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Susana Sainz de la Maza,1 Jorge Maurino,2 Tamara Castillo-Triviño,3 Mónica Borges,4 Berta Sebastián Torres,5 Javier Sotoca,6 Ana María Alonso Torres,7 Ana B Caminero,8 Laura Borrega,9 José L Sánchez-Menoyo,10 Francisco J Barrero-Hernández,11 Carmen Calles,12 Luis Brieva,13 María Rosario Blasco,14 Julio Dotor García-Soto,4 Ana Rodríguez-Regal,15 Laura Navarro-Cantó,16 Eduardo Agüera-Morales,17 Moisés Garcés,18 Olga Carmona,19 Laura Gabaldón-Torres,20 Lucía Forero,21 Mariona Hervás,22 Rocío Gómez-Ballesteros2 1Department of Neurology, Hospital Universitario Ramón y Cajal, Madrid, Spain; 2Medical Department, Roche Farma, Madrid, Spain; 3Department of Neurology, Hospital Universitario Donostia, San Sebastián, Spain; 4Department of Neurology, Hospital Universitario Virgen Macarena, Sevilla, Spain; 5Department of Neurology, Hospital Universitario Miguel Servet, Zaragoza, Spain; 6Department of Neurology, Hospital Universitari Vall d´Hebrón, Barcelona, Spain; 7Department of Neurology, Hospital Regional Universitario de Málaga, Málaga, Spain; 8Department of Neurology, Complejo Asistencial de Ávila, Ávila, Spain; 9Department of Neurology, Hospital Universitario Fundación Alcorcón, Alcorcón, Spain; 10Department of Neurology, Hospital de Galdakao-Usansolo, Galdakao, Spain; 11Department of Neurology, Hospital Universitario Clínico San Cecilio, Granada, Spain; 12Department of Neurology, Hospital Universitari Son Espases, Palma de Mallorca, Spain; 13Department of Neurology, Hospital Universitari Arnau de Vilanova, Lleida, Spain; 14Department of Neurology, Hospital Universitario Puerta de Hierro, Madrid, Spain; 15Department of Neurology, Complexo Hospitalario Universitario de Pontevedra, Pontevedra, Spain; 16Department of Neurology, Hospital General Universitario de Elche, Elche, Spain; 17Department of Neurology, Hospital Universitario Reina Sofía, Córdoba, Spain; 18Department of Neurology, Hospital Clínico Universitario Lozano Blesa, Zaragoza, Spain; 19Department of Neurology, Fundació Salut Empordà, Figueres, Spain; 20Department of Neurology, Hospital Francesc de Borja, Gandía, Spain; 21Department of Neurology, Hospital Universitario Puerta del Mar, Cádiz, Spain; 22Department of Neurology, Consorci Corporació Sanitària Parc Taulí, Sabadell, SpainCorrespondence: Jorge Maurino, Medical Department, Roche Farma, Ribera del Loira, 50, Madrid, 28042, Spain, Tel +34 913 24 81 00, Email jorge.maurino@roche.comBackground: Hopelessness is a risk factor for depression and suicide. There is little information on this phenomenon among patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), one of the most common causes of disability and loss of autonomy in young adults. The aim of this study was to assess state hopelessness and its associated factors in early-stage RRMS.Methods: A multicenter, non-interventional study was conducted. Adult patients with a diagnosis of RRMS, a disease duration ≤ 3 years, and an Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) score of 0– 5.5 were included. The State-Trait Hopelessness Scale (STHS) was used to measure patients´ hopelessness. A battery of patient-reported and clinician-rated measurements was used to assess clinical status. A multivariate logistic regression analysis was conducted to determine the association between patients’ characteristics and state hopelessness.Results: A total of 189 patients were included. Mean age (standard deviation-SD) was 36.1 (9.4) years and 71.4% were female. Median disease duration (interquartile range-IQR) was 1.4 (0.7, 2.1) years. Symptom severity and disability were low with a median EDSS (IQR) score of 1.0 (0, 2.0). A proportion of 65.6% (n=124) of patients reported moderate-to-severe hopelessness. Hopelessness was associated with older age (p=0.035), depressive symptoms (p=< 0.001), a threatening illness perception (p=0.001), and psychological and cognitive barriers to workplace performance (p=0.029) in the multivariate analysis after adjustment for confounders.Conclusion: Hopelessness was a common phenomenon in early-stage RRMS, even in a population with low physical disability. Identifying factors associated with hopelessness may be critical for implementing preventive strategies helping patients to adapt to the new situation and cope with the disease in the long term.Keywords: relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis, hopelessness, depressive symptoms, workplace difficulties, suicide

For prompt detection of large (>1 kt) above-ground explosions, infrasound microphone networks and arrays are deployed at surveyed locations across the world. Denser regional and local networks are deployed for smaller explosions, however, they are limited in number and are often deployed temporarily for experiments. With the expanded interest in smaller yield explosions targeted at vulnerable areas such as population centers and key infrastructures, the need for more dense microphone networks has increased. An "attritable" (affordable, reusable, and replaceable) and flexible alternative can be provided by smartphone networks. Explosion signals from a fuel air explosive (thermobaric bomb) and a high explosive with trinitrotoluene equivalent yields of 6.35 and 3.63 kg, respectively, were captured on both an infrasound microphone and a network of smartphones. The resulting waveforms were compared in time, frequency, and time-frequency domains. The acoustic waveforms collected on smartphones produced a filtered explosion pulse due to the smartphone's diminishing frequency response at infrasound frequencies (<20 Hz) and was found difficult to be used with explosion characterization methods utilizing waveform features (peak overpressure, impulse, etc.). However, the similarities in time frequency representations and additional sensor inputs are promising for other explosion signal identification and analysis. As an example, a method utilizing the relative acoustic amplitudes for source localization using the smartphone sensor network is presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A helium‐filled mylar balloon carrying a smartphone and infrasound sensors ascended to a stratospheric height of 35 km over the surface detonation of a chemical explosive, with a total acoustic propagation distance of 127 km. The smartphone was configured to collect multi‐modal data at high rates from internal sensors. Analysis of the data shows successful collection of the explosion signal by both the smartphone's microphone and its accelerometers, the first from an ascending balloon. Comparison of the acoustic signal with that collected by other infrasound sensors, both airborne and ground‐based, provides insight into the possibilities and limitations of collecting acoustic data from the stratosphere. Plain Language Summary: A surface chemical explosion was observed by pressure and acceleration sensors suspended from an ascending free‐floating balloon at a height of 35 km and a total propagation distance of 127 km from the blast. The balloon's sensor package included a smartphone collecting different types of data (including audio, acceleration, and position), as well as more traditional infrasound and location sensors. The explosion signal was observed by the airborne pressure and vertical accelerometer sensors, as well as by surface‐deployed traditional and smartphone pressure and acceleration sensors. The blast signatures recorded by the airborne and ground‐based stations are compared to provide insight into the present capabilities, limitations, and possible improvements to future balloon‐borne collections of seismo‐acoustic signatures on Earth and beyond. Key Points: Explosion signals were captured using acoustic sensors in an ascending balloon at a height of 35 km and a propagation distance of 127 kmThe signal was briefly trapped in the troposphere before escaping into the stratosphereAccelerometers can distinguish acoustic signals from wind noise on ascending balloons [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The objective of this study was to evaluate the accumulation of ions in blood and organs caused by titanium (Ti) metal particles in a mandibular defect in rats, together with a description of the local reaction of oral tissues to this Ti alloy debris. Methods: Twenty Sprague‐Dawley rats were randomly distributed into three groups: an experimental group with a mandibular bone defect filled with metallic debris obtained by implantoplasty; a positive control group; and a negative control group. Thirty days after surgery, the rats were euthanized and perilesional tissue surrounding the mandibular defect was removed, together with the lungs, spleen, liver, and brain. Two blood samples were collected: immediately before surgery and before euthanasia. The perilesional tissue was histologically analyzed using hematoxylin‐eosin staining, and Ti, aluminum, and vanadium ion concentrations in blood and organs were measured by TQ‐ICP‐MS. Descriptive and bivariate analyses of the data were performed. Results: All rats with implanted metal debris showed metal particles and a bone fracture callus on the osseous defect. The metal particles were surrounded by a foreign body reaction characterized by the presence of histiocytes and multinucleated giant cells (MNGCs). The experimental group had a significant higher concentration of Ti ions in all studied organs except lung tissue (p < 0.05). In addition, there were more V ions in the brain in the experimental group (p = 0.008). Conclusions: Although further studies are required to confirm the clinical relevance of these results, Ti metal particles in the jaw might increase the concentration of metal ions in vital organs and induce a foreign body reaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]