Acetyl-DL-leucine in two individuals with REM sleep behavior disorder improves symptoms, reverses loss of striatal dopamine-transporter binding and stabilizes pathological metabolic brain pattern-case reports.

Isolated REM Sleep Behavior Disorder (iRBD) is considered a prodrome of Parkinson's disease (PD). We investigate whether the potentially disease-modifying compound acetyl-DL-leucine (ADLL; 5 g/d) has an effect on prodromal PD progression in 2 iRBD-patients. Outcome parameters are RBD-severity sum-score (RBD-SS-3), dopamine-transporter single-photon emission computerized tomography (DAT-SPECT) and metabolic "Parkinson-Disease-related-Pattern (PDRP)"-z-score in F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET).

Profiles of Cultural Adaptation and Parenting Approach for Childhood Obesity in Lifestyle Interventions for Families With Young Children: A Systematic Review.

Background And Objectives: Various interventions aim to reduce obesity and promote healthy lifestyles among different cultural groups.

Methods: We have conducted a systematic literature review, following PRISMA guidelines (registered at https://doi.org/10.

ATPase Inhibitory Factor-1 Disrupts Mitochondrial Ca Handling and Promotes Pathological Cardiac Hypertrophy through CaMKIIδ.

ATPase inhibitory factor-1 (IF1) preserves cellular ATP under conditions of respiratory collapse, yet the function of IF1 under normal respiring conditions is unresolved. We tested the hypothesis that IF1 promotes mitochondrial dysfunction and pathological cardiomyocyte hypertrophy in the context of heart failure (HF). Methods and results: Cardiac expression of IF1 was increased in mice and in humans with HF, downstream of neurohumoral signaling pathways and in patterns that resembled the fetal-like gene program.

The strength in numbers: comprehensive characterization of house dust using complementary mass spectrometric techniques.

Untargeted analysis of a composite house dust sample has been performed as part of a collaborative effort to evaluate the progress in the field of suspect and nontarget screening and build an extensive database of organic indoor environment contaminants. Twenty-one participants reported results that were curated by the organizers of the collaborative trial. In total, nearly 2350 compounds were identified (18%) or tentatively identified (25% at confidence level 2 and 58% at confidence level 3), making the collaborative trial a success.

[I]Ioflupane imaging in Caucasians and non-Caucasians: Are there any differences?

Purpose Of The Report: To compare diagnostic performance of [I]ioflupane SPECT imaging in different racial groups. In previous registration trials of [I]ioflupane, 99% of the subjects enrolled were Caucasians.

Materials And Methods: A multicenter retrospective case-control study was conducted to evaluate whether the diagnostic performance of [I]ioflupane SPECT imaging is different in non-Caucasians than in Caucasians matched by age, sex, and final clinical diagnosis.

Randomised controlled trial of escitalopram for cervical dystonia with dystonic jerks/tremor.

Objective: Trials for additional or alternative treatments for cervical dystonia (CD) are scarce since the introduction of botulinum neurotoxin (BoNT). We performed the first trial to investigate whether dystonic jerks/tremor in patients with CD respond to the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) escitalopram.

Methods: In a randomised, double-blind, crossover trial, patients with CD received escitalopram and placebo for 6 weeks.

Extraction tools for identification of chemical contaminants in estuarine and coastal waters to determine toxic pressure on primary producers.

The extent to which chemical stressors affect primary producers in estuarine and coastal waters is largely unknown. However, given the large number of legacy pollutants and chemicals of emerging concern present in the environment, this is an important and relevant issue that requires further study. The purpose of our study was to extract and identify compounds which are inhibitors of photosystem II activity in microalgae from estuarine and coastal waters.

Functional MR imaging on an open 1T MR imaging system: exploiting the advantages of an open MR imaging system for functional MR imaging.

Background And Purpose: Open MR imaging scanners are designed for imaging of specific patient groups that cannot be routinely scanned with conventional MR imaging scanners (eg, patients with obesity and claustrophobia). This study aims to determine whether BOLD sensitivity on an open 1T scanner is adequate for fMRI for diagnostic and research purposes by directly comparing fMRI results with a standard 3T MR imaging scanner. The optimal TE was also determined.

Multi-level approach to anaesthetic effects produced by sevoflurane or propofol in humans: 2. BIS and tetanic stimulus-induced withdrawal reflex.

Background: General anaesthesia could be assessed at two sites: cortical structures and the spinal cord. However, the practicalities of measurement at these two sites differ substantially.

Methods: We simultaneously analysed effects of sevoflurane (Group S; n = 16) or propofol (Group P; n = 17) on bispectral index (BIS) and the tetanic stimulus-induced withdrawal reflex (TIWR).

Estrogenic and dioxin-like compounds in sediment from Zierikzee harbour identified with CALUX assay-directed fractionation combined with one and two dimensional gas chromatography analyses.

The identity of compounds responsible for estrogenic and dioxin-like activities in sediment from the harbour of the small town Zierikzee in Zeeland, The Netherlands, was investigated using a bioassay directed fractionation approach with the in vitro estrogen and dioxin responsive reporter gene assays ER- and DR-CALUX. For identification of compounds exhibiting activity in the bioassays, either one or two-dimensional GC in combination with quadrupole (MSD), ion trap (ITD) or time-of-flight mass spectrometric detection (ToF-MS) was used, depending on the biological and chemical characteristics and the complexity of the fractions. The natural estrogenic hormone 17-beta-estradiol and its metabolite estrone were identified with GC-ITD as the main contributors to the estrogenic activity.

Levels of polybrominated diphenyl ether flame retardants in sediment cores from Western Europe.

The levels of 14 brominated diphenyl ether (BDE)-congeners in sediment cores from three locations in Western Europe have been determined by GC/MS (negative chemical ionization mode). Sediments from the Drammenfjord (Norway), the western Wadden Sea (The Netherlands), and the freshwater Lake Woserin (Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany) showed a time-dependent pattern in the distribution of BDEs since the beginning of the industrial production of polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) formulations. Two out of three commercially available PBDE formulations could be distinguished.

Effects of halothane on the conduction system of the heart in humans.

The effects of 2.0 MAC halothane on atrioventricular conduction times in humans were studied. A real-time recording system for the detection of surface His-Purkinje potentials based on signal averaging techniques was used.