Exercise restores dysregulated gene expression in a mouse model of arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy.

Aims: Arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy (ACM) is a myocardial disease caused mainly by mutations in genes encoding desmosome proteins ACM patients present with ventricular arrhythmias, cardiac dysfunction, sudden cardiac death, and a subset with fibro-fatty infiltration of the right ventricle predominantly. Endurance exercise is thought to exacerbate cardiac dysfunction and arrhythmias in ACM. The objective was to determine the effects of treadmill exercise on cardiac phenotype, including myocyte gene expression in myocyte-specific desmoplakin (Dsp) haplo-insufficient (Myh6-Cre:DspW/F) mice.

Subsequent Surgery for Loss of Motion After Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction Does Not Influence Function at 2 Years: A Matched Case-Control Analysis.

Background: Loss of motion (LOM) remains a common complication after anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction and can be detrimental to patient outcomes after surgery. LOM is multifactorial, but nonsurgical and surgical solutions to this complex problem are available. A paucity of quality data exists evaluating clinical outcomes after the surgical treatment of patients with LOM after ACL reconstruction.

A Randomized Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Phase II Trial of Dendritic Cell Vaccine ICT-107 in Newly Diagnosed Patients with Glioblastoma.

Purpose: To evaluate the results of the randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase II clinical trial of ICT-107 in patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma.

Patients And Methods: We conducted a double-blinded randomized phase II trial of ICT-107 in newly diagnosed patients with glioblastoma (GBM) and tested efficacy, safety, quality of life (QoL), and immune response. HLA-A1 and/or -A2-resected patients with residual tumor ≤1 cm received radiotherapy and concurrent temozolomide.

A rare presentation of carcinosarcoma of the bone in a young female; response with gemcitabine and docetaxel.

Background: Sarcomatoid carcinoma, or carcinosarcoma, is a neoplasm that contains both sarcomatous and carcinomatous elements. It is an extremely rare cancer most often arising from visceral organs. Here we report the seventh documented de novo case of carcinosarcoma of the bone, in a young female who showed initial clinical improvement with gemcitabine and docetaxel.

A Qualitative Description of Pregnancy-Related Social Support Experiences of Low-Income Women with Low Birth Weight Infants in the Midwestern United States.

Objective Low birth weight (LBW) is a significant health problem in the United States, and the incidence is higher in women with low socioeconomic status. Observational and epidemiological studies have revealed that social support reduces the risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes. However, the current literature lacks research regarding the perceived social support of pregnant women in relation to birth weight from a qualitative perspective.

Characterization of Vitamin B12 Supplementation and Correlation with Clinical Outcomes in a Large Longitudinal Study of Early Parkinson's Disease.

Objective: In Parkinson's disease (PD), vitamin B12 levels are lower, and comorbid B12 deficiency has been associated with the development of neuropathy and early gait instability. Because little is known about B12 supplement use in PD, we sought to evaluate its use in a large PD cohort and, as an exploratory analysis, to determine whether baseline characteristics or disease progression differed according to B12 supplementation.

Methods: We utilized data collected as part of the National Institutes of Health Exploratory Trials in PD (NET-PD) Long-term Study (LS-1), a longitudinal study of 1,741 participants.

Neuron-Derived Exosome Proteins May Contribute to Progression From Repetitive Mild Traumatic Brain Injuries to Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy.

The recent recognition that Alzheimer disease-like pathology may be found in chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) even after acute mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) has increased the urgency of elucidating mechanisms, identifying biomarkers predictive of high risk of development of CTE, and establishing biomarker profiles indicative of impactful effects of treatments. Of the many proteins that are loaded into neuron-derived exosomes (NDEs) from damaged neurons after acute TBI, the levels of prion cellular protein (PRPc), coagulation factor XIII (XIIIa), synaptogyrin-3, IL-6, and aquaporins remain elevated for months. Prolonged heightened expression of aquaporins and IL-6 may account for the persistent central nervous system edema and inflammation of CTE.

The pathogenesis of post-primary tuberculosis. A game changer for vaccine development.

A vaccine that prevents transmission of infection is urgently needed in the fight against tuberculosis (TB). Results of clinical trials have been disappointing. Major problems include lack of biomarkers and understanding of the mechanisms of disease and protection.

Human umbilical cord blood cells restore vascular integrity in injured rat brain and modulate inflammation .

Traumatic brain injury is a complex condition consisting of a mechanical injury with neurovascular disruption and inflammation with limited clinical interventions available. A growing number of studies report systemic delivery of human umbilical cord blood (HUCB) as a therapy for neural injuries. HUCB cells from five donors were tested to improve blood-brain barrier integrity in a traumatic brain injury rat model at a dose of 2.

The Continued Rise in Professional Use of Social Media at Scientific Meetings: An Analysis of Twitter Use during the ASNR 2018 Annual Meeting.

Professional use of social media continues to increase. We analyzed Twitter use of our own American Society of Neuroradiology (ASNR) 2018 annual meeting, reviewing all Twitter posts (3020 tweets from 523 participants) containing the hashtag #ASNR18 from May 21, 2018, to June 12, 2018, extracting the transcripts from Symplur. Then, each tweet was categorized by the role of user, type of tweet, and topic.

Neuroimaging of Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy (SUDEP): Insights From Structural and Resting-State Functional MRI Studies.

The elusive nature of sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP) has led to investigations of mechanisms and identification of biomarkers of this fatal scenario that constitutes the leading cause of premature death in epilepsy. In this short review, we compile evidence from structural and functional neuroimaging that demonstrates alterations to brain structures and networks involved in central autonomic and respiratory control in SUDEP and those at elevated risk. These findings suggest that compromised central control of vital regulatory processes may contribute to SUDEP.

Cerebellar, limbic, and midbrain volume alterations in sudden unexpected death in epilepsy.

Objective: The processes underlying sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP) remain elusive, but centrally mediated cardiovascular or respiratory collapse is suspected. Volume changes in brain areas mediating recovery from extreme cardiorespiratory challenges may indicate failure mechanisms and allow prospective identification of SUDEP risk.

Methods: We retrospectively imaged SUDEP cases (n = 25), patients comparable for age, sex, epilepsy syndrome, localization, and disease duration who were high-risk (n = 25) or low-risk (n = 23), and age- and sex-matched healthy controls (n = 25) with identical high-resolution T1-weighted scans.

Demographic, clinical, and geographical factors associated with lack of receipt of physician recommended chemotherapy in women with breast cancer in Texas.

Purpose: Identifying demographic, clinical, and geographical factors that contribute to disparities in the receipt of physician recommended chemotherapy in breast cancer patients.

Methods: The Texas Cancer Registry was used to identify women aged ≥ 18 years with invasive breast cancer diagnosed from 2007 to 2011 who received a recommendation for chemotherapy. Multivariable logistic regression was performed to determine associations between demographic and clinical factors and the receipt of chemotherapy.

The role of metastatic burden in cytoreductive/consolidative radical cystectomy.

Purpose: To describe our institutional experience with cytoreductive/consolidative radical cystectomy (CCRC) for metastatic urothelial carcinoma (UC) and to investigate clinicopathologic features predicting prolonged cancer specific survival (CSS) following CCRC.

Methods: We performed IRB-approved review of our cystectomy database, and identified 43 patients with metastatic UC who underwent CCRC. Baseline demographics, chemotherapy regimen, clinicopathologic features, and perioperative complications were collected.

Outcomes Among Patients With Ischemic Stroke Treated With Intravenous tPA (Tissue-Type Plasminogen Activator) via Telemedicine.

Background and Purpose- Telemedicine is increasingly utilized for intravenous tPA (tissue-type plasminogen activator) delivery. The comparative safety of leaving tPA-treated patients at a presenting (spoke) hospital (drip-and-stay) or transferring patients to a central treating (hub) hospital (drip-and-ship) is not established. We sought to compare outcomes between drip-and-ship and drip-and-stay patients treated with tPA via telemedicine.

GSK3β regulates epithelial-mesenchymal transition and cancer stem cell properties in triple-negative breast cancer.

Background: Triple-negative breast cancers (TNBCs), which lack receptors for estrogen, progesterone, and amplification of epidermal growth factor receptor 2, are highly aggressive. Consequently, patients diagnosed with TNBCs have reduced overall and disease-free survival rates compared to patients with other subtypes of breast cancer. TNBCs are characterized by the presence of cancer cells with mesenchymal properties, indicating that the epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) plays a major role in the progression of this disease.

Accurate and rapid CT image segmentation of the eyes and surrounding organs for precise radiotherapy.

Objective: The precise segmentation of organs at risk (OARs) is of importance for improving therapeutic outcomes and reducing injuries of patients undergoing radiotherapy. In this study, we developed a new approach for accurate computed tomography (CT) image segmentation of the eyes and surrounding organs, which is first locating then segmentation (FLTS).

Methods: The FLTS approach was composed of two steps: (a) classification of CT images using convolutional neural networks (CNN), and (b) segmentation of the eyes and surrounding organs using modified U-shape networks.

Severe Group A Disease Characterized by Toxic Shock and Endocarditis.

Invasive group A infections are associated with diverse presentations. We report a severe, rare case of GAS infection with dissemination including endocarditis and STSS. While whole genome sequencing of blood and pharyngeal isolates did not reveal any unique features attributable to the severe presentation, our approach serves as a template for investigation of severe manifestations of common infections.

Cardiac Early Repolarization Pattern Anomalies Among Children and Adolescents With and Without Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: A Community Observational Study.

Our research had 2 aims, first, to determine if electrocardiographic early repolarization pattern anomalies (ERPAs) were more likely present among children and adolescents diagnosed with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD; n = 416) when compared with non-ADHD children (n = 187), and second, to asses if ADHD patients whose parents report severe ADHD psychometric scores were more likely to have ERPA in their surface ECG (electrocardiography) when compared with other ADHD patients with mild to moderate dysfunction or no dysfunction. In our unmatched case-control study, ERPA was recognized when there was an end QRS notch (J wave) or slur on the downslope of a prominent R wave with and without ST-segment elevation and the peak of the notch or J wave (Jp) ≥0.1 mV in ≥2 contiguous leads, excluding V1-V3 anterior lead, and QRS duration (measured in leads in which a notch or slur is absent) <120 ms or ST-segment elevation >0.

Noncoding RNAs in cardiovascular diseases.

Purpose Of Review: Human genome is pervasively transcribed, producing coding and noncoding RNAs. Recent studies have revealed the roles of a class of noncoding RNAs, the long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs), in heart failure and other cardiovascular diseases. This review provides a brief summary of recent findings on lncRNA function.