This study aimed to evaluate particle emission characteristics and to evaluate several control methods used to reduce particle emissions during three-dimensional (3D) printing. Experiments for particle characterization were conducted to measure particle number concentrations, emission rates, morphology, and chemical compositions under manufacturer-recommended and consistent-temperature conditions with seven different thermoplastic materials in an exposure chamber. Eight different combinations of the different control methods were tested, including an enclosure, an extruder suction fan, an enclosure ventilation fan, and several types of filter media. We classified the thermoplastic materials as high emitter (>10 #/min), medium emitters (10 #/min -10 #/min), and low emitters (<10 #/min) based on nanoparticle emissions. The nanoparticle emission rate was at least 1 order of magnitude higher for all seven filaments at the higher consistent extruder temperature than at the lower manufacturer-recommended temperature. Among the eight control methods tested, the enclosure with a high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter had the highest removal effectiveness (99.95%) of nanoparticles. Our recommendations for reducing particle emissions include applying a low temperature, using low-emitting materials, and instituting control measures like using an enclosure around the printer in conjunction with an appropriate filter (e.g., HEPA filter) during 3D printing.

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A BS TRACT: Background: It remains unclear whether and how the isolated rapid eye movement (REM) sleep behavior disorder (iRBD)-related metabolic pattern (RBDRP) changes with disease progression in iRBD. Objective: To examine longitudinal changes in RBDRP expression in iRBD patients and to explore trajectories of relative metabolic activities of individual brain regions constituting RBDRP. Methods: In this cohort study, 25 iRBD patients (mean age [AEstandard deviation], 69.2 AE 5.3 years; 12 [48%] patients were men) and 24 age-matched healthy controls were included. The patients underwent at least two 18 F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography scans at baseline and at the 2-year and/or 4-year followups. We measured the RBDRP expression of the patients and controls which was validated by reproduction in a separate iRBD cohort (n = 13). Results: At baseline, the RBDRP expression discriminated iRBD patients from healthy controls. However, the RBDRP expression z scores tended to decrease over time in the patients, especially with longer follow-ups, and this tendency was observed even in patients with high-risk of phenoconversion. Furthermore, the degree of RBDRP expression at baseline did not predict the disease conversion. The RBDRP breakdown was mainly provoked by the attenuation of relative hypermetabolism in the frontal cortex including premotor areas and relative hypometabolism in the occipital cortex. The putaminal metabolic activity increased steadily with the disease progression. Conclusions: The RBDRP expression in iRBD patients was altered significantly over time. Some of the brain metabolic changes seem to represent attempted functional compensation against ongoing neurodegeneration. The RBDRP expression measurement at one time point may not be a reliable biomarker for predicting disease conversion.

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Objective:To determine whether greater physical activity could modify the negative association of APOE ε4 with longitudinal cognitive changes in early Parkinson’s disease (PD) and to uncover the disease-specific mechanism for explaining such benefits of physical activity.Methods:We used data from the Parkinson’s Progression Markers Initiative cohort. Because self-reported physical activity, measured by the Physical Activity Scale of the Elderly, was initiated at 2 years after enrollment, this longitudinal analysis was based on assessments performed at years 2, 3, and 4. Cognitive function was measured annually with the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA). Dopamine transporter (DAT) imaging was performed at years 2 and 4. We assessed the interactive associations between physical activity and the APOE ε4 allele on the longitudinal changes in MoCA scores and striatal DAT activities.Results:A total of 173 early PD patients (age 63.3±10.0 years; 27% APOE ε4 carriers) were included. The APOE ε4 allele showed a steeper rate of cognitive decline than the non-APOE ε4 allele (estimate -1.33; 95% CI, -2.12 to -0.47; p=0.002). However, there was a significant interaction between physical activity and APOE ε4, such that higher physical activity was related to slower APOE ε4-related cognitive decline (estimate 0.007; 95% CI, 0.003 to 0.011; p=0.001). No significant interaction was found between physical activity and the APOE ε4 allele regarding the change in striatal DAT activities.Conclusion:Increased physical activity attenuated APOE ε4-related vulnerability to early cognitive decline in PD patients. This protective effect did not appear to be mediated by striatal dopaminergic function.Classification of evidence:This study provides Class II evidence that increased physical activity was associated with decreased APOE ε4-related early cognitive decline in PD patients.