Galvanic vestibular stimulation reduces the pathological rightward line bisection error in neglect-a sham stimulation-controlled study

Patients with right hemisphere lesions often show left spatial neglect and the typical rightward deviation in horizontal line bisection. Previous studies have shown that sensory stimulation modulates line bisection. A less well-known but promising sensory stimulation method is galvanic vestibular stimulation (GVS). This non-invasive technique leads to activation of the vestibular cortices and adjacent cortical areas in the temporo-parietal cortex via polarization effects of the vestibular nerves. This is accomplished by application of weak direct currents, delivered by two electrodes attached to the mastoids. Despite the relative benefits of GVS its effects on line bisection have not yet been studied in neglect patients. Thus, the present study investigated the impact of GVS on performance in a modified line bisection task in right-brain damaged patients with versus without leftsided visual neglect. In neglect patients, but not in control patients, left-cathodal and right-cathodal GVS significantly reduced the rightward line bisection error as compared to Baseline (without GVS) and sham stimulation. A larger decrease of the rightward line bisection error was observed during right-cathodal GVS. Sham stimulation showed no specific effects on line bisection. The beneficial effects of GVS might be due to activation of preserved structures of the lesioned right posterior parietal cortex which is known to be involved in line bisection.     

Eupatorium perfoliatum L.: phytochemistry, traditional use and current applications

Ethnopharmacological relevance

Eupatorium perfoliatum L. originates from North America, where it has been widely used since centuries by native Indians. Additionally extracts are used also in Europe as immunostimulating agent for treatment of fever and cold. The following review summarizes published data on phytochemistry, ethnopharmacological use, as well as clinical and preclinical data.

Materials and methods

Literature survey was performed via SciFinder^® on papers and patents and by systematic research in ethnopharmacological literature at various university libraries.

Results

The phytochemical composition of Eupatorium perfoliatum is described in detail for volatile oil, caffeic acid derivatives, flavonoids, sesquiterpene lactones, tannins, polysaccharides. Methods for analytical quality control, as well as specification for relevant lead structures can be deduced from published batch analysis. Preclinical studies indicate anti-inflammatory effects of ethanolic extracts, which can be correlated on a molecular level to eupafolin and sesquiterpen lactones. Antiplasmodial, antioxidative and immunomodulating activities are additionally discussed. Clinical data on the use of Eupatorium perfoliatum do not meet modern GCP requirements, but do indicate positive tendencies for use of ethanolic extracts for treatment of common colds.

Conclusion

While the postulated immunostimulating properties of Eupatorium perfoliatum have not been confirmed by in vitro data, animal-studies and in vitro experiments with plant extracts both indicate antiinflammatory effects beside antiplasmodial effect against Plasmodium falciparum. Such an antiinflammation caused by the ethanolic extracts can be correlated well with clinical symptoms related to diseases as common cold, rheumatism, athritis etc. These data also support the plausibility of the plant's traditional use by the North American indigenous population and early European settlers. In principle quality aspects of the herbal material have to be affirmed by establishing modern pharmacopoeial control methods to guarantee constant and reliable quality.     

In Situ Hall Effect Monitoring of Vacuum Annealing of In2O3:H Thin Films

Hydrogen doped In₂O₃ thin films were prepared by room temperature sputter deposition with the addition of H₂O to the sputter gas. By subsequent vacuum annealing, the films obtain high mobility up to 90 cm²/Vs. The films were analyzed in situ by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and ex situ by X-ray diffraction (XRD), optical transmission and Hall effect measurements. Furthermore, we present results from in situ Hall effect measurements during vacuum annealing of In₂O₃:H films, revealing distinct dependence of carrier concentration and mobility with time at different annealing temperatures. We suggest hydrogen passivation of grain boundaries as the main reason for the high mobility obtained with In₂O₃:H films.     

Structured reporting in petrous bone MRI examinations: impact on report completeness and quality

Purpose

To investigate whether structured reports (SRs) provide benefits regarding the completeness and the clarity of reports, as well as regarding the satisfaction of the referring physicians compared to narrative freetext reports (NRs) of MRI examinations of the petrous bone.

Methods

After sample size calculation, 32 patients with clinically indicated MRI examinations of the petrous bone were included in this retrospective study. The already existing NRs were taken from the radiologic information system. The corresponding SRs were retrospectively generated by two radiologists using an online-based application. All 64 reports (one NR and one SR per patient) were evaluated by two head and neck physicians using a questionnaire.

Results

While 41% of the SRs showed no missing report key feature, all NRs exhibited at least one missing key feature (p?<?0.001). SRs achieved significantly higher satisfaction rates regarding the linguistic quality and overall report quality compared to NRs: Using a 6-point Likert scale (1?=?insufficient to 6?=?excellent), SRs were rated with a median value of 6 [interquartile range (IQR): 1] for linguistic as well as overall quality, and NRs were rated with a median of 5 (IQR: 0) for linguistic as well as overall quality (p?<?0.001).

Conclusions

Structured reporting of petrous bone MRI examinations may positively influence the completeness and quality of radiologic reports. Due to the easier readability and facilitation of information extraction, SRs improve the satisfaction level of the referring physicians.

     

Polar body biopsy and aneuploidy testing by simultaneous detection of six chromosomes

OBJECTIVES: To simultaneously detect six chromosomes in a single round of fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) during polar body diagnosis and aneuploidy testing in human in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment. METHODS: A commercially available five-color FISH probe was modified by an additional chromosome probe. This kit was first tested on lymphocyte spreads and then used for polar body diagnosis (PBD) in patients with advanced maternal age and repeated implantation failure. The outcome of IVF treatment was compared with a control group. RESULTS: All six chromosomes could be simultaneously detected and easily distinguished by FISH analysis. PBD and aneuploidy testing were performed in 75 treatment cycles and compared with 126 controls. The biochemical pregnancy rate was significantly higher in the PBD group (37.1% vs 22.9%, p < 0.05) and a trend was observed for higher clinical pregnancy and implantation rates (24.22% and 14.4% vs 18.62% and 10.8%, respectively) and lower abortion rates (20% vs 31.8%) following PBD. CONCLUSIONS: The simultaneous detection of six chromosomes in a single FISH round is possible and can be applied to PBD. This approach may present another step towards increasing the number of chromosomes for aneuploidy testing.