Degenerate mode band-pass birdcage coil for accelerated parallel excitation.

An eight-rung, 3T degenerate birdcage coil (DBC) was constructed and evaluated for accelerated parallel excitation of the head with eight independent excitation channels. Two mode configurations were tested. In the first, each of the eight loops formed by the birdcage was individually excited, producing an excitation pattern similar to a loop coil array. In the second configuration a Butler matrix transformed this "loop coil" basis set into a basis set representing the orthogonal modes of the birdcage coil. In this case the rung currents vary sinusoidally around the coil and only four of the eight modes have significant excitation capability (the other four produce anticircularly polarized (ACP) fields). The lowest useful mode produces the familiar uniform B(1) field pattern, and the higher-order modes produce center magnitude nulls and azimuthal phase variations. The measured magnitude and phase excitation profiles of the individual modes were used to generate one-, four-, six-, and eightfold-accelerated spatially tailored RF excitations with 2D and 3D k-space excitation trajectories. Transmit accelerations of up to six-fold were possible with acceptable levels of spatial artifact. The orthogonal basis set provided by the Butler matrix was found to be advantageous when an orthogonal subset of these modes was used to mitigate B(1) transmit inhomogeneities using parallel excitation.     

Contractures in frail nursing home residents

Contractures are a common but preventable consequence of prolonged physical immobility among nursing home residents. Significant for their associated costs in institutions rendering care to frail elder residents, contractures further reduce mobility and increase the risk of other outcomes of decreased mobility, such as pressure ulcers. This secondary analysis examines the prevalence of contractures in 273 residents who participated in an interventional study focusing on reducing restrictive siderails. Almost two thirds of the participants had at least 1 contracture, with the most common locations being the shoulder and knee. Presence of pain and being non-White were significant predictors of contracture presence. This study highlights the high prevalence of contractures, the underlying factors associated with them, and the need to prevent or minimize contracture formation, including the role restorative nursing care plays in this avoidable condition.     

Histamine release during rapid vancomycin administration

Inflammation Research -     

Opposition Splint for Partial Thumb Amputation: A Case Study Measuring Disability before and after Splint Use

Study DesignCase report.IntroductionA combined burn and a partial amputation can be extremely debilitating as the thumb constitutes 40% of the entire hand when evaluating functional impairment.Purpose of the StudyMeasure disability with and without opposition splint use after partial thumb amputation due to a burn.MethodsImpairment and disability measures were completed at discharge from the hospital and subsequently during outpatient follow-up visits while wearing and not wearing a thumb opposition splint at 3, 6, 8, and 15 months. Comparisons between disability and impairment scores were assessed over time.ResultsThe difference between DASH scores with and without using the splint were 25 at 3 months, 16 at 6 months, 10 at 8 months, and 12 at 15 months.ConclusionsSplint use in this case demonstrated clinically significant changes over time with minimal changes in impairment indicating enhanced function and improved patient perception of disability.Level of Evidence4     

Neurotrophins exert immunomodulatory functions on peripheral blood eosinophils in atopic dermatitis

Recently, the functional role of neurotrophins on eosinophils in allergic asthma has been described. The aim of this study was to investigate the possible role of BDNF, NT-3, NT-4 and NGF on peripheral blood eosinophils in atopic dermatitis (AD). AD patients were defined according to the criteria of Hanifin and Rajika. Peripheral blood eosinophils were purified by CD16-negative selection (purity >98%) and stimulated with BDNF, NT-3, NT-4 (10, 50 and 100 ng/ml), or NGF (100, 500 and 1000 ng/ml) for 24 up to 120 h. Apoptotic eosinophils were investigated by determining their hypodiploid DNA peak and Annexin V method, respectively. Chemotactic index was assessed in a modified Boyden chamber assay and respiratory burst by lucigenin-dependent chemiluminescence. Stimulation with BDNF, NT-3 and NGF significantly inhibited the programmed cell death of AD eosinophils ( P  < 0.05–0.01) at each time point (24 h up to 120 h in culture). Chemotactic index was significantly increased in AD eosinophils after stimulation with BDNF, NT-3 and NT-4 ( P  < 0.05–0.01). Respiratory burst of AD eosinophils was not modified after stimulation with BDNF, NT-3, NT-4 or NGF. To summarize, BDNF, NT-3 and NGF significantly inhibited the programmed cell death of AD eosinophils. However, BDNF, NT-3, NT-4 and NGF did not modulate respiratory burst of AD peripheral blood eosinophils. On the other hand, BDNF, NT3 and NT-4 significantly induced AD eosinophil chemotaxis. Taken together, neurotrophins have a functional role on peripheral blood eosinophils revealing neuro–immunological interactions in AD.
Supported by HILF grant.     

Neurotrophins in murine viscera: a dynamic pattern from birth to adulthood

There is growing evidence that target-derived neurotrophins regulate the function of visceral neurons after birth. However, the postnatal profile of neurotrophin supply from internal organs is poorly described. In this study, we compared neurotrophin concentrations in lysates of murine peripheral target tissues (lung, heart, liver, colon, spleen, thymus, kidney and urinary bladder) at different time points after birth. In most organs, there was a decrease of neurotrophin concentrations in the first weeks after birth. In contrast, there were characteristic increases of specific neurotrophins during adolescence or adulthood. These increases were found for nerve growth factor (NGF) in the heart, thymus, kidney and liver, for brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in the lung, and for neurotrophin-3 (NT-3) in the colon. In conclusion, we show that neurotrophins display a very differential and dynamic profile in internal organs after birth.