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36374874
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33197716
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36512043
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Graph Transformer Geometric Learning of Brain Networks Using Multimodal MR Images for Brain Age Estimation.
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Accurate brain age prediction with lightweight deep neural networks.
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Cardiac MRI in patients with COVID-19 infection.
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Brain age is considered as an important biomarker for detecting aging-related diseases such as Alzheimer's Disease (AD). Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) have been widely investigated with deep neural networks for brain age estimation. However, most existing methods cannot make full use of multimodal MRIs due to the difference in data structure. In this paper, we propose a graph transformer geometric learning framework to model the multimodal brain network constructed by structural MRI (sMRI) and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) for brain age estimation. First, we build a two-stream convolutional autoencoder to learn the latent representations for each imaging modality. The brain template with prior knowledge is utilized to calculate the features from the regions of interest (ROIs). Then, a multi-level construction of the brain network is proposed to establish the hybrid ROI connections in space, feature and modality. Next, a graph transformer network is proposed to model the cross-modal interaction and fusion by geometric learning for brain age estimation. Finally, the difference between the estimated age and the chronological age is used as an important biomarker for AD diagnosis. Our method is evaluated with the sMRI and DTI data from UK Biobank and Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative database. Experimental results demonstrate that our method has achieved promising performances for brain age estimation and AD diagnosis.</AbstractText
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Deep learning has huge potential for accurate disease prediction with neuroimaging data, but the prediction performance is often limited by training-dataset size and computing memory requirements. To address this, we propose a deep convolutional neural network model, Simple Fully Convolutional Network (SFCN), for accurate prediction of brain age using T1-weighted structural MRI data. Compared with other popular deep network architectures, SFCN has fewer parameters, so is more compatible with small dataset size and 3D volume data. The network architecture was combined with several techniques for boosting performance, including data augmentation, pre-training, model regularization, model ensemble and prediction bias correction. We compared our overall SFCN approach with several widely-used machine learning models. It achieved state-of-the-art performance in UK Biobank data (N = 14,503), with mean absolute error (MAE) = 2.14y in brain age prediction and 99.5% in sex classification. SFCN also won (both parts of) the 2019 Predictive Analysis Challenge for brain age prediction, involving 79 competing teams (N = 2,638, MAE = 2.90y). We describe here the details of our approach, and its optimisation and validation. Our approach can easily be generalised to other tasks using different image modalities, and is released on GitHub.</AbstractText
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COVID-19 infection is a systemic disease with various cardiovascular symptoms and complications. Cardiac MRI with late gadolinium enhancement is the modality of choice for the assessment of myocardial involvement. T1 and T2 mapping can increase diagnostic accuracy and improve further management. Our study aimed to evaluate the different aspects of myocardial damage in cases of COVID-19 infection using cardiac MRI.</AbstractText This descriptive retrospective study included 86 cases, with a history of COVID-19 infection confirmed by positive RT-PCR, who met the inclusion criteria. Patients had progressive chest pain or dyspnoea with a suspected underlying cardiac cause, either by an abnormal electrocardiogram or elevated troponin levels. Cardiac MRI was performed with late contrast-enhanced (LGE) imaging, followed by T1 and T2 mapping.</AbstractText Twenty-four patients have elevated hsTnT with a median hsTnT value of 133 ng/L (IQR: 102 to 159 ng/L); normal value < 14 ng/L. Other sixty-two patients showed elevated hsTnI with a median hsTnI value of 1637 ng/L (IQR: 1340 to 2540 ng/L); normal value < 40 ng/L. CMR showed 52 patients with acute myocarditis, 23 with Takotsubo cardiomyopathy, and 11 with myocardial infarction. Invasive coronary angiography was performed only in selected patients.</AbstractText Different COVID-19-related cardiac injuries may cause similar clinical symptoms. Cardiac MRI is the modality of choice to differentiate between the different types of myocardial injury such as Takotsubo cardiomyopathy and infection-related cardiomyopathy or even acute coronary syndrome secondary to vasculitis or oxygen-demand mismatch.</AbstractText • It is essential to detect early COVID-related cardiac injury using different cardiac biomarkers and cardiac imaging, as it has a significant impact on patient management and outcome. • Cardiac MRI is the modality of choice to differentiate between the different aspects of COVID-related myocardial injury.</AbstractText
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Graph Transformer Geometric Learning of Brain Networks Using Multimodal MR Images for Brain Age Estimation. Brain age is considered as an important biomarker for detecting aging-related diseases such as Alzheimer's Disease (AD). Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) have been widely investigated with deep neural networks for brain age estimation. However, most existing methods cannot make full use of multimodal MRIs due to the difference in data structure. In this paper, we propose a graph transformer geometric learning framework to model the multimodal brain network constructed by structural MRI (sMRI) and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) for brain age estimation. First, we build a two-stream convolutional autoencoder to learn the latent representations for each imaging modality. The brain template with prior knowledge is utilized to calculate the features from the regions of interest (ROIs). Then, a multi-level construction of the brain network is proposed to establish the hybrid ROI connections in space, feature and modality. Next, a graph transformer network is proposed to model the cross-modal interaction and fusion by geometric learning for brain age estimation. Finally, the difference between the estimated age and the chronological age is used as an important biomarker for AD diagnosis. Our method is evaluated with the sMRI and DTI data from UK Biobank and Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative database. Experimental results demonstrate that our method has achieved promising performances for brain age estimation and AD diagnosis.</AbstractText
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Accurate brain age prediction with lightweight deep neural networks. Deep learning has huge potential for accurate disease prediction with neuroimaging data, but the prediction performance is often limited by training-dataset size and computing memory requirements. To address this, we propose a deep convolutional neural network model, Simple Fully Convolutional Network (SFCN), for accurate prediction of brain age using T1-weighted structural MRI data. Compared with other popular deep network architectures, SFCN has fewer parameters, so is more compatible with small dataset size and 3D volume data. The network architecture was combined with several techniques for boosting performance, including data augmentation, pre-training, model regularization, model ensemble and prediction bias correction. We compared our overall SFCN approach with several widely-used machine learning models. It achieved state-of-the-art performance in UK Biobank data (N = 14,503), with mean absolute error (MAE) = 2.14y in brain age prediction and 99.5% in sex classification. SFCN also won (both parts of) the 2019 Predictive Analysis Challenge for brain age prediction, involving 79 competing teams (N = 2,638, MAE = 2.90y). We describe here the details of our approach, and its optimisation and validation. Our approach can easily be generalised to other tasks using different image modalities, and is released on GitHub.</AbstractText
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Cardiac MRI in patients with COVID-19 infection. COVID-19 infection is a systemic disease with various cardiovascular symptoms and complications. Cardiac MRI with late gadolinium enhancement is the modality of choice for the assessment of myocardial involvement. T1 and T2 mapping can increase diagnostic accuracy and improve further management. Our study aimed to evaluate the different aspects of myocardial damage in cases of COVID-19 infection using cardiac MRI.</AbstractText This descriptive retrospective study included 86 cases, with a history of COVID-19 infection confirmed by positive RT-PCR, who met the inclusion criteria. Patients had progressive chest pain or dyspnoea with a suspected underlying cardiac cause, either by an abnormal electrocardiogram or elevated troponin levels. Cardiac MRI was performed with late contrast-enhanced (LGE) imaging, followed by T1 and T2 mapping.</AbstractText Twenty-four patients have elevated hsTnT with a median hsTnT value of 133 ng/L (IQR: 102 to 159 ng/L); normal value < 14 ng/L. Other sixty-two patients showed elevated hsTnI with a median hsTnI value of 1637 ng/L (IQR: 1340 to 2540 ng/L); normal value < 40 ng/L. CMR showed 52 patients with acute myocarditis, 23 with Takotsubo cardiomyopathy, and 11 with myocardial infarction. Invasive coronary angiography was performed only in selected patients.</AbstractText Different COVID-19-related cardiac injuries may cause similar clinical symptoms. Cardiac MRI is the modality of choice to differentiate between the different types of myocardial injury such as Takotsubo cardiomyopathy and infection-related cardiomyopathy or even acute coronary syndrome secondary to vasculitis or oxygen-demand mismatch.</AbstractText • It is essential to detect early COVID-related cardiac injury using different cardiac biomarkers and cardiac imaging, as it has a significant impact on patient management and outcome. • Cardiac MRI is the modality of choice to differentiate between the different aspects of COVID-related myocardial injury.</AbstractText
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33839631
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30616875
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33451816
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Innumerable hemorrhagic brain metastases from a neuroendocrine tumor grade-1 with prolonged natural history.
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Surgical treatment of an asymptomatic giant supratentorial cavernous hemangioma. Case report.
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Large-Volume Hyperthermia for Safe and Cost-Effective Targeted Drug Delivery Using a Clinical Ultrasound-Guided Focused Ultrasound Device.
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Neuroendocrine tumors (NET) are rare tumors with a low incidence of brain metastasis, especially in grade 1 NET. The most common source of brain metastasis is the lung. We present an unusual case of NET grade 1 with multiple hemorrhagic brain metastases.</AbstractText A 46-year-old woman, who initially presented with a seizure, was diagnosed with multiple brain and lung lesions. She was offered a biopsy for diagnosis, but she refused and lost to follow up. Eighteen years later, she developed progressive quadriparesis and confusion. A biopsy of the left frontal lobe lesions showed NET grade 1. A lung biopsy of the left upper lobe was consistent with the same diagnosis. The patient's functional status was poor with Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) grade 4. She only received palliative whole-brain radiation therapy (WBRT) and died 3 months after discharge.</AbstractText NET is a spectrum that encompasses benign to malignant cells. There is a female predominance in lower grades and male predominance in higher grades. No effective management for brain metastases was described, and the prognosis remains poor.</AbstractText Multiple brain metastases can be the first presentation of patients with NET. Early diagnosis and treatment may have a more favorable impact on the outcome of this disease. The longstanding numerous hemorrhagic NET brain metastases is exceedingly rare. The neuroimaging appearance is similar to other neoplastic and non-neoplastic lesions. An important differential diagnosis to consider is metastatic melanoma and choriocarcinoma, familial cavernous malformation, diffuse axonal injury, cerebral vasculitis, and amyloid angiopathy.</AbstractText
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A case is reported of a 19-year old patient with a supratentorial giant cavernous malformation (GCM). This was an incidental finding in the context of acute head trauma. Brain computed tomography (CT) scan and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed a giant supratentorial right mass. Surgical excision was performed, and histopathology findings were consistent with a cavernous malformation (CM). The patient had a complete neurological recovery. To our knowledge, this is the first case of a GCM in an asymptomatic patient with total surgical excision.</AbstractText
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Lyso-thermosensitive liposomes (LTSLs) are specifically designed to release chemotherapy agents under conditions of mild hyperthermia. Preclinical studies have indicated that magnetic resonance (MR)-guided focused ultrasound (FUS) systems can generate well-controlled volumetric hyperthermia using real-time thermometry. However, high-throughput clinical translation of these approaches for drug delivery is challenging, not least because of the significant cost overhead of MR guidance and the much larger volumes that need to be heated clinically. Using an ultrasound-guided extracorporeal clinical FUS device (Chongqing HAIFU, JC200) with thermistors in a non-perfused ex vivo bovine liver tissue model with ribs, we present an optimised strategy for rapidly inducing (5-15 min) and sustaining (>30 min) mild hyperthermia (ΔT <+4°C) in large tissue volumes (≤92 cm<sup
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Innumerable hemorrhagic brain metastases from a neuroendocrine tumor grade-1 with prolonged natural history. Neuroendocrine tumors (NET) are rare tumors with a low incidence of brain metastasis, especially in grade 1 NET. The most common source of brain metastasis is the lung. We present an unusual case of NET grade 1 with multiple hemorrhagic brain metastases.</AbstractText A 46-year-old woman, who initially presented with a seizure, was diagnosed with multiple brain and lung lesions. She was offered a biopsy for diagnosis, but she refused and lost to follow up. Eighteen years later, she developed progressive quadriparesis and confusion. A biopsy of the left frontal lobe lesions showed NET grade 1. A lung biopsy of the left upper lobe was consistent with the same diagnosis. The patient's functional status was poor with Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) grade 4. She only received palliative whole-brain radiation therapy (WBRT) and died 3 months after discharge.</AbstractText NET is a spectrum that encompasses benign to malignant cells. There is a female predominance in lower grades and male predominance in higher grades. No effective management for brain metastases was described, and the prognosis remains poor.</AbstractText Multiple brain metastases can be the first presentation of patients with NET. Early diagnosis and treatment may have a more favorable impact on the outcome of this disease. The longstanding numerous hemorrhagic NET brain metastases is exceedingly rare. The neuroimaging appearance is similar to other neoplastic and non-neoplastic lesions. An important differential diagnosis to consider is metastatic melanoma and choriocarcinoma, familial cavernous malformation, diffuse axonal injury, cerebral vasculitis, and amyloid angiopathy.</AbstractText
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Surgical treatment of an asymptomatic giant supratentorial cavernous hemangioma. Case report. A case is reported of a 19-year old patient with a supratentorial giant cavernous malformation (GCM). This was an incidental finding in the context of acute head trauma. Brain computed tomography (CT) scan and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed a giant supratentorial right mass. Surgical excision was performed, and histopathology findings were consistent with a cavernous malformation (CM). The patient had a complete neurological recovery. To our knowledge, this is the first case of a GCM in an asymptomatic patient with total surgical excision.</AbstractText
|
Large-Volume Hyperthermia for Safe and Cost-Effective Targeted Drug Delivery Using a Clinical Ultrasound-Guided Focused Ultrasound Device. Lyso-thermosensitive liposomes (LTSLs) are specifically designed to release chemotherapy agents under conditions of mild hyperthermia. Preclinical studies have indicated that magnetic resonance (MR)-guided focused ultrasound (FUS) systems can generate well-controlled volumetric hyperthermia using real-time thermometry. However, high-throughput clinical translation of these approaches for drug delivery is challenging, not least because of the significant cost overhead of MR guidance and the much larger volumes that need to be heated clinically. Using an ultrasound-guided extracorporeal clinical FUS device (Chongqing HAIFU, JC200) with thermistors in a non-perfused ex vivo bovine liver tissue model with ribs, we present an optimised strategy for rapidly inducing (5-15 min) and sustaining (>30 min) mild hyperthermia (ΔT <+4°C) in large tissue volumes (≤92 cm<sup
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36411785
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34476184
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36343534
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Feasibility study of 2D Dixon-Magnetic Resonance Fingerprinting (MRF) of breast cancer.
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Repeatability of MR fingerprinting in normal cervix and utility in cervical carcinoma.
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Comparison of response properties of the electrically stimulated auditory nerve reported in human listeners and in animal models.
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Application of MRF to evaluate the feasibility of 2D Dixon blurring-corrected MRF (2DDb-cMRF) to differentiate breast cancer (BC) from normal fibroglandular tissue (FGT).</AbstractText Prospective study on 14 patients with unilateral BC on 1.5 T system/axial T2w-TSE sequence, 2DDb-cMRF, B1 map, dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE) T1-w GE-series. Mean T1 and T2 values and standard deviations were computed in the BC-/FGT-ROI on pre-/post-contrast MRF-maps and their differences were tested by two-tailed student t-test.Accuracy and repeatability of MRF were evaluated in a phantom experiment with gelatin with Primovist surrounded by fat.The T1 reduction between pre-/post-contrast MRF-maps was correlated to DCE signal enhancement in the last image post-contrast through the Pearson´s correlation coefficient (r) and for the phantom validation experiment through the Lin's concordance correlation coefficient (CCC).Visual evaluation of cancers on MRF-Maps was performed by rating each MRF-Map by 3 radiologists.</AbstractText T1- and T2-MRF values of BC vs. FGT were for T1 and T2 pre-contrast respectively: 1147 ± 1 ms vs. 1052 ± 9 ms (p = 0.007) and 83 ± 1 ms vs. 73 ± 1 ms (p = 0.03); post-contrast respectively: 367.3 ± 121.5 ms vs. 690.3 ± 200.3 ms (p = 0.0005) and 76.9 ± 11.5 ms vs. 69.8 ± 15.2 ms (p = 0.12). r was positive (FGT r = 0.7; BC r = 0.6). CCC was 0.999 for T1 and 0.994 for T2. In the T1- and T2-MRF-Maps before contrast respectively (7,7,8)/14 and (5,9,8)/14 cancers were visible to the readers; afterwards, (11,12,12)/14 and (5,6,11)/14.</AbstractText MRF is promising for distinction between BC and FGT as well as for analyzing pre-/post-contrast T1 changes. However, its potential for differential diagnosis warrants further studies.</AbstractText
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Magnetic resonance fingerprinting (MRF) is a fast-imaging acquisition technique that generates quantitative and co-registered parametric maps. The aim of this feasibility study was to evaluate the agreement between MRF and phantom reference values, scan-rescan repeatability of MRF in normal cervix, and its ability to distinguish cervical carcinoma (CC) from normal cervical tissues.</AbstractText An International Society of Magnetic Resonance in Medicine/National Institute of Standards and Technology (ISMRM/NIST) phantom was scanned using MRF 15 times over 65 days. Agreement between MRF and phantom reference T1 and T2 values was assessed by linear regression. Healthy volunteers and patients with suspected CC were prospectively recruited. MRF was repeated twice for healthy volunteers (MRF1 and MRF2). Volumes of interest of normal cervical tissues and CC were delineated on T1 and T2 maps. MRF scan-rescan repeatability was evaluated by Bland-Altman plots, within-subject coefficients of variation (wCV), and intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC). T1 and T2 values were compared between CC and normal cervical tissues using Mann-Whitney U test. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was performed to evaluate diagnostic efficiency.</AbstractText Strong correlations were observed between MRF and phantom (R<sup Excellent agreement was observed between MRF and phantom reference values. MRF exhibited excellent scan-rescan repeatability in normal cervix with potential value in differentiating CC from normal cervical tissues.</AbstractText
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Cochlear implants (CIs) provide acoustic information to implanted patients by electrically stimulating nearby auditory nerve fibers (ANFs) which then transmit the information to higher-level neural structures for further processing and interpretation. Computational models that simulate ANF responses to CI stimuli enable the exploration of the mechanisms underlying CI performance beyond the capacity of in vivo experimentation alone. However, all ANF models developed to date utilize to some extent anatomical/morphometric data, biophysical properties and/or physiological data measured in non-human animal models. This review compares response properties of the electrically stimulated auditory nerve (AN) in human listeners and different mammalian models. Properties of AN responses to single pulse stimulation, paired-pulse stimulation, and pulse-train stimulation are presented. While some AN response properties are similar between human listeners and animal models (e.g., increased AN sensitivity to single pulse stimuli with long interphase gaps), there are some significant differences. For example, the AN of most animal models is typically more sensitive to cathodic stimulation while the AN of human listeners is generally more sensitive to anodic stimulation. Additionally, there are substantial differences in the speed of recovery from neural adaptation between animal models and human listeners. Therefore, results from animal models cannot be simply translated to human listeners. Recognizing the differences in responses of the AN to electrical stimulation between humans and other mammals is an important step for creating ANF models that are more applicable to various human CI patient populations.</AbstractText
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Feasibility study of 2D Dixon-Magnetic Resonance Fingerprinting (MRF) of breast cancer. Application of MRF to evaluate the feasibility of 2D Dixon blurring-corrected MRF (2DDb-cMRF) to differentiate breast cancer (BC) from normal fibroglandular tissue (FGT).</AbstractText Prospective study on 14 patients with unilateral BC on 1.5 T system/axial T2w-TSE sequence, 2DDb-cMRF, B1 map, dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE) T1-w GE-series. Mean T1 and T2 values and standard deviations were computed in the BC-/FGT-ROI on pre-/post-contrast MRF-maps and their differences were tested by two-tailed student t-test.Accuracy and repeatability of MRF were evaluated in a phantom experiment with gelatin with Primovist surrounded by fat.The T1 reduction between pre-/post-contrast MRF-maps was correlated to DCE signal enhancement in the last image post-contrast through the Pearson´s correlation coefficient (r) and for the phantom validation experiment through the Lin's concordance correlation coefficient (CCC).Visual evaluation of cancers on MRF-Maps was performed by rating each MRF-Map by 3 radiologists.</AbstractText T1- and T2-MRF values of BC vs. FGT were for T1 and T2 pre-contrast respectively: 1147 ± 1 ms vs. 1052 ± 9 ms (p = 0.007) and 83 ± 1 ms vs. 73 ± 1 ms (p = 0.03); post-contrast respectively: 367.3 ± 121.5 ms vs. 690.3 ± 200.3 ms (p = 0.0005) and 76.9 ± 11.5 ms vs. 69.8 ± 15.2 ms (p = 0.12). r was positive (FGT r = 0.7; BC r = 0.6). CCC was 0.999 for T1 and 0.994 for T2. In the T1- and T2-MRF-Maps before contrast respectively (7,7,8)/14 and (5,9,8)/14 cancers were visible to the readers; afterwards, (11,12,12)/14 and (5,6,11)/14.</AbstractText MRF is promising for distinction between BC and FGT as well as for analyzing pre-/post-contrast T1 changes. However, its potential for differential diagnosis warrants further studies.</AbstractText
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Repeatability of MR fingerprinting in normal cervix and utility in cervical carcinoma. Magnetic resonance fingerprinting (MRF) is a fast-imaging acquisition technique that generates quantitative and co-registered parametric maps. The aim of this feasibility study was to evaluate the agreement between MRF and phantom reference values, scan-rescan repeatability of MRF in normal cervix, and its ability to distinguish cervical carcinoma (CC) from normal cervical tissues.</AbstractText An International Society of Magnetic Resonance in Medicine/National Institute of Standards and Technology (ISMRM/NIST) phantom was scanned using MRF 15 times over 65 days. Agreement between MRF and phantom reference T1 and T2 values was assessed by linear regression. Healthy volunteers and patients with suspected CC were prospectively recruited. MRF was repeated twice for healthy volunteers (MRF1 and MRF2). Volumes of interest of normal cervical tissues and CC were delineated on T1 and T2 maps. MRF scan-rescan repeatability was evaluated by Bland-Altman plots, within-subject coefficients of variation (wCV), and intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC). T1 and T2 values were compared between CC and normal cervical tissues using Mann-Whitney U test. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was performed to evaluate diagnostic efficiency.</AbstractText Strong correlations were observed between MRF and phantom (R<sup Excellent agreement was observed between MRF and phantom reference values. MRF exhibited excellent scan-rescan repeatability in normal cervix with potential value in differentiating CC from normal cervical tissues.</AbstractText
|
Comparison of response properties of the electrically stimulated auditory nerve reported in human listeners and in animal models. Cochlear implants (CIs) provide acoustic information to implanted patients by electrically stimulating nearby auditory nerve fibers (ANFs) which then transmit the information to higher-level neural structures for further processing and interpretation. Computational models that simulate ANF responses to CI stimuli enable the exploration of the mechanisms underlying CI performance beyond the capacity of in vivo experimentation alone. However, all ANF models developed to date utilize to some extent anatomical/morphometric data, biophysical properties and/or physiological data measured in non-human animal models. This review compares response properties of the electrically stimulated auditory nerve (AN) in human listeners and different mammalian models. Properties of AN responses to single pulse stimulation, paired-pulse stimulation, and pulse-train stimulation are presented. While some AN response properties are similar between human listeners and animal models (e.g., increased AN sensitivity to single pulse stimuli with long interphase gaps), there are some significant differences. For example, the AN of most animal models is typically more sensitive to cathodic stimulation while the AN of human listeners is generally more sensitive to anodic stimulation. Additionally, there are substantial differences in the speed of recovery from neural adaptation between animal models and human listeners. Therefore, results from animal models cannot be simply translated to human listeners. Recognizing the differences in responses of the AN to electrical stimulation between humans and other mammals is an important step for creating ANF models that are more applicable to various human CI patient populations.</AbstractText
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37987558
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28710580
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38393608
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Assessment of myocardial injuries in ischaemic and non-ischaemic cardiomyopathies using magnetic resonance T1-rho mapping.
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Assessment of acute kidney injury with T1 mapping MRI following solid organ transplantation.
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Post-stroke Chinese pure alexia: linguistic features and neuropsychological profiles.
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To identify clinical correlates of myocardial T1ρ and to examine how myocardial T1ρ values change under various clinical scenarios.</AbstractText A total of 66 patients (26% female, median age 57 years [Q1-Q3, 44-65 years]) with known structural heart disease and 44 controls (50% female, median age 47 years [28-57 years]) underwent cardiac magnetic resonance imaging at 1.5 T, including T1ρ mapping, T2 mapping, native T1 mapping, late gadolinium enhancement, and extracellular volume (ECV) imaging. In controls, T1ρ positively related with T2 (P = 0.038) and increased from basal to apical levels (P < 0.001). As compared with controls and remote myocardium, T1ρ significantly increased in all patients' sub-groups and all types of myocardial injuries: acute and chronic injuries, focal and diffuse tissue abnormalities, as well as ischaemic and non-ischaemic aetiologies (P < 0.05). T1ρ was independently associated with T2 in patients with acute injuries (P = 0.004) and with native T1 and ECV in patients with chronic injuries (P < 0.05). Myocardial T1ρ mapping demonstrated good intra- and inter-observer reproducibility (intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.86 and 0.83, respectively).</AbstractText Myocardial T1ρ mapping appears to be reproducible and equally sensitive to acute and chronic myocardial injuries, whether of ischaemic or non-ischaemic origins. It may thus be a contrast-agent-free biomarker for gaining new and quantitative insight into myocardial structural disorders. These findings highlight the need for further studies through prospective and randomized trials.</AbstractText
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To evaluate T1 mapping as a non-invasive, functional MRI biomarker in patients shortly after solid organ transplantation to detect acute postsurgical kidney damage and to correlate T1 times with renal function.</AbstractText 101 patients within 2 weeks after solid organ transplantation (49 kidney transplantation, 52 lung transplantation) and 14 healthy volunteers were examined by MRI between July 2012 and April 2015 using the modified Look-Locker inversion recovery (MOLLI) sequence. T1 times in renal cortex and medulla and the corticomedullary difference were compared between groups using one-way ANOVA adjusted for multiple comparison with the Tukey test, and T1 times were correlated with renal function using Pearson's correlation.</AbstractText Compared to healthy volunteers T1 times were significantly increased after solid organ transplantation in the renal cortex (healthy volunteers 987 ± 102 ms; kidney transplantation 1299 ± 101 ms, p < 0.001; lung transplantation 1058 ± 96 ms, p < 0.05) and to a lesser extent in the renal medulla. Accordingly, the corticomedullary difference was diminished shortly after solid organ transplantation. T1 changes were more pronounced following kidney compared to lung transplantation, were associated with the stage of renal impairment and significantly correlated with renal function.</AbstractText T1 mapping may be helpful for early non-invasive assessment of acute kidney injury and renal pathology following major surgery such as solid organ transplantation.</AbstractText • Renal cortical T1 relaxation times are prolonged after solid organ transplantation. • Cortical T1 values increase with higher stages of renal function impairment. • Corticomedullary difference decreases with higher stages of renal function impairment. • Renal cortical T1 relaxation time and corticomedullary difference correlate with renal function. • T1 mapping may be helpful for non-invasive assessment of post-operative renal pathology.</AbstractText
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Very few cases of Chinese pure alexia have been reported to date. We aim to summarize the linguistic features and neuropsychological profiles of Chinese pure alexia through a case series study.</AbstractText 11 consecutive patients with post-stroke Chinese pure alexia and 11 healthy controls were included. The Aphasia Battery of Chinese (ABC) and 68-Chinese character oral reading test (68-character test) were used to evaluate the reading and writing ability. Reading errors were classified based on the performance of 68-character test. Neuropsychological profiles were evaluated with corresponding scales. The possible correlation between the reading ability and the writing ability or neuropsychological performance was analyzed.</AbstractText The patients had a correct rate of 43.7 ± 23.2% in the 68-character test, significantly lower (P < 0.001) than that of controls. Shape-similar error was the most common type of reading error (101/209, 48.3%). The ABC total writing score rate of the patients ranged from 68.9% to 98.7% (median, 90.5%), significantly lower (P < 0.001) than that of the controls. The patients also showed worse performance in MMSE, auditory verbal learning test, Boston naming test, intersecting pentagons copying and clock-drawing test (all P < 0.05). In the patient group, the correct rate of 68-character test was significantly correlated with the ABC total writing score rate (P = 0.008), the score rate of Boston naming test (P = 0.017), and the clock-drawing test score (P = 0.010).</AbstractText Shape-similar errors may be a characteristic of Chinese pure alexia. The correlation between visuospatial dysfunction and pure alexia might explain the frequent occurrence of shape-similar errors in Chinese pure alexia.</AbstractText
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Assessment of myocardial injuries in ischaemic and non-ischaemic cardiomyopathies using magnetic resonance T1-rho mapping. To identify clinical correlates of myocardial T1ρ and to examine how myocardial T1ρ values change under various clinical scenarios.</AbstractText A total of 66 patients (26% female, median age 57 years [Q1-Q3, 44-65 years]) with known structural heart disease and 44 controls (50% female, median age 47 years [28-57 years]) underwent cardiac magnetic resonance imaging at 1.5 T, including T1ρ mapping, T2 mapping, native T1 mapping, late gadolinium enhancement, and extracellular volume (ECV) imaging. In controls, T1ρ positively related with T2 (P = 0.038) and increased from basal to apical levels (P < 0.001). As compared with controls and remote myocardium, T1ρ significantly increased in all patients' sub-groups and all types of myocardial injuries: acute and chronic injuries, focal and diffuse tissue abnormalities, as well as ischaemic and non-ischaemic aetiologies (P < 0.05). T1ρ was independently associated with T2 in patients with acute injuries (P = 0.004) and with native T1 and ECV in patients with chronic injuries (P < 0.05). Myocardial T1ρ mapping demonstrated good intra- and inter-observer reproducibility (intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.86 and 0.83, respectively).</AbstractText Myocardial T1ρ mapping appears to be reproducible and equally sensitive to acute and chronic myocardial injuries, whether of ischaemic or non-ischaemic origins. It may thus be a contrast-agent-free biomarker for gaining new and quantitative insight into myocardial structural disorders. These findings highlight the need for further studies through prospective and randomized trials.</AbstractText
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Assessment of acute kidney injury with T1 mapping MRI following solid organ transplantation. To evaluate T1 mapping as a non-invasive, functional MRI biomarker in patients shortly after solid organ transplantation to detect acute postsurgical kidney damage and to correlate T1 times with renal function.</AbstractText 101 patients within 2 weeks after solid organ transplantation (49 kidney transplantation, 52 lung transplantation) and 14 healthy volunteers were examined by MRI between July 2012 and April 2015 using the modified Look-Locker inversion recovery (MOLLI) sequence. T1 times in renal cortex and medulla and the corticomedullary difference were compared between groups using one-way ANOVA adjusted for multiple comparison with the Tukey test, and T1 times were correlated with renal function using Pearson's correlation.</AbstractText Compared to healthy volunteers T1 times were significantly increased after solid organ transplantation in the renal cortex (healthy volunteers 987 ± 102 ms; kidney transplantation 1299 ± 101 ms, p < 0.001; lung transplantation 1058 ± 96 ms, p < 0.05) and to a lesser extent in the renal medulla. Accordingly, the corticomedullary difference was diminished shortly after solid organ transplantation. T1 changes were more pronounced following kidney compared to lung transplantation, were associated with the stage of renal impairment and significantly correlated with renal function.</AbstractText T1 mapping may be helpful for early non-invasive assessment of acute kidney injury and renal pathology following major surgery such as solid organ transplantation.</AbstractText • Renal cortical T1 relaxation times are prolonged after solid organ transplantation. • Cortical T1 values increase with higher stages of renal function impairment. • Corticomedullary difference decreases with higher stages of renal function impairment. • Renal cortical T1 relaxation time and corticomedullary difference correlate with renal function. • T1 mapping may be helpful for non-invasive assessment of post-operative renal pathology.</AbstractText
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Post-stroke Chinese pure alexia: linguistic features and neuropsychological profiles. Very few cases of Chinese pure alexia have been reported to date. We aim to summarize the linguistic features and neuropsychological profiles of Chinese pure alexia through a case series study.</AbstractText 11 consecutive patients with post-stroke Chinese pure alexia and 11 healthy controls were included. The Aphasia Battery of Chinese (ABC) and 68-Chinese character oral reading test (68-character test) were used to evaluate the reading and writing ability. Reading errors were classified based on the performance of 68-character test. Neuropsychological profiles were evaluated with corresponding scales. The possible correlation between the reading ability and the writing ability or neuropsychological performance was analyzed.</AbstractText The patients had a correct rate of 43.7 ± 23.2% in the 68-character test, significantly lower (P < 0.001) than that of controls. Shape-similar error was the most common type of reading error (101/209, 48.3%). The ABC total writing score rate of the patients ranged from 68.9% to 98.7% (median, 90.5%), significantly lower (P < 0.001) than that of the controls. The patients also showed worse performance in MMSE, auditory verbal learning test, Boston naming test, intersecting pentagons copying and clock-drawing test (all P < 0.05). In the patient group, the correct rate of 68-character test was significantly correlated with the ABC total writing score rate (P = 0.008), the score rate of Boston naming test (P = 0.017), and the clock-drawing test score (P = 0.010).</AbstractText Shape-similar errors may be a characteristic of Chinese pure alexia. The correlation between visuospatial dysfunction and pure alexia might explain the frequent occurrence of shape-similar errors in Chinese pure alexia.</AbstractText
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30470988
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23418584
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31203463
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Homophone Advantage in Sentence Acceptability Judgment: An Experiment with Japanese Kanji Words and Articulatory Suppression Technique.
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The effects of aging on conflict detection.
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Skeletal Muscle Wasting and Its Relationship With Osteoarthritis: a Mini-Review of Mechanisms and Current Interventions.
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The purpose of this study was to examine the role and nature of phonology in silent reading of Japanese sentences. An experiment was conducted using a Japanese sentence acceptability judgment task. One important finding was that participants more rapidly rejected homophonic sentences in which one two-kanji compound word was replaced by its homophone word than non-homophonic sentences. In the latter, the word was replaced by a non-homophone spelling control; that is, we observed a homophone advantage. Participants were able to identify the correct word easily through foil's homophonic mate. This indicated that activated phonology played a role in the Japanese sentence acceptability judgment task and it contributed to the error detection/recovery process. Another important finding was that the homophone facilitation effect remained under articulatory suppression. It confirmed that phonology was activated at an early stage as abstract, non-articulatory phonology.</AbstractText
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Several cognitive changes characterize normal aging; one change regards inhibitory processing and includes both conflict monitoring and response suppression. We attempted to segregate these two aspects within a Go/No-go task, investigating three age categories. Accuracy, response times and event-related potentials (ERPs) were recorded. The ERP data were analyzed, and the Go and No-go trials were separated; in addition, the trials were organized in repeat trials (in which the subjects repeated the action delivered in the previous trial) and switch trials (in which the subjects produced a response opposite to the previous response). We assumed that the switch trials conveyed more conflict than the repeat trials. In general, the behavioral data and slower P3 latencies confirmed the well-known age-related speed/accuracy trade-off. The novel analyses of the repeat vs. switch trials indicated that the age-related P3 slowing was significant only for the high conflict condition; the switch-P3 amplitude increased only in the two older groups. The 'aging switch effect' on the P3 component suggests a failure in the conflict conditions and likely contributes to a generalized dysfunction. The absence of either a switch effect in the young group and the P3 slowing in middle-aged group indicate that switching was not particularly demanding for these participants. The N2 component was less sensitive to the repeat/switch manipulation; however, the subtractive waves also enhanced the age effects in this earlier time window. The topographic maps showed other notable age effects: the frontal No-go N2 was nearly undetectable in the elderly; in the identical time window, a large activity in the posterior and prefrontal scalp regions was observed. Moreover, the prefrontal activity showed a negative correlation with false alarms. These results suggest that the frontal involvement during action suppression becomes progressively dysfunctional with aging, and additional activity was required to reach a good level of accuracy.</AbstractText
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Osteoarthritis (OA) is a subset of joint disorders resulting in degeneration of synovial joints. This leads to pain, disability and loss of independence. Knee and hip OA are extremely prevalent, and their occurrence increases with ageing. Similarly, loss of muscle mass and function, sarcopenia, occurs during ageing.</AbstractText Little is known about the impact of muscle wasting on OA progression; nevertheless, it has been suggested that muscle wasting directly affects the stability of the joints and loss of mobility leads to gradual degeneration of articular cartilage. The molecular mechanisms underlying muscle wasting in OA are not well understood; however, these are probably related to changes in gene expression, as well as epigenetic modifications. It is becoming clear that skeletal muscle wasting plays an important role in OA development and/or progression. Here, we discuss mechanisms, current interventions, such as exercise, and potentially novel approaches, such as modulation of microRNAs, aiming at ameliorating OA symptoms through maintaining muscle mass and function.</AbstractText
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Homophone Advantage in Sentence Acceptability Judgment: An Experiment with Japanese Kanji Words and Articulatory Suppression Technique. The purpose of this study was to examine the role and nature of phonology in silent reading of Japanese sentences. An experiment was conducted using a Japanese sentence acceptability judgment task. One important finding was that participants more rapidly rejected homophonic sentences in which one two-kanji compound word was replaced by its homophone word than non-homophonic sentences. In the latter, the word was replaced by a non-homophone spelling control; that is, we observed a homophone advantage. Participants were able to identify the correct word easily through foil's homophonic mate. This indicated that activated phonology played a role in the Japanese sentence acceptability judgment task and it contributed to the error detection/recovery process. Another important finding was that the homophone facilitation effect remained under articulatory suppression. It confirmed that phonology was activated at an early stage as abstract, non-articulatory phonology.</AbstractText
|
The effects of aging on conflict detection. Several cognitive changes characterize normal aging; one change regards inhibitory processing and includes both conflict monitoring and response suppression. We attempted to segregate these two aspects within a Go/No-go task, investigating three age categories. Accuracy, response times and event-related potentials (ERPs) were recorded. The ERP data were analyzed, and the Go and No-go trials were separated; in addition, the trials were organized in repeat trials (in which the subjects repeated the action delivered in the previous trial) and switch trials (in which the subjects produced a response opposite to the previous response). We assumed that the switch trials conveyed more conflict than the repeat trials. In general, the behavioral data and slower P3 latencies confirmed the well-known age-related speed/accuracy trade-off. The novel analyses of the repeat vs. switch trials indicated that the age-related P3 slowing was significant only for the high conflict condition; the switch-P3 amplitude increased only in the two older groups. The 'aging switch effect' on the P3 component suggests a failure in the conflict conditions and likely contributes to a generalized dysfunction. The absence of either a switch effect in the young group and the P3 slowing in middle-aged group indicate that switching was not particularly demanding for these participants. The N2 component was less sensitive to the repeat/switch manipulation; however, the subtractive waves also enhanced the age effects in this earlier time window. The topographic maps showed other notable age effects: the frontal No-go N2 was nearly undetectable in the elderly; in the identical time window, a large activity in the posterior and prefrontal scalp regions was observed. Moreover, the prefrontal activity showed a negative correlation with false alarms. These results suggest that the frontal involvement during action suppression becomes progressively dysfunctional with aging, and additional activity was required to reach a good level of accuracy.</AbstractText
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Skeletal Muscle Wasting and Its Relationship With Osteoarthritis: a Mini-Review of Mechanisms and Current Interventions. Osteoarthritis (OA) is a subset of joint disorders resulting in degeneration of synovial joints. This leads to pain, disability and loss of independence. Knee and hip OA are extremely prevalent, and their occurrence increases with ageing. Similarly, loss of muscle mass and function, sarcopenia, occurs during ageing.</AbstractText Little is known about the impact of muscle wasting on OA progression; nevertheless, it has been suggested that muscle wasting directly affects the stability of the joints and loss of mobility leads to gradual degeneration of articular cartilage. The molecular mechanisms underlying muscle wasting in OA are not well understood; however, these are probably related to changes in gene expression, as well as epigenetic modifications. It is becoming clear that skeletal muscle wasting plays an important role in OA development and/or progression. Here, we discuss mechanisms, current interventions, such as exercise, and potentially novel approaches, such as modulation of microRNAs, aiming at ameliorating OA symptoms through maintaining muscle mass and function.</AbstractText
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35851275
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24875392
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35720298
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Meta-analytic evidence that mindfulness training alters resting state default mode network connectivity.
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Test-retest reliabilities of resting-state FMRI measurements in human brain functional connectomics: a systems neuroscience perspective.
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Upper Gastrointestinal Tract IrAEs: A Case Report About Sintilimab-Induced Acute Erosive Hemorrhagic Gastritis.
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This meta-analysis sought to expand upon neurobiological models of mindfulness through investigation of inherent brain network connectivity outcomes, indexed via resting state functional connectivity (rsFC). We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of rsFC as an outcome of mindfulness training (MT) relative to control, with the hypothesis that MT would increase cross-network connectivity between nodes of the Default Mode Network (DMN), Salience Network (SN), and Frontoparietal Control Network (FPCN) as a mechanism of internally-oriented attentional control. Texts were identified from the databases: MEDLINE/PubMed, ERIC, PSYCINFO, ProQuest, Scopus, and Web of Sciences; and were screened for inclusion based on experimental/quasi-experimental trial design and use of mindfulness-based training interventions. RsFC effects were extracted from twelve studies (mindfulness n = 226; control n = 204). Voxel-based meta-analysis revealed significantly greater rsFC (MT > control) between the left middle cingulate (Hedge's g = .234, p = 0.0288, I<sup
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Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (RFMRI) enables researchers to monitor fluctuations in the spontaneous brain activities of thousands of regions in the human brain simultaneously, representing a popular tool for macro-scale functional connectomics to characterize normal brain function, mind-brain associations, and the various disorders. However, the test-retest reliability of RFMRI remains largely unknown. We review previously published papers on the test-retest reliability of voxel-wise metrics and conduct a meta-summary reliability analysis of seven common brain networks. This analysis revealed that the heteromodal associative (default, control, and attention) networks were mostly reliable across the seven networks. Regarding examined metrics, independent component analysis with dual regression, local functional homogeneity and functional homotopic connectivity were the three mostly reliable RFMRI metrics. These observations can guide the use of reliable metrics and further improvement of test-retest reliability for other metics in functional connectomics. We discuss the main issues with low reliability related to sub-optimal design and the choice of data processing options. Future research should use large-sample test-retest data to rectify both the within-subject and between-subject variability of RFMRI measurements and accelerate the application of functional connectomics.</AbstractText
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Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have now become the standard therapy for malignancies like non-small cell lung cancer and classical Hodgkin's lymphoma. ICIs are associated with unique immune-related adverse events (irAEs) caused by dysregulated immune activation. Treatment of lower gastrointestinal (GI) tract irAEs, such as colitis, is more common. However, for upper gastrointestinal tract irAEs, there is a lack of consensus in terms of globally standardized disease classification and treatment guidelines. Here, we report a case of sintilimab-induced acute erosive hemorrhagic gastritis.</AbstractText A 54-year-old man with metastatic NSCLC (PT2N2M1 stage IV) underwent treatment with eight courses of sintilimab + bevacizumab, followed by maintenance therapy with sintilimab alone. However, he presented with epigastric pain and melena at the end of the first sintilimab treatment, and the symptoms occurred repeatedly after regular treatment with acute erosive hemorrhagic gastritis. Repeat esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) showed severe hemorrhagic gastritis; symptomatic relief and improvement in EGD images were noted for as long as he was being treated with steroids, methylprednisolone sodium.</AbstractText As far as we are aware, we here describe the first case of sintilimab-associated acute erosive hemorrhagic gastritis, an upper gastrointestinal toxicity event. Throughout the treatment progression, differential diagnosis, multidisciplinary discussion, and the use of immunosuppressants were instrumental in clarifying the diagnosis and were crucial to the prognosis of the patient and continued treatment with ICIs.</AbstractText
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Meta-analytic evidence that mindfulness training alters resting state default mode network connectivity. This meta-analysis sought to expand upon neurobiological models of mindfulness through investigation of inherent brain network connectivity outcomes, indexed via resting state functional connectivity (rsFC). We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of rsFC as an outcome of mindfulness training (MT) relative to control, with the hypothesis that MT would increase cross-network connectivity between nodes of the Default Mode Network (DMN), Salience Network (SN), and Frontoparietal Control Network (FPCN) as a mechanism of internally-oriented attentional control. Texts were identified from the databases: MEDLINE/PubMed, ERIC, PSYCINFO, ProQuest, Scopus, and Web of Sciences; and were screened for inclusion based on experimental/quasi-experimental trial design and use of mindfulness-based training interventions. RsFC effects were extracted from twelve studies (mindfulness n = 226; control n = 204). Voxel-based meta-analysis revealed significantly greater rsFC (MT > control) between the left middle cingulate (Hedge's g = .234, p = 0.0288, I<sup
|
Test-retest reliabilities of resting-state FMRI measurements in human brain functional connectomics: a systems neuroscience perspective. Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (RFMRI) enables researchers to monitor fluctuations in the spontaneous brain activities of thousands of regions in the human brain simultaneously, representing a popular tool for macro-scale functional connectomics to characterize normal brain function, mind-brain associations, and the various disorders. However, the test-retest reliability of RFMRI remains largely unknown. We review previously published papers on the test-retest reliability of voxel-wise metrics and conduct a meta-summary reliability analysis of seven common brain networks. This analysis revealed that the heteromodal associative (default, control, and attention) networks were mostly reliable across the seven networks. Regarding examined metrics, independent component analysis with dual regression, local functional homogeneity and functional homotopic connectivity were the three mostly reliable RFMRI metrics. These observations can guide the use of reliable metrics and further improvement of test-retest reliability for other metics in functional connectomics. We discuss the main issues with low reliability related to sub-optimal design and the choice of data processing options. Future research should use large-sample test-retest data to rectify both the within-subject and between-subject variability of RFMRI measurements and accelerate the application of functional connectomics.</AbstractText
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Upper Gastrointestinal Tract IrAEs: A Case Report About Sintilimab-Induced Acute Erosive Hemorrhagic Gastritis. Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have now become the standard therapy for malignancies like non-small cell lung cancer and classical Hodgkin's lymphoma. ICIs are associated with unique immune-related adverse events (irAEs) caused by dysregulated immune activation. Treatment of lower gastrointestinal (GI) tract irAEs, such as colitis, is more common. However, for upper gastrointestinal tract irAEs, there is a lack of consensus in terms of globally standardized disease classification and treatment guidelines. Here, we report a case of sintilimab-induced acute erosive hemorrhagic gastritis.</AbstractText A 54-year-old man with metastatic NSCLC (PT2N2M1 stage IV) underwent treatment with eight courses of sintilimab + bevacizumab, followed by maintenance therapy with sintilimab alone. However, he presented with epigastric pain and melena at the end of the first sintilimab treatment, and the symptoms occurred repeatedly after regular treatment with acute erosive hemorrhagic gastritis. Repeat esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) showed severe hemorrhagic gastritis; symptomatic relief and improvement in EGD images were noted for as long as he was being treated with steroids, methylprednisolone sodium.</AbstractText As far as we are aware, we here describe the first case of sintilimab-associated acute erosive hemorrhagic gastritis, an upper gastrointestinal toxicity event. Throughout the treatment progression, differential diagnosis, multidisciplinary discussion, and the use of immunosuppressants were instrumental in clarifying the diagnosis and were crucial to the prognosis of the patient and continued treatment with ICIs.</AbstractText
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29371852
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23288627
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28523468
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Devising a Method to Study if Wernicke's Aphasia Patients are Aware That They Do Not Comprehend Language or Speak It Understandably.
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Defining language networks from resting-state fMRI for surgical planning--a feasibility study.
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Development of a novel radiotherapy motion phantom using a stepper motor driver circuit and evaluation using optical surface scanning.
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Wernicke's Aphasia (WA) is characterized by an individual speaking fluent gibberish without the ability to understand anything that is said to them or anything they attempt to read. It is caused by damage to the left posterior temporoparietal cortex, also known as Wernicke's area. An additional intriguing symptom of WA patients is their apparent obliviousness to their own lack of understanding despite their intact reasoning or other cognitive abilities. Their only deficit seems to be in the basic rules of language that define word meaning, also known as phonology. Growing out of a project in an undergraduate class, we devised a phonology-free approach to communicating with WA patients that attempts to answer the questions of whether WA patients know that they do not understand what is said to them, that others do not understand what they have said, and if these patients are distressed by this lack of communication. We here describe the process and the resulting method.</AbstractText
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Presurgical language mapping for patients with lesions close to language areas is critical to neurosurgical decision-making for preservation of language function. As a clinical noninvasive imaging technique, functional MRI (fMRI) is used to identify language areas by measuring blood-oxygen-level dependent (BOLD) signal change while patients perform carefully timed language vs. control tasks. This task-based fMRI critically depends on task performance, excluding many patients who have difficulty performing language tasks due to neurologic deficits. On the basis of recent discovery of resting-state fMRI (rs-fMRI), we propose a "task-free" paradigm acquiring fMRI data when patients simply are at rest. This paradigm is less demanding for patients to perform and easier for technologists to administer. We investigated the feasibility of this approach in right-handed healthy control subjects. First, group independent component analysis (ICA) was applied on the training group (14 subjects) to identify group level language components based on expert rating results. Then, four empirically and structurally defined language network templates were assessed for their ability to identify language components from individuals' ICA output of the testing group (18 subjects) based on spatial similarity analysis. Results suggest that it is feasible to extract language activations from rs-fMRI at the individual subject level, and two empirically defined templates (that focuses on frontal language areas and that incorporates both frontal and temporal language areas) demonstrated the best performance. We propose a semi-automated language component identification procedure and discuss the practical concerns and suggestions for this approach to be used in clinical fMRI language mapping.</AbstractText
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Recent developments in radiotherapy have focused on the management of patient motion during treatment. Studies have shown that significant gains in treatment quality can be made by 'gating' certain treatments, simultaneously keeping target coverage, and increasing separation to nearby organs at risk (OAR). Motion phantoms can be used to simulate patient breathing motion and provide the means to perform quality control (QC) and quality assurance (QA) of gating functionality as well as to assess the dosimetric impact of motion on individual patient treatments. The aim of this study was to design and build a motion phantom that accurately reproduces the breathing motion of patients to enable end-to-end gating system quality control of various gating systems as well as patient specific quality assurance. A motion phantom based on a stepper motor driver circuit was designed. The phantom can be programmed with both real patient data from an external gating system and with custom signals. The phantom was programmed and evaluated with patient data and with a square wave signal to be tracked with a Sentinel™ (C-Rad, Uppsala, Sweden) motion monitoring system. Results were compared to the original curves with respect to amplitude and phase. The comparison of patient curve data showed a mean error value of -0.09 mm with a standard deviation of 0.24 mm and a mean absolute error of 0.29 mm. The square wave signals could be reproduced with a mean error value of -0.03 mm, a standard deviation of 0.04 mm and a mean absolute error of 0.13 mm. Breathing curve data acquired from an optical scanning system can be reproduced accurately with the help of the in-house built motion phantom. The phantom can also be programmed to follow user designed curve data. This offers the potential for QC of gating systems and various dosimetric quality control applications.</AbstractText
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Devising a Method to Study if Wernicke's Aphasia Patients are Aware That They Do Not Comprehend Language or Speak It Understandably. Wernicke's Aphasia (WA) is characterized by an individual speaking fluent gibberish without the ability to understand anything that is said to them or anything they attempt to read. It is caused by damage to the left posterior temporoparietal cortex, also known as Wernicke's area. An additional intriguing symptom of WA patients is their apparent obliviousness to their own lack of understanding despite their intact reasoning or other cognitive abilities. Their only deficit seems to be in the basic rules of language that define word meaning, also known as phonology. Growing out of a project in an undergraduate class, we devised a phonology-free approach to communicating with WA patients that attempts to answer the questions of whether WA patients know that they do not understand what is said to them, that others do not understand what they have said, and if these patients are distressed by this lack of communication. We here describe the process and the resulting method.</AbstractText
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Defining language networks from resting-state fMRI for surgical planning--a feasibility study. Presurgical language mapping for patients with lesions close to language areas is critical to neurosurgical decision-making for preservation of language function. As a clinical noninvasive imaging technique, functional MRI (fMRI) is used to identify language areas by measuring blood-oxygen-level dependent (BOLD) signal change while patients perform carefully timed language vs. control tasks. This task-based fMRI critically depends on task performance, excluding many patients who have difficulty performing language tasks due to neurologic deficits. On the basis of recent discovery of resting-state fMRI (rs-fMRI), we propose a "task-free" paradigm acquiring fMRI data when patients simply are at rest. This paradigm is less demanding for patients to perform and easier for technologists to administer. We investigated the feasibility of this approach in right-handed healthy control subjects. First, group independent component analysis (ICA) was applied on the training group (14 subjects) to identify group level language components based on expert rating results. Then, four empirically and structurally defined language network templates were assessed for their ability to identify language components from individuals' ICA output of the testing group (18 subjects) based on spatial similarity analysis. Results suggest that it is feasible to extract language activations from rs-fMRI at the individual subject level, and two empirically defined templates (that focuses on frontal language areas and that incorporates both frontal and temporal language areas) demonstrated the best performance. We propose a semi-automated language component identification procedure and discuss the practical concerns and suggestions for this approach to be used in clinical fMRI language mapping.</AbstractText
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Development of a novel radiotherapy motion phantom using a stepper motor driver circuit and evaluation using optical surface scanning. Recent developments in radiotherapy have focused on the management of patient motion during treatment. Studies have shown that significant gains in treatment quality can be made by 'gating' certain treatments, simultaneously keeping target coverage, and increasing separation to nearby organs at risk (OAR). Motion phantoms can be used to simulate patient breathing motion and provide the means to perform quality control (QC) and quality assurance (QA) of gating functionality as well as to assess the dosimetric impact of motion on individual patient treatments. The aim of this study was to design and build a motion phantom that accurately reproduces the breathing motion of patients to enable end-to-end gating system quality control of various gating systems as well as patient specific quality assurance. A motion phantom based on a stepper motor driver circuit was designed. The phantom can be programmed with both real patient data from an external gating system and with custom signals. The phantom was programmed and evaluated with patient data and with a square wave signal to be tracked with a Sentinel™ (C-Rad, Uppsala, Sweden) motion monitoring system. Results were compared to the original curves with respect to amplitude and phase. The comparison of patient curve data showed a mean error value of -0.09 mm with a standard deviation of 0.24 mm and a mean absolute error of 0.29 mm. The square wave signals could be reproduced with a mean error value of -0.03 mm, a standard deviation of 0.04 mm and a mean absolute error of 0.13 mm. Breathing curve data acquired from an optical scanning system can be reproduced accurately with the help of the in-house built motion phantom. The phantom can also be programmed to follow user designed curve data. This offers the potential for QC of gating systems and various dosimetric quality control applications.</AbstractText
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38845969
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35304554
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39253727
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Methodology exploration and reproducibility evaluation of TAI and TSI for quantitative ultrasound assessment of hepatic steatosis.
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T1 reduction rate with Gd-EOB-DTPA determines liver function on both 1.5 T and 3 T MRI.
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Potential roles of voltage-gated ion channel disruption in Tuberous Sclerosis Complex.
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New quantitative ultrasound techniques can be used to quantify hepatic steatosis, including tissue attenuation imaging (TAI), tissue scatter -distribution imaging (TSI), and the hepatorenal index (HRI). However, the measurement norms and the effects of fasting on these measurements remain unclear. The present study performed a methodological exploration and investigated the reliability of these measurements.</AbstractText In total, 103 participants were prospectively recruited for ultrasonography and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans. For the TAI and TSI data, the upper (2 cm), middle (4 cm) and lower (6 cm) areas determined according to the depth of the region of interest from the liver capsule, were sampled three times. Correlation analyses were performed to compare the measurements of TAI, TSI, and HRI with the controlled attenuation parameter (CAP) or MRI-proton density fat fraction (MRI-PDFF). Intra- and inter-operator repeatability was assessed using intraclass correlation coefficients. The effects of fasting on these measurements were then compared.</AbstractText The TAI and TSI measurements obtained from the upper and middle depths exhibited stronger correlations with the CAP measurements than those obtained from the lower depth. Specifically, the mean TAI had a significant positive correlation with MRI-PDFF (r = 0.753, P < 0.0001). TAI and TSI measurements exhibited excellent intra- (0.933 and 0.925, respectively) and inter- (0.896 and 0.766, respectively) examiner reliability. However, the correlation between HRI and CAP measurements was only 0.281, with no significant correlation with MRI-PDFF, and intra- and inter-examiner reproducibility of 0.458 and 0.343, respectively. Fasting did not affect these measurements.</AbstractText TAI and TSI measurements demonstrated good intra- and interobserver reliability and correlated well with CAP and MRI-PDFF measurements. However, in practice-based clinical applications, the sampling depth should be controlled within 2-4 cm of the hepatic capsule; no fasting is required before the examination.</AbstractText
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Magnetic resonance T1 mapping before and after Gd-EOB-DTPA administration allows quantification of the T1 reduction rate as a non-invasive surrogate marker of liver function. A major limitation of T1 relaxation time measurement is its dependency on MRI field strengths. Since T1 reduction rate is calculated as the relative shortening of T1 relaxation time before and after contrast administration, we hypothesized that the T1 reduction rate is comparable between 1.5 and 3 T. We thus compared liver T1 relaxation times between 1.5 and 3 T in a total of 243 consecutive patients (124, 1.5 T and 119, 3 T) between 09/2018 and 07/2019. T1 reduction rates were compared between patients with no cirrhosis and patients with cirrhosis Child-Pugh A-C. There was no significant difference of T1 reduction rate between 1.5 and 3 T in any patient group (p-value 0.126-0.861). On both 1.5 T and 3 T, T1 reduction rate allowed to differentiate between patients with no cirrhosis and patients with liver cirrhosis Child A-C (p < 0.001). T1 reduction rate showed a good performance to predict liver cirrhosis Child A (AUC = 0.83, p < 0.001), Child B (AUC = 0.83, p < 0.001) and Child C (AUC = 0.92, p < 0.001). In conclusion, T1 reduction rate allows to determine liver function on Gd-EOB-DTPA MRI with comparable values on 1.5 T and 3 T.</AbstractText
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Tuberous Sclerosis Complex (TSC) is a lynchpin disorder, as it results in overactive mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling, which has been implicated in a multitude of disease states. TSC is an autosomal dominant disease where 90% of affected individuals develop epilepsy. Epilepsy results from aberrant neuronal excitability that leads to recurring seizures. Under neurotypical conditions, the coordinated activity of voltage-gated ion channels keep neurons operating in an optimal range, thus providing network stability. Interestingly, loss or gain of function mutations in voltage-gated potassium, sodium, or calcium channels leads to altered excitability and seizures. To date, little is known about voltage-gated ion channel expression and function in TSC. However, data is beginning to emerge on how mTOR signaling regulates voltage-gated ion channel expression in neurons. Herein, we provide a comprehensive review of the literature describing common seizure types in patients with TSC, and suggest possible parallels between acquired epilepsies with known voltage-gated ion channel dysfunction. Furthermore, we discuss possible links toward mTOR regulation of voltage-gated ion channels expression and channel kinetics and the underlying epileptic manifestations in patients with TSC.</AbstractText
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Methodology exploration and reproducibility evaluation of TAI and TSI for quantitative ultrasound assessment of hepatic steatosis. New quantitative ultrasound techniques can be used to quantify hepatic steatosis, including tissue attenuation imaging (TAI), tissue scatter -distribution imaging (TSI), and the hepatorenal index (HRI). However, the measurement norms and the effects of fasting on these measurements remain unclear. The present study performed a methodological exploration and investigated the reliability of these measurements.</AbstractText In total, 103 participants were prospectively recruited for ultrasonography and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans. For the TAI and TSI data, the upper (2 cm), middle (4 cm) and lower (6 cm) areas determined according to the depth of the region of interest from the liver capsule, were sampled three times. Correlation analyses were performed to compare the measurements of TAI, TSI, and HRI with the controlled attenuation parameter (CAP) or MRI-proton density fat fraction (MRI-PDFF). Intra- and inter-operator repeatability was assessed using intraclass correlation coefficients. The effects of fasting on these measurements were then compared.</AbstractText The TAI and TSI measurements obtained from the upper and middle depths exhibited stronger correlations with the CAP measurements than those obtained from the lower depth. Specifically, the mean TAI had a significant positive correlation with MRI-PDFF (r = 0.753, P < 0.0001). TAI and TSI measurements exhibited excellent intra- (0.933 and 0.925, respectively) and inter- (0.896 and 0.766, respectively) examiner reliability. However, the correlation between HRI and CAP measurements was only 0.281, with no significant correlation with MRI-PDFF, and intra- and inter-examiner reproducibility of 0.458 and 0.343, respectively. Fasting did not affect these measurements.</AbstractText TAI and TSI measurements demonstrated good intra- and interobserver reliability and correlated well with CAP and MRI-PDFF measurements. However, in practice-based clinical applications, the sampling depth should be controlled within 2-4 cm of the hepatic capsule; no fasting is required before the examination.</AbstractText
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T1 reduction rate with Gd-EOB-DTPA determines liver function on both 1.5 T and 3 T MRI. Magnetic resonance T1 mapping before and after Gd-EOB-DTPA administration allows quantification of the T1 reduction rate as a non-invasive surrogate marker of liver function. A major limitation of T1 relaxation time measurement is its dependency on MRI field strengths. Since T1 reduction rate is calculated as the relative shortening of T1 relaxation time before and after contrast administration, we hypothesized that the T1 reduction rate is comparable between 1.5 and 3 T. We thus compared liver T1 relaxation times between 1.5 and 3 T in a total of 243 consecutive patients (124, 1.5 T and 119, 3 T) between 09/2018 and 07/2019. T1 reduction rates were compared between patients with no cirrhosis and patients with cirrhosis Child-Pugh A-C. There was no significant difference of T1 reduction rate between 1.5 and 3 T in any patient group (p-value 0.126-0.861). On both 1.5 T and 3 T, T1 reduction rate allowed to differentiate between patients with no cirrhosis and patients with liver cirrhosis Child A-C (p < 0.001). T1 reduction rate showed a good performance to predict liver cirrhosis Child A (AUC = 0.83, p < 0.001), Child B (AUC = 0.83, p < 0.001) and Child C (AUC = 0.92, p < 0.001). In conclusion, T1 reduction rate allows to determine liver function on Gd-EOB-DTPA MRI with comparable values on 1.5 T and 3 T.</AbstractText
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Potential roles of voltage-gated ion channel disruption in Tuberous Sclerosis Complex. Tuberous Sclerosis Complex (TSC) is a lynchpin disorder, as it results in overactive mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling, which has been implicated in a multitude of disease states. TSC is an autosomal dominant disease where 90% of affected individuals develop epilepsy. Epilepsy results from aberrant neuronal excitability that leads to recurring seizures. Under neurotypical conditions, the coordinated activity of voltage-gated ion channels keep neurons operating in an optimal range, thus providing network stability. Interestingly, loss or gain of function mutations in voltage-gated potassium, sodium, or calcium channels leads to altered excitability and seizures. To date, little is known about voltage-gated ion channel expression and function in TSC. However, data is beginning to emerge on how mTOR signaling regulates voltage-gated ion channel expression in neurons. Herein, we provide a comprehensive review of the literature describing common seizure types in patients with TSC, and suggest possible parallels between acquired epilepsies with known voltage-gated ion channel dysfunction. Furthermore, we discuss possible links toward mTOR regulation of voltage-gated ion channels expression and channel kinetics and the underlying epileptic manifestations in patients with TSC.</AbstractText
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32765286
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35075810
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31847650
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Acute Low Dose of Trazodone Recovers Glutamate Release Efficiency and mGlu2/3 Autoreceptor Impairments in the Spinal Cord of Rats Suffering From Chronic Sciatic Ligation.
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Serotonin receptors in epilepsy: Novel treatment targets?
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Spinal cord stimulation modulates complexity of neural activities in patients with disorders of consciousness.
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We investigated whether chronic sciatic ligation modifies the glutamate release in spinal cord nerve endings (synaptosomes) as well as the expression and the function of presynaptic release-regulating mGlu2/3 autoreceptors and 5-HT<sub
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Despite the availability of over 30 antiseizure medications (ASMs), there is no "one size fits it all," so there is a continuing search for novel ASMs. There are divergent data demonstrating that modulation of distinct serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT) receptors subtypes could be beneficial in the treatment of epilepsy and its comorbidities, whereas only a few ASM, such as fenfluramine (FA), act via 5-HT. There are 14 different 5-HT receptor subtypes, and most epilepsy studies focus on one or a few of these subtypes, using different animal models and different ligands. We reviewed the available evidence of each 5-HT receptor subtype using MEDLINE up to July 2021. Our search included medical subject heading (MeSH) and free terms of each "5-HT subtype" separately and its relation to "epilepsy or seizures." Most research underlines the antiseizure activity of 5-HT<sub
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<b
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Acute Low Dose of Trazodone Recovers Glutamate Release Efficiency and mGlu2/3 Autoreceptor Impairments in the Spinal Cord of Rats Suffering From Chronic Sciatic Ligation. We investigated whether chronic sciatic ligation modifies the glutamate release in spinal cord nerve endings (synaptosomes) as well as the expression and the function of presynaptic release-regulating mGlu2/3 autoreceptors and 5-HT<sub
|
Serotonin receptors in epilepsy: Novel treatment targets? Despite the availability of over 30 antiseizure medications (ASMs), there is no "one size fits it all," so there is a continuing search for novel ASMs. There are divergent data demonstrating that modulation of distinct serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT) receptors subtypes could be beneficial in the treatment of epilepsy and its comorbidities, whereas only a few ASM, such as fenfluramine (FA), act via 5-HT. There are 14 different 5-HT receptor subtypes, and most epilepsy studies focus on one or a few of these subtypes, using different animal models and different ligands. We reviewed the available evidence of each 5-HT receptor subtype using MEDLINE up to July 2021. Our search included medical subject heading (MeSH) and free terms of each "5-HT subtype" separately and its relation to "epilepsy or seizures." Most research underlines the antiseizure activity of 5-HT<sub
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Spinal cord stimulation modulates complexity of neural activities in patients with disorders of consciousness. <b
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40210657
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28148640
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39589160
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Children engage neural reward structures for creative musical improvisation.
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The role of the hippocampus in navigation is memory.
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Copper homeostasis and neurodegenerative diseases.
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Children spontaneously engage in creative behaviors. However, little is known about the biological underpinnings of creativity in children. We identified neural substrates associated with musical improvisation in children aged 9-11. Participants played a non-ferromagnetic piano keyboard in a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scanner using a musical paradigm that required no prior musical experience, in which they played a rote pattern from memory or improvised melodies using those same notes. fMRI analysis of children's brains during musical improvisation revealed (1) heightened functional connectivity between emotion and reward brain areas and (2) deactivation of auditory, limbic, and parietal structures, particularly the middle temporal gyrus, angular gyrus, precuneus, and cingulate cortex. Importantly, improvisation engaged reward structures more than the control condition. Neural results suggest that children possess nascent creativity networks that form the roots for later adult creativity networks.</AbstractText
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There is considerable research on the neurobiological mechanisms within the hippocampal system that support spatial navigation. In this article I review the literature on navigational strategies in humans and animals, observations on hippocampal function in navigation, and studies of hippocampal neural activity in animals and humans performing different navigational tasks and tests of memory. Whereas the hippocampus is essential to spatial navigation via a cognitive map, its role derives from the relational organization and flexibility of cognitive maps and not from a selective role in the spatial domain. Correspondingly, hippocampal networks map multiple navigational strategies, as well as other spatial and nonspatial memories and knowledge domains that share an emphasis on relational organization. These observations suggest that the hippocampal system is not dedicated to spatial cognition and navigation, but organizes experiences in memory, for which spatial mapping and navigation are both a metaphor for and a prominent application of relational memory organization.</AbstractText
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Copper, one of the most prolific transition metals in the body, is required for normal brain physiological activity and allows various functions to work normally through its range of concentrations. Copper homeostasis is meticulously maintained through a complex network of copper-dependent proteins, including copper transporters (CTR1 and CTR2), the two copper ion transporters the Cu -transporting ATPase 1 (ATP7A) and Cu-transporting beta (ATP7B), and the three copper chaperones ATOX1, CCS, and COX17. Disruptions in copper homeostasis can lead to either the deficiency or accumulation of copper in brain tissue. Emerging evidence suggests that abnormal copper metabolism or copper binding to various proteins, including ceruloplasmin and metallothionein, is involved in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative disorders. However, the exact mechanisms underlying these processes are not known. Copper is a potent oxidant that increases reactive oxygen species production and promotes oxidative stress. Elevated reactive oxygen species levels may further compromise mitochondrial integrity and cause mitochondrial dysfunction. Reactive oxygen species serve as key signaling molecules in copper-induced neuroinflammation, with elevated levels activating several critical inflammatory pathways. Additionally, copper can bind aberrantly to several neuronal proteins, including alpha-synuclein, tau, superoxide dismutase 1, and huntingtin, thereby inducing neurotoxicity and ultimately cell death. This study focuses on the latest literature evaluating the role of copper in neurodegenerative diseases, with a particular focus on copper-containing metalloenzymes and copper-binding proteins in the regulation of copper homeostasis and their involvement in neurodegenerative disease pathogenesis. By synthesizing the current findings on the functions of copper in oxidative stress, neuroinflammation, mitochondrial dysfunction, and protein misfolding, we aim to elucidate the mechanisms by which copper contributes to a wide range of hereditary and neuronal disorders, such as Wilson's disease, Menkes' disease, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Huntington's disease, and multiple sclerosis. Potential clinically significant therapeutic targets, including superoxide dismutase 1, D-penicillamine, and 5,7-dichloro-2-[(dimethylamino)methyl]-8-hydroxyquinoline, along with their associated therapeutic agents, are further discussed. Ultimately, we collate evidence that copper homeostasis may function in the underlying etiology of several neurodegenerative diseases and offer novel insights into the potential prevention and treatment of these diseases based on copper homeostasis.</AbstractText
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Children engage neural reward structures for creative musical improvisation. Children spontaneously engage in creative behaviors. However, little is known about the biological underpinnings of creativity in children. We identified neural substrates associated with musical improvisation in children aged 9-11. Participants played a non-ferromagnetic piano keyboard in a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scanner using a musical paradigm that required no prior musical experience, in which they played a rote pattern from memory or improvised melodies using those same notes. fMRI analysis of children's brains during musical improvisation revealed (1) heightened functional connectivity between emotion and reward brain areas and (2) deactivation of auditory, limbic, and parietal structures, particularly the middle temporal gyrus, angular gyrus, precuneus, and cingulate cortex. Importantly, improvisation engaged reward structures more than the control condition. Neural results suggest that children possess nascent creativity networks that form the roots for later adult creativity networks.</AbstractText
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The role of the hippocampus in navigation is memory. There is considerable research on the neurobiological mechanisms within the hippocampal system that support spatial navigation. In this article I review the literature on navigational strategies in humans and animals, observations on hippocampal function in navigation, and studies of hippocampal neural activity in animals and humans performing different navigational tasks and tests of memory. Whereas the hippocampus is essential to spatial navigation via a cognitive map, its role derives from the relational organization and flexibility of cognitive maps and not from a selective role in the spatial domain. Correspondingly, hippocampal networks map multiple navigational strategies, as well as other spatial and nonspatial memories and knowledge domains that share an emphasis on relational organization. These observations suggest that the hippocampal system is not dedicated to spatial cognition and navigation, but organizes experiences in memory, for which spatial mapping and navigation are both a metaphor for and a prominent application of relational memory organization.</AbstractText
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Copper homeostasis and neurodegenerative diseases. Copper, one of the most prolific transition metals in the body, is required for normal brain physiological activity and allows various functions to work normally through its range of concentrations. Copper homeostasis is meticulously maintained through a complex network of copper-dependent proteins, including copper transporters (CTR1 and CTR2), the two copper ion transporters the Cu -transporting ATPase 1 (ATP7A) and Cu-transporting beta (ATP7B), and the three copper chaperones ATOX1, CCS, and COX17. Disruptions in copper homeostasis can lead to either the deficiency or accumulation of copper in brain tissue. Emerging evidence suggests that abnormal copper metabolism or copper binding to various proteins, including ceruloplasmin and metallothionein, is involved in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative disorders. However, the exact mechanisms underlying these processes are not known. Copper is a potent oxidant that increases reactive oxygen species production and promotes oxidative stress. Elevated reactive oxygen species levels may further compromise mitochondrial integrity and cause mitochondrial dysfunction. Reactive oxygen species serve as key signaling molecules in copper-induced neuroinflammation, with elevated levels activating several critical inflammatory pathways. Additionally, copper can bind aberrantly to several neuronal proteins, including alpha-synuclein, tau, superoxide dismutase 1, and huntingtin, thereby inducing neurotoxicity and ultimately cell death. This study focuses on the latest literature evaluating the role of copper in neurodegenerative diseases, with a particular focus on copper-containing metalloenzymes and copper-binding proteins in the regulation of copper homeostasis and their involvement in neurodegenerative disease pathogenesis. By synthesizing the current findings on the functions of copper in oxidative stress, neuroinflammation, mitochondrial dysfunction, and protein misfolding, we aim to elucidate the mechanisms by which copper contributes to a wide range of hereditary and neuronal disorders, such as Wilson's disease, Menkes' disease, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Huntington's disease, and multiple sclerosis. Potential clinically significant therapeutic targets, including superoxide dismutase 1, D-penicillamine, and 5,7-dichloro-2-[(dimethylamino)methyl]-8-hydroxyquinoline, along with their associated therapeutic agents, are further discussed. Ultimately, we collate evidence that copper homeostasis may function in the underlying etiology of several neurodegenerative diseases and offer novel insights into the potential prevention and treatment of these diseases based on copper homeostasis.</AbstractText
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32525133
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30287460
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32576849
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A Novel Metallic Artifact Reduction Technique When Using a Computed Tomography-Guided Percutaneous Metallic Antenna to Ablate Malignant Pulmonary Nodules: A Qualitative and Quantitative Assessment.
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Subtraction CTA: An Alternative Imaging Option for the Follow-Up of Flow-Diverter-Treated Aneurysms?
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The Contribution of Oculomotor Functions to Rates of Visual Information Processing in Younger and Older Adults.
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BACKGROUND Metallic microwave ablation (MWA) antenna-related artifacts are usually created in conventional CT images, and these artifacts can influence the effect of ablation. The aim of this study was to evaluate a new type of metal artifact reduction (MAR+) technique in CT-guided MWA for lung cancer. MATERIAL AND METHODS This retrospective study enrolled 30 lung cancer patients who received CT-guided MWA treatment from December 2017 to April 2018. Images after microwave antenna insertion into the tumor were reconstructed by the filter back projection (group A) and MAR+ reconstruction (group B). The CT values and standard deviations of the regions of interest (ROIs) on the chosen image were recorded, including the most significantly hypodense artifact (ROI₁), hyperdense artifacts (ROI₂), and chest muscles of the same layer (ROI₃). The metal artifact indexes based on ROI₁ and ROI₂ (AI₁, AI₂) and the overall metal artifact index (AI) were calculated. Subjective image quality was graded on a five-point scale (1=worst, 5=excellent). RESULTS The AI₁ (74.14±76.32), AI₂ (13.75±19.02) and AI (54.12±54.82) of group B were lower than those of group A [(153.33±89.04), (30.63±26.42), (112.00±63.10), respectively] (P<0.001 for all). Both radiologists reported that the subjective image value of group B was significantly higher than that of group A (P<0.001). The subjective image quality scores evaluated by 2 observers showed excellent consistency (ICC=0.829). CONCLUSIONS The MAR+ imaging reconstruction significantly reduced metal artifacts, which helps radiologists to clearly observe the relationship between the ablation antenna and the lesion.</AbstractText
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This was a pilot study to explore the diagnostic accuracy and safety of subtraction CTA combined with a single-energy metal artifact reduction algorithm (SEMAR) compared to DSA for the evaluation of intracranial aneurysm occlusion after flow diverter treatment.</AbstractText We included patients treated with a flow diverter for an unruptured intracranial aneurysm between November 2015 and November 2016. The patient cohort comprised 2 groups: those who underwent follow-up imaging 1 month after flow-diverter treatment and those with a known residual intracranial aneurysm after flow diverter treatment who underwent imaging at regular follow-ups. Full-brain subtraction CTA was performed on a 320-detector row CT system. A low-dose non-enhanced volume acquisition was followed by a contrast-enhanced volume CTA. Iterative and noise-reduction filters, SEMAR, and <sup Thirteen intracranial aneurysms were evaluated with subtraction CTA and DSA. Nine aneurysm remnants were demonstrated by both subtraction CTA and DSA. The sensitivity and specificity of subtraction CTA for the detection of aneurysm occlusion were 100% (95% CI, 82.41%-100%) and 100% (95% CI, 67.55%-100%), respectively. Agreement between readers was perfect (κ = 1.0). The smallest neck remnant detected on subtraction CTA was 1.2 mm. No complications occurred.</AbstractText Subtraction CTA with single-electron metal artifact reduction is effective in the reduction of metal artifacts of flow diverters and might therefore be a viable alternative in the assessment of intracranial aneurysm occlusion after flow diverter treatment.</AbstractText
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Oculomotor functions are established surrogate measures of visual attention shifting and rate of information processing, however, the temporal characteristics of saccades and fixations have seldom been compared in healthy educated samples of younger and older adults. Thus, the current study aimed to compare duration of eye movement components in younger (18-25 years) and older (50-81 years) adults during text reading and during object/alphanumeric Rapid Automatic Naming (RAN) tasks. The current study also aimed to examine the contribution of oculomotor functions to threshold time needed for accurate performance on visually-driven cognitive tasks (Inspection Time [IT] and Change Detection [CD]). Results showed that younger adults fixated on individual stimuli for significantly longer than the older participants, while older adults demonstrated significantly longer saccade durations than the younger group. Results also demonstrated that older adults required longer threshold durations (i.e., performed slower) on the visually-driven cognitive tasks, however, the age-group time difference on the CD task was eradicated when the effects of saccade duration were covaried. Thus, these results suggest that age-related cognitive decline is also related to increased duration of saccades and hence, highlights the need to dissociate the age-related motor constraints on the temporal aspects of oculomotor function from visuo-cognitive speed of processing.</AbstractText
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A Novel Metallic Artifact Reduction Technique When Using a Computed Tomography-Guided Percutaneous Metallic Antenna to Ablate Malignant Pulmonary Nodules: A Qualitative and Quantitative Assessment. BACKGROUND Metallic microwave ablation (MWA) antenna-related artifacts are usually created in conventional CT images, and these artifacts can influence the effect of ablation. The aim of this study was to evaluate a new type of metal artifact reduction (MAR+) technique in CT-guided MWA for lung cancer. MATERIAL AND METHODS This retrospective study enrolled 30 lung cancer patients who received CT-guided MWA treatment from December 2017 to April 2018. Images after microwave antenna insertion into the tumor were reconstructed by the filter back projection (group A) and MAR+ reconstruction (group B). The CT values and standard deviations of the regions of interest (ROIs) on the chosen image were recorded, including the most significantly hypodense artifact (ROI₁), hyperdense artifacts (ROI₂), and chest muscles of the same layer (ROI₃). The metal artifact indexes based on ROI₁ and ROI₂ (AI₁, AI₂) and the overall metal artifact index (AI) were calculated. Subjective image quality was graded on a five-point scale (1=worst, 5=excellent). RESULTS The AI₁ (74.14±76.32), AI₂ (13.75±19.02) and AI (54.12±54.82) of group B were lower than those of group A [(153.33±89.04), (30.63±26.42), (112.00±63.10), respectively] (P<0.001 for all). Both radiologists reported that the subjective image value of group B was significantly higher than that of group A (P<0.001). The subjective image quality scores evaluated by 2 observers showed excellent consistency (ICC=0.829). CONCLUSIONS The MAR+ imaging reconstruction significantly reduced metal artifacts, which helps radiologists to clearly observe the relationship between the ablation antenna and the lesion.</AbstractText
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Subtraction CTA: An Alternative Imaging Option for the Follow-Up of Flow-Diverter-Treated Aneurysms? This was a pilot study to explore the diagnostic accuracy and safety of subtraction CTA combined with a single-energy metal artifact reduction algorithm (SEMAR) compared to DSA for the evaluation of intracranial aneurysm occlusion after flow diverter treatment.</AbstractText We included patients treated with a flow diverter for an unruptured intracranial aneurysm between November 2015 and November 2016. The patient cohort comprised 2 groups: those who underwent follow-up imaging 1 month after flow-diverter treatment and those with a known residual intracranial aneurysm after flow diverter treatment who underwent imaging at regular follow-ups. Full-brain subtraction CTA was performed on a 320-detector row CT system. A low-dose non-enhanced volume acquisition was followed by a contrast-enhanced volume CTA. Iterative and noise-reduction filters, SEMAR, and <sup Thirteen intracranial aneurysms were evaluated with subtraction CTA and DSA. Nine aneurysm remnants were demonstrated by both subtraction CTA and DSA. The sensitivity and specificity of subtraction CTA for the detection of aneurysm occlusion were 100% (95% CI, 82.41%-100%) and 100% (95% CI, 67.55%-100%), respectively. Agreement between readers was perfect (κ = 1.0). The smallest neck remnant detected on subtraction CTA was 1.2 mm. No complications occurred.</AbstractText Subtraction CTA with single-electron metal artifact reduction is effective in the reduction of metal artifacts of flow diverters and might therefore be a viable alternative in the assessment of intracranial aneurysm occlusion after flow diverter treatment.</AbstractText
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The Contribution of Oculomotor Functions to Rates of Visual Information Processing in Younger and Older Adults. Oculomotor functions are established surrogate measures of visual attention shifting and rate of information processing, however, the temporal characteristics of saccades and fixations have seldom been compared in healthy educated samples of younger and older adults. Thus, the current study aimed to compare duration of eye movement components in younger (18-25 years) and older (50-81 years) adults during text reading and during object/alphanumeric Rapid Automatic Naming (RAN) tasks. The current study also aimed to examine the contribution of oculomotor functions to threshold time needed for accurate performance on visually-driven cognitive tasks (Inspection Time [IT] and Change Detection [CD]). Results showed that younger adults fixated on individual stimuli for significantly longer than the older participants, while older adults demonstrated significantly longer saccade durations than the younger group. Results also demonstrated that older adults required longer threshold durations (i.e., performed slower) on the visually-driven cognitive tasks, however, the age-group time difference on the CD task was eradicated when the effects of saccade duration were covaried. Thus, these results suggest that age-related cognitive decline is also related to increased duration of saccades and hence, highlights the need to dissociate the age-related motor constraints on the temporal aspects of oculomotor function from visuo-cognitive speed of processing.</AbstractText
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26257617
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22928717
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25689583
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Conditioned place preference successfully established in typically developing children.
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Annual Research Review: Resilient functioning in maltreated children--past, present, and future perspectives.
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Orally administrated Lactobacillus pentosus var. plantarum C29 ameliorates age-dependent colitis by inhibiting the nuclear factor-kappa B signaling pathway via the regulation of lipopolysaccharide production by gut microbiota.
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Affective processing, known to influence attention, motivation, and emotional regulation is poorly understood in young children, especially for those with neurodevelopmental disorders characterized by language impairments. Here we faithfully adapt a well-established animal paradigm used for affective processing, conditioned place preference (CPP) for use in typically developing children between the ages of 30-55 months. Children displayed a CPP, with an average 2.4 fold increase in time spent in the preferred room. Importantly, associative learning as assessed with CPP was not correlated with scores on the Mullen Scales of Early Learning (MSEL), indicating that CPP can be used with children with a wide range of cognitive skills.</AbstractText
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Through a process of probabilistic epigenesis, child maltreatment progressively contributes to compromised adaptation on a variety of developmental domains central to successful adjustment. These developmental failures pose significant risk for the emergence of psychopathology across the life course. In addition to the psychological consequences of maltreatment, a growing body of research has documented the deleterious effects of abuse and neglect on biological processes. Nonetheless, not all maltreated children develop maladaptively. Indeed, some percentage of maltreated children develops in a resilient fashion despite the significant adversity and stress they experience.</AbstractText The literature on the determinants of resilience in maltreated children is selectively reviewed and criteria for the inclusion of the studies are delineated.</AbstractText The majority of the research on the contributors to resilient functioning has focused on a single level of analysis and on psychosocial processes. Multilevel investigations have begun to appear, resulting in several studies on the processes to resilient functioning that integrate biological/genetic and psychological domains.</AbstractText Much additional research on the determinants of resilient functioning must be completed before we possess adequate knowledge based on a multiple levels of analysis approach that is commensurate with the complexity inherent in this dynamic developmental process. Suggestions for future research on the development of resilient functioning in maltreated children are proffered and intervention implications are discussed.</AbstractText
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To evaluate the anti-inflammaging effect of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) on age-dependent inflammation, we first screened and selected a tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α and reactive oxygen species (ROS)-inhibitory LAB, Lactobacillus pentosus var. plantarum C29, among the LABs isolated from fermented vegetables using LPS-stimulated mouse peritoneal macrophages. Oral administration of C29 (2 × 109 CFU/rat) for 8 weeks in aged Fischer 344 rats (age, 16 months) inhibited the expression of the inflammatory markers myeloperoxidase, inducible nitric oxide (NO) synthase, cyclooxygenase-2, pro-inflammatory cytokines tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α and IL-6 and the activation of nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-κB), activator protein 1 (AP1), and mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs). Treatment with C29 induced the expression of tight junction proteins ZO-1, occludin, and claudin-1, and reduced intestinal microbial LPS and plasmatic LPS levels and ROS, as well as the Firmicutes to Bacteroidetes ratio, which is significantly higher in aged rats than in young rats. C29 treatment also reduced plasmatic reactive oxygen species, malondialdehyde, C-reactive protein, and TNF-α, and suppressed expression of senescence markers p16 and p53 in the colon of the aged rats, but increased SIRT 1 expression. Based on these findings, we concluded that C29 treatment may suppress aging-dependent colitis by inhibiting NF-κB, AP1, and MAPK activation via the inhibition of gut microbiota LPS production and the induction of tight junction protein expression.</AbstractText
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Conditioned place preference successfully established in typically developing children. Affective processing, known to influence attention, motivation, and emotional regulation is poorly understood in young children, especially for those with neurodevelopmental disorders characterized by language impairments. Here we faithfully adapt a well-established animal paradigm used for affective processing, conditioned place preference (CPP) for use in typically developing children between the ages of 30-55 months. Children displayed a CPP, with an average 2.4 fold increase in time spent in the preferred room. Importantly, associative learning as assessed with CPP was not correlated with scores on the Mullen Scales of Early Learning (MSEL), indicating that CPP can be used with children with a wide range of cognitive skills.</AbstractText
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Annual Research Review: Resilient functioning in maltreated children--past, present, and future perspectives. Through a process of probabilistic epigenesis, child maltreatment progressively contributes to compromised adaptation on a variety of developmental domains central to successful adjustment. These developmental failures pose significant risk for the emergence of psychopathology across the life course. In addition to the psychological consequences of maltreatment, a growing body of research has documented the deleterious effects of abuse and neglect on biological processes. Nonetheless, not all maltreated children develop maladaptively. Indeed, some percentage of maltreated children develops in a resilient fashion despite the significant adversity and stress they experience.</AbstractText The literature on the determinants of resilience in maltreated children is selectively reviewed and criteria for the inclusion of the studies are delineated.</AbstractText The majority of the research on the contributors to resilient functioning has focused on a single level of analysis and on psychosocial processes. Multilevel investigations have begun to appear, resulting in several studies on the processes to resilient functioning that integrate biological/genetic and psychological domains.</AbstractText Much additional research on the determinants of resilient functioning must be completed before we possess adequate knowledge based on a multiple levels of analysis approach that is commensurate with the complexity inherent in this dynamic developmental process. Suggestions for future research on the development of resilient functioning in maltreated children are proffered and intervention implications are discussed.</AbstractText
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Orally administrated Lactobacillus pentosus var. plantarum C29 ameliorates age-dependent colitis by inhibiting the nuclear factor-kappa B signaling pathway via the regulation of lipopolysaccharide production by gut microbiota. To evaluate the anti-inflammaging effect of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) on age-dependent inflammation, we first screened and selected a tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α and reactive oxygen species (ROS)-inhibitory LAB, Lactobacillus pentosus var. plantarum C29, among the LABs isolated from fermented vegetables using LPS-stimulated mouse peritoneal macrophages. Oral administration of C29 (2 × 109 CFU/rat) for 8 weeks in aged Fischer 344 rats (age, 16 months) inhibited the expression of the inflammatory markers myeloperoxidase, inducible nitric oxide (NO) synthase, cyclooxygenase-2, pro-inflammatory cytokines tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α and IL-6 and the activation of nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-κB), activator protein 1 (AP1), and mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs). Treatment with C29 induced the expression of tight junction proteins ZO-1, occludin, and claudin-1, and reduced intestinal microbial LPS and plasmatic LPS levels and ROS, as well as the Firmicutes to Bacteroidetes ratio, which is significantly higher in aged rats than in young rats. C29 treatment also reduced plasmatic reactive oxygen species, malondialdehyde, C-reactive protein, and TNF-α, and suppressed expression of senescence markers p16 and p53 in the colon of the aged rats, but increased SIRT 1 expression. Based on these findings, we concluded that C29 treatment may suppress aging-dependent colitis by inhibiting NF-κB, AP1, and MAPK activation via the inhibition of gut microbiota LPS production and the induction of tight junction protein expression.</AbstractText
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22373615
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37192344
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22356744
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Perspective: Upcoming paradigm shifts for psychiatry in clinical care, research, and education.
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Optogenetic stimulation of the superior colliculus suppresses genetic absence seizures.
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Growth, photosynthesis and antioxidant responses of endophyte infected and non-infected rice under lead stress conditions.
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Psychiatry is facing a crisis fueled by a fragmented and inefficient system of care delivery and a disconnection between the state of research and the state of psychiatry education and practice. Many factors contribute to the current state of psychiatric care. Psychiatry is a shortage specialty, and this will become worse in the near future. In addition, financial pressures have led to decreases in psychiatric inpatient and outpatient services and to shorter lengths of hospitalization for even the sickest patients. This has resulted in fragmented care and an overreliance on polypharmacy. To reach the large number of patients needing psychiatric services, health care systems must change and take advantage of collaborative and integrative care models and new technologies. Psychiatrists must learn to partner more effectively with primary care providers to extend their expertise to the greatest number of patients. Currently, psychiatric diagnosis is based on a criteria-based system that was developed in the 1970s. Advances in systems and molecular neuroscience are beginning to elucidate specific brain systems that are dysfunctional in psychiatric illness. This has the potential to revolutionize psychiatric diagnosis and treatment in the future. However, psychiatry has not yet been successful in incorporating the language of this research into clinically meaningful terminology. If neuroscientific progress is to be translated into clinical advances, this must change. Residency programs must better prepare their graduates to keep up with a psychiatry literature that will increasingly use the language of neural circuits to describe psychiatric symptomatology and treatments.</AbstractText
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While anti-seizure medications are effective for many patients, nearly one-third of individuals have seizures that are refractory to pharmacotherapy. Prior studies using evoked preclinical seizure models have shown that pharmacological activation or excitatory optogenetic stimulation of the deep and intermediate layers of the superior colliculus (DLSC) display multi-potent anti-seizure effects. Here we monitored and modulated DLSC activity to suppress spontaneous seizures in the WAG/Rij genetic model of absence epilepsy. Female and male WAG/Rij adult rats were employed as study subjects. For electrophysiology studies, we recorded single unit activity from microwire arrays placed within the DLSC. For optogenetic experiments, animals were injected with virus coding for channelrhodopsin-2 or a control vector, and we compared the efficacy of continuous neuromodulation to that of closed-loop neuromodulation paradigms. For each, we compared three stimulation frequencies on a within-subject basis (5, 20, 100 Hz). For closed-loop stimulation, we detected seizures in real time based on the EEG power within the characteristic frequency band of spike-and-wave discharges (SWDs). We quantified the number and duration of each SWD during each 2 h-observation period. Following completion of the experiment, virus expression and fibre-optic placement was confirmed. We found that single-unit activity within the DLSC decreased seconds prior to SWD onset and increased during and after seizures. Nearly 40% of neurons displayed suppression of firing in response to the start of SWDs. Continuous optogenetic stimulation of the DLSC (at each of the three frequencies) resulted in a significant reduction of SWDs in males and was without effect in females. In contrast, closed-loop neuromodulation was effective in both females and males at all three frequencies. These data demonstrate that activity within the DLSC is suppressed prior to SWD onset, increases at SWD onset, and that excitatory optogenetic stimulation of the DLSC exerts anti-seizure effects against absence seizures. The striking difference between open- and closed-loop neuromodulation approaches underscores the importance of the stimulation paradigm in determining therapeutic effects.</AbstractText
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An endophytic fungus was tested in rice (Oryza sativa L.) exposed to four levels of lead (Pb) stress (0, 50, 100 and 200 μM) to assess effects on plant growth, photosynthesis and antioxidant enzyme activity. Under Pb stress conditions, endophyte-infected seedlings had greater shoot length but lower root length compared to non-infected controls, and endophyte-infected seedlings had greater dry weight in the 50 and 100 μM Pb treatments. Under Pb stress conditions, chlorophyll and carotenoid levels were significantly higher in the endophyte-infected seedlings. Net photosynthetic rate, transpiration rate and water use efficiency were significantly higher in endophyte-infected seedlings in the 50 and 100 μM Pb treatments. In addition, chlorophyll fluorescence parameters Fv/Fm and Fv/Fo were higher in the infected seedlings compared to the non-infected seedlings under Pb stress. Malondialdehyde accumulation was induced by Pb stress, and it was present in higher concentration in non-infected seedlings under higher concentrations of Pb (100 and 200 μM). Antioxidant activity was either higher or unchanged in the infected seedlings due to responses to the different Pb concentrations. These results suggest that the endophytic fungus improved rice growth under moderate Pb levels by enhancing photosynthesis and antioxidant activity relative to non-infected rice.</AbstractText
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Perspective: Upcoming paradigm shifts for psychiatry in clinical care, research, and education. Psychiatry is facing a crisis fueled by a fragmented and inefficient system of care delivery and a disconnection between the state of research and the state of psychiatry education and practice. Many factors contribute to the current state of psychiatric care. Psychiatry is a shortage specialty, and this will become worse in the near future. In addition, financial pressures have led to decreases in psychiatric inpatient and outpatient services and to shorter lengths of hospitalization for even the sickest patients. This has resulted in fragmented care and an overreliance on polypharmacy. To reach the large number of patients needing psychiatric services, health care systems must change and take advantage of collaborative and integrative care models and new technologies. Psychiatrists must learn to partner more effectively with primary care providers to extend their expertise to the greatest number of patients. Currently, psychiatric diagnosis is based on a criteria-based system that was developed in the 1970s. Advances in systems and molecular neuroscience are beginning to elucidate specific brain systems that are dysfunctional in psychiatric illness. This has the potential to revolutionize psychiatric diagnosis and treatment in the future. However, psychiatry has not yet been successful in incorporating the language of this research into clinically meaningful terminology. If neuroscientific progress is to be translated into clinical advances, this must change. Residency programs must better prepare their graduates to keep up with a psychiatry literature that will increasingly use the language of neural circuits to describe psychiatric symptomatology and treatments.</AbstractText
|
Optogenetic stimulation of the superior colliculus suppresses genetic absence seizures. While anti-seizure medications are effective for many patients, nearly one-third of individuals have seizures that are refractory to pharmacotherapy. Prior studies using evoked preclinical seizure models have shown that pharmacological activation or excitatory optogenetic stimulation of the deep and intermediate layers of the superior colliculus (DLSC) display multi-potent anti-seizure effects. Here we monitored and modulated DLSC activity to suppress spontaneous seizures in the WAG/Rij genetic model of absence epilepsy. Female and male WAG/Rij adult rats were employed as study subjects. For electrophysiology studies, we recorded single unit activity from microwire arrays placed within the DLSC. For optogenetic experiments, animals were injected with virus coding for channelrhodopsin-2 or a control vector, and we compared the efficacy of continuous neuromodulation to that of closed-loop neuromodulation paradigms. For each, we compared three stimulation frequencies on a within-subject basis (5, 20, 100 Hz). For closed-loop stimulation, we detected seizures in real time based on the EEG power within the characteristic frequency band of spike-and-wave discharges (SWDs). We quantified the number and duration of each SWD during each 2 h-observation period. Following completion of the experiment, virus expression and fibre-optic placement was confirmed. We found that single-unit activity within the DLSC decreased seconds prior to SWD onset and increased during and after seizures. Nearly 40% of neurons displayed suppression of firing in response to the start of SWDs. Continuous optogenetic stimulation of the DLSC (at each of the three frequencies) resulted in a significant reduction of SWDs in males and was without effect in females. In contrast, closed-loop neuromodulation was effective in both females and males at all three frequencies. These data demonstrate that activity within the DLSC is suppressed prior to SWD onset, increases at SWD onset, and that excitatory optogenetic stimulation of the DLSC exerts anti-seizure effects against absence seizures. The striking difference between open- and closed-loop neuromodulation approaches underscores the importance of the stimulation paradigm in determining therapeutic effects.</AbstractText
|
Growth, photosynthesis and antioxidant responses of endophyte infected and non-infected rice under lead stress conditions. An endophytic fungus was tested in rice (Oryza sativa L.) exposed to four levels of lead (Pb) stress (0, 50, 100 and 200 μM) to assess effects on plant growth, photosynthesis and antioxidant enzyme activity. Under Pb stress conditions, endophyte-infected seedlings had greater shoot length but lower root length compared to non-infected controls, and endophyte-infected seedlings had greater dry weight in the 50 and 100 μM Pb treatments. Under Pb stress conditions, chlorophyll and carotenoid levels were significantly higher in the endophyte-infected seedlings. Net photosynthetic rate, transpiration rate and water use efficiency were significantly higher in endophyte-infected seedlings in the 50 and 100 μM Pb treatments. In addition, chlorophyll fluorescence parameters Fv/Fm and Fv/Fo were higher in the infected seedlings compared to the non-infected seedlings under Pb stress. Malondialdehyde accumulation was induced by Pb stress, and it was present in higher concentration in non-infected seedlings under higher concentrations of Pb (100 and 200 μM). Antioxidant activity was either higher or unchanged in the infected seedlings due to responses to the different Pb concentrations. These results suggest that the endophytic fungus improved rice growth under moderate Pb levels by enhancing photosynthesis and antioxidant activity relative to non-infected rice.</AbstractText
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31210734
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28119135
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31649200
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Dissecting Static and Dynamic Functional Connectivity: Example From the Autism Spectrum.
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Relative latency and temporal variability of hemodynamic responses at the human primary visual cortex.
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Broadly protective human antibodies that target the active site of influenza virus neuraminidase.
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The ability to measure the intrinsic functional architecture of the brain has grown exponentially over the last 2 decades. Measures of intrinsic connectivity within the brain, typically measured using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), have evolved from primarily "static" approaches, to include dynamic measures of functional connectivity. Measures of dynamic functional connectivity expand the assumptions to allow brain regions to have temporally different patterns of communication between different regions. That is, connections within the brain can differentially fire between different regions at different times, and these differences can be quantified. Applying approaches that measure the dynamic characteristics of functional brain connectivity have been fruitful in identifying differences during brain development and psychopathology. We provide a brief overview of static and dynamic measures of functional connectivity and illustrate the synergy in applying these approaches to identify both age-related differences in children and differences between typically developing children and children with autistic symptoms.</AbstractText
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The blood-oxygen-level-dependent (BOLD) functional MRI (fMRI) signal is a robust surrogate for local neuronal activity. However, it has been shown to vary substantially across subjects, brain regions, and repetitive measurements. This variability represents a limit to the precision of the BOLD response and the ability to reliably discriminate brain hemodynamic responses elicited by external stimuli or behavior that are nearby in time. While the temporal variability of the BOLD signal at human visual cortex has been found in the range of a few hundreds of milliseconds, the spatial distributions of the average and standard deviation of this temporal variability have not been quantitatively characterized. Here we use fMRI measurements with a high sampling rate (10Hz) to map the latency, intra- and inter-subject variability of the evoked BOLD signal in human primary (V1) visual cortices using an event-related fMRI paradigm. The latency relative to the average BOLD signal evoked by 30 stimuli was estimated to be 0.03±0.20s. Within V1, the absolute value of the relative BOLD latency was found correlated to intra- and inter-subject temporal variability. After comparing these measures to retinotopic maps, we found that locations with V1 areas sensitive to smaller eccentricity have later responses and smaller inter-subject variabilities. These correlations were found from data with either short inter-stimulus interval (ISI; average 4s) or long ISI (average 30s). Maps of the relative latency as well as inter-/intra-subject variability were found visually asymmetric between hemispheres. Our results suggest that the latency and variability of regional BOLD signal measured with high spatiotemporal resolution may be used to detect regional differences in hemodynamics to inform fMRI studies. However, the physiological origins of timing index distributions and their hemispheric asymmetry remain to be investigated.</AbstractText
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Better vaccines against influenza virus are urgently needed to provide broader protection against diverse strains, subtypes, and types. Such efforts are assisted by the identification of novel broadly neutralizing epitopes targeted by protective antibodies. Influenza vaccine development has largely focused on the hemagglutinin, but the other major surface antigen, the neuraminidase, has reemerged as a potential target for universal vaccines. We describe three human monoclonal antibodies isolated from an H3N2-infected donor that bind with exceptional breadth to multiple different influenza A and B virus neuraminidases. These antibodies neutralize the virus, mediate effector functions, are broadly protective in vivo, and inhibit neuraminidase activity by directly binding to the active site. Structural and functional characterization of these antibodies will inform the development of neuraminidase-based universal vaccines against influenza virus.</AbstractText
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Dissecting Static and Dynamic Functional Connectivity: Example From the Autism Spectrum. The ability to measure the intrinsic functional architecture of the brain has grown exponentially over the last 2 decades. Measures of intrinsic connectivity within the brain, typically measured using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), have evolved from primarily "static" approaches, to include dynamic measures of functional connectivity. Measures of dynamic functional connectivity expand the assumptions to allow brain regions to have temporally different patterns of communication between different regions. That is, connections within the brain can differentially fire between different regions at different times, and these differences can be quantified. Applying approaches that measure the dynamic characteristics of functional brain connectivity have been fruitful in identifying differences during brain development and psychopathology. We provide a brief overview of static and dynamic measures of functional connectivity and illustrate the synergy in applying these approaches to identify both age-related differences in children and differences between typically developing children and children with autistic symptoms.</AbstractText
|
Relative latency and temporal variability of hemodynamic responses at the human primary visual cortex. The blood-oxygen-level-dependent (BOLD) functional MRI (fMRI) signal is a robust surrogate for local neuronal activity. However, it has been shown to vary substantially across subjects, brain regions, and repetitive measurements. This variability represents a limit to the precision of the BOLD response and the ability to reliably discriminate brain hemodynamic responses elicited by external stimuli or behavior that are nearby in time. While the temporal variability of the BOLD signal at human visual cortex has been found in the range of a few hundreds of milliseconds, the spatial distributions of the average and standard deviation of this temporal variability have not been quantitatively characterized. Here we use fMRI measurements with a high sampling rate (10Hz) to map the latency, intra- and inter-subject variability of the evoked BOLD signal in human primary (V1) visual cortices using an event-related fMRI paradigm. The latency relative to the average BOLD signal evoked by 30 stimuli was estimated to be 0.03±0.20s. Within V1, the absolute value of the relative BOLD latency was found correlated to intra- and inter-subject temporal variability. After comparing these measures to retinotopic maps, we found that locations with V1 areas sensitive to smaller eccentricity have later responses and smaller inter-subject variabilities. These correlations were found from data with either short inter-stimulus interval (ISI; average 4s) or long ISI (average 30s). Maps of the relative latency as well as inter-/intra-subject variability were found visually asymmetric between hemispheres. Our results suggest that the latency and variability of regional BOLD signal measured with high spatiotemporal resolution may be used to detect regional differences in hemodynamics to inform fMRI studies. However, the physiological origins of timing index distributions and their hemispheric asymmetry remain to be investigated.</AbstractText
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Broadly protective human antibodies that target the active site of influenza virus neuraminidase. Better vaccines against influenza virus are urgently needed to provide broader protection against diverse strains, subtypes, and types. Such efforts are assisted by the identification of novel broadly neutralizing epitopes targeted by protective antibodies. Influenza vaccine development has largely focused on the hemagglutinin, but the other major surface antigen, the neuraminidase, has reemerged as a potential target for universal vaccines. We describe three human monoclonal antibodies isolated from an H3N2-infected donor that bind with exceptional breadth to multiple different influenza A and B virus neuraminidases. These antibodies neutralize the virus, mediate effector functions, are broadly protective in vivo, and inhibit neuraminidase activity by directly binding to the active site. Structural and functional characterization of these antibodies will inform the development of neuraminidase-based universal vaccines against influenza virus.</AbstractText
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37451091
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30365023
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36437188
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Higher education level as a protective factor against executive dysfunction in patients with epilepsy in Mataram, Indonesia.
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Loneliness and Risk of Dementia.
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The chicken and egg problem of grid cells and place cells.
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Since the concept of cognitive reserve is applicable in epilepsy-associated cognitive impairment, the role of cognitive reserve components as a protective factor against epilepsy-associated executive dysfunction needs further investigation. This study aimed at investigating the association between cognitive reserve components and the frequency of epilepsy-associated executive dysfunction in Mataram, Indonesia.</AbstractText This case-control study involved both epilepsy outpatient and healthy participants recruited consecutively in 5 hospitals in Mataram, between October 2021 and September 2022. Data on sociodemographic, cognitive reserve components, and executive function status were collected from both groups, while data on seizure were collected only from epilepsy participants. The association between cognitive reserve components and the frequency of epilepsy-associated executive dysfunction was tested using logistic regression.</AbstractText A total of 119 epilepsy patients and 93 healthy participants were recruited. The frequency of epilepsy-associated executive dysfunction was 50.4%. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that higher education level was the only cognitive reserve component protective against epilepsy-associated executive dysfunction (odds ratio [OR]: 3.36; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.33 - 8.50).</AbstractText A high frequency of epilepsy-associated executive dysfunction was observed in Mataram. Higher education level was a cognitive reserve component protective against executive dysfunction in these patients.</AbstractText
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The present study tests whether loneliness is associated with risk of dementia in the largest sample to date and further examines whether the association is independent of social isolation, a related but independent component of social integration, and whether it varies by demographic factors and genetic vulnerability.</AbstractText Participants from the Health and Retirement Study (N = 12,030) reported on their loneliness, social isolation, and had information on clinical, behavioral, and genetic risk factors. Cognitive status was assessed at baseline and every 2 years over a 10-year follow-up with the modified Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status (TICSm). A TICSm score of 6 or less was indicative of dementia.</AbstractText Cox proportional hazards regression indicated that loneliness was associated with a 40% increased risk of dementia. This association held controlling for social isolation, and clinical, behavioral, and genetic risk factors. The association was similar across gender, race, ethnicity, education, and genetic risk.</AbstractText Loneliness is associated with increased risk of dementia. It is one modifiable factor that can be intervened on to reduce dementia risk.</AbstractText
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Place cells and grid cells are major building blocks of the hippocampal cognitive map. The prominent forward model postulates that grid-cell modules are generated by a continuous attractor network; that a velocity signal evoked during locomotion moves entorhinal activity bumps; and that place-cell activity constitutes summation of entorhinal grid-cell modules. Experimental data support the first postulate, but not the latter two. Several families of solutions that depart from these postulates have been put forward. We suggest a modified model (spatial modulation continuous attractor network; SCAN), whereby place cells are generated from spatially selective nongrid cells. Locomotion causes these cells to move the hippocampal activity bump, leading to movement of the entorhinal manifolds. Such inversion accords with the shift of hippocampal thought from navigation to more abstract functions.</AbstractText
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Higher education level as a protective factor against executive dysfunction in patients with epilepsy in Mataram, Indonesia. Since the concept of cognitive reserve is applicable in epilepsy-associated cognitive impairment, the role of cognitive reserve components as a protective factor against epilepsy-associated executive dysfunction needs further investigation. This study aimed at investigating the association between cognitive reserve components and the frequency of epilepsy-associated executive dysfunction in Mataram, Indonesia.</AbstractText This case-control study involved both epilepsy outpatient and healthy participants recruited consecutively in 5 hospitals in Mataram, between October 2021 and September 2022. Data on sociodemographic, cognitive reserve components, and executive function status were collected from both groups, while data on seizure were collected only from epilepsy participants. The association between cognitive reserve components and the frequency of epilepsy-associated executive dysfunction was tested using logistic regression.</AbstractText A total of 119 epilepsy patients and 93 healthy participants were recruited. The frequency of epilepsy-associated executive dysfunction was 50.4%. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that higher education level was the only cognitive reserve component protective against epilepsy-associated executive dysfunction (odds ratio [OR]: 3.36; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.33 - 8.50).</AbstractText A high frequency of epilepsy-associated executive dysfunction was observed in Mataram. Higher education level was a cognitive reserve component protective against executive dysfunction in these patients.</AbstractText
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Loneliness and Risk of Dementia. The present study tests whether loneliness is associated with risk of dementia in the largest sample to date and further examines whether the association is independent of social isolation, a related but independent component of social integration, and whether it varies by demographic factors and genetic vulnerability.</AbstractText Participants from the Health and Retirement Study (N = 12,030) reported on their loneliness, social isolation, and had information on clinical, behavioral, and genetic risk factors. Cognitive status was assessed at baseline and every 2 years over a 10-year follow-up with the modified Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status (TICSm). A TICSm score of 6 or less was indicative of dementia.</AbstractText Cox proportional hazards regression indicated that loneliness was associated with a 40% increased risk of dementia. This association held controlling for social isolation, and clinical, behavioral, and genetic risk factors. The association was similar across gender, race, ethnicity, education, and genetic risk.</AbstractText Loneliness is associated with increased risk of dementia. It is one modifiable factor that can be intervened on to reduce dementia risk.</AbstractText
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The chicken and egg problem of grid cells and place cells. Place cells and grid cells are major building blocks of the hippocampal cognitive map. The prominent forward model postulates that grid-cell modules are generated by a continuous attractor network; that a velocity signal evoked during locomotion moves entorhinal activity bumps; and that place-cell activity constitutes summation of entorhinal grid-cell modules. Experimental data support the first postulate, but not the latter two. Several families of solutions that depart from these postulates have been put forward. We suggest a modified model (spatial modulation continuous attractor network; SCAN), whereby place cells are generated from spatially selective nongrid cells. Locomotion causes these cells to move the hippocampal activity bump, leading to movement of the entorhinal manifolds. Such inversion accords with the shift of hippocampal thought from navigation to more abstract functions.</AbstractText
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19529979
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16342275
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19416835
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Evaluation of utility of asymmetric index for count-based oxygen extraction fraction on dual-tracer autoradiographic method for chronic unilateral brain infarction.
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Highly constrained backprojection for time-resolved MRI.
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Transgenic multivitamin corn through biofortification of endosperm with three vitamins representing three distinct metabolic pathways.
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For diagnosing patients with ischemic cerebrovascular disease, non-invasive count-based method with (15)O(2) and H (2) (15) O positron-emission tomography (PET) data is widely used to measure asymmetric increases in oxygen extraction fraction (OEF). For shortening study time, we have proposed dual-tracer autoradiographic (DARG) protocol in which (15)O(2) gas and C(15)O(2) gas are sequentially administrated within short period. In this paper, we evaluated feasibility of the non-invasive count-based method with the DARG protocol.</AbstractText Twenty-three patients [67.8 +/- 9.9 (mean +/- SD) years] with chronic unilateral brain infarction were examined by the use of measurements of asymmetric OEF elevation. As DARG protocol, (15)O(2) and C(15)O(2) gases were inhaled with 5-min interval and dynamic PET data were acquired for 8 min. Quantitative OEF (qOEF) image was computed with PET data and arterial input function. Ratio image of (15)O(2) and C(15)O(2) phases of PET data was computed as count-based OEF (cbOEF) image. The asymmetric indices (AI) of qOEF (qOEF-AI) and cbOEF (cbOEF-AI) were obtained from regions of interest symmetric placed on left and right sides of cerebral hemisphere. To optimize the summation time of PET data for the cbOEF image, qOEF and cbOEF images with various summation times were compared.</AbstractText Image quality of cbOEF image was better than that of qOEF image. The best correlation coefficient of 0.94 was obtained when the cbOEF image was calculated from 0 to 180 s of (15)O(2) summed image and 340 to 440 s of C(15)O(2) summed image.</AbstractText Using the appropriate summation time, we obtained the cbOEF image with good correlation with qOEF image, which suggests non-invasive cbOEF image can be used for evaluating the degree of misery perfusion in patients with chronic unilateral brain infarction. The count-based method with DARG protocol has a potential to dramatically reduce the examination time of (15)O PET study.</AbstractText
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Recent work in k-t BLAST and undersampled projection angiography has emphasized the value of using training data sets obtained during the acquisition of a series of images. These techniques have used iterative algorithms guided by the training set information to reconstruct time frames sampled at well below the Nyquist limit. We present here a simple non-iterative unfiltered backprojection algorithm that incorporates the idea of a composite image consisting of portions or all of the acquired data to constrain the backprojection process. This significantly reduces streak artifacts and increases the overall SNR, permitting decreased numbers of projections to be used when acquiring each image in the image time series. For undersampled 2D projection imaging applications, such as cine phase contrast (PC) angiography, our results suggest that the angular undersampling factor, relative to Nyquist requirements, can be increased from the present factor of 4 to about 100 while increasing SNR per individual time frame. Results are presented for a contrast-enhanced PR HYPR TRICKS acquisition in a volunteer using an angular undersampling factor of 75 and a TRICKS temporal undersampling factor of 3 for an overall undersampling factor of 225.</AbstractText
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Vitamin deficiency affects up to 50% of the world's population, disproportionately impacting on developing countries where populations endure monotonous, cereal-rich diets. Transgenic plants offer an effective way to increase the vitamin content of staple crops, but thus far it has only been possible to enhance individual vitamins. We created elite inbred South African transgenic corn plants in which the levels of 3 vitamins were increased specifically in the endosperm through the simultaneous modification of 3 separate metabolic pathways. The transgenic kernels contained 169-fold the normal amount of beta-carotene, 6-fold the normal amount of ascorbate, and double the normal amount of folate. Levels of engineered vitamins remained stable at least through to the T3 homozygous generation. This achievement, which vastly exceeds any realized thus far by conventional breeding alone, opens the way for the development of nutritionally complete cereals to benefit the world's poorest people.</AbstractText
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Evaluation of utility of asymmetric index for count-based oxygen extraction fraction on dual-tracer autoradiographic method for chronic unilateral brain infarction. For diagnosing patients with ischemic cerebrovascular disease, non-invasive count-based method with (15)O(2) and H (2) (15) O positron-emission tomography (PET) data is widely used to measure asymmetric increases in oxygen extraction fraction (OEF). For shortening study time, we have proposed dual-tracer autoradiographic (DARG) protocol in which (15)O(2) gas and C(15)O(2) gas are sequentially administrated within short period. In this paper, we evaluated feasibility of the non-invasive count-based method with the DARG protocol.</AbstractText Twenty-three patients [67.8 +/- 9.9 (mean +/- SD) years] with chronic unilateral brain infarction were examined by the use of measurements of asymmetric OEF elevation. As DARG protocol, (15)O(2) and C(15)O(2) gases were inhaled with 5-min interval and dynamic PET data were acquired for 8 min. Quantitative OEF (qOEF) image was computed with PET data and arterial input function. Ratio image of (15)O(2) and C(15)O(2) phases of PET data was computed as count-based OEF (cbOEF) image. The asymmetric indices (AI) of qOEF (qOEF-AI) and cbOEF (cbOEF-AI) were obtained from regions of interest symmetric placed on left and right sides of cerebral hemisphere. To optimize the summation time of PET data for the cbOEF image, qOEF and cbOEF images with various summation times were compared.</AbstractText Image quality of cbOEF image was better than that of qOEF image. The best correlation coefficient of 0.94 was obtained when the cbOEF image was calculated from 0 to 180 s of (15)O(2) summed image and 340 to 440 s of C(15)O(2) summed image.</AbstractText Using the appropriate summation time, we obtained the cbOEF image with good correlation with qOEF image, which suggests non-invasive cbOEF image can be used for evaluating the degree of misery perfusion in patients with chronic unilateral brain infarction. The count-based method with DARG protocol has a potential to dramatically reduce the examination time of (15)O PET study.</AbstractText
|
Highly constrained backprojection for time-resolved MRI. Recent work in k-t BLAST and undersampled projection angiography has emphasized the value of using training data sets obtained during the acquisition of a series of images. These techniques have used iterative algorithms guided by the training set information to reconstruct time frames sampled at well below the Nyquist limit. We present here a simple non-iterative unfiltered backprojection algorithm that incorporates the idea of a composite image consisting of portions or all of the acquired data to constrain the backprojection process. This significantly reduces streak artifacts and increases the overall SNR, permitting decreased numbers of projections to be used when acquiring each image in the image time series. For undersampled 2D projection imaging applications, such as cine phase contrast (PC) angiography, our results suggest that the angular undersampling factor, relative to Nyquist requirements, can be increased from the present factor of 4 to about 100 while increasing SNR per individual time frame. Results are presented for a contrast-enhanced PR HYPR TRICKS acquisition in a volunteer using an angular undersampling factor of 75 and a TRICKS temporal undersampling factor of 3 for an overall undersampling factor of 225.</AbstractText
|
Transgenic multivitamin corn through biofortification of endosperm with three vitamins representing three distinct metabolic pathways. Vitamin deficiency affects up to 50% of the world's population, disproportionately impacting on developing countries where populations endure monotonous, cereal-rich diets. Transgenic plants offer an effective way to increase the vitamin content of staple crops, but thus far it has only been possible to enhance individual vitamins. We created elite inbred South African transgenic corn plants in which the levels of 3 vitamins were increased specifically in the endosperm through the simultaneous modification of 3 separate metabolic pathways. The transgenic kernels contained 169-fold the normal amount of beta-carotene, 6-fold the normal amount of ascorbate, and double the normal amount of folate. Levels of engineered vitamins remained stable at least through to the T3 homozygous generation. This achievement, which vastly exceeds any realized thus far by conventional breeding alone, opens the way for the development of nutritionally complete cereals to benefit the world's poorest people.</AbstractText
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40381124
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35682902
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40209050
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Limettin and PD98059 Mitigated Alzheimer's Disease Like Pathology Induced by Streptozotocin in Mouse Model: Role of p-ERK1/2/p-GSK-3β/p-CREB/BDNF Pathway.
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Physical Activity Rewires the Human Brain against Neurodegeneration.
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What do patients with traumatic brachial plexus injuries need for social and emotional support? A qualitative analysis.
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Sporadic Alzheimer's disease (SAD) represents one of the major memory deficits that is characterized by tau hyperphosphorylation and amyloid beta (Aβ) deposition in the brain. Both are considered AD hallmarks which are mediated through neuroinflammation, oxidative stress, and cholinergic circuit interruption. This study aimed to show how limettin and PD98059 exert a neuroprotective effect against SAD and the possible role of the extracellular regulated kinase (p-ERK1/2) and glycogen synthase kinase-3 beta (p-GSK-3β) (Ser9)/cAMP-response element binding protein (p-CREB) (Ser133)/brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) pathway. Control animals (Group I) received the vehicles, group II received PD98059 (10 mg/kg/i.p), while group III was administered limettin (15 mg/kg/i.p). Additionally, the other three groups received a single dose of streptozotocin (STZ; 3 mg/kg/ICV), where group IV served as the SAD group, while groups V and VI received PD98059 and limettin daily for 3 weeks, respectively. The SAD animals receiving PD98059 and limettin increased the number of arm entries, % alternations in Y-maze, with reduction in mean escape latency, increase in time spent in target quadrant and platform crossing in Morris Water Maze, compared to the SAD group. Additionally, PD98059 and limettin administration to the STZ group downregulated persistent activation of p-ERK1/2 which in turn increased p-GSK-3β (Ser9), leading to enhanced p-CREB (Ser133) and BDNF expressions, as well as reducing inflammatory markers viz., nuclear factor-kappa B and interleukin-6, leading to decreased Aβ deposition. Both treatments reduced immunohistochemical p-tau expression, brain edema, and increased intact neuron cells remarkably. Thus, based on these findings, PD98059 and limettin may have promising effects in protecting against SAD. Using blockers/inhibitory molecules are recommended to confirm effect through the corresponding pathway.</AbstractText
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Physical activity may offset cognitive decline and dementia, but the molecular mechanisms by which it promotes neuroprotection remain elusive. In the absence of disease-modifying therapies, understanding the molecular effects of physical activity in the brain may be useful for identifying novel targets for disease management. Here we employed several bioinformatic methods to dissect the molecular underpinnings of physical activity in brain health. Network analysis identified 'switch genes' associated with drastic hippocampal transcriptional changes in aged cognitively intact individuals. Switch genes are key genes associated with dramatic transcriptional changes and thus may play a fundamental role in disease pathogenesis. Switch genes are associated with protein processing pathways and the metabolic control of glucose, lipids, and fatty acids. Correlation analysis showed that transcriptional patterns associated with physical activity significantly overlapped and negatively correlated with those of neurodegenerative diseases. Functional analysis revealed that physical activity might confer neuroprotection in Alzheimer's (AD), Parkinson's (PD), and Huntington's (HD) diseases via the upregulation of synaptic signaling pathways. In contrast, in frontotemporal dementia (FTD) its effects are mediated by restoring mitochondrial function and energy precursors. Additionally, physical activity is associated with the downregulation of genes involved in inflammation in AD, neurogenesis in FTD, regulation of growth and transcriptional repression in PD, and glial cell differentiation in HD. Collectively, these findings suggest that physical activity directs transcriptional changes in the brain through different pathways across the broad spectrum of neurodegenerative diseases. These results provide new evidence on the unique and shared mechanisms between physical activity and neurodegenerative diseases.</AbstractText
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Patients with adult traumatic brachial plexus injury (BPI) face numerous challenges, both directly and indirectly related to their physical disability, during their adjustment to life after injury. Our goal was to identify domains of care in which a patient navigator could improve delivery of care for BPI patients as they await recovery of upper extremity function.</AbstractText We conducted semi-structured interviews with 28 brachial plexus patients after reconstruction. The interview guide focused on interactions with members of their care team and other sources of support. Inductive thematic analysis was used to identify recurring topics across patient experiences.</AbstractText Our study revealed four primary themes: 1) Patient perception of family engagement and personal responsibilities influence the desire for additional support from the care team. 2) The navigator role would include family education, appointment coordination, and help with transportation and insurance. 3) Patient and family education should emphasize the understanding of neuropathic pain, timeline of healing, and expected new roles. 4) A long-term solution to patient isolation may involve shared experiences with current BPI patients.</AbstractText Patients with BPI agreed that a navigator dedicated to helping them through the medical and social aspects of their care would benefit both patients and families. Patients identified areas of education that a navigator could help with, specifically gaps in knowledge regarding pain, expectations, recovery timeline, and lifestyle modifications. Additionally, building an accessible community of BPI patients may reciprocally improve social well-being, as some patients expressed a desire to guide other patients through their journey.</AbstractText
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Limettin and PD98059 Mitigated Alzheimer's Disease Like Pathology Induced by Streptozotocin in Mouse Model: Role of p-ERK1/2/p-GSK-3β/p-CREB/BDNF Pathway. Sporadic Alzheimer's disease (SAD) represents one of the major memory deficits that is characterized by tau hyperphosphorylation and amyloid beta (Aβ) deposition in the brain. Both are considered AD hallmarks which are mediated through neuroinflammation, oxidative stress, and cholinergic circuit interruption. This study aimed to show how limettin and PD98059 exert a neuroprotective effect against SAD and the possible role of the extracellular regulated kinase (p-ERK1/2) and glycogen synthase kinase-3 beta (p-GSK-3β) (Ser9)/cAMP-response element binding protein (p-CREB) (Ser133)/brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) pathway. Control animals (Group I) received the vehicles, group II received PD98059 (10 mg/kg/i.p), while group III was administered limettin (15 mg/kg/i.p). Additionally, the other three groups received a single dose of streptozotocin (STZ; 3 mg/kg/ICV), where group IV served as the SAD group, while groups V and VI received PD98059 and limettin daily for 3 weeks, respectively. The SAD animals receiving PD98059 and limettin increased the number of arm entries, % alternations in Y-maze, with reduction in mean escape latency, increase in time spent in target quadrant and platform crossing in Morris Water Maze, compared to the SAD group. Additionally, PD98059 and limettin administration to the STZ group downregulated persistent activation of p-ERK1/2 which in turn increased p-GSK-3β (Ser9), leading to enhanced p-CREB (Ser133) and BDNF expressions, as well as reducing inflammatory markers viz., nuclear factor-kappa B and interleukin-6, leading to decreased Aβ deposition. Both treatments reduced immunohistochemical p-tau expression, brain edema, and increased intact neuron cells remarkably. Thus, based on these findings, PD98059 and limettin may have promising effects in protecting against SAD. Using blockers/inhibitory molecules are recommended to confirm effect through the corresponding pathway.</AbstractText
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Physical Activity Rewires the Human Brain against Neurodegeneration. Physical activity may offset cognitive decline and dementia, but the molecular mechanisms by which it promotes neuroprotection remain elusive. In the absence of disease-modifying therapies, understanding the molecular effects of physical activity in the brain may be useful for identifying novel targets for disease management. Here we employed several bioinformatic methods to dissect the molecular underpinnings of physical activity in brain health. Network analysis identified 'switch genes' associated with drastic hippocampal transcriptional changes in aged cognitively intact individuals. Switch genes are key genes associated with dramatic transcriptional changes and thus may play a fundamental role in disease pathogenesis. Switch genes are associated with protein processing pathways and the metabolic control of glucose, lipids, and fatty acids. Correlation analysis showed that transcriptional patterns associated with physical activity significantly overlapped and negatively correlated with those of neurodegenerative diseases. Functional analysis revealed that physical activity might confer neuroprotection in Alzheimer's (AD), Parkinson's (PD), and Huntington's (HD) diseases via the upregulation of synaptic signaling pathways. In contrast, in frontotemporal dementia (FTD) its effects are mediated by restoring mitochondrial function and energy precursors. Additionally, physical activity is associated with the downregulation of genes involved in inflammation in AD, neurogenesis in FTD, regulation of growth and transcriptional repression in PD, and glial cell differentiation in HD. Collectively, these findings suggest that physical activity directs transcriptional changes in the brain through different pathways across the broad spectrum of neurodegenerative diseases. These results provide new evidence on the unique and shared mechanisms between physical activity and neurodegenerative diseases.</AbstractText
|
What do patients with traumatic brachial plexus injuries need for social and emotional support? A qualitative analysis. Patients with adult traumatic brachial plexus injury (BPI) face numerous challenges, both directly and indirectly related to their physical disability, during their adjustment to life after injury. Our goal was to identify domains of care in which a patient navigator could improve delivery of care for BPI patients as they await recovery of upper extremity function.</AbstractText We conducted semi-structured interviews with 28 brachial plexus patients after reconstruction. The interview guide focused on interactions with members of their care team and other sources of support. Inductive thematic analysis was used to identify recurring topics across patient experiences.</AbstractText Our study revealed four primary themes: 1) Patient perception of family engagement and personal responsibilities influence the desire for additional support from the care team. 2) The navigator role would include family education, appointment coordination, and help with transportation and insurance. 3) Patient and family education should emphasize the understanding of neuropathic pain, timeline of healing, and expected new roles. 4) A long-term solution to patient isolation may involve shared experiences with current BPI patients.</AbstractText Patients with BPI agreed that a navigator dedicated to helping them through the medical and social aspects of their care would benefit both patients and families. Patients identified areas of education that a navigator could help with, specifically gaps in knowledge regarding pain, expectations, recovery timeline, and lifestyle modifications. Additionally, building an accessible community of BPI patients may reciprocally improve social well-being, as some patients expressed a desire to guide other patients through their journey.</AbstractText
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40289813
|
36801466
|
39755228
|
Renal Epithelioid Angiomyolipoma: Prognostic Implications of Targeted Immunohistochemical and Molecular Markers in Conjunction with Clinicopathologic Features.
|
Determinants of Progression and Mortality in Lymphangioleiomyomatosis.
|
Explaining neuronal membrane potentials: The Goldman equation vs. Lee's TELC hypothesis.
|
Epithelioid angiomyolipoma (eAML) is an uncommon subtype of angiomyolipoma, a subset of which can demonstrate malignant behavior. While some studies have proposed histopathologic features predictive of aggressive behavior in eAML, there is limited data on the use of immunohistochemistry (IHC) and/or next-generation sequencing (NGS) to identify biomarkers for poor clinical outcome. Moreover, there is limited data on the proposed genetic dichotomy (tuberous sclerosis complex [ TSC ] alteration versus TFE3 rearrangement) of eAML. Clinicopathologic features (including purported histologic features associated with adverse outcome) of 30 eAML were recorded with IHC performed on 1 whole-slide section per tumor for the following markers (interpretations): p16 (positive or negative), p53 (wild type or mutant), TRIM63 ISH (>10% as positive or ≤10% as negative), ATRX (retained or lost), and RB1 (retained or lost). NGS was performed on 23 tumors. The 30 eAML tumors were from 30 patients (23 female, 7 male) of an age range 22 to 77 years (mean=51.9 y). Clinical follow-up was available from 27 patients (mean=36 mo). The features significantly associated with metastatic disease included ≥70% atypical epithelial cells ( P =0.04), ≥2 mitotic figures per 10 high-power fields ( P =0.0013), atypical mitotic figures ( P =0.0003), and necrosis ( P =0.0213). Other features such as local invasion, vascular invasion, tumor size, and immunohistochemical profile (p16, TRIM63, p53, ATRX, and RB1) showed no significant association with the development of metastasis. Interestingly, among the 7 tumors with clinical follow-up showing TFE3 rearrangement, 5 developed metastases (OR=4.50), while 6 of 14 TSC/MTOR mutated tumors with clinical follow-up had metastatic disease (OR=0.222). Notably, TRIM63 ISH showed high sensitivity (100%) for eAML with TFE3 rearrangement but with poor specificity (38%). The genetic dichotomy of eAML comes in the form of TSC/MTOR alterations or TFE3 rearrangement elucidated by NGS, both of which may be associated with poor outcome, and therefore show potential therapeutic implications. As eAML may show overlap with TFE3 -rearranged/ TFEB -altered renal cell carcinoma, shared TRIM63 ISH positivity for these tumor types represents an important potential diagnostic pitfall.</AbstractText
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Lymphangioleiomyomatosis is a progressive diffuse cystic lung disease with approximately 85% survival at 10 years. The determinants of disease progression and mortality after the introduction of sirolimus therapy and vascular endothelial growth factor D (VEGF-D) as a biomarker have not been well defined.</AbstractText Which factors, including VEGF-D and sirolimus therapy, influence disease progression and survival prognosis in patients with lymphangioleiomyomatosis?</AbstractText The progression dataset and the survival dataset included 282 and 574 patients, respectively, from Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Beijing, China. A mixed-effects model was used to compute the rate of decline in FEV<sub VEGF-D levels and sirolimus treatment were associated with FEV<sub Serum VEGF-D levels, a biomarker of lymphangioleiomyomatosis, are associated with disease progression and survival. Sirolimus therapy is associated with slower disease progression and better survival in patients with lymphangioleiomyomatosis.</AbstractText ClinicalTrials.gov; No.: NCT03193892; URL: www.</AbstractText gov.</AbstractText
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In two recent papers (Curr Trends Neurol 17: 83-98, 2023; J Neurophysiol 124: 1029-1044, 2020), James Lee has argued that his Transmembrane Electrostatically-Localized Cations (TELC) hypothesis offers a model of neuron transmembrane potentials that is superior to Hodgkin-Huxley classic cable theory and the Goldman-Hodgkin-Katz (GHK) equation. Here we examine critically the arguments in these papers, finding key weaknesses and fallacies. We also examine closely the literature cited by Lee, and find (i) strong support for the GHK equation; (ii) published measurements that contradict TELC predictions; and (iii) no convincing support for the TELC hypothesis.</AbstractText
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Renal Epithelioid Angiomyolipoma: Prognostic Implications of Targeted Immunohistochemical and Molecular Markers in Conjunction with Clinicopathologic Features. Epithelioid angiomyolipoma (eAML) is an uncommon subtype of angiomyolipoma, a subset of which can demonstrate malignant behavior. While some studies have proposed histopathologic features predictive of aggressive behavior in eAML, there is limited data on the use of immunohistochemistry (IHC) and/or next-generation sequencing (NGS) to identify biomarkers for poor clinical outcome. Moreover, there is limited data on the proposed genetic dichotomy (tuberous sclerosis complex [ TSC ] alteration versus TFE3 rearrangement) of eAML. Clinicopathologic features (including purported histologic features associated with adverse outcome) of 30 eAML were recorded with IHC performed on 1 whole-slide section per tumor for the following markers (interpretations): p16 (positive or negative), p53 (wild type or mutant), TRIM63 ISH (>10% as positive or ≤10% as negative), ATRX (retained or lost), and RB1 (retained or lost). NGS was performed on 23 tumors. The 30 eAML tumors were from 30 patients (23 female, 7 male) of an age range 22 to 77 years (mean=51.9 y). Clinical follow-up was available from 27 patients (mean=36 mo). The features significantly associated with metastatic disease included ≥70% atypical epithelial cells ( P =0.04), ≥2 mitotic figures per 10 high-power fields ( P =0.0013), atypical mitotic figures ( P =0.0003), and necrosis ( P =0.0213). Other features such as local invasion, vascular invasion, tumor size, and immunohistochemical profile (p16, TRIM63, p53, ATRX, and RB1) showed no significant association with the development of metastasis. Interestingly, among the 7 tumors with clinical follow-up showing TFE3 rearrangement, 5 developed metastases (OR=4.50), while 6 of 14 TSC/MTOR mutated tumors with clinical follow-up had metastatic disease (OR=0.222). Notably, TRIM63 ISH showed high sensitivity (100%) for eAML with TFE3 rearrangement but with poor specificity (38%). The genetic dichotomy of eAML comes in the form of TSC/MTOR alterations or TFE3 rearrangement elucidated by NGS, both of which may be associated with poor outcome, and therefore show potential therapeutic implications. As eAML may show overlap with TFE3 -rearranged/ TFEB -altered renal cell carcinoma, shared TRIM63 ISH positivity for these tumor types represents an important potential diagnostic pitfall.</AbstractText
|
Determinants of Progression and Mortality in Lymphangioleiomyomatosis. Lymphangioleiomyomatosis is a progressive diffuse cystic lung disease with approximately 85% survival at 10 years. The determinants of disease progression and mortality after the introduction of sirolimus therapy and vascular endothelial growth factor D (VEGF-D) as a biomarker have not been well defined.</AbstractText Which factors, including VEGF-D and sirolimus therapy, influence disease progression and survival prognosis in patients with lymphangioleiomyomatosis?</AbstractText The progression dataset and the survival dataset included 282 and 574 patients, respectively, from Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Beijing, China. A mixed-effects model was used to compute the rate of decline in FEV<sub VEGF-D levels and sirolimus treatment were associated with FEV<sub Serum VEGF-D levels, a biomarker of lymphangioleiomyomatosis, are associated with disease progression and survival. Sirolimus therapy is associated with slower disease progression and better survival in patients with lymphangioleiomyomatosis.</AbstractText ClinicalTrials.gov; No.: NCT03193892; URL: www.</AbstractText gov.</AbstractText
|
Explaining neuronal membrane potentials: The Goldman equation vs. Lee's TELC hypothesis. In two recent papers (Curr Trends Neurol 17: 83-98, 2023; J Neurophysiol 124: 1029-1044, 2020), James Lee has argued that his Transmembrane Electrostatically-Localized Cations (TELC) hypothesis offers a model of neuron transmembrane potentials that is superior to Hodgkin-Huxley classic cable theory and the Goldman-Hodgkin-Katz (GHK) equation. Here we examine critically the arguments in these papers, finding key weaknesses and fallacies. We also examine closely the literature cited by Lee, and find (i) strong support for the GHK equation; (ii) published measurements that contradict TELC predictions; and (iii) no convincing support for the TELC hypothesis.</AbstractText
|
39212585
|
33837273
|
39060234
|
Pharmacological Treatment of Tourette Disorder in Children.
|
Whole-exome sequencing identifies genes associated with Tourette's disorder in multiplex families.
|
Functional architecture of intracellular oscillations in hippocampal dendrites.
|
<i
|
Tourette's Disorder (TD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder (NDD) that affects about 0.7% of the population and is one of the most heritable NDDs. Nevertheless, because of its polygenic nature and genetic heterogeneity, the genetic etiology of TD is not well understood. In this study, we combined the segregation information in 13 TD multiplex families with high-throughput sequencing and genotyping to identify genes associated with TD. Using whole-exome sequencing and genotyping array data, we identified both small and large genetic variants within the individuals. We then combined multiple types of evidence to prioritize candidate genes for TD, including variant segregation pattern, variant function prediction, candidate gene expression, protein-protein interaction network, candidate genes from previous studies, etc. From the 13 families, 71 strong candidate genes were identified, including both known genes for NDDs and novel genes, such as HtrA Serine Peptidase 3 (HTRA3), Cadherin-Related Family Member 1 (CDHR1), and Zinc Finger DHHC-Type Palmitoyltransferase 17 (ZDHHC17). The candidate genes are enriched in several Gene Ontology categories, such as dynein complex and synaptic membrane. Candidate genes and pathways identified in this study provide biological insight into TD etiology and potential targets for future studies.</AbstractText
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Fast electrical signaling in dendrites is central to neural computations that support adaptive behaviors. Conventional techniques lack temporal and spatial resolution and the ability to track underlying membrane potential dynamics present across the complex three-dimensional dendritic arbor in vivo. Here, we perform fast two-photon imaging of dendritic and somatic membrane potential dynamics in single pyramidal cells in the CA1 region of the mouse hippocampus during awake behavior. We study the dynamics of subthreshold membrane potential and suprathreshold dendritic events throughout the dendritic arbor in vivo by combining voltage imaging with simultaneous local field potential recording, post hoc morphological reconstruction, and a spatial navigation task. We systematically quantify the modulation of local event rates by locomotion in distinct dendritic regions, report an advancing gradient of dendritic theta phase along the basal-tuft axis, and describe a predominant hyperpolarization of the dendritic arbor during sharp-wave ripples. Finally, we find that spatial tuning of dendritic representations dynamically reorganizes following place field formation. Our data reveal how the organization of electrical signaling in dendrites maps onto the anatomy of the dendritic tree across behavior, oscillatory network, and functional cell states.</AbstractText
|
Pharmacological Treatment of Tourette Disorder in Children. <i
|
Whole-exome sequencing identifies genes associated with Tourette's disorder in multiplex families. Tourette's Disorder (TD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder (NDD) that affects about 0.7% of the population and is one of the most heritable NDDs. Nevertheless, because of its polygenic nature and genetic heterogeneity, the genetic etiology of TD is not well understood. In this study, we combined the segregation information in 13 TD multiplex families with high-throughput sequencing and genotyping to identify genes associated with TD. Using whole-exome sequencing and genotyping array data, we identified both small and large genetic variants within the individuals. We then combined multiple types of evidence to prioritize candidate genes for TD, including variant segregation pattern, variant function prediction, candidate gene expression, protein-protein interaction network, candidate genes from previous studies, etc. From the 13 families, 71 strong candidate genes were identified, including both known genes for NDDs and novel genes, such as HtrA Serine Peptidase 3 (HTRA3), Cadherin-Related Family Member 1 (CDHR1), and Zinc Finger DHHC-Type Palmitoyltransferase 17 (ZDHHC17). The candidate genes are enriched in several Gene Ontology categories, such as dynein complex and synaptic membrane. Candidate genes and pathways identified in this study provide biological insight into TD etiology and potential targets for future studies.</AbstractText
|
Functional architecture of intracellular oscillations in hippocampal dendrites. Fast electrical signaling in dendrites is central to neural computations that support adaptive behaviors. Conventional techniques lack temporal and spatial resolution and the ability to track underlying membrane potential dynamics present across the complex three-dimensional dendritic arbor in vivo. Here, we perform fast two-photon imaging of dendritic and somatic membrane potential dynamics in single pyramidal cells in the CA1 region of the mouse hippocampus during awake behavior. We study the dynamics of subthreshold membrane potential and suprathreshold dendritic events throughout the dendritic arbor in vivo by combining voltage imaging with simultaneous local field potential recording, post hoc morphological reconstruction, and a spatial navigation task. We systematically quantify the modulation of local event rates by locomotion in distinct dendritic regions, report an advancing gradient of dendritic theta phase along the basal-tuft axis, and describe a predominant hyperpolarization of the dendritic arbor during sharp-wave ripples. Finally, we find that spatial tuning of dendritic representations dynamically reorganizes following place field formation. Our data reveal how the organization of electrical signaling in dendrites maps onto the anatomy of the dendritic tree across behavior, oscillatory network, and functional cell states.</AbstractText
|
40662180
|
11699120
|
40394205
|
The emotional and motivational costs of poorly delivered academic feedback.
|
The emotional dog and its rational tail: a social intuitionist approach to moral judgment.
|
Attention-enhanced StrongSORT for robust vehicle tracking in complex environments.
|
This study uses psychological reactance theory and self-determination theory to explore whether disrespectful or disorganized feedback affects student motivation and classroom engagement.</AbstractText A sample of 148 undergraduates read one of four vignettes describing professor feedback that varied by tone (respectful or disrespectful) and clarity (low or high hassle). After reading the email, students completed measures assessing their emotional reactions, perceptions of the professor, and willingness to participate in class.</AbstractText Students who received disrespectful messages reported stronger negative emotions, lower trust in the professor, and reduced willingness to participate. High-hassle feedback also lowered engagement, particularly when combined with a respectful tone. Interaction effects indicated that hassle weakened the positive impact of respectful communication.</AbstractText Students interpret tone and structure in feedback as signals of respect and fairness. When communication feels disrespectful or unnecessarily complicated, students may disengage or comply for the sake of appearances while withdrawing emotionally. These findings suggest that instructors can protect student motivation by using clear and respectful language, especially in digital formats where intent can be harder to interpret.</AbstractText
|
Research on moral judgment has been dominated by rationalist models, in which moral judgment is thought to be caused by moral reasoning. The author gives 4 reasons for considering the hypothesis that moral reasoning does not cause moral judgment; rather, moral reasoning is usually a post hoc construction, generated after a judgment has been reached. The social intuitionist model is presented as an alternative to rationalist models. The model is a social model in that it deemphasizes the private reasoning done by individuals and emphasizes instead the importance of social and cultural influences. The model is an intuitionist model in that it states that moral judgment is generally the result of quick, automatic evaluations (intuitions). The model is more consistent that rationalist models with recent findings in social, cultural, evolutionary, and biological psychology, as well as in anthropology and primatology.</AbstractText
|
While multi-object tracking is critical for autonomous driving systems, traditional algorithms exhibit three fundamental limitations in complex scenarios: (1) blurred feature representation under occlusion and re-identification scenarios causing identity switches, (2) insufficient sensitivity to scale-variant targets due to fixed geometric constraints in conventional IoU-based loss functions, and (3) gradient degradation in deep convolutional layers hindering discriminative feature learning. To address these challenges, we propose AE-StrongSORT (Attention-Enhanced StrongSORT), an attention-enhanced tracking framework featuring three systematic innovations: first, the GAM-YOLO (global attention mechanism-YOLO)hybrid architecture integrates multi-scale feature fusion with a global attention mechanism (GC2f structure). This design enhances cross-dimensional feature interaction through localized channel-spatial attention gates, significantly improving occlusion-resistant feature representation (IDF1 ↑ 9.99%, IDsw ↓ 9.85%). Second, the F-EIoU loss function introduces dynamic size-dependent penalty terms and difficulty-adaptive weighting factors, effectively balancing learning priorities between small targets and normal instances. Third, the optimized CBH-Conv module employs Hardswish activation and depthwise separable convolution to mitigate gradient vanishing while maintaining real-time efficiency (achieving a 17% MOTA improvement at 213 FPS).Evaluated on the MOT-16 dataset, AE-StrongSORT demonstrates substantial improvements over the baseline StrongSORT, with 17%, 2.78%, and 9.99% gains in MOTA, HOTA, and IDF1 metrics respectively, alongside significant reductions in false/missed detections. These advances establish a novel technical pathway for robust vehicle tracking in real-world traffic scenarios characterized by coexisting challenges of scale variation, motion blur, and dense occlusion.</AbstractText
|
The emotional and motivational costs of poorly delivered academic feedback. This study uses psychological reactance theory and self-determination theory to explore whether disrespectful or disorganized feedback affects student motivation and classroom engagement.</AbstractText A sample of 148 undergraduates read one of four vignettes describing professor feedback that varied by tone (respectful or disrespectful) and clarity (low or high hassle). After reading the email, students completed measures assessing their emotional reactions, perceptions of the professor, and willingness to participate in class.</AbstractText Students who received disrespectful messages reported stronger negative emotions, lower trust in the professor, and reduced willingness to participate. High-hassle feedback also lowered engagement, particularly when combined with a respectful tone. Interaction effects indicated that hassle weakened the positive impact of respectful communication.</AbstractText Students interpret tone and structure in feedback as signals of respect and fairness. When communication feels disrespectful or unnecessarily complicated, students may disengage or comply for the sake of appearances while withdrawing emotionally. These findings suggest that instructors can protect student motivation by using clear and respectful language, especially in digital formats where intent can be harder to interpret.</AbstractText
|
The emotional dog and its rational tail: a social intuitionist approach to moral judgment. Research on moral judgment has been dominated by rationalist models, in which moral judgment is thought to be caused by moral reasoning. The author gives 4 reasons for considering the hypothesis that moral reasoning does not cause moral judgment; rather, moral reasoning is usually a post hoc construction, generated after a judgment has been reached. The social intuitionist model is presented as an alternative to rationalist models. The model is a social model in that it deemphasizes the private reasoning done by individuals and emphasizes instead the importance of social and cultural influences. The model is an intuitionist model in that it states that moral judgment is generally the result of quick, automatic evaluations (intuitions). The model is more consistent that rationalist models with recent findings in social, cultural, evolutionary, and biological psychology, as well as in anthropology and primatology.</AbstractText
|
Attention-enhanced StrongSORT for robust vehicle tracking in complex environments. While multi-object tracking is critical for autonomous driving systems, traditional algorithms exhibit three fundamental limitations in complex scenarios: (1) blurred feature representation under occlusion and re-identification scenarios causing identity switches, (2) insufficient sensitivity to scale-variant targets due to fixed geometric constraints in conventional IoU-based loss functions, and (3) gradient degradation in deep convolutional layers hindering discriminative feature learning. To address these challenges, we propose AE-StrongSORT (Attention-Enhanced StrongSORT), an attention-enhanced tracking framework featuring three systematic innovations: first, the GAM-YOLO (global attention mechanism-YOLO)hybrid architecture integrates multi-scale feature fusion with a global attention mechanism (GC2f structure). This design enhances cross-dimensional feature interaction through localized channel-spatial attention gates, significantly improving occlusion-resistant feature representation (IDF1 ↑ 9.99%, IDsw ↓ 9.85%). Second, the F-EIoU loss function introduces dynamic size-dependent penalty terms and difficulty-adaptive weighting factors, effectively balancing learning priorities between small targets and normal instances. Third, the optimized CBH-Conv module employs Hardswish activation and depthwise separable convolution to mitigate gradient vanishing while maintaining real-time efficiency (achieving a 17% MOTA improvement at 213 FPS).Evaluated on the MOT-16 dataset, AE-StrongSORT demonstrates substantial improvements over the baseline StrongSORT, with 17%, 2.78%, and 9.99% gains in MOTA, HOTA, and IDF1 metrics respectively, alongside significant reductions in false/missed detections. These advances establish a novel technical pathway for robust vehicle tracking in real-world traffic scenarios characterized by coexisting challenges of scale variation, motion blur, and dense occlusion.</AbstractText
|
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Jerjes/neuro-specter2-triplets
Triplet dataset for fine-tuning SPECTER2 on neuroscience.
Version date: 2025-08-12
Schema
Columns:
anchor_id,positive_id,negative_idanchor_title,positive_title,negative_titleanchor_abstract,positive_abstract,negative_abstractanchor_text,positive_text,negative_text(title + abstract)
Split: train
Load
from datasets import load_dataset
triplets = load_dataset("Jerjes/neuro-specter2-triplets", split="train")
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