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The increase of elderly in our society requires simple tools for quantification of sarcopenia in inpatient and outpatient settings. The aim of this study was to compare parameters determined with musculoskeletal ultrasound (M-US) with muscle strength in young and elderly patients. In this prospective, randomised and observer blind study, 26 young (24.2 ± 3.7 years) and 26 old (age 67.8 ± 4.8 years) patients were included. Muscle thickness, pennation angle and echogenicity of all muscles of musculus quadriceps were measured by M-US and correlated with isometric maximum voluntary contraction force (MVC) of musculus quadriceps. Reproducibility of M-US measurements as well as simple and multiple regression models were calculated. Of all measured M-US variables the highest reproducibility was found for measurements of thickness (intraclass correlation coefficients, 85–97 %). Simple regression analysis showed a highly significant correlation of thickness measurements of all muscles of musculus quadriceps with MVC in the elderly and in the young. Multiple regression analysis revealed that thickness of musculus vastus medialis had the best correlation with MVC in the elderly. This study showed that measurement of muscle thickness, especially of musculus vastus medialis, by M-US is a reliable, bedside method for monitoring the extent of sarcopenia.

In the last twenty years the term “Evidence Based Medicine (EBM)” has been increasingly applied in all areas of medicine and is often used for decision-making in the medical and public health sector. It is also used to verify the significance and/or the effectiveness of different therapies. The origil definition of EBM rests on the following three pillars: the physician’s individual expertise, the patient’s needs and the best exterl evidence. Today, however, the term EBM is often wrongly used as a synonym for best exterl evidence, without taking into consideration the other two pillars of the model which was created by Gordon Guyatt, David Sackett and Archibald Cochrane. This problem becomes even greater the more social insurance institutions and politicians use exterl evidence alone as the main guideline for fincing therapies and therapy guidelines in physical medicine and general rehabilitation without taking into account the physician’s expertise and the patient’s needs.The wrong interpretation of EBM can lead to the following problems: well established clinical therapies are either questioned or not granted and are therefore withheld from patients (for example physical pain magement). An absence of evidence for individual therapy methods does not prove their ineffectiveness! In this short statement the significance of EBM in Physical Medicine and general rehabilitation will be alysed and discussed.

In the last twenty years the term “Evidence Based Medicine (EBM)” has spread into all areas of medicine and is often used for decision-making in the medical and public health sector. It is also used to verify the significance and/or the effectiveness of different therapies. The definition of EBM is to use the physician’s individual expertise, the patient’s needs and the best exterl evidence for each individual patient. Today, however, the term EBM is often wrongly used as a synonym for best “exterl evidence”. This leads not only to a misuse of evidence based medicine but suggests a fundamental misunderstanding of the model which was created by Gordon Guyatt, David Sackett and Archibald Cochrane. This problem becomes even greater the more social insurance institutions, public healthcare providers and politicians use exterl evidence alone as a main guideline for fincing therapies in physical medicine and general rehabilitation without taking into account the physician’s expertise and the patient’s needs.The wrong interpretation of EBM can lead to the following problems: well established clinical therapies are either questioned or not granted and are therefore withheld from patients (for example physical pain magement). Absence of evidence for individual therapy methods does not prove their ineffectiveness! In this short statement the significance of EBM in physical medicine and general rehabilitation will be alysed and discussed.

Open access post-mortem transcriptome atlases such as the Allen Human Brain Atlas (AHBA) can inform us about mRNA expression of numerous proteins of interest across the whole brain, while in vivo protein binding in the human brain can be quantified by means of neuroreceptor positron emission tomography (PET). By combining both modalities, the association between regional gene expression and receptor distribution in the living brain can be approximated. Here, we compare the characteristics of D2 and D3 dopamine receptor distribution by applying the dopamine D2/3 receptor agonist radioligand [11C]-(+)-PHNO and human gene expression data. Since [11C]-(+)-PHNO has a higher affinity for D3 compared to D2 receptors, we hypothesized that there is a stronger relationship between D2/3 non-displaceable binding potentials (BPND) and D3 mRNA expression. To investigate the relationship between D2/3 BPND and mRNA expression of DRD2 and DRD3 we performed [11C]-(+)-PHNO PET scans in 27 healthy subjects (12 females) and extracted gene expression data from the AHBA. We also calculated D2/D3 mRNA expression ratios to imitate the mixed D2/3 signal of [11C]-(+)-PHNO. In accordance with our a priori hypothesis, a strong correlation between [11C]-(+)-PHNO and DRD3 expression was found. However, there was no significant correlation with DRD2 expression. Calculated D2/D3 mRNA expression ratios also showed a positive correlation with [11C]-(+)-PHNO binding, reflecting the mixed D2/3 signal of the radioligand. Our study supports the usefulness of combining gene expression data from open access brain atlases with in vivo imaging data in order to gain more detailed knowledge on neurotransmitter signaling.

Schizophrenia is characterized by increased behavioral and neurochemical responses to dopamine-releasing drugs. This prompted the hypothesis of psychosis as a state of “endogenous” sensitization of the dopamine system although the exact basis of dopaminergic disturbances and the possible role of prefrontal cortical regulation have remained uncertain. To show that patients with first-episode psychosis release more dopamine upon amphetamine-stimulation than healthy volunteers, and to reveal for the first time that prospective sensitization induced by repeated amphetamine exposure increases dopamine-release in stimulant-naïve healthy volunteers to levels observed in patients, we collected data on amphetamine-induced dopamine release using the dopamine D 2/3 receptor agonist radioligand [ 11 C]-(+)-PHNO and positron emission tomography. Healthy volunteers ( n  = 28, 14 female) underwent a baseline and then a post-amphetamine scan before and after a mildly sensitizing regimen of repeated oral amphetamine. Unmedicated patients with first-episode psychosis ( n  = 21; 6 female) underwent a single pair of baseline and then post-amphetamine scans. Furthermore, T1 weighted magnetic resonance imaging of the prefrontal cortex was performed. Patients with first-episode psychosis showed larger release of dopamine compared to healthy volunteers. After sensitization of healthy volunteers their dopamine release was significantly amplified and no longer different from that seen in patients. Healthy volunteers showed a negative correlation between prefrontal cortical volume and dopamine release. There was no such relationship after sensitization or in patients. Our data in patients with untreated first-episode psychosis confirm the “endogenous sensitization” hypothesis and support the notion of impaired prefrontal control of the dopamine system in schizophrenia.

Open access post-mortem transcriptome atlases such as the Allen Human Brain Atlas (AHBA) can inform us about mRNA expression of numerous proteins of interest across the whole brain, while in vivo protein binding in the human brain can be quantified by means of neuroreceptor positron emission tomography (PET). By combining both modalities, the association between regional gene expression and receptor distribution in the living brain can be approximated. Here, we compare the characteristics of D and D dopamine receptor distribution by applying the dopamine D receptor agonist radioligand [ C]-(+)-PHNO and human gene expression data. Since [ C]-(+)-PHNO has a higher affinity for D compared to D receptors, we hypothesized that there is a stronger relationship between D non-displaceable binding potentials (BP ) and D mRNA expression. To investigate the relationship between D BP and mRNA expression of DRD2 and DRD3 we performed [ C]-(+)-PHNO PET scans in 27 healthy subjects (12 females) and extracted gene expression data from the AHBA. We also calculated D /D mRNA expression ratios to imitate the mixed D signal of [ C]-(+)-PHNO. In accordance with our a priori hypothesis, a strong correlation between [ C]-(+)-PHNO and DRD3 expression was found. However, there was no significant correlation with DRD2 expression. Calculated D /D mRNA expression ratios also showed a positive correlation with [ C]-(+)-PHNO binding, reflecting the mixed D signal of the radioligand. Our study supports the usefulness of combining gene expression data from open access brain atlases with in vivo imaging data in order to gain more detailed knowledge on neurotransmitter signaling.

Open access post-mortem transcriptome atlases such as the Allen Human Brain Atlas (AHBA) can inform us about mRNA expression of numerous proteins of interest across the whole brain, while in vivo protein binding in the human brain can be quantified by means of neuroreceptor positron emission tomography (PET). By combining both modalities, the association between regional gene expression and receptor distribution in the living brain can be approximated. Here, we compare the characteristics of D2 and D3 dopamine receptor distribution by applying the dopamine D2/3 receptor agonist radioligand [11C]-(+)-PHNO and human gene expression data. Since [11C]-(+)-PHNO has a higher affinity for D3 compared to D2 receptors, we hypothesized that there is a stronger relationship between D2/3 non-displaceable binding potentials (BPND) and D3 mRNA expression. To investigate the relationship between D2/3 BPND and mRNA expression of DRD2 and DRD3 we performed [11C]-(+)-PHNO PET scans in 27 healthy subjects (12 females) and extracted gene expression data from the AHBA. We also calculated D2/D3 mRNA expression ratios to imitate the mixed D2/3 signal of [11C]-(+)-PHNO. In accordance with our a priori hypothesis, a strong correlation between [11C]-(+)-PHNO and DRD3 expression was found. However, there was no significant correlation with DRD2 expression. Calculated D2/D3 mRNA expression ratios also showed a positive correlation with [11C]-(+)-PHNO binding, reflecting the mixed D2/3 signal of the radioligand. Our study supports the usefulness of combining gene expression data from open access brain atlases with in vivo imaging data in order to gain more detailed knowledge on neurotransmitter signaling.Open access post-mortem transcriptome atlases such as the Allen Human Brain Atlas (AHBA) can inform us about mRNA expression of numerous proteins of interest across the whole brain, while in vivo protein binding in the human brain can be quantified by means of neuroreceptor positron emission tomography (PET). By combining both modalities, the association between regional gene expression and receptor distribution in the living brain can be approximated. Here, we compare the characteristics of D2 and D3 dopamine receptor distribution by applying the dopamine D2/3 receptor agonist radioligand [11C]-(+)-PHNO and human gene expression data. Since [11C]-(+)-PHNO has a higher affinity for D3 compared to D2 receptors, we hypothesized that there is a stronger relationship between D2/3 non-displaceable binding potentials (BPND) and D3 mRNA expression. To investigate the relationship between D2/3 BPND and mRNA expression of DRD2 and DRD3 we performed [11C]-(+)-PHNO PET scans in 27 healthy subjects (12 females) and extracted gene expression data from the AHBA. We also calculated D2/D3 mRNA expression ratios to imitate the mixed D2/3 signal of [11C]-(+)-PHNO. In accordance with our a priori hypothesis, a strong correlation between [11C]-(+)-PHNO and DRD3 expression was found. However, there was no significant correlation with DRD2 expression. Calculated D2/D3 mRNA expression ratios also showed a positive correlation with [11C]-(+)-PHNO binding, reflecting the mixed D2/3 signal of the radioligand. Our study supports the usefulness of combining gene expression data from open access brain atlases with in vivo imaging data in order to gain more detailed knowledge on neurotransmitter signaling.