ABSTRACT
Evidence indicating that exercise benefits mental health symptoms across a range of mental health diagnoses spans decades of scientific literature; however, fewer studies have examined the impact of exercise on posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Exercise is an accessible, cost-effective, and scalable treatment option that has the potential to improve both physiological and psychological symptoms among individuals with PTSD. The purpose of this chapter is to review empirical literature on the role of exercise in the treatment of PTSD. Researchers have demonstrated that exercise improves PTSD symptoms as both a stand-alone treatment and as an adjunct to cognitive behavioral and trauma-focused therapies. Additional research is needed to clarify mechanisms that account for the impacts of exercise on PTSD and to identify which components of exercise (e.g., type of exercise, dose, intensity, frequency) are the most beneficial.
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the characteristics and trends of pediatric water bead-related visits to US emergency departments (EDs) using a large national database. METHODS: Data from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System regarding ED visits by individuals <20 years old associated with water beads from January 1, 2007, through December 31, 2022, were retrospectively analyzed. RESULTS: Based on 307 reported cases, there were an estimated 8159 visits (95% CI: 4447-11,870) to US EDs from 2007 through 2022 involving water beads among <20-year-olds, and more than half (55.0%) of the 307 ED cases involved <5-year-olds. Most cases were treated and released (92.2%), which was consistent across all age groups. The proportion of cases admitted was highest among children <5 years old (10.1%), and this age group accounted for 17 of the 19 admissions (89.5%) in this study. All admissions among children <5 years old involved ingestions. Ingestion was the most common mechanism of injury (45.9%), followed by ear canal insertion (32.6%), nasal insertion (11.7%), and eye injury (8.8%). Although ingestions occurred most frequently among children one (28.4%) and two (23.4%) years of age, children 3 and 4 years old accounted for one-fifth of ingestions. The number of ED cases increased rapidly by 130.9% from 55 cases in 2021 to 127 in 2022. CONCLUSIONS: The number of pediatric water bead-related ED visits is increasing rapidly. Children <5 years old are most commonly involved, usually via water bead ingestion. Increased prevention efforts are needed.
ABSTRACT
Several phosphaquinolinone derivatives have been synthesized and characterized to explore their usefulness in the realm of cell imaging. Solution-state photophysical properties in both aqueous and organic solutions were collected for these derivatives. Additionally, CCK-8 cell viability assays and fluorescent imaging in HeLa cells incubated with the new heterocyclic derivatives show evidence of favorable cell permeability, cell viability, and moderate intracellular localization when appended with the well-known morpholine targeting motif.
Subject(s)
Fluorescent Dyes , Water , Humans , Molecular Structure , HeLa Cells , Ionophores , Hydrogen-Ion ConcentrationABSTRACT
Global peatlands store more carbon than is naturally present in the atmosphere1,2. However, many peatlands are under pressure from drainage-based agriculture, plantation development and fire, with the equivalent of around 3 per cent of all anthropogenic greenhouse gases emitted from drained peatland3-5. Efforts to curb such emissions are intensifying through the conservation of undrained peatlands and re-wetting of drained systems6. Here we report eddy covariance data for carbon dioxide from 16 locations and static chamber measurements for methane from 41 locations in the UK and Ireland. We combine these with published data from sites across all major peatland biomes. We find that the mean annual effective water table depth (WTDe; that is, the average depth of the aerated peat layer) overrides all other ecosystem- and management-related controls on greenhouse gas fluxes. We estimate that every 10 centimetres of reduction in WTDe could reduce the net warming impact of CO2 and CH4 emissions (100-year global warming potentials) by the equivalent of at least 3 tonnes of CO2 per hectare per year, until WTDe is less than 30 centimetres. Raising water levels further would continue to have a net cooling effect until WTDe is within 10 centimetres of the surface. Our results suggest that greenhouse gas emissions from peatlands drained for agriculture could be greatly reduced without necessarily halting their productive use. Halving WTDe in all drained agricultural peatlands, for example, could reduce emissions by the equivalent of over 1 per cent of global anthropogenic emissions.
ABSTRACT
Afforestation is a significant cause of global peatland degradation. In some regions, afforested bogs are now undergoing clear-felling and restoration, often known as forest-to-bog restoration. We studied differences in water-table depth (WTD) and porewater chemistry between intact, afforested, and restored bogs at a raised bog and blanket bog location. Solute concentrations and principal component analysis suggested that water-table drawdown and higher electrical conductivity (EC) and ammonium (NH4-N) concentrations were associated with afforestation. In contrast, higher dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and phosphate (PO4-P) concentrations were associated with deforestation. Drying-rewetting cycles influenced seasonal variability in solute concentrations, particularly in shallower porewater at the raised bog location. WTD was significantly deeper in the oldest raised bog restoration site (~9 years post-restoration) than the intact bog (mean difference = 6.2 cm). However, WTD in the oldest blanket bog restoration site (~17 years post-restoration), where furrows had been blocked, was comparable to the intact bog (mean difference = 1.2 cm). When averaged for all porewater depths, NH4-N concentrations were significantly higher in the afforested than the intact sites (mean difference = 0.77 mg L-1) whereas significant differences between the oldest restoration sites and the intact sites included higher PO4-P (mean difference = 70 µg L-1) in the raised bog and higher DOC (mean difference = 5.6 mg L-1), EC (mean difference = 19 µS cm-1) and lower SUVA254 (mean difference = 0.13 L mg-1 m-1) in the blanket bog. Results indicate felled waste (brash) may be a significant source of soluble C and PO4-P. Mean porewater PO4-P concentrations were between two and five times higher in furrows and drains in which brash had accumulated compared to other locations in the same sites where brash had not accumulated. Creating and maintaining brash-free buffer zones may therefore minimise freshwater impacts.
ABSTRACT
Willingness to self-collect vaginal swabs at a pharmacy clinic is of interest as a venue to increase sexually transmissible infections (STIs) screening for chlamydia, gonorrhoea and trichomonas. Women self-collected vaginal swabs at the pharmacy, completed questionnaires and received STI results within 2 h. Women with STIs were offered free treatment. A total of 313 of 777 (40.3%) women consented and prevalence for any STI was 3.9%. Questionnaires demonstrated acceptability for self-collection at the pharmacy, with 63% (95% CI 57.3-68) and 32.3% (95% CI 27.4-37.8) indicating they 'strongly agreed' or 'agreed' that they felt comfortable with pharmacy collection, respectively. Self-collected vaginal swabs for STI testing for women who were at a pharmacy were feasible and acceptable to women.
Subject(s)
Mass Screening/methods , Patient Acceptance of Health Care , Pharmacies , Sexually Transmitted Diseases/diagnosis , Vaginal Smears , Adult , Feasibility Studies , Female , Humans , Middle Aged , Specimen Handling/methods , Surveys and Questionnaires , Young AdultABSTRACT
Research gaps in understanding flood changes at the catchment scale caused by changes in forest management, agricultural practices, artificial drainage, and terracing are identified. Potential strategies in addressing these gaps are proposed, such as complex systems approaches to link processes across time scales, long-term experiments on physical-chemical-biological process interactions, and a focus on connectivity and patterns across spatial scales. It is suggested that these strategies will stimulate new research that coherently addresses the issues across hydrology, soil and agricultural sciences, forest engineering, forest ecology, and geomorphology.
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: Despite a number of HIV prevention strategies, the number of new HIV infections remains high. In Australia, over three-quarters of new HIV diagnoses are in gay and bisexual men (GBM). Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) has been shown to be effective at preventing new HIV infections in several randomised trials. The PRELUDE study aims to evaluate the implementation of PrEP in healthcare settings in New South Wales (NSW), Australia, among a sample of high-risk adults. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: PRELUDE is an ongoing open-label, single-arm demonstration project, conducted in public and private clinics across NSW, Australia. Enrolment began in November 2014. The study is designed for 300 high-risk participants-mainly GBM and heterosexual women. Participants receive daily oral PrEP, composed of emtricitabine (FTC) and tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF), for up to 2.5â years. Quarterly study visits include testing for HIV and sexually transmitted infections (STIs), assessment of ongoing eligibility and side effects, and self-reported adherence. Following each study visit, online behavioural surveys are administered to collect information on medication adherence, risk behaviours and attitudes. Blood samples will be collected in a subset of patients 1, 6 and 12â months after PrEP initiation to measure FTC/TDF concentrations. Analyses using longitudinal regression models will focus on feasibility, adherence, safety, tolerability and effects of PrEP on behaviour. This study will inform PrEP policy and guide the implementation of PrEP in Australia in people at high risk of HIV. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: The study will be conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki. All patients will provide written informed consent prior to participation in the study. Publications relating to each of the primary end points will be gradually released after 12â months of follow-up is complete. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT02206555; Pre-results.
Subject(s)
Anti-HIV Agents/therapeutic use , HIV Infections/prevention & control , Medication Adherence , Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis/methods , Adolescent , Adult , Aged , Emtricitabine/therapeutic use , Female , Hospitals, Private , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , New South Wales , Public Health Practice , Research Design , Risk-Taking , Self Report , Tenofovir/therapeutic use , Time Factors , Young AdultABSTRACT
Neuropathic pain is treated using serotonin norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors with mixed results. Pain facilitation mediated by α1-adrenoceptors may be involved, but whether norepinephrine (NE) is tonically released is unclear. The aim of this study was to determine whether NE is tonically released from A7 cells following chronic constriction injury (CCI), and if the lateral hypothalamus (LH) plays a role in this release in male and female rats with nociceptive and neuropathic pain types. Neuropathic groups received left CCI while nociceptive groups remained naïve to injury. Fourteen days later, rats were given intrathecal infusion of either the α1-adrenoceptor antagonist WB4101, the α2-adrenoceptor antagonist yohimbine (74 µg), or normal saline for control. Paw withdrawal latency (PWL) from a thermal stimulus was measured. The generalized estimated equation method was used for statistical analysis. Nociceptive rats given WB4101 had a PWL significantly longer than saline control (7.89 ± 0.63 vs. 5.87 ± 0.52 s), while the PWL of neuropathic rats given WB4101 was 13.20 ± 0.52 s compared to 6.78 ± 0.52 s for the saline control rats. Yohimbine had no significant effect. Microinjection of cobalt chloride (CoCl) in the A7 catecholamine cell group to prevent synaptic transmission blocked the effect of WB4101 in all groups, supporting the notion that spinally descending A7 cells tonically release NE that contributes to α1-mediated nociceptive facilitation. Microinjection of CoCl into the left LH blocked the effect of WB4101 in nociceptive and neuropathic male rats, but had no effect in female rats of either pain type, suggesting differential innervation. These findings indicate that tonic release of NE acts at pronociceptive α1-adrenoceptors, that this effect is greater in rats with nerve damage, and that, while NE comes primarily from the A7 cell group, LH innervation of the A7 cell group is different between the sexes.
Subject(s)
Hyperalgesia/physiopathology , Hypothalamus/physiopathology , Neuralgia/physiopathology , Nociceptive Pain/physiopathology , Norepinephrine/metabolism , Sex Characteristics , Adrenergic alpha-Antagonists/pharmacology , Animals , Cobalt/pharmacology , Constriction, Pathologic , Dioxanes/pharmacology , Disease Models, Animal , Female , Hot Temperature , Hyperalgesia/drug therapy , Hypothalamus/drug effects , Male , Random Allocation , Rats, Sprague-Dawley , Receptors, Adrenergic, alpha-1/metabolism , Receptors, Adrenergic, alpha-2/metabolism , Sciatic Nerve/injuries , Yohimbine/pharmacologyABSTRACT
Rock and fluid samples were collected from three hydrothermal chimneys at the Endeavour Segment, Juan de Fuca Ridge to evaluate linkages among mineralogy, fluid chemistry, and microbial community composition within the chimneys. Mössbauer, midinfrared thermal emission, and visible-near infrared spectroscopies were utilized for the first time to characterize vent mineralogy, in addition to thin-section petrography, X-ray diffraction, and elemental analyses. A 282°C venting chimney from the Bastille edifice was composed primarily of sulfide minerals such as chalcopyrite, marcasite, and sphalerite. In contrast, samples from a 300°C venting chimney from the Dante edifice and a 321°C venting chimney from the Hot Harold edifice contained a high abundance of the sulfate mineral anhydrite. Geochemical modeling of mixed vent fluids suggested the oxic-anoxic transition zone was above 100°C at all three vents, and that the thermodynamic energy available for autotrophic microbial redox reactions favored aerobic sulfide and methane oxidation. As predicted, microbes within the Dante and Hot Harold chimneys were most closely related to mesophilic and thermophilic aerobes of the Betaproteobacteria and Gammaproteobacteria and sulfide-oxidizing autotrophic Epsilonproteobacteria. However, most of the microbes within the Bastille chimney were most closely related to mesophilic and thermophilic anaerobes of the Deltaproteobacteria, especially sulfate reducers, and anaerobic hyperthermophilic archaea. The predominance of anaerobes in the Bastille chimney indicated that other environmental factors promote anoxic conditions. Possibilities include the maturity or fluid flow characteristics of the chimney, abiotic Fe2+ and S2- oxidation in the vent fluids, or O2 depletion by aerobic respiration on the chimney outer wall.
ABSTRACT
Peatlands are important sources of fluvial carbon. Previous research has shown that riverine dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentrations are largely controlled by soil type. However, there has been little work to establish the controls of riverine DOC within blanket peatlands that have not undergone major disturbance from drainage or burning. A total of 119 peatland catchments were sampled for riverine DOC and water colour across three drainage basins during six repeated sampling campaigns. The topographic characteristics of each catchment were determined from digital elevation models. The dominant vegetation cover was mapped using 0.5m resolution colour infrared aerial images, with ground-truthed validation revealing 82% accuracy. Forward and backward stepwise regression modelling showed that mean slope was a strong (and negative) determinant of DOC and water colour in blanket peatland river waters. There was a weak role for plant functional type in determining DOC and water colour. At the basin scale, there were major differences between the models depending on the basin. The dominance of topographic predictors of DOC found in our study, combined with a weaker role of vegetation type, paves the way for developing improved planning tools for water companies operating in peatland catchments. Using topographic data and aerial imagery it will be possible to predict which tributaries will typically yield lower DOC concentrations and which are therefore more suitable and cost-effective as raw water intakes.
ABSTRACT
Lateral hypothalamic (LH) stimulation produces antinociception in female rats in acute, nociceptive pain. Whether this effect occurs in neuropathic pain or whether male-female sex differences exist is unknown. We examined the effect of LH stimulation in male and female rats using conditions of nociceptive and neuropathic pain. Neuropathic groups received chronic constriction injury (CCI) to induce thermal hyperalgesia, a sign of neuropathic pain. Nociceptive rats were naive for CCI, but received the same thermal stimulus following LH stimulation. To demonstrate that CCI ligation produced thermal hyperalgesia, males and females received either ligation or sham surgery for control. Both males and females demonstrated significant thermal hyperalgesia following CCI ligation (p<0.05), but male sham surgery rats also showed a significant left-right difference not present in female sham rats. In the second experiment, rats randomly assigned to CCI or nociceptive groups were given one of three doses of the cholinergic agonist carbachol (125, 250, or 500 nmol) or normal saline for control, microinjected into the left LH. Paw withdrawal from a thermal stimulus (paw withdrawal latency; PWL) was measured every 5 min for 45 min. Linear mixed models analysis showed that males and females in both pain conditions demonstrated significant antinociception, with the 500-nmol dose producing the greatest effect across groups compared with controls for the left paw (p<0.05). Female CCI rats showed equivalent responses to the three doses, while male CCI rats showed more variability for dose. However, nociceptive females responded only to the 500-nmol dose, while nociceptive males responded to all doses (p<0.05). For right PWL, only nociceptive males showed a significant carbachol dose response. These findings are suggestive that LH stimulation produces antinociception in male and female rats in both nociceptive and neuropathic pain, but dose response differences exist based on sex and pain condition.
Subject(s)
Analgesics, Non-Narcotic/pharmacology , Carbachol/pharmacology , Hyperalgesia/drug therapy , Hyperalgesia/physiopathology , Hypothalamic Area, Lateral/drug effects , Sex Characteristics , Animals , Blood Pressure/drug effects , Blood Pressure/physiology , Body Temperature/drug effects , Body Temperature/physiology , Cholinergic Agonists/pharmacology , Dose-Response Relationship, Drug , Estrous Cycle/drug effects , Estrous Cycle/physiology , Female , Functional Laterality , Heart Rate/drug effects , Heart Rate/physiology , Hot Temperature , Hypothalamic Area, Lateral/physiopathology , Male , Neuralgia/drug therapy , Neuralgia/physiopathology , Nociceptive Pain/drug therapy , Nociceptive Pain/physiopathology , Pain Measurement , Random Allocation , Rats, Sprague-DawleyABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To systematically review the evidence for health coaching for patients with low back pain and describe the diversity of health coach training and interventions. METHODS: Electronic databases Medline, CINAHL, EMBASE, PsycINFO, AMED and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials were searched to 24 June 2013 using individually devised strategies. Randomised or quasi randomised controlled trials (RCTs) of health coaching for adults with low back pain of any duration were considered. The overall quality of the body of evidence was assessed using the GRADE approach. Treatment effects were presented as the difference in mean scores with 95% confidence intervals and standardised mean difference at follow-up between health coaching and control groups. Health coaching interventions were compared narratively by their theoretical principles and the training and assessment of heath coaches. RESULTS: Five publications describing three RCTs and one cluster RCT met the criteria for review. A rating of very low was assigned to the body of evidence using the GRADE approach. One RCT found significant improvements in lifting capacity and exercise compliance in favour of the health coaching group at both follow-up points with a large and moderate standardised mean difference. All included studies based health coaching interventions on the transtheoretical model of change however, the content of counselling programmes varied between studies and measures of treatment fidelity were inconclusive. DISCUSSION: Variability in health coaching interventions and a lack of assessment of treatment fidelity in addition to the very low rating of the overall body of evidence identified in the current review renders any estimates of the effect of health coaching on low back pain uncertain. Well-designed RCTs of patients with sub-acute low back pain are required that incorporate clearly described protocols for health coaching interventions and include standardised measures of treatment fidelity.
Subject(s)
Exercise , Health Education/methods , Low Back Pain/therapy , Patient Compliance/psychology , Humans , Low Back Pain/psychologyABSTRACT
This study was designed to provide updated information on the separable components, cooking yields, and proximate composition of retail cuts from the beef chuck. Additionally, the impact the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Quality and Yield Grade may have on such factors was investigated. Ultimately, these data will be used in the USDA - Nutrient Data Laboratory's (NDL) National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference (SR). To represent the current United States beef supply, seventy-two carcasses were selected from six regions of the country based on USDA Yield Grade, USDA Quality Grade, gender, and genetic type. Whole beef chuck primals from selected carcasses were shipped to three university laboratories for subsequent retail cut fabrication, raw and cooked cut dissection, and proximate analyses. The incorporation of these data into the SR will improve dietary education, product labeling, and other applications both domestically and abroad, thus emphasizing the importance of accurate and relevant beef nutrient data.
Subject(s)
Commerce , Cooking , Databases, Factual , Diet , Meat/analysis , Nutritive Value , United States Department of Agriculture , Animals , Cattle , Female , Humans , Male , Meat/classification , Reference Standards , United StatesABSTRACT
Hyperthermophilic iron reducers are common in hydrothermal chimneys found along the Endeavour Segment in the northeastern Pacific Ocean based on culture-dependent estimates. However, information on the availability of Fe(III) (oxyhydr) oxides within these chimneys, the types of Fe(III) (oxyhydr) oxides utilized by the organisms, rates and environmental constraints of hyperthermophilic iron reduction, and mineral end products is needed to determine their biogeochemical significance and are addressed in this study. Thin-section petrography on the interior of a hydrothermal chimney from the Dante edifice at Endeavour showed a thin coat of Fe(III) (oxyhydr) oxide associated with amorphous silica on the exposed outer surfaces of pyrrhotite, sphalerite, and chalcopyrite in pore spaces, along with anhydrite precipitation in the pores that is indicative of seawater ingress. The iron sulfide minerals were likely oxidized to Fe(III) (oxyhydr) oxide with increasing pH and Eh due to cooling and seawater exposure, providing reactants for bioreduction. Culture-dependent estimates of hyperthermophilic iron reducer abundances in this sample were 1740 and 10 cells per gram (dry weight) of material from the outer surface and the marcasite-sphalerite-rich interior, respectively. Two hyperthermophilic iron reducers, Hyperthermus sp. Ro04 and Pyrodictium sp. Su06, were isolated from other active hydrothermal chimneys on the Endeavour Segment. Strain Ro04 is a neutrophilic (pH opt 7-8) heterotroph, while strain Su06 is a mildly acidophilic (pH opt 5), hydrogenotrophic autotroph, both with optimal growth temperatures of 90-92 °C. Mössbauer spectroscopy of the iron oxides before and after growth demonstrated that both organisms form nanophase (<12 nm) magnetite [Fe3 O4 ] from laboratory-synthesized ferrihydrite [Fe10 O14 (OH)2 ] with no detectable mineral intermediates. They produced up to 40 mm Fe(2+) in a growth-dependent manner, while all abiotic and biotic controls produced <3 mm Fe(2+) . Hyperthermophilic iron reducers may have a growth advantage over other hyperthermophiles in hydrothermal systems that are mildly acidic where mineral weathering at increased temperatures occurs.
Subject(s)
Ferric Compounds/metabolism , Ferrosoferric Oxide/metabolism , Hydrothermal Vents/microbiology , Pyrodictiaceae/metabolism , Hydrothermal Vents/chemistry , Iron/chemistry , Oxidation-Reduction , Pacific Ocean , Photomicrography , Pyrodictiaceae/growth & development , Spectroscopy, Mossbauer , Sulfides/metabolismSubject(s)
Health Services Needs and Demand , Medical Audit , Neoplasms/diagnosis , Primary Health Care , Referral and Consultation , Female , Humans , MaleABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: A number of international guidelines have been developed to support primary care clinicians improve the quality of care for patients with chronic heart failure at the end of life. The objective of this study was to undertake a systematic evaluation of such guidelines in relation to end-of-life care. METHODS: A systematic literature search of research databases and guideline clearing houses was undertaken. The selected guidelines were independently assessed by two researchers using the AGREE II quality criteria. A data-extraction framework was devised based on the holistic needs assessment tool of the Gold Standards Framework. The content of each guideline was then analysed using an approach similar to that used for thematic analysis. RESULTS: A total of 19 guidelines were included. Those guidelines with lower overall AGREE II scores covered fewer domains on the holistic needs assessment. Across all guidelines the lowest scoring domain was applicability and stakeholder involvement. Qualitative assessment showed that some guidelines adopt an unwavering disease orientated approach to assessing patient need. Guidance around continuity of care, out of hours care and after care was particularly poor in several guidelines. There was considerable heterogeneity in the evidence presented even amongst those guidelines that achieved high AGREE II scores. CONCLUSION: Combined quantitative and qualitative assessment demonstrates the importance of rigorous guideline development. Whilst the variation in evidence presented could be a result of methodological heterogeneity in the development of guidelines, it raises important questions about the processes by which evidence, information and knowledge become transformed into clinical guidelines.
Subject(s)
Heart Failure/therapy , Practice Guidelines as Topic , Primary Health Care/standards , Quality Improvement , Terminal Care/standards , HumansABSTRACT
We introduce a method for denoising dynamic PET data, spatio-temporal expectation-maximization (STEM) filtering, that combines four-dimensional Gaussian filtering withEMdeconvolution. The initial Gaussian filter suppresses noise at a broad range of spatial and temporal frequencies and EM deconvolution quickly restores the frequencies most important to the signal. We aim to demonstrate that STEM filtering can improve variance in both individual time frames and in parametric images without introducing significant bias. We evaluate STEM filtering with a dynamic phantom study, and with simulated and human dynamic PET studies of a tracer with reversible binding behaviour, [C-11]raclopride, and a tracer with irreversible binding behaviour, [F-18]FDOPA. STEM filtering is compared to a number of established three and four-dimensional denoising methods. STEM filtering provides substantial improvements in variance in both individual time frames and in parametric images generated with a number of kinetic analysis techniques while introducing little bias. STEM filtering does bias early frames, but this does not affect quantitative parameter estimates. STEM filtering is shown to be superior to the other simple denoising methods studied. STEM filtering is a simple and effective denoising method that could be valuable for a wide range of dynamic PET applications.
Subject(s)
Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted/methods , Positron-Emission Tomography/methods , Raclopride/pharmacology , Algorithms , Brain/pathology , Carbon Isotopes/chemistry , Computer Simulation , Dihydroxyphenylalanine/pharmacology , Fluorine Radioisotopes/pharmacology , Humans , Kinetics , Models, Statistical , Normal Distribution , Phantoms, Imaging , Reproducibility of Results , Time FactorsABSTRACT
Headache medicine is primarily dependent on patients' subjective reports of pain, which are assessed at diagnosis and throughout the duration of treatment. There is a need for an objective, quantitative biological measurement of headache pain severity. In this study, quantitative sensory testing (QST) was conducted via multi-site vibrotactile stimulation in patients with migraine. The purpose was to investigate the sensitivity of the method and to determine if the metrics obtained from migraineurs could be differentiated from controls. Metrics reflecting sensory percepts of baseline measures of stimulus amplitude discrimination, temporal order judgment, and duration discrimination were significantly different. Additional measures previously demonstrated to be sensitive to alterations in centrally-mediated information processing features such as adaptation and synchronization were also significantly different from control values. In contrast, reaction times and vibrotactile detection thresholds of migraineurs failed to differentiate them from controls, indicating that the results are not due to peripheral neuropathy or some other primary afferent mechanism. The long-term objective of the study is to develop methods that can improve diagnosis and enable more accurate assessments of treatment efficacy in migraine.
Subject(s)
Migraine Disorders/physiopathology , Sensory Thresholds , Touch Perception , Adult , Aged , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Physical Stimulation , Reaction Time , Time Perception , Vibration , Young AdultABSTRACT
Higher resolution whole-genome arrays facilitate the identification of smaller copy number variations (CNVs) and their integral genes contributing to autism and/or intellectual disability (ASD/ID). Our study describes the use of one of the highest resolution arrays, the Affymetrix(®) Cytogenetics 2.7M array, coupled with quantitative multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) of short fluorescent fragments (QMPSF) for detection and validation of small CNVs. We studied 82 subjects with ASD and ID in total (30 in the validation and 52 in the application cohort) and detected putatively pathogenic CNVs in 6/52 cases from the application cohort. This included a 130-kb maternal duplication spanning exons 64-79 of the DMD gene which was found in a 3-year-old boy manifesting autism and mild neuromotor delays. Other pathogenic CNVs involved 4p14, 12q24.31, 14q32.31, 15q13.2-13.3, and 17p13.3. We established the optimal experimental conditions which, when applied to select small CNVs for QMPSF confirmation, reduced the false positive rate from 60% to 25%. Our work suggests that selection of small CNVs based on the function of integral genes, followed by review of array experimental parameters resulting in highest confirmation rate using multiplex PCR, may enhance the usefulness of higher resolution platforms for ASD and ID gene discovery.