Progressive Remote Axonal Degeneration Following Spinal Cord Injury: A Histological and MRI Study.

In acute human spinal cord injury (SCI), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) reveals progressive neuroanatomical changes at the lesion site and in remote regions. Here, we aimed to elucidate the structural underpinnings of these neuroanatomical changes and to characterize their spatiotemporal distribution in a rat contusion SCI model, using both histology and MRI. First, rats subjected to a thoracic contusion SCI (T8) and sham-operated rats were sacrificed at 56 days post-injury (dpi), and SMI-32 immunohistochemistry was used to assess remote axonal degeneration at cervical segments C2-C5.

Non-monotonic time- and frequency-dependent diffusion kurtosis in the human brain revealed by pulsed and oscillating gradient experiments.

Purpose: To investigate the time and frequency dependence of diffusion kurtosis in the in vivo human brain with pulsed (PGSE) and oscillating gradient spin-echo (OGSE) experiments over a range of diffusion times and frequencies using high-performance gradients.

Methods: Four OGSE waveforms probing centroid frequencies of 11, 20, 34, and 51 Hz, corresponding to equivalent effective diffusion times of 22.7, 12.

Hippocampal iron patterns in aging and mild cognitive impairment.

Introduction: The entorhinal cortex (EC)-hippocampus system is critical for memory and affected early in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Cognitive dysfunction in AD is linked to neuropathological changes, including non-heme iron accumulation in vulnerable brain regions. This study characterized iron distribution in the EC-hippocampus system using ultra-high field (UHF) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at 7 Tesla (T) in aging and mild cognitive impairment (MCI), an AD at-risk state.

The emerging era of structural nanomedicine.

The lack of structural definition in nanomedicines limits therapeutic efficacy and complicates regulatory approval. Here, we emphasize that defining, designing and optimizing the structures of nanomedicine are critical to developing effective therapies because their architectures - not just the identity of their components - determines potency.

Ultrasound Radiomics Correlating With Clinical Markers for Enhanced Detection of Placenta Accreta Spectrum.

Objectives: (i) To develop an accurate and robust ultrasound-based quantitative index for placenta accreta spectrum (PAS) diagnosis by amalgamating texture features from B-mode and color Doppler imaging. (ii) To test the correlation of this index with established sonographic markers for PAS.

Methods: In this retrospective study, we collected 2106 texture features extracted from the midsagittal placental view of mid-trimester B-mode and Doppler ultrasound images.

Temperature-Dependent Dynamic Nuclear Polarization of Diamond.

Dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP) can increase nuclear magnetic resonance signals by several orders of magnitude. We report on C DNP experiments in diamond at 3.4 and 7 T static magnetic fields in a temperature range of 300 to 1.

Fast Small-Angle X-Ray Scattering Tensor Tomography: An Outlook into Future Applications in Life Sciences.

Small Angle-X-ray Scattering Tensor Tomography (SAS-TT) is a relatively new but powerful technique for studying the multiscale architecture of hierarchical structures particularly relevant to life science applications. Currently, the technique is very demanding on synchrotron beamtime, which limits its applications, especially for cases requiring a statistically relevant number of samples. This study reports the first SAS-TT measurement at a macromolecular X-ray crystallography beamline, PX-I at the Swiss Light Source (SLS), with an improvement in acquisition time from 96 h/Mvoxel in the pilot experiments to 6 h/Mvoxel with comparable sampling, defining a new standard for fast SAS-TT with a micrometer beam size and allowing to record a full tomogram in 1.

Structure-Activity Relationships of Inactive-Conformation Binding EGFR Inhibitors: Linking the ATP and Allosteric Pockets.

The epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase is an important therapeutic target in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, the continual emergence of resistance mutations in the treatment of EGFR mutation-positive NSCLC with currently approved tyrosine kinase inhibitors warrants the development of next-generation inhibitors. Since research for ATP-competitive EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) that extend into the back pocket has been neglected in the recent past, we survey the extent to which such binding functional groups can be incorporated into an ATP-site imidazole scaffold.

Double dissociation of dynamic and static face perception provides causal evidence for a third visual pathway.

The two-pathway ventral ("what") and dorsal ("where") model of visual perception has dominated neuroscience for over 30 years. In this framework, face perception, crucial for social interactions, is linked to the ventral pathway, which processes static features. However, dynamic facial expressions activate the superior temporal sulcus, outside both established pathways.

Cardiac digital twins at scale from MRI: Open tools and representative models from ~ 55000 UK Biobank participants.

A cardiac digital twin is a virtual replica of a patient's heart for screening, diagnosis, prognosis, risk assessment, and treatment planning of cardiovascular diseases. This requires an anatomically accurate patient-specific 3D structural representation of the heart, suitable for electro-mechanical simulations or study of disease mechanisms. However, generation of cardiac digital twins at scale is demanding and there are no public repositories of models across demographic groups.

Double network microgels based on dextran and fibrin with tunable structural, mechanical, and degradation properties.

Colloidal hydrogels, also known as microgels, are promising scaffold materials in the biomedical field. Microgels exhibit high biocompatibility, porosity, and mechanical stability, crucial in supporting cell development. Bio-based polymers, such as fibrin or dextran, are desirable for controlling the properties of microgels.

Using Wearable MEG to Study the Neural Control of Human Stepping.

A central challenge in movement neuroscience is developing methods for non-invasive spatiotemporal imaging of brain activity during natural, whole-body movement. We test the utility of a new brain imaging modality, optically pumped magnetoencephalography (OP-MEG), as an instrument to study the spatiotemporal dynamics of human walking. Specifically, we ask whether known physiological signals can be recovered during discrete steps involving large-scale, whole-body translation.

Synaptic loss pattern is constrained by brain connectome and modulated by phosphorylated tau in Alzheimer's disease.

Synaptic loss strongly correlates with cognitive impairment in Alzheimer's disease (AD), yet the mechanism linking its origin and pattern remain unclear. Given that connected brain regions share molecular and synaptic features, and pathological tau, a key driver of synaptic degeneration, propagates through brain networks, we hypothesize that network architecture may influence synaptic loss in AD. By combining synaptic vesicle glycoprotein 2 A (SV2A) PET in 91 AD patients and 54 controls with normative connectome data, we show strongly connected regions exhibit similar levels of synaptic loss, and synaptic loss in one region is associated with connectivity-weighted synaptic loss in connected regions.

Holographic transcranial ultrasound neuromodulation enhances stimulation efficacy by cooperatively recruiting distributed brain circuits.

Precision-targeted ultrasonic neuromodulation offers immense potential for studying brain function and treating neurological diseases. Yet, its application has been limited by challenges in achieving precise spatio-temporal control and monitoring of ultrasound effects on brain circuits. Here we show that transcranial ultrasound elicits direct and highly focal responses, which can be dynamically steered at spatio-temporal scales relevant for neural function.

Ultrawideband high density polymer-based spherical array for real-time functional optoacoustic micro-angiography.

Owing to its unique ability to capture volumetric tomographic information with a single light flash, optoacoustic (OA) tomography has recently demonstrated ultrafast imaging speeds ultimately limited by the ultrasound time-of-flight. The method's scalability and the achievable spatial resolution are yet limited by the narrow bandwidth of piezo-composite arrays currently employed for OA signal detection. Here we report on the first implementation of high-density spherical array technology based on flexible polyvinylidene difluoride films featuring ultrawideband (0.

Human Milk Oligosaccharides Multivalently Presented on Defined Synthetic Neo-Glycoproteins Are Nanomolar Ligands of Tandem-Repeat Galectins.

Galectins are small human proteins participating in inflammation processes, immune response, and cancerogenesis. Tandem-repeat galectins comprising Gal-4, Gal-8, and Gal-9 are a vital yet less studied part of the galectin fingerprint in cancer-related processes. The present work studies a library of prepared multivalent neo-glycoproteins decorated with poly--acetyllactosamine and human-milk-type oligosaccharides as ligands of this underexplored family of tandem-repeat galectins.

Hypotaurine Reduces Glucose-Mediated Vascular Calcification.

Aim: Vascular calcification (VC), a characteristic feature of peripheral artery disease in patients with diabetes and chronic kidney disease, has been associated with poor prognosis. We hypothesize that hyperglycemia drives VC through alterations in metabolomic and transcriptomic profiles.

Methods: Human coronary artery smooth muscle cells (SMCs) were cultured with 0, 5.

Cardiac arrhythmias in sudden unexpected death in epilepsy: A systematic review.

Objective: Sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP) is a devastating event, where the role of cardiac arrhythmias is poorly understood. We systematically evaluated the types and timing of cardiac arrhythmias in SUDEP/near-SUDEP patients from published literature.

Methods: A systematic search was performed on PubMed and Embase.

Development of an inhalable dry powder formulation for inhibition of SARS-CoV-2.

Coronaviruses, including SARS-CoV-2, can cause significant lung damage and may result in multiple organ failure. The severity of COVID-19 is determined by the virus's entry into lung tissue and subsequent replication. This entry is facilitated by the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) in combination with the serine protease TMPRSS2, which is a critical step.

Local laser fluence estimation in optical resolution optoacoustic angiography employing calibrated ultrasound detector.

Optical-resolution optoacoustic (photoacoustic) microscopy is a hybrid imaging modality combining focused optical excitation with ultrasound detection, thus achieving micrometer-scale spatial resolution and high-contrast angiographic imaging. Despite these important advantages, maintaining safe laser fluence levels is essential to prevent tissue damage while ensuring sufficient detection sensitivity. Here, we introduce a model that directly relates the detector's noise-equivalent pressure (NEP) to the local laser fluence at the imaged blood vessel.

Monitoring high-intensity focused ultrasound thermal therapy by ultrasound doppler imaging using twinkling artifact.

High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU) is a non-invasive therapeutic modality that uses high-energy acoustic waves to thermally coagulate tissue at the focal region. The Twinkling Artifact (TA) is a color Doppler artifact caused by the acoustic radiation force and the consequent tissue vibration during Doppler imaging. This paper aims to employ TA for real-time detection and monitoring of HIFU-induced lesions.

Integrated two-photon and optoacoustic microscopy for functional neuroimaging.

Understanding the interaction between cerebral vasculature and neurons is critical for studying neurovascular processes and their roles in brain function and neurological disorders. Existing functional neuroimaging approaches face trade-offs between resolution, penetration depth, and spatiotemporal alignment, limiting their ability to comprehensively image neurovascular anatomy and function in vivo. To address this challenge, we developed a dual-modality system that combines optical-resolution optoacoustic microscopy with two-photon fluorescence microscopy.

Meta-analysis shows a malleable rightward bias in the expectations of objects in space.

Pseudoneglect, considered the archetype of spatial attentional asymmetries among neurologically healthy individuals, is traditionally described as a consistent leftward error in visuo-spatial tasks. Here we challenge this notion by revealing a consistent rightward "internal" bias in a task where participants' representational encoding of visuo-spatial information is captured. Our meta-analysis across seven experiments in 1750 neurotypical individuals robustly demonstrates a rightward internal bias in the expectations of objects in space.

An Electroporation Cytometry Protocol for Live-Cell, Fluorescence Microscopy Using U2 OS Cell Culture.

Pulsed electric fields (PEFs) have a wide range of applications in medical research and clinical applications. A key area of research focuses on electroporation (reversible or irreversible). Reversible electroporation has been used for several decades for transferring molecules through cell membranes such as plasmid DNA, typically referred to as gene electrotransfer (GET).

EACVI survey on evaluation and quantification of aortic regurgitation by multi-modality imaging.

Aims: To investigate the real-world, current clinical practice of the assessment and management of aortic regurgitation (AR).

Methods And Results: An electronic survey was distributed to cardiovascular imaging specialists by the European Society Association of Cardiovascular Imaging Scientific Initiatives Committee. Three hundred respondents from 66 countries completed the survey.