Recent Neuropathology Concepts.

The last session of the 2024 European Society of Toxicologic Pathology Congress was dedicated to recent neuro concepts, encompassing various topics including artificial intelligence (AI) applied to toxicologic pathology, new technologies for visualization and/or analysis of tissues, as well as specific case reports. Four presentations detailed the role of AI and computational pathology for toxicologic pathologists, usage of cryofluorescent tomography in neuropathology, blood-brain barrier organoids in early drug screening, and spatial transcriptomics in toxicologic pathology. In addition, there were two short presentations about a spontaneous brain lesion in Beagle dogs as well as central nervous system lesions related to adeno-associated virus vectors administration in various preclinical species.

X-rays and gamma rays do not differ in their effectiveness for sterilizing pupae and adults of the mosquito Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae).

The sterile insect technique (SIT) is increasingly used as an alternative or supplemental tool in the integrated mosquito management toolbox to protect human health worldwide. SIT programs targeting mosquitoes such as Aedes aegypti (L.) have generally used high-activity isotopes of 60Cobalt or 137Caesium to sterilize males, however, these gamma irradiators pose substantial security challenges and are becoming more difficult and expensive to obtain and maintain.

Transcutaneous Vagus Nerve Stimulation Effects on Flavor-Evoked Electroencephalogram and Eye-Blink Rate.

Introduction: Chemosensory food signals are carried by the vagus nerve (VN) from the gut to the brain and these signals contribute to communicating fullness and caloric value of the consumed food in regulatory and reward-related contexts. Here, we aimed to explore whether neural responses to flavor can be modulated through noninvasive VN stimulation, which can be done transcutaneously (transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation [tVNS]) on the outer ear via the auricular branch of VN. The ideal stimulation location on the outer ear for tVNS is not agreed on but two candidate locations are cymba conchae and tragus.

Parallel detection of MRI and H MRSI for multi-contrast anatomical and metabolic imaging.

Purpose: MRI and MRSI provide unique and complementary information on anatomy, structure, function, and metabolism. The default strategy for a combined MRI and MRSI study is a sequential acquisition of both modalities, leading to long scan times. As MRI and MRSI primarily detect water and metabolites, respectively, the small frequency difference between resonances can be exploited with frequency-selective RF pulses to achieve interleaved or parallel detection of MRI and MRSI, without an increase in total scan time.

Case Report: Glioneuronal Hamartoma in the Cerebral Cortex of a Juvenile Cynomolgus Monkey ().

Two dark and raised foci were observed on the left hemisphere of the brain of a 3-year-old cynomolgus monkey during the routine necropsy procedures of a preclinical toxicity study. Microscopic examination revealed a lesion in the cerebral cortex at the junction of the parietal and occipital lobes, consisting of disorganized, but generally well-circumscribed collections of mixed glial and neuronal cells within a fibrillar stroma. Numerous eosinophilic granular bodies, brown pigment-laden macrophages, and lymphocytic infiltrates were also noted.

Infections in Standard or Tapered Dose of Prednisolone for Alcohol-Associated Hepatitis: A Randomized Trial (STASH Trial).

Objectives: Current guidance recommends a 40-mg dose of prednisolone (or equivalent) for severe alcohol-associated hepatitis (AAH), while infections are not uncommon in them. The benefits of a rapid prednisolone tapering regimen in mitigating infection in patients with AAH are unknown. The primary objective was to assess the incidence of infection by day 90.

Advancing the Study of Maternal Prenatal Stress Phenotypes and Infant Temperament Outcomes.

Exposure to the in utero environment provides offspring risk or protection with respect to postpartum development and health across the lifespan. We used latent profile analysis (LPA), considering self-report and physiological indicators to assess the influence of maternal prenatal stress/distress on infant temperament. We predicted that participants who reported greater prenatal stress/distress would have infants with less optimal temperament characteristics (e.

Microscopic colitis and risk of venous thromboembolism: A nationwide matched cohort study.

Introduction: Inflammatory diseases have been associated with increased risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE). However, data on VTE is lacking in large population-based cohorts of microscopic colitis (MC).

Methods: This study included all Swedish adults with incident MC without prior VTE (1990-2017; n=12,489; follow-up until 2021).

Mirikizumab Improves Quality of Life and Work Productivity in Patients with Moderately to Severely Active Crohn's Disease: Results from the Phase 3 VIVID-1 study.

Objectives: Mirikizumab demonstrated significant efficacy compared to placebo in patients with Crohn's disease (CD) in the phase 3 VIVID-1 study. Here, we report the impact of mirikizumab versus placebo on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and work productivity in VIVID-1.

Methods: VIVID-1 patients randomized to receive mirikizumab (N=579) or placebo (N=199) were included.

Liquid crystals as solid-state templates.

Liquid crystals (LCs) combine the anisotropy of crystals with the fast molecular dynamics of liquids. Controlling the molecular orientation of LCs is the key enabling feature of liquid crystal displays (LCDs), a technology that has played a pivotal role in ushering in the digital age of today. Here we review controlling molecular organization in LCs over large distances for a different application: the assembly of macroscopically organized solids.

Psychometric Properties of the Neural Response to Rewards and Errors Across Mid- to Late-Adolescence.

Event-related potential (ERP) measures of reward- and error-related brain activity have been used to elucidate neural mechanisms contributing to the development of psychopathology. Adolescence is a critical developmental period that is associated with changes in ERP reward- and error-related brain activity. However, there is a paucity of within-subject research examining whether the reliability of ERP measures is the same or changes across adolescence.

Environmental Enrichment Has Age- and Sex-Specific Effects on Fear Regulation in Mice.

Previous research has sought to understand the mechanisms by which early life adversity disrupts later behavioral function. Yet less has been done to investigate the effects of positive experiences such as environmental enrichment. Here, we examined the effects of brief (2 weeks) or extended (8 weeks) environmental enrichment on discrimination, fear inhibition, and fear extinction during adolescence or adulthood.

Quantifying multi-institutional ADC measurement variability of 1.5 T MR-Linacs: A phantom and in vivo study.

Background: Diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI), a quantitative magnetic resonance imaging (qMRI) technique, has the potential to aid in disease characterization and treatment response monitoring. MR-Linacs (MRLs) enable simultaneous DWI acquisitions during radiotherapy, uniquely aiding in the collection of large-scale datasets for imaging biomarkers, such as the DWI-derived apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC), without additional patient burden. However, the limited data reporting on variability in MRL scanner performance characteristics, and a lack of established clinical trial quality assurance (QA) procedures, are barriers to this route for biomarker validation.

T1234: A distortion-matched structural scan solution to misregistration of high resolution fMRI data.

Purpose: Registration of functional and structural data poses a challenge for high-resolution fMRI studies at 7 T. This study aims to develop a rapid acquisition method that provides distortion-matched, artifact-mitigated structural reference data.

Methods: We introduce an efficient sequence protocol termed T1234, which offers adjustable distortions.

Exoskeletons in Intermittent Bending Tasks: Assessing Muscle Demands, Endurance, and User Perspectives.

ObjectiveWe investigated effects of a Back-support industrial exoskeleton (BSIE) across intermittently performed unloaded trunk bending task cycles.BackgroundIndustrial tasks are often performed in the form of task cycles with varying activities and rest breaks after each task cycle. Investigating the effects of BSIEs during such intermittent tasks is crucial to understand translation of their benefits in real-world environments.

Neuropsychiatric symptoms cluster and fluctuate over time in behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia.

Aim: Cognitive and behavioral phenomena define behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD), but neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS) outside the core criteria are common throughout the illness. Identifying how NPS cluster in bvFTD may guide development of future therapies.

Methods: Participants (n = 354) with sporadic and genetic bvFTD were enrolled in the ARTFL LEFFTDS Longitudinal Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration Consortium.

Tailoring Trials of Improved Practices (TIPs) to Improve Child Feeding and Use of Indigenous Preserved Foods in Drought-Affected Kenya: Considerations for Climate Shocks.

This program assessment explored the use of indigenous preserved animal-source foods to improve complementary feeding practices, to identify the roles of mothers, fathers, and elder women in supporting infant and young child feeding (IYCF) practices and to develop recommendations for program implementation. The Trials of Improved Practices (TIPs) approach, food frequency, in-depth interviews, and focus group discussions methodologies were used to collect information on complementary feeding and use of indigenous preserved animal-source foods during a program assessment. Data was collected during Round 1-dry season and Round 2-prolonged drought.

Assessing the Health Needs of Montana Veterans: A Community-Based Participatory Approach.

We used a community-based participatory research (CBPR) approach to develop and conduct a mixed-methods needs assessment with a sample of 36 veterans. We gathered data using the Short-Form 36 Health Survey (SF-36), focus groups, and individual interviews. The sample SF-36 mean scores were significantly higher than the general population average for general health, but lower for role limitations due to emotional problems, vitality, and social functioning.

Associations Between Personality Traits, Self-Efficacy and Complementary Feeding Behavior Among Infant Caregivers in Western Rural China.

The effects of psychological factors on complementary feeding behavior have been widely described, yet the mechanisms underlying the complex relationships among personality traits, self-efficacy, and complementary feeding behavior remain unclear. This cross-sectional study was conducted using a multi-stage cluster sampling process to select caregiver-child dyads in Western rural China. Personality traits, self-efficacy, and complementary feeding behavior were evaluated respectively.

Thirty-Day Endovascular Repair Outcomes of Stanford Type B Aortic Dissection in Patients With Diabetes Mellitus: A Propensity-Score-Matched Study From the ACS-NSQIP Database.

Background: The surgical intervention for Stanford type B aortic dissection (TBAD) has been revolutionized by thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR). While diabetes mellitus (DM) is associated with increased risks of short-term mortality and infectious complications after major surgeries, previous studies present conflicting findings regarding the outcomes of TEVAR in DM patients. This study aimed to assess the 30-day postoperative outcomes for DM patients who have undergone TEVAR for TBAD using a dataset from a multi-institutional national registry.

TLR5's Role in Obesity-related Hypertension: Updated Evidence and Prospects.

Toll-like receptor 5 (TLR5), integral to the immune system as a primary sensor for flagellin, is central to the link between innate and adaptive immunity, modulating immune responses and cytokine production essential for defense against flagellated pathogens and immune tolerance. This review consolidates the understanding of TLR5's structural and signaling mechanisms and its interactions with flagellin, shedding light on its dual role in immune responses and its promise as a therapeutic target. It highlights TLR5's intricate role in the pathogenesis of obesity-related hypertension, a growing global health concern that correlates with rising obesity rates and is characterized by a complex interplay of immune responses and metabolic dysregulation.

Social relationship patterns and their association with emotional and social loneliness in older adults with cognitive impairments.

Objectives: This study explores the association between specific social relationship patterns and emotional and social loneliness among older adults with cognitive impairments, including dementia.

Method: Data from the 2018 Health and Retirement Study (HRS) were used to conduct a Latent Profile Analysis on 642 older adults with cognitive impairments, classifying social relationships based on contact frequency, network size, and perceived support. Associations between these patterns and levels of social and emotional loneliness were analyzed.