Neuroimaging and kinematic biomarkers of post-stroke upper limb motor impairment.

Structural and functional biomarkers derived from magnetic resonance imaging explain some variance in post-stroke motor impairment. The understanding of the nature of impairment and the discrimination between true behavioural motor recovery/restitution and motor compensation may be improved by the addition of kinematic information. The aim of the study was to determine the influence of neuroimaging combined with kinematic biomarkers in explaining the variance in motor impairment of the upper limb.

A multidisciplinary approach towards modeling of a virtual human lung.

Integrating biological data with in silico modeling offers the transformative potential to develop virtual human models, or "digital twins." These models hold immense promise for deepening our understanding of diseases and uncovering new therapeutic strategies. This approach is especially valuable for diseases lacking reliable models.

Impact of smoke-free legislation on stroke risk: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Purpose: Secondhand smoke significantly increases the risk of cerebrovascular diseases, prompting recent public smoking bans. We aimed to ascertain the effects of smoke-free legislation on stroke incidence and mortality.

Methods: We systematically searched Medline, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Scopus up to August 13, 2023, for studies reporting changes in stroke incidence following partial or comprehensive smoking bans.

A systematic review and meta-analysis of neoadjuvant imatinib use in locally advanced and metastatic gastrointestinal stromal tumors.

Background: Several doubts remain regarding the optimal use of neoadjuvant imatinib in gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs), such as ideal treatment duration, patient selection, and long-term survival outcomes. This manuscript provides a comprehensive review on neoadjuvant imatinib treatment outcomes and facilitate evidence-based decision-making for the use of imatinib therapy in GISTs.

Methods: Four databases (PubMed, EMBASE, Scopus, and Cochrane Library) were searched from inception to September 9, 2023.

Psychometric Properties of a New Measure of Upper Limb Performance in Post-Stroke Individuals: Trunk-Based Index of Performance.

Background: Several measures of upper limb (UL) motor tasks have been developed to characterize recovery. However, UL performance and movement quality measures in isolation may not provide a true profile of functional recovery.

Objective: To investigate the measurement properties of a new trunk-based Index of Performance (IPt) of the UL combining endpoint performance (accuracy and speed) and movement quality (trunk displacement) in stroke.

Effect of exogenous testosterone in the context of energy deficit on risky choice: Behavioural and neural evidence from males.

Previous research has shown greater risk aversion when people make choices about lives than cash. We tested the hypothesis that compared to placebo, exogenous testosterone administration would lead to riskier choices about cash than lives, given testosterone's association with financial risk-taking and reward sensitivity. A double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized trial was conducted to test this hypothesis (Clinical Trials Registry: NCT02734238, www.

The brain under cognitive workload: Neural networks underlying multitasking performance in the multi-attribute task battery.

Multitasking is a common requirement in many occupations. Considerable research has demonstrated that performance declines as a result of multitasking, and that it engages multiple brain regions. Despite growing evidence suggesting that brain regions operate as networks, minimal research has investigated the cognitive brain networks implicated in multitasking.

Long term risk of recurrence among survivors of sudden cardiac arrest: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Aims: With a growing number of survivors of sudden cardiac arrest globally, their natural disease progression is of interest. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to determine the risk of recurrence after sudden cardiac arrest and its associated risk factors.

Methods: Medline, Embase, Cochrane Library and Scopus were searched from inception to October 2021.

Can a fast thinker be a good thinker? The neural correlates of base-rate neglect measured using a two-response paradigm.

Traditionally, it has been assumed that logical thinking requires deliberation. However, people can also make logical responses quickly, exhibiting . We examined the neural correlates of logical intuitions by administering base rate problems during fMRI scanning using a two-response paradigm where participants first responded quickly and then reflectively to problems that did or did not pit a normative response against an intuitively-cued stereotypical response (i.

Polarization impedance measurement cavity enhanced laser absorption spectroscopy.

We present a theoretical overview and experimental demonstration of a continuous-wave, cavity-enhanced optical absorption spectrometry method to detect molecular gas. This technique utilizes the two non-degenerate polarization modes of a birefringent cavity to obtain a zero background readout of the intra-cavity absorption. We use a double-pass equilateral triangle optical cavity design with additional feed-forward frequency noise correction to measure the R14e absorption line in the 30012←00001 band of CO at 1572.

The relationship between methods of scoring the alternate uses task and the neural correlates of divergent thinking: Evidence from voxel-based morphometry.

Divergent thinking tests have been used extensively in neuroscientific studies of creativity. However, output from tests of divergent thinking can be scored in different ways, and those scores can influence assessments of divergent thinking performance and its relationship with brain activation. Here we sought to investigate the relationship between various methods of scoring the Alternate Uses Task (AUT)-a well-known test of divergent thinking-and regional grey matter volume (GMV) using voxel-based morphometry (VBM).

Determining Corticospinal Tract Injury from Stroke Using Computed Tomography.

Introduction: Damage to the corticospinal tract (CST) from stroke leads to motor deficits. The damage can be quantified as the amount of overlap between the stroke lesion and CST (CST Injury). Previous literature has shown that the degree of motor deficits post-stroke is related to the amount of CST Injury.

Variability in stroke motor outcome is explained by structural and functional integrity of the motor system.

Biomarkers that represent the structural and functional integrity of the motor system enable us to better assess motor outcome post-stroke. The degree of overlap between the stroke lesion and corticospinal tract (CST Injury) is a measure of the structural integrity of the motor system, whereas the left-to-right motor cortex resting state connectivity (LM1-RM1 rs-connectivity) is a measure of its functional integrity. CST Injury and LM1-RM1 rs-connectivity each individually correlate with motor outcome post-stroke, but less is understood about the relationship between these biomarkers.

Neural coupling between contralesional motor and frontoparietal networks correlates with motor ability in individuals with chronic stroke.

Movement is traditionally viewed as a process that involves motor brain regions. However, movement also implicates non-motor regions such as prefrontal and parietal cortex, regions whose integrity may thus be important for motor recovery after stroke. Importantly, focal brain damage can affect neural functioning within and between distinct brain networks implicated in the damage.

Clevidipine versus sodium nitroprusside in acute aortic dissection: A retrospective chart review.

Aim: Intravenous vasodilators are often added to beta-blocking agents to reach blood pressure (BP) goals in aortic dissection. Control of BP using clevidipine has been described in hypertensive emergencies and cardiac surgery but not in aortic dissection. The aim of this study was to compare clevidipine versus sodium nitroprusside (SNP) as adjunct agents to esmolol for BP management in aortic dissection.

Algebraic cancellation of polarisation noise in fibre interferometers.

This experiment uses digital interferometry to reduce polarisation noise from a fiber interferometer to the level of double Rayleigh backscatter making precision fiber metrology systems robust for remote field applications. This is achieved with a measurement of the Jones matrix with interferometric sensitivity in real time, limited only by fibre length and processing bandwidth. This new approach leads to potentially new metrology applications and the ability to do ellipsometry without polarisation elements in the output field.

Prevalence of Delirium and Coma In Mechanically Ventilated Patients Sedated With Dexmedetomidine or Propofol.

Objective: To assess the prevalence of delirium and coma in mechanically ventilated patients sedated with dexmedetomidine or propofol alone; to evaluate the hospital length of stay for both treatment groups; and to evaluate the level of sedation, adverse effects, and hospital outcomes.

Methods: Medical records were reviewed retrospectively for patients who were admitted to the medical or surgical intensive care units (ICUs) in a 591-bed teaching hospital and who received either dexmedetomidine or propofol alone for 24 hours or more for sedation.

Results: A total of 111 patients were included in the study, with 56 patients in the dexmedetomidine group and 55 patients in the propofol group.

Suppressing Rayleigh backscatter and code noise from all-fiber digital interferometers.

We configure an all-fiber digital interferometer to eliminate both code noise and Rayleigh backscatter noise from bidirectional measurements. We utilize a sawtooth phase ramp to upconvert code noise beyond our signal bandwidth, demonstrating an in-band noise reduction of approximately two orders of magnitude. In addition, we demonstrate, for the first time to our knowledge, the use of relative code delays within a digital-interferometer system to eliminate Rayleigh-backscatter noise, resulting in a noise reduction of a factor of 50.

Weak-light phase tracking with a low cycle slip rate.

The Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment Follow-On mission will use a phase-locked loop to track changes in the phase of an optical signal that has been transmitted hundreds of kilometers between two spacecraft. Beam diffraction significantly reduces the received signal power, making it difficult to track, as the phase-locked loop is more susceptible to cycle slips. The lowest reported weak-light phase locking is at 40 fW with a cycle slip rate of 1 cycle per second.