Visual activity predicts auditory recovery from deafness after adult cochlear implantation.

Modern cochlear implantation technologies allow deaf patients to understand auditory speech; however, the implants deliver only a coarse auditory input and patients must use long-term adaptive processes to achieve coherent percepts. In adults with post-lingual deafness, the high progress of speech recovery is observed during the first year after cochlear implantation, but there is a large range of variability in the level of cochlear implant outcomes and the temporal evolution of recovery. It has been proposed that when profoundly deaf subjects receive a cochlear implant, the visual cross-modal reorganization of the brain is deleterious for auditory speech recovery. We tested this hypothesis in post-lingually deaf adults by analysing whether brain activity shortly after implantation correlated with the level of auditory recovery 6 months later. Based on brain activity induced by a speech-processing task, we found strong positive correlations in areas outside the auditory cortex. The highest positive correlations were found in the occipital cortex involved in visual processing, as well as in the posterior-temporal cortex known for audio-visual integration. The other area, which positively correlated with auditory speech recovery, was localized in the left inferior frontal area known for speech processing. Our results demonstrate that the visual modality's functional level is related to the proficiency level of auditory recovery. Based on the positive correlation of visual activity with auditory speech recovery, we suggest that visual modality may facilitate the perception of the word's auditory counterpart in communicative situations. The link demonstrated between visual activity and auditory speech perception indicates that visuoauditory synergy is crucial for cross-modal plasticity and fostering speech-comprehension recovery in adult cochlear-implanted deaf patients.

Ectopic pacing at physiological rate improves postanoxic recovery of the developing heart.

Recently, rapid and transient cardiac pacing was shown to induce preconditioning in animal models. Whether the electrical stimulation per se or the concomitant myocardial ischemia affords such a protection remains unknown. We tested the hypothesis that chronic pacing of a cardiac preparation maintained in a normoxic condition can induce protection. Hearts of 4-day-old chick embryos were electrically paced in ovo over a 12-h period using asynchronous and intermittent ventricular stimulation (5 min on-10 min off) at 110% of the intrinsic rate. Sham (n = 6) and paced hearts (n = 6) were then excised, mounted in vitro, and subjected successively to 30 min of normoxia (20% O(2)), 30 min of anoxia (0% O(2)), and 60 min of reoxygenation (20% O(2)). Electrocardiogram and atrial and ventricular contractions were simultaneously recorded throughout the experiment. Reoxygenation-induced chrono-, dromo-, and inotropic disturbances, incidence of arrhythmias, and changes in electromechanical delay (EMD) in atria and ventricle were systematically investigated in sham and paced hearts. Under normoxia, the isolated heart beat spontaneously and regularly, and all baseline functional parameters were similar in sham and paced groups (means +/- SD): heart rate (190 +/- 36 beats/min), P-R interval (104 +/- 25 ms), mechanical atrioventricular propagation (20 +/- 4 mm/s), ventricular shortening velocity (1.7 +/- 1 mm/s), atrial EMD (17 +/- 4 ms), and ventricular EMD (16 +/- 2 ms). Under anoxia, cardiac function progressively collapsed, and sinoatrial activity finally stopped after approximately 9 min in both groups. During reoxygenation, paced hearts showed 1) a lower incidence of arrhythmias than sham hearts, 2) an increased rate of recovery of ventricular contractility compared with sham hearts, and 3) a faster return of ventricular EMD to basal value than sham hearts. However, recovery of heart rate, atrioventricular conduction, and atrial EMD was not improved by pacing. Activity of all hearts was fully restored at the end of reoxygenation. These findings suggest that chronic electrical stimulation of the ventricle at a near-physiological rate selectively alters some cellular functions within the heart and constitutes a nonischemic means to increase myocardial tolerance to a subsequent hypoxia-reoxygenation.

Recovery of biological motion perception and network plasticity after cerebellar tumor removal.

Visual perception of body motion is vital for everyday activities such as social interaction, motor learning or car driving. Tumors to the left lateral cerebellum impair visual perception of body motion. However, compensatory potential after cerebellar damage and underlying neural mechanisms remain unknown. In the present study, visual sensitivity to point-light body motion was psychophysically assessed in patient SL with dysplastic gangliocytoma (Lhermitte-Duclos disease) to the left cerebellum before and after neurosurgery, and in a group of healthy matched controls. Brain activity during processing of body motion was assessed by functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Alterations in underlying cerebro-cerebellar circuitry were studied by psychophysiological interaction (PPI) analysis. Visual sensitivity to body motion in patient SL before neurosurgery was substantially lower than in controls, with significant improvement after neurosurgery. Functional MRI in patient SL revealed a similar pattern of cerebellar activation during biological motion processing as in healthy participants, but located more medially, in the left cerebellar lobules III and IX. As in normalcy, PPI analysis showed cerebellar communication with a region in the superior temporal sulcus, but located more anteriorly. The findings demonstrate a potential for recovery of visual body motion processing after cerebellar damage, likely mediated by topographic shifts within the corresponding cerebro-cerebellar circuitry induced by cerebellar reorganization. The outcome is of importance for further understanding of cerebellar plasticity and neural circuits underpinning visual social cognition.

State of Iowa Long-Term Economic Recovery Strategy

The "State of Iowa Long-Term Economic Recovery Strategy" was prepared for the Economic Development Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce. In July, 2008 Iowa received a $3 million grant from the Economic Development Administration to create an Economic Recovery Strategy for recovering from the devastating floods and tornadoes that impacted the state earlier that summer. This report outlines the final version of that strategy. It includes the methods, goals, objectives, measures and key projects that the state has undertaken and will continue into the future to ensure the state‘s complete recovery.

Iowa Disaster Recovery Framework

This Iowa Disaster Recovery Framework (IDRF) is meant to detail a lasting, flexible structure and system to coordinate and manage disaster recovery in the long-term. The IDRF provides a structure to engage stakeholders such as individual Iowans, local and tribal governments, businesses, voluntary, faith-based and community organizations as well as state and federal agencies to identify and resolve recovery challenges both before and after disaster events. It applies to all disasters, recovery partners, and recovery activities.

Iowa Disaster Recovery Tabletop Exercise - After Action Report / Improvement Plan

On June 24, 2010, the Rebuild Iowa Office (RIO) held a discussion-based tabletop exercise for the purpose of creating a framework to support disaster recovery coordination within the State of Iowa. The purpose of this report is to provide an overview of the tabletop exercise, summarize and analyze exercise results, identify strengths which should be maintained and built upon, identify areas for further improvement, and support development of recommendations and corrective actions.

Rebuild Iowa Office Federal Recovery Framework Recommendations, Updated August 31, 2010.

The Rebuild Iowa Office and its' state and local partners recommendations about improving and streamlining the state and federal disaster recovery framework.

Supplemental Information to the August 2008 Long Term Recovery Planning Task Force Report, August 2008

Eighty-five of 99 Iowa counties were declared Presidential Disaster Areas for Public Assistance and/orIndividual Assistance as a result of the tornadoes, storms, and floods over the incident period May 25 through August 13, 2008. Response dominated the state’s attention for weeks, with a transition to recovery as the local situations warranted. The widespread damage and severity of the impact on Iowans and their communities required a statewide effort to continue moving forward despite being surrounded by adversity. By all accounts, it will require years for the state to recover from these disasters. With an eye toward the future, recovery is underway across Iowa. As part of the Rebuild Iowa efforts, the Long Term Recovery Planning Task Force was charged with responsibilities somewhat different from other topical Task Force assignments. Rather than assess damage and report on how the state might address immediate needs, the Long Term Recovery Planning Task Force is directed to discuss and discern the best approach to the lengthy recovery process. Certainly, the Governor and Lieutenant Governor expect the task to be difficult; when planning around so many critical issues and overwhelming needs, it is challenging to think to the future, rather than to rise to the current day’s needs.

Intrathecal analgesia and restrictive perioperative fluid management within enhanced recovery pathway: hemodynamic implications.

BACKGROUND: Intrathecal analgesia and avoidance of perioperative fluid overload are key items within enhanced recovery pathways. Potential side effects include hypotension and renal dysfunction. STUDY DESIGN: From January 2010 until May 2010, all patients undergoing colorectal surgery within enhanced recovery pathways were included in this retrospective cohort study and were analyzed by intrathecal analgesia (IT) vs none (noIT). Primary outcomes measures were systolic and diastolic blood pressure, mean arterial pressure, and heart rate for 48 hours after surgery. Renal function was assessed by urine output and creatinine values. RESULTS: One hundred and sixty-three consecutive colorectal patients (127 IT and 36 noIT) were included in the analysis. Both patient groups showed low blood pressure values within the first 4 to 12 hours and a steady increase thereafter before return to baseline values after about 24 hours. Systolic and diastolic blood pressure and mean arterial pressure were significantly lower until 16 hours after surgery in patients having IT compared with the noIT group. Low urine output (<0.5 mL/kg/h) was reported in 11% vs 29% (IT vs noIT; p = 0.010) intraoperatively, 20% vs 11% (p = 0.387), 33% vs 22% (p = 0.304), and 31% vs 21% (p = 0.478) for postanesthesia care unit and postoperative days 1 and 2, respectively. Only 3 of 127 (2.4%) IT and 1 of 36 (2.8%) noIT patients had a transitory creatinine increase >50%; no patients required dialysis. CONCLUSIONS: Postoperative hypotension affects approximately 10% of patients within an enhanced recovery pathway and is slightly more pronounced in patients with IT. Hemodynamic depression persists for <20 hours after surgery; it has no measurable negative impact and therefore cannot justify detrimental postoperative fluid overload.

Glibenclamide enhances neurogenesis and improves long-term functional recovery after transient focal cerebral ischemia

Glibenclamide is neuroprotective against cerebral ischemia in rats. We studied whether glibenclamide enhances long-term brain repair and improves behavioral recovery after stroke. Adult male Wistar rats were subjected to transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) for 90 minutes. A low dose of glibenclamide (total 0.6mg) was administered intravenously 6, 12, and 24 hours after reperfusion. We assessed behavioral outcome during a 30-day follow-up and animals were perfused for histological evaluation. In vitro specific binding of glibenclamide to microglia increased after pro-inflammatory stimuli. In vivo glibenclamide was associated with increased migration of doublecortin-positive cells in the striatum toward the ischemic lesion 72 hours after MCAO, and reactive microglia expressed sulfonylurea receptor 1 (SUR1) and Kir6.2 in the medial striatum. One month after MCAO, glibenclamide was also associated with increased number of NeuN-positive and 5-bromo-2-deoxyuridine-positive neurons in the cortex and hippocampus, and enhanced angiogenesis in the hippocampus. Consequently, glibenclamide-treated MCAO rats showed improved performance in the limb-placing test on postoperative days 22 to 29, and in the cylinder and water-maze test on postoperative day 29. Therefore, acute blockade of SUR1 by glibenclamide enhanced long-term brain repair in MCAO rats, which was associated with improved behavioral outcome.

Recovery of paraplegia after type B dissection due to spinal collateral recruitment.

Acute paraplegia could be a symptom of aortic dissection due to sudden compromise of arterial spinal cord blood supply. Complete spontaneous neurologic recovery is possible and was observed in the present case 3 hours after symptom onset. Spontaneous spinal cord reperfusion after acute type B dissection was probably due to two main mechanisms. Reperfusion of false lumen and collateral vascular network recruitment, recently confirmed by anatomic animal studies, serve as potential explanations. Favorable evolution of acute paraplegia after aortic dissection exists, but prognosis is uncertain, probably due to individual variable anatomic distribution of spinal cord blood supply.

Effects of prior repeated-sprints with different recovery duration on oxygen uptake kinetics during subsequent heavy-exercise.

Introduction: Prior repeated-sprints (6) has become an interesting method to resolve the debate surrounding the principal factors that limits the oxygen uptake (V'O2) kinetics at the onset of exercise [i.e., muscle O2 delivery (5) or metabolic inertia (3)]. The aim of this study was to compare the effects of two repeated-sprints sets of 6x6s separated by different recovery duration between the sprints on V'O2 and muscular de-oxygenation [HHb] kinetics during a subsequent heavy-intensity exercise. Methods: 10 male subjects performed a 6-min constant-load cycling test (T50) at intensity corresponding to half of the difference between V'O2max and the ventilatory threshold. Then, they performed two repeated-sprints sets of 6x6s all-out separated by different recovery duration between the sprints (S1:30s and S2:3min) followed, after 7-min-recovery, by the T50 (S1T50 and S2T50, respectively). V'O2, [HHb] of the vastus lateralis (VL) and surface electromyography activity [i.e., root-mean-square (RMS) and the median frequency of the power density spectrum (MDF)] from VL and vastus medialis (VM) were recorded throughout T50. Models using a bi-exponential function for the overall T50 and a mono-exponential for the first 90s of T50 were used to define V'O2 and [HHb] kinetics respectively. Results: V'O2 mean value was higher in S1 (2.9±0.3l.min-1) than in S2 (1.2±0.3l.min-1); (p<0.001). The peripheral blood flow was increased after sprints as attested by a higher basal heart rate (HRbaseline) (S1T50: +22%; S2T50: +17%; p≤0.008). Time delay [HHb] was shorter for S1T50 and S2T50 than for T50 (-22% for both; p≤0.007) whereas the mean response time of V'O2 was accelerated only after S1 (S1T50: 32.3±2.5s; S2T50: 34.4±2.6s; T50: 35.7±5.4s; p=0.031). There were no significant differences in RMS between the three conditions (p>0.05). MDF of VM was higher during the first 3-min in S1T50 than in T50 (+6%; p≤0.05). Conclusion: The study show that V'O2 kinetics was speeded by prior repeated-sprints with a short (30s) but not a long (3min) inter-sprints-recovery even though the [HHb] kinetics was accelerated and the peripheral blood flow was enhanced after both sprints. S1, inducing a greater PCr depletion (1) and change in the pattern of the fibres recruitment (increase in MDF) compared with S2, may decrease metabolic inertia (2), stimulate the oxidative phosphorylation activation (4) and accelerate V'O2 kinetics at the beginning of the subsequent high-intensity exercise.

Geochronological constraints on post-extinction recovery of the ammonoids and carbon cycle perturbations during the Early Jurassic

This paper presents the first quantitative study of the Early Jurassic recovery of ammonoids after the end-Triassic mass extinction based on detailed U-Pb ID-TIMS (isotope dilution thermal ionization mass spectrometry) geochronology from ash bed zircons placed within a clear phylogenetical and biochronological framework at the subzonal and species level. This study was triggered by the discovery of a rich Peruvian succession of ammonites, deposited concomitantly with an unusually large number of ash beds. Two major phases of rediversification are observed during the Psiloceras spelae and Angulaticeras zones that correspond to positive peaks in the delta C-13(org) curve, providing a possible link between biodiversity and the global carbon cycle. In the case of the post-extinction recovery, the development of the earliest Hettangian ammonites occurs within the genus Psiloceras, which begins with the occurrence of P. spelae and then explodes into worldwide development of smooth psiloceratids of the Psiloceras planorbis group s.l. This rapid biodiversification likely occurred less than 100 ka after the end-Triassic crisis; the genus Psiloceras occupied all the possible ecological niches worldwide, from the Pacific deep waters to the NW European shallow deposits and also in some rare Tethyan occurrences like at Germig in Tibet. This global dispersion allowed the differentiation of the group in several major phyla, the Schlotheimiidae, Discamphiceratinae, Arietitidae and Lytocerataceae, which were the roots of all other Jurassic and Cretaceous ammonites. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Rebuild Iowa Office - Disaster Recovery Lessons Learned

Lessons Learned and Best Practices is a Rebuild Iowa Office initiative that identifies innovative ideas as well as opportunities for improvement to be shared with our federal, state and local partners. It is designed to provide recovery providers and planners with information and front-line expertise on effective planning, execution and operational practices across the recovery spectrum.

Precise U-Pb age constraints for end-Triassic mass extinction, its correlation to volcanism and Hettangian post-extinction recovery

New precise zircon U-Pb ages are proposed for the Triassic-Jurassic (Rhetian-Hettangian) and the Hettangian-Sinemurian boundaries, The ages were obtained by ID-TIMS dating of single chemical-abraded zircons from volcanic ash layers within the Pucara Group, Aramachay Formation in the Utcubamba valley, northern Peru. Ash layers situated between last and first occurrences of boundary-defining ammonites yielded Pb-206/U-238 ages of 201.58 +/- 0.17/0.28 Ma (95% c.l., uncertainties without/with decay constant errors, respectively) for the Triassic-Jurassic and of 199.53 +/- 0.19/0.29 Ma for the Hettangian-Sinemurian boundaries. The former is established on a tuff located 1 m above the last local occurrence of the topmost Triassic genus Choristoceras, and 5 m below the Hettangian genus Psiloceras. The latter sample was obtained from a tuff collected within the Badouxia canadensis beds. Our new ages document total duration of the Hettagian of no more than c. 2 m.y., which has fundamental implications for the interpretation and significance of the ammonite recovery after the topmost Triassic extinction. The U-Pb age is about 0.8 +/- 0.5% older than Ar-40-Ar-39 dates determined on flood basalts of the Central Atlantic Magmatic Province (CAMP). Given the widely accepted hypothesis that inaccuracies in the K-40 decay constants or physical constants create a similar bias between the two dating methods, our new U-Pb zircon age determination for the T/J boundary corroborates the hypothesis that the CAMP was emplaced at the same time and may be responsible for a major climatic turnover and mass extinction. The zircon Pb-206/U-238 age for the T/J boundary is marginally older than the North Mountain Basalt (Newark Supergroup, Nova Scotia, Canada), which has been dated at 201.27 +/- 0.06 Ma [Schoene et al., 2006. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta 70, 426-445]. It will be important to look for older eruptions of the CAMP and date them precisely by U-Pb techniques while addressing all sources of systematic uncertainty to further test the hypothesis of volcanic induced climate change leading to extinction. Such high-precision, high-accuracy data will be instrumental for constraining the contemporaneity of geological events at a 100 kyr level. (C) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.