Pellino3 targets the IRF7 pathway and facilitates autoregulation of TLR3- and viral-induced expression of type I interferons.

Toll-like receptors (TLRs) sense pathogen-associated molecules and respond by inducing cytokines and type I interferon. Here we show that genetic ablation of the E3 ubiquitin ligase Pellino3 augmented the expression of type I interferon but not of proinflammatory cytokines in response to TLR3 activation. Pellino3-deficient mice had greater resistance against the pathogenic and lethal effects of encephalomyocarditis virus (EMCV). TLR3 signaling induced Pellino3, which in turn interacted with and ubiquitinated TRAF6. This modification suppressed the ability of TRAF6 to interact with and activate IRF7, resulting in downregulation of type I interferon expression. Our findings highlight a new physiological role for Pellino3 and define a new autoregulatory network for controlling type I interferon expression.

Fathers' use of social media for social comparison is associated with their food parenting practices.

Over 85% of parents use social media; however, limited research has investigated the associations between parental social media use and food parenting practices. The objectives of this study were to: 1) describe how mothers and fathers use social media focused on topics related to child feeding and family meals; and 2) examine associations between parental social media use focused on child feeding and family meals and mothers' and fathers' food parenting practices. Data were obtained from 179 mothers and 116 fathers of children aged 3-8 years enrolled in a family-based obesity prevention intervention. We used descriptive statistics to describe parents' social media use in relation to child feeding and family meals and linear regressions with generalized estimating equations to explore associations between parents' social media use and food parenting practices. Models were stratified by parent gender and adjusted for household income, parent ethnicity, parent age, child sex, and intervention status. A higher percent of mothers than fathers reported using social media to seek information related to child feeding and family meals (64.8% mothers; 25.0% fathers) and to share and compare family meals and food choices (41.9% mothers; 19.8% fathers). While social media use was not associated with food parenting practices in mothers, fathers' social media use to share and compare family meals and food choices was associated with negative food parenting practices, i.e., greater use of food for emotional regulation (ß = 0.37, p = 0.02) and greater use of food for reward (ß = 0.34, p = 0.02). Study results can inform strategies to promote healthy social media use among parents of young children.

Vitamin B3, nicotinamide, enhances mitochondrial metabolism to promote differentiation of the retinal pigment epithelium.

In the mammalian retina, a metabolic ecosystem exists in which photoreceptors acquire glucose from the choriocapillaris with the help of the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE). While the photoreceptor cells are primarily glycolytic, exhibiting Warburg-like metabolism, the RPE is reliant on mitochondrial respiration. However, the ways in which mitochondrial metabolism affect RPE cellular functions are not clear. We first used the human RPE cell line, ARPE-19, to examine mitochondrial metabolism in the context of cellular differentiation. We show that nicotinamide induced rapid differentiation of ARPE-19 cells, which was reversed by removal of supplemental nicotinamide. During the nicotinamide-induced differentiation, we observed using quantitative PCR, Western blotting, electron microscopy, and metabolic respiration and tracing assays that (1) mitochondrial gene and protein expression increased, (2) mitochondria became larger with more tightly folded cristae, and (3) mitochondrial metabolism was enhanced. In addition, we show that primary cultures of human fetal RPE cells responded similarly in the presence of nicotinamide. Furthermore, disruption of mitochondrial oxidation of pyruvate attenuated the nicotinamide-induced differentiation of the RPE cells. Together, our results demonstrate a remarkable effect of nicotinamide on RPE metabolism. We also identify mitochondrial respiration as a key contributor to the differentiated state of the RPE and thus to many of the RPE functions that are essential for retinal health and photoreception.

Rheological responses of microgel suspensions with temperature-responsive capillary networks.

A method coupling microgel jamming and temperature-responsive capillary networking is developed to manipulate the rheological properties of microgel-capillary suspensions by varying microgel sizes, volume fraction of capillary solution, and temperature after polymerization and photo-crosslinking. This approach allows for the 3D extrusion of this suspension to print complex structures that can be readily scaled up and applied to biomedical fields and soft material-based actuation.

#Fitmom: an experimental investigation of the effect of social media on body dissatisfaction and eating and physical activity intentions, attitudes, and behaviours among postpartum mothers.

BACKGROUND: Research has shown that body dissatisfaction is higher during the postpartum period compared to other periods of life, and strongly associated with disordered eating behaviours, which can lead to adverse health outcomes. While results from cross-sectional studies suggest that social media may play an important role in body dissatisfaction among postpartum mothers, causal inference is limited due to the observational nature of the existing research. The objective of this study is to experimentally test the effect of body-focused social media on the body dissatisfaction and eating and physical activity intentions, attitudes, and behaviours of postpartum mothers. METHODS: Postpartum mothers of infants 0-6 months (n = 132) were randomly assigned to view either body-focused social media posts (n = 65), or a control set of infant feeding tips (n = 67). ANCOVA was used to examine differences between the intervention and control group on levels of body dissatisfaction, eating and physical activity intentions, attitudes, and behaviours. There were two follow-up time points, immediately post intervention and 1-month post intervention to measure potential sustained effects of intervention. RESULTS: Exposure to body-focused social media posts resulted in higher levels of body dissatisfaction, mean difference 1.54 (p = 0.002); poorer body image, mean difference 0.41 (p = 0.007); eating attitudes, mean difference 2.26 (p = 0.025); and higher levels of restrained eating behaviours, mean difference 0.39 (p < 0.001) among the intervention group post intervention. Mothers in the intervention group also reported higher levels of inspiration to be active, mean difference 0.48 (p = 0.021) post intervention. A sustained effect was found for restrained eating, mean difference 2.03 (p < 0.001) and poorer eating attitude, mean difference 0.29 (p = 0.001) at 1-month follow-up. No sustained effects were found for any other outcomes at 1-month follow-up. CONCLUSION: Social media exposure to body-focused social media posts negatively affect postpartum mothers' body dissatisfaction and health behaviours. Further experimental research that includes an interactive social media component is needed among this population. TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT05181280, Study ID Number: 054798. Registered 06/01/2022. Retrospectively registered, https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT05181280 .

Association between weight control behaviors and diet quality among Brazilian adolescents and young adults: Health Survey of São Paulo with Focus on Nutrition, 2015.

PURPOSE: Little is known about how behaviors to control weight are associated with diet quality among youth from low- and middle-income countries. The aim of this study was to examine associations between efforts to control weight (ECW) and diet quality among Brazilian adolescents and young adults. METHODS: Data from 731 participants (17.89 ± 4.92 years, 51.1% female) of the 2015 Health Survey of São Paulo were used for this cross-sectional study. Dietary intake was assessed using a 24 h dietary recall and diet quality was calculated using the Brazilian Healthy Eating Index-Revised (BHEI-R). Participants reported their ECW, weight satisfaction, and socio-demographics. Descriptive statistics and linear regressions were calculated to investigate associations between ECW and diet quality. RESULTS: Approximately 47.7% of participants were dissatisfied with their current weight, and 41.0% reported ECW. Reported strategies to control weight included increased physical activity, taking care of what they eat, and dieting (8.2, 3.1, and 2.5%, respectively). After adjusting for age, sex, race/ethnicity, and body mass index, reporting at least one ECW (ß = 0.08; 95% CI 0.02, 0.13), taking care of what to eat (ß = 0.15; 0.08, 0.22) and being satisfied with their weight (0.08; 0.02, 0.13) were all associated with a higher overall BHEI-R score. CONCLUSION: Overall diet quality score showed a small increase in participants reporting ECW. Further studies should be conducted to provide strategies used by adolescents from low- and middle-income countries to control their weight. Thus, developing public health policies, and behavioral-change strategies. LEVEL V: Cross-sectional descriptive study.

Associations between maternal concern about child's weight and related behaviours and maternal weight-related parenting practices: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Parents influence their children's weight-related behaviours through their parenting practices, which are often a focal point of obesity prevention interventions. This study examined associations of maternal concern about their child's weight, dietary intake, physical activity, and media use with maternal food, physical activity, and media parenting practices. METHODS: Mothers (n = 310) reported their level of concern regarding their child's weight and related behaviours and their weight-related parenting practices when their child was 5 years of age as part of the Melbourne Infant Feeding Activity and Nutrition Trial (InFANT) Program. We used linear regression analyses with estimation by generalized estimating equations to examine associations of maternal concern and maternal parenting practices. RESULTS: Slightly more than 60% of mothers reported at least one concern related to their children's weight or related behaviours. Excessive media use was the most commonly endorsed concern among mothers (45.2%). Compared to mothers who were unconcerned about their child's weight, mothers who were concerned about their child weighing too much reported higher levels of controlling feeding practices, i.e., restrictive feeding, lower levels of co-participation of physical activity, and higher levels of using media to control child behaviour. Mothers who were concerned their child weighed too little reported higher levels of controlling feeding practices, i.e., restrictive feeding, pressure to eat. Similarly, mothers who were concerned about their child's eating (eating too much or too little) reported higher levels of controlling feeding practices. Mothers who were concerned about their child using too much media reported higher levels of using media to regulate their child's behaviour and providing opportunities for their child to use media. CONCLUSION: Mothers who were concerned about their child's weight, dietary intake, physical activity and media use reported higher levels of controlling parenting practices, i.e., pressure to eat, and lower levels of health promoting parenting practices, i.e., co-participation in physical activity. Longitudinal research is needed to elucidate temporal order and specific mechanisms of these associations.

Grafting-from Synthesis of Plant-Polynorbornene Biohybrid Materials.

Plants, essential for food, oxygen, and economic stability, are under threat from human activities, biotic threats, and climate change, requiring rapid technological advancements for protection. Biohybrid systems, merging synthetic macromolecules with biological components, have provided improvement to biological systems in the past, namely, in the biomedical arena, motivating an opportunity to enhance plant well-being. Nevertheless, strategies for plant biohybrid systems remain limited. In this study, we present a method using grafting-from ring-opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP) under physiological conditions to integrate norbornene-derived polymers into live plants by spray coating. The approach involves creating biological macroinitiators on leaf surfaces, which enable subsequent polymerization of norbornene-derived monomers. Characterization techniques, including FTIR spectroscopy, SEM EDS imaging, ICP-MS, nanoindentation, and XPS, confirmed the presence and characterized the properties of the polymeric layers on leaves. The demonstrated modifiability and biocompatibility could offer the potential to maintain plant health in various applications, including the development of thermal barriers, biosensors, and crop protection layers.

Segmental tibial fractures: an infrequent but demanding injury.

BACKGROUND: Segmental tibial fractures are considered to be a special injury type associated with high complication rates. However, it is unclear whether healing of these fractures truly differs from that of nonsegmental fractures. QUESTIONS/PURPOSES: We therefore asked (1) does the time to union in segmental tibial fractures differ from that of nonsegmental fractures; and (2) does the complication rate of segmental fractures differ from that of nonsegmental fractures? METHODS: We retrospectively studied 30 patients with segmental tibial fractures treated at a Level I trauma center from January 2000 to December 2008 and compared healing and complications with a matched control group of 30 nonsegmental tibial fractures. In followup we determined time to union, delayed and nonunion, and overall complication rates. Patients were followed at least until union was attained. The minimum followup was 5 months (median, 15 months; range, 5-54 months). RESULTS: Median time to union was 34 weeks (range, 12-122 weeks). Segmental fractures took longer to heal than nonsegmental fractures (median, 34 weeks; range, 12-122 weeks and median, 24 weeks; range, 11-39 weeks, respectively). The overall rate of complications was higher in segmental fractures as was the necessity for reoperation to attain healing. CONCLUSIONS: Healing of segmental tibial fractures is characterized by substantially more complications and longer healing times than nonsegmental fractures and should be considered as a special type of injury. We believe these should be treated in specialized trauma centers.

Unraveling the mystery of canopy dieback caused by citrus disease Huanglongbing and its link to hypoxia stress.

Devastating citrus disease Huanglongbing (HLB) is without existing cures. Herein, we present results demonstrating the possible mechanisms (hypoxia stress) behind HLB-triggered shoot dieback by comparing the transcriptomes, hormone profiles, and key enzyme activities in buds of severely and mildly symptomatic 'Hamlin' sweet orange (Citrus sinensis). Within six months (October - May) in field conditions, severe trees had 23% bud dieback, greater than mild trees (11%), with a concomitant reduction in canopy density. In February, differentially expressed genes (DEGs) associated with responses to osmotic stress, low oxygen levels, and cell death were upregulated, with those for photosynthesis and cell cycle downregulated in severe versus mild trees. For severe trees, not only were the key markers for hypoxia, including anaerobic fermentation, reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, and lipid oxidation, transcriptionally upregulated, but also alcohol dehydrogenase activity was significantly greater compared to mild trees, indicating a link between bud dieback and hypoxia. Tricarboxylic acid cycle revival, given the upregulation of glutamate dehydrogenase and alanine aminotransferase DEGs, suggests that ROS may also be generated during hypoxia-reoxygenation. Greater (hormonal) ratios of abscisic acid to cytokinins and jasmonates and upregulated DEGs encoding NADPH oxidases in severe versus mild trees indicate additional ROS production under limited oxygen availability due to stomata closure. Altogether, our results provided evidence that as HLB progresses, excessive ROS produced in response to hypoxia and during hypoxia-reoxygenation likely intensify the oxidative stress in buds leading to cell death, contributing to marked bud and shoot dieback and decline of the severely symptomatic sweet orange trees.

Short- and long-term effects of season-long infestation of Lycorma delicatula (Hemiptera: Fulgoridae) on young apple (Malus domestica) and peach (Prunus persica) trees.

Lycorma delicatula White, commonly called spotted lanternfly, is an invasive fulgorid that was first detected in the United States in Pennsylvania in 2014 and has spread across Eastern states. Lycorma delicatula is a phloem feeder, and feeding of persistent populations can cause wilt and dieback in host plants. Vineyards in infested regions have experienced vine loss, where damage has been attributed to L. delicatula. Nymphal and adult lifestages have been observed on cultivated apple and peach trees, but the feeding effects of this pest on these crops have not been quantified. Here, we caged young potted apple and peach trees and infested them with 50 nymphal or 25 adult L. delicatula per plant for 3 months and tracked plant health. Horticultural measurements including trunk diameter, height, leaf drop, and photosynthesis rates were recorded before, during, and after the infestation. To evaluate the long-term effects of infestation, all apple and peach trees were removed from pots and planted in an orchard block where their phenology, growth, and physiology could be evaluated the following growing season. Short- and long-term measurements showed no significant differences in apple tree health between infested and noninfested trees. There was a significant reduction in the growth of trunk diameter in peach trees during exposure to early-instar nymphs; infested peach trees also had significantly increased frost damage to buds the following spring. However, there were no long-term impacts on peach growth and physiology. These results indicate that L. delicatula likely will not be a major threat to these deciduous fruit crops.

SEMPro: A Data-Driven Pipeline To Learn Structure-Property Insights from Scanning Electron Microscopy Images.

Analyzing hydrogel microstructure through scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images is crucial in understanding hydrogel properties. However, the analysis of SEM images in hydrogel research heavily relies on the intuition of individual researchers and is constrained by the limited size of the dataset. To address this, we propose SEMPro, a data-driven solution using web-scraping and deep learning (DL) to compile and analyze the structure-property relationships of hydrogels through SEM images. It accurately predicts the elastic modulus from SEM images within the same order of magnitude and displays a learned extraction of modulus-relevant features in SEM images as seen through the nontrivial activation mapping and transfer learning. By employing Explainable AI through activation map exposure, SEMPro validates the model predictions. SEMPro represents a closed-loop data collection and analysis pipeline, providing critical insights into hydrogels and soft materials. This innovative approach has the potential to revolutionize hydrogel research, offering high-dimensional insights for further advancements.

Self-Reported Total Screen Time and Viewing Modes Are Associated with Body Dissatisfaction, Disordered Eating, and Cosmetic Surgery Intentions among Young Adults.

While numerous studies have shown that media exposure is linked to body dissatisfaction and disordered eating behavior, limited research has examined these associations by screen-viewing mode. This study examined associations of total screen-time and screen-viewing modes with body dissatisfaction, disordered eating, and cosmetic surgery intention among young adults. Men (n = 3466) and women (n = 7300), aged 19 to 34 years, self-reported their screen-time on various TV viewing modes, and their body dissatisfaction, overeating, disordered weight control behaviors, and cosmetic surgery intentions. We fit linear, logistic, and multivariate models to examine cross-sectional associations between total screen-time and screen-viewing modes and body dissatisfaction, disordered eating, and cosmetic surgery intention. Handheld viewing was associated with body dissatisfaction for women only, and online viewing was associated with greater body dissatisfaction among both men (߈ = 0.40; 95% CI, 0.15 to 0.65) and women (߈ = 0.25; 95% CI, 0.10 to 0.40). Downloaded viewing was associated with higher odds of overeating behaviors among both men (OR = 1.24; 95% CI, 1.10 to 1.40) and women (OR = 1.21; 95% CI, 1.12 to 1.32), respectively. Although total screen time was associated with greater cosmetic surgery intention for both men (߈ = 0.24; 95% CI, 0.09 to 0.39) and women (߈ = 0.43; 95% CI, 0.28 to 0.58), sex differences were found for the viewing modes. Our results suggest that different viewing modes may be differently associated with men and women's body image, disordered eating behavior, and cosmetic surgery intention. Future research should consider all modes of screen-viewing in our media environment.

Survivorship and Development of the Invasive Lycorma delicatula (Hemiptera: Fulgoridae) on Wild and Cultivated Temperate Host Plants.

The invasive spotted lanternfly, Lycorma delicatula, (White Hemiptera: Fulgoridae) continues to spread throughout the Eastern United States. This species exhibits a broad host range, with tree of heaven, Ailanthus altissima (Mill.) Swingle, commonly referred to as the preferred host. Here, we evaluated 2-wk survivorship of early nymphal instars, late nymphal instars, and adult L. delicatula on single diets of ten wild and cultivated hosts: tree of heaven; apple, Malus domestica; peach, Prunus persica; black cherry, P. serotina Ehrh; black locust, Robinia pseudoacacia L.; black walnut, Juglans nigra L.; common hackberry Celtis occidentalis L.; mulberry Morus alba L.; sugar maple Acer saccharum Marshall; white oak, Quercus alba L.. Among them, early and late instars had significantly greater survivorship on tree of heaven and black walnut and adults had greatest survivorship on tree of heaven. Additionally, we evaluated development and survivorship of L. delicatula from newly hatched nymphs to adulthood on single diets of tree of heaven, black walnut, grapevine, apple, and peach, and mixed diets of tree of heaven plus one other host. Single host diets that supported L. delicatula development to adulthood were tree of heaven and black walnut. Interestingly, mixed diets also supported development, and reduced development time to adults by up to 12% compared with the single tree of heaven diet. Our results suggest that within agroecosystems and across landscapes, L. delicatula can develop on single hosts such as tree of heaven, but also on multiple host plants, yielding adults earlier in the growing season.

Among sheeples and antivaxxers: Social media responses to COVID-19 vaccine news posted by Canadian news organizations, and recommendations to counter vaccine hesitancy.

BACKGROUND: To create a successful public health initiative that counters vaccine hesitancy and promotes vaccine acceptance, it is essential to gain a strong understanding of the beliefs, attitudes and subjective risk perceptions of the population. METHODS: A qualitative analysis of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine discourse from 3,731 social media posts on the Twitter and Facebook accounts of six Canadian news organizations was used to identify the perceptions, attitudes, beliefs and intentions of Canadian news organizations' social media commenters toward taking a COVID-19 vaccine. RESULTS: Four main themes were identified: 1) COVID-19 vaccine safety and efficacy concerns; 2) conspiracy theories stemming from mistrust in government and other organizations; 3) a COVID-19 vaccine is unnecessary because the virus is not dangerous; and 4) trust in COVID-19 vaccines as a safe solution. Based on themes and subthemes, several key communication recommendations were developed for promotion of COVID-19 vaccine acceptance, including infographics championed by Public Health that highlight the benefits of the vaccine for those who have received it, public education about the contents and safety of the vaccine and eliciting an emotional connection through personal stories of those impacted by COVID-19. CONCLUSION: Specific considerations, such as leveraging the public's trust in healthcare professionals to act as a liaison between Public Health and the Canadian public to communicate the benefits of the vaccine against COVID-19 and its variants, may help reduce COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy.

Transitioning a home-based, motivational interviewing intervention among families to remote delivery during the COVID-19 pandemic: Key lessons learned.

OBJECTIVE: This study examined the experiences, learnings, and strategies of Health Educators (HE) as they transitioned from a home-based model for motivational interviewing (MI) to remote delivery during COVID-19. The overall goal of this paper is to identify key lessons learned to help inform future delivery of remote MI delivery. METHODS: HE perceptions and experiences regarding the transition from in-person to remote delivery of MI for 21 families were captured through a video recorded discussion. Thematic analysis was used to identify themes and subthemes and key learnings from the transition experience. RESULTS: Five themes were identified including: 1) Impact of COVID-19 on families; 2) Scheduling, no-shows, and cancellations; 3) Preference of online video versus phone; 4) Building rapport with remote delivery; 5) HE work satisfaction. Based on these results, several key learnings were identified to improve remote MI-counseling, including using online video platforms versus phone calls, providing families the necessary information and technical support to improve acceptability, using specific strategies to enhance rapport and child engagement, and asking probing questions to elicit deeper reflection. CONCLUSION: Specific considerations regarding rapport building including more frequent check-ins to demonstrate commitment to the family's success, and effective communication strategies including asking more probing questions that elicit complex reflection can support successful transition of MI-counseling from in-person to remote delivery among families with young children. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Our practice recommendations based on key learnings from MI practitioners during the transition from in-person to remote MI-counseling can support healthcare professionals looking to transition MI-counseling services to remote delivery.

Partial measurement invariance of beliefs about teaching for creativity across U.S. and Chinese educators.

BACKGROUND: While empirical research on creativity has grown steadily over the past 35 years, teachers' beliefs about creativity and their implicit beliefs about teaching for creativity remains understudied, as well as cross-cultural examination of teacher beliefs in this area. AIMS: This study explored the measurement invariance of beliefs about teaching for creativity (creative self-efficacy, fixed creative mindset, growth creative mindset, desirability of creativity for teaching success and value of creativity for student academic and workplace success). SAMPLE: American and Chinese educators at two universities were surveyed to rate the degree to which they agreed with statements about beliefs about teaching for creativity (N = 376). METHODS: Measurement invariance analysis was used Multiple-Groups Confirmatory Factor Analysis with the lavaan package in the R Statistical Programing Environment. RESULTS: Partial measurement invariance was obtained such that a model with factor loadings constrained equal across samples for four of the five constructs (creative self-efficacy, fixed creative mindset, growth creative mindset, desirability of creativity for teaching success), did not worsen model fitness. Additionally, when factor loadings for items on the value of creativity for student academic and workplace success latent variable were allowed to vary across samples, we found evidence of structural invariance. That is, the covariances among the five latent variables were found to be invariant across samples. CONCLUSIONS: The major result of this study is that the theoretical structure and relations among five important creative self-constructs is invariant across American and Chinese educational constructs. However, there may be cultural differences in the value of creativity for student academic and workplace success, as perceived by teachers. Future research can focus on calibrating teacher beliefs about teaching for creativity with classroom observation, in American and Chinese educational contexts.

Autonomic Alterations After Pulmonary Vein Isolation in the CIRCA-DOSE (Cryoballoon vs Irrigated Radiofrequency Catheter Ablation) Study.

Background The natural history of autonomic alterations following catheter ablation of drug-refractory paroxysmal atrial fibrillation is poorly defined, largely because of the historical reliance on non-invasive intermittent rhythm monitoring for outcome ascertainment. Methods and Results The study included 346 patients with drug-refractory paroxysmal atrial fibrillation undergoing pulmonary vein isolation using contemporary advanced-generation ablation technologies. All patients underwent insertion of a Reveal LINQ (Medtronic) implantable cardiac monitor before ablation. The implantable cardiac monitor continuously recorded physical activity, heart rate variability (measured as the SD of the average normal-to-normal), daytime heart rate, and nighttime heart rate. Longitudinal autonomic data in the 2-month period leading up to the date of ablation were compared with the period from 91 to 365 days following ablation. Following ablation there was a significant decrease in SD of the average normal-to-normal (mean difference versus baseline of 19.3 ms; range, 12.9-25.7; P<0.0001), and significant increases in daytime and nighttime heart rates (mean difference versus baseline of 9.6 bpm; range, 7.4-11.8; P<0.0001, and 7.4 bpm; range, 5.4-9.3; P<0.0001, respectively). Patients free of arrhythmia recurrence had significantly faster daytime (11±11 versus 8±12 bpm, P=0.001) and nighttime heart rates (8±9 versus 6±8 bpm, P=0.049), but no difference in SD of the average normal-to-normal (P=0.09) compared with those with atrial fibrillation recurrence. Ablation technology and cryoablation duration did not influence these autonomic nervous system effects. Conclusions Pulmonary vein isolation results in significant sustained changes in the heart rate parameters related to autonomic function. These changes are correlated with procedural outcome and are independent of the ablation technology used. Registration URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov; Unique identifier: NCT01913522.

Dual-isotope acquisition for CT-SPECT registration of infection studies.

The registration of CT and NM images can enhance patient diagnosis since it allows for the fusion of anatomical and functional information as well as attenuation correction of NM images. However, irrespective of the methods used, registration accuracy depends heavily on the characteristics of the input images and the degree of similarity between them. This poses a challenge for registering CT and NM images as they may have very different characteristics. To address the particular problem of CT and In-111 SPECT registration, we propose to perform a dual-isotope study which involves an additional injection of Tc-99m MDP to generate two inherently registered images: In-111 SPECT and Tc-99m SPECT. As skeletal structures are visible in both CT and Tc-99m SPECT, performing registration of these images may be much more effective. The very same spatial transformation derived can be immediately applied to complete the registration of CT and the corresponding In-111 SPECT. Accordingly, we hypothesize that the registration of CT and Tc-99m SPECT can be more accurately performed than the registration of CT and In-111 SPECT and seek to compare the accuracies between the aforementioned registrations. In this paper, we have collected three clinical datasets, with the ground-truth transformations known, and tested the proposed approach by using a mutual information-based algorithm to solve for the rigid/non-rigid misalignments introduced to them. Based on the results of our experiments, we conclude that registration using Tc-99m SPECT can achieve 100% success rate, and is thus much more superior to the registration using In-111 SPECT, which at best, achieves only 38% success rate. Clearly, the introduction of a dual-isotope acquisition can substantially improve the registration of SPECT and CT images.