Activity

Retinal microaneurysms (MAs) associated with retinal vein occlusions often cause macular edema due to vascular leakage from the MAs, which can lead to severe vision loss. However, studies using conventional imaging modalities have not shown a significant association between MAs and retinal functional changes. The recent technological advancements to the adaptive optics scanning light ophthalmoscope (AOSLO) have enabled real-time observation of the human retinal microvasculature. Additionally, offsetting the confocal aperture in the AOSLO enables the blocking of specular reflection from the inner retina and the enhancement of the image contrast of the retinal capillaries. This study investigated the ultrastructure and hemodynamics of MAs examined by structural images and perfusion maps of the offset pinhole AOSLO and evaluated their associations with vascular leakage on fluorescein angiography. Our results show the diverse configurations of the MAs, some of which are occasionally accompanied by a cap structure on the aneurysmal surface. Moreover, the morphological and hemodynamic changes were significantly associated with vascular leakage.Artificial control of neural activity allows for understanding complex neural networks and improving therapy of neurological disorders. Here, we demonstrate that utilization of photovoltaic biointerfaces combined with light waveform shaping can generate safe capacitive currents for bidirectional modulation of neurons. The differential photoresponse of the biointerface due to double layer capacitance facilitates the direction control of capacitive currents depending on the slope of light intensity. Moreover, the strength of capacitive currents is controlled by changing the rise and fall time slope of light intensity. This approach allows for high-level control of the hyperpolarization and depolarization of membrane potential at single-cell level. Our results pave the way toward advanced bioelectronic functionalities for wireless and safe control of neural activity.The present work shows the spatial reliability of the diffuse optical tomography (DOT) system in a group of healthy subjects during a motor imagery task. Prior to imagery task performance, the subjects executed a motor task based on the finger to thumb opposition for motor training, and to corroborate the DOT spatial localization during the motor execution. DOT technology and data treatment allows us to distinguish oxy- and deoxyhemoglobin at the cerebral gyri level unlike the cerebral activations provided by fMRI series that were processed using different approaches. Here we show the DOT reliability showing functional activations at the cerebral gyri level during motor execution and motor imagery, which provide subtler cerebral activations than the motor execution. These results will allow the use of the DOT system as a monitoring device in a brain computer interface.Superficial siderosis (SS) of the brain results from a chronic iron toxicity due to repeated microscopic leakage of blood products into the subarachnoid space. We report on Gamma Knife Radiosurgery (GKRS) associated worsening of superficial siderosis in a patient with skull-base tumor. see more A 73 year-old male patient presented with clumsiness and gait ataxia and was diagnosed with foramen magnum meningioma. He was also noted to have superficial siderosis involving the mainly the infratentorial compartment. After a thorough evaluation of craniospinal axis, no other cause of bleeding was identified. Patient was treated with the GKRS. After GKRS, there was an initial radiological and clinical worsening of SS starting at 6 months and peaking at 2 years. The disease stabilized and showed mild reduction at 3 years. GKRS lead to an initial progression of superficial siderosis. However, over a longer period, tumor control and improvement of the siderosis was observed.It is crucial to spare lung when treating early stage lung carcinoma with stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) for minimizing the radiation induced toxicities, such as radiation pneumonitis and late fibrosis. A retrospective study was performed with a combination of approaches to determine the optimal range of prescription isodose line (P-IDL) within which lung tissue was best spared in SBRT plans with Volumetric-Modulated Arc Therapy (VMAT) and Monte-Carlo-like dose calculation algorithm. Twenty clinically-delivered SBRT lung plans were optimized using traditional LINAC MLC based approaches an average P-IDL of (88.8 ± 0.5)% (the error bar of all the data is the 95% confidence interval (CI)). The plans were then re-optimized using a new combination of approaches with variation of P-IDL from 60% to 90% for each case. The combination of approaches included finding and utilizing an optimal P-IDL, implementing tuning ring structures internal and external to the target, as well as normal tissue objective and equilation algorithm and makes treatment plans more conformal in high, intermediate and low dose regions, while higher dose is delivered to the target.Commercial systems such as Varian HyperArcTM and BrainLab Elements MultiMetTM have been developed that allow radiosurgery treatment of multiple brain metastases using a single isocenter. Each software package places increased demands on frameless immobilization and requires the use of a specific immobilization system the QFix-Encompass system for Varian and the BrainLab frameless-mask system for BrainLab. At our institution, patients receiving traditional radiosurgery (one isocenter per target lesion) were treated using both immobilization systems. Intrafraction motion was determined for each patient using multiple cone-beam CT scans and the same image-registration software during treatment. There were no statistically-significant differences in mean absolute translational shifts between the two mask systems, with a mean 3D-vector motion of approximately 0.43 mm for both systems. There were also no statistically-significant differences in the mean absolute rotational shifts between the two mask systems. Although the average residual errors were insignificant between the mask systems, special attention should be paid to individual maximum shifts with both systems. Large maximum rotational misalignments could present significant misalignment of lesions as distance increases from the isocenter. Finally, large maximum shifts highlight the need for real-time monitoring of patient movement during radiosurgery of multiple lesions using a single isocenter.