Metformin adapts its cellular effects to bioenergetic status in a model of metabolic dysfunction.

Thermal injury induces a complex immunometabolic response, characterized by hyperglycemia, extensive inflammation and persistent hypermetabolism. It has been suggested that attenuation of the hypermetabolic response is beneficial for patient wellbeing. To that effect, metformin represents an attractive therapeutic agent, as its effects on glycemia, inflammation and bioenergetics can improve outcomes in burn patients.

Plasma sphingolipids and depressive symptoms in coronary artery disease.

Background: Depression is highly prevalent in individuals with coronary artery disease (CAD) and increases the risk of future cardiac events and mortality. Sphingolipids have been implicated in the pathophysiology of both CAD and depression. This study assessed the association between plasma sphingolipid concentrations and depressive symptoms in CAD subjects.

Intravascular large B-cell lymphoma presenting as Richter's syndrome with cerebral involvement in a patient with chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

Intravascular large B-cell lymphoma (IVLBCL) is an aggressive non-Hodgkin's lymphoma which can present with B symptoms, rash, and neurological deterioration. Up to 10% of cases of IVLBCL are associated with other hematological neoplasms, including this extremely rare presentation of IVLBCL as Richter's transformation in chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

Isolated Second Implant Adaptation Period in Sequential Cochlear Implantation in Adults.

Objective: To determine if depriving the use of the first cochlear implant (CI1) impacts adaptation to a sequential implant (CI2).

Study Design: Prospective cohort.

Setting: Academic center.

Letter in response to 'The role of research for advanced practitioners'.

This letter to the Editor is in response to the paper 'Conceptualisation of the characteristics advanced practitioners in the medical radiation professions' by Smith et al. and the subsequent letter from Jenny Sim. The writers agree that research should be explicitly listed in the conceptual model of advanced practice, and provide some evidence and viewpoints from over a decade of advanced practice work in Canada.

Metformin in women with type 2 diabetes in pregnancy (MiTy): a multi-center randomized controlled trial.

Background: The incidence of type 2 diabetes in pregnancy is rising and rates of serious adverse maternal and fetal outcomes remain high. Metformin is a biguanide that is used as first-line treatment for non-pregnant patients with type 2 diabetes. We hypothesize that metformin use in pregnancy, as an adjunct to insulin, will decrease adverse outcomes by reducing maternal hyperglycemia, maternal insulin doses, maternal weight gain and gestational hypertension/pre-eclampsia.

α5GABAA receptor deficiency causes autism-like behaviors.

The prevalence of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs), which affect over 1% of the population, has increased twofold in recent years. Reduced expression of GABAA receptors has been observed in postmortem brain tissue and neuroimaging of individuals with ASDs. We found that deletion of the gene for the α5 subunit of the GABAA receptor caused robust autism-like behaviors in mice, including reduced social contacts and vocalizations.

Reduced brain connectivity and mental flexibility in mild traumatic brain injury.

Objective: A mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), or concussion, has known neuropsychological sequelae, and neuroimaging shows disturbed brain connectivity during the resting state. We hypothesized that task-based functional connectivity measures, using magnetoencephalography (MEG), would better link the neurobiological underpinnings of cognitive deficits to specific brain damage.

Methods: We used a mental flexibility task in the MEG and compared brain connectivity between adults with and without mTBI.

MiR-182 Is Associated with Growth, Migration and Invasion in Prostate Cancer via Suppression of FOXO1.

Background: MicroRNA (miRNA) have been shown to regulate gene expression in many cancers. MiR-182 has recently been found to be prognostic for patients treated with radical prostatectomy for prostate cancer. We sought to assess miR-182 as a prognostic marker and understand its role in prostate cancer progression and metastasis.

A computerized tablet with visual feedback of hand position for functional magnetic resonance imaging.

Neuropsychological tests behavioral tasks that very commonly involve handwriting and drawing are widely used in the clinic to detect abnormal brain function. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) may be useful in increasing the specificity of such tests. However, performing complex pen-and-paper tests during fMRI involves engineering challenges.

A preliminary fMRI study of a novel self-paced written fluency task: observation of left-hemispheric activation, and increased frontal activation in late vs. early task phases.

Neuropsychological tests of verbal fluency are very widely used to characterize impaired cognitive function. For clinical neuroscience studies and potential medical applications, measuring the brain activity that underlies such tests with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is of significant interest-but a challenging proposition because overt speech can cause signal artifacts, which tend to worsen as the duration of speech tasks becomes longer. In a novel approach, we present the group brain activity of 12 subjects who performed a self-paced written version of phonemic fluency using fMRI-compatible tablet technology that recorded responses and provided task-related feedback on a projection screen display, over long-duration task blocks (60 s).