Subcortical Stimulation with Tip of Ultrasound Aspirator

Background During resection of intrinsic brain tumors in eloquent areas, particularly under awake mapping, subcortical stimulation is mandatory to avoid irreversible deficits by damaging white fiber tracts. The current practice is to alternate between subcortical stimulation with an appropriate probe and resection of tumoral tissue with an ultrasound aspiration device. Switching between different devices induces supplementary movement and possible tissue trauma, loss of time, and inaccuracies in the localization of the involved area. Objective To use one device for both stimulation as well as a resecting tool. Methods The tip of different ultrasound aspiration devices is currently used for monopolar current transmission (e.g., for vessel coagulation in liver surgery). We use the same circuitry for monopolar subcortical stimulation when connected with the usual stimulator devices. Results We have applied this method since 2004 in over 500 patients during tumor resection with cortical and subcortical stimulation, mostly with awake language and motor monitoring. Conclusion A method is presented using existing stimulation and wiring devices by which simultaneous subcortical stimulation and ultrasonic aspiration are applied with the same tool. The accuracy, safety, and speed of intrinsic intracranial lesion resection can be improved when subcortical stimulation is applied.

PROSPECTS OF THE REMOTE HYBRIDIZATION ON IMPROVEMENT OF THE MAIN ECONOMICAL TRAITS OF COTTON GENOTYPES WITH NATURALLY COLORED FIBRE

Due to the insufficient quality of varieties with naturally colored fiber, their cultivation on a global scale is limited. For the first time in Azerbaijan, an attempt was made to investigate the possibility of improving the qualitative and economic traits in genotypes with brown fiber. For this, distant hybridization was carried out between tetraploid cultivars of the G. hirsutum L. (white fiber) and artificially obtained amphidiploids with a doubled set of chromosomes from the diploid specie G. arboreum L. (brown fiber), from the local Genbank. On this basis, during 2017-2019, distant hybrids with colored fiber and contrasting quality and productivity potential were studied in detail and identified. Qualitative traits such as micronair (Mic), strength (Str), and Uniformity Index (UI) were found to be comparable to the best parent with white fiber in hybrids with colored fibers, but the Upper Half Mean Length (UHML) still to be improved. The "number of bolls per plant" makes the maximum positive contribution to the total cotton yield. According to the results of the averaged data of two generations (F1 and F2), a change in the degree and direction of correlations between the studied characters, depending on the intensity of the fiber color, was noted.

Sex- and tissue-dependent creatine uptake in response to different creatine monohydrate doses in male and female Sprague-Dawley rats

Sprague-Dawley rats (n=32) underwent 8-weeks of creatine monohydrate (CM) supplementation (0, 2.5, 5, and 10 g/L). Total creatine concentrations (TCr) in female white fiber-dominant gastrocnemius (WGAS) and cardiac muscle (HRT) were significantly higher compared to males (p<0.05). CM supplementation increased TCr concentrations in female WGAS (p<0.05) and HRT (p<0.01) and in male red fiber-dominant gastrocnemius muscle (RGAS) (p<0.05). Future research should further investigate sex-differences in basal levels of TCr and the response to CM supplementation. Novelty – There is a sex- and tissue-dependant response to CM supplementation in rats.

Physiology and morphology of seedlings originating from seeds harvested in different thirds and cotton genotypes cultivated under the edaphoclimatic conditions of Uberlândia - MG

Cotton has great importance in Brazil. The percentage, speed and uniformity of seedling emergence depend on this potential. The objective of this work was to evaluate the physiological and morphological quality of seeds from different thirds of ten genotypes of white fiber cotton grown in the edaphoclimatic conditions of Uberlândia - MG. The experiment was conducted in the 2017/2018, in an area of 500m². Eight commercial genotypes (BRS 368RF, BRS 372, DP 1228 B2RF, FM 975 WS, FM 982, IMA 5675 B2RF, IMA 8405 GLT, TMG 45 B2RF) and two PROMALG genotypes from the Federal University of Uberlândia - UFU (UFU - H, UFU - P). DBC was used, arranged in a 10x3 factorial scheme, with the first factor being the genotypes and the second being the thirds. After the cotton cycle, the seeds of the genotypes were harvested in each third and the analysis of germination, of normal strong seedlings, and growth of the aerial and root part of plants was carried out. The data were submitted to analysis of variance and average comparison test. It was observed that both genotypes and thirds of cotton influence the physiology and morphology of seedlings. Therefore, the lower third has the best germination index (93 to 98% germination), when compared to the middle (88 to 97%) and upper third (88 to 97%). Indicating that to obtain uniform seed lots, it is necessary to take into account the third and the genetics of the plants. The thirds and the genotypes affect the physiological and morphological quality of the seeds, being the lower third with the best performance among the genotypes.

GROWTH AND GAS EXCHANGES OF COTTON UNDER WATER SALINITY AND NITROGEN-POTASSIUM COMBINATION

ABSTRACT The objective of this study was to evaluate the growth and gas exchanges of white-fiber cotton cv. BRS 368 RF irrigated using waters with increasing levels of salinity under nitrogen-potassium combination in a greenhouse in the municipality of Campina Grande-PB, Brazil. The treatments were distributed in randomized blocks, corresponding to five levels of electrical conductivity of water - ECw (0.7; 2.2; 3.7; 5.2 and 6.7 dS m-1) and four combinations of fertilization nitrogen-potassium - N/K2O (70/50, 100/75, 130/100, 160/125% of the recommended dose for pot experiments), with three replicates. Irrigation with water of electrical conductivity from 0.7 dS m-1 compromised the growth and gas exchanges of cotton cv. BRS 368 RF, and dry biomass of leaf, stem and root were the most sensitive variables to salt stress. The nitrogen-potassium combination of 100/75% of the recommendation for pot experiments resulted in higher growth in plant height, but the highest stomatal conductance of cotton cv. BRS 368 RF was recorded in plants cultivated with 75/50% N/K2O, at 77 days after sowing. The variation in the N/K2O combination did not interfere with biomass accumulation in cotton plants. The treatment with water of lowest salinity (0.7 dS m-1) and the combination of 160/125% of the recommendation promoted greater leaf expansion, at 107 days after sowing.

Comprehensive Topographical Map of the Serotonergic Fibers in the Mouse Brain

It is well established that serotonergic fibers distribute throughout the brain. Abnormal densities or patterns of serotonergic fibers have been implicated in neuropsychiatric disorders. Although many classical studies have examined the distribution pattern of serotonergic fibers, most of them were either limited to specific brain areas or had limitations in demonstrating the fine axonal morphology. In this study, we utilize transgenic mice expressing GFP under the SERT promoter to map the topography of serotonergic fibers across the rostro-caudal extent of each brain area. We demonstrate previously unreported regional density and fine-grained anatomy of serotonergic fibers. Our findings include: 1) SERT fibers distribute abundantly in the thalamic nuclei close to the midline and dorsolateral areas, in most of the hypothalamic nuclei with few exceptions such as the median eminence and arcuate nuclei, and within the basal amygdaloid complex and lateral septal nuclei, 2) the source fibers of innervation of the hippocampus traverse through the septal nuclei before reaching its destination, 3) unique, filamentous type of straight terminal fibers within the nucleus accumbens, 4) laminar pattern of innervation in the hippocampus, olfactory bulb and cortex with heterogenicity in innervation density among the layers, 5) cortical labelling density gradually decreases rostro-caudally, 6) fibers traverse and distribute mostly within the gray matter, leaving the white fiber bundles uninnervated, and 7) most of the highly labelled nuclei and cortical areas have predominant anatomical connection to limbic structures. In conclusion, we provide novel, regionally specific insights on the distribution map of serotonergic fibers using transgenic mouse.

The Superior Frontal Longitudinal Tract: Connection between the Dorsal Premotor and the Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortices

The structural connection between the dorsal premotor (PMd) and the lateral prefrontal cortices (DLPFC) has been revealed, in a few studies, as the frontal longitudinal system (FLS). This study conducted a tractography analysis and a limited, postmortem, white-fiber dissection to investigate the superior FLS tract (SFLT) and analyze both its symmetry and termination point patterns. An analysis of spatial location, termination points, laterality, and correlation with the subjects’ gender or handedness was performed. SFLT was constructed in 100% of right and 88% of left hemispheres. The tracts exhibited variable patterns in different subjects in their posterior terminations. Additionally, the SFLT was found to possess a complex spatial relationship with the adjacent bundles. The SFLT was revealed successfully in two right hemispheres, where the posterior terminations were found to originate in the PMd, and its posterior terminations being totally separate from the superior longitudinal fasciculus.

Uncinate Fasciculus in Temporal Lobe Epilepsy

Background and purpose: Temporal lobe epilepsy is the most common focal intractable epilepsy. Uncinate fasciculus is a white fiber bundle that connects the orbitofrontal cortex with the anterior temporal lobe, and is implicated in most of the superior mental functions. There is evidence of uncinate fasciculus as a propagation pathway of seizures from temporal lobe. The aim of the study is to determine uncinate fasciculus alterations in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy, through fractional anisotropy. Methods: Thirty-three patients with temporal lobe epilepsy (10 right and 23 left) were studied. All of them were right-handed and had left hemisphere dominance for language. A 1.5 T MR imaging scanner was used to obtain diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). Fractional anisotropy of uncinate fasciculus was calculated through TBSS (Tract Based Spatial Statistics). Statistical analysis was done using IBM SPSS (v. 25). Results: Fractional anisotropy was higher in right uncinate fasciculus, regardless of epilepsy side. Right uncinate fasciculus, at the insula level, showed lower fractional anisotropy in patients with right temporal lobe epilepsy. Conclusions: Results support the evidence of uncinate fasciculus as a pathway of propagation in temporal lobe epilepsy, specially at insular level.