Parametrization of the dying brain: A case report from ICU bed-side EEG monitoring.

Background: Cortical high-frequency activation immediately before death has been reported, raising questions about an enhanced conscious state at this critical time. Here, we analyzed an electroencephalogram (EEG) from a comatose patient during the dying process with a standard bedside monitor and spectral parameterization techniques.

Methods: We report neurophysiologic features of a dying patient without major cortical injury.

Poor maternal nutrition during gestation in sheep alters key hormonal systems involved in energy homeostasis and appetite in the offspring.

Disturbances in maternal nutrient availability through increased or decreased abundance of specific or total nutrients during pre-natal development can have negative impacts on offspring growth. These changes are likely mediated, at least in part, by hormonal systems that control energy homeostasis and appetite. Regulation of insulin signaling is critical to ensuring appropriate glucose homeostasis.

Aperiodic component of the electroencephalogram power spectrum reflects the hypnotic level of anaesthesia.

Background: Aperiodic (nonoscillatory) electroencephalogram (EEG) activity can be characterised by its power spectral density, which decays according to an inverse power law. Previous studies reported a shift in the spectral exponent α from consciousness to unconsciousness. We investigated the impact of aperiodic EEG activity on parameters used for anaesthesia monitoring to test the hypothesis that aperiodic EEG activity carries information about the hypnotic component of general anaesthesia.

Correction: Dreismickenbecker et al. Electroencephalography-Based Effects of Acute Alcohol Intake on the Pain Matrix. 2023, , 1659.

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Effects of poor maternal diet during gestation are detected in F2 offspring.

Poor maternal nutrition of F0 ewes impairs F1 offspring growth, with minimal differences in glucose tolerance or select metabolic circulating factors, and independent of differences in residual feed intake (RFI). To determine if poor maternal nutrition in F0 ewes alters F2 offspring growth, circulating leptin, feed efficiency, or glucose tolerance, F0 ewes ( = 46) pregnant with twins were fed 100% (control), 60% (restricted), or 140% (over) of National Research Council requirements from days 30 ± 0.02 of gestation until parturition.

Nociceptive Processing of Elite Athletes Varies between Sport-Specific Loads: An EEG-Based Study Approach.

Introduction: For the downstream nociceptive processing of elite athletes, recent studies indicate that athletes probably tolerate more pain as compared with a normally active population. Phenotyping the nociceptive processing of athletes in different types of endurance sports can provide insight into training-specific effects, which may help in understanding the long-term effects of specific exercise.

Methods: Twenty-six elite endurance athletes from the disciplines of rowing, triathlon, and running and 26 age- and sex-matched, recreationally active control subjects who participated in the subjective pain perception and processing of standardized noxious stimuli were investigated by EEG.

Electroencephalography-Based Effects of Acute Alcohol Intake on the Pain Matrix.

The effects of acute and chronic intakes of high doses of alcohol on pain perception are well known, ranging from short-term analgesic effects to long-term sensitization and polyneuropathies. The short-term analgesic effects of ethanol consumption on subjective pain perception have been well studied in the literature. Recent advances in neuroimaging allow for an insight into pain-related structures in the brain, fostering the mechanistic understanding of the processing of nociceptive input and pain.

EVIDENCE FROM FATAL COVID-19 FOR TARGETING THE BRADYKININ METABOLISM-A SINGLE-CENTER COHORT STUDY.

Background: Severe progression of COVID-19 to critical illness, with pulmonary failure, multiple organ failure, and death, is driven by systemic inflammatory responses with overproduction of inflammatory cytokines. In the past years, the potential role of bradykinin, leading to inappropriate immune responses in the pathogenesis of COVID-19, has been raised in a so-called bradykinin storm. However, clinical investigations of bradykinin, its metabolite des-Arg 9 -bradykinin, or substance P, are rare or completely lacking during intensive care of COVID-19 patients.

Short-term predictor for COVID-19 severity from a longitudinal multi-omics study for practical application in intensive care units.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic challenged the management of technical and human resources in intensive care units (ICU) across the world. Several long-term predictors for COVID-19 disease progression have been discovered. However, predictors to support short-term planning of resources and medication that can be translated to future pandemics are still missing.

Socioeconomic Differences in SARS-CoV-2 Infection and Vaccination in Germany: A Seroepidemiological Study After One Year of COVID-19 Vaccination Campaign.

To evaluate the socioeconomic patterns of SARS-CoV-2 antigen contacts through infection, vaccination or both ("hybrid immunity") after 1 year of vaccination campaign. Data were derived from the German seroepidemiological Corona Monitoring Nationwide study (RKI-SOEP-2; = 10,448; November 2021-February 2022). Combining serological and self-report data, we estimated adjusted prevalence ratios (PR) of SARS-CoV-2 infection, COVID-19 vaccination, basic immunization (at least two SARS-CoV-2 antigen contacts through vaccination and/or infection), and three antigen contacts by education and income.

Maternal restricted- and over- feeding during gestation perturb offspring sperm epigenome in sheep.

In Brief: Inadequate maternal nutrition during gestation can have immediate and lifelong effects on offspring. This study shows that maternal restricted - and over- nutrition during gestation do not affect semen characteristics in F1 male offspring but alters offspring sperm sncRNA profiles and DNA methylome in sheep.

Abstract: There is a growing body of evidence that inadequate maternal nutrition during gestation can have immediate and lifelong effects on offspring.

EEG responses to standardised noxious stimulation during clinical anaesthesia: a pilot study.

Background: During clinical anaesthesia, the administration of analgesics mostly relies on empirical knowledge and observation of the patient's reactions to noxious stimuli. Previous studies in healthy volunteers under controlled conditions revealed EEG activity in response to standardised nociceptive stimuli even at high doses of remifentanil and propofol. This pilot study aims to investigate the feasibility of using these standardised nociceptive stimuli in routine clinical practice.

Characterization of an HNA aptamer suggests a non-canonical G-quadruplex motif.

Nucleic acids not only form the basis of heredity, but are increasingly a source of novel nano-structures, -devices and drugs. This has spurred the development of chemically modified alternatives (xeno nucleic acids (XNAs)) comprising chemical configurations not found in nature to extend their chemical and functional scope. XNAs can be evolved into ligands (XNA aptamers) that bind their targets with high affinity and specificity.

Restricted- and over-feeding during gestation decreases growth of offspring throughout maturity.

To determine the effects of poor maternal nutrition on the growth and metabolism of offspring into maturity, multiparous Dorset ewes pregnant with twins ( = 46) were fed to either 100% (control; = 13), 60% (restricted; = 17), or 140% (over; = 16) of National Research Council requirements from day 30 ± 0.02 of gestation until parturition. Offspring of these ewes are referred to as CON ( = 10 ewes; 12 rams), RES ( = 13 ewes; 21 rams), or OVER ( = 16 ewes; 13 rams), respectively.

Family care during the first COVID-19 lockdown in Germany: longitudinal evidence on consequences for the well-being of caregivers.

We examine changes in the well-being of family caregivers during the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany, using data from the German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP) and the SOEP-CoV study. The COVID-19 pandemic posed an extraordinary challenge for family caregivers, as care recipients are a high-risk group requiring special protection, and professional care services were severely cut back. The specific situation of the COVID-19 pandemic allows us to re-examine the caregiver stress process model.

Survey of the use of beef semen in dairy herds in Pennsylvania and nearby states.

Because dairies across the United States have rapidly adopted breeding to beef breed sires, the use of beef semen has increased dramatically in recent years. The objective of this survey was to gather information about the use of beef semen by dairy producers in the Northeast United States to generate beef × dairy cattle for beef markets. The survey was conducted using the services of the Center for Survey Research at the Pennsylvania State University-Harrisburg campus.

Advances in antibody-based therapy in oncology.

Monoclonal antibodies are a growing class of targeted cancer therapeutics, characterized by exquisite specificity, long serum half-life, high affinity and immune effector functions. In this review, we outline key advances in the field with a particular focus on recent and emerging classes of engineered antibody therapeutic candidates, discuss molecular structure and mechanisms of action and provide updates on clinical development and practice.

EEG-based sensory testing reveals altered nociceptive processing in elite endurance athletes.

Increased exercise loads, as observed in elite athletes, seem to modulate the subjective pain perception in healthy subjects. The combination of electroencephalography (EEG) and standardized noxious stimulation can contribute to an objective assessment of the somatosensory stimulus processing. We assessed the subjective pain ratings and the electroencephalogram (EEG)-based response after standardized noxious mechanical and thermal stimuli as well as during conditioned pain modulation (CPM) in 26 elite endurance athletes and compared them to 26 recreationally active controls.

Nationally representative results on SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence and testing in Germany at the end of 2020.

Pre-vaccine SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence data from Germany are scarce outside hotspots, and socioeconomic disparities remained largely unexplored. The nationwide representative RKI-SOEP study (15,122 participants, 18-99 years, 54% women) investigated seroprevalence and testing in a supplementary wave of the Socio-Economic-Panel conducted predominantly in October-November 2020. Self-collected oral-nasal swabs were PCR-positive in 0.

Cytokine levels associated with favorable clinical outcome in the CAPSID randomized trial of convalescent plasma in patients with severe COVID-19.

Objectives: To determine the profile of cytokines in patients with severe COVID-19 who were enrolled in a trial of COVID-19 convalescent plasma (CCP).

Methods: Patients were randomized to receive standard treatment and 3 CCP units or standard treatment alone (CAPSID trial, ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04433910).

Effect of quantitative versus qualitative neuromuscular blockade monitoring on rocuronium consumption in patients undergoing abdominal and gynecological surgery: a retrospective cohort study.

The level of neuromuscular blockade can be assessed by subjective (qualitative) and objective (quantitative) methods. This study aims to compare the dosage of the neuromuscular blocking agents (NMBA) rocuronium and the need for reversion by sugammadex between those methods. A retrospective, observational analysis was conducted.

Poor maternal diet during gestation alters offspring muscle proteome in sheep.

Poor maternal nutrition during gestation can result in reduced offspring muscle growth and altered muscle metabolism. We hypothesized that over- or restricted-nutrition during gestation would alter the longissimus dorsi muscle (LM) proteome of offspring. Pregnant ewes were fed 60% (restricted), 100% (control), or 140% (over) of National Research Council requirements for total digestible nutrients from day 30 of gestation until parturition.

Electroencephalogram-Based Evaluation of Impaired Sedation in Patients with Moderate to Severe COVID-19 ARDS.

The sedation management of patients with severe COVID-19 is challenging. Processed electroencephalography (pEEG) has already been used for sedation management before COVID-19 in critical care, but its applicability in COVID-19 has not yet been investigated. We performed this prospective observational study to evaluate whether the patient sedation index (PSI) obtained via pEEG may adequately reflect sedation in ventilated COVID-19 patients.