Immediate Effects of Lower Limb Sensory Simulation Using Smart Socks to Stabilize Gait in People with Parkinson's Disease.

People with Parkinson's disease (PD) experience gait impairment that can lead to falls and poor quality of life. Here we investigate the feasibility of using smart socks to stimulate the lower limbs of people with PD to reduce excessive step time variability during walking. We hypothesised that rythmic excitation of lower limb afferents, matched to a participant's comfortable pace, would entrain deficient neuro-muscular signals resulting in improved gait.

Exploring Parkinson's disease prevalence in regional, rural and remote Australia: A systematic scoping review.

Introduction: Idiopathic Parkinson's disease (PD) is the second most prevalent neurodegenerative disorder worldwide. Due to ageing populations, prevalence estimates for PD are set to increase in western countries including Australia.

Objective: This study aims to investigate the prevalence of PD in regional, rural and remote areas of Australia, to inform the provision of equitable PD-specific care.

Secondary extracranial paranasal sinus meningioma in a dog.

A 13-year-old Maltese dog was presented for inspiratory stertor. A computed tomography evaluation was performed and revealed an osteoproductive lesion primarily centered over the frontal bone with infiltration of the adjacent maxillary and nasal bones, focal intracranial invasion, and an associated broad-based, contrastenhancing, extra-axial lesion along the longitudinal cerebral fissure. Rhinoscopic and incisional biopsies of the paranasal mass were obtained, and a meningioma was diagnosed histologically.

Recognising and responding to communication and swallowing difficulties in Parkinson's disease.

Background: Communication difficulties, including hypokinetic dysarthria and swallowing difficulties (dysphagia), affect a large percentage of people diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. Onset of these symptoms has been identified in up to 78% of people with early-stage Parkinson's disease. Communication difficulties are frequently disregarded until they have a significant impact on quality of life, while the person may often be unaware of indicators of dysphagia and the associated risk of aspiration pneumonia.

Pathology in Practice.

In collaboration with the American College of Veterinary Pathologists.

Non-motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease.

Background: Parkinson's disease is characterised by a complex array of motor and non-motor symptoms. Motor symptoms are often prioritised for assessment and treatment. Growing evidence highlights the importance of recognising the impact of non-motor symptoms on the person's quality of life.

Design, Synthesis, and Evaluation of [F]T-914 as a Novel Positron-Emission Tomography Tracer for Lysine-Specific Demethylase 1.

Histone methylation is associated with the pathophysiology of neurodevelopmental disorders. Lysine-specific demethylase 1 (LSD1) catalyzes histone demethylation in a flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD)-dependent manner. Thus, inhibiting LSD1 enzyme activity could offer a novel way to treat neurodevelopmental disorders.

Using an economic evaluation approach to support specialist nursing services for people with Parkinson's in a regional community.

Aim: This study aims to provide economic evidence of the cost-effectiveness of employing specialist Parkinson's nurses in a regional community in Australia.

Study Design: This retrospective study utilized hospital service usage data to compare outcomes for people with Parkinson's disease before and after the employment of a specialist Parkinson's nurse in a regional community.

Methods: A representative sample was drawn from the target population of people with a diagnosis of Parkinson's admitted to a regional hospital over a 4-year period (2013-2014 and 2016-2017).

Design, Synthesis, and Evaluation of (2-Aminocyclopropyl)phenyl Derivatives as Novel Positron Emission Tomography Imaging Agents for Lysine-Specific Demethylase 1 in the Brain.

Dysregulation of histone H3 lysine 4 (H3K4) methylation is implicated in the pathogenesis of neurodevelopmental disorders. Lysine-specific demethylase 1 (LSD1) determines the methylation status of H3K4 through flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD)-mediated histone demethylation. Therefore, LSD1 inhibition in the brain can be a novel therapeutic option for treating these disorders.

Quantifying upper limb motor impairment in people with Parkinson's disease: a physiological profiling approach.

Background: Upper limb motor impairments, such as slowness of movement and difficulties executing sequential tasks, are common in people with Parkinson's disease (PD).

Objective: To evaluate the validity of the upper limb Physiological Profile Assessment (PPA) as a standard clinical assessment battery in people with PD, by determining whether the tests, which encompass muscle strength, dexterity, arm stability, position sense, skin sensation and bimanual coordination can (a) distinguish people with PD from healthy controls, (b) detect differences in upper limb test domains between "off" and "on" anti-Parkinson medication states and (c) correlate with a validated measure of upper limb function.

Methods: Thirty-four participants with PD and 68 healthy controls completed the upper limb PPA tests within a single session.

Dopamine D Receptor Agonist PET Tracer Development: Assessment in Nonhuman Primates.

Non-catechol-based high-affinity selective dopamine D receptor (D1R) agonists were recently described, and candidate PET ligands were selected on the basis of favorable properties. The objective of this study was to characterize in vivo in nonhuman primates 2 novel D1R agonist PET radiotracers, racemic F-MNI-800 and its more active atropisomeric (-)-enantiomer, F-MNI-968. Ten brain PET experiments were conducted with F-MNI-800 on 2 adult rhesus macaques and 2 adult cynomolgus macaques, and 8 brain PET experiments were conducted with F-MNI-968 on 2 adult rhesus macaques and 2 adult cynomolgus macaques.

The rate of dasotraline brain entry is slow following intravenous administration.

Rationale: Drugs that rapidly increase dopamine levels have an increased risk of abuse. Dasotraline (DAS) is a dopamine and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor characterized by slow oral absorption with low potential for abuse. However, it remains unclear whether intravenous (i.

The Production, Quality Control, and Characterization of ZED8, a CD8-Specific Zr-Labeled Immuno-PET Clinical Imaging Agent.

Immuno-PET is a molecular imaging technique utilizing positron emission tomography (PET) to measure the biodistribution of an antibody species labeled with a radioactive isotope. When applied as a clinical imaging technique, an immuno-PET imaging agent must be manufactured with quality standards appropriate for regulatory approval. This paper describes methods relevant to the chemistry, manufacturing, and controls component of an immuno-PET regulatory filing, such as an investigational new drug application.

Preclinical In Vitro and In Vivo Characterization of Synaptic Vesicle 2A-Targeting Compounds Amenable to F-18 Labeling as Potential PET Radioligands for Imaging of Synapse Integrity.

Purpose: Current synaptic vesicle 2A (SV2A) positron emission tomography (PET) imaging agents include the nanomolar affinity probes [C]UCB-J and [F]UCB-H derived from the anti-epileptic drug levitaracetam (Keppra®). An industry-utilized "de-risking" approach was used to carry out initial pharmacological characterization and to assess potential next-generation candidates amenable to F-18 radiolabeling for preliminary evaluation.

Procedures: Radioligand binding methods were employed in mammalian brain homogenates to determine the SV2A affinity (K) and maximal binding capacity (B) of [H]UCB-J.

Change in PDE10 across early Huntington disease assessed by [18F]MNI-659 and PET imaging.

Objective: To evaluate whether striatal [(18)F]MNI-659 PET imaging of phosphodiesterase 10A (PDE10) serves as a sensitive and reliable biomarker of striatal neurodegeneration in a longitudinal cohort of participants with early Huntington disease (HD).

Methods: A cohort of participants with HD, including both participants premanifest or manifest with motor signs, underwent clinical assessments, genetic determination, and 2 [(18)F]MNI-659 PET imaging sessions approximately 1 year apart. Eleven healthy control (HC) participants underwent clinical assessments and [(18)F]MNI-659 PET imaging once.

Glenoid dysplasia and osteochondritis dissecans in a cat.

A 2-year-old Maine Coon cat was presented for a right forelimb lameness. Computed tomography of the shoulder revealed a shallow glenoid, osteophyte deposition at the caudal humeral head and medial glenoid, and an intra-articular osseous body. This cat had glenoid dysplasia and osteochondritis dissecans of the glenoid.

Utilizing electrostatic interactions to facilitate F-18 radiolabeling of poly(amido)amine (PAMAM) dendrimers.

The development of methods for the facile conjugation and radiolabeling of poly(amido)amine (PAMAM) dendrimers would be of great benefit in evaluating biomedical applications of these intriguing molecularly defined polymers. Two anionic N-hydroxysuccinimide (NHS) esters (7 and 10) were developed and radiolabeled with fluorine-18 using Cu(I)-catalyzed click reactions. The radiolabeling of a primary amine-terminated PAMAM generation-6 (G6) dendrimer with [(18)F]7 or [(18)F]10 was complete in water or methanol within 5 min at room temperature.

Automated one-step radiosynthesis of the CB1 receptor imaging agent [(18) F]MK-9470.

The fluorine-18-labeled positron emission tomography (PET) radiotracer [(18) F]MK-9470 is a selective, high affinity inverse agonist that has been used to image the cannabinoid receptor type 1 in human brain in healthy and disease states. This report describes a simplified, one-step [(18) F]radiofluorination approach using a GE TRACERlab FXFN module for the routine production of this tracer. The one-step synthesis, by [(18) F]fluoride displacement of a primary tosylate precursor, gives a six-fold increase in yield over the previous two-step method employing O-alkylation of a phenol precursor with 1,2-[(18) F]fluorobromoethane.

Improving the accuracy of weight status assessment in infancy research.

Both researchers and primary care providers vary in their methods for assessing weight status in infants. The purpose of the present investigation was to compare standing-height-derived to recumbent-length-derived weight-for-length standardized (WLZ) scores, using the WHO growth curves, in a convenience sample of infants who visited the lab at 18 and 21 months of age. Fifty-eight primarily White, middle class infants (25 girls) from a semi-rural region of southern Appalachia visited the lab at 18 months, with 45 infants returning 3 months later.

Diarylpropionitrile (DPN) enantiomers: synthesis and evaluation of estrogen receptor β-selective ligands.

Two estrogen receptor (ER) subtypes, ERα and ERβ, mediate the actions of estrogens in diverse reproductive and nonreproductive target tissues. ER subtype-selective ligands, which bind to and activate these subtypes differentially, have proved to be useful in elucidating which actions of estrogens proceed through ERα vs ERβ. Some of these ligands show potential as novel therapeutic agents.