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  • Mckay Stack posted an update 1 month ago

    er for olfactory dysfunction.Research has shown that dyslexia and attention deficit (hyperactivity) disorder (AD(H)D) are characterized by specific neuroanatomical and neurofunctional differences in the auditory cortex. These neurofunctional characteristics in children with ADHD, ADD and dyslexia are linked to distinct differences in music perception. Group-specific differences in the musical performance of patients with ADHD, ADD and dyslexia have not been investigated in detail so far. We investigated the musical performance and neurophysiological correlates of 21 adolescents with dyslexia, 19 with ADHD, 28 with ADD and 28 age-matched, unaffected controls using a music performance assessment scale and magnetoencephalography (MEG). Musical experts independently assessed pitch and rhythmic accuracy, intonation, improvisation skills and musical expression. Compared to dyslexic adolescents, controls as well as adolescents with ADHD and ADD performed better in rhythmic reproduction, rhythmic improvisation and musical expression. Controls wetter the rhythmic improvisation. These findings provide novel insight into the differences between music processing and performance in adolescents with and without neurodevelopmental disorders. A better understanding of these differences may help to develop tailored preventions or therapeutic interventions.The search for a biological marker predicting the future failure or success of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) remains highly challenging for patients with treatment-resistant depression. Evidence suggests that Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF), a protein known to be involved in brain plasticity mechanisms, can play a key role in both the clinical efficacy of ECT and the pathophysiology of depressive disorders. We hypothesized that mature BDNF (mBDNF), an isoform of BDNF involved in the neural plasticity and survival of neural networks, might be a good candidate for predicting the efficacy of ECT. Total BDNF (tBDNF) and mBDNF levels were measured in 23 patients with severe treatment-resistant depression before (baseline) they received a course of ECT. More precisely, tBDNF and mBDNF measured before ECT were compared between patients who achieved the criteria of remission after the ECT course (remitters, n = 7) and those who did not (non-remitters, n = 16). We found that at baseline, future remitters displayed significantly higher mBDNF levels than future non-remitters (p = 0.04). No differences were observed regarding tBDNF levels at baseline. The multiple logistic regression model controlled for age and sex revealed that having a higher baseline mBDNF level was significantly associated with future remission after ECT sessions (odd ratio = 1.38; 95% confidence interval = 1.07-2.02, p = 0.04). Despite the limitations of the study, current findings provide additional elements regarding the major role of BDNF and especially the mBDNF isoform in the clinical response to ECT in major depression.

    Epilepsy surgery failure is not uncommon, with several explanations having been proposed. In this series, we detail cases of epilepsy surgery failure subsequently attributed to insular involvement.

    We retrospectively identified patients investigated at the epilepsy monitoring units of two Canadian tertiary care centers (2004-2020). Included patients were adults who had undergone epilepsy surgeries with recurrence of seizures post-operatively and who were subsequently determined to have an insular epileptogenic focus. Clinical, electrophysiological, neuroimaging, and surgical data were synthesized.

    We present 14 patients who demonstrated insular epileptic activity post-surgery-failure as detected by intracranial EEG, MEG, or seizure improvement after insular resection. Seven patients had manifestations evoking possible insular involvement prior to their first surgery. Most patients (8/14) had initial surgeries targeting the temporal lobe. Seizure recurrence ranged from the immediate post-operative period to one year. The main modality used to determine insular involvement was MEG (8/14). Nine patients underwent re-operations that included insular resection; seven achieved a favorable post-operative outcome (Engel I or II).

    Our series suggests that lowering the threshold for suspecting insular epilepsy may be necessary to improve epilepsy surgery outcomes. Detecting insular epilepsy post-surgery-failure may allow for re-operations which may lead to good outcomes.

    Our series suggests that lowering the threshold for suspecting insular epilepsy may be necessary to improve epilepsy surgery outcomes. Detecting insular epilepsy post-surgery-failure may allow for re-operations which may lead to good outcomes.Neurobiological measures underlying aggressive behavior have gained attention due to their potential to inform risk assessment and treatment interventions. Aberrations in responsivity of the autonomic nervous system and electrophysiological responses to arousal-inducing stimuli have been related to emotional dysregulation and aggressive behavior. However, studies have often been performed in community samples, using tasks that induce arousal but not specifically depict aggression. In this study, we examined differences in psychophysiological (i.e., heart rate, respiratory sinus arrhythmia, skin conductance level) and electrophysiological responses (i.e., P3, late positive potential, mu suppression) to aggressive versus neutral scenes in a sample of 118 delinquent young adults and 25 controls (all male, aged 18-27). With respect to group differences, we only found significant higher SCL reactivity during the task in the delinquent group compared to controls, but this was irrespective of condition (aggressive and neutral interactions). Within the delinquent group, we also examined associations between the neurobiological measures and reactive and proactive aggression. No significant associations were found. Therefore, although we found some indication of emotional dysregulation in these delinquent young adults, future studies should further elucidate the neurobiological mechanisms underlying emotional dysregulation in relation to different types of aggression.Acute ischaemic stroke (AIS) has a high risk of recurrence, particularly in the early stage. Our study aimed to assess the clinical characteristics and risk factors of in-hospital ischaemic recurrence in AIS patients in different periods. This study was a retrospective, single-center analysis. The patients were divided into two stages based on their admission time. The primary endpoint was recurrent stroke during hospitalization. In total, 978 patients in Stage 1 and 1047 patients in Stage 2 were included in this study. The in-hospital recurrence rate in Stage 1 was 5.9%, while that in Stage 2 was 4.0% (p = 0.046). A recurrence rate reduction mainly occurred in the minor stroke and large-artery atherosclerosis (LAA) stroke patients. Infection was an independent risk factor despite amelioration by antiplatelet therapy (p less then 0.001). Diabetes patients also had a higher risk of in-hospital ischaemic recurrence among the minor stroke and large-artery atherosclerosis patients. A positive attitude towards antiplatelet therapy failed to completely halt recurrence of the disease. In conclusion, the rate of in-hospital ischaemic recurrence in AIS patients showed a decreasing trend over time, especially in the minor stroke and large-artery atherosclerosis stroke patients. Infection and diabetes were associated with a higher risk of stroke recurrence.Bloodstream infections play an important role in neonatal morbidity and mortality. In this study, we retrospectively analyzed etiology and antibiotic resistance profiles of bacteria isolated from blood or Cerebro Spinal Fluid (CSF) cultures to evaluate the appropriateness of initial empirical therapy of neonatal sepsis.

    microbiological data from patients admitted to Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), from January 2005 to October 2018, were anonymously extracted from the Laboratory of Microbiology database. According to the neonatal sepsis definition for patients admitted to NICU, positive cultures obtained within the first 72 h of life were labeled as Early Onset Sepsis (EOS); and Late Onset Sepsis (LOS) for those obtained later.

    859 bacterial strains, 846 from blood and 13 from CSF, were detected in 611 neonates. In EOS, 75 blood cultures were found 61 yielded Gram-positives and 14 Gram-negatives. Coagulase Negative Staphylococci (CoNS) represented the majority (52%

    = 39).

    and

    were both isolateh vancomycin is sustained by the observation of 38% of methicillin resistance among S. aureus and about 95% in CoNS.Streptococcus suis (S. suis) causes severe respiratory diseases in pigs and is also an important pathogen causing hidden dangers to public health and safety. Acetylkitasamycin is a new macrolide agent that has shown good activity to Gram-positive cocci such as Streptococcus. The purpose of this study was to perform pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic (PK-PD) modeling to formulate a dosing regimen of acetylkitasamycin for treatment of S. suis and to decrease the emergence of acetylkitasamycin-resistant S. suis. The minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 110 S. suis isolates was determined by broth micro dilution method. The MIC50 of the 55 sensitive S. suis isolates was 1.21 μg/mL. The strain HB1607 with MIC close to MIC50 and high pathogenicity was used for the PK-PD experiments. The MIC and MBC of HB1607 in both MH broth and pulmonary epithelial lining fluid (PELF) was 1 and 2 μg/mL, respectively. The liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method was used to determine the concentration change of acetylkitasamycin in piglet plasma and PELF after intragastric administration of a single dose of 50 mg/kg b.w. acetylkitasamycin. The PK parameters were calculated by WinNolin software. The PK data showed that the maximum concentration (Cmax), peak time (Tmax), and area under the concentration-time curve (AUC) were 9.84 ± 0.39 μg/mL, 4.27 ± 0.19 h and 248.58 ± 21.17 h·μg/mL, respectively. Integration of the in vivo PK data and ex vivo PD data, an inhibition sigmoid Emax equation was established. The dosing regimen of acetylkitasamycin for the treatment S. suis infection established as 33.12 mg/kg b.w. every 12 h for 3 days. This study provided a reasonable dosing regimen for a new drug used in clinical treatment, which can effectively be used to treat S. suis infection and slow down the generation of drug resistance.Combined therapies are usually used to treat acne vulgaris since this approach can tackle various foci simultaneously. Using a combination of spectroscopic, computational, and microbiological techniques and methods, herein we report on the use of β-lactoglobulin as a double payload carrier of hypericin (an antimicrobial photodynamic agent) and all-trans retinoic acid (an anti-inflammatory drug) for S. selleck chemical aureus in vitro photodynamic inactivation. The addition of all-trans retinoic acid to hypericin-β-lactoglobulin complex renders a photochemically safe vehicle due to the photophysical quenching of hypericin, which recovers its photodynamic activity when in contact with bacteria. The ability of hypericin to photoinactivate S. aureus was not affected by retinoic acid. β-Lactoglobulin is a novel biocompatible and photochemically safe nanovehicle with strong potential for the treatment of acne.