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IntroductionTau-positron emission tomography (PET) outcome data of patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) cannot currently be meaningfully compared or combined when different tracers are used due to differences in tracer properties, instrumentation, and methods of analysis.MethodsUsing head-to-head data from five cohorts with tau PET radiotracers designed to target tau deposition in AD, we tested a joint propagation model (JPM) to harmonize quantification (units termed "CenTauR" [CTR]). JPM is a statistical model that simultaneously models the relationships between head-to-head and anchor point data. JPM was compared to a linear regression approach analogous to the one used in the amyloid PET Centiloid scale.ResultsA strong linear relationship was observed between CTR values across brain regions. Using the JPM approach, CTR estimates were similar to, but more accurate than, those derived using the linear regression approach.DiscussionPreliminary findings using the JPM support the development and adoption of a universal scale for tau-PET quantification.HighlightsTested a novel joint propagation model (JPM) to harmonize quantification of tau PET. Units of common scale are termed "CenTauRs". Tested a Centiloid-like linear regression approach. Using five cohorts with head-to-head tau PET, JPM outperformed linearregressionbased approach. Strong linear relationship was observed between CenTauRs values across brain regions.

BackgroundArthrogryposis multiplex congenita (AMC) is characterized by joint contractures present in at least two body areas. In addition to these contractures, individuals with AMC can have decreased muscle mass, leading to limitations in activities of daily living. Exercise has the potential to maintain or improve the range of motion and muscle strength. However, this type of intervention necessitates frequent follow ups that are currently difficult to provide for youths with AMC because they often live far from a specialized hospital. To overcome this distance challenge, telecommunication technologies can be used to deliver rehabilitation remotely, which is called telerehabilitation. The study protocol for one such type of rehabilitation will be presented in this paper. ObjectiveThis pilot study aims to (1) evaluate the feasibility of using telerehabilitation to provide a home exercise program for youths with AMC, and (2) assess the effectiveness of a home exercise program. MethodsA total of 10 youths aged 8-21 years with AMC will be recruited. The intervention consists of a 12-week individualized home-based exercise program delivered remotely using telerehabilitation. At baseline, youths will complete the Physical Activity Questionnaire for Adolescents and the Pediatrics Outcomes Data Collection Instrument to assess pain, function, and level of physical activity. During the first telerehabilitation meeting, the rehabilitation therapists will measure range of motion using a virtual goniometer and assess the youth’s functional level. The therapists will then use the Goal Attainment Scale to set objectives and develop the individualized intervention. Follow ups will occur every 3 weeks to make sure exercises are performed safely and to progress the exercises when needed. At the end of the 12-week intervention, rehabilitation therapists will re-evaluate the youth using the same outcome measures as the initial evaluation. The youths will be asked to complete the same questionnaires, with the addition of questions about their satisfaction regarding the intervention. Nonparametric and descriptive statistics will be used to evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness. ResultsEthics approval was obtained in October 2018. Recruitment and data collection started in January 2019 and was completed in May 2020. ConclusionsThis pilot study will help us learn how a large-scale project may work in practice to improve outcomes in physical activity, pain, and function, and goal attainment among youths with AMC, thus informing a future clinical trial. International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID)DERR1-10.2196/18688

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: The primary objective was to assess pain catastrophizing and functional disability in pediatric patients with epidermolysis bullosa (EB) and their parents/guardians. Secondary objectives included examining relationships between pain catastrophizing, functional disability, and correlations with other factors (e.g., age, disease severity, and percent of body surface area (BSA) involved). METHODS: Patients with EB ages 8-16 and their parents/guardians who were English or Spanish speaking completed a one-time online survey. Parent measures included: demographics questionnaire, Pain Catastrophizing Scale-Parent (PCS), and Parent Functional Disability Inventory (FDI). Child measures included: PCS child and child FDI. Higher scores on both scales indicate higher levels of catastrophizing and functional disability. RESULTS: Of 31 children, the mean age was 11.47 years and the majority (70.97%) had dystrophic EB. Mean scores were: 35.84 = PCS parent; 34.58 = PCS child; 30.87 = parent FDI; 29.77 = child FDI. Total scores for PCS parent, parent FDI, and child FDI increased significantly with disease severity and percentage of involved BSA (p

This article examines the institutional and makeshift refugee geographies of Belgrade, using Diana Martin's concept of 'campscape'. It argues for the importance of this concept as a lens through which the complex relationship between the presence of refugees, camps and the city may be analysed. Accordingly, it takes into consideration key refugee spaces related to the role played by Belgrade as a migration hub along the so-called Balkan Route: institutional and makeshift camps, together with spaces associated with civil society and humanitarian support. After reviewing the key literature, the paper presents three sections that explore Belgrade's distinctive campscape by analysing its (1) spatialities, (2) mobilities and (3) institutional geographies. The article concludes by claiming that the concept of campscape, when applied to a refugee mobility hub like the one developed in Belgrade since 2015, may be useful for illustrating the endlessly morphing refugee geographies of a well-established informal migration corridor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Care and control are concepts frequently invoked within Camp Studies, often as a means of characterizing the varied logics of institutional camps. This article builds on recent geographical literature by going beyond care and control and proposing a renewed focus on the idea of custodianship within a range of historical and contemporary camp contexts, from colonial and totalitarian concentration camps to present-day refugee camps. The notion of the camp as a custodian institution, that is, a sovereign authority whose biopolitical interventions imply both the preservation and curtailment of life, provides an effective means of apprehending the complex nature of camp governance, particularly the shifting intensity of power relations between camp management and residents. We develop this conceptual discussion via existing literature on concentration camps, before grounding our analysis in the case study of Krnjača Asylum Centre, a refugee camp along the so-called Balkan Route in Serbia. Our empirical discussion of Krnjača indicates that the concept of custodianship can be useful in understanding seemingly distinct and even contradictory modes of camp governance as part of a single coherent regime of power, from the imposition and negotiation of everyday rules and regulations to the strict containment measures put into place during COVID-19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Experimental laboratory research has an important role to play in dementia prevention. Mechanisms underlying modifiable risk factors for dementia are promising targets for dementia prevention but are difficult to investigate in human populations due to technological constraints and confounds. Therefore, controlled laboratory experiments in models such as transgenic rodents, invertebrates and in vitro cultured cells are increasingly used to investigate dementia risk factors and test strategies which target them to prevent dementia. This review provides an overview of experimental research into 15 established and putative modifiable dementia risk factors: less early‐life education, hearing loss, depression, social isolation, life stress, hypertension, obesity, diabetes, physical inactivity, heavy alcohol use, smoking, air pollution, anesthetic exposure, traumatic brain injury, and disordered sleep. It explores how experimental models have been, and can be, used to address questions about modifiable dementia risk and prevention that cannot readily be addressed in human studies. Highlights: Modifiable dementia risk factors are promising targets for dementia prevention.Interrogation of mechanisms underlying dementia risk is difficult in human populations.Studies using diverse experimental models are revealing modifiable dementia risk mechanisms.We review experimental research into 15 modifiable dementia risk factors.Laboratory science can contribute uniquely to dementia prevention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Modifiable risk factors account for a substantial proportion of Alzheimer's disease (AD) cases and we currently have a discrete AT(N) biomarker profile for AD biomarkers: amyloid (A), p-tau (T), and neurodegeneration (N). Here, we investigated how modifiable risk factors relate to the three hallmark AT(N) biomarkers of AD. Methods: Participants from the European Prevention of Alzheimer's Dementia (EPAD) study underwent clinical assessments, brain magnetic resonance imaging, and cerebrospinal fluid collection and analysis. Generalized additive models (GAMs) with penalized regression splines were modeled in the AD Workbench on the NTKApp. Results: A total of 1,434 participants were included (56% women, 39% APOE ε4+) with an average age of 65.5 (± 7.2) years. We found that modifiable risk factors of less education (t = 3.9, p < 0.001), less exercise (t = 2.1, p = 0.034), traumatic brain injury (t = -2.1, p = 0.036), and higher body mass index (t = -4.5, p < 0.001) were all significantly associated with higher AD biomarker burden. Discussion: This cross-sectional study provides further support for modifiable risk factors displaying neuroprotective associations with the characteristic AT(N) biomarkers of AD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]