Does age, sex, and area of substantia nigra echogenicity predict the MRI appearance of nigrosome-1?

The appearance of the substantia nigra (SN) can aid diagnosis of Parkinson's disease (PD). The effect of age and sex on the appearance of nigrosome-1 (SN subregion) on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and the relationship between nigrosome-1 (viewed with MRI) and SN echogenicity (viewed with transcranial ultrasound) is unknown. The study aimed to address these knowledge gaps.

Prevention of Stroke in Intracerebral Haemorrhage Survivors with Atrial Fibrillation: Rationale and Design for PRESTIGE-AF Trial.

Adequate secondary prevention in survivors of intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) who also have atrial fibrillation (AF) is a long-standing clinical dilemma because these patients are at increased risk of recurrent ICH as well as of ischemic stroke. The efficacy and safety of oral anticoagulation, the standard preventive medication for ischemic stroke patients with AF, in ICH patients with AF are uncertain. PRESTIGE-AF is an international, phase 3b, multi-center, randomized, open, blinded end-point assessment (PROBE) clinical trial that compared the efficacy and safety of direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) with no DOAC (either no antithrombotic treatment or any antiplatelet drug).

The background and experience of neuroscience teachers in Australian universities: A cross-sectional survey.

Neuroscience is an academic discipline taught within a broad range of university degrees and programs. The expertise and experience of neuroscience teaching staff contribute to the student's learning experience and knowledge acquisition. We undertook a survey to characterize the neuroscience teaching workforce and practices in Australian universities, and to investigate access to and deficiencies in neuroscience teaching resources and training.

A practical guide to using oral Janus kinase inhibitors for atopic dermatitis from the International Eczema Council.

Background: Janus kinase inhibitors (JAKi) have the potential to alter the landscape of atopic dermatitis (AD) management dramatically, owing to promising efficacy results from phase III trials and their rapid onset of action. However, JAKi are not without risk, and their use is not appropriate for all patients with AD, making this a medication class that dermatologists should understand and consider when treating patients with moderate-to-severe AD.

Objectives: To provide a consensus expert opinion statement from the International Eczema Council (IEC) that provides a pragmatic approach to prescribing JAKi, including choosing appropriate patients and dosing, clinical and laboratory monitoring and advice about long-term use.

Clinical Course, Antifungal Susceptibility, and Genomic Sequencing of Trichophyton indotineae.

Importance: Trichophyton indotineae is an emerging dermatophyte causing outbreaks of extensive tinea infections often unresponsive to terbinafine. This species has been detected worldwide and in multiple US states, yet detailed US data on infections with T indotineae are sparse and could improve treatment practices and medical understanding of transmission.

Objective: To correlate clinical features of T indotineae infections with in vitro antifungal susceptibility testing results, squalene epoxidase gene sequence variations, and isolate relatedness using whole-genome sequencing.

Simple quantitative planimetric measurement of nigrosome-1 for clinical settings.

Introduction: Loss of MRI hyperintense signal in nigrosome-1 (assessed with susceptibility-weighted imaging) is a biomarker for Parkinson's disease (PD). Current clinical practice involves subjectively rating the appearance of nigrosome-1 which is challenging. The study aimed to test and compare a simple method for quantifying nigrosome-1 with the current subjective rating method.

Unpacking and validating the "physiological adaptation" core concept of physiology.

A national Task Force of 25 Australian physiology educators used the Delphi protocol to develop seven physiology core concepts that were agreed to nationally. The aim of the current study was to unpack the "physiological adaptation" core concept with the descriptor "organisms adjust and adapt to acute and chronic changes in the internal and external environments across the lifespan." This core concept was unpacked by three Task Force members and a facilitator into four themes and nine subthemes that encompass the role of stressors and disturbed homeostasis in adaptation and the capacity for, and the nature of, the physiological adaptation.

Neuronal glutamate transporters control reciprocal inhibition and gain modulation in D1 medium spiny neurons.

Understanding the function of glutamate transporters has broad implications for explaining how neurons integrate information and relay it through complex neuronal circuits. Most of what is currently known about glutamate transporters, specifically their ability to maintain glutamate homeostasis and limit glutamate diffusion away from the synaptic cleft, is based on studies of glutamate transporters. By contrast, little is known about the functional implications of glutamate transporters.

Global epidemiology and disparities in atopic dermatitis.

Atopic dermatitis (AD) affects children and adults worldwide. Advancements have been made towards unravelling the pathogenesis of AD, identifying various triggers, linking the environment and psychosocial factors with disease and the development of therapeutic targets to improve disease control. This article describes the global epidemiology of AD and the disparities that exist in various populations and regions across the globe.

Establishing consensus for the core concepts of physiology in the Australian higher education context using the Delphi method.

A set of core concepts ("big ideas") integral to the discipline of physiology are important for students to understand and demonstrate their capacity to apply. We found poor alignment of learning outcomes in programs with physiology majors (or equivalent) from 17 Australian universities and the 15 core concepts developed by a team in the United States. The objective of this project was to reach Australia-wide consensus on a set of core concepts for physiology, which can be embedded in curricula across Australian universities.

Motor cortical excitability and pre-supplementary motor area neurochemistry in healthy adults with substantia nigra hyperechogenicity.

Substantia nigra (SN) hyperechogenicity, viewed with transcranial ultrasound, is a risk marker for Parkinson's disease. We hypothesized that SN hyperechogenicity in healthy adults aged 50-70 years is associated with reduced short-interval intracortical inhibition in primary motor cortex, and that the reduced intracortical inhibition is associated with neurochemical markers of activity in the pre-supplementary motor area (pre-SMA). Short-interval intracortical inhibition and intracortical facilitation in primary motor cortex was assessed with paired-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation in 23 healthy adults with normal (n = 14; 61 ± 7 yrs) or abnormally enlarged (hyperechogenic; n = 9; 60 ± 6 yrs) area of SN echogenicity.

Observational study of medical marijuana as a treatment for treatment-resistant epilepsies.

Objectives: Medical cannabis formulations with cannabidiol (CBD) and delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) are widely used to treat epilepsy. We studied the safety and efficacy of two formulations.

Methods: We prospectively observed 29 subjects (12 to 46 years old) with treatment-resistant epilepsies (11 Lennox-Gastaut syndrome; 15 with focal or multifocal epilepsy; three generalized epilepsy) were treated with medical cannabis (1THC:20CBD and/or 1THC:50CBD; maximum of 6 mg THC/day) for ≥24 weeks.

Estimating the glutamate transporter surface density in distinct sub-cellular compartments of mouse hippocampal astrocytes.

Glutamate transporters preserve the spatial specificity of synaptic transmission by limiting glutamate diffusion away from the synaptic cleft, and prevent excitotoxicity by keeping the extracellular concentration of glutamate at low nanomolar levels. Glutamate transporters are abundantly expressed in astrocytes, and previous estimates have been obtained about their surface expression in astrocytes of the rat hippocampus and cerebellum. Analogous estimates for the mouse hippocampus are currently not available.

Adults with a history of recreational cannabis use have altered speech production.

Stereotypical depictions of speech in cannabis users often suggest slow, laboured output, yet objective evidence supporting this assumption is extremely limited. We know that depressants or hallucinogenic drugs such as cannabis can cause acute changes in communication and speech rate, but the long-lasting effects of cannabis use on speech are not well described. The aim of this study was to investigate speech in individuals with a history of recreational cannabis use compared to non-drug-using healthy controls.

Measurement of the adult human midbrain with transcranial ultrasound.

Background: Transcranial sonography is increasingly used to aid clinical diagnoses of movement disorders, for example, to identify an enlarged area of substantia nigra echogenicity in patients with Parkinson's disease.

Objective: The current study investigated characteristics of the midbrain at the anatomical plane for quantification of substantia nigra echogenicity. METHODS: Area of substantia nigra echogenicity, cross-sectional area of the midbrain, and interpeduncular angle were quantified in two groups of adults aged 18-50 years: 47 healthy non-drug-using controls (control group) and 22 individuals with a history of methamphetamine use (methamphetamine group), a cohort with a high prevalence of enlarged substantia nigra echogenicity and thus risk of Parkinson's disease.

Synthetic hair extensions causing irritant contact dermatitis in patients with a history of atopy: A report of 10 cases.

Background: We present a case series of 10, atopic, African women who developed irritant contact dermatitis (ICD) from synthetic hair extensions.

Methods: Ten consecutive African female patients who presented with a pruritic cutaneous eruption on the neck over a period of 2 years are described. Patients underwent skin patch testing using both standard and hair commercial patch test panels and samples of their own hair extensions.

Enhancement of Radiotherapy with Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells Containing Gold Nanoparticles.

Radiotherapy is a common approach for the treatment of a wide variety of cancer types. Available data indicate that nanoparticles can enhance the effect of radiotherapy. We report the use of human mesenchymal stem cells to selectively deliver gold nanoparticles (GNPs) to MDA-MB-231 breast tumor xenografts in mice for the purpose of enhancing the effect of radiation therapy.

Dermatology Training in Africa: Successes and Challenges.

This article analyzes various dermatology training programs in Africa by region and country. There is a paucity of dermatologists for the African population. West Africa has a harmonized curriculum, adopted by some anglophone and most francophone countries in the region.

Cohort profile: the Alberta Prostate Cancer Research Initiative (APCaRI) Registry and Biorepository facilitates technology translation to the clinic through the use of linked, longitudinal clinical and patient-reported data and biospecimens from men in Alberta, Canada.

Purpose: The Alberta Prostate Cancer Research Initiative (APCaRI) Registry and Biorepository was established in 2014 by the APCaRI to facilitate the collection of clinical and patient-reported data, biospecimen, to measure prostate cancer outcomes and to support the development and clinical translation of innovative technologies to better diagnose and predict outcomes for patients with prostate cancer.

Participants: Men suspected with prostate cancer and referred to Urology centres in Alberta were enrolled in the APCaRI 01 study, while men with a prior prostate cancer diagnosis participated in the APCaRI 03 study from 1 July 2014 to 30 June 2019. The APCaRI Registry and Biorepository links biospecimens and data from a wide representation of patients drawn from an Alberta population of more than 4 million.

Circadian Modulation of Neurons and Astrocytes Controls Synaptic Plasticity in Hippocampal Area CA1.

Most animal species operate according to a 24-h period set by the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) of the hypothalamus. The rhythmic activity of the SCN modulates hippocampal-dependent memory, but the molecular and cellular mechanisms that account for this effect remain largely unknown. Here, we identify cell-type-specific structural and functional changes that occur with circadian rhythmicity in neurons and astrocytes in hippocampal area CA1.