. Purpose To provide a benchmark for neuroanatomic variability in clinically acquired brain MRI scans with limited imaging pathology (SLIPs) and to evaluate if growth charts from curated clinical MRI scans differed from research-quality MRI scans or were influenced by clinical indication for the scan.

Peroral Endoscopic Myotomy (POEM) and Laparoscopic Heller Myotomy with Dor Fundoplication for Esophagogastric Junction Outflow Obstruction (EGJOO): a Comparison of Outcomes and Impact on Physiology.

Introduction: Esophagogastric junction outflow obstruction (EGJOO) is an esophageal motility disorder characterized by failure of lower esophageal sphincter (LES) relaxation with preserved peristalsis. Studies have shown that Heller myotomy with Dor fundoplication (HMD) and per oral endoscopic myotomy (POEM) are effective treatments for EGJOO. However, there is paucity of data comparing the efficacy and impact of these two procedures.

Clinical phenotypes of five patients with psychotic disorders carrying rare schizophrenia-associated loss-of-function variants.

The Schizophrenia Exome Meta-Analysis (SCHEMA) consortium identified 10 genes in which loss-of-function (LoF) variants are highly associated with schizophrenia (SZ). In a well-characterized sample of 988 patients with psychotic disorders, we investigated whether patients bearing a SCHEMA variant presented with unusual or unique signs, symptoms, or course of illness. We identified 5 patients who carried a LoF variant in a SCHEMA gene, each in a different gene.

Gender Differences in Emotional Connotative Meaning of Words Measured by Osgood's Semantic Differential Techniques in Young Adults.

Semantic differential techniques are a useful, well-validated tool to assess affective processing of stimuli and determine how that processing is impacted by various demographic factors, such as gender. In this paper, we explore differences in connotative word processing between men and women as measured by Osgood's semantic differential and what those differences imply about affective processing in the two genders. We recruited 94 young participants (47 men, 47 women, ages 18-39) using an online survey and collected their affective ratings of 120 words on three rating tasks: Evaluation (E), Potency (P), and Activity (A).

White Matter Metabolite Relaxation and Diffusion Abnormalities in First-Episode Psychosis: A Longitudinal Study.

Microstructural abnormalities in the white matter (WM) are implicated in the pathophysiology of psychosis. In vivo magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) can probe the brain's intracellular microenvironment through the measurement of transverse relaxation and diffusion of neurometabolites and possibly provide cell-specific information. In our previous studies, we observed differential metabolite signal abnormalities in first episode and chronic stages of psychosis.

Abnormal Brain Bioenergetics in First-Episode Psychosis.

Background: Converging evidence indicates impaired brain energy metabolism in schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders. Creatine kinase (CK) is pivotal in providing adenosine triphosphate in the cell and maintaining its levels when energy demand is increased. However, the activity of CK has not been investigated in patients with first-episode schizophrenia spectrum disorders.

The method history report: an adaptable tool for communicating immunogenicity assay development and validation.

Over the developmental lifetime of a therapeutic protein, the immunogenicity assay validation history can become substantial, frustrating review of clinical immunogenicity within the biologics license application. In our experience, this can lead to questions by regulators, resulting in numerous information requests during the review process. To address this, we propose a new document, the method history report (MHR), which can comprehensively present the history of the immunogenicity assay for regulators, including assay development and validation.

Mental Health Units in Correctional Facilities in the United States.

Background: The prevalence of severe mental illness (SMI) in correctional settings is alarmingly high. Some correctional facilities have developed mental health units (MHUs) to treat incarcerated individuals with SMI.

Objective: To identify existing MHUs in the United States and collate information on these units.

ERP C250 shows the elderly (cognitively normal, Alzheimer's disease) store more stimuli in short-term memory than Young Adults do.

Objective: To determine how aging and dementia affect the brain's initial storing of task-relevant and irrelevant information in short-term memory.

Methods: We used brain Event-Related Potentials (ERPs) to measure short-term memory storage (ERP component C250) in 36 Young Adults, 36 Normal Elderly, and 36 early-stage AD subjects. Participants performed the Number-Letter task, a cognitive paradigm requiring memory storage of a first relevant stimulus to compare it with a second stimulus.

Memory timeline: Brain ERP C250 (not P300) is an early biomarker of short-term storage.

Brain event-related potentials (ERPs) offer a quantitative link between neurophysiological activity and cognitive performance. ERPs were measured while young adults performed a task that required storing a relevant stimulus in short-term memory. Using principal components analysis, ERP component C250 (maximum at 250 ms post-stimulus) was extracted from a set of ERPs that were separately averaged for various task conditions, including stimulus relevancy and stimulus sequence within a trial.

Synthesis of -Diethylbenzamides via a Non-Classical Mitsunobu Reaction.

The use of the Mitsunobu reaction for the synthesis of N,N-diethylbenzamides affords ortho-, meta-, and para-substituted benzamides, containing both electron-donating and electron-withdrawing groups. While the preparation of numerous functional groups has been efficiently demonstrated employing the Mitsunobu reaction, our methodology represents the first application of the Mitsunobu reaction for the construction of benzamides using benzoic acid and amine starting materials. Moreover, this synthetic transformation is believed to proceed via a non-classical mechanism involving the existence of an acyloxyphosphonium ion.

The impact of AD drug treatments on event-related potentials as markers of disease conversion.

This paper investigates how commonly prescribed pharmacologic treatments for Alzheimer's disease (AD) affect Event-Related Potential (ERP) biomarkers as tools for predicting AD conversion in individuals with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI). We gathered baseline ERP data from two MCI groups (those taking AD medications and those not) and later determined which subjects developed AD (Convert->AD) and which subjects remained cognitively stable (Stable). We utilized a previously developed and validated multivariate system of ERP components to measure medication effects among these four subgroups.

Impact of corticosterone treatment on spontaneous seizure frequency and epileptiform activity in mice with chronic epilepsy.

Stress is the most commonly reported precipitating factor for seizures in patients with epilepsy. Despite compelling anecdotal evidence for stress-induced seizures, animal models of the phenomena are sparse and possible mechanisms are unclear. Here, we tested the hypothesis that increased levels of the stress-associated hormone corticosterone (CORT) would increase epileptiform activity and spontaneous seizure frequency in mice rendered epileptic following pilocarpine-induced status epilepticus.

C145 as a short-latency electrophysiological index of cognitive compensation in Alzheimer's disease.

Brain plasticity and cognitive compensation in the elderly are of increasing interest, and Alzheimer's disease (AD) offers an opportunity to elucidate how the brain may overcome damage. We provide neurophysiological evidence of a short-latency event-related potential (ERP) component (C145) linked to stimulus relevancy that may reflect cognitive compensation in early-stage AD. Thirty-six subjects with early-stage, mild AD and 36 like-aged normal elderly (controls) had their EEG recorded while performing our Number-Letter task, a cognitive/perceptual paradigm that manipulates stimulus relevancies.

Women have farther to fall: gender differences between normal elderly and Alzheimer's disease in verbal memory engender better detection of Alzheimer's disease in women.

We analyzed verbal episodic memory learning and recall using the Logical Memory (LM) subtest of the Wechsler Memory Scale-III to determine how gender differences in AD compare to those seen in normal elderly and whether or not these differences impact assessment of AD. We administered the LM to both an AD and a Control group, each comprised of 21 men and 21 women, and found a large drop in performance from normal elders to AD. Of interest was a gender interaction whereby the women's scores dropped 1.

Cognitive Dimensions in Alzheimer's Disease, Mild Cognitive Impairment, and Normal Elderly: Developing a Common Metric.

The aim of this research was to assess similarity in cognitive factor structures underlying neuropsychological test performance of elders belonging to three clinical groups: Alzheimer's disease (AD), Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI), and normal elderly. We administered a battery of neuropsychological tests to 214 elderly participants in the groups. First, the underlying cognitive structure of a Combined-Set of AD, MCI, and Control subjects was determined by Principal Components Analysis (PCA), including quantitative relationships (loadings) between the test measures and the factors.

Predicting conversion from mild cognitive impairment to Alzheimer's disease using neuropsychological tests and multivariate methods.

Behavioral markers measured through neuropsychological testing in mild cognitive impairment (MCI) were analyzed and combined in multivariate ways to predict conversion to Alzheimer's disease (AD) in a longitudinal study of 43 MCI patients. The test measures taken at a baseline evaluation were first reduced to underlying components (principal component analysis, PCA), and then the component scores were used in discriminant analysis to classify MCI individuals as likely to convert or not. When empirically weighted and combined, episodic memory, speeded executive functioning, recognition memory (false and true positives), visuospatial memory processing speed, and visuospatial episodic memory were together strong predictors of conversion to AD.