Alternating-contrast single-shot spiral MR-ARFI with model-based displacement map reconstruction.

Purpose: To improve single-shot spiral MR-Acoustic Radiation Force Imaging (MR-ARFI)'s robustness to dynamic phase errors and evaluate it in non-human primates (NHPs) with a low-f-number transducer.

Methods: A single-shot spiral MR-ARFI pulse sequence with 2 mm in-plane resolution and alternating displacement phase contrast was implemented to visualize the focus generated by a 128-element ultrasound transducer in the NHP brain. A model-based displacement map calculation was implemented to remove dynamic phase errors.

Neural correlates of aggression in schizophrenia: An event-related potential study using the competitive reaction time task.

Background: The neural mechanisms underlying aggressive behavior in schizophrenia (SCZ) remain poorly understood. To date, no studies have reported on the event-related potential (ERP) characteristics of aggression in SCZ using the competitive reaction time task (CRTT). Further investigation into the ERP correlates of aggression in SCZ would provide valuable insights into the neural processes involved.

miR-708-5p Attenuates Osteoarthritis Progression via Multi-Target Modulation of the NOX4/NF-κB Axis and Cartilage Homeostasis.

ObjectiveTo investigate the novel role of miR-708-5p in osteoarthritis (OA) and its potential as a therapeutic target through regulation of NOX4/NF-κB signaling.MethodsExpression levels of miR-708-5p were analyzed in OA cartilage using GEO datasets and validated in interleukin (IL)-1β-treated primary human chondrocytes. Gain- and loss-of-function experiments were performed using miR-708-5p mimics and inhibitors to evaluate its effects on inflammation, extracellular matrix metabolism, apoptosis, and oxidative stress.

Detection of Region-specific Fiber Damage within Injured Spinal Cord Using Advanced Diffusion MRI.

This study aimed to evaluate diffusion parameters derived from diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and spherical mean technique (SMT) for detecting region-specific, fine-grained tissue damage and white matter (WM) tract disruptions following spinal cord injury (SCI). Diffusion MRI data were acquired from the cervical spinal cord of monkeys before and after a unilateral dorsal column lesion at the C5 level, using a 9.4T scanner.

Hepatopathy-thrombocytopenia syndrome and disease relapse in pediatric wilms tumor: A 20-year retrospective analysis in a single center.

Background: Wilms tumor (WT) is the most common renal malignancy in children. With current treatments, the 5-year overall survival (OS) rate for children with WT is approximately 90 %. However, nearly 15 % of patients experience disease recurrence.

Multimodal Correspondence between Optogenetic fMRI, Electrophysiology, and Anatomical Maps of the Secondary Somatosensory Cortex in Nonhuman Primates.

Optogenetic neuromodulation combined with functional MRI (opto-fMRI) enables noninvasive monitoring of brain-wide activity and probes causal connections. In this study, we focused on the secondary somatosensory (S2) cortex, a hub for integrating tactile and nociceptive information. By selectively stimulating excitatory neurons in the S2 cortex of monkeys using optogenetics, we observed widespread opto-fMRI activity in regions beyond the somatosensory system, as well as a strong spatial correspondence between opto-fMRI activity map and anatomical connections of the S2 cortex.

Machine Learning-Based Clustering of Layer-Resolved fMRI Activation and Functional Connectivity Within the Primary Somatosensory Cortex in Nonhuman Primates.

Delineating the functional organization of mesoscale cortical columnar structure is essential for understanding brain function. We have previously demonstrated a high spatial correspondence between BOLD fMRI and LFP responses to tactile stimuli in the primary somatosensory cortex area 3b of nonhuman primates. This study aims to explore how 2D spatial profiles of the functional column vary across cortical layers (defined by three cortical depths) in both tactile stimulation and resting states using fMRI.

Modulating nociception networks: the impact of low-intensity focused ultrasound on thalamocortical connectivity.

Pain engages multiple brain networks, with the thalamus serving as a critical subcortical hub. This study aims to explore the effects of low-intensity transcranial focused ultrasound-induced suppression on the organization of thalamocortical nociceptive networks. We employed MR-guided focused ultrasound, a potential non-invasive therapy, with real-time ultrasound beam localization feedback and fMRI monitoring.

Validation of qMT and CEST MRI as Biomarkers of Response to Treatment After Lumbar Spinal Cord Injury in Rats.

The progression and repair of a traumatically injured spinal cord (SCI) involves multifactored processes. Noninvasive, mechanism-informative objective biomarkers could greatly facilitate the translation of findings from preclinical animal models to patient applications. We aimed to develop and validate multiparametric chemical exchange saturation transfer (CEST) and quantitative magnetization transfer (qMT) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) biomarkers for assessing SCI severity, demyelination, and neuroinflammation, as well as the response to neuroprotective drug treatment riluzole.

Correspondence between thalamic injury-induced changes in resting-state fMRI of monkeys and their sensorimotor behaviors and neural activities.

Resting state functional MRI (rsfMRI) exploits variations in blood-oxygenation-level-dependent (BOLD) signals to infer resting state functional connectivity (FC) within and between brain networks. However, there have been few reports quantifying and validating the results of rsfMRI analyses with other metrics of brain circuits. We measured longitudinal changes in FC both within and between brain networks in three squirrel monkeys after focal lesions of the thalamic ventroposterior lateral nucleus (VPL) that were intended to disrupt the input to somatosensory cortex and impair manual dexterity.

Neural Correlates of Social Perception Deficit in Schizophrenia: An Event-related Potential Study.

Background: Deficits in emotion recognition have been shown to be closely related to social-cognitive functioning in schizophrenic. This study aimed to investigate the event-related potential (ERP) characteristics of social perception in schizophrenia patients and to explore the neural mechanisms underlying these abnormal cognitive processes related to social perception.

Methods: Participants included 33 schizophrenia patients and 35 healthy controls (HCs).

Brain Network Alterations in Chronic Spinal Cord Injury: Multilayer Community Detection Approach.

Neurological recovery in individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI) is multifaceted, involving mechanisms such as remyelination and perilesional spinal neuroplasticity, with cortical reorganization being one contributing factor. Cortical reorganization, in particular, can be evaluated through network (graph) analysis of interregional functional connectivity. This study aimed to investigate cortical reorganization patterns in persons with chronic SCI using a multilayer community detection approach on resting-state functional MRI data.

Layer-specific BOLD effects in gradient and spin-echo acquisitions in somatosensory cortex.

Purpose: Previous studies have shown varied BOLD signals with gradient echo (GE) across cortical depth. To interpret these variations, and understand the effects of vascular geometry and size, the magnitudes and layer distributions of GE and spin-echo (SE) BOLD functional MRI signals were compared in the somatosensory cortex of squirrel monkeys during tactile stimulation and in a resting state at high spatial resolution and high field.

Methods: A block-design stimulation was used to identify tactile-evoked activation signals in somatosensory Areas 3b and 1.

AI-assisted 3D analysis of grasping and reaching behavior of squirrel monkeys during recovery from cervical spinal cord injury.

We have previously demonstrated that machine learning-based video analysis, conducted via DeepLabCut, is more sensitive for detecting subtle deficits in hand grasping behavior than traditional end-point performance assessments. This superiority was observed in a nonhuman primate (NHP) model of cervical spinal cord injury, specifically a dorsal column lesion (DCL). The current study aims to further characterize the kinematic aspects of the deficits in hand reaching, grasping, and retrieving behavior from a 3D perspective following a DCL.

Ferroptosis in liver diseases: Fundamental mechanism and clinical implications.

This editorial discusses a recently published paper in the . Our research focuses on p53's regulatory mechanism for controlling ferroptosis, as well as the intricate connection between ferroptosis and liver diseases. Ferroptosis is a specific form of programmed cell death that is de-pendent on iron and displays unique features in terms of morphology, biology, and genetics, distinguishing it from other forms of cell death.

Contribution of copy number variations to education, socioeconomic status and cognition from a genome-wide study of 305,401 subjects.

Educational attainment (EA), socioeconomic status (SES) and cognition are phenotypically and genetically linked to health outcomes. However, the role of copy number variations (CNVs) in influencing EA/SES/cognition remains unclear. Using a large-scale (n = 305,401) genome-wide CNV-level association analysis, we discovered 33 CNV loci significantly associated with EA/SES/cognition, 20 of which were novel (deletions at 2p22.

Design and Validation of a Patient-Specific Stereotactic Frame for Transcranial Ultrasound Therapy.

Transcranial-focused ultrasound (tFUS) procedures such as neuromodulation and blood-brain barrier (BBB) opening require precise focus placement within the brain. MRI is currently the most reliable tool for focus localization but can be prohibitive for procedures requiring recurrent therapies. We designed, fabricated, and characterized a patient-specific, 3-D-printed, stereotactic frame for repeated tFUS therapy.

Metronomic chemotherapy in cancer treatment: new wine in an old bottle.

Over the past two decades, metronomic chemotherapy has gained considerable attention and has demonstrated remarkable success in the treatment of cancer. Through chronic administration and low-dose regimens, metronomic chemotherapy is associated with fewer adverse events but still effectively induces disease control. The identification of its antiangiogenic properties, direct impact on cancer cells, immunomodulatory effects on the tumour microenvironment, and metabolic reprogramming ability has established the intrinsic multitargeted nature of this therapeutic approach.

Multicenter Analysis of Cardiometabolic-Related Diagnoses in Youth With Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia: A PEDSnet Study.

Context: Small cohorts of youth with congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) demonstrate increased risk of obesity and poor cardiometabolic health.

Objective: To determine the odds of cardiometabolic-related diagnoses in youth with CAH compared with matched controls in a cross-sectional analysis in a large, multisite database (PEDSnet).

Methods: Electronic health record data (2009-2019) from 6 PEDSnet sites were used to determine odds of cardiometabolic-related outcomes based on diagnosis, anthropometric, and laboratory data using logistic regression among youth with CAH vs controls.

Characteristic BOLD signals are detectable in white matter of the spinal cord at rest and after a stimulus.

We report the reliable detection of reproducible patterns of blood-oxygenation-level-dependent (BOLD) MRI signals within the white matter (WM) of the spinal cord during a task and in a resting state. Previous functional MRI studies have shown that BOLD signals are robustly detectable not only in gray matter (GM) in the brain but also in cerebral WM as well as the GM within the spinal cord, but similar signals in WM of the spinal cord have been overlooked. In this study, we detected BOLD signals in the WM of the spinal cord in squirrel monkeys and studied their relationships with the locations and functions of ascending and descending WM tracts.

Practical Targeting Errors During Optically Tracked Transcranial Focused Ultrasound Using MR-ARFI and Array- Based Steering.

Objective: Transcranial focused ultrasound (tFUS) is being explored for neuroscience research and clinical applications due to its ability to affect precise brain regions noninvasively. The ability to target specific brain regions and localize the beam during these procedures is important for these applications to avoid damage and minimize off-target effects. Here, we present a method to combine optical tracking with magnetic resonance (MR) acoustic radiation force imaging to achieve targeting and localizing of the tFUS beam.

fMRI, LFP, and anatomical evidence for hierarchical nociceptive routing pathway between somatosensory and insular cortices.

The directional organization of multiple nociceptive regions, particularly within obscure operculoinsular areas, underlying multidimensional pain processing remains elusive. This study aims to establish the fundamental organization between somatosensory and insular cortices in routing nociceptive information. By employing an integrated multimodal approach of high-field fMRI, intracranial electrophysiology, and transsynaptic viral tracing in rats, we observed a hierarchically organized connection of S1/S2 → posterior insula → anterior insula in routing nociceptive information.