(What's the story) morning glory? MRI findings in morning glory disc anomaly.

PURPOSE: Morning glory disc anomaly (MGDA) is a rare congenital ophthalmologic disorder. Historically it has been diagnosed fundoscopically, with little in the literature regarding its imaging findings. The purpose of this study is to further characterize the orbital and associated intracranial magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings of MGDA in our tertiary pediatric center. METHODS: A retrospective review was performed of fundoscopically-diagnosed cases of MGDA, that had been referred for MRI. All MRI studies were scrutinized for orbital and other intracranial abnormalities known to occur in association with MGDA. RESULTS: 18 of 19 cases of MGDA showed three characteristic MRI findings: funnel-shaped morphology of the posterior optic disc, abnormal soft tissue associated with the retrobulbar optic nerve, and effacement of adjacent subarachnoid spaces. The ipsilateral (intraorbital) optic nerve was larger in one patient and smaller in six. The ipsilateral optic chiasm was larger in two patients and smaller in one. CONCLUSION: This study represents a comprehensive radiological-led investigation into MGDA. It describes the most frequently-encountered MRI findings in MGDA and emphasizes the importance of MRI in this cohort, i.e., in distinguishing MGDA from other posterior globe abnormalities, in assessing the visual pathway, and in screening for associated intracranial abnormalities - skull base/cerebral, vascular, and facial. It hypothesizes neurocristopathy as an underlying cause of MGDA and its associations. Caliber abnormalities of the ipsilateral optic nerve and chiasm are a frequent finding in MGDA. Optic pathway enlargement should not be labeled "glioma". (239/250).

Are multiple projections necessary when assessing umbilical venous catheter placement in neonates? A retrospective study.

INTRODUCTION: There is variability in clinical practice regarding the number of radiographic views required to accurately determine umbilical venous catheter (UVC) tip position. Some units prefer performing a single anteroposterior (AP) view and others do both AP and lateral views. The aim of this study was to compare the need for one versus two radiographical views to accurately determine UVC tip position. METHODS: Radiographs of 382 infants (all gestations) from two level six neonatal units were included in the study. Patients with congenital anomalies and those who had adjustment of UVC position between AP and lateral films being performed were excluded. Six clinicians reviewed anonymized AP only images and documented UVC tip position. Subsequently, they reviewed both AP and lateral views and again documented the UVC tip position. Results were compared to the expert consensus which was taken from the consensus of two paediatric radiologists. RESULTS: The study population had a mean gestational age of 32.8 weeks and birth weight of 2190 g, with 58% males. The UVC tip positions were accurately determined 76% times by the AP view alone and 82% times by using both the AP and lateral views (P < 0.001). The low placed UVC tip position which is the most inappropriate for use was more accurately determined by two images (78% times) rather than single image (70% times) (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Utilising both AP and lateral views was superior in accurately determining UVC tip position to AP view alone.

Validation of body surface colonic mapping (BSCM) against high resolution colonic manometry for evaluation of colonic motility.

Abnormal cyclic motor pattern (CMP) activity is implicated in colonic dysfunction, but the only tool to evaluate CMP activity, high-resolution colonic manometry (HRCM), remains expensive and not widely accessible. This study aimed to validate body surface colonic mapping (BSCM) through direct correlation with HRCM. Synchronous meal-test recordings were performed in asymptomatic participants with intact colons. A signal processing method for BSCM was developed to detect CMPs. Quantitative temporal analysis was performed comparing the meal responses and motility indices (MI). Spatial heat maps were also compared. Post-study questionnaires evaluated participants' preference and comfort/distress experienced from either test. 11 participants were recruited and 7 had successful synchronous recordings (5 females/2 males; median age: 50 years [range 38-63]). The best-correlating MI temporal analyses achieved a high degree of agreement (median Pearson correlation coefficient (Rp) value: 0.69; range 0.47-0.77). HRCM and BSCM meal response start and end times (Rp = 0.998 and 0.83; both p < 0.05) and durations (Rp = 0.85; p = 0.03) were similar. Heat maps demonstrated good spatial agreement. BSCM is the first non-invasive method to be validated by demonstrating a direct spatio-temporal correlation to manometry in evaluating colonic motility.

Translation of an existing implantable cardiac monitoring device for measurement of gastric electrical slow-wave activity.

BACKGROUND: Despite evidence that slow-wave dysrhythmia in the stomach is associated with clinical conditions such as gastroparesis and functional dyspepsia, there is still no widely available device for long-term monitoring of gastric electrical signals. Actionable biomarkers of gastrointestinal health are critically needed, and an implantable slow-wave monitoring device could aid in the establishment of causal relationships between symptoms and gastric electrophysiology. Recent developments in the area of wireless implantable gastric monitors demonstrate potential, but additional work and validation are required before this potential can be realized. METHODS: We hypothesized that translating an existing implantable cardiac monitoring device, the Reveal LINQ™ (Medtronic), would present a more immediate solution. Following ethical approval and laparotomy in anesthetized pigs (n = 7), a Reveal LINQ was placed on the serosal surface of the stomach, immediately adjacent to a validated flexible-printed-circuit (FPC) electrical mapping array. Data were recorded for periods of 7.5 min, and the resultant signal characteristics from the FPC array and Reveal LINQ were compared. KEY RESULTS: The Reveal LINQ device recorded slow waves in 6/7 subjects with a comparable period (p = 0.69), signal-to-noise ratio (p = 0.58), and downstroke width (p = 0.98) to the FPC, but with reduced amplitude (p = 0.024). Qualitatively, the Reveal LINQ slow-wave signal lacked the prolonged repolarization phase present in the FPC signals. CONCLUSIONS & INFERENCES: These findings suggest that existing cardiac monitors may offer an efficient solution for the long-term monitoring of slow waves. Translation toward implantation now awaits.

Comparison of Dry and Wet Electrodes for Detecting Gastrointestinal Activity Patterns from Body Surface Electrical Recordings.

Gastrointestinal motility patterns can be mapped via electrical signals measured non-invasively on the body surface. However, short-term (≈ 2-4 h) meal response studies as well as long-term monitoring (≥ 24 h) may be hindered by skin irritation inherent with traditional Ag/AgCl pre-gelled ("wet") electrodes. The aim of this work was to investigate the practical utility of using dry electrodes for GI body-surface electrical measurements. To directly compare dry vs. wet electrodes, we simultaneously recorded electrical signals from both types arranged in a 9-electrode array during an ≈ 2.5 h colonic meal-response study. Wavelet-based analyses were used to identify the signature post-meal colonic cyclic motor patterns. Blinded comparison of signal quality was carried out by four expert manual reviewers in order to assess the practical utility of each electrode type for identifying GI activity patterns. Dry electrodes recorded high-quality GI signals with signal-to-noise ratio of 10.0 ± 3.5 dB, comparable to that of wet electrodes (9.9 ± 3.6 dB). Although users rated dry electrodes as slightly more difficult to self-apply, they caused no skin irritation and were thus better tolerated overall. Dry electrodes are a more comfortable alternative to conventional wet electrode systems, and may offer a potentially viable option for long-term GI monitoring studies.

Revised spectral metrics for body surface measurements of gastric electrophysiology.

BACKGROUND: Electrogastrography (EGG) non-invasively evaluates gastric function but has not achieved common clinical adoption due to several technical limitations. Body Surface Gastric Mapping (BSGM) has been introduced to overcome these limitations, but pitfalls in traditional metrics used to analyze spectral data remain unaddressed. This study critically evaluates five traditional EGG metrics and introduces improved BSGM spectral metrics, with validation in a large cohort. METHODS: Pitfalls in five EGG metrics were assessed (dominant frequency, percentage time normogastria, amplitude, power ratio, and instability coefficient), leading to four revised BSGM spectral metrics. Traditional and revised metrics were compared to validate performance using a standardized 100-subject database of BSGM tests (30 min baseline; 4-h postprandial) recorded using Gastric Alimetry® (Alimetry). KEY RESULTS: BMI and amplitude were highly correlated (r = -0.57, p < 0.001). We applied a conservative BMI correction to obtain a BMI-adjusted amplitude metric (r = -0.21, p = 0.037). Instability coefficient was highly correlated with both dominant frequency (r = -0.44, p < 0.001), and percent bradygastria (r = 0.85, p < 0.001), in part due to misclassification of low frequency transients as gastric activity. This was corrected by introducing distinct gastric frequency and stability metrics (Principal Gastric Frequency and Gastric Alimetry Rhythm Index (GA-RI)TM ) that were uncorrelated (r = 0.14, p = 0.314). Only 28% of subjects showed a maximal averaged amplitude within the first postprandial hour. Calculating Fed:Fasted Amplitude Ratio over a 4-h postprandial window yielded a median increase of 0.31 (IQR 0-0.64) above the traditional ratio. CONCLUSIONS & INFERENCES: The revised metrics resolve critical pitfalls impairing the performance of traditional EGG, and should be applied in future BSGM spectral analyses.

Validation of noninvasive body-surface gastric mapping for detecting gastric slow-wave spatiotemporal features by simultaneous serosal mapping in porcine.

Gastric disorders are increasingly prevalent, but reliable noninvasive tools to objectively assess gastric function are lacking. Body-surface gastric mapping (BSGM) is a noninvasive method for the detection of gastric electrophysiological features, which are correlated with symptoms in patients with gastroparesis and functional dyspepsia. Previous studies have validated the relationship between serosal and cutaneous recordings from limited number of channels. This study aimed to comprehensively evaluate the basis of BSGM from 64 cutaneous channels and reliably identify spatial biomarkers associated with slow-wave dysrhythmias. High-resolution electrode arrays were placed to simultaneously capture slow waves from the gastric serosa (32 × 6 electrodes at 4 mm spacing) and epigastrium (8 × 8 electrodes at 20 mm spacing) in 14 porcine subjects. BSGM signals were processed based on a combination of wavelet and phase information analyses. A total of 1,185 individual cycles of slow waves were assessed, out of which 897 (76%) were classified as normal antegrade waves, occurring in 10 (71%) subjects studied. BSGM accurately detected the underlying slow wave in terms of frequency (r = 0.99, P = 0.43) as well as the direction of propagation (P = 0.41, F-measure: 0.92). In addition, the cycle-by-cycle match between BSGM and transitions of gastric slow wave dysrhythmias was demonstrated. These results validate BSGM as a suitable method for noninvasively and accurately detecting gastric slow-wave spatiotemporal profiles from the body surface.NEW & NOTEWORTHY Gastric dysfunctions are associated with abnormalities in the gastric bioelectrical slow waves. Noninvasive detection of gastric slow waves from the body surface can be achieved through multichannel, high-resolution, body-surface gastric mapping (BSGM). BSGM matched the spatiotemporal characteristics of gastric slow waves recorded directly and simultaneously from the serosal surface of the stomach. Abnormal gastric slow waves, such as retrograde propagation, ectopic pacemaker, and colliding wavefronts can be detected by changes in the phase of BSGM.

Intraoperative serosal extracellular mapping of the human distal colon: a feasibility study.

BACKGROUND: Cyclic motor patterns (CMP) are the predominant motor pattern in the distal colon, and are important in both health and disease. Their origin, mechanism and relation to bioelectrical slow-waves remain incompletely understood. During abdominal surgery, an increase in the CMP occurs in the distal colon. This study aimed to evaluate the feasibility of detecting propagating slow waves and spike waves in the distal human colon through intraoperative, high-resolution (HR), serosal electrical mapping. METHODS: HR electrical recordings were obtained from the distal colon using validated flexible PCB arrays (6 × 16 electrodes; 4 mm inter-electrode spacing; 2.4 cm2, 0.3 mm diameter) for up to 15 min. Passive unipolar signals were obtained and analysed. RESULTS: Eleven patients (33-71 years; 6 females) undergoing colorectal surgery under general anaesthesia (4 with epidurals) were recruited. After artefact removal and comprehensive manual and automated analytics, events consistent with regular propagating activity between 2 and 6 cpm were not identified in any patient. Intermittent clusters of spike-like activities lasting 10-180 s with frequencies of each cluster ranging between 24 and 42 cpm, and an average amplitude of 0.54 ± 0.37 mV were recorded. CONCLUSIONS: Intraoperative colonic serosal mapping in humans is feasible, but unlike in the stomach and small bowel, revealed no regular propagating electrical activity. Although sporadic, synchronous spike-wave events were identifiable. Alternative techniques are required to characterise the mechanisms underlying the hyperactive CMP observed in the intra- and post-operative period. NEW FINDINGS: The aim of this study was to assess the feasibility of detecting propagating electrical activity that may correlate to the cyclic motor pattern in the distal human colon through intraoperative, high-resolution, serosal electrical mapping. High-resolution electrical mapping of the human colon revealed no regular propagating activity, but does reveal sporadic spike-wave events. These findings indicate that further research into appropriate techniques is required to identify the mechanism of hyperactive cyclic motor pattern observed in the intra- and post-operative period in humans.

Factors considered in ranking orthopedic shoulder and elbow fellowship applicants: a survey of program directors.

Background: Orthopedic fellowship positions continue to be increasingly competitive, with most orthopedic residency graduates pursuing fellowship after completion of residency. Shoulder and elbow fellowship training represents an increasingly competitive and relatively smaller cohort of applicants than other subspecialties; there are only 29 programs with a total of 40 offered positions. The purpose of this survey is to identify and rank factors considered most important by shoulder and elbow fellowship directors when identifying potential fellowship candidates. Methods: A web-based survey was emailed to all 29 orthopedic shoulder and elbow fellowship directors recognized by American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons. Demographic information was collected regarding program size, total number of applicants interviewed, and total number of applicants subsequently ranked. The survey also included a list of twelve applicant characteristics which each program director was asked to rank in a sequential order (most important to least). The median score of each factor was calculated, and a weighted score was applied to the top five (of twelve) categories selected by each program. Five points were given to the top-ranked factor. Four points were given to factors ranked 2nd, three points to factors ranked 3rd, two points to factors ranked 4th, and one point to factors ranked 5th. The weighted scores were then used to determine the most highly desired applicant characteristics. Results: Twenty-two of 29 (76%) orthopedic shoulder and elbow fellowship programs responded to the survey. Fourteen of 22 (64%) programs interview 20 or fewer applicants each year. No programs ranked more than 25 applicants. Twelve of 22 (55%) of program directors rated the interview as the most important factor, whereas 6 of 22 (27%) selected letters of recommendation. Based on the weighted score calculation, interviews, letters of recommendation, and personal connections to the applicant/letter writers comprised the top three categories, respectively, and captured 193 of 330 (58%) of the total available points in the weighted score. Strength of shoulder/elbow experience in residency, ties to the geographical area, and comments made regarding technical competence scored among the lowest factors. Conclusion: Orthopedic shoulder and elbow fellowship directors consistently ranked interviews, letters of recommendation, and personal connection to applicant/letter writer higher than other factors when ranking applicants. This information provides both program directors as well as applicants with important information to consider when navigating the shoulder and elbow fellowship application process.

Open-source 128-channel bioamplifier module for ambulatory monitoring of gastrointestinal electrical activity.

We present an open-source, low-cost, portable, 128-channel bioamplifier module designed specifically for ambulatory, long-term (≥24 hr) monitoring of gastrointestinal (GI) electrical activity. The electronics hardware integrates stateof-the-art, commercial-off-the-shelf components on a custom PCB. Features include on-board data logging, wireless data streaming, subject motion monitoring, and stable operation up to the maximum 2 kHz/channel sampling rate tested. The new device operates for ≈ 30 hr continuously powered by a single 3.7 V, 2500 mAh LiPo battery. The 3D-printed ABS mechanical enclosure is robust and small (13.1 × 8.8 × 2.5 cm), so that the device can be carried in a standard Holter monitor pouch. Results from initial 128-channel, high spatial resolution body surface colon mapping experiments demonstrate the utility of this new device for GI applications. The new bioamplifier module could also be used for multichannel recording experiments in a variety of biomedical domains to study electrical activity patterns of the neuromuscular system (EMG), uterus (EHG), heart (ECG), and brain (EEG).

A comparative study of robot-assisted laparoscopic intracorporeal versus open urinary diversion.

AIMS: Robot-assisted laparoscopic intracorporeal urinary diversion (ICUD) has several potential benefits of a smaller incision and reduced pain over extracorporeal urinary diversion (ECUD). We compared the perioperative outcomes of patients who have undergone these procedures with or without cystectomy. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: This study is a retrospective chart review of patients who underwent ICUD and ECUD in a single tertiary referral hospital. Patient demographics, perioperative outcomes, and the 90-day postoperative complications were collected. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: The statistical analyses were performed using the Chi-square test for categorical variables which are specified as frequency (percentage). RESULTS: Thirty-five patients who underwent urinary diversion procedure were identified for inclusion in the study. Of these patients, 14 underwent ICUD and 21 underwent ECUD. The mean operative time was longer in the ICUD group compared to that of the ECUD (457.14 ± 103.91 and 388.29 ± 110.17, respectively, P = 0.07). The median blood loss was statistically significantly lower in the ICUD group (250 ml) than in the ECUD group (450 ml, P = 0.05). The mean hospital stay was marginally longer for the ECUD group (8.1 days) as compared to the ICUD group (6.3 days, P = 0.17). There was no difference in the readmission or reoperation rates after 30 days. The 90-day complication rate was not statistically significantly different between the two groups, but a trend favoring ICUD (64%) over ECUD (71%, P = 0.656) was noted. CONCLUSIONS: Robot-assisted ICUD is associated with decreased blood loss, and there is a trend toward fewer postoperative complications and shorter hospital stays.

Electrocolonography: Non-Invasive Detection of Colonic Cyclic Motor Activity From Multielectrode Body Surface Recordings.

OBJECTIVE: This work validates a novel non-invasive method to identify periods of cyclic motor activity in the colon using multichannel skin-surface electrical recordings on the lower abdominal region, termed electrocolonography (EColG). METHODS: EColG recordings were made from 21 human subjects during a 3 hr meal-response study. A signal processing pipeline based on Continuous Wavelet Transform time-frequency analysis was used to quantify the spectral power in the colonic frequency band ( ≈ 2-6 cycles per minute; cpm) during the fasted and fed states. RESULTS: EColG identified a substantial 7.4 ± 3.5× maximum transient increase in motor activity in the fed state versus the fasted state, as well as a 38.3 ± 16.7% sustained spectral power increase in the colonic frequency band. The dominant frequency was 3.61 ± 0.49 cpm, with activity localized primarily in the infraumbilical region near the (recto-)sigmoid colon segments. CONCLUSION: The colonic meal-responses identified with EColG were closely concordant with rectosigmoid motor activity previously characterized by intracolonic high-resolution manometry. This study is the first to demonstrate that body surface electrical recordings can properly identify rhythmic colonic activity stimulated by food intake. SIGNIFICANCE: The new EColG technique is inexpensive, portable, and presents the opportunity for reliably measuring colonic motility by noninvasive means. We anticipate that EColG could be applied to monitor the progression of post-operative ileus, and more precisely diagnose abnormal colonic motor patterns in patients suffering from common functional disorders, such as irritable bowel syndrome.

Organ-sparing procedures in GU cancer: part 3-organ-sparing procedures in urothelial cancer of upper tract, bladder and urethra.

PURPOSE: The impact of radical surgery for urothelial carcinoma is significant on patient's quality of life. Organ-sparing surgery (OSS) can provide comparable oncological outcomes and with improved quality of life. In this review, we summarize the indications, techniques and outcomes of OSS for these tumors. METHODS: PubMed® was searched for relevant articles. Keywords used were: for upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC): endoscopic, ureteroscopic/percutaneous management, laser ablation; for urothelial bladder cancer: bladder preservation, trimodal therapy, muscle invasive bladder cancer (MIBC); for urethral cancer: urethra/penile-sparing, urethral carcinoma. RESULTS: Kidney-sparing surgery is an option in patients with low-risk UTUC with better renal function preservation and comparable oncological control to radical nephroureterectomy. In select patients with MIBC, trimodal therapy has better quality of life and comparable oncological control to radical cystectomy. In distal male urethral cancer, penile conserving surgery is feasible and offers acceptable survival outcomes. In female urethral cancer, organ preservation can be achieved, in addition to OSS, through radiation. CONCLUSIONS: In the appropriately selected patient, OSS in upper tract, bladder and urethral carcinoma has comparable oncological outcomes to radical surgery and with the additional benefit of improved quality of life.

Methods for High-Resolution Electrical Mapping in the Gastrointestinal Tract.

Over the last two decades, high-resolution (HR) mapping has emerged as a powerful technique to study normal and abnormal bioelectrical events in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. This technique, adapted from cardiology, involves the use of dense arrays of electrodes to track bioelectrical sequences in fine spatiotemporal detail. HR mapping has now been applied in many significant GI experimental studies informing and clarifying both normal physiology and arrhythmic behaviors in disease states. This review provides a comprehensive and critical analysis of current methodologies for HR electrical mapping in the GI tract, including extracellular measurement principles, electrode design and mapping devices, signal processing and visualization techniques, and translational research strategies. The scope of the review encompasses the broad application of GI HR methods from in vitro tissue studies to in vivo experimental studies, including in humans. Controversies and future directions for GI mapping methodologies are addressed, including emerging opportunities to better inform diagnostics and care in patients with functional gut disorders of diverse etiologies.

Intsy: a low-cost, open-source, wireless multi-channel bioamplifier system.

OBJECTIVE: Multi-channel electrical recordings of physiologically generated signals are common to a wide range of biomedical fields. The aim of this work was to develop, validate, and demonstrate the practical utility of a high-quality, low-cost 32/64-channel bioamplifier system with real-time wireless data streaming capability. APPROACH: The new 'Intsy' system integrates three main off-the-shelf hardware components: (1) Intan RHD2132 bioamplifier; (2) Teensy 3.2 microcontroller; and (3) RN-42 Bluetooth 2.1 module with a custom LabView interface for real-time data streaming and visualization. Practical utility was validated by measuring serosal gastric slow waves and surface EMG on the forearm with various contraction force levels. Quantitative comparisons were made to a gold-standard commercial system (Biosemi ActiveTwo). MAIN RESULTS: Intsy signal quality was quantitatively comparable to that of the ActiveTwo. Recorded slow wave signals had high SNR (24 ± 2.7 dB) and wavefront propagation was accurately mapped. EMG spike bursts were characterized by high SNR (⩾10 dB) and activation timing was readily identified. Stable data streaming rates achieved were 3.5 kS s-1 for wireless and 64 kS s-1 for USB-wired transmission. SIGNIFICANCE: Intsy has the highest channel count of any existing open-source, wireless-enabled module. The flexibility, portability and low cost ($1300 for the 32-channel version, or $2500 for 64 channels) of this new hardware module reduce the entry barrier for a range of electrophysiological experiments, as are typical in the gastrointestinal (EGG), cardiac (ECG), neural (EEG), and neuromuscular (EMG) domains.

Improved Visualization of Gastrointestinal Slow Wave Propagation Using a Novel Wavefront-Orientation Interpolation Technique.

OBJECTIVE: High-resolution mapping of gastrointestinal (GI) slow waves is a valuable technique for research and clinical applications. Interpretation of high-resolution GI mapping data relies on animations of slow wave propagation, but current methods remain as rudimentary, pixelated electrode activation animations. This study aimed to develop improved methods of visualizing high-resolution slow wave recordings that increases ease of interpretation. METHODS: The novel method of "wavefront-orientation" interpolation was created to account for the planar movement of the slow wave wavefront, negate any need for distance calculations, remain robust in atypical wavefronts (i.e., dysrhythmias), and produce an appropriate interpolation boundary. The wavefront-orientation method determines the orthogonal wavefront direction and calculates interpolated values as the mean slow wave activation-time (AT) of the pair of linearly adjacent electrodes along that direction. Stairstep upsampling increased smoothness and clarity. RESULTS: Animation accuracy of 17 human high-resolution slow wave recordings (64-256 electrodes) was verified by visual comparison to the prior method showing a clear improvement in wave smoothness that enabled more accurate interpretation of propagation, as confirmed by an assessment of clinical applicability performed by eight GI clinicians. Quantitatively, the new method produced accurate interpolation values compared to experimental data (mean difference 0.02 ± 0.05 s) and was accurate when applied solely to dysrhythmic data (0.02 ± 0.06 s), both within the error in manual AT marking (mean 0.2 s). Mean interpolation processing time was 6.0 s per wave. CONCLUSION AND SIGNIFICANCE: These novel methods provide a validated visualization platform that will improve analysis of high-resolution GI mapping in research and clinical translation.

Phencyclidine-like in vivo effects of methoxetamine in mice and rats.

Methoxetamine (MXE) is a novel drug of abuse that is structurally similar to phencyclidine (PCP). In the present study, rats were trained to discriminate PCP from saline and substitution tests were performed with arylcyclohexylamines PCP, eticyclidine (PCE), tenocyclidine (TCP), and MXE. PCP and PCE engendered PCP-lever selection in all subjects, whereas MXE and TCP produced PCP-lever selection in animals that did not display behavioral disruption. Last, the substituted tryptamine dipropyltryptamine (DPT) produced moderate PCP-lever selection and elicited behavioral disruption in all subjects at the highest dose tested. Immediately following the final substitution test in the drug discrimination experiment, the same rats and a separate group of experimentally-naïve rats were implanted with osmotic mini-pumps delivering continuous PCP infusions for 11 days. Consistent with PCP withdrawal, disruption of food-maintained operant responding was observed when the pumps were removed, but cumulative MXE administration dose-dependently reversed this effect. A third group of rats self-administered several unit doses of PCP and MXE. Results of the self-administration tests revealed that MXE was a less effective reinforcer than PCP. Lastly, mice were implanted with radiotelemetry probes to simultaneously monitor thermoregulatory and locomotor responses following injections of PCP, PCE, or MXE. All three arylcyclohexylamines elicited dose-dependent hypothermic effects, but only PCP produced increases in locomotor activity. Together, these findings indicate that MXE elicits PCP-like interoceptive effects, but reduced reinforcing and locomotor stimulant effects in vivo. This article is part of the Special Issue entitled 'Designer Drugs and Legal Highs.'

Fibroadipose vascular anomaly treated with sirolimus: Successful outcome in two patients.

Fibroadipose vascular anomaly (FAVA) is a rare, complex mesenchymal malformation combining fibrofatty replacement of the affected muscles and slow-flow vascular malformation. The condition is characterized by localized swelling, severe pain, phlebectasia, and contracture of the affected limb. Treatment paradigms are not well established for this rare, recently recognized condition. We report two cases of FAVA in which treatment with sirolimus produced rapid, dramatic improvement in pain and quality of life.

Iterative Covariance-Based Removal of Time-Synchronous Artifacts: Application to Gastrointestinal Electrical Recordings.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to develop, validate, and apply a fully automated method for reducing large temporally synchronous artifacts present in electrical recordings made from the gastrointestinal (GI) serosa, which are problematic for properly assessing slow wave dynamics. Such artifacts routinely arise in experimental and clinical settings from motion, switching behavior of medical instruments, or electrode array manipulation. METHODS: A novel iterative Covariance-Based Reduction of Artifacts (COBRA) algorithm sequentially reduced artifact waveforms using an updating across-channel median as a noise template, scaled and subtracted from each channel based on their covariance. RESULTS: Application of COBRA substantially increased the signal-to-artifact ratio (12.8 ± 2.5 dB), while minimally attenuating the energy of the underlying source signal by 7.9% on average ( -11.1 ± 3.9 dB). CONCLUSION: COBRA was shown to be highly effective for aiding recovery and accurate marking of slow wave events (sensitivity = 0.90 ± 0.04; positive-predictive value = 0.74 ± 0.08) from large segments of in vivo porcine GI electrical mapping data that would otherwise be lost due to a broad range of contaminating artifact waveforms. SIGNIFICANCE: Strongly reducing artifacts with COBRA ultimately allowed for rapid production of accurate isochronal activation maps detailing the dynamics of slow wave propagation in the porcine intestine. Such mapping studies can help characterize differences between normal and dysrhythmic events, which have been associated with GI abnormalities, such as intestinal ischemia and gastroparesis. The COBRA method may be generally applicable for removing temporally synchronous artifacts in other biosignal processing domains.