Complications during multiorgan retrieval and pancreas preservation

In pancreas transplantation, complications can arise at each step of the process, from the initial selection of donors and recipients through the surgical technique itself and the post-operative period, when lifelong immunosuppression is required. In the early steps, careful retrieval and preservation of the pancreas are crucial for the viability of the organ and ultimate success of the transplant. The pancreas is a low-flow gland, making it highly sensitive to transplantation conditions and presenting risk of pancreatitis due to periods of ischemia. The two groups of donors - after brain death (DBD) or after cardiac arrest (DCD) - require different strategies of retrieval and preservation to avoid or reduce the risk of complications developing during and after the transplantation. For DBD donor transplantation, multiorgan retrieval and cold preservation is the conventional technique. Asystole donor (DCD) transplantation, in contrast, can benefit from the newest technologies, such as hypothermic and especially normothermic preservation machines (referred to as NECMO), to optimize organ preservation. The latter has led to an increase in the pool of donors by facilitating recuperation of organs for transplantation that would have been discarded otherwise.     

Errorless Learning and Spaced Retrieval Training for Clients with Alzheimer's Dementia

ABSTRACT

Clients with Alzheimer's dementia (AD) may experience limitations in completing activities of daily living (ADL) due to impairments in cognition, memory, and problem-solving. These clients are often referred to occupational therapy (OT) services in order to maximize independence in ADL and decrease caregiver burden. Occupational therapists may be challenged when developing treatment interventions for clients with AD due to client deficits in memory and learning. This article explores evidence-based learning strategies—errorless learning (EL) and spaced retrieval (SR)—to improve learning and memory and OT outcomes for clients with AD. The roles of memory and learning are discussed, and EL and SR strategies are explored for clients with AD. OT intervention ideas are identified, and strategies for integrating EL and SR techniques into the OT plan of care (POC) are also discussed. Future research implications are explored for expanding evidence for EL and SR as part of the OT POC.     

Applicability of consumer activity monitor data in marathon events: an exploratory study

Emerging opportunities to measure individual and population-level health data with activity monitors during recreational running activities may set the stage for new research possibilities in mass participation running events and marathon medicine. This study explores the applicability of consumer activity monitor data in a preliminary study for future marathon health research with a cohort of 12 (n?=?12) participants completing a 3.379?km walking or running course. This study explored the feasibility of collecting pace and distance data from Fitbit brand consumer activity monitors, from access to user data to reporting of data characteristics and data analysis. We show that a large percentage of participant data can be successfully retrieved from Fitbit consumer activity monitor devices for analysis in marathon health research, and that identifying variations in pace across participants is a practical possibility. We note a mean absolute percentage error of 13% over the true distance of 3.379?km, a higher error than that reported by other studies. We also observe a Pearson correlation coefficient between participant variation in pace and absolute distance error of 0.61. This study provides preliminary evidence to support the applicability of consumer activity monitor data in marathon health research.     

Bilateral and Unilateral Hippocampal Inactivation Did not Differ in their Effect on Consolidation Processes in the Morris Water Maze

Consolidation processes were studied in the rat by using functional inactivation techniques. Previous results showed that unilateral hippocampal inactivation alters consolidation. It is not clear if bilateral treatments increase the impairment. Wistar rats were trained in the Morris water maze during 4 consecutive days. Subjects received saline or tetrodotoxin in the dorsal hippocampus 1 min after training. Results showed that bilateral as well as unilateral treatments impair consolidation to the same degree, as shown by the mean latency to reach the platform. In both cases, the impairment is only visible in the first trial of the session following the blockade.     

Retrieving rules for behavior from long-term memory

Human behavior is often dictated by rules or prescribed guides for action. Little is currently known regarding how these rules are stored in long-term memory or retrieved and implemented. Here, we examined the roles of ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (VLPFC) and posterior middle temporal gyrus (postMTG) in rule use. We tested two hypotheses: first, that knowledge about actions associated with abstract visual symbols is stored in postMTG, and second, that VLPFC is involved in the controlled retrieval of rule meanings. Subjects viewed a series of road signs during event-related fMRI data collection. Three types of signs were intermixed: highly familiar signs, novel signs whose meaning was explained to subjects prior to scanning, and novel signs whose meaning was not explained. Subjects were asked to think about the meaning of each sign as it was presented during scanning and then to give its meaning in a post-scan test. Left postMTG was more active when subjects viewed signs whose meaning they knew than signs whose meaning they did not know, consistent with a role in storing rule meanings. This region was not modulated by experience, in that it was equally engaged by newly trained and well-learned signs. In contrast, right VLPFC was more active for newly trained signs than for either well-learned or incorrect ones, consistent with a role in controlled retrieval. Left VLPFC was reliably engaged while subjects attempted to interpret the signs but did not differ according to knowledge or experience. These data implicate postMTG in rule storage and VLPFC in rule retrieval.     

The role of precuneus and left inferior frontal cortex during source memory episodic retrieval

The posterior medial parietal cortex and left prefrontal cortex (PFC) have both been implicated in the recollection of past episodes. In a previous study, we found the posterior precuneus and left lateral inferior frontal cortex to be activated during episodic source memory retrieval. This study further examines the role of posterior precuneal and left prefrontal activation during episodic source memory retrieval using a similar source memory paradigm but with longer latency between encoding and retrieval. Our results suggest that both the precuneus and the left inferior PFC are important for regeneration of rich episodic contextual associations and that the precuneus activates in tandem with the left inferior PFC during correct source retrieval. Further, results suggest that the left ventro-lateral frontal region/frontal operculum is involved in searching for task-relevant information (BA 47) and subsequent monitoring or scrutiny (BA 44/45) while regions in the dorsal inferior frontal cortex are important for information selection (BA 45/46).