Occupational histories in neuropathologically confirmed multiple system atrophy.

Purpose: This study examined occupational histories in multiple system atrophy to identify environmental associations of potential relevance to disease causation.

Methods: A total of 270 neuropathologically confirmed cases of multiple system atrophy obtained from the Mayo Clinic Brain Bank for neurodegenerative disorders in Jacksonville, Florida, were included in this case-control study. Demographic and disease information was collected from medical records.

Widespread Distribution of α-Synuclein Oligomers in -related Parkinson's Disease.

Mutations in leucine-rich repeat kinase 2 () are the most common cause of familial and sporadic Parkinson's disease (PD). While the clinical features of -PD patients resemble those of typical PD, there are significant differences in the pathological findings. The pathological hallmark of definite PD is the presence of α-synuclein (αSYN)-positive Lewy-related pathology; however, approximately half of -PD cases do not have Lewy-related pathology.

Enhancing the Graduate Nursing Student Experience Through Gamification.

Gamification, the use of game-styled learning methods in non-game contexts, encourages student participation, increases learning motivation, and maximizes the amount of information students can retain. An intervention was designed utilizing gamification principles to reinforce material learned during a week-long regional anesthesia intensive. Students participated in team-based competitions consisting of knowledge-based questions, critical thinking, and hands-on ultrasound skills.

Taxonomic intestinal microbiota differences in Lewy body spectrum disease and cohabitant controls.

Background: Microbial dysbiosis has been reported to contribute to development of neurodegenerative diseases, however, there is a need to identify causative/prognostic indicators.

Objectives: To comparatively analyze gut microbiome composition in symptomatic LBD (dementia/mild cognitive impairment), iRBD, and cohabiting controls without LBD or iRBD.

Methods: 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing was performed in 38 cases (27 LBD, 11 iRBD) and 39 cohabitant controls.