Morphological characterization of retinal development from birth to adulthood via retinal thickness assessment in mice: a systematic review.

The morphology and thickness of the retinal layers are valuable biomarkers for retinal health and development. The retinal layers in mice are similar to those in humans; thus, a mouse is appropriate for studying the retina. The objectives of this systematic review were: (1) to describe normal retinal morphology quantitatively using retinal layer thickness measured from birth to age 6 months in healthy mice; and (2) to describe morphological changes in physiological retinal development over time using the longitudinal (in vivo) and cross-sectional (ex vivo) data from the included studies.

Liquid saliva-based Raman spectroscopy device with on-board machine learning detects COVID-19 infection in real-time.

With greater population density, the likelihood of viral outbreaks achieving pandemic status is increasing. However, current viral screening techniques use specific reagents, and as viruses mutate, test accuracy decreases. Here, we present the first real-time, reagent-free, portable analysis platform for viral detection in liquid saliva, using COVID-19 as a proof-of-concept.

Speckle contrast reduction through the use of a modally-specific photonic lantern for optical coherence tomography.

A few-mode optical coherence tomography (FM-OCT) system was developed around a 2 × 1 modally-specific photonic lantern (MSPL) centered at 1310 nm. The MSPL allowed FM-OCT to acquire two coregistered images with uncorrelated speckle patterns generated by their specific coherent spread function. Here, we showed that averaging such images and reduced the speckle contrast by up to 28% and increased signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) by up to 48% with negligible impact on image spatial resolution.

MCOCT: an experimentally and numerically validated, open-source Monte Carlo simulator for optical coherence tomography.

Here, we present MCOCT, a Monte Carlo simulator for optical coherence tomography (OCT), incorporating a Gaussian illumination scheme and bias to increase backscattered event collection. MCOCT optical fluence was numerically compared and validated to an established simulator (MCX) and showed concordance at the focus while diverging slightly with distance to it. MCOCT OCT signals were experimentally compared and validated to OCT signals acquired in tissue-mimicking phantoms with known optical properties and showed a similar attenuation pattern with increasing depth while diverging beyond 1.

Development of a semi-automatic segmentation technique based on mean magnetic resonance imaging intensity thresholding for volumetric quantification of plexiform neurofibromas.

Rationale And Objectives: Plexiform neurofibromas (PNs) are peripheral nerve tumors that occur in 25-50 % of patients with neurofibromatosis type 1. PNs may have complex, diffused, and irregular shapes. The objective of this work was to develop a volumetric quantification method for PNs as clinical assessment is currently based on unidimensional measurement.

Longitudinal Functional Connectome in Pediatric Concussion: An Advancing Concussion Assessment in Pediatrics Study.

Advanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques indicate that concussion (i.e., mild traumatic brain injury) disrupts brain structure and function in children.

Longitudinal Gray Matter Trajectories in Pediatric Mild Traumatic Brain Injury.

Background And Objectives: This prospective, longitudinal cohort study examined trajectories of brain gray matter macrostructure after pediatric mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI).

Methods: Children aged 8-16.99 years with mTBI or mild orthopedic injury (OI) were recruited from 5 pediatric emergency departments.

Altered longitudinal structural connectome in paediatric mild traumatic brain injury: an Advancing Concussion Assessment in Paediatrics study.

Advanced diffusion-weighted imaging techniques have increased understanding of the neuropathology of paediatric mild traumatic brain injury (i.e. concussion).

Associations between neurological examination at term-equivalent age and cerebral hemodynamics and oxygen metabolism in infants born preterm.

Background: Infants born at 29-36 weeks gestational age (GA) are at risk of experiencing neurodevelopmental challenges. We hypothesize that cerebral hemodynamics and oxygen metabolism measured by bedside optical brain monitoring are potential biomarkers of brain development and are associated with neurological examination at term-equivalent age (TEA).

Methods: Preterm infants ( = 133) born 29-36 weeks GA and admitted in the neonatal intensive care unit were enrolled in this prospective cohort study.

Behavioral-play familiarization for non-sedated magnetic resonance imaging in young children with mild traumatic brain injury.

Background: Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) sustained in early childhood affects the brain at a peak developmental period and may disrupt sensitive stages of skill acquisition, thereby compromising child functioning. However, due to the challenges of collecting non-sedated neuroimaging data in young children, the consequences of mTBI on young children's brains have not been systematically studied. In typically developing preschool children (of age 3-5years), a brief behavioral-play familiarization provides an effective alternative to sedation for acquiring awake magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in a time- and resource-efficient manner.

Functional brain connectivity after corrective cardiac surgery for critical congenital heart disease: a preliminary near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) report.

Patients with congenital heart disease (CHD) requiring cardiac surgery in infancy are at high risk for neurodevelopmental impairments. Neonatal imaging studies have reported disruptions of brain functional organization before surgery. Yet, the extent to which functional network alterations are present after cardiac repair remains unexplored.

Opioid analgesia and temperature regulation are associated with EEG background activity and MRI outcomes in neonates with mild-to-moderate hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy undergoing therapeutic hypothermia.

Background: Therapeutic hypothermia (TH) without sedation may lead to discomfort, which may be associated with adverse consequences in neonates with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE). The aim of this study was to assess the association between level of exposure to opioids and temperature, with electroencephalography (EEG) background activity post-TH and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) brain injury in neonates with HIE.

Methods: Thirty-one neonates with mild-to-moderate HIE who underwent TH were identified.

Longitudinal white matter microstructural changes in pediatric mild traumatic brain injury: An A-CAP study.

In the largest sample studied to date, white matter microstructural trajectories and their relation to persistent symptoms were examined after pediatric mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). This prospective, longitudinal cohort study recruited children aged 8-16.99 years with mTBI or mild orthopedic injury (OI) from five pediatric emergency departments.

Morphometric and Microstructural Changes During Murine Retinal Development Characterized Using In Vivo Optical Coherence Tomography.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to develop an in vivo optical coherence tomography (OCT) system capable of imaging the developing mouse retina and its associated morphometric and microstructural changes.

Methods: Thirty-four wild-type mice (129S1/SvlmJ) were anesthetized and imaged between postnatal (P) day 7 and P21. OCT instrumentation was developed to optimize signal intensity and image quality.

All-fiber few-mode optical coherence tomography using a modally-specific photonic lantern.

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) was recently performed using a few-mode (FM) fiber to increase contrast or improve resolution using a sequential time-domain demultiplexing scheme isolating the different interferometric signals of the mode-coupled backscattered light. Here, we present an all-fiber FM-OCT system based on a parallel modal demultiplexing scheme exploiting a novel modally-specific photonic lantern (MSPL). The MSPL allows for maximal fringe visibility for each fiber propagation mode in an all-fiber assembly which provides the robustness required for clinical applications.

Kids' Outcomes And Long-term Abilities (KOALA): protocol for a prospective, longitudinal cohort study of mild traumatic brain injury in children 6 months to 6 years of age.

Introduction: Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) is highly prevalent, especially in children under 6 years. However, little research focuses on the consequences of mTBI early in development. The objective of the Kids' Outcomes And Long-term Abilities (KOALA) study is to document the impact of early mTBI on children's motor, cognitive, social and behavioural functioning, as well as on quality of life, stress, sleep and brain integrity.

Gross Motor Development of Children with Congenital Heart Disease Receiving Early Systematic Surveillance and Individualized Intervention: Brief Report.

: This retrospective study aims to describe the gross motor development of children aged 4 to 24 months with congenital heart disease (CHD) enrolled in a systematic developmental follow-up program and to describe the frequency of physical therapy sessions they received between 4 and 8 months of age. : Twenty-nine infants with CHD underwent motor evaluations using the AIMS at 4 months, and the Bayley-III at 12 and 24 months. : Based on AIMS, 79% of 4-month-old infants had a gross motor delay and required physical therapy.

Resting-State fMRI Networks in Children with Tuberous Sclerosis Complex.

Background And Purpose: There are no published studies examining resting state networks (RSNs) and their relationship with neurodevelopmental metrics in tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC). We aimed to identify major resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) networks in infants with TSC and correlate network analyses with neurodevelopmental assessments, autism diagnosis, and seizure history.

Methods: Rs-fMRI data from 34 infants with TSC, sedated with propofol during the scan, were analyzed to identify auditory, motor, and visual RSNs.

Neuronal mechanisms of motion detection underlying blindsight assessed by functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).

Brain imaging offers a valuable tool to observe functional brain plasticity by showing how sensory inputs reshape cortical activations after a visual impairment. Following a unilateral post-chiasmatic lesion affecting the visual cortex, patients may suffer a contralateral visual loss referred to homonymous hemianopia. Nevertheless, these patients preserve the ability to unconsciously detect, localize and discriminate visual stimuli presented in their impaired visual field.

Size-adaptable 13-channel receive array for brain MRI in human neonates at 3 T.

Neonatal brain injury suffered by preterm infants and newborns with some medical conditions can cause significant neurodevelopmental disabilities. MRI is a preferred method to detect these accidents and perform in vivo evaluation of the brain. However, the commercial availability and optimality of receive coils for the neonatal brain is limited, which in many cases leads to images lacking in quality.

Cerebral oxygen saturation and peripheral perfusion in the extremely premature infant with intraventricular and/or pulmonary haemorrhage early in life.

Extremely preterm infants are at higher risk of pulmonary (PH) and intraventricular (IVH) haemorrhage during the transitioning physiology due to immature cardiovascular system. Monitoring of haemodynamics can detect early abnormal circulation that may lead to these complications. We described time-frequency relationships between near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) cerebral regional haemoglobin oxygen saturation (CrSO) and preductal peripheral perfusion index (PI), capillary oxygen saturation (SpO) and heart rate (HR) in extremely preterm infants in the first 72 h of life.