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Background There are limited longitudinal data evaluating outcomes in idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH). We aimed to evaluate the long-term outcomes in a real-world cohort of patients with IIH and sought to establish the prognostic factors. Methods A longitudinal prospective cohort study was conducted over 9 years (2012–2021). Data included demographics and disease status. All consenting patients with IIH were recruited. Visual outcomes included visual acuity, Humphrey visual field and optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging measurements. Headache frequency, severity, and impact were noted. We analysed the key variables impacting visual and headache outcomes. Results The cohort contained 490 patients with a confirmed IIH diagnosis. 98% were female with a mean body mass index (BMI) of 38 kg/m2. Those with the highest OCT retinal nerve fibre layer had the worst visual outcomes. We noted a delayed decline, in the visual field and OCT ganglion cell layer after 12 months. In the medically managed cohort (n = 426), we found that disease duration and change in BMI had the greatest influence on visual outcomes. There was a high burden of headache, with a daily headache at presentation and prior migraine history influencing long-term headache prognosis. Conclusions There is a delayed decline in visual outcomes in those with the most severe papilloedema. Disease duration and change in BMI were the key visual prognostic factors, therefore those with the more acute disease may require closer monitoring. Improving prognosis in IIH should focus on the potentially modifiable factor of weight management.

Cognitive impairments have been reported in idiopathic intracranial hypertension; however, evidence supporting these deficits is scarce and contributing factors have not been defined. Using a case-control prospective study, we identified multiple domains of deficiency in a cohort of 66 female adult idiopathic intracranial hypertension patients. We identified significantly impaired attention networks (executive function) and sustained attention compared to a body mass index and age matched control group of 25 healthy female participants. We aimed to investigate how cognitive function changed over time and demonstrated that deficits were not permanent. Participants exhibited improvement in several domains including executive function, sustained attention and verbal short-term memory over 12-month follow-up. Improved cognition over time was associated with reduction in intracranial pressure but not body weight. We then evaluated cognition before and after a lumbar puncture with acute reduction in intracranial pressure and noted significant improvement in sustained attention to response task performance. The impact of comorbidities (headache, depression, adiposity and obstructive sleep apnoea) was also explored. We observed that body mass index and the obesity associated cytokine interleukin-6 (serum and cerebrospinal fluid) were not associated with cognitive performance. Headache severity during cognitive testing, co-morbid depression and markers of obstructive sleep apnoea were adversely associated with cognitive performance. Dysregulation of the cortisol generating enzyme 11β hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 has been observed in idiopathic intracranial hypertension. Elevated cortisol has been associated with impaired cognition. Here, we utilized liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry for multi-steroid profiling in serum and cerebrospinal fluid in idiopathic intracranial hypertension patients. We noted that reduction in the serum cortisol:cortisone ratio in those undergoing bariatric surgery at 12 months was associated with improving verbal working memory. The clinical relevance of cognitive deficits was noted in their significant association with impaired reliability to perform visual field tests, the cornerstone of monitoring vision in idiopathic intracranial hypertension. Our findings propose that cognitive impairment should be accepted as a clinical manifestation of idiopathic intracranial hypertension and impairs the ability to perform visual field testing reliably. Importantly, cognitive deficits can improve over time and with reduction of intracranial pressure. Treating comorbid depression, obstructive sleep apnoea and headache could improve cognitive performance in idiopathic intracranial hypertension., Grech et al. report cognitive impairments in idiopathic intracranial hypertension compared to body mass index matched controls. Deficits improved following lumbar puncture and 12 months weight loss intervention, and were associated with headache severity, depression, obstructive sleep apnoea and cortisol. Performance of visual field testing was impacted by impaired attention., Graphical Abstract Graphical Abstract

Cotton wool spots (CWSs) are a known clinical finding in giant cell arteritis (GCA) when it presents with visual loss secondary to arteritic anterior ischaemic optic neuropathy. To our knowledge a single CWS, prior to visual loss is a unique presentation for cranial GCA in the English language literature. Clinicians should evaluate all patients with amaurosis fugax for GCA and the presence of even one cotton wool patch should prompt further evaluation including either cranial ultrasound and/or temporal artery biopsy. A 74-year-old Caucasian woman was investigated for …

In this work a vanadium(III)-based catalyst was synthesized, characterized by thermogravimetric analysis, electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) and FTIR spectroscopy, and its activity was evaluated during fatty acids esterification with methanol. The solid catalyst was monitored during the catalyzed reactions, conducted under room atmosphere pressure and solvothermal conditions. The contribution of the leached fraction to the esterification conversion values was also investigated. Factorial experiments were also made, which helped investigate the interdependence between the major variables and also to adjust the experimental conditions according to the optimal results.

Orientador: Prof. Dr. Ney Pereira Mattoso Filho Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Federal do Paraná, Setor de Tecnologia, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Engenharia e Ciência dos Materiais - PIPE. Defesa : Curitiba, 26/02/2018 Inclui referências: p. 117-125 Resumo: A crise gerada pela resistência bacteriana aos antibióticos comerciais, a partir de mutações que deram origem às superbactérias, impulsionou as pesquisas de agentes microbianos que impedissem estas mutações e que fossem biosseguros e economicamente viáveis. As nanopartículas de óxido de zinco (ZnO), por possuírem estas características, são amplamente estudadas para aplicação antibacteriana. No entanto, sua atividade catalítica é derivada de absorção de luz ultravioleta, com um "band gap" de 3,37 eV, o que demanda exposição da área a ser tratada a esta radiação de alta energia que pode ser prejudicial em caso de contato prolongado. Uma alternativa à diminuição desta energia é a dopagem do ZnO com metais de transição que sejam igualmente biosseguros. Neste trabalho, investigou-se a síntese de nanopartículas de ZnO e ZnO dopado com Cu, Co e Ni, e co-dopadas com Co e Ni, os quais foram escolhidos por possuírem biocompatibilidade comprovada e potencial de diminuição do "band gap" do ZnO acentuada. Estes foram sintetizados por método sol-gel, método simples e de baixo custo, com condições de reação diferenciadas das testadas na literatura, sendo que o pH (neutro - 6) e o agente (mono etilenoglicol) estabilizante testados apresentam novidade em sua utilização. A condição de calcinação foi comprovada por análise térmica TG/DTG e DSC e a caracterização dos compostos produzidos foi realizada por técnicas de Microscopia Eletrônica de Transmissão (TEM), Microscopia Eletrônica de Varredura (SEM), Difração de Elétrons em Área Selecionada (SAED), Espectroscopia de Dispersão de Energia de fótons de Raios X (EDS) e Catodoluminescência (CL). Os resultados obtidos para as demais dopagens e co-dopagens com Ni e Co foram satisfatórios, com emissões em diversas posições da faixa do visível indicando quão promissores são seus testes e sua utilização como agentes antibacterianos. Palavras-chave: Agente Antibacteriano. ZnO. "Band Gap". Dopagem. Co- Dopagem. Abstract: The crisis caused by bacterial resistance to commercial antibiotics caused by mutations that creates superbugs pushed the research of microbial agents capable of prevented these mutations, which were biosafety and economically viable. Nanoparticles of zinc oxide (ZnO) because they have these characteristics are widely studied as antibacterial agents. However, its catalytic activity is derived from ultraviolet light absorption, with a band gap of 3.37 eV, which demands exposure of the area to be treated to this high energy radiation that can be harmful in case of prolonged contact. An alternative to the reduction of this energy is the doping of ZnO with transition metals which are also biosafety. In this work, we investigated the synthesis of nanoparticles of ZnO and ZnO doped with copper, cobalt and nickel, which were chosen because they have established biocompatibility and a high potential for band gap alteration of the ZnO nanoparticles. These were synthesized by sol-gel method, simple and low-cost method, in different reaction conditions from those tested in the literature, with pH (neutral - 6) and stabilizing agent (mono ethylene glycol) tested have novelty in they use. The calcination condition was verified by thermal analysis TG/DTG and DSC, and the characterization of the produced compounds was carried out by Electron Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Selected Area Electron Diffraction SAED), X-Ray Photon Energy Dispersion (EDS) and Cathodoluminescence (CL) Spectroscopy. The results obtained for doping and co-doping ZnO with Ni and Co were satisfying, with emissions in several positions of the visible range indicating how promising their tests and their use as antibacterial agents are. Key-words: Antibacterial agent. ZnO. Band Gap. Doping. Co-Doping

Molybdenum-containing silica easily synthesized by the sol–gel process was evaluated as catalyst for heterogeneous esterification reaction of fatty acids using methanol and ethanol. The molybdenum content depended on the conditions employed during the synthesis. The solids were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction, textural analysis, X-ray photoelectronic spectroscopy, and inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy. The strength and distribution of the acid sites were assessed by the adsorption–desorption of n-butylamine as monitored by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and thermogravimetric analysis. Kinetic studies revealed high fatty acid conversion for both alcohols and diminished activity upon decreasing concentration of acid sites. Monitoring of the acid sites during the recycling experiments indicated association of the catalytic activity with Mo oxide species on the surface and with the availability of molybdenum-active sites displaying Bronsted–Lowry acidity in the silica structure.