Arterial spin labeling (ASL) is an important tool for understanding cerebral perfusion in epilepsy patients. The aim of this study was to explore patterns of change in cerebral blood flow (CBF) and CBF connectivity in patients with focal to bilateral tonic-clonic seizures (FBTCS). High-resolution three-dimensional (3-D) T1-weighted and 3-D pseudo-continuous ASL magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was collected from 32 patients with FBTCS and 16 healthy volunteers using a 3.0 T MRI scanner. Cerebral blood flow and its connectivity were compared between the FBTCS and control group. Correlation analysis was used to explore relationships of CBF and its connectivity changes with clinical parameters. Cerebral blood flow data of spatial standardization and normalization were used to improve statistical power. Patients with FBTCS exhibited increased CBF in the bilateral thalamus, caudate nucleus, olfactory cortex, and gyrus rectus, but decreased CBF in the bilateral supplementary motor areas (SMA) and middle cingulate cortex (MCC). Patients with FBTCS showed significant positive correlation between CBF and gray matter volume (GMV) in bilateral SMA and MCC. No significant correlations between CBF and clinical parameters were found among FBTCS patients. The anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) showed positive CBF connectivity with the bilateral SMA and MCC, and these CBF connectivity measures differed significantly between groups (cluster-level, FWE-corrected, P  less then  0.001). These findings suggest that patients with FBTCS have changes in cerebral CBF and CBF connectivity, which may relate to the underlying neuropathology of FBTCS.

Knowledge of comorbid disorders is important to optimize therapy for multiple sclerosis (MS), but data are limited. The aim of this study was to assess comorbidity in persons with MS living in Nordland County on January 1, 2017.

Data were retrieved fromthe Norwegian Patient Registry (2008-2017) and validated through review of electronic hospital charts (1970-2017).Comorbidity was defined as any distinct disorder, classified in the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10), that had existed or occurred after the diagnosis of MS was established.

Data from 637 subjects were reviewed, and 97.5% were registered with at least one comorbid condition. Malignant melanoma was found in 0.5%, and non-melanoma skin cancers in 1.9%. In female subjects, breast cancer was found in 3.3%. Hypothyroidism was confirmed in 3.1%, type-1 diabetes in 0.3%, type-2 diabetes in 3.9%, psychosis in 0.6%, epilepsy in 2.8%, myocardial infarction in 1.7%, subarachnoid hemorrhage in 0.2%, cerebral infarction in 0.6%, pulmonary embolism in 0.9%, inflammatory bowel disease in 1.3%, and rheumatoid arthritis in 0.6%.

Compared to reports from other Norwegian epidemiological studies, a higher proportion of inflammatory bowel disease and epilepsy was found. This is in accordance with findings from other studies. The prevalence of non-melanoma skin cancers was significantly higher than in the general Norwegian population as they were reported by The Cancer Registry of Norway.

Compared to reports from other Norwegian epidemiological studies, a higher proportion of inflammatory bowel disease and epilepsy was found. This is in accordance with findings from other studies. The prevalence of non-melanoma skin cancers was significantly higher than in the general Norwegian population as they were reported by The Cancer Registry of Norway.

For patients with Parkinson’s disease, clinicians commonly assess duration of benefit for individual doses of levodopa in order to consider medication changes.

To determine the mean duration of ON time per dose and mean duration of ON time without troublesome dyskinesia (WoTD) per dose of CD-LD IR vs. CD-LD ER in the ADVANCE-PD trial.

We performed a post hoc analysis of the ADVANCE-PD trial. Mean ON time per dose and ON time WoTD was calculated at baseline and end-of-study (EOS). Changes were compared between CD-LD IR and CD-LD ER (Rytary®) treatment groups using an ANCOVA model.

Mean (SD) baseline ON time per dose of CD-LD IR (n=393) was 2.20h. Patients randomized to double-blind treatment with CD-LD IR (n=192) experienced an increase in mean ON time per dose from baseline to EOS from 2.24h to 2.38h. A-769662 In comparison, patients randomized to double-blind treatment with CD-LD ER (n=201) experienced an increase in mean ON time per dose from baseline (on CD-LD IR) to EOS (on CD-LD ER) from 2.17h to 3.55h. Conversion and optimization with CD-LD ER increased ON time per dose by 1.21h more than optimization of CD-LD IR (p<0.0001). Similarly, CD-LD ER increased ON time WoTD per dose by 1.16h more than CD-LD IR (p<0.0001).

In the ADVANCE-PD trial, CD-LD ER significantly increased ON time per dose compared to CD-LD IR (+1.21h, p<0.0001) and provided significantly more ON time per dose (3.55h vs 2.38h, p<0.0001).

In the ADVANCE-PD trial, CD-LD ER significantly increased ON time per dose compared to CD-LD IR (+1.21 h, p less then 0.0001) and provided significantly more ON time per dose (3.55 h vs 2.38 h, p less then 0.0001).The ecological stress caused by microplastic (MP) pollution in marine environments has attracted global attention. However, few studies have investigated the relationship between MP pollution and the microbial community in natural sediments. This study was the first to systematically characterize MP pollution (i.e., its abundance, shape, size and color) and investigate its relationship with the bacterial community in coastal sediments from Guangdong, South China, by microscopic observation and Illumina sequencing. The results of this study indicated that the abundance of microplastics (MPs), which was 344 ± 24 items/kg in 33 coastal sediments from 11 sites from South China, represented a relatively high level of MP pollution. MPs with sizes of less then 0.5 m, 0.5-1.0 mm and 1-2 mm accounted for the highest proportion (75%) in the sediments. Fiber/film (82%) and white/blue (91%) were the dominant shapes and colors, respectively, in all MP samples. Furthermore, the abundances, three shapes (fiber, film and fragment), three sizes ( less then 0.