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Background and Objective: Primary hemifacial spasm (HFS) is caused by neurovascular conflict (NVC) at the root entry zone of the facial nerve. Whether reduction of posterior cranial fossa (PCF) cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) volume is a risk factor for HFS is not clear. The study aims at the radiologic assessment of PCF CSF volume and its clinical correlation. Methods: A cross-sectional, hospital-based, case–control study was conducted, in which 50 cases of primary HFS and 50 age- and sex-matched controls were recruited. PCF CSF volume was quantified in 3-T brain magnetic resonance imaging. Results: The mean age at presentation of cases was 50.7 ± 10.7 years (42–69 years) and controls was 52.4 ± 8.7 years (45–68 years). The mean duration of symptoms was 3.5 ± 1.3 years (1.5–8 years). About 52% of patients had grade 2 (mild) severity of HFS. The mean PCF CSF volume of patients was 13,725.1 ± 909.5 mm3 and controls was 14,458.5 ± 973.5 mm3 (P < 0.001). The mean PCF CSF volume of females with HFS was 13,714.8 ± 852.5 mm3 and female controls was 14,521.8 ± 973.5 mm3 (P = 0.006). PCF CSF volume was significantly associated with the presence of HFS (P = 0.007), the severity of HFS (P < 0.001), and the presence of NVC (P = 0.02). Conclusion: PCF CSF volume was lesser in HFS patients and was associated with the presence of HFS, the severity of HFS, and the presence of NVC. Females with HFS had smaller PCF CSF volume. Small PCF CSF volume is a risk factor for HFS, particularly in females with HFS.

Kimura disease (KD) is an uncommon, long-standing inflammatory condition affecting the head and neck that has no recognized cause. It typically appears as a painless subcutaneous nodule mimicking a tumor. The characteristic triad other the painless subcutaneous masses include elevated serum immunoglobulin E and peripheral eosinophilia. We present a unique instance of KD involving a male individual, age 23 years, who has swelling in the pre-auricular area on the left side of the face. Establishing KD as a probable differential diagnosis is the key to prompt treatment, declining misdiagnosis, and enhancing the quality of the patient’s life.

This study aims to investigate the dry sliding wear behaviour of AA-7075 based metal matrix composites developed by powder metallurgy route. AA-7075 metal matrix composites have been developed with 1–15 vol% micrometric yttrium oxide particulate reinforcement and 0.1–3 vol% nanometric yttrium oxide particulate reinforcement by sinter forging.The matrix and reinforcing powders were blended together to obtain a homogeneous composite powder mixture which was cold compacted and further sintered under pure nitrogen atmosphere. The sintered compacts were forged in a closed die to attain full density. The hot forged samples were further artificially age hardened to peak hardness. Wear behavior of AA-7075 and its composites at peak aged condition were investigated at various loads and sliding speeds. The coefficient of friction and wear rate were determined with respect to different volume fractions of micrometric and nanometric yttrium oxide additions to AA-7075 alloy matrix. The overall wear at a constant volume fraction was found to be lower for the compositions having nanometric Y2O3 as compared to micrometric Y2O3. Further the basic wear mechanism of pure aluminum 7075 alloy and reinforced composites consisted of adhesive wear with plastic deformation followed by abrasive wear (due to hard reinforcement particles).Material strengthening by precipitation hardening and reinforcement addition and the role of the forging operation and yttria reinforcements in the removal and uniform distribution of oxide layers present on the AA-7075 powder particles were accountable for the improvement in the wear resistance of the composites.

Viral variant is one known risk factor associated with post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC), yet the pathogenesis is largely unknown. Here, we studied SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant-induced PASC in K18-hACE2 mice. The virus replicated productively, induced robust inflammatory responses in lung and brain tissues, and caused weight loss and mortality during the acute infection. Longitudinal behavior studies in surviving mice up to 4 months post-acute infection revealed persistent abnormalities in neuropsychiatric state and motor behaviors, while reflex and sensory functions recovered over time. In the brain, no detectable viral RNA and minimal residential immune cell activation was observed in the surviving mice post-acute infection. Transcriptome analysis revealed persistent activation of immune pathways, including humoral responses, complement, and phagocytosis, and gene expression levels associated with ataxia telangiectasia, impaired cognitive function and memory recall, and neuronal dysfunction and degeneration. Furthermore, surviving mice maintained potent systemic T helper 1 prone cellular immune responses and strong sera neutralizing antibodies against Delta and Omicron variants months post-acute infection. Overall, our findings suggest that infection in K18-hACE2 mice recapitulates the persistent clinical symptoms reported in long-COVID patients and provides new insights into the role of systemic and brain residential immune factors in PASC pathogenesis.

Blepharospasm may be the most disabling of symptoms in Meige’s syndrome, and sunglasses or specialized tinted lenses (FL-41) have been suggested to be useful. The present report provides electrophysiological evidence to substantiate the utility of sunglasses as an alternative alleviating agent for Meige’s syndrome secondary to deep cerebral venous thrombosis with improvement extending beyond blepharospasm.

Background: Progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) is the most common primary tauopathy. The definite diagnosis of PSP is established by histopathologic changes in the brain. There are no reliable blood-based biomarkers to aid the diagnosis of this fatal disease at an early stage. Also, the precise etiopathology of PSP and its variants is inadequately understood. Objective: Blood-based molecules such as neurofilament light chain (NfL) and insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) are shown as important markers of neurodegenerative and aging processes, respectively. These two biomarkers have not been analyzed simultaneously in PSP patients. Methods: To address this knowledge gap, 40 PSP patients and equal number of healthy individuals were recruited and serum levels of NfL and IGF-1 were assayed in all the study participants by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Motor and nonmotor symptoms were evaluated in PSP patients using various scales/questionnaires. Cardiac autonomic function tests were performed in a subset of patients (n = 27). Results: A significantly high serum level of NfL (P < 0.01) and a reduced level of IGF-1 (P = 0.02) were observed in PSP patients compared to healthy controls. Besides, a negative correlation (r = -0.54, P < 0.01) between NfL and IGF-1 levels was observed in PSP patients. Conclusion: The finding of this study reinforces the important role of blood NfL level as a potential biomarker of PSP. Further, the current study provides novel insights into the reciprocal correlation between NfL and IGF-1 in PSP patients. Combined analysis of blood levels of these two functionally relevant markers might be useful in the prediction and diagnosis of PSP.

Surface acoustic waves (SAWs) on piezoelectric insulators can generate dynamic periodic potentials inside one-dimensional and two-dimensional materials. These periodic potentials have been utilized or proposed for various applications, including acoustoelectric charge pumping. In this study, we investigate acoustoelectric charge pumping in graphene with very low electrostatic disorder. By employing a graphite top gate on boron-nitride-encapsulated graphene, we adjust the graphene carrier concentration over a broad range, enabling us to examine the acoustoelectric signal in both mixed-carrier and single-carrier regimes. We discuss the benefits of h-BN-encapsulated graphene for charge pumping applications and introduce a model that describes the acoustoelectric signal across all carrier concentrations, including at the charge neutrality point. This quantitative model will support future SAW-enabled explorations of phenomena in low-dimensional materials and guide the design of novel SAW sensors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Infections are important treatable causes of secondary movement disorders (MD) that can have heterogeneous presentations. According to various studies, infection-related movement disorders (IRMD) account for around 10–20% of secondary MD. Certain infections have a predilection for causing various MD, and some MD phenomenologies, such as acute cerebellar ataxia and opsoclonus-myoclonus-ataxia syndromes (OMAS), suggest a strong possibility of an underlying infectious cause. The underlying pathophysiology is multifaceted, including direct neuronal damage due to neurotropism, granulomas, abscesses causing structural damage, and inflammatory and autoimmune responses triggered by infections. Understanding the prevalence, spectrum, and pattern of these IRMD and common infections that are responsible helps in early diagnosis, and instituting appropriate, timely treatment, thereby improving the overall prognosis and avoiding unnecessary investigations. In this review, we aim to provide a brief overview of common infections associated with MD, common clinical presentations of IRMD, their underlying pathophysiology, and overall approach to their treatment, with a focus on specific treatments of prevalent and treatable IRMD.

Cold gas dynamic spray (CS) is a unique technique for depositing material using high-strain-rate solid-state deformation. A major challenge for this technique is its dependence on the powder’s properties, and another is the lack of standards for assessing them between lots and manufacturers. The motivation of this research was to understand the variability in powder atomization techniques for stainless steel powders and their subsequent properties for their corresponding impacts on CS. A drastic difference (~30%) was observed in the deposition efficiencies (DEs) of unaltered, spherical and similar sized stainless steel (316) powders produced using centrifugal (C.A) and traditional gas atomization (G.A) techniques. The study highlights more the differences on a precursor level. Using recent advancements in large scale statistical measurements, such as laser diffraction shape analysis and µCT scanning; and traditional methods, such as EBSD and nanoindentation, an attempt was made to understand the powder’s properties. Insights on powder size and shape were documented. Significant differences were observed between C.A and G.A powders in terms of grain size, fraction of high-angle grain boundaries (HAGBs) and nanohardness. The outcomes of this study should be helpful for understanding the commercialization of the cold-spray process for bulk manufacturing of powder precursors.

Pneumonia is a worldwide threat, making discovery of novel means to combat lower respiratory tract infection an urgent need. Manipulating the lungs' intrinsic host defenses by therapeutic delivery of certain pathogen-associated molecular patterns protects mice against pneumonia in a reactive oxygen species (ROS)-dependent manner. Here we show that antimicrobial ROS are induced from lung epithelial cells by interactions of CpG oligodeoxynucleotides (ODN) with mitochondrial voltage-dependent anion channel 1 (VDAC1). The ODN-VDAC1 interaction alters cellular ATP/ADP/AMP localization, increases delivery of electrons to the electron transport chain (ETC), increases mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨm), differentially modulates ETC complex activities and consequently results in leak of electrons from ETC complex III and superoxide formation. The ODN-induced mitochondrial ROS yield protective antibacterial effects. Together, these studies identify a therapeutic metabolic manipulation strategy to broadly protect against pneumonia without reliance on antibiotics.

Sensory tricks, also known as “geste antagoniste” or “alleviating maneuvers,” refer to specific maneuvers that temporarily improve dystonic postures; this is often considered to be a hallmark of primary dystonia. Although classically described to be simple activities such as a gentle touch, they can be complex and multisensory, including tactile, proprioceptive, visual, auditory, and thermal stimuli or even imaginary tricks. To date, there is no concrete concept to explain the mechanisms by which geste antagoniste alleviate dystonia. The suggested mechanisms imply an increase in intracortical facilitation in dystonia, and balance between facilitation and inhibition is restored by the geste. This narrative review aims to provide a brief overview of geste antagoniste, covering the historical aspects, types of geste, known mechanisms, and implications.

As the thickness of a three-dimensional (3D) topological insulator (TI) becomes comparable to the penetration depth of surface states, hybridization turns their gapless Dirac electronic structure into a gapped spectrum. Here, authors show that 2D topological states can exist in the 3D TI BiSbTeSe2 when the Fermi level is inside the hybridization gap.

Abstract Background Posterior Reversible Encephalopathy Syndrome (PRES) is a neurotoxic state characterized by seizures, headache, vision change, paresis, and altered mental status. PRES has an important place in medicine due to the wide variety of causative diseases, infections, and medications that precipitate its mysterious onset. Although exposure to medications, particularly immunosuppressants, cancer chemotherapy, and biologic drugs, is a common occurrence in patients who develop PRES, Mepolizumab has never before been associated. Case presentation This report of a 67-year-old male patient outlines the first reported case of Mepolizumab-induced PRES in the literature. Conclusions Treatment of severe asthma, asthma-exacerbations, and diseases such as eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (formerly Churg-Strauss) with Mepolizumab is rapidly gaining popularity ever since the drug’s recent FDA-approval. This report aims to raise awareness of this potentially life-threatening and previously unreported side effect of Mepolizumab since early identification of the causative agent is the key to preventing the severe neurologic disability and possible death that may occur from the delayed treatment of PRES.

MOFs are a class of porous crystalline materials whose unique properties have led to applicability in several fields ranging from gas adsorption to drug delivery. Despite their high potential, MOFs are usually found as fine powders, a property that can limit their use in industrial applications. Here, a novel approach is proposed to form densified Cu-MOF (Cu-BTC) powders and monoliths using 1,2-ethanedisulfonic acid (EDSA) as a densification agent. A MOF/EDSA mixture was heated to ∼150 °C; the molten EDSA not only promotes the growth of larger MOF crystallites, but also stimulates condensation reactions between the carboxylate-based MOF ligands, further binding the particles together. When this reaction was done in a stainless-steel die under pressure MOF-based monoliths could also be formed. Notably, using this approach, the MOF had a higher density, significantly improving the volumetric CO _2 adsorption capacity. We believe this contribution provides the basis for future work wherein the intrinsic MOF particle surfaces can be selectively engineered to improve their properties towards shaping for industrial applications.

Tardive dystonia (TD) is a disabling neurological disorder and is usually refractory to medical therapy. Over the past decade, several case reports and case series have demonstrated remarkable benefits of deep brain stimulation of the globus pallidus interna for the treatment of refractory TD. In this case report, we present an illustrative case of refractory TD treated with globus pallidus interna–deep brain stimulation, with long-term sustained improvement of the dystonia and psychiatric comorbidity. In addition, the patient had a dorsal cord schwannoma, producing pyramidal signs in the lower limbs, which highlights the need for meticulous clinical examination for optimum patient management.