TSPO-PET in pre-surgical evaluations: Correlation of neuroinflammation and SEEG epileptogenicity mapping in drug-resistant focal epilepsy.

Objectives: Resective surgery in drug-resistant focal epilepsy (DRFE) requires extensive evaluation to localize the epileptogenic zone (EZ). When non-invasive phase 1 assessments (electroencephalography, EEG; magnetic resonance imaging, MRI; and F-Fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography, [F]FDG-PET) are inconclusive for EZ localization, invasive investigations such as stereo-EEG (SEEG) are necessary. Epileptogenicity maps (Ems) visualize the EZ using SEEG-identified ictal high-frequency oscillations (iHFOs).

Unravelling the contribution of soil, climate and management to the productivity of ecologically intensified Mediterranean wood pastures.

Grasslands are under increasing pressure to enhance their productivity without compromising their functioning and climate change adaptability. Ecological intensification practices, such as legume enrichment or rotational grazing, have been proposed to overcome these challenges. Concurrently, grasslands devoid of livestock, either through farm abandonment or as a form of ecological restoration, are also common.

Finding discrete symmetry groups via machine learning.

We introduce a machine-learning approach (denoted symmetry seeker neural network) capable of automatically discovering discrete symmetry groups in physical systems. This method identifies the finite set of parameter transformations that preserve the system's physical properties. Remarkably, the method accomplishes this without prior knowledge of the system's symmetry or the mathematical relationships between parameters and properties.

Caesarean scar endometriosis: how to make an accurate diagnosis.

Caesarean scar endometriosis is a rare condition characterised by the presence of endometrial tissue within a surgical scar following a caesarean section. A woman in her late 30s presented with a painful lump beneath her caesarean section skin scar, worsening during menstruation. Despite a previous incision and drainage procedure for a 'scar abscess', the symptoms persisted.

[C]Metoclopramide PET can detect a seizure-induced up-regulation of cerebral P-glycoprotein in epilepsy patients.

Background: P-glycoprotein (P-gp) is an efflux transporter which is abundantly expressed at the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and which has been implicated in the pathophysiology of various brain diseases. The radiolabelled antiemetic drug [C]metoclopramide is a P-gp substrate for positron emission tomography (PET) imaging of P-gp function at the BBB. To assess whether [C]metoclopramide can detect increased P-gp function in the human brain, we employed drug-resistant temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) as a model disease with a well characterised, regional P-gp up-regulation at the BBB.

Periodic Arrays of Plasmonic Ag-Coated Multiscale 3D-Structures with SERS Activity: Fabrication, Modelling and Characterisation.

Surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) is gaining importance as sensing tool. However, wide application of the SERS technique suffers mainly from limitations in terms of uniformity of the plasmonics structures and sensitivity for low concentrations of target analytes. In this work, we present SERS specimens based on periodic arrays of 3D-structures coated with silver, fabricated by silicon top-down micro and nanofabrication (10 mm × 10 mm footprint).

Breeding in bread-making wheat varieties for Mediterranean climate: the need to get resilient varieties.

Introduction: Being one of the "big three" most cultivated cereals in the world, wheat plays a crucial role in ensuring global food/nutrition security, supplying close to 20% of the global needs for calories and proteins. However, the increasingly large fluctuations between years in temperatures and precipitation due to climate change cause important variations in wheat production worldwide. This fact makes wheat breeding programs a tool that, far from going out of fashion, is becoming the most important solution to develop varieties that can provide humanity with the sufficient amount of food it demands without forgetting the objective of quality.

Brain 18 F-FDG PET reveals cortico-subcortical hypermetabolic dysfunction in juvenile neuropsychiatric systemic lupus erythematosus.

Background: In juvenile systemic lupus erythematosus (j-SLE) with neuropsychiatric (NP) symptoms, there is a lack of diagnostic biomarkers. Thus, we study whether PET-FDG may identify any metabolic dysfunction in j-NPSLE.

Methods: A total of 19 FDG-PET exams were consecutively performed using PET-MRI system in 11 non-sedated patients presenting with j-NPSLE (11-18y) for less than 18 months (m) and without any significant lesion at MRI.

Revisiting Alternating Current Electrolysis for Organic Synthesis.

This review summarizes the recent advancements in alternating current (AC)-driven electroorganic synthesis since 2021 and discusses the reactivities AC electrolysis provides to achieve new and unique organic transformations.

Fructose Consumption Affects Placental Production of HS: Impact on Preeclampsia-Related Parameters.

HS, a gasotransmitter that can be produced both via the transsulfuration pathway and non-enzymatically, plays a key role in vasodilation and angiogenesis during pregnancy. In fact, the involvement of HS production on plasma levels of sFLT1, PGF, and other molecules related to preeclampsia has been demonstrated. Interestingly, we have found that maternal fructose intake (a common component of the Western diet) affects tissular HS production.

Parametric Imaging of P-Glycoprotein Function at the Blood-Brain Barrier Using k-maps Generated from [C]Metoclopramide PET Data in Rats, Nonhuman Primates and Humans.

Purpose: PET imaging using [C]metoclopramide revealed the importance of P-glycoprotein (P-gp, ABCB1) in mediating the brain-to-blood efflux of substrates across the blood-brain barrier (BBB). In this work, the elimination rate constant from the brain (k), calculated from dynamic PET images without the need for arterial blood sampling, was evaluated as an outcome parameter for the interpretation of [C]metoclopramide PET data.

Procedures: k parameter was obtained by linear regression of log-transformed brain time-activity curves (TACs).

[F]DPA-714 PET Imaging in the Presurgical Evaluation of Patients With Drug-Resistant Focal Epilepsy.

Background And Objectives: Translocator protein 18 kDa (TSPO) PET imaging is used to monitor glial activation. Recent studies have proposed TSPO PET as a marker of the epileptogenic zone (EZ) in drug-resistant focal epilepsy (DRFE). This study aims to assess the contributions of TSPO imaging using [F]DPA-714 PET and [F]FDG PET for localizing the EZ during presurgical assessment of DRFE, when phase 1 presurgical assessment does not provide enough information.

Overcoming the Potential Window-Limited Functional Group Compatibility by Alternating Current Electrolysis.

The functional group compatibility of an electrosynthetic method is typically limited by its potential reaction window. Here, we report that alternating current (AC) electrolysis can overcome such potential window-limited functional group compatibility. Using alkene heterodifunctionalization as a model system, we design and demonstrate a series of AC-driven reactions that add two functional groups sequentially and separately under the cathodic and anodic pulses, including chloro- and bromotrilfuoromethylation as well as chlorosulfonylation.

Plant-growth promoting activity of three fungal endophytes isolated from plants living in dehesas and their effect on Lolium multiflorum.

Endophytic fungi have been demonstrated to produce bioactive secondary metabolites, some of which promote plant growth. Three endophytic fungi isolated from healthy plants living in dehesas of Extremadura (Spain) were identified and evaluated for their ability to produce phytohormone-like substances, antioxidant activity, total polyphenol content, phosphate solubilization ability and siderophore and ammonia production. The filtrates and extracts produced by the three endophytes were applied to Lolium multiflorum seeds and seedlings under both in vitro and greenhouse conditions, to analyse their influence on plant growth traits such as germination, vigour index, chlorophyll data, number and length of leaves and roots, and dry weight.

Could tau-PET imaging contribute to a better understanding of the different patterns of clinical progression in Alzheimer's disease? A 2-year longitudinal study.

Background: Monitoring the progression of Tau pathology makes it possible to study the clinical diversity of Alzheimer's disease. In this 2-year longitudinal PET study, we aimed to determine the progression of [F]-flortaucipir binding and of cortical atrophy, and their relationships with cognitive decline.

Methods: Twenty-seven AD patients at the mild cognitive impairment/mild dementia stages and twelve amyloid-negative controls underwent a neuropsychological assessment, 3 T brain MRI, and [F]-flortaucipir PET imaging (Tau1) and were monitored annually over 2 years with a second brain MRI and tau-PET imaging after 2 years (Tau2).

Potential of Fungal Endophytes Isolated from Pasture Species in Spanish Dehesas to Produce Enzymes under Salt Conditions.

Endophytic fungi have been found to produce a wide range of extracellular enzymes, which are increasingly in demand for their industrial applications. Different by-products from the agrifood industry could be used as fungal growth substrates for the massive production of these enzymes, specifically as a way to revalorize them. However, such by-products often present unfavorable conditions for the microorganism's growth, such as high salt concentrations.

Molecular and therapeutic effect of CRISPR in treating cancer.

Cancer has become one of the common causes of mortality around the globe due to mutations in the genome which allows rapid growth of cells uncontrollably without repairing DNA errors. Cancers could arise due alterations in DNA repair mechanisms (errors in mismatch repair genes), activation of oncogenes and inactivation of tumor suppressor genes. Each cancer type is different and each individual has a unique genetic change which leads them to cancer.

Maternal fructose boosts the effects of a Western-type diet increasing SARS-COV-2 cell entry factors in male offspring.

Fructose-rich beverages and foods consumption correlates with the epidemic rise in cardiovascular disease, diabetes and obesity. Severity of COVID-19 has been related to these metabolic diseases. Fructose-rich foods could place people at an increased risk for severe COVID-19.

Protective Effects of Filtrates and Extracts from Fungal Endophytes on in .

Fungal endophytes have been found to protect their hosts against multiple fungal pathogens. Frequently, the secondary metabolites produced by the endophyte are responsible for antifungal activity. To develop new bio-products that are more environmentally friendly than synthetic pesticides against , a serious pathogen of many plant species, the antifungal activity of filtrates or extracts from four endophytes was evaluated in different in vitro tests and in plants of .

Controlling One- or Two-Electron Oxidation for Selective Amine Functionalization by Alternating Current Frequency.

Here, we report a unique electrosynthetic method that enables the selective one-electron oxidation of tertiary amines to generate α-amino radical intermediates over two-electron oxidation to iminium cations, providing easy access to arylation products by simply applying an optimal alternating current (AC) frequency. More importantly, we have discovered an electrochemical descriptor from cyclic voltammetry studies to predict the optimal AC frequency for various amine substrates, circumventing the time-consuming trial-and-error methods for optimizing reaction conditions. This new development in AC electrolysis provides an alternative strategy to solving challenging chemoselectivity problems in synthetic organic chemistry.

Neural network assisted design of plasmonic nanostructures on superconducting transition-edge-sensors for single photon detectors.

Transition edge sensors (TESs) are extremely sensitive thermometers made of superconducting materials operating at their transition temperature, where small variations in temperature give rise to a measurable increase in electrical resistance. Coupled to suitable absorbers, they are used as radiation detectors with very good energy resolution in several experiments. Particularly interesting are the applications that TESs may bring to single photon detection in the visible and infrared regimes.

Beyond the Glycaemic Control of Dapagliflozin: Microangiopathy and Non-classical Complications.

Dapagliflozin is a selective sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitor (SGLT2i) indicated for the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), heart failure (HF) with reduced ejection fraction (EF) and chronic kidney disease (CKD). In monotherapy or as an additive therapy, dapagliflozin aids glycaemic control, is associated with reductions in blood pressure and weight, and promotes a favourable lipid profile. In this review, we address the impact of dapagliflozin on cardiovascular risk factors and common microangiopathic complications such as kidney disease and retinopathy in patients with T2DM.

Role of laparoscopy in the immediate, intermediate, and long-term management of iatrogenic bile duct injuries during laparoscopic cholecystectomy.

Purpose: Bile duct injuries (BDI) during a laparoscopic cholecystectomy still remain as one of the most feared complications in surgery. The use of laparoscopy for its management is a controversial subject of discussion. The purpose of this study is to assess the amount of possibilities that a laparoscopic approach allows in its resolution.