Tag: pubmed

Adv Sci (Weinh). 2024 May 29:e2300747. doi: 10.1002/advs.202300747. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

In partial onset epilepsy, seizures arise focally in the brain and often propagate. Patients frequently become refractory to medical management, leaving neurosurgery, which can cause neurologic deficits, as a primary treatment. In the cortex, focal seizures spread through horizontal connections in layers II/III, suggesting that severing these connections can block seizures while preserving function. Focal neocortical epilepsy is induced in mice, sub-surface cuts are created surrounding the seizure focus using tightly-focused femtosecond laser pulses, and electrophysiological recordings are acquired at multiple locations for 3-12 months. Cuts reduced seizure frequency in most animals by 87%, and only 5% of remaining seizures propagated to the distant electrodes, compared to 80% in control animals. These cuts produced a modest decrease in cortical blood flow that recovered and left a ≈20-µm wide scar with minimal collateral damage. When placed over the motor cortex, cuts do not cause notable deficits in a skilled reaching task, suggesting they hold promise as a novel neurosurgical approach for intractable focal cortical epilepsy.

PMID:38810146 | DOI:10.1002/advs.202300747

J ECT. 2024 Jun 1;40(2):129-133. doi: 10.1097/YCT.0000000000001004. Epub 2024 Mar 12.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: To identify the current treatment options for electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) therapy in public services linked to the Unified Health System in Brazil and compare them with data published in 2012 based on their availability.

METHODS: In this retrospective observational study, we mapped institutions that perform ECT under public health services in Brazil. A questionnaire was administered to active and inactive service centers between August 2022 and June 2023.

RESULTS: We identified 16 institutions that performed ECT, including 12 linked to public universities and 4 with various links. In the last decade, 2 new public services that perform ECT in the country have emerged, whereas 4 services have ceased function. In 2022, the number of individuals treated with ECT per 100,000 population was 1.86, whereas the number of procedures performed per 100,000 people was 6.55.

CONCLUSIONS: Although 2 new public ECT services have been identified, 4 have turned inactive. Most services are linked to public universities, and inactive service points to financial issues as the main factor in service interruption. Brazil has one of the lowest rates of individuals treated with ECT per 100,000 population compared with countries in North America and Europe. Thus, it is essential to raise awareness to improve ECT adoption rates and bring it out of the shadows in Brazil.

PMID:38810143 | DOI:10.1097/YCT.0000000000001004

Dentomaxillofac Radiol. 2024 May 29:twae025. doi: 10.1093/dmfr/twae025. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: To assess the influence of two conventional and one adapted cheek and lip retractors and three emissivity setting values on intraoral infrared thermography (IT) temperature values.

METHODS: The sample was composed by 50 volunteers. Three cheek and lip retractors were tested: Group 1 – flex retractor (FR); Group 2 – FR adapted with Styrofoam; Group 3 – U-type retractor (UR) for cheek and lip. All thermograms were acquired using FLIR T650 infrared camera. A set of three thermograms in frontal norm were acquired for each lip and cheek retractor at 0.91, 0.96 and 0.98Ɛ, with an interval of 15 minutes between each set of images to avoid thermal interference. All images were assessed by two observers. The ROIs’ mean temperature of the four upper incisors were recorded. Two-way ANOVA and Sidak posttest were used for data assessment with a significance level of 5%.

RESULTS: Group 3 showed higher mean temperature than groups 1 and 2 at all emissivity settings for all assessed teeth (p < 0.05). 0.91Ɛ showed higher temperature than 0.96Ɛ and 0.98Ɛ for all assessed variables (p < 0.01). Contralateral teeth assessed using Group 3 at 0.91Ɛ showed statistical differences between each other (p < 0.05). No statistical difference was observed between contralateral teeth assessed using Group 1 and 2 at 0.96 and 0.98Ɛ (p > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS: The choice of cheek and lip retractor and emissivity setting can interfere on intraoral IT temperature values. U-type cheek and lip retractor and 0.91Ɛ setting should not be used for IT image acquisition when assessing dental tissues.

PMID:38810138 | DOI:10.1093/dmfr/twae025

Dentomaxillofac Radiol. 2024 May 29:twae024. doi: 10.1093/dmfr/twae024. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: To determine the most distinctive quantitative radiomorphometric parameter(s) for the detection of MRONJ-affected bone changes in panoramic radiography (PR) and cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT).

METHODS: PR and sagittal CBCT slices of 24 MRONJ patients and 22 healthy controls were used for the measurements of mandibular cortical thickness (MCT), fractal dimension (FD), lacunarity, mean gray value (MGV), bone area fraction (BA/TA), trabecular thickness (Tb.Th), trabecular separation (Tb.Sp), trabecular number (Tb.N). MCT was measured in the mental foramen region. While FD and lacunarity were measured on mandibular trabecular and cortical regions of interest (ROIs), the remaining parameters were measured on trabecular ROIs. The independent samples t-test was used to compare the measurements between MRONJ and control group for both imaging modalities (p = 0.05).

RESULTS: MCT was the only parameter that differentiated MRONJ-affected bone in both PR and CBCT (p < 0.05). None of the remaining parameters revealed any difference for MRONJ-affected bone in CBCT (p > 0.05). FD, lacunarity, MGV, BA/TA, and Tb.Sp could distinguish MRONJ-affected trabecular bone in PR (p < 0.05). The correspondent ROI for both imaging methods that was reliable for detecting MRONJ-affected bone was the trabecular bone distal to the mental foramen above the inferior alveolar canal (ROI-3).

CONCLUSIONS: MCT is a reliable parameter for the discrimination of MRONJ-affected bone in both PR and CBCT images. PR may be used to detect MRONJ-affected trabecular bone using FD, lacunarity, MGV, BA/TA, and Tb.Sp measurements as well.

PMID:38810135 | DOI:10.1093/dmfr/twae024

Orthopedics. 2024 May 29:1-5. doi: 10.3928/01477447-20240520-02. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the incidence and severity of pulmonary embolism (PE) in patients undergoing total hip and knee arthroplasties after the onset of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients who underwent a total hip arthroplasty or a total knee arthroplasty between 2017 and 2022 and had a PE within 90 days postoperatively were included. Demographics, medical history, procedural information, and PE outcomes were collected and evaluated.

RESULTS: There were 5933 procedures and 17 PE events (0.27%) before COVID-19 compared with 3273 procedures and 16 PE events (0.49%) after COVID-19 (P=.12). There was an increase in intensive care unit admission after COVID-19 (44% vs 0%, P<.05).

CONCLUSION: This study showed a trend toward an increased incidence of PE events in the post-COVID-19 cohort and a statistically significant increase in the severity. [Orthopedics. 202x;4x(x):xx-xx.].

PMID:38810130 | DOI:10.3928/01477447-20240520-02

Orthopedics. 2024 May 29:1-6. doi: 10.3928/01477447-20240520-04. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Arthrofibrosis is a fibrotic joint disorder resulting in restricted joint motion and pain. Risk factors associated with the development of postoperative arthrofibrosis include female sex, type of graft, and quicker time to reconstruction. These patients have typically benefitted from manipulation under anesthesia or arthroscopic lysis of adhesions. The purpose of this study was to retrospectively review the rate of arthrofibrosis in children and adolescents who previously underwent anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a retrospective chart review examining patients 18 years or younger who underwent ACL reconstruction between 2013 and 2023. Data collected included age, body mass index, reconstruction technique, concomitant meniscal or ligamentous pathology, and need for revision surgery for arthroscopic lysis of adhesions vs manipulation under anesthesia.

RESULTS: A total of 461 patients 18 years or younger who underwent ACL reconstruction were included in this study. Eighteen (3.90%) patients required reoperation for the development of arthrofibrosis. Skeletally immature patients were found to have a statistically significant lower rate of arthrofibrosis compared with skeletally mature patients (0% vs 4.80%; P=.0184). Patients with a higher weight and body mass index had an increased rate of arthrofibrosis (P=.0485 and P=.0410, respectively). Graft type did not have a significant impact on arthrofibrosis rates. There were no significant findings in terms of concomitant injuries and rate of arthrofibrosis.

CONCLUSION: Arthrofibrosis developed in 3.90% of patients after ACL reconstruction. Skeletal immaturity may be protective against the development of arthrofibrosis. No association was found between graft type or concomitant knee pathology and arthrofibrosis. [Orthopedics. 202x;4x(x):xx-xx.].

PMID:38810127 | DOI:10.3928/01477447-20240520-04

J Proteome Res. 2024 May 29. doi: 10.1021/acs.jproteome.4c00187. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Phosphorylation is the most studied post-translational modification, and has multiple biological functions. In this study, we have reanalyzed publicly available mass spectrometry proteomics data sets enriched for phosphopeptides from Asian rice (Oryza sativa). In total we identified 15,565 phosphosites on serine, threonine, and tyrosine residues on rice proteins. We identified sequence motifs for phosphosites, and link motifs to enrichment of different biological processes, indicating different downstream regulation likely caused by different kinase groups. We cross-referenced phosphosites against the rice 3,000 genomes, to identify single amino acid variations (SAAVs) within or proximal to phosphosites that could cause loss of a site in a given rice variety and clustered the data to identify groups of sites with similar patterns across rice family groups. The data has been loaded into UniProt Knowledge-Base─enabling researchers to visualize sites alongside other data on rice proteins, e.g., structural models from AlphaFold2, PeptideAtlas, and the PRIDE database─enabling visualization of source evidence, including scores and supporting mass spectra.

PMID:38810119 | DOI:10.1021/acs.jproteome.4c00187

ACS Nano. 2024 May 29. doi: 10.1021/acsnano.4c00378. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Nanoparticles, exhibiting functionally relevant structural heterogeneity, are at the forefront of cutting-edge research. Now, high-throughput single-particle imaging (SPI) with X-ray free-electron lasers (XFELs) creates opportunities for recovering the shape distributions of millions of particles that exhibit functionally relevant structural heterogeneity. To realize this potential, three challenges have to be overcome: (1) simultaneous parametrization of structural variability in real and reciprocal spaces; (2) efficiently inferring the latent parameters of each SPI measurement; (3) scaling up comparisons between 10⁵ structural models and 10⁶ XFEL-SPI measurements. Here, we describe how we overcame these three challenges to resolve the nonequilibrium shape distributions within millions of gold nanoparticles imaged at the European XFEL. These shape distributions allowed us to quantify the degree of asymmetry in these particles, discover a relatively stable “shape envelope” among nanoparticles, discern finite-size effects related to shape-controlling surfactants, and extrapolate nanoparticles’ shapes to their idealized thermodynamic limit. Ultimately, these demonstrations show that XFEL SPI can help transform nanoparticle shape characterization from anecdotally interesting to statistically meaningful.

PMID:38810115 | DOI:10.1021/acsnano.4c00378

Int J Radiat Biol. 2024 May 29:1-10. doi: 10.1080/09553002.2024.2356556. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: This interlaboratory comparison was conducted to evaluate the performance of the Latin-American Biodosimetry Network (LBDNet) in analyzing digitized images for scoring dicentric chromosomes from in vitro irradiated blood samples. The exercise also assessed the use of weighted robust algorithms to compensate the uneven expertise among the participating laboratories.

METHODS: Three sets of coded images obtained through the dicentric chromosome assay from blood samples irradiated at 1.5 Gy (sample A) and 4 Gy (sample B), as well as a non-irradiated whole blood sample (sample C), were shared among LBDNet laboratories. The images were captured using the Metafer4 platform coupled with the AutoCapt module. The laboratories were requested to perform triage scoring, conventional scoring, and dose estimation. The dose estimation was carried out using either their laboratory calibration curve or a common calibration curve. A comparative statistical analysis was conducted using a weighted robust Hampel algorithm and z score to compensate for uneven expertise in dicentric analysis and dose assessment among all laboratories.

RESULTS: Out of twelve laboratories, one had unsatisfactory estimated doses at 0 Gy, and two had unsatisfactory estimated doses at 1.5 Gy when using their own calibration curve and triage scoring mode. However, all doses were satisfactory at 4 Gy. Six laboratories had estimated doses within 95% uncertainty limits at 0 Gy, seven at 1.5 Gy, and four at 4 Gy. While the mean dose for sample C was significantly biased using robust algorithms, applying weights to compensate for the laboratory’s analysis expertise reduced the bias by half. The bias from delivered doses was only notable for sample C. Using the common calibration curve for dose estimation reduced the standard deviation (s*) estimated by robust methods for all three samples.

CONCLUSIONS: The results underscore the significance of performing interlaboratory comparison exercises that involve digitized and electronically transmitted images, even when analyzing non-irradiated samples. In situations where the participating laboratories possess different levels of proficiency, it may prove essential to employ weighted robust algorithms to achieve precise outcomes.

PMID:38810111 | DOI:10.1080/09553002.2024.2356556

Bioinformatics. 2024 May 29:btae315. doi: 10.1093/bioinformatics/btae315. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

MOTIVATION: The dynamic transcriptional mechanisms that govern eukaryotic cell function can now be analyzed by RNA sequencing (RNAseq). However, the packages currently available for the analysis of raw sequencing data do not provide automatic analysis of complex experimental designs with multiple biological conditions and multiple analysis time-points.

RESULTS: The MultiRNAflow suite combines several packages in a unified framework allowing exploratory and supervised statistical analyses of temporal data for multiple biological conditions.

AVAILABILITY: The R package MultiRNAflow is freely available on Bioconductor (https://bioconductor.org/packages/MultiRNAflow/), and the latest version of the source code is available on a GitHub repository (https://github.com/loubator/MultiRNAflow).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: MultiRNAflow_Supplementary_Material.pdf.

PMID:38810104 | DOI:10.1093/bioinformatics/btae315