Effects of multiple transcranial magnetic stimulation sessions on pain relief in patients with chronic neuropathic pain: A French cohort study in real-world clinical practice.

Background: Current clinical trials indicate that repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is effective in reducing drug-resistant neuropathic pain (NP). However, there is a lack of studies evaluating the long-term feasibility and clinical efficacy of rTMS in large patient cohorts in real-world conditions.

Methods: In this retrospective cohort study, we analysed 12 years of clinical data to assess the long-term analgesic effects of 20 Hz rTMS over the primary motor cortex in patients with NP.

Quantitative Ultrasound for Periodontal Soft Tissue Characterization.

Objective: Periodontal diseases are a spectrum of inflammatory diseases that affect 45.9% of adults aged ≥30 years in the United States Current standard of care in clinics for the assessment of oral soft tissue inflammation is bleeding on probing,which is invasive, subjective and semi-qualitative. Quantitative ultrasound (QUS) has shown promising results in the non-invasive quantitative characterization of various soft tissues; however, it has not been used in clinical periodontics.

CSF proteins of inflammation, proteolysis and lipid transport define preclinical AD and progression to AD dementia in cognitively unimpaired individuals.

This preclinical AD CSF proteome study identified a panel of 12-CSF markers detecting amyloid positivity and clinical progression to AD with high accuracy; some of these CSF proteins related to immune function, neurotrophic processes, energy metabolism and endolysosomal functioning (e.g., ITGB2, CLEC5A, IGFBP-1, CST3) changed before amyloid positivity is established.

Ultrasound Characterization of Oral Soft Tissues Using the Burr Speckle Model.

Periodontal (gum) diseases, reportedly affect 4 out of 10 adults 30 years of age or older in the USA. The standard of care for clinical assessments of these diseases is bleeding on probing, which is invasive, subjective and semi-qualitative. Thus, research on proposing alternative noninvasive modalities for clinical assessments of periodontal tissues is crucial.

Ultrasound-generated bubbles enhance osteogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stromal cells in composite collagen hydrogels.

Hydrogels can improve the delivery of mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) by providing crucial biophysical cues that mimic the extracellular matrix. The differentiation of MSCs is dependent on biophysical cues like stiffness and viscoelasticity, yet conventional hydrogels cannot be dynamically altered after fabrication and implantation to actively direct differentiation. We developed a composite hydrogel, consisting of type I collagen and phase-shift emulsion, where osteogenic differentiation of MSCs can be non-invasively modulated using ultrasound.

Effects of hypoxia on the reproductive endocrine axis of the pejerrey (Odontesthes bonariensis).

Recently, hypoxic areas have been identified in water bodies of the Pampas region due to human activity. The objective of this work was to study the effect of low concentrations of dissolved oxygen (hypoxia) on the reproductive endocrine axis of a pampas fish (Odontesthes bonariensis). Groups of 8 males and 8 females were subjected to severe hypoxia (2-3 mg l) and normoxia (7-9 mg l) in 3000 l tanks by duplicate during the reproductive season (spring).

Lack of inflammation or immune response in cyst tissue of patients with symptomatic non-hydrocephalic pineal cysts.

Pineal cysts are frequently encountered as incidental findings in magnetic resonance imaging, usually devoid of symptoms, yet some patients exhibit symptomatic manifestations possibly associated with the cyst, even in the absence of hydrocephalus. The etiology of these symptoms remains contentious. This study aims to investigate the presence of lymphatic endothelial cell (LEC) markers and indications of inflammation or immune response within the pineal cysts of patients experiencing symptomatic non-hydrocephalic presentations.

Quantitative Ultrasound for Periodontal Soft Tissue Characterization.

Periodontal diseases affect 45.9\% of adults aged 30 or older in the United States. Current diagnostic methods for clinical assessment of these diseases are visual examination and bleeding on probing that are subjective, qualitative, and/or invasive.

Field recordings of transcranial magnetic stimulation in human brain postmortem models.

Introduction: The ability of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) to deliver a magnetic field (MF) in deep brain targets is debated and poorly documented.

Objective: To quantify the decay of MF in the human brain.

Methods: Magnetic field was generated by single pulses of TMS delivered at maximum intensity using a flat or angulated coil.

In situ short-term responses of Amazonian understory plants to elevated CO.

The response of plants to increasing atmospheric CO depends on the ecological context where the plants are found. Several experiments with elevated CO (eCO) have been done worldwide, but the Amazonian forest understory has been neglected. As the central Amazon is limited by light and phosphorus, understanding how understory responds to eCO is important for foreseeing how the forest will function in the future.

Impact of atherosclerosis imaging-quantitative computed tomography on diagnostic certainty, downstream testing, coronary revascularization, and medical therapy: the CERTAIN study.

Aims: The incremental impact of atherosclerosis imaging-quantitative computed tomography (AI-QCT) on diagnostic certainty and downstream patient management is not yet known. The aim of this study was to compare the clinical utility of the routine implementation of AI-QCT versus conventional visual coronary CT angiography (CCTA) interpretation.

Methods And Results: In this multi-centre cross-over study in 5 expert CCTA sites, 750 consecutive adult patients referred for CCTA were prospectively recruited.

An electricity smart meter dataset of Spanish households: insights into consumption patterns.

Smart meters are devices that provide detailed information about the energy consumed by specific electricity supply points, such as homes, offices, and businesses. Data from smart meters are useful for modeling energy systems, predicting electricity consumption, and understanding human behavior. We present the first smart meter dataset from Spanish electricity supply points, expanding the geographic diversity of available data on energy consumption at the household level and reducing biases in existing data, which typically come from a limited number of countries.

Longitudinal Monitoring of Angiogenesis in a Murine Window Chamber Model .

Angiogenesis induced by growth factor administration, which can augment the blood supply in regenerative applications, has drawn wide attention in medical research. Longitudinal monitoring of vascular structure and development is important for understanding and evaluating the dynamics of involved biological processes. In this work, a dual-modality imaging system consisting of photoacoustic microscopy (PAM) and optical coherence tomography (OCT) was applied for noninvasive imaging of angiogenesis in a murine model.

Soil δN spatial distribution is primarily shaped by climatic patterns in the semiarid Caatinga, Northeast Brazil.

Soil nitrogen isotopic composition (δN) is an invaluable tool as it integrates nitrogen (N) transformations in soils. In addition to serving as a baseline to understand the N cycle, spatial representations of δN across landscapes (or isoscapes) is a multi-purpose tool useful to investigate, for example, plant-microbe interactions, animal migration and forensics. We investigate the climatic and edaphic controls of δN utilising data from 29 geographical locations sampled across the semiarid Brazilian Caatinga biome.

Influence of sewage discharge on dissolved oxygen concentration and fish diversity in the Girado stream and Chascomús lake.

Hypoxic aquatic environments have increased in recent decades mainly by human activities that generate pollution. The objective of this work was to study the influence of the discharge of sewage effluents from Chascomús city on the concentration of dissolved oxygen (DO) in the Girado stream and its connection with Chascomús lake and analyze the impact on fish biodiversity. Four sites were selected to measure DO and temperature weekly for one year: discharge of sewage effluent, union of the sewage effluent with the Girado stream, Girado stream and Chascomús lake.

Ultrasonography-Derived Elasticity Estimation of Live Porcine Oral Mucosa.

Objectives: To investigate the biomechanical properties of porcine oral tissues with in vivo ultrasonography and to compare the difference between oral alveolar mucosa and gingival tissue concerning compressional and tensile mechanical strain.

Materials And Methods: Sinclair minipigs (6 females and 4 males, 6 to 18 months of age) were anesthetized for ultrasonography. In vivo high-frequency tissue harmonic ultrasound (12/24 MHz) cine-loops were obtained while inducing mechanical tissue stress (0 to 1 N).

Whiteflies can excrete insecticide-tainted honeydew on tomatoes.

Whiteflies are important insect pests in a wide variety of agricultural crops that are targeted with large quantities of insecticides on a global scale. Chemical control is the most common strategy to manage whiteflies, however, recent studies had reported that whiteflies and other hemipterans can excrete insecticides through their honeydew, which could have unanticipated, non-target effects. The objective of this study was to determine the concentration of imidacloprid in honeydew excreted by whiteflies feeding on tomato plants.

Outcome after conservative or surgical treatment for new-onset epilepsy in children with cerebral cavernous malformation.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate and compare the outcome of conservatively or surgically treated children with cerebral cavernous malformation (CCM) and new-onset CCM-related epilepsy (CRE) during a 5-year period.

Methods: In this observational monocentric cohort study, data were collected ambispectivley. Our database was screened for CCM patients treated between 2003 and 2020.

Acoustic droplet vaporization for on-demand modulation of microporosity in smart hydrogels.

Microporosity in hydrogels is critical for directing tissue formation and function. We have developed a fibrin-based smart hydrogel, termed an acoustically responsive scaffold (ARS), which responds to focused ultrasound in a spatiotemporally controlled, user-defined manner. ARSs are highly flexible platforms due to the inclusion of phase-shift droplets and their tunable response to ultrasound through a mechanism termed acoustic droplet vaporization (ADV).

Serial analysis of coronary artery disease progression by artificial intelligence assisted coronary computed tomography angiography: early clinical experience.

Background: Studies have shown that quantitative evaluation of coronary artery plaque on Coronary Computed Tomography Angiography (CCTA) can identify patients at risk of cardiac events. Recent demonstration of artificial intelligence (AI) assisted CCTA shows that it allows for evaluation of CAD and plaque characteristics. Based on publications to date, we are the first group to perform AI augmented CCTA serial analysis of changes in coronary plaque characteristics over 13 years.

Network Effects of Brain Lesions Causing Central Poststroke Pain.

Objective: This study was undertaken to test whether lesions causing central poststroke pain (CPSP) are associated with a specific connectivity profile, whether these connections are associated with metabolic changes, and whether this network aligns with neuromodulation targets for pain.

Methods: Two independent lesion datasets were utilized: (1) subcortical lesions from published case reports and (2) thalamic lesions with metabolic imaging using 18F- fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography-computed tomography. Functional connectivity between each lesion location and the rest of the brain was assessed using a normative connectome (n = 1,000), and connections specific to CPSP were identified.

Quantitative plaque analysis with A.I.-augmented CCTA in end-stage renal disease and complex CAD.

Background: Adverse cardiovascular events are a significant cause of mortality in end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients. High-risk plaque anatomy may be a significant contributor. However, their atherosclerotic phenotypes have not been described.

Extrahepatic portosystemic shunts as an unusual but treatable cause of hyperammonemic encephalopathy in a noncirrhotic patient - a case report.

We report a case of hyperammonemic encephalopathy due to extrahepatic portosystemic shunts in a noncirrhotic patient. A 79-year-old woman suffered from episodic confusion, disorientation, dysphasia and fluctuating level of consciousness. Electroencephalography (EEG) showed encephalopathic changes and serum levels of ammonia were elevated.