A comparative study of gradient nonlinearity correction strategies for processing diffusion data obtained with ultra-strong gradient MRI scanners.

Purpose: The analysis of diffusion data obtained under large gradient nonlinearities necessitates corrections during data reconstruction and analysis. While two such preprocessing pipelines have been proposed, no comparative studies assessing their performance exist. Furthermore, both pipelines neglect the impact of subject motion during acquisition, which, in the presence of gradient nonlinearities, induces spatio-temporal B-matrix variations.

Acute Radiation-induced Lung Injury in the Non-human Primate: A Review and Comparison of Mortality and Co-morbidities Using Models of Partial-body Irradiation with Marginal Bone Marrow Sparing and Whole Thorax Lung Irradiation.

The nonhuman primate, rhesus macaque, is a relevant animal model that has been used to determine the efficacy of medical countermeasures to mitigate major signs of morbidity and mortality of radiation-induced lung injury. Herein, a literature review of published studies showing the evolution of lethal lung injury characteristic of the delayed effects of acute radiation exposure between the two significantly different exposure protocols, whole thorax lung irradiation and partial-body irradiation with bone marrow sparing in the nonhuman primate, is provided. The selection of published data was made from the open literature.

Acoustic shock: an update review.

Background: This paper discusses the concept of acoustic shock based on a literature review and the results of our own research into cases seen in both clinical and medicolegal practice. With the demise of traditional 'metal bashing' and 'smoke stack' heavy industries, there has been a decline in the incidence of noise-induced hearing loss and tinnitus in this form of employment. However, with the increasing establishment of call centre work, the emergence of acoustic shock has been noted.

Lack of Cellular Inflammation in a Non-human Primate Model of Radiation Nephropathy.

Inflammation is commonly cited as a mechanism of delayed effects of acute radiation exposure (DEARE). Confirmation of its presence could provide significant insight to targeted use of treatments or mitigators of DEARE. We sought to quantify the presence of cellular inflammation in kidneys of non-human primates that developed acute and chronic kidney injury after a partial body irradiation exposure.

The clinical characterization of the adult patient with depression aimed at personalization of management.

Depression is widely acknowledged to be a heterogeneous entity, and the need to further characterize the individual patient who has received this diagnosis in order to personalize the management plan has been repeatedly emphasized. However, the research evidence that should guide this personalization is at present fragmentary, and the selection of treatment is usually based on the clinician's and/or the patient's preference and on safety issues, in a trial-and-error fashion, paying little attention to the particular features of the specific case. This may be one of the reasons why the majority of patients with a diagnosis of depression do not achieve remission with the first treatment they receive.

Drumming Motor Sequence Training Induces Apparent Myelin Remodelling in Huntington's Disease: A Longitudinal Diffusion MRI and Quantitative Magnetization Transfer Study.

Background: Impaired myelination may contribute to Huntington's disease (HD) pathogenesis.

Objective: This study assessed differences in white matter (WM) microstructure between HD patients and controls, and tested whether drumming training stimulates WM remodelling in HD. Furthermore, it examined whether training-induced microstructural changes are related to improvements in motor and cognitive function.

Chemical novelty facilitates herbivore resistance and biological invasions in some introduced plant species.

Ecological release from herbivory due to chemical novelty is commonly predicted to facilitate biological invasions by plants, but has not been tested on a community scale. We used metabolomics based on mass spectrometry molecular networks to assess the novelty of foliar secondary chemistry of 15 invasive plant species compared to 46 native species at a site in eastern North America. Locally, invasive species were more chemically distinctive than natives.

The bipolar disorders: A case for their categorically distinct status based on symptom profiles.

Background: It is unclear whether the bipolar disorders (i.e. BP-I/BP-II) differ dimensionally or categorically.

Persistent sex disparity in liver transplantation rates.

Background: Studies have demonstrated that there are sex disparities in the rate of liver transplantation. However, little is known statistically about whether this disparity is caused by liver compartment size, Model for End-Stage Liver Disease adjustments, or regional differences.

Methods: We use retrospective data from the United Network for Organ Sharing Standard Treatment Analysis and Research data files for liver transplantation from 1995 through 2012.

A comparison of proteomic, genomic, and osteological methods of archaeological sex estimation.

Sex estimation of skeletons is fundamental to many archaeological studies. Currently, three approaches are available to estimate sex-osteology, genomics, or proteomics, but little is known about the relative reliability of these methods in applied settings. We present matching osteological, shotgun-genomic, and proteomic data to estimate the sex of 55 individuals, each with an independent radiocarbon date between 2,440 and 100 cal BP, from two ancestral Ohlone sites in Central California.

Cross-scanner and cross-protocol multi-shell diffusion MRI data harmonization: Algorithms and results.

Cross-scanner and cross-protocol variability of diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (dMRI) data are known to be major obstacles in multi-site clinical studies since they limit the ability to aggregate dMRI data and derived measures. Computational algorithms that harmonize the data and minimize such variability are critical to reliably combine datasets acquired from different scanners and/or protocols, thus improving the statistical power and sensitivity of multi-site studies. Different computational approaches have been proposed to harmonize diffusion MRI data or remove scanner-specific differences.

MALDI-MSI spatially maps N-glycan alterations to histologically distinct pulmonary pathologies following irradiation.

Radiation-induced lung injury is a highly complex combination of pathological alterations that develop over time and severity of disease development is dose-dependent. Following exposures to lethal doses of irradiation, morbidity and mortality can occur due to a combination of edema, pneumonitis and fibrosis. Protein glycosylation has essential roles in a plethora of biological and immunological processes.

Do Hamilton depression scale items have the capacity to differentiate melancholic and non-melancholic depressive sub-types?

Background: While there have been several Hamilton depression sub-scales named as to indicate that they have the capacity to differentiate melancholic depression, all but one actually measure depression severity. As a valid Hamilton-derived melancholia scale would have high utility in evaluating the comparative effectiveness of differing treatments for melancholia we designed a study with such an objective.

Methods: Items from the 17-item Hamilton depression scale over-represented in those with melancholia in five clinical studies generated two potential scales with nine and four items respectively, and were superior in differentiating melancholic and non-melancholic depression in comparison to a 6-item Hamilton measure.

A tutorial and tool for exploring feature similarity gradients with MRI data.

There has been an increasing interest in examining organisational principles of the cerebral cortex (and subcortical regions) using different MRI features such as structural or functional connectivity. Despite the widespread interest, introductory tutorials on the underlying technique targeted for the novice neuroimager are sparse in the literature. Articles that investigate various "neural gradients" (for example based on region studied "cortical gradients," "cerebellar gradients," "hippocampal gradients" etc … or feature of interest "functional gradients," "cytoarchitectural gradients," "myeloarchitectural gradients" etc …) have increased in popularity.

Using imaging to combat a pandemic: rationale for developing the UK National COVID-19 Chest Imaging Database.

https://bit.ly/3eQeuha

Distinguishing burnout from depression: An exploratory qualitative study.

Whether depression and burnout are synonymous or not has been a longstanding debate. Many studies have examined for similarities and differences, but findings have overall been inconclusive, with most studies being quantitative in design. We therefore undertook a qualitative study in which participants who self-identified as having experienced both burnout and depression were asked how they distinguished between the two conditions.

How canyons evolve by incision into bedrock: Rainbow Canyon, Death Valley National Park, United States.

Incising rivers may be confined by low-slope, erodible hillslopes or steep, resistant sidewalls. In the latter case, the system forms a canyon. We present a morphodynamic model that includes the essential elements of a canyon incising into a plateau, including 1) abrasion-driven channel incision, 2) migration of a canyon-head knickpoint, 3) sediment feed from an alluvial channel upstream of the knickpoint, and 4) production of sediment by sidewall collapse.

Optimal processing for proteomic genotyping of single human hairs.

The use of hair evidence for human identification is undergoing considerable improvement through the adoption of proteomic genotyping. Unlike traditional microscopic comparisons, protein sequencing provides quantitative and empirically based estimates for random match probability. Non-synonymous SNPs are translated as single amino acid polymorphisms and result in genetically variant peptides.

Psychotherapy or medication for depression? Using individual symptom meta-analyses to derive a Symptom-Oriented Therapy (SOrT) metric for a personalised psychiatry.

Background: Antidepressant medication (ADM) and psychotherapy are effective treatments for major depressive disorder (MDD). It is unclear, however, if treatments differ in their effectiveness at the symptom level and whether symptom information can be utilised to inform treatment allocation. The present study synthesises comparative effectiveness information from randomised controlled trials (RCTs) of ADM versus psychotherapy for MDD at the symptom level and develops and tests the Symptom-Oriented Therapy (SOrT) metric for precision treatment allocation.

Age-Related Changes in Hair Shaft Protein Profiling and Genetically Variant Peptides.

Recent reports highlight possible improvements in individual identification using proteomic information from human hair evidence. These reports have stimulated investigation of parameters that affect the utility of proteomic information. In addition to variables already studied relating to processing technique and anatomic origin of hair shafts, an important variable is hair ageing.

Placebo response rates in trials of antidepressant drugs in adults with clinical depression: Increasing, decreasing, constant or all of the above?

Objective: A seminal study quantified an increase in placebo (and drug) response rates in antidepressant trials during the eighties, with subsequent key systematic reviews reporting placebo response rates as either having continued to increase or stabilize in trial subjects with major depression. We therefore undertook an additional study examining a more recent period.

Method: We analyze response rate data from 121 studies published over the 2001-2015 period and sourced from a previous meta-analysis of antidepressant drugs.

The well-being of medical students: A biopsychosocial approach.

Objective: Mental health problems among medical students have been widely reported, but the predisposing and perpetuating factors and biological concomitants are poorly understood. Adopting a biopsychosocial approach, we studied well-being in a group of Australian medical students, focusing on sleep, autonomic and immune mechanisms, as well as mental, social and physical well-being, health-related behaviours, and daily functioning.

Methods: Fourth-year medical students ( = 151) completed comprehensive assessments, including laboratory-based and nocturnal autonomic monitoring via ambulatory bioharness, a psychiatric diagnostic interview, and questionnaires assessing sleep quality and psychosocial and physical well-being.

Cognitive side-effects of electroconvulsive therapy: what are they, how to monitor them and what to tell patients.

Background: Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is recommended in treatment guidelines as an efficacious therapy for treatment-resistant depression. However, it has been associated with loss of autobiographical memory and short-term reduction in new learning.

Aims: To provide clinically useful guidelines to aid clinicians in informing patients regarding the cognitive side-effects of ECT and in monitoring these during a course of ECT, using complex data.