Quantitative impact of the first COVID-19 lockdown on nuclear medicine in France: the CORALINE study.

Purpose: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic reshaped the usual risk: benefit equilibrium that became a trade-off between the infection exposure risk for the patient (and for staff) and the risk associated with delaying or cancelling the nuclear medicine examination. This study aimed at quantifying the impact of the first COVID-19 lockdown in France on nuclear medicine examination volume together with volume of examination cancellation and non-attendance.

Methods: We retrospectively assessed the volume of planned examinations from 1 month before to 1 month after the first lockdown in French high-volume nuclear medicine departments (NMD) sharing the same information management system including both university hospitals, UH (n = 7), and cancer centres, CC (n = 2).

Self-awareness in Transient Global Amnesia: distinguishing the effects of transient memory disorder vs. pre-existing vulnerability factors.

Numerous evidences suggest the existence of relationships between the impairment of episodic memory, acute stress exposure and variations in self-awareness (SA). Here, we examined 27 patients presenting transient global amnesia (TGA), a clinical condition which combines episodic amnesia and high anxiety, thanks to state and trait questionnaires of SA. We observed variation of SA depending on the stage of TGA (acute, recovery and follow-up).

Nonionotropic Action of Endothelial NMDA Receptors on Blood-Brain Barrier Permeability via Rho/ROCK-Mediated Phosphorylation of Myosin.

Increase in blood-brain barrier (BBB) permeability is a crucial step in neuroinflammatory processes. We previously showed that N Methyl D Aspartate Receptor (NMDARs), expressed on cerebral endothelial cells forming the BBB, regulate immune cell infiltration across this barrier in the mouse. Here, we describe the mechanism responsible for the action of NMDARs on BBB permeabilization.

Massive in Silico Study of Noble Gas Binding to the Structural Proteome.

Noble gases are chemically inert, and it was therefore thought they would have little effect on biology. Paradoxically, it was found that they do exhibit a wide range of biological effects, many of which are target-specific and potentially useful and some of which have been demonstrated in vivo. The underlying mechanisms by which useful pharmacology, such as tissue and neuroprotection, anti-addiction effects, and analgesia, is elicited are relatively unexplored.

Ligand pathways in neuroglobin revealed by low-temperature photodissociation and docking experiments.

A combined biophysical approach was applied to map gas-docking sites within murine neuroglobin (Ngb), revealing snapshots of events that might govern activity and dynamics in this unique hexacoordinate globin, which is most likely to be involved in gas-sensing in the central nervous system and for which a precise mechanism of action remains to be elucidated. The application of UV-visible microspectroscopy , solution X-ray absorption near-edge spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction experiments at 15-40 K provided the structural characterization of an Ngb photolytic intermediate by cryo-trapping and allowed direct observation of the relocation of carbon monoxide within the distal heme pocket after photodissociation. Moreover, X-ray diffraction at 100 K under a high pressure of dioxygen, a physiological ligand of Ngb, unravelled the existence of a storage site for O in Ngb which coincides with Xe-III, a previously described docking site for xenon or krypton.

Xenon-helium gas mixture at equimolar concentration of 37.5% protects against oxygen and glucose deprivation-induced injury and inhibits tissue plasminogen activator.

Xenon (Xe) is considered to be the golden standard neuroprotective gas. However, Xe has a higher molecular weight and lower thermal conductivity and specific heat than those of nitrogen, the main diluent of oxygen in air. These physical characteristics could impair or at least reduce the intrinsic neuroprotective action of Xe by increasing the patient's respiratory workload and body temperature.

Mapping Hydrophobic Tunnels and Cavities in Neuroglobin with Noble Gas under Pressure.

Internal cavities are crucial for conformational flexibility of proteins and can be mapped through noble gas diffusion and docking. Here we investigate the hydrophobic cavities and tunnel network in neuroglobin (Ngb), a hexacoordinated heme protein likely to be involved in neuroprotection, using crystallography under noble gas pressure, mostly at room temperature. In murine Ngb, a large internal cavity is involved in the heme sliding mechanism to achieve binding of gaseous ligands through coordination to the heme iron.

Determinants of neuroglobin plasticity highlighted by joint coarse-grained simulations and high pressure crystallography.

Investigating the effect of pressure sheds light on the dynamics and plasticity of proteins, intrinsically correlated to functional efficiency. Here we detail the structural response to pressure of neuroglobin (Ngb), a hexacoordinate globin likely to be involved in neuroprotection. In murine Ngb, reversible coordination is achieved by repositioning the heme more deeply into a large internal cavity, the "heme sliding mechanism".

L. fermentum CECT 5716 prevents stress-induced intestinal barrier dysfunction in newborn rats.

Background: Intestinal epithelial barrier (IEB) dysfunction plays a critical role in various intestinal disorders affecting infants and children, including the development of food allergies and colitis. Recent studies highlighted the role of probiotics in regulating IEB functions and behavior in adults, but their effects in the newborn remain largely unknown. We therefore characterized in rat pups, the impact of Lactobacillus fermentum CECT 5716 (L.

Tissue-type plasminogen activator exerts EGF-like chemokinetic effects on oligodendrocytes in white matter (re)myelination.

Background: The ability of oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs) to give raise to myelin forming cells during developmental myelination, normal adult physiology and post-lesion remyelination in white matter depends on factors which govern their proliferation, migration and differentiation. Tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) is a serine protease expressed in the central nervous system (CNS), where it regulates cell fate. In particular, tPA has been reported to protect oligodendrocytes from apoptosis and to facilitate the migration of neurons.

Does COMT val158met polymorphism influence P50 sensory gating, eye tracking or saccadic inhibition dysfunctions in schizophrenia?

Three electrophysiological endophenotypes are routinely studied in schizophrenia (SCZ): smooth pursuit eye movement (SPEM) dysfunction, deficits in P50 auditory-evoked potential inhibition, and saccadic inhibition deficits. The current study aimed to investigate the relationship between the COMT val158met polymorphism and these three endophenotypes. One hundred four SCZ patients (DSM-IV-R criteria) and 89 healthy controls were included in this study.

[Can men be included in the population subjected to puerperal psychosis? A case report].

Introduction: Puerperal psychosis (PP) is a psychiatric disorder that occurs in 1 out of 1000 pregnancies. Well known since antiquity, its symptoms have often been described in mothers, but few studies have successfully investigated a related disorder in fathers. The characteristic of this pathology is more related to its appearance than to its semiological description which is why its nosographic place is always discussed.

[Scale for assessing negative symptoms in schizophrenia: A systematic review].

Introduction: Negative symptoms are a fundamental dimension of schizophrenia despite their limited role in the international diagnostic classification. Although a consensual definition seems to be attempted regarding the main negative dimensions (anhedonia, alogia, social withdrawal, blunted affect, avolition), several standardized assessment scales have been created.

Objectives: The objective of this study was to identify a set of unidimensional instruments which allows an assessment of negative symptoms in schizophrenia and also to identify their general characteristics and the items included.

Cortical Anatomical Variations and Efficacy of rTMS in the Treatment of Auditory Hallucinations.

Background: Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) shows high inter-subject variability in its efficacy for treating resistant auditory verbal hallucinations in schizophrenia. Currently, the response of an individual patient to rTMS treatment cannot be predicted. It is possible that cortical anatomical characteristics could affect the therapeutic response.

Azide inhibition of urate oxidase.

The inhibition of urate oxidase (UOX) by azide was investigated by X-ray diffraction techniques and compared with cyanide inhibition. Two well characterized sites for reagents are present in the enzyme: the dioxygen site and the substrate-binding site. To examine the selectivity of these sites towards azide inhibition, several crystallization conditions were developed.

Functional relevance of the internal hydrophobic cavity of urate oxidase.

Urate oxidase from Aspergillus flavus is a 135 kDa homo-tetramer which has a hydrophobic cavity buried within each monomer and located close to its active site. Crystallographic studies under moderate gas pressure and high hydrostatic pressure have shown that both gas presence and high pressure would rigidify the cavity leading to an inhibition of the catalytic activity. Analysis of the cavity volume variations and functional modifications suggest that the flexibility of the cavity would be an essential parameter for the active site efficiency.

Deferoxamine blocks death induced by glutathione depletion in PC 12 cells.

The purpose of the present work was to investigate the mechanisms by which glutathione depletion induced by treatment with buthionine sulfoximine (BSO) led within 24-30 h to PC 12 cells apoptosis. Our results showed that treatment by relatively low concentrations (10-30 μM) of deferoxamine (DFx), a natural iron-specific chelator, almost completely shielded the cells from BSO-induced toxicity and that DFx still remained protective when added up to 9-12h after BSO treatment. On the other hand, phosphopeptides derived from milk casein and known to carry iron across cell membranes, markedly potentiated the toxic action of BSO when loaded with iron but were ineffective in sodium form.

Impact of Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) on Brain Functional Marker of Auditory Hallucinations in Schizophrenia Patients.

Unlabelled: Several cross-sectional functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) studies reported a negative correlation between auditory verbal hallucination (AVH) severity and amplitude of the activations during language tasks. The present study assessed the time course of this correlation and its possible structural underpinnings by combining structural, functional MRI and repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS).

Methods: Nine schizophrenia patients with AVH (evaluated with the Auditory Hallucination Rating scale; AHRS) and nine healthy participants underwent two sessions of an fMRI speech listening paradigm.

Synthesis and in vitro characterization of trans- and cis-[(18)F]-4-methylbenzyl 4-[(pyrimidin-2-ylamino)methyl]-3-fluoropiperidine-1-carboxylates as new potential PET radiotracer candidates for the NR2B subtype N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor.

Diastereoisomeric compounds [(18)F]cis- and [(18)F]trans-4-methylbenzyl 4-[(pyrimidin-2-ylamino)methyl]-3-fluoro-piperidine-1-carboxylates were successfully synthesized as new subtype-selective PET radiotracers for imaging the NR2B subunit containing NMDA receptors. Rat brain section autoradiographies demonstrated a high specific binding in NR2B/NMDA receptor rich regions for both radioligands. The measured logD(7.

PET imaging with [18F]AV-45 in an APP/PS1-21 murine model of amyloid plaque deposition.

Alzheimer's disease (AD), the most common age-related neurodegenerative disorder, is characterized by the accumulation of β-amyloid peptide. In man, [18F]AV-45 with positron emission tomography (PET) is currently studied and used to track in vivo amyloid accumulation. Here, [18F]-AV45-PET was used to visualize amyloid deposition in a transgenic murine model of amyloidosis (APP/PS1-21).

Moderately delayed post-insult treatment with normobaric hyperoxia reduces excitotoxin-induced neuronal degeneration but increases ischemia-induced brain damage.

Background: The use and benefits of normobaric oxygen (NBO) in patients suffering acute ischemic stroke is still controversial.

Results: Here we show for the first time to the best of our knowledge that NBO reduces both NMDA-induced calcium influxes in vitro and NMDA-induced neuronal degeneration in vivo, but increases oxygen and glucose deprivation-induced cell injury in vitro and ischemia-induced brain damage produced by middle cerebral artery occlusion in vivo.

Conclusions: Taken together, these results indicate that NBO reduces excitotoxin-induced calcium influx and subsequent neuronal degeneration but favors ischemia-induced brain damage and neuronal death.

Maternal hypertension during pregnancy modifies the response of the immature brain to hypoxia-ischemia: sequential MRI and behavioral investigations.

Hypoxic-ischemic (HI) brain injury occurring during the perinatal period is still a major cause of mortality and morbidity. We assessed the impact of maternal hypertension, the most common medical disorder of pregnancy, on the anatomical and functional consequences of HI insult in the immature brain. Rat pups from spontaneously hypertensive (SHR) and normotensive (Wistar Kyoto - WKY) dams were subjected to HI brain damage at post-natal day 7 (P7).