Waddelldideriksen3662

The use of PGSE sequences led to unrealistically elevated axial diffusivity values in the tibialis anterior during dorsiflexion and in the soleus during plantarflexion, while the corresponding values obtained using the OGSE sequences were significantly reduced. Similar findings were seen for radial diffusivity, with significantly higher diffusivity measured in plantarflexion in the soleus muscle using the PGSE sequence. Our preliminary results indicate that DTI with OGSE diffusion encoding is feasible in human musculature and allows to quantitatively assess diffusion properties in actively contracting skeletal muscle. OGSE holds great potential to assess microstructural changes occurring in the skeletal muscle during contraction, and for non-invasive assessment of contraction abnormalities in patients with muscle diseases.Background and Objectives The associations between objective sleep architecture and metabolic parameters have been rarely studied in patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Here, we evaluated the associations between objective sleep measures derived via polysomnography (PSG) and metabolic parameters. Methods A total of 2,308 subjects with suspected OSA were included. We measured common metabolic parameters such as body mass index (BMI) and glucose, insulin, blood pressure, total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels. All subjects underwent full-night PSG. PSG sleep parameters included total sleep time (TST), time spent in slow-wave sleep (SWS) and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, sleep efficiency, and the microarousal index (MAI). WAY-316606 Results The TST correlated with the BMI, glucose level, and systolic blood pressure. The SWS/TST ratio correlated with BMI and glucose, TC, and TG levels. The REM/TST ratio correlated with BMI, glucose, insulin, and TG levels, and diastolic blood pressure. We found significant relationships between sleep efficiency and BMI, glucose levels, and TG levels. The MAI was significantly correlated with all metabolic parameters. After adjustment for age, gender, smoking status, alcohol use, apnea hypopnea index, and oxygen desaturation index (ODI), multiple linear regression analysis showed that the MAI was independently associated with glucose level, TC, HDL, and LDL. REM/TST ratio was positively associated with diastolic blood pressure but negatively associated with glucose metabolism. Conclusions Though some independent correlation between sleep and metabolic parameters was confirmed, only weak associations were observed, suggesting a clinically negligible influence of sleep structure. Further prospective studies are warranted to confirm our findings.Objective Carotid atherosclerosis is a known marker of increased cardiovascular risk. We aimed to assess the current epidemiology of carotid atherosclerosis, carotid plaque and related risk factors in rural northeast China. Methods The population-based, cross-sectional study was conducted in 5,838 adults aged ≥40 years residing in rural northeast China in 2017-2018. A multi-stage cluster sampling method was used to select the representative sample. Carotid atherosclerosis was defined as carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) ≥1.0 mm or presence of plaque. Results The mean CIMT was 0.72 ± 0.13 mm and increased with age in this population. Among 2,457 individuals with carotid atherosclerosis, 2,333 were diagnosed with carotid plaque, and 210 individuals were moderate or severe carotid stenosis. Crude prevalence of carotid atherosclerosis and plaque were 42.1 and 40.0%, significantly higher in men than in women (p less then 0.001). The age-standardized prevalence of carotid atherosclerosis and carotid plaque were 33.1 and 31.5%, respectively. Advancing age, men, hypertension, diabetes, current smoking, ever-smoking and lack of exercise were risk factors for carotid atherosclerosis. Hypertension (69.1%), dyslipidemia (26.0%) and diabetes (16.1%) were highly prevalent in participants with carotid atherosclerosis. However, the control rates of those comorbidities were frustratingly low (4.7, 8.2, and 14.2%, respectively). Conclusions The high prevalence of carotid atherosclerosis, carotid plaque, carotid stenosis and uncontrolled risk factors indicated the high burden of cardiovascular disease in rural northeast China, particularly in men. Strategies of prevention and management of atherosclerosis and related risk factors were urgently needed in rural northeast China.Background A fatal outcome occurs in 2% of patients with Reversible Cerebral Vasoconstriction Syndrome (RCVS). Due to its rarity, guidelines for the management of the most severe forms of RCVS are lacking. Case presentation Here, we describe the case of a 55 year-old woman who died from complications of RCVS and reviewed patients with fatal outcome reported in the literature. In our patient, the first episode of neurological deterioration was preceded by an increase of cerebral blood flow velocities assessed with transcranial Doppler. A fatal evolution could not be prevented despite therapeutic escalation consisting of multiple non-invasive and invasive treatments including cervical sympathetic bloc and continuous arterial infusion of nimodipine at the site of severe vasoconstriction. Conclusion This case and the review of literature illustrate the challenges in the management of patients with severe RCVS. We describe here how monitoring of cerebral blood flow might help anticipate clinical worsening at the beginning of the disease and propose novel invasive and non-invasive therapeutic strategies based on monitoring of neurophysiological parameters.Non-invasive low-intensity transcranial electrical stimulation (tES) of the brain is an evolving field that has brought remarkable attention in the past few decades for its ability to directly modulate specific brain functions. Neurobiological after-effects of tES seems to be related to changes in neuronal and synaptic excitability and plasticity, however mechanisms are still far from being elucidated. We aim to review recent results from in vitro and in vivo studies that highlight molecular and cellular mechanisms of transcranial direct (tDCS) and alternating (tACS) current stimulation. Changes in membrane potential and neural synchronization explain the ongoing and short-lasting effects of tES, while changes induced in existing proteins and new protein synthesis is required for long-lasting plastic changes (LTP/LTD). Glial cells, for decades supporting elements, are now considered constitutive part of the synapse and might contribute to the mechanisms of synaptic plasticity. This review brings into focus the neurobiological mechanisms and after-effects of tDCS and tACS from in vitro and in vivo studies, in both animals and humans, highlighting possible pathways for the development of targeted therapeutic applications.