Autonomic and Emotional Responses of Graduate Student Clinicians in Speech-Language Pathology to Stuttered Speech

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Guntupalli, Vijaya K.; Nanjundeswaran, Chayadevie; Dayalu, Vikram N.; Kalinowski, Joseph

2012-01-01

Background: Fluent speakers and people who stutter manifest alterations in autonomic and emotional responses as they view stuttered relative to fluent speech samples. These reactions are indicative of an aroused autonomic state and are hypothesized to be triggered by the abrupt breakdown in fluency exemplified in stuttered speech. Furthermore,…

An Analysis of Speech Disfluencies of Turkish Speakers Based on Age Variable

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Altiparmak, Ayse; Kuruoglu, Gülmira

2018-01-01

The focus of this research is to verify the influence of the age variable on fluent Turkish native speakers' production of the various types of speech disfluencies. To accomplish this, four groups of native speakers of Turkish between ages 4-8, 18-23, 33-50 years respectively and those over 50-years-old were constructed. A total of 84 participants…

Anxiety in speakers who persist and recover from stuttering.

PubMed

Davis, Stephen; Shisca, Daniella; Howell, Peter

2007-01-01

The study was designed to see whether young children and adolescents who persist in their stutter (N=18) show differences in trait and/or state anxiety compared with people who recover from their stutter (N=17) and fluent control speakers (N=19). A fluent control group, a group of speakers who have been documented as stuttering in the past but do not stutter now and a group of speakers (also with a documented history of stuttering) who persist in their stuttering participated, all aged 10-17 years. The State-Trait Anxiety Inventory for Children was administered. There were no differences between persistent, recovered and control groups with regard to trait anxiety. The persistent group had higher state anxiety than controls and the recovered group for three out of four speaking situations. The findings are interpreted as showing that anxiety levels in certain affective states appear to be associated with the speaking problem. A reader should be able to appreciate the difference between state and trait anxiety understand views about how the role anxiety has on stuttering has changed over time appreciate different views about how anxiety affects speakers who persist and recover from stuttering see why longitudinal work is needed to study these issues.

Auditory evoked fields to vocalization during passive listening and active generation in adults who stutter.

PubMed

Beal, Deryk S; Cheyne, Douglas O; Gracco, Vincent L; Quraan, Maher A; Taylor, Margot J; De Nil, Luc F

2010-10-01

We used magnetoencephalography to investigate auditory evoked responses to speech vocalizations and non-speech tones in adults who do and do not stutter. Neuromagnetic field patterns were recorded as participants listened to a 1 kHz tone, playback of their own productions of the vowel /i/ and vowel-initial words, and actively generated the vowel /i/ and vowel-initial words. Activation of the auditory cortex at approximately 50 and 100 ms was observed during all tasks. A reduction in the peak amplitudes of the M50 and M100 components was observed during the active generation versus passive listening tasks dependent on the stimuli. Adults who stutter did not differ in the amount of speech-induced auditory suppression relative to fluent speakers. Adults who stutter had shorter M100 latencies for the actively generated speaking tasks in the right hemisphere relative to the left hemisphere but the fluent speakers showed similar latencies across hemispheres. During passive listening tasks, adults who stutter had longer M50 and M100 latencies than fluent speakers. The results suggest that there are timing, rather than amplitude, differences in auditory processing during speech in adults who stutter and are discussed in relation to hypotheses of auditory-motor integration breakdown in stuttering. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Emotional and physiological responses of fluent listeners while watching the speech of adults who stutter.

PubMed

Guntupalli, Vijaya K; Everhart, D Erik; Kalinowski, Joseph; Nanjundeswaran, Chayadevie; Saltuklaroglu, Tim

2007-01-01

People who stutter produce speech that is characterized by intermittent, involuntary part-word repetitions and prolongations. In addition to these signature acoustic manifestations, those who stutter often display repetitive and fixated behaviours outside the speech producing mechanism (e.g. in the head, arm, fingers, nares, etc.). Previous research has examined the attitudes and perceptions of those who stutter and people who frequently interact with them (e.g. relatives, parents, employers). Results have shown an unequivocal, powerful and robust negative stereotype despite a lack of defined differences in personality structure between people who stutter and normally fluent individuals. However, physiological investigations of listener responses during moments of stuttering are limited. There is a need for data that simultaneously examine physiological responses (e.g. heart rate and galvanic skin conductance) and subjective behavioural responses to stuttering. The pairing of these objective and subjective data may provide information that casts light on the genesis of negative stereotypes associated with stuttering, the development of compensatory mechanisms in those who stutter, and the true impact of stuttering on senders and receivers alike. To compare the emotional and physiological responses of fluent speakers while listening and observing fluent and severe stuttered speech samples. Twenty adult participants (mean age = 24.15 years, standard deviation = 3.40) observed speech samples of two fluent speakers and two speakers who stutter reading aloud. Participants' skin conductance and heart rate changes were measured as physiological responses to stuttered or fluent speech samples. Participants' subjective responses on arousal (excited-calm) and valence (happy-unhappy) dimensions were assessed via the Self-Assessment Manikin (SAM) rating scale with an additional questionnaire comprised of a set of nine bipolar adjectives. Results showed significantly increased skin conductance and lower mean heart rate during the presentation of stuttered speech relative to the presentation of fluent speech samples (p<0.05). Listeners also self-rated themselves as being more aroused, unhappy, nervous, uncomfortable, sad, tensed, unpleasant, avoiding, embarrassed, and annoyed while viewing stuttered speech relative to the fluent speech. These data support the notion that stutter-filled speech can elicit physiological and emotional responses in listeners. Clinicians who treat stuttering should be aware that listeners show involuntary physiological responses to moderate-severe stuttering that probably remain salient over time and contribute to the evolution of negative stereotypes of people who stutter. With this in mind, it is hoped that clinicians can work with people who stutter to develop appropriate coping strategies. The role of amygdala and mirror neural mechanism in physiological and subjective responses to stuttering is discussed.

Speech dynamics are coded in the left motor cortex in fluent speakers but not in adults who stutter

PubMed Central

Hoang, T. N. Linh; Neef, Andreas; Paulus, Walter; Sommer, Martin

2015-01-01

The precise excitability regulation of neuronal circuits in the primary motor cortex is central to the successful and fluent production of speech. Our question was whether the involuntary execution of undesirable movements, e.g. stuttering, is linked to an insufficient excitability tuning of neural populations in the orofacial region of the primary motor cortex. We determined the speech-related time course of excitability modulation in the left and right primary motor tongue representation. Thirteen fluent speakers (four females, nine males; aged 23–44) and 13 adults who stutter (four females, nine males, aged 21–55) were asked to build verbs with the verbal prefix ‘auf’. Single-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation was applied over the primary motor cortex during the transition phase between a fixed labiodental articulatory configuration and immediately following articulatory configurations, at different latencies after transition onset. Bilateral electromyography was recorded from self-adhesive electrodes placed on the surface of the tongue. Off-line, we extracted the motor evoked potential amplitudes and normalized these amplitudes to the individual baseline excitability during the fixed configuration. Fluent speakers demonstrated a prominent left hemisphere increase of motor cortex excitability in the transition phase (P = 0.009). In contrast, the excitability of the right primary motor tongue representation was unchanged. Interestingly, adults afflicted with stuttering revealed a lack of left-hemisphere facilitation. Moreover, the magnitude of facilitation was negatively correlated with stuttering frequency. Although orofacial midline muscles are bilaterally innervated from corticobulbar projections of both hemispheres, our results indicate that speech motor plans are controlled primarily in the left primary speech motor cortex. This speech motor planning-related asymmetry towards the left orofacial motor cortex is missing in stuttering. Moreover, a negative correlation between the amount of facilitation and stuttering severity suggests that we discovered a main physiological principle of fluent speech production and its role in stuttering. PMID:25595146

The Use of Academic Words in the Analytical Writing of Secondary English Learners and Native English Speakers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cons, Andrea M.

2013-01-01

This study explores the following research question: How do secondary English learners (ELs) and Re-designated fluent English proficient students (RFEPs) use academic words in analytical writing in comparison to native English speakers (NESs)? It highlights previously overlooked differences in academic word use in the writing of students who are…

Production and Perception of the English /ae/-/?/ Contrast in Switched-Dominance Speakers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Casillas, Joseph V.; Simonet, Miquel

2016-01-01

This study investigates how fluent second-language (L2) learners of English produce and perceive the /ae/-/?/ vowel contrast of Southwestern American English. Two learner groups are examined: (1) early, proficient English speakers who were raised by Spanish-speaking families but who became dominant in English during childhood and, as adults, lack…

Neural Control of Rising and Falling Tones in Mandarin Speakers Who Stutter

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Howell, Peter; Jiang, Jing; Peng, Danling; Lu, Chunming

2012-01-01

Neural control of rising and falling tones in Mandarin people who stutter (PWS) was examined by comparing with that which occurs in fluent speakers [Howell, Jiang, Peng, and Lu (2012). Neural control of fundamental frequency rise and fall in Mandarin tones. "Brain and Language, 121"(1), 35-46]. Nine PWS and nine controls were scanned. Functional…

Teaching Formulaic Sequences in the Classroom: Effects on Spoken Fluency

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McGuire, Michael; Larson-Hall, Jenifer

2017-01-01

Formulaic sequences (FS) are frequently used by native speakers and have been found to help non-native speakers sound more fluent as well. We hypothesized that explicitly teaching FS to classroom ESL learners would increase the use of such language, which could further result in increased second language (L2) fluency. We report on a 5-week study…

Some Deep Structure Manifestations in Second Language Errors of English Voiced and Voiceless "th."

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moustafa, Margaret Heiss

Native speakers of Egyptian Arabic make errors in their pronunciation of English that cannot always be accounted for by a contrastive analysis of Egyptian analysis of Egyptain Arabic and English. This study focuses on three types of errors in the pronunciation of voiced and voiceless "th" made by fluent speakers of English. These errors were noted…

Do Nonnative Language Speakers "Chew the Fat" and "Spill the Beans" with Different Brain Hemispheres? Investigating Idiom Decomposability with the Divided Visual Field Paradigm

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cieslicka, Anna B.

2013-01-01

The purpose of this study was to explore possible cerebral asymmetries in the processing of decomposable and nondecomposable idioms by fluent nonnative speakers of English. In the study, native language (Polish) and foreign language (English) decomposable and nondecomposable idioms were embedded in ambiguous (neutral) and unambiguous (biasing…

Effects of Disfluency in Online Interpretation of Deception.

PubMed

Loy, Jia E; Rohde, Hannah; Corley, Martin

2017-05-01

A speaker's manner of delivery of an utterance can affect a listener's pragmatic interpretation of the message. Disfluencies (such as filled pauses) influence a listener's off-line assessment of whether the speaker is truthful or deceptive. Do listeners also form this assessment during the moment-by-moment processing of the linguistic message? Here we present two experiments that examined listeners' judgments of whether a speaker was indicating the true location of the prize in a game during fluent and disfluent utterances. Participants' eye and mouse movements were biased toward the location named by the speaker during fluent utterances, whereas the opposite bias was observed during disfluent utterances. This difference emerged rapidly after the onset of the critical noun. Participants were similarly sensitive to disfluencies at the start of the utterance (Experiment 1) and in the middle (Experiment 2). Our findings support recent research showing that listeners integrate pragmatic information alongside semantic content during the earliest moments of language processing. Unlike prior work which has focused on pragmatic effects in the interpretation of the literal message, here we highlight disfluency's role in guiding a listener to an alternative non-literal message. Copyright © 2016 Cognitive Science Society, Inc.

Listeners' identification and discrimination of digitally manipulated sounds as prolongations.

PubMed

Kawai, Norimune; Healey, E Charles; Carrell, Thomas D

2007-08-01

The present study had two main purposes. One was to examine if listeners perceive gradually increasing durations of a voiceless fricative categorically ("fluent" versus "stuttered") or continuously (gradient perception from fluent to stuttered). The second purpose was to investigate whether there are gender differences in how listeners perceive various duration of sounds as "prolongations." Forty-four listeners were instructed to rate the duration of the // in the word "shape" produced by a normally fluent speaker. The target word was embedded in the middle of an experimental phrase and the initial // sound was digitally manipulated to create a range of fluent to stuttered sounds. This was accomplished by creating 20 ms stepwise increments for sounds ranging from 120 to 500 ms in duration. Listeners were instructed to give a rating of 1 for a fluent word and a rating of 100 for a stuttered word. The results showed listeners perceived the range of sounds continuously. Also, there was a significant gender difference in that males rated fluent sounds higher than females but female listeners rated stuttered sounds higher than males. The implications of these results are discussed.

Imitated Prosodic Fluency Predicts Reading Comprehension Ability in Good and Poor High School Readers

PubMed Central

Breen, Mara; Kaswer, Lianne; Van Dyke, Julie A.; Krivokapić, Jelena; Landi, Nicole

2016-01-01

Researchers have established a relationship between beginning readers' silent comprehension ability and their prosodic fluency, such that readers who read aloud with appropriate prosody tend to have higher scores on silent reading comprehension assessments. The current study was designed to investigate this relationship in two groups of high school readers: Specifically Poor Comprehenders (SPCs), who have adequate word level and phonological skills but poor reading comprehension ability, and a group of age- and decoding skill-matched controls. We compared the prosodic fluency of the two groups by determining how effectively they produced prosodic cues to syntactic and semantic structure in imitations of a model speaker's production of syntactically and semantically varied sentences. Analyses of pitch and duration patterns revealed that speakers in both groups produced the expected prosodic patterns; however, controls provided stronger durational cues to syntactic structure. These results demonstrate that the relationship between prosodic fluency and reading comprehension continues past the stage of early reading instruction. Moreover, they suggest that prosodically fluent speakers may also generate more fluent implicit prosodic representations during silent reading, leading to more effective comprehension. PMID:27486409

Measurement of trained speech patterns in stuttering: interjudge and intrajudge agreement of experts by means of modified time-interval analysis.

PubMed

Alpermann, Anke; Huber, Walter; Natke, Ulrich; Willmes, Klaus

2010-09-01

Improved fluency after stuttering therapy is usually measured by the percentage of stuttered syllables. However, outcome studies rarely evaluate the use of trained speech patterns that speakers use to manage stuttering. This study investigated whether the modified time interval analysis can distinguish between trained speech patterns, fluent speech, and stuttered speech. Seventeen German experts on stuttering judged a speech sample on two occasions. Speakers of the sample were stuttering adults, who were not undergoing therapy, as well as participants in a fluency shaping and a stuttering modification therapy. Results showed satisfactory inter-judge and intra-judge agreement above 80%. Intervals with trained speech patterns were identified as consistently as stuttered and fluent intervals. We discuss limitations of the study, as well as implications of our findings for the development of training for identification of trained speech patterns and future outcome studies. The reader will be able to (a) explain different methods to measure the use of trained speech patterns, (b) evaluate whether German experts are able to discriminate intervals with trained speech patterns reliably from fluent and stuttered intervals and (c) describe how the measurement of trained speech patterns can contribute to outcome studies.

Effect of an 8-week practice of externally triggered speech on basal ganglia activity of stuttering and fluent speakers.

PubMed

Toyomura, Akira; Fujii, Tetsunoshin; Kuriki, Shinya

2015-04-01

The neural mechanisms underlying stuttering are not well understood. It is known that stuttering appears when persons who stutter speak in a self-paced manner, but speech fluency is temporarily increased when they speak in unison with external trigger such as a metronome. This phenomenon is very similar to the behavioral improvement by external pacing in patients with Parkinson's disease. Recent imaging studies have also suggested that the basal ganglia are involved in the etiology of stuttering. In addition, previous studies have shown that the basal ganglia are involved in self-paced movement. Then, the present study focused on the basal ganglia and explored whether long-term speech-practice using external triggers can induce modification of the basal ganglia activity of stuttering speakers. Our study of functional magnetic resonance imaging revealed that stuttering speakers possessed significantly lower activity in the basal ganglia than fluent speakers before practice, especially when their speech was self-paced. After an 8-week speech practice of externally triggered speech using a metronome, the significant difference in activity between the two groups disappeared. The cerebellar vermis of stuttering speakers showed significantly decreased activity during the self-paced speech in the second compared to the first experiment. The speech fluency and naturalness of the stuttering speakers were also improved. These results suggest that stuttering is associated with defective motor control during self-paced speech, and that the basal ganglia and the cerebellum are involved in an improvement of speech fluency of stuttering by the use of external trigger. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The effects of bilingualism on stuttering during late childhood.

PubMed

Howell, P; Davis, S; Williams, R

2009-01-01

To examine stuttering by children speaking an alternative language exclusively (LE) or with English (BIL) and to study onset of stuttering, school performance and recovery rate relative to monolingual speakers who stutter (MONO). Clinical referral sample with supplementary data obtained from speech recordings and interviews. South-East England, 1999-2007. Children aged 8-12 plus who stuttered (monolingual and bilingual) and fluent bilingual controls (FB). Participants' stuttering history, SATS scores, measures of recovery or persistence of stuttering. 69 (21.8%) of 317 children were bilingual. Of 38 children who used a language other than English at home, 36 (94.7%) stuttered in both languages. Fewer LE (15/38, 39.5%) than BIL (23/38, 60.5%) children stuttered at first referral to clinic, but more children in the fluent control sample were LE (28/38, 73.7%) than BIL (10/38, 26.3%). The association between stuttering and bilingual group (LE/BIL) was significant by chi(2) test; BIL speakers have more chance of stuttering than LE speakers. Age at stuttering onset and male/female ratio for LE, BIL and MONO speakers were similar (4 years 9 months, 4 years 10 months and 4 years 3 months, and 4.1:1, 4.75:1 and 4.43:1, respectively). Educational achievement was not affected by bilingualism relative to the MONO and FB groups. The recovery rate for the LE and MONO controls together (55%) was significantly higher by chi(2) test than for the BIL group (25%). BIL children had an increased risk of stuttering and a lower chance of recovery from stuttering than LE and MONO speakers.

Altered Modulation of Silent Period in Tongue Motor Cortex of Persistent Developmental Stuttering in Relation to Stuttering Severity.

PubMed

Busan, Pierpaolo; Del Ben, Giovanni; Bernardini, Simona; Natarelli, Giulia; Bencich, Marco; Monti, Fabrizio; Manganotti, Paolo; Battaglini, Piero Paolo

2016-01-01

Motor balance in developmental stuttering (DS) was investigated with Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS), with the aim to define novel neural markers of persistent DS in adulthood. Eleven DS adult males were evaluated with TMS on tongue primary motor cortex, compared to 15 matched fluent speakers, in a "state" condition (i.e. stutterers vs. fluent speakers, no overt stuttering). Motor and silent period thresholds (SPT), recruitment curves, and silent period durations were acquired by recording tongue motor evoked potentials. Tongue silent period duration was increased in DS, especially in the left hemisphere (P<0.05; Hedge's g or Cohen's dunbiased = 1.054, i.e. large effect size), suggesting a "state" condition of higher intracortical inhibition in left motor cortex networks. Differences in motor thresholds (different excitatory/inhibitory ratios in DS) were evident, as well as significant differences in SPT. In fluent speakers, the left hemisphere may be marginally more excitable than the right one in motor thresholds at lower muscular activation, while active motor thresholds and SPT were higher in the left hemisphere of DS with respect to the right one, resulting also in a positive correlation with stuttering severity. Pre-TMS electromyography data gave overlapping evidence. Findings suggest the existence of a complex intracortical balance in DS tongue primary motor cortex, with a particular interplay between excitatory and inhibitory mechanisms, also in neural substrates related to silent periods. Findings are discussed with respect to functional and structural impairments in stuttering, and are also proposed as novel neural markers of a stuttering "state" in persistent DS, helping to define more focused treatments (e.g. neuro-modulation).

Altered Modulation of Silent Period in Tongue Motor Cortex of Persistent Developmental Stuttering in Relation to Stuttering Severity

PubMed Central

Busan, Pierpaolo; Del Ben, Giovanni; Bernardini, Simona; Natarelli, Giulia; Bencich, Marco; Monti, Fabrizio; Manganotti, Paolo; Battaglini, Piero Paolo

2016-01-01

Motor balance in developmental stuttering (DS) was investigated with Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS), with the aim to define novel neural markers of persistent DS in adulthood. Eleven DS adult males were evaluated with TMS on tongue primary motor cortex, compared to 15 matched fluent speakers, in a “state” condition (i.e. stutterers vs. fluent speakers, no overt stuttering). Motor and silent period thresholds (SPT), recruitment curves, and silent period durations were acquired by recording tongue motor evoked potentials. Tongue silent period duration was increased in DS, especially in the left hemisphere (P<0.05; Hedge’s g or Cohen’s dunbiased = 1.054, i.e. large effect size), suggesting a “state” condition of higher intracortical inhibition in left motor cortex networks. Differences in motor thresholds (different excitatory/inhibitory ratios in DS) were evident, as well as significant differences in SPT. In fluent speakers, the left hemisphere may be marginally more excitable than the right one in motor thresholds at lower muscular activation, while active motor thresholds and SPT were higher in the left hemisphere of DS with respect to the right one, resulting also in a positive correlation with stuttering severity. Pre-TMS electromyography data gave overlapping evidence. Findings suggest the existence of a complex intracortical balance in DS tongue primary motor cortex, with a particular interplay between excitatory and inhibitory mechanisms, also in neural substrates related to silent periods. Findings are discussed with respect to functional and structural impairments in stuttering, and are also proposed as novel neural markers of a stuttering “state” in persistent DS, helping to define more focused treatments (e.g. neuro-modulation). PMID:27711148

Compound nouns in spoken language production by speakers with aphasia compared to neurologically healthy speakers: an exploratory study.

PubMed

Eiesland, Eli Anne; Lind, Marianne

2012-03-01

Compounds are words that are made up of at least two other words (lexemes), featuring lexical and syntactic characteristics and thus particularly interesting for the study of language processing. Most studies of compounds and language processing have been based on data from experimental single word production and comprehension tasks. To enhance the ecological validity of morphological processing research, data from other contexts, such as discourse production, need to be considered. This study investigates the production of nominal compounds in semi-spontaneous spoken texts by a group of speakers with fluent types of aphasia compared to a group of neurologically healthy speakers. The speakers with aphasia produce significantly fewer nominal compound types in their texts than the non-aphasic speakers, and the compounds they produce exhibit fewer different types of semantic relations than the compounds produced by the non-aphasic speakers. The results are discussed in relation to theories of language processing.

a Comparative Analysis of Fluent and Cerebral Palsied Speech.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

van Doorn, Janis Lee

Several features of the acoustic waveforms of fluent and cerebral palsied speech were compared, using six fluent and seven cerebral palsied subjects, with a major emphasis being placed on an investigation of the trajectories of the first three formants (vocal tract resonances). To provide an overall picture which included other acoustic features, fundamental frequency, intensity, speech timing (speech rate and syllable duration), and prevocalization (vocalization prior to initial stop consonants found in cerebral palsied speech) were also investigated. Measurements were made using repetitions of a test sentence which was chosen because it required large excursions of the speech articulators (lips, tongue and jaw), so that differences in the formant trajectories for the fluent and cerebral palsied speakers would be emphasized. The acoustic features were all extracted from the digitized speech waveform (10 kHz sampling rate): the fundamental frequency contours were derived manually, the intensity contours were measured using the signal covariance, speech rate and syllable durations were measured manually, as were the prevocalization durations, while the formant trajectories were derived from short time spectra which were calculated for each 10 ms of speech using linear prediction analysis. Differences which were found in the acoustic features can be summarized as follows. For cerebral palsied speakers, the fundamental frequency contours generally showed inappropriate exaggerated fluctuations, as did some of the intensity contours; the mean fundamental frequencies were either higher or the same as for the fluent subjects; speech rates were reduced, and syllable durations were longer; prevocalization was consistently present at the beginning of the test sentence; formant trajectories were found to have overall reduced frequency ranges, and to contain anomalous transitional features, but it is noteworthy that for any one cerebral palsied subject, the inappropriate trajectory pattern was generally reproducible. The anomalous transitional features took the form of (a) inappropriate transition patterns, (b) reduced frequency excursions, (c) increased transition durations, and (d) decreased maximum rates of frequency change.

Toddlers learn words in a foreign language: The role of native vocabulary knowledge

PubMed Central

Koenig, Melissa A.; Woodward, Amanda L.

2013-01-01

The current study examined monolingual English-speaking toddlers’ (N=50) ability to learn word-referent links from native speakers of Dutch versus English and secondly, whether children generalized or sequestered their extensions when terms were tested by a subsequent speaker of English. Overall, children performed better in the English than in the Dutch condition; however, children with high native vocabularies successfully selected the target object for terms trained in fluent Dutch. Furthermore, children with higher vocabularies did not indicate their comprehension of Dutch terms when subsequently tested by an English speaker whereas children with low vocabulary scores responded at chance levels to both the original Dutch speaker and the second English speaker. These findings demonstrate that monolingual toddlers with proficiency in their native language are capable of learning words outside of their conventional system and may be sensitive to the boundaries that exist between language systems. PMID:22310327

Effect of delayed auditory feedback on normal speakers at two speech rates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stuart, Andrew; Kalinowski, Joseph; Rastatter, Michael P.; Lynch, Kerry

2002-05-01

This study investigated the effect of short and long auditory feedback delays at two speech rates with normal speakers. Seventeen participants spoke under delayed auditory feedback (DAF) at 0, 25, 50, and 200 ms at normal and fast rates of speech. Significantly two to three times more dysfluencies were displayed at 200 ms (p<0.05) relative to no delay or the shorter delays. There were significantly more dysfluencies observed at the fast rate of speech (p=0.028). These findings implicate the peripheral feedback system(s) of fluent speakers for the disruptive effects of DAF on normal speech production at long auditory feedback delays. Considering the contrast in fluency/dysfluency exhibited between normal speakers and those who stutter at short and long delays, it appears that speech disruption of normal speakers under DAF is a poor analog of stuttering.

Speech effort measurement and stuttering: investigating the chorus reading effect.

PubMed

Ingham, Roger J; Warner, Allison; Byrd, Anne; Cotton, John

2006-06-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate chorus reading's (CR's) effect on speech effort during oral reading by adult stuttering speakers and control participants. The effect of a speech effort measurement highlighting strategy was also investigated. Twelve persistent stuttering (PS) adults and 12 normally fluent control participants completed 1-min base rate readings (BR-nonchorus) and CRs within a BR/CR/BR/CR/BR experimental design. Participants self-rated speech effort using a 9-point scale after each reading trial. Stuttering frequency, speech rate, and speech naturalness measures were also obtained. Instructions highlighting speech effort ratings during BR and CR phases were introduced after the first CR. CR improved speech effort ratings for the PS group, but the control group showed a reverse trend. Both groups' effort ratings were not significantly different during CR phases but were significantly poorer than the control group's effort ratings during BR phases. The highlighting strategy did not significantly change effort ratings. The findings show that CR will produce not only stutter-free and natural sounding speech but also reliable reductions in speech effort. However, these reductions do not reach effort levels equivalent to those achieved by normally fluent speakers, thereby conditioning its use as a gold standard of achievable normal fluency by PS speakers.

The effects of bilingualism on stuttering during late childhood

PubMed Central

Howell, P; Davis, S; Williams, R

2009-01-01

Objectives: To examine stuttering by children speaking an alternative language exclusively (LE) or with English (BIL) and to study onset of stuttering, school performance and recovery rate relative to monolingual speakers who stutter (MONO). Design: Clinical referral sample with supplementary data obtained from speech recordings and interviews. Setting: South-East England, 1999–2007. Participants: Children aged 8–12 plus who stuttered (monolingual and bilingual) and fluent bilingual controls (FB). Main outcome measures: Participants’ stuttering history, SATS scores, measures of recovery or persistence of stuttering. Results: 69 (21.8%) of 317 children were bilingual. Of 38 children who used a language other than English at home, 36 (94.7%) stuttered in both languages. Fewer LE (15/38, 39.5%) than BIL (23/38, 60.5%) children stuttered at first referral to clinic, but more children in the fluent control sample were LE (28/38, 73.7%) than BIL (10/38, 26.3%). The association between stuttering and bilingual group (LE/BIL) was significant by χ2 test; BIL speakers have more chance of stuttering than LE speakers. Age at stuttering onset and male/female ratio for LE, BIL and MONO speakers were similar (4 years 9 months, 4 years 10 months and 4 years 3 months, and 4.1:1, 4.75:1 and 4.43:1, respectively). Educational achievement was not affected by bilingualism relative to the MONO and FB groups. The recovery rate for the LE and MONO controls together (55%) was significantly higher by χ2 test than for the BIL group (25%). Conclusions: BIL children had an increased risk of stuttering and a lower chance of recovery from stuttering than LE and MONO speakers. PMID:18782846

Grammar without Speech Production: The Case of Labrador Inuttitut Heritage Receptive Bilinguals

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sherkina-Lieber, Marina; Perez-Leroux, Ana T.; Johns, Alana

2011-01-01

We examine morphosyntactic knowledge of Labrador Inuttitut by Inuit receptive bilinguals (RBs)--heritage speakers who are capable of comprehension, but produce little or no speech. A grammaticality judgment study suggests that RBs possess sensitivity to morphosyntactic violations, though to a lesser degree than fluent bilinguals. Low-proficiency…

Connecting Communities: Identity, Language and Diaspora

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mills, Jean

2005-01-01

This paper compares government and media views on citizenship, language and identity with the perspectives of a particular group of British citizens who are fluent speakers of English but retain an allegiance to their other languages. Firstly, it discusses recent official and newspaper reports in the UK relating to issues of citizenship and…

Listen to the Natives

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Prensky, Marc

2006-01-01

"Digital natives" refer to today's students because they are native speakers of technology, fluent in the digital language of computers, video games, and the Internet. Those who were not born into the digital world are referred to as digital immigrants. Educators, considered digital immigrants, have slid into the 21st century--and into the digital…

Downriver Indians' Legends.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bennett, Ruth, Ed.; Exline, Jesse

Yurok Indian legends in Yurok Unifon text include English translations of the entire texts in order to produce fluent reading for English speakers and a continuous text for Yurok readers. Although corresponding sentences are numbered, translation is not word-for-word or sentence-for-sentence. The five stories refer to a time when animals could…

Some Observations on the Syntactic Development of Discourse beyond Childhood.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wald, Benji

A study of the syntactic development of discourse in and after adolescence among fluent English speakers in a bilingual community of East Los Angeles focused on subordinate devices not observed until adolescence, such as the relative clause using "which" and clauses using "even though/although." Discourse analysis of these…

Foreign Accents Revisited: The English Pronunciation of Russian Immigrants.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thompson, Irene

1991-01-01

This study investigated factors associated with the acquisition of second-language pronunciation and methodological problems associated with the study of foreign accents. Thirty-six native speakers of Russian fluent in English read specifically constructed English sentences and a prose passage, and talked spontaneously about their daily routine.…

Improving English Speaking Fluency: The Role of Six Factors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shahini, Gholamhossein; Shahamirian, Fatemeh

2017-01-01

This qualitative study, using an open interview, set out to investigate the roles six factors, including age, university education, teachers of English Language institutes, teaching English, dictionary, and note-taking, played in improving English speaking fluency of seventeen fluent Iranian EFL speakers. The participants were chosen purposefully…

Speech Effort Measurement and Stuttering: Investigating the Chorus Reading Effect

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ingham, Roger J.; Warner, Allison; Byrd, Anne; Cotton, John

2006-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate chorus reading's (CR's) effect on speech effort during oral reading by adult stuttering speakers and control participants. The effect of a speech effort measurement highlighting strategy was also investigated. Method: Twelve persistent stuttering (PS) adults and 12 normally fluent control…

Rapid Learning of Syllable Classes from a Perceptually Continuous Speech Stream

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Endress, Ansgar D.; Bonatti, Luca L.

2007-01-01

To learn a language, speakers must learn its words and rules from fluent speech; in particular, they must learn dependencies among linguistic classes. We show that when familiarized with a short artificial, subliminally bracketed stream, participants can learn relations about the structure of its words, which specify the classes of syllables…

Supporting Collocation Learning with a Digital Library

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wu, Shaoqun; Franken, Margaret; Witten, Ian H.

2010-01-01

Extensive knowledge of collocations is a key factor that distinguishes learners from fluent native speakers. Such knowledge is difficult to acquire simply because there is so much of it. This paper describes a system that exploits the facilities offered by digital libraries to provide a rich collocation-learning environment. The design is based on…

Phonologic Processing in Adults Who Stutter: Electrophysiological and Behavioral Evidence.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Weber-Fox, Christine; Spencer, Rebecca M.C.; Spruill, John E., III; Smith, Anne

2004-01-01

Event-related brain potentials (ERPs), judgment accuracy, and reaction times (RTs) were obtained for 11 adults who stutter and 11 normally fluent speakers as they performed a rhyme judgment task of visually presented word pairs. Half of the word pairs (i.e., prime and target) were phonologically and orthographically congruent across words. That…

Teaching New Tendencies in Gender Usage in Modern English

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sudo, Julia

2007-01-01

Many fluent EFL speakers experience psychological problems after discovering gender-inclusive English during their first stay abroad, due to the unforeseen nature of this discovery. For example, most EFL students in Russia seem to be unaware of this linguistic phenomenon, even at upper-intermediate and advanced levels. They use and expect others…

The Work of Interpreters to Gain Children's Perspectives within Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Classrooms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Theobald, Maryanne

2017-01-01

Working within culturally and linguistically diverse classrooms may present challenges for monolingual researchers wishing to gain children's perspectives. Consequently, children who are not fluent speakers of the dominant language are under-represented in early years' research. When linguistic boundaries exist, one recommended approach is working…

Learning in Linguistically Diverse Middle School Classrooms: The Role of the Classroom Peer Network

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Elreda, Lauren Molloy; Kibler, Amanda; Futch Ehrlich, Valerie A.; Johnson, Haley

2016-01-01

The literature suggests there is much to be gained from exploring the role of the peer network in linguistically diverse "mainstream" middle school classrooms (i.e., classrooms that include English language learners alongside fluent English-speakers). The present study uses social network analysis to examine whether between-classroom and…

Language Preservation and Human Resources Development.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Silverthorne, Joyce A.

Those who work in the field of preserving Native American languages are an assortment of individuals who come to the work as a central career (linguists), through family heritage (fluent speakers), or through a developed passion (language learners). This paper examines the field from the perspective of R. Wayne Pace, Phillip C. Smith, and Gordon…

Revitalizing Indigenous Languages, Cultures, and Histories in Montana, across the United States and around the Globe

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carjuzaa, Jioanna

2017-01-01

Many educators have sung the praises of Indian Education for All, Montana's constitutional mandate, and heard the successes of Montana's Indigenous language revitalization efforts which reverberate around the globe. Teaching Indigenous languages is especially, challenging since there are limited numbers of fluent speakers and scarce resources…

Listening with an accent: speech perception in a second language by late bilinguals.

PubMed

Leikin, Mark; Ibrahim, Raphiq; Eviatar, Zohar; Sapir, Shimon

2009-10-01

The goal of the present study was to examine functioning of late bilinguals in their second language. Specifically, we asked how native and non-native Hebrew speaking listeners perceive accented and native-accented Hebrew speech. To achieve this goal we used the gating paradigm to explore the ability of healthy late fluent bilinguals (Russian and Arabic native speakers) to recognize words in L2 (Hebrew) when they were spoken in an accent like their own, a native accent (Hebrew speakers), or another foreign accent (American accent). The data revealed that for Hebrew speakers, there was no effect of accent, whereas for the two bilingual groups (Russian and Arabic native speakers), stimuli with an accent like their own and the native Hebrew accent, required significantly less phonological information than the other foreign accents. The results support the hypothesis that phonological assimilation works in a similar manner in these two different groups.

Assimilation and accommodation patterns in ventral occipitotemporal cortex in learning a second writing system

PubMed Central

Nelson, Jessica R.; Liu, Ying; Fiez, Julie; Perfetti, Charles A.

2017-01-01

Using fMRI, we compared the patterns of fusiform activity produced by viewing English and Chinese for readers who were either English speakers learning Chinese, or Chinese-English bilinguals. The pattern of fusiform activity depended on both the writing system and the reader’s native language. Native Chinese speakers fluent in English recruited bilateral fusiform areas when viewing both Chinese and English. English speakers learning Chinese, however, used heavily left-lateralized fusiform regions when viewing English, but recruited an additional right fusiform region for viewing Chinese. Thus, English learners of Chinese show an accommodation pattern, in which the reading network accommodates the new writing system by adding neural resources that support its specific graphic requirements. Chinese speakers show an assimilation pattern, in which the reading network established for L1 includes procedures sufficient for the graphic demands of L2 without major change. PMID:18381767

Speeded Verbal Responding in Adults Who Stutter: Are There Deficits in Linguistic Encoding?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hennessey, Neville W.; Nang, Charn Y.; Beilby, Janet M.

2008-01-01

Linguistic encoding deficits in people who stutter (PWS, n = 18) were investigated using auditory priming during picture naming and word vs. non-word comparisons during choice and simple verbal reaction time (RT) tasks. During picture naming, PWS did not differ significantly from normally fluent speakers (n = 18) in the magnitude of inhibition of…

Collaborative and Self-Directed Learning Strategies to Promote Fluent EFL Speakers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Buitrago, Angela Gamba

2017-01-01

Speaking English with fluency is one of the most demanding challenges students and teachers face in many educational communities, and it has been claimed that fluency problems can derive from lack of practice during independent study. This research article reports on a mixed-methods study that analyzed the effects of using collaborative and…

Omaha Language Preservation in the Macy, Nebraska Public School.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rudin, Catherine

A native language renewal program at the Macy, Nebraska Public School is described that is designed to preserve Omaha, a native American Indian language that is only a generation away from extinction. At the time of this research, only about 100 fluent Omaha speakers lived on the Omaha Reservation in Nebraska. The language and culture program,…

Social Network Development, Language Use, and Language Acquisition during Study Abroad: Arabic Language Learners' Perspectives

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dewey, Dan P.; Belnap, R. Kirk; Hillstrom, Rebecca

2013-01-01

Language learners and educators have subscribed to the belief that those who go abroad will have many opportunities to use the target language and will naturally become proficient. They also assume that language learners will develop relationships with native speakers allowing them to use the language and become more fluent, an assumption…

Semantic and Conceptual Factors in Spanish-English Bilinguals' Processing of Lexical Categories in Their Two Languages

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gathercole, Virginia C. Mueller; Stadthagen-González, Hans; Pérez-Tattam, Rocío; Yava?, Feryal

2016-01-01

This study examines possible semantic interaction in fully fluent adult simultaneous and early second language (L2) bilinguals. Monolingual and bilingual speakers of Spanish and English (n = 144) were tested for their understanding of lexical categories that differed in their two languages. Simultaneous bilinguals came from homes in which Spanish…

Exchange of Stuttering From Function Words to Content Words With Age

PubMed Central

Howell, Peter; Au-Yeung, James; Sackin, Stevie

2007-01-01

Dysfluencies on function words in the speech of people who stutter mainly occur when function words precede, rather than follow, content words (Au-Yeung, Howell, & Pilgrim, 1998). It is hypothesized that such function word dysfluencies occur when the plan for the subsequent content word is not ready for execution. Repetition and hesitation on the function words buys time to complete the plan for the content word. Stuttering arises when speakers abandon the use of this delaying strategy and carry on, attempting production of the subsequent, partly prepared content word. To test these hypotheses, the relationship between dysfluency on function and content words was investigated in the spontaneous speech of 51 people who stutter and 68 people who do not stutter. These participants were subdivided into the following age groups: 2–6-year-olds, 7–9-year-olds, 10–12-year-olds, teenagers (13–18 years), and adults (20–40 years). Very few dysfluencies occurred for either fluency group on function words that occupied a position after a content word. For both fluency groups, dysfluency within each phonological word occurred predominantly on either the function word preceding the content word or on the content word itself, but not both. Fluent speakers had a higher percentage of dysfluency on initial function words than content words. Whether dysfluency occurred on initial function words or content words changed over age groups for speakers who stutter. For the 2–6-year-old speakers that stutter, there was a higher percentage of dysfluencies on initial function words than content words. In subsequent age groups, dysfluency decreased on function words and increased on content words. These data are interpreted as suggesting that fluent speakers use repetition of function words to delay production of the subsequent content words, whereas people who stutter carry on and attempt a content word on the basis of an incomplete plan. PMID:10229451

Firing up White Clay: Immersion School Students Encouraged to Return, Give Back

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Umbhau, Kurt

2009-01-01

Fort Belknap College President Carole Falcon-Chandler does not fluently speak the "A'ani" (White Clay) language, but her granddaughter does. The girl, one of the 12 students in the White Clay Language Immersion School located on the college campus in Harlem, Montana, is part of the next generation of fluent A'ani speakers. The language…

Integrating Language Documentation, Language Preservation, and Linguistic Research: Working with the Kokamas from the Amazon

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vallejos, Rosa

2014-01-01

This paper highlights the role of speech community members on a series of interconnected projects to document, study and maintain Kokama, a deeply endangered language from the Peruvian Amazon. The remaining fluent speakers of the language are mostly older than 60 years of age, are spread out across various small villages, and speak the language in…

Influences of High and Low Variability on Infant Word Recognition

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Singh, Leher

2008-01-01

Although infants begin to encode and track novel words in fluent speech by 7.5 months, their ability to recognize words is somewhat limited at this stage. In particular, when the surface form of a word is altered, by changing the gender or affective prosody of the speaker, infants begin to falter at spoken word recognition. Given that natural…

Shifted dynamic interactions between subcortical nuclei and inferior frontal gyri during response preparation in persistent developmental stuttering.

PubMed

Metzger, F Luise; Auer, Tibor; Helms, Gunther; Paulus, Walter; Frahm, Jens; Sommer, Martin; Neef, Nicole E

2018-01-01

Persistent developmental stuttering is associated with basal ganglia dysfunction or dopamine dysregulation. Here, we studied whole-brain functional connectivity to test how basal ganglia structures coordinate and reorganize sensorimotor brain networks in stuttering. To this end, adults who stutter and fluent speakers (control participants) performed a response anticipation paradigm in the MRI scanner. The preparation of a manual Go/No-Go response reliably produced activity in the basal ganglia and thalamus and particularly in the substantia nigra. Strikingly, in adults who stutter, substantia nigra activity correlated positively with stuttering severity. Furthermore, functional connectivity analyses yielded altered task-related network formations in adults who stutter compared to fluent speakers. Specifically, in adults who stutter, the globus pallidus and the thalamus showed increased network synchronization with the inferior frontal gyrus. This implies dynamic shifts in the response preparation-related network organization through the basal ganglia in the context of a non-speech motor task in stuttering. Here we discuss current findings in the traditional framework of how D1 and D2 receptor activity shapes focused movement selection, thereby suggesting a disproportional involvement of the direct and the indirect pathway in stuttering.

Effects of a metronome on the filled pauses of fluent speakers.

PubMed

Christenfeld, N

1996-12-01

Filled pauses (the "ums" and "uhs" that litter spontaneous speech) seem to be a product of the speaker paying deliberate attention to the normally automatic act of talking. This is the same sort of explanation that has been offered for stuttering. In this paper we explore whether a manipulation that has long been known to decrease stuttering, synchronizing speech to the beats of a metronome, will then also decrease filled pauses. Two experiments indicate that a metronome has a dramatic effect on the production of filled pauses. This effect is not due to any simplification or slowing of the speech and supports the view that a metronome causes speakers to attend more to how they are talking and less to what they are saying. It also lends support to the connection between stutters and filled pauses.

How do speakers resist distraction? Evidence from a taboo picture-word interference task.

PubMed

Dhooge, Elisah; Hartsuiker, Robert J

2011-07-01

Even in the presence of irrelevant stimuli, word production is a highly accurate and fluent process. But how do speakers prevent themselves from naming the wrong things? One possibility is that an attentional system inhibits task-irrelevant representations. Alternatively, a verbal self-monitoring system might check speech for accuracy and remove errors stemming from irrelevant information. Because self-monitoring is sensitive to social appropriateness, taboo errors should be intercepted more than neutral errors are. To prevent embarrassment, speakers might also speak more slowly when confronted with taboo distractors. Our results from two experiments are consistent with the self-monitoring account: Examining picture-naming speed (Experiment 1) and accuracy (Experiment 2), we found fewer naming errors but longer picture-naming latencies for pictures presented with taboo distractors than for pictures presented with neutral distractors. These results suggest that when intrusions of irrelevant words are highly undesirable, speakers do not simply inhibit these words: Rather, the language-production system adjusts itself to the context and filters out the undesirable words.

Grammar of Kove: An Austronesian Language of the West New Britain Province, Papua New Guinea

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sato, Hiroko

2013-01-01

This dissertation is a descriptive grammar of Kove, an Austronesian language spoken in the West New Britain Province of Papua New Guinea. Kove is primarily spoken in 18 villages, including some on the small islands north of New Britain. There are about 9,000 people living in the area, but many are not fluent speakers of Kove. The dissertation…

Strength of German accent under altered auditory feedback

PubMed Central

HOWELL, PETER; DWORZYNSKI, KATHARINA

2007-01-01

Borden’s (1979, 1980) hypothesis that speakers with vulnerable speech systems rely more heavily on feedback monitoring than do speakers with less vulnerable systems was investigated. The second language (L2) of a speaker is vulnerable, in comparison with the native language, so alteration to feedback should have a detrimental effect on it, according to this hypothesis. Here, we specifically examined whether altered auditory feedback has an effect on accent strength when speakers speak L2. There were three stages in the experiment. First, 6 German speakers who were fluent in English (their L2) were recorded under six conditions—normal listening, amplified voice level, voice shifted in frequency, delayed auditory feedback, and slowed and accelerated speech rate conditions. Second, judges were trained to rate accent strength. Training was assessed by whether it was successful in separating German speakers speaking English from native English speakers, also speaking English. In the final stage, the judges ranked recordings of each speaker from the first stage as to increasing strength of German accent. The results show that accents were more pronounced under frequency-shifted and delayed auditory feedback conditions than under normal or amplified feedback conditions. Control tests were done to ensure that listeners were judging accent, rather than fluency changes caused by altered auditory feedback. The findings are discussed in terms of Borden’s hypothesis and other accounts about why altered auditory feedback disrupts speech control. PMID:11414137

Comparison of different speech tasks among adults who stutter and adults who do not stutter

PubMed Central

Ritto, Ana Paula; Costa, Julia Biancalana; Juste, Fabiola Staróbole; de Andrade, Claudia Regina Furquim

2016-01-01

OBJECTIVES: In this study, we compared the performance of both fluent speakers and people who stutter in three different speaking situations: monologue speech, oral reading and choral reading. This study follows the assumption that the neuromotor control of speech can be influenced by external auditory stimuli in both speakers who stutter and speakers who do not stutter. METHOD: Seventeen adults who stutter and seventeen adults who do not stutter were assessed in three speaking tasks: monologue, oral reading (solo reading aloud) and choral reading (reading in unison with the evaluator). Speech fluency and rate were measured for each task. RESULTS: The participants who stuttered had a lower frequency of stuttering during choral reading than during monologue and oral reading. CONCLUSIONS: According to the dual premotor system model, choral speech enhanced fluency by providing external cues for the timing of each syllable compensating for deficient internal cues. PMID:27074176

Moral mediation in interpreted health care consultations.

PubMed

Seale, Clive; Rivas, Carol; Al-Sarraj, Hela; Webb, Sarah; Kelly, Moira

2013-12-01

This paper reports on the moral work done in routine diabetes review consultations in primary care with nurses. Consultations with fluent English speakers are compared with consultations where an interpreter was present, largely involving patients of Bangladeshi origin. The study setting was Tower Hamlets in London, where type 2 diabetes is particularly common. Existing research has shown some dissatisfaction with diabetes care amongst Bangladeshi patients, and studies of care providers in other locations suggest that they at times experience the care of this group as particularly challenging. Through analysis of video-recorded consultations recorded in 2010-2011 we shed light on possible reasons for these difficulties. The 12 non-English speakers often experienced difficulties in raising issues that concerned them, particularly if their interpreter did not translate their utterance because it was deemed to be unrelated to diabetes. These difficulties were not shared by the 24 fluent English speakers, who also found it easier to convey a positive moral reputation and to excuse behaviour that deviated from recommended self-management practices. Interpreters at times also acted as moral mediators. For example, where a participant in the consultation made statements that appeared to convey a negative moral judgement of an other participant, these would often go untranslated. Probably, neither health care providers nor patients are fully aware of the nature of their communication difficulties. Given this, interpreters possess considerable power to influence matters. Understanding the moral work of consultations is important in explaining the findings of other studies showing difficulties in the provision of diabetes care to people with limited English language skills. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Audiovisual speech integration in the superior temporal region is dysfunctional in dyslexia.

PubMed

Ye, Zheng; Rüsseler, Jascha; Gerth, Ivonne; Münte, Thomas F

2017-07-25

Dyslexia is an impairment of reading and spelling that affects both children and adults even after many years of schooling. Dyslexic readers have deficits in the integration of auditory and visual inputs but the neural mechanisms of the deficits are still unclear. This fMRI study examined the neural processing of auditorily presented German numbers 0-9 and videos of lip movements of a German native speaker voicing numbers 0-9 in unimodal (auditory or visual) and bimodal (always congruent) conditions in dyslexic readers and their matched fluent readers. We confirmed results of previous studies that the superior temporal gyrus/sulcus plays a critical role in audiovisual speech integration: fluent readers showed greater superior temporal activations for combined audiovisual stimuli than auditory-/visual-only stimuli. Importantly, such an enhancement effect was absent in dyslexic readers. Moreover, the auditory network (bilateral superior temporal regions plus medial PFC) was dynamically modulated during audiovisual integration in fluent, but not in dyslexic readers. These results suggest that superior temporal dysfunction may underly poor audiovisual speech integration in readers with dyslexia. Copyright © 2017 IBRO. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

When will a stuttering moment occur? The determining role of speech motor preparation.

PubMed

Vanhoutte, Sarah; Cosyns, Marjan; van Mierlo, Pieter; Batens, Katja; Corthals, Paul; De Letter, Miet; Van Borsel, John; Santens, Patrick

2016-06-01

The present study aimed to evaluate whether increased activity related to speech motor preparation preceding fluently produced words reflects a successful compensation strategy in stuttering. For this purpose, a contingent negative variation (CNV) was evoked during a picture naming task and measured by use of electro-encephalography. A CNV is a slow, negative event-related potential known to reflect motor preparation generated by the basal ganglia-thalamo-cortical (BGTC) - loop. In a previous analysis, the CNV of 25 adults with developmental stuttering (AWS) was significantly increased, especially over the right hemisphere, compared to the CNV of 35 fluent speakers (FS) when both groups were speaking fluently (Vanhoutte et al., (2015) doi: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2015.05.013). To elucidate whether this increase is a compensation strategy enabling fluent speech in AWS, the present analysis evaluated the CNV of 7 AWS who stuttered during this picture naming task. The CNV preceding AWS stuttered words was statistically compared to the CNV preceding AWS fluent words and FS fluent words. Though no difference emerged between the CNV of the AWS stuttered words and the FS fluent words, a significant reduction was observed when comparing the CNV preceding AWS stuttered words to the CNV preceding AWS fluent words. The latter seems to confirm the compensation hypothesis: the increased CNV prior to AWS fluent words is a successful compensation strategy, especially when it occurs over the right hemisphere. The words are produced fluently because of an enlarged activity during speech motor preparation. The left CNV preceding AWS stuttered words correlated negatively with stuttering frequency and severity suggestive for a link between the left BGTC - network and the stuttering pathology. Overall, speech motor preparatory activity generated by the BGTC - loop seems to have a determining role in stuttering. An important divergence between left and right hemisphere is hypothesized. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Perceiving non-native speech: Word segmentation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mondini, Michèle; Miller, Joanne L.

2004-05-01

One important source of information listeners use to segment speech into discrete words is allophonic variation at word junctures. Previous research has shown that non-native speakers impose their native-language phonetic norms on their second language; as a consequence, non-native speech may (in some cases) exhibit altered patterns of allophonic variation at word junctures. We investigated the perceptual consequences of this for word segmentation by presenting native-English listeners with English word pairs produced either by six native-English speakers or six highly fluent, native-French speakers of English. The target word pairs had contrastive word juncture involving voiceless stop consonants (e.g., why pink/wipe ink; gray ties/great eyes; we cash/weak ash). The task was to identify randomized instances of each individual target word pair (as well as control pairs) by selecting one of four possible choices (e.g., why pink, wipe ink, why ink, wipe pink). Overall, listeners were more accurate in identifying target word pairs produced by the native-English speakers than by the non-native English speakers. These findings suggest that one contribution to the processing cost associated with listening to non-native speech may be the presence of altered allophonic information important for word segmentation. [Work supported by NIH/NIDCD.

Coverbal gestures in the recovery from severe fluent aphasia: a pilot study.

PubMed

Carlomagno, Sergio; Zulian, Nicola; Razzano, Carmelina; De Mercurio, Ilaria; Marini, Andrea

2013-01-01

This post hoc study investigated coverbal gesture patterns in two persons with chronic Wernicke's aphasia. They had both received therapy focusing on multimodal communication therapy, and their pre- and post-therapy verbal and gestural skills in face-to-face conversational interaction with their speech therapist were analysed by administering a partial barrier Referential Communication Task (RCT). The RCT sessions were reviewed in order to analyse: (a) participant coverbal gesture occurrence and types when in speaker role, (b) distribution of iconic gestures in the RCT communicative moves, (c) recognisable semantic content, and (d) the ways in which gestures were combined with empty or paraphasic speech. At post-therapy assessment only one participant showed improved communication skills in spite of his persistent language deficits. The improvement corresponded to changes on all gesturing measures, suggesting thereby that his communication relied more on gestural information. No measurable changes were observed for the non-responding participant-a finding indicating that the coverbal gesture measures used in this study might account for the different outcomes. These results point to the potential role of gestures in treatment aimed at fostering recovery from severe fluent aphasia. Moreover, this pattern of improvement runs contrary to a view of gestures used as a pure substitute for lexical items, in the communication of people with severe fluent aphasia. The readers will describe how to assess and interpret the patterns of coverbal gesturing in persons with fluent aphasia. They will also recognize the potential role of coverbal gestures in recovery from severe fluent aphasia. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The artful dodger: answering the wrong question the right way.

PubMed

Rogers, Todd; Norton, Michael I

2011-06-01

What happens when speakers try to "dodge" a question they would rather not answer by answering a different question? In 4 studies, we show that listeners can fail to detect dodges when speakers answer similar-but objectively incorrect-questions (the "artful dodge"), a detection failure that goes hand-in-hand with a failure to rate dodgers more negatively. We propose that dodges go undetected because listeners' attention is not usually directed toward a goal of dodge detection (i.e., Is this person answering the question?) but rather toward a goal of social evaluation (i.e., Do I like this person?). Listeners were not blind to all dodge attempts, however. Dodge detection increased when listeners' attention was diverted from social goals toward determining the relevance of the speaker's answers (Study 1), when speakers answered a question egregiously dissimilar to the one asked (Study 2), and when listeners' attention was directed to the question asked by keeping it visible during speakers' answers (Study 4). We also examined the interpersonal consequences of dodge attempts: When listeners were guided to detect dodges, they rated speakers more negatively (Study 2), and listeners rated speakers who answered a similar question in a fluent manner more positively than speakers who answered the actual question but disfluently (Study 3). These results add to the literatures on both Gricean conversational norms and goal-directed attention. We discuss the practical implications of our findings in the contexts of interpersonal communication and public debates.

The effect of stuttering on communication: a preliminary investigation.

PubMed

Spencer, Elizabeth; Packman, Ann; Onslow, Mark; Ferguson, Alison

2009-07-01

This paper describes a study in which Systemic Functional Linguistics was applied to describe how people who stutter use language. The aim of the study was to determine and describe any differences in language use between a group of 10 adults who stutter and 10 matched normally-fluent speakers. In addition to formal linguistic analyses, analyses drawn from Systemic Functional Linguistics were used to further investigate the expression of both syntactic and semantic complexity. The findings from this study replicated previous findings of Packman et al. in which they found that the language used by people who stutter was significantly less complex than the control group. Another major finding was that adults who stuttered used the linguistic resource of modality significantly less than the normally-fluent matched peers. The implications these strategies have on communication and social participation will be discussed.

Interface strategies in monolingual and end-state L2 Spanish grammars are not that different.

PubMed

Parafita Couto, María C; Mueller Gathercole, Virginia C; Stadthagen-González, Hans

2014-01-01

This study explores syntactic, pragmatic, and lexical influences on adherence to SV and VS orders in native and fluent L2 speakers of Spanish. A judgment task examined 20 native monolingual and 20 longstanding L2 bilingual Spanish speakers' acceptance of SV and VS structures. Seventy-six distinct verbs were tested under a combination of syntactic and pragmatic constraints. Our findings challenge the hypothesis that internal interfaces are acquired more easily than external interfaces (Sorace, 2005, 2011; Sorace and Filiaci, 2006; White, 2006). Additional findings are that (a) bilinguals' judgments are less firm overall than monolinguals' (i.e., monolinguals are more likely to give extreme "yes" or "no" judgments) and (b) individual verbs do not necessarily behave as predicted under standard definitions of unaccusatives and unergatives. Correlations of the patterns found in the data with verb frequencies suggest that usage-based accounts of grammatical knowledge could help provide insight into speakers' knowledge of these constructs.

[Speech fluency developmental profile in Brazilian Portuguese speakers].

PubMed

Martins, Vanessa de Oliveira; Andrade, Claudia Regina Furquim de

2008-01-01

speech fluency varies from one individual to the next, fluent or stutterer, depending on several factors. Studies that investigate the influence of age on fluency patterns have been identified; however these differences were investigated in isolated age groups. Studies about life span fluency variations were not found. to verify the speech fluency developmental profile. speech samples of 594 fluent participants of both genders, with ages between 2:0 and 99:11 years, speakers of the Brazilian Portuguese language, were analyzed. Participants were grouped as follows: pre-scholars, scholars, early adolescence, late adolescence, adults and elderlies. Speech samples were analyzed according to the Speech Fluency Profile variables and were compared regarding: typology of speech disruptions (typical and less typical), speech rate (words and syllables per minute) and frequency of speech disruptions (percentage of speech discontinuity). although isolated variations were identified, overall there was no significant difference between the age groups for the speech disruption indexes (typical and less typical speech disruptions and percentage of speech discontinuity). Significant differences were observed between the groups when considering speech rate. the development of the neurolinguistic system for speech fluency, in terms of speech disruptions, seems to stabilize itself during the first years of life, presenting no alterations during the life span. Indexes of speech rate present variations in the age groups, indicating patterns of acquisition, development, stabilization and degeneration.

Effects of sentence-structure complexity on speech initiation time and disfluency.

PubMed

Tsiamtsiouris, Jim; Cairns, Helen Smith

2013-03-01

There is general agreement that stuttering is caused by a variety of factors, and language formulation and speech motor control are two important factors that have been implicated in previous research, yet the exact nature of their effects is still not well understood. Our goal was to test the hypothesis that sentences of high structural complexity would incur greater processing costs than sentences of low structural complexity and these costs would be higher for adults who stutter than for adults who do not stutter. Fluent adults and adults who stutter participated in an experiment that required memorization of a sentence classified as low or high structural complexity followed by production of that sentence upon a visual cue. Both groups of speakers initiated most sentences significantly faster in the low structural complexity condition than in the high structural complexity condition. Adults who stutter were over-all slower in speech initiation than were fluent speakers, but there were no significant interactions between complexity and group. However, adults who stutter produced significantly more disfluencies in sentences of high structural complexity than in those of low complexity. After reading this article, the learner will be able to: (a) identify integral parts of all well-known models of adult sentence production; (b) summarize the way that sentence structure might negatively influence the speech production processes; (c) discuss whether sentence structure influences speech initiation time and disfluencies. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The impact of language co-activation on L1 and L2 speech fluency.

PubMed

Bergmann, Christopher; Sprenger, Simone A; Schmid, Monika S

2015-10-01

Fluent speech depends on the availability of well-established linguistic knowledge and routines for speech planning and articulation. A lack of speech fluency in late second-language (L2) learners may point to a deficiency of these representations, due to incomplete acquisition. Experiments on bilingual language processing have shown, however, that there are strong reasons to believe that multilingual speakers experience co-activation of the languages they speak. We have studied to what degree language co-activation affects fluency in the speech of bilinguals, comparing a monolingual German control group with two bilingual groups: 1) first-language (L1) attriters, who have fully acquired German before emigrating to an L2 English environment, and 2) immersed L2 learners of German (L1: English). We have analysed the temporal fluency and the incidence of disfluency markers (pauses, repetitions and self-corrections) in spontaneous film retellings. Our findings show that learners to speak more slowly than controls and attriters. Also, on each count, the speech of at least one of the bilingual groups contains more disfluency markers than the retellings of the control group. Generally speaking, both bilingual groups-learners and attriters-are equally (dis)fluent and significantly more disfluent than the monolingual speakers. Given that the L1 attriters are unaffected by incomplete acquisition, we interpret these findings as evidence for language competition during speech production. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Spectral Coefficient Analyses of Word-Initial Stop Consonant Productions Suggest Similar Anticipatory Coarticulation for Stuttering and Nonstuttering Adults.

PubMed

Maruthy, Santosh; Feng, Yongqiang; Max, Ludo

2018-03-01

A longstanding hypothesis about the sensorimotor mechanisms underlying stuttering suggests that stuttered speech dysfluencies result from a lack of coarticulation. Formant-based measures of either the stuttered or fluent speech of children and adults who stutter have generally failed to obtain compelling evidence in support of the hypothesis that these individuals differ in the timing or degree of coarticulation. Here, we used a sensitive acoustic technique-spectral coefficient analyses-that allowed us to compare stuttering and nonstuttering speakers with regard to vowel-dependent anticipatory influences as early as the onset burst of a preceding voiceless stop consonant. Eight adults who stutter and eight matched adults who do not stutter produced C 1 VC 2 words, and the first four spectral coefficients were calculated for one analysis window centered on the burst of C 1 and two subsequent windows covering the beginning of the aspiration phase. Findings confirmed that the combined use of four spectral coefficients is an effective method for detecting the anticipatory influence of a vowel on the initial burst of a preceding voiceless stop consonant. However, the observed patterns of anticipatory coarticulation showed no statistically significant differences, or trends toward such differences, between the stuttering and nonstuttering groups. Combining the present results for fluent speech in one given phonetic context with prior findings from both stuttered and fluent speech in a variety of other contexts, we conclude that there is currently no support for the hypothesis that the fluent speech of individuals who stutter is characterized by limited coarticulation.

Comparing the production of complex sentences in Persian patients with post-stroke aphasia and non-damaged people with normal speaking.

PubMed

Mehri, Azar; Ghorbani, Askar; Darzi, Ali; Jalaie, Shohreh; Ashayeri, Hassan

2016-01-05

Cerebrovascular disease leading to stroke is the most common cause of aphasia. Speakers with agrammatic non-fluent aphasia have difficulties in production of movement-derived sentences such as passive sentences, topicalized constituents, and Wh-questions. To assess the production of complex sentences, some passive, topicalized and focused sentences were designed for patients with non-fluent Persian aphasic. Afterwards, patients' performance in sentence production was tested and compared with healthy non-damaged subjects. In this cross sectional study, a task was designed to assess the different types of sentences (active, passive, topicalized and focused) adapted to Persian structures. Seven Persian patients with post-stroke non-fluent agrammatic aphasia (5 men and 2 women) and seven healthy non-damaged subjects participated in this study. The computed tomography (CT) scan or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed that all the patients had a single left hemisphere lesion involved middle cerebral artery (MCA), Broca`s area and in its white matter. In addition, based on Bedside version of Persian Western Aphasia Battery (P-WAB-1), all of them were diagnosed with moderate Broca aphasia. Then, the production task of Persian complex sentences was administered. There was a significant difference between four types of sentences in patients with aphasia [Degree of freedom (df) = 3, P < 0.001]. All the patients showed worse performance than the healthy participants in all the four types of sentence production (P < 0.050). In general, it is concluded that topicalized and focused sentences as non-canonical complex sentences in Persian are very difficult to produce for patients with agrammatic non-fluent aphasia. It seems that sentences with A-movement are simpler for the patients than sentences involving A`-movement; since they include shorter movements in compare to topicalized and focused sentences.

Action and object processing in brain-injured speakers of Chinese.

PubMed

Arévalo, Analia L; Lu, Ching-Ching; Huang, Lydia B-Y; Bates, Elizabeth A; Dronkers, Nina F

2011-11-01

To see whether action and object processing across different tasks and modalities differs in brain-injured speakers of Chinese with varying fluency and lesion locations within the left hemisphere. Words and pictures representing actions and objects were presented to a group of 33 participants whose native and/or dominant language was Mandarin Chinese: 23 patients with left-hemisphere lesions due to stroke and 10 language-, age- and education-matched healthy control participants. A set of 120 stimulus items was presented to each participant in three different forms: as black and white line drawings (for picture-naming), as written words (for reading) and as aurally presented words (for word repetition). Patients were divided into groups for two separate analyses: Analysis 1 divided and compared patients based on fluency (Fluent vs. Nonfluent) and Analysis 2 compared patients based on lesion location (Anterior vs. Posterior). Both analyses yielded similar results: Fluent, Nonfluent, Anterior, and Posterior patients all produced significantly more errors when processing action (M = 0.73, SD = 0.45) relative to object (M = 0.79, SD = 0.41) stimuli, and this effect was strongest in the picture-naming task. As in our previous study with English-speaking participants using the same experimental design (Arévalo et al., 2007, Arévalo, Moineau, Saygin, Ludy, & Bates, 2005), we did not find evidence for a double-dissociation in action and object processing between groups with different lesion and fluency profiles. These combined data bring us closer to a more informed view of action/object processing in the brain in both healthy and brain-injured individuals.

The impact of impaired semantic knowledge on spontaneous iconic gesture production

PubMed Central

Cocks, Naomi; Dipper, Lucy; Pritchard, Madeleine; Morgan, Gary

2013-01-01

Background Previous research has found that people with aphasia produce more spontaneous iconic gesture than control participants, especially during word-finding difficulties. There is some evidence that impaired semantic knowledge impacts on the diversity of gestural handshapes, as well as the frequency of gesture production. However, no previous research has explored how impaired semantic knowledge impacts on the frequency and type of iconic gestures produced during fluent speech compared with those produced during word-finding difficulties. Aims To explore the impact of impaired semantic knowledge on the frequency and type of iconic gestures produced during fluent speech and those produced during word-finding difficulties. Methods & Procedures A group of 29 participants with aphasia and 29 control participants were video recorded describing a cartoon they had just watched. All iconic gestures were tagged and coded as either “manner,” “path only,” “shape outline” or “other”. These gestures were then separated into either those occurring during fluent speech or those occurring during a word-finding difficulty. The relationships between semantic knowledge and gesture frequency and form were then investigated in the two different conditions. Outcomes & Results As expected, the participants with aphasia produced a higher frequency of iconic gestures than the control participants, but when the iconic gestures produced during word-finding difficulties were removed from the analysis, the frequency of iconic gesture was not significantly different between the groups. While there was not a significant relationship between the frequency of iconic gestures produced during fluent speech and semantic knowledge, there was a significant positive correlation between semantic knowledge and the proportion of word-finding difficulties that contained gesture. There was also a significant positive correlation between the speakers' semantic knowledge and the proportion of gestures that were produced during fluent speech that were classified as “manner”. Finally while not significant, there was a positive trend between semantic knowledge of objects and the production of “shape outline” gestures during word-finding difficulties for objects. Conclusions The results indicate that impaired semantic knowledge in aphasia impacts on both the iconic gestures produced during fluent speech and those produced during word-finding difficulties but in different ways. These results shed new light on the relationship between impaired language and iconic co-speech gesture production and also suggest that analysis of iconic gesture may be a useful addition to clinical assessment. PMID:24058228

A Functional Imaging Study of Self-Regulatory Capacities in Persons Who Stutter

PubMed Central

Liu, Jie; Wang, Zhishun; Huo, Yuankai; Davidson, Stephanie M.; Klahr, Kristin; Herder, Carl L.; Sikora, Chamonix O.; Peterson, Bradley S.

2014-01-01

Developmental stuttering is a disorder of speech fluency with an unknown pathogenesis. The similarity of its phenotype and natural history with other childhood neuropsychiatric disorders of frontostriatal pathology suggests that stuttering may have a closely related pathogenesis. We investigated in this study the potential involvement of frontostriatal circuits in developmental stuttering. We collected functional magnetic resonance imaging data from 46 persons with stuttering and 52 fluent controls during performance of the Simon Spatial Incompatibility Task. We examined differences between the two groups of blood-oxygen-level-dependent activation associated with two neural processes, the resolution of cognitive conflict and the context-dependent adaptation to changes in conflict. Stuttering speakers and controls did not differ on behavioral performance on the task. In the presence of conflict-laden stimuli, however, stuttering speakers activated more strongly the cingulate cortex, left anterior prefrontal cortex, right medial frontal cortex, left supplementary motor area, right caudate nucleus, and left parietal cortex. The magnitude of activation in the anterior cingulate cortex correlated inversely in stuttering speakers with symptom severity. Stuttering speakers also showed blunted activation during context-dependent adaptation in the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, a brain region that mediates cross-temporal contingencies. Frontostriatal hyper-responsivity to conflict resembles prior findings in other disorders of frontostriatal pathology, and therefore likely represents a general mechanism supporting functional compensation for an underlying inefficiency of neural processing in these circuits. The reduced activation of dorsolateral prefrontal cortex likely represents the inadequate readiness of stuttering speakers to execute a sequence of motor responses. PMID:24587104

Perceptual evaluation and acoustic analysis of pneumatic artificial larynx.

PubMed

Xu, Jie Jie; Chen, Xi; Lu, Mei Ping; Qiao, Ming Zhe

2009-12-01

To investigate the perceptual and acoustic characteristics of the pneumatic artificial larynx (PAL) and evaluate its speech ability and clinical value. Prospective study. The study was conducted in the Voice Lab, Department of Otorhinolaryngology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University. Forty-six laryngectomy patients using the PAL were rated for intelligibility and fluency of speech. The voice signals of sustained vowel /a/ for 40 healthy controls and 42 successful patients using the PAL were measured by a computer system. The acoustic parameters and sound spectrographs were analyzed and compared between the two groups. Forty-two of 46 patients using the PAL (91.3%) acquired successful speech capability. The intelligibility scores of 42 successful PAL speakers ranged from 71 to 95 percent, and the intelligibility range of four unsuccessful speakers was 30 to 50 percent. The fluency was judged as good or excellent in 42 successful patients, and poor or fair in four unsuccessful patients. There was no significant difference in average fundamental frequency, maximum intensity, jitter, shimmer, and normalized noise energy (NNE) between 42 successful PAL speakers and 40 healthy controls, while the maximum phonation time (MPT) of PAL speakers was slightly lower than that of the controls. The sound spectrographs of the patients using the PAL approximated those of the healthy controls. The PAL has the advantage of a high percentage of successful vocal rehabilitation. PAL speech is fluent and intelligible. The acoustic characteristics of the PAL are similar to those of a normal voice.

A model of serial order problems in fluent, stuttered and agrammatic speech.

PubMed

Howell, Peter

2007-10-01

Many models of speech production have attempted to explain dysfluent speech. Most models assume that the disruptions that occur when speech is dysfluent arise because the speakers make errors while planning an utterance. In this contribution, a model of the serial order of speech is described that does not make this assumption. It involves the coordination or 'interlocking' of linguistic planning and execution stages at the language-speech interface. The model is examined to determine whether it can distinguish two forms of dysfluent speech (stuttered and agrammatic speech) that are characterized by iteration and omission of whole words and parts of words.

Increased motor preparation activity during fluent single word production in DS: A correlate for stuttering frequency and severity.

PubMed

Vanhoutte, Sarah; Santens, Patrick; Cosyns, Marjan; van Mierlo, Pieter; Batens, Katja; Corthals, Paul; De Letter, Miet; Van Borsel, John

2015-08-01

Abnormal speech motor preparation is suggested to be a neural characteristic of stuttering. One of the neurophysiological substrates of motor preparation is the contingent negative variation (CNV). The CNV is an event-related, slow negative potential that occurs between two defined stimuli. Unfortunately, CNV tasks are rarely studied in developmental stuttering (DS). Therefore, the present study aimed to evaluate motor preparation in DS by use of a CNV task. Twenty five adults who stutter (AWS) and 35 fluent speakers (FS) were included. They performed a picture naming task while an electro-encephalogram was recorded. The slope of the CNV was evaluated at frontal, central and parietal electrode sites. In addition, a correlation analysis was performed with stuttering severity and frequency measures. There was a marked increase in CNV slope in AWS as compared to FS. This increase was observed over the entire scalp with respect to stimulus onset, and only over the right hemisphere with respect to lip movement onset. Moreover, strong positive correlations were found between CNV slope and stuttering frequency and severity. As the CNV is known to reflect the activity in the basal ganglia-thalamo-cortical-network, the present findings confirm an increased activation of this loop during speech motor preparation in stuttering. The more a person stutters, the more neurons of this cortical-subcortical network seem to be activated. Because this increased CNV slope was observed during fluent single word production, it is discussed whether or not this observation refers to a successful compensation strategy. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Morphogenetic Studies of the Drosophila DA1 Ventral Olfactory Projection Neuron

PubMed Central

Yu, Hung-Hsiang

2016-01-01

In the Drosophila olfactory system, odorant information is sensed by olfactory sensory neurons and relayed from the primary olfactory center, the antennal lobe (AL), to higher olfactory centers via olfactory projection neurons (PNs). A major portion of the AL is constituted with dendrites of four groups of PNs, anterodorsal PNs (adPNs), lateral PNs (lPNs), lateroventral PNs (lvPNs) and ventral PNs (vPNs). Previous studies have been focused on the development and function of adPNs and lPNs, while the investigation on those of lvPNs and vPNs received less attention. Here, we study the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying the morphogenesis of a putative male-pheromone responding vPN, the DA1 vPN. Using an intersection strategy to remove background neurons labeled within a DA1 vPN-containing GAL4 line, we depicted morphological changes of the DA1 vPN that occurs at the pupal stage. We then conducted a pilot screen using RNA interference knock-down approach to identify cell surface molecules, including Down syndrome cell adhesion molecule 1 and Semaphorin-1a, that might play essential roles for the DA1 vPN morphogenesis. Taken together, by revealing molecular and cellular basis of the DA1 vPN morphogenesis, we should provide insights into future comprehension of how vPNs are assembled into the olfactory neural circuitry. PMID:27163287

Morphogenetic Studies of the Drosophila DA1 Ventral Olfactory Projection Neuron.

PubMed

Shen, Hung-Chang; Wei, Jia-Yi; Chu, Sao-Yu; Chung, Pei-Chi; Hsu, Tsai-Chi; Yu, Hung-Hsiang

2016-01-01

In the Drosophila olfactory system, odorant information is sensed by olfactory sensory neurons and relayed from the primary olfactory center, the antennal lobe (AL), to higher olfactory centers via olfactory projection neurons (PNs). A major portion of the AL is constituted with dendrites of four groups of PNs, anterodorsal PNs (adPNs), lateral PNs (lPNs), lateroventral PNs (lvPNs) and ventral PNs (vPNs). Previous studies have been focused on the development and function of adPNs and lPNs, while the investigation on those of lvPNs and vPNs received less attention. Here, we study the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying the morphogenesis of a putative male-pheromone responding vPN, the DA1 vPN. Using an intersection strategy to remove background neurons labeled within a DA1 vPN-containing GAL4 line, we depicted morphological changes of the DA1 vPN that occurs at the pupal stage. We then conducted a pilot screen using RNA interference knock-down approach to identify cell surface molecules, including Down syndrome cell adhesion molecule 1 and Semaphorin-1a, that might play essential roles for the DA1 vPN morphogenesis. Taken together, by revealing molecular and cellular basis of the DA1 vPN morphogenesis, we should provide insights into future comprehension of how vPNs are assembled into the olfactory neural circuitry.

Decreased Cerebellar-Orbitofrontal Connectivity Correlates with Stuttering Severity: Whole-Brain Functional and Structural Connectivity Associations with Persistent Developmental Stuttering.

PubMed

Sitek, Kevin R; Cai, Shanqing; Beal, Deryk S; Perkell, Joseph S; Guenther, Frank H; Ghosh, Satrajit S

2016-01-01

Persistent developmental stuttering is characterized by speech production disfluency and affects 1% of adults. The degree of impairment varies widely across individuals and the neural mechanisms underlying the disorder and this variability remain poorly understood. Here we elucidate compensatory mechanisms related to this variability in impairment using whole-brain functional and white matter connectivity analyses in persistent developmental stuttering. We found that people who stutter had stronger functional connectivity between cerebellum and thalamus than people with fluent speech, while stutterers with the least severe symptoms had greater functional connectivity between left cerebellum and left orbitofrontal cortex (OFC). Additionally, people who stutter had decreased functional and white matter connectivity among the perisylvian auditory, motor, and speech planning regions compared to typical speakers, but greater functional connectivity between the right basal ganglia and bilateral temporal auditory regions. Structurally, disfluency ratings were negatively correlated with white matter connections to left perisylvian regions and to the brain stem. Overall, we found increased connectivity among subcortical and reward network structures in people who stutter compared to controls. These connections were negatively correlated with stuttering severity, suggesting the involvement of cerebellum and OFC may underlie successful compensatory mechanisms by more fluent stutterers.

A Population of Projection Neurons that Inhibits the Lateral Horn but Excites the Antennal Lobe through Chemical Synapses in Drosophila

PubMed Central

Shimizu, Kazumichi; Stopfer, Mark

2017-01-01

In the insect olfactory system, odor information is transferred from the antennal lobe (AL) to higher brain areas by projection neurons (PNs) in multiple AL tracts (ALTs). In several species, one of the ALTs, the mediolateral ALT (mlALT), contains some GABAergic PNs; in the Drosophila brain, the great majority of ventral PNs (vPNs) are GABAergic and project through this tract to the lateral horn (LH). Most excitatory PNs (ePNs), project through the medial ALT (mALT) to the mushroom body (MB) and the LH. Recent studies have shown that GABAergic vPNs play inhibitory roles at their axon terminals in the LH. However, little is known about the properties and functions of vPNs at their dendritic branches in the AL. Here, we used optogenetic and patch clamp techniques to investigate the functional roles of vPNs in the AL. Surprisingly, our results show that specific activation of vPNs reliably elicits strong excitatory postsynaptic potentials (EPSPs) in ePNs. Moreover, the connections between vPNs and ePNs are mediated by direct chemical synapses. Neither pulses of GABA, nor pharmagological, or genetic blockade of GABAergic transmission gave results consistent with the involvement of GABA in vPN-ePN excitatory transmission. These unexpected results suggest new roles for the vPN population in olfactory information processing. PMID:28515683

A Population of Projection Neurons that Inhibits the Lateral Horn but Excites the Antennal Lobe through Chemical Synapses in Drosophila.

PubMed

Shimizu, Kazumichi; Stopfer, Mark

2017-01-01

In the insect olfactory system, odor information is transferred from the antennal lobe (AL) to higher brain areas by projection neurons (PNs) in multiple AL tracts (ALTs). In several species, one of the ALTs, the mediolateral ALT (mlALT), contains some GABAergic PNs; in the Drosophila brain, the great majority of ventral PNs (vPNs) are GABAergic and project through this tract to the lateral horn (LH). Most excitatory PNs (ePNs), project through the medial ALT (mALT) to the mushroom body (MB) and the LH. Recent studies have shown that GABAergic vPNs play inhibitory roles at their axon terminals in the LH. However, little is known about the properties and functions of vPNs at their dendritic branches in the AL. Here, we used optogenetic and patch clamp techniques to investigate the functional roles of vPNs in the AL. Surprisingly, our results show that specific activation of vPNs reliably elicits strong excitatory postsynaptic potentials (EPSPs) in ePNs. Moreover, the connections between vPNs and ePNs are mediated by direct chemical synapses. Neither pulses of GABA, nor pharmagological, or genetic blockade of GABAergic transmission gave results consistent with the involvement of GABA in vPN-ePN excitatory transmission. These unexpected results suggest new roles for the vPN population in olfactory information processing.

The impact of threat and cognitive stress on speech motor control in people who stutter.

PubMed

Lieshout, Pascal van; Ben-David, Boaz; Lipski, Melinda; Namasivayam, Aravind

2014-06-01

In the present study, an Emotional Stroop and Classical Stroop task were used to separate the effect of threat content and cognitive stress from the phonetic features of words on motor preparation and execution processes. A group of 10 people who stutter (PWS) and 10 matched people who do not stutter (PNS) repeated colour names for threat content words and neutral words, as well as for traditional Stroop stimuli. Data collection included speech acoustics and movement data from upper lip and lower lip using 3D EMA. PWS in both tasks were slower to respond and showed smaller upper lip movement ranges than PNS. For the Emotional Stroop task only, PWS were found to show larger inter-lip phase differences compared to PNS. General threat words were executed with faster lower lip movements (larger range and shorter duration) in both groups, but only PWS showed a change in upper lip movements. For stutter specific threat words, both groups showed a more variable lip coordination pattern, but only PWS showed a delay in reaction time compared to neutral words. Individual stuttered words showed no effects. Both groups showed a classical Stroop interference effect in reaction time but no changes in motor variables. This study shows differential motor responses in PWS compared to controls for specific threat words. Cognitive stress was not found to affect stuttering individuals differently than controls or that its impact spreads to motor execution processes. After reading this article, the reader will be able to: (1) discuss the importance of understanding how threat content influences speech motor control in people who stutter and non-stuttering speakers; (2) discuss the need to use tasks like the Emotional Stroop and Regular Stroop to separate phonetic (word-bound) based impact on fluency from other factors in people who stutter; and (3) describe the role of anxiety and cognitive stress on speech motor processes. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Membrane-based actuation for high-speed single molecule force spectroscopy studies using AFM.

PubMed

Sarangapani, Krishna; Torun, Hamdi; Finkler, Ofer; Zhu, Cheng; Degertekin, Levent

2010-07-01

Atomic force microscopy (AFM)-based dynamic force spectroscopy of single molecular interactions involves characterizing unbinding/unfolding force distributions over a range of pulling speeds. Owing to their size and stiffness, AFM cantilevers are adversely affected by hydrodynamic forces, especially at pulling speeds >10 microm/s, when the viscous drag becomes comparable to the unbinding/unfolding forces. To circumvent these adverse effects, we have fabricated polymer-based membranes capable of actuating commercial AFM cantilevers at speeds >or=100 microm/s with minimal viscous drag effects. We have used FLUENT, a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software, to simulate high-speed pulling and fast actuation of AFM cantilevers and membranes in different experimental configurations. The simulation results support the experimental findings on a variety of commercial AFM cantilevers and predict significant reduction in drag forces when membrane actuators are used. Unbinding force experiments involving human antibodies using these membranes demonstrate that it is possible to achieve bond loading rates >or=10(6) pN/s, an order of magnitude greater than that reported with commercial AFM cantilevers and systems.

Classification of Types of Stuttering Symptoms Based on Brain Activity

PubMed Central

Jiang, Jing; Lu, Chunming; Peng, Danling; Zhu, Chaozhe; Howell, Peter

2012-01-01

Among the non-fluencies seen in speech, some are more typical (MT) of stuttering speakers, whereas others are less typical (LT) and are common to both stuttering and fluent speakers. No neuroimaging work has evaluated the neural basis for grouping these symptom types. Another long-debated issue is which type (LT, MT) whole-word repetitions (WWR) should be placed in. In this study, a sentence completion task was performed by twenty stuttering patients who were scanned using an event-related design. This task elicited stuttering in these patients. Each stuttered trial from each patient was sorted into the MT or LT types with WWR put aside. Pattern classification was employed to train a patient-specific single trial model to automatically classify each trial as MT or LT using the corresponding fMRI data. This model was then validated by using test data that were independent of the training data. In a subsequent analysis, the classification model, just established, was used to determine which type the WWR should be placed in. The results showed that the LT and the MT could be separated with high accuracy based on their brain activity. The brain regions that made most contribution to the separation of the types were: the left inferior frontal cortex and bilateral precuneus, both of which showed higher activity in the MT than in the LT; and the left putamen and right cerebellum which showed the opposite activity pattern. The results also showed that the brain activity for WWR was more similar to that of the LT and fluent speech than to that of the MT. These findings provide a neurological basis for separating the MT and the LT types, and support the widely-used MT/LT symptom grouping scheme. In addition, WWR play a similar role as the LT, and thus should be placed in the LT type. PMID:22761887

Decreased Cerebellar-Orbitofrontal Connectivity Correlates with Stuttering Severity: Whole-Brain Functional and Structural Connectivity Associations with Persistent Developmental Stuttering

PubMed Central

Sitek, Kevin R.; Cai, Shanqing; Beal, Deryk S.; Perkell, Joseph S.; Guenther, Frank H.; Ghosh, Satrajit S.

2016-01-01

Persistent developmental stuttering is characterized by speech production disfluency and affects 1% of adults. The degree of impairment varies widely across individuals and the neural mechanisms underlying the disorder and this variability remain poorly understood. Here we elucidate compensatory mechanisms related to this variability in impairment using whole-brain functional and white matter connectivity analyses in persistent developmental stuttering. We found that people who stutter had stronger functional connectivity between cerebellum and thalamus than people with fluent speech, while stutterers with the least severe symptoms had greater functional connectivity between left cerebellum and left orbitofrontal cortex (OFC). Additionally, people who stutter had decreased functional and white matter connectivity among the perisylvian auditory, motor, and speech planning regions compared to typical speakers, but greater functional connectivity between the right basal ganglia and bilateral temporal auditory regions. Structurally, disfluency ratings were negatively correlated with white matter connections to left perisylvian regions and to the brain stem. Overall, we found increased connectivity among subcortical and reward network structures in people who stutter compared to controls. These connections were negatively correlated with stuttering severity, suggesting the involvement of cerebellum and OFC may underlie successful compensatory mechanisms by more fluent stutterers. PMID:27199712

Pathological patterns of primary nephrotic syndrome in Central China: a retrospective study of 627 cases.

PubMed

Chu, Fenfen; Chen, Guochun; Liu, Yinghong

2014-05-01

The pathological patterns underlying PNS in adult are poorly studied in Central China. This is a retrospective analysis of the clinical and pathologic data involving 627 adult patients with PNS who have been finished the renal biopsies from January 2009 to September 2012 in XiangYa 2nd Hospital of Central South University. Patients enrolled in our study were all from Central China. There were 379 males and 248 females, formed the ratio of 1.53:1. There existed three main sorts of pathological patterns underlying PNS: membranous nephropathy (MN) 26.63%, minimal change disease (MCD) 23.60%, IgA nephropathy (IgAN) 23.39%. Among all biopsies, the proportion of FSGS underlying PNS increased from 5.8% during the period from 2009 to 2010 to 14.7% during the period from 2011 to 2012. The most common complication of PNS was infectious diseases, and MCD underlying PNS ran a higher risk of encountering acute renal injury. IgAN had the highest incidence of hematuresis. The common pathological patterns of PNS differed in age-brackets: IgAN and MCD were the main pathological lesions in patients aged from 16 to 30 years; MN mostly occurs in patients over 30. MCD was the dominating pathological lesions underlying IgAN which expressed as PNS. (1) MN was the most frequent pathological pattern underlying PNS, the proportion of FSGS underlying PNS increased during the last 2 years. (2) The common pathological patterns of PNS differed in age-brackets and pathological patterns correlated to the complications or comorbidities of PNS to some extent.

A Novel Prognostic Score, Based on Preoperative Nutritional Status, Predicts Outcomes of Patients after Curative Resection for Gastric Cancer.

PubMed

Liu, Xuechao; Qiu, Haibo; Liu, Jianjun; Chen, Shangxiang; Xu, Dazhi; Li, Wei; Zhan, Youqing; Li, Yuanfang; Chen, Yingbo; Zhou, Zhiwei; Sun, Xiaowei

2016-01-01

PURPOSE: We aimed to determine whether preoperative nutritional status (PNS) was a valuable predictor of outcome in patients with gastric cancer (GC). METHODS: We retrospectively evaluated 1320 patients with GC undergoing curative resection. The PNS score was constructed based on four objective and easily measurable criteria: prognostic nutritional index (PNI) score 1, serum albumin <35 g/L, body mass index (BMI) <18.5 kg/m 2 , or preoperative weight loss ≥5% of body weight. The PNS score was 2 for patients who met three or four criteria, 1 for those who met one or two criteria, and 0 for those who didn't meet all of these criteria. RESULTS: The overall survival (OS) rates in patients with PNS scores 0, 1, and 2 were 59.1%, 42.4%, and 23.4%, respectively (P < 0.001). Multivariate analyses revealed the PNS was an independent predictor for OS (HR for PNS 1 and PNS 2: 1.497, 95 % CI: 1.230-1.820 and 2.434, 95 % CI: 1.773-3.340, respectively; p < 0.001). Furthermore, 5-year OS ranged from 92% (stage I) to 37% (stage III), while the combination of TNM and PNS stratified 5-year OS from 95% (TNM I, PNS 0) to 19% (TNM III, PNS 3). Of note, the prognostic significance of PNS was still maintained when stratified by TNM stage, age, sex, tumor size, anemia and adjuvant chemotherapy (All P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The PNS, a novel nutritional-based prognostic score, is independently associated with OS in GC. Prospective studies are needed to validate its clinical utility.

Adult perceptions of phonotactic violations in Japanese

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fais, Laurel; Kajikawa, Sachiyo; Werker, Janet; Amano, Shigeaki

2004-05-01

Adult Japanese speakers ``hear'' epenthetic vowels in productions of Japanese-like words that violate the canonical CVCVCV form by containing internal consonant clusters (CVCCV) [Dupoux et al., J. Exp. Psychol. 25, 1568-1578 (1999)]. Given this finding, this research examined how Japanese adults rated the goodness of Japanese-like words produced without a vowel in the final syllable (CVC), and words produced without vowels in the penultimate and final syllables (CVCC). Furthermore, in some of these contexts, voiceless vowels may appear in fluent, casual Japanese productions, especially in the Kanto dialect, and in some, such voiceless vowels may not appear. Results indicate that both Kanto and Kinki speakers rated CVC productions for contexts in which voiceless vowels are not allowed as the worst; they rated CVC and CVCC contexts in which voiceless vowel productions are allowed as better. In these latter contexts, the CVC words, which result from the loss of one, final, vowel, are judged to be better than the CVCC words, which result from the loss of two (final and penultimate) vowels. These results mirror the relative seriousness of the phonotactic violations and indicate listeners have tacit knowledge of these regularities in their language.

Panax notoginseng saponins (PNS) inhibits breast cancer metastasis.

PubMed

Wang, Peiwei; Cui, Jingang; Du, Xiaoye; Yang, Qinbo; Jia, Chenglin; Xiong, Minqi; Yu, Xintong; Li, Li; Wang, Wenjian; Chen, Yu; Zhang, Teng

2014-07-03

Panax notoginseng (Burkill) F.H. Chen (Araliaceae) has been extensively used as a therapeutic agent to treat a variety of diseases. Panax notoginseng saponins (PNS) consist of major therapeutically active components of Panax notoginseng. PNS inhibit the growth of a variety of tumor cells in vitro and in vivo. The aim of the study is to investigate the effects and underlying mechanisms of PNS on breast cancer metastasis. 4T1 cell, a highly metastatic mouse breast carcinoma cell line, was utilized for in vitro and in vivo assays. In vitro assays were first performed to examine the effects of PNS on 4T1 cell viability, migration and invasion, respectively. Real-time PCR analyses were also performed to examine the effects of PNS on the expression of genes associated with tumor metastasis. The effect of PNS on 4T1 tumor cell metastasis was further assessed in spontaneous and experimental metastasis models in vivo. PNS treatment exhibited a dose-dependent effect on impairing 4T1 cell viability in vitro. However, when examined at a lower dose that did not affect cell viability, the migration and invasion of 4T1 cell was remarkably inhibited in vitro. Meanwhile, PNS treatment led to upregulated expression of genes known to inhibit metastasis and downregulated expression of genes promoting metastasis in cultured 4T1 cells. These results suggested a selective effect of PNS on 4T1 migration and invasion. This hypothesis was further addressed in 4T1 metastasis models in vivo. The results showed that the lung metastasis was significantly inhibited by PNS treatment in both spontaneous and experimental metastasis models. Taken together, our results demonstrated an inhibitory effect of PNS on 4T1 tumor metastasis, warranting further evaluation of PNS as a therapeutic agent for treating breast cancer metastasis. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Efficient Self-Assembly of mPEG End-Capped Porous Silica as a Redox-Sensitive Nanocarrier for Controlled Doxorubicin Delivery.

PubMed

Nguyen, Anh Khoa; Nguyen, Thi Hiep; Bao, Bui Quoc; Bach, Long Giang; Nguyen, Dai Hai

2018-01-01

Porous nanosilica (PNS) has been regarded as a promising candidate for controlled delivery of anticancer drugs. Unmodified PNS-based nanocarriers, however, showed a burst release of encapsulated drugs, which may limit their clinical uses. In this report, PNS was surface conjugated with adamantylamine (ADA) via disulfide bridges (-SS-), PNS-SS-ADA, which was further modified with cyclodextrin-poly(ethylene glycol) methyl ether conjugate (CD-mPEG) to form a core@shell structure PNS-SS-ADA@CD-mPEG for redox triggered delivery of doxorubicin (DOX), DOX/PNS-SS-ADA@CD-mPEG. The prepared PNS-SS-ADA@CD-mPEG nanoparticles were spherical in shape with an average diameter of 55.5 ± 3.05 nm, a little larger than their parentally PNS nanocarriers, at 49.6 ± 2.56 nm. In addition, these nanoparticles possessed high drug loading capacity, at 79.2 ± 3.2%, for controlled release. The release of DOX from DOX/PNS-SS-ADA@CD-mPEG nanoparticles was controlled and prolonged up to 120 h in PBS medium (pH 7.4), compared to less than 40 h under reducing condition of 5 mM DTT. Notably, the PNS-SS-ADA@CD-mPEG was a biocompatible nanocarrier, and the toxicity of DOX was dramatically reduced after loading drugs into the porous core. This redox-sensitive PNS-SS-ADA@CD-mPEG nanoparticle could be considered a potential candidate with high drug loading capacity and a lower risk of systemic toxicity.

Thermal dissociation cavity attenuated phase shift spectroscopy for continuous measurement of total peroxy and organic nitrates in the clean atmosphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sadanaga, Yasuhiro; Takaji, Ryo; Ishiyama, Ayana; Nakajima, Kazuo; Matsuki, Atsushi; Bandow, Hiroshi

2016-07-01

A thermal dissociation cavity attenuated phase shift spectroscopy (TD-CAPS) instrument was developed for measuring total peroxy nitrates (PNs) and organic nitrates (ONs) concentrations in the clean atmosphere. This instrument is easy to operate and can be applied to continuous measurement of PNs and ONs. A continuously measurable system is convenient to perform observations, especially in remote areas. Three lines (NO2, PNs, and ONs lines) were used for thermal dissociation. The NO2 line contains a quartz tube that is not heated, while the PN and ON lines contain quartz tubes that are heated at 433 K and 633 K, respectively. The concentrations of NO2, NO2 + PNs, and NO2 + PNs + ONs can be obtained from the NO2, PN, and ON lines, respectively. The lower limit values of the detection limit (3σ) for PNs and ONs were estimated to be 21 parts per trillion by volume with an integration time of 2 min. PNs were selectively thermally decomposed in the PNs line and formed NO2 quantitatively. In the ONs line, both PNs and ONs were thermally decomposed to produce NO2 quantitatively, but partial decomposition of HNO3 at 633 K interfered with the ONs measurement. Therefore, a HNO3 scrubber is required before the ONs line. Continuous observations were conducted with the TD-CAPS instrument in a remote area, and the instrument performed well for obtaining PNs and ONs concentrations.

[Balance between cardiovascular pharmacological and hemolytic effects of saponins of Panax notogenseng].

PubMed

Han, Shu-Xian; You, Yun

2016-03-01

PNS (total saponins of Panax notognseng, PNS) has a clear effect and wide application prospect for cardiovascular diseases. At the same time, saponins have hemolytic properties, which are related to its molecular structure type and dosage. On one hand, this article summarizes the research progress of PNS in heart cerebrovascular pharmacology pharmacological in recent five years, a number of studies both in vitro and in vivo for overall body, organs, cells and molecules, show that PNS could improve myocardial and cerebral ischemia injury, and it has effects in resisting thrombosis, inflammation, oxidation, atherosclerosis, and modulating vascular endothelial cells function and improving the cerebral ischemia injury etc. On the other hand, the hemolysis effect of PNS is closely related to its molecular structure type and administrating dosage. Different structures bring about different hemolysis activities. Structure-activity relationship suggests that the length of sugar side chains attached to C-20 and the disaccharide connection mode on C-3 may influence the hemolysis activity of PNS. Within the dose range from 2.5 to 250 mg•L⁻¹, PNS has no hemolysis activity. However, PNS exhibits hemolytic properties at high concentrations(≥500 mg•L⁻¹). Based on the hemolytic or anti-hemolysis characteristics of saponins, and dose-response relationship, the rational clinical application of PNS can be guaranteed by controlling the ratio of hemolytic monosaponins in PNS and improving the hemolytic test method. Copyright© by the Chinese Pharmaceutical Association.

Sex-Dependent Effects of Prenatal Stress on Social Memory in Rats: A Role for Differential Expression of Central Vasopressin-1a Receptors.

PubMed

Grundwald, N J; Benítez, D P; Brunton, P J

2016-04-01

Prenatal stress (PNS) affects a number of traits in the offspring, including stress axis regulation, emotionality and cognition; however, much less is known about the effects of PNS on social memory and the underlying central mechanisms. In the present study, we investigated social preference, social memory under basal and stress conditions and olfactory memory for social and nonsocial odours in the adult offspring of dams exposed to social stress during late pregnancy. Given the key roles that the central oxytocin and vasopressin systems play in facilitating social memory, we further investigated the effects of PNS on the central expression of mRNA for oxytocin (Oxtr) and vasopressin-1a (Avpr1a) receptors. PNS did not affect social preference in either sex; however, social memory was impaired under basal conditions in PNS females but not PNS males. Accordingly, Avpr1a mRNA expression in the lateral septum and bed nucleus of stria terminalis (BNST) was unaltered in males but was significantly lower in PNS females compared to controls. No differences in Oxtr mRNA expression were detected between control and PNS offspring in either sex in any of the brain regions examined. Social memory deficits in PNS females persisted when social odours were used; however, this does not appear to be a result of impaired olfaction because memory for nonsocial odours was similar in control and PNS females. Under acute stress conditions, deficits in social memory were observed in both male and female control offspring; however, PNS males were unaffected. Moreover, acute stress facilitated social memory in PNS females and this was associated with an up-regulation of Avpr1a mRNA in the lateral septum and BNST. Our data support a role for altered signalling via central Avpr1a in PNS-induced sex-dependent changes in social memory and may have implications for understanding the aetiology of neurodevelopmental disorders characterised by social behaviour deficits in humans. © 2015 The Authors. Journal of Neuroendocrinology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of British Society for Neuroendocrinology.

Fluency variation in adolescents.

PubMed

Furquim de Andrade, Claudia Regina; de Oliveira Martins, Vanessa

2007-10-01

The Speech Fluency Profile of fluent adolescent speakers of Brazilian Portuguese, were examined with respect to gender and neurolinguistic variations. Speech samples of 130 male and female adolescents, aged between 12;0 and 17;11 years were gathered. They were analysed according to type of speech disruption; speech rate; and frequency of speech disruptions. Statistical analysis did not find significant differences between genders for the variables studied. However, regarding the phases of adolescence (early: 12;0-14;11 years; late: 15;0-17;11 years), statistical differences were observed for all of the variables. As for neurolinguistic maturation, a decrease in the number of speech disruptions and an increase in speech rate occurred during the final phase of adolescence, indicating that the maturation of the motor and linguistic processes exerted an influence over the fluency profile of speech.

Methods of analysis speech rate: a pilot study.

PubMed

Costa, Luanna Maria Oliveira; Martins-Reis, Vanessa de Oliveira; Celeste, Letícia Côrrea

2016-01-01

To describe the performance of fluent adults in different measures of speech rate. The study included 24 fluent adults, of both genders, speakers of Brazilian Portuguese, who were born and still living in the metropolitan region of Belo Horizonte, state of Minas Gerais, aged between 18 and 59 years. Participants were grouped by age: G1 (18-29 years), G2 (30-39 years), G3 (40-49 years), and G4 (50-59 years). The speech samples were obtained following the methodology of the Speech Fluency Assessment Protocol. In addition to the measures of speech rate proposed by the protocol (speech rate in words and syllables per minute), the rate of speech into phonemes per second and the articulation rate with and without the disfluencies were calculated. We used the nonparametric Friedman test and the Wilcoxon test for multiple comparisons. Groups were compared using the nonparametric Kruskal Wallis. The significance level was of 5%. There were significant differences between measures of speech rate involving syllables. The multiple comparisons showed that all the three measures were different. There was no effect of age for the studied measures. These findings corroborate previous studies. The inclusion of temporal acoustic measures such as speech rate in phonemes per second and articulation rates with and without disfluencies can be a complementary approach in the evaluation of speech rate.

Perceived benefits and barriers to a career in pediatric neurosurgery: a survey of neurosurgical residents.

PubMed

Dias, Mark S; Sussman, Jeffrey S; Durham, Susan; Iantosca, Mark R

2013-11-01

Research suggests that there may be a growing disparity between the supply of and demand for both pediatric specialists and neurosurgeons. Whether pediatric neurosurgeons are facing such a disparity is disputable, but interest in pediatric neurosurgery (PNS) has waxed and waned as evidenced by the number of applicants for PNS fellowships. The authors undertook a survey to analyze current neurosurgical residents' perceptions of both benefits and deterrents to a pediatric neurosurgical career. All residents and PNS fellows in the United States and Canada during the academic year 2008-2009 were invited to complete a Web-based survey that assessed 1) demographic and educational information about residents and their residency training, particularly as it related to training in PNS; 2) residents' exposure to mentoring opportunities from pediatric neurosurgical faculty and their plans for the future; and 3) residents' perceptions about how likely 40 various factors were to influence their decision about whether to pursue a PNS career. Four hundred ninety-six responses were obtained: 89% of the respondents were male, 63% were married, 75% were in at least their 3rd year of postgraduate training, 61% trained in a children's hospital and 29% in a children's "hospital within a hospital," and 72% were in programs having one or more dedicated PNS faculty members. The residencies of 56% of respondents offered 6-11 months of PNS training and nearly three-quarters of respondents had completed 2 months of PNS training. During medical school, 92% had been exposed to neurosurgery and 45% to PNS during a clinical rotation, but only 7% identified a PNS mentor. Nearly half (43%) are considering a PNS career, and of these, 61% are definitely or probably considering post-residency fellowship. On the other hand, 68% would prefer an enfolded fellowship during residency. Perceived strengths of PNS included working with children, developing lasting relationships, wider variety of operations, fast healing and lack of comorbidities, and altruism. Perceived significant deterrents included shunts, lower reimbursement, cross-coverage issues, higher malpractice premiums and greater legal exposure, and working with parents and pediatric health professionals. The intrinsic nature of PNS was listed as the most significant deterrent (46%) followed by financial concerns (25%), additional training (12%), longer work hours (12%), and medicolegal issues (4%). The majority felt that fellowship training and PNS certification should be recommended for surgeons treating of all but traumatic brain injuries and Chiari I malformations and performing simple shunt-related procedures, although they felt that these credentials should be required only for treating complex craniosynostosis. The nature of PNS is the most significant barrier to attracting residents, although reimbursement, cross-coverage, and legal issues are also important to residents. The authors provide several recommendations that might enhance resident perceptions of PNS and attract trainees to the specialty.

Two Tongues, One Brain: Imaging Bilingual Speech Production

PubMed Central

Simmonds, Anna J.; Wise, Richard J. S.; Leech, Robert

2011-01-01

This review considers speaking in a second language from the perspective of motor–sensory control. Previous studies relating brain function to the prior acquisition of two or more languages (neurobilingualism) have investigated the differential demands made on linguistic representations and processes, and the role of domain-general cognitive control systems when speakers switch between languages. In contrast to the detailed discussions on these higher functions, typically articulation is considered only as an underspecified stage of simple motor output. The present review considers speaking in a second language in terms of the accompanying foreign accent, which places demands on the integration of motor and sensory discharges not encountered when articulating in the most fluent language. We consider why there has been so little emphasis on this aspect of bilingualism to date, before turning to the motor and sensory complexities involved in learning to speak a second language as an adult. This must involve retuning the neural circuits involved in the motor control of articulation, to enable rapid unfamiliar sequences of movements to be performed with the goal of approximating, as closely as possible, the speech of a native speaker. Accompanying changes in motor networks is experience-dependent plasticity in auditory and somatosensory cortices to integrate auditory memories of the target sounds, copies of feedforward commands from premotor and primary motor cortex and post-articulatory auditory and somatosensory feedback. Finally, we consider the implications of taking a motor–sensory perspective on speaking a second language, both pedagogical regarding non-native learners and clinical regarding speakers with neurological conditions such as dysarthria. PMID:21811481

STP Position Paper: Recommended ("Best") Practices for Sampling, Processing, and Analysis of the Peripheral Nervous System (Nerves and Somatic and Autonomic Ganglia) during Nonclinical Toxicity Studies.

PubMed

Bolon, Brad; Krinke, Georg; Butt, Mark T; Rao, Deepa B; Pardo, Ingrid D; Jortner, Bernard S; Garman, Robert H; Jensen, Karl; Andrews-Jones, Lydia; Morrison, James P; Sharma, Alok K; Thibodeau, Michael S

2018-01-01

Peripheral nervous system (PNS) toxicity is surveyed inconsistently in nonclinical general toxicity studies. These Society of Toxicologic Pathology "best practice" recommendations are designed to ensure consistent, efficient, and effective sampling, processing, and evaluation of PNS tissues for four different situations encountered during nonclinical general toxicity (screening) and dedicated neurotoxicity studies. For toxicity studies where neurotoxicity is unknown or not anticipated (situation 1), PNS evaluation may be limited to one sensorimotor spinal nerve. If somatic PNS neurotoxicity is suspected (situation 2), analysis minimally should include three spinal nerves, multiple dorsal root ganglia, and a trigeminal ganglion. If autonomic PNS neuropathy is suspected (situation 3), parasympathetic and sympathetic ganglia should be assessed. For dedicated neurotoxicity studies where a neurotoxic effect is expected (situation 4), PNS sampling follows the strategy for situations 2 and/or 3, as dictated by functional or other compound/target-specific data. For all situations, bilateral sampling with unilateral processing is acceptable. For situations 1-3, PNS is processed conventionally (immersion in buffered formalin, paraffin embedding, and hematoxylin and eosin staining). For situation 4 (and situations 2 and 3 if resources and timing permit), perfusion fixation with methanol-free fixative is recommended. Where PNS neurotoxicity is suspected or likely, at least one (situations 2 and 3) or two (situation 4) nerve cross sections should be postfixed with glutaraldehyde and osmium before hard plastic resin embedding; soft plastic embedding is not a suitable substitute for hard plastic. Special methods may be used if warranted to further characterize PNS findings. Initial PNS analysis should be informed, not masked ("blinded"). Institutions may adapt these recommendations to fit their specific programmatic requirements but may need to explain in project documentation the rationale for their chosen PNS sampling, processing, and evaluation strategy.

Peripheral Nerve Stimulation Characteristics of an Asymmetric Head-Only Gradient Coil Compatible with a High-Channel-Count Receiver Array

PubMed Central

Lee, Seung-Kyun; Mathieu, Jean-Baptiste; Graziani, Dominic; Piel, Joseph; Budesheim, Eric; Fiveland, Eric; Hardy, Christopher J.; Tan, Ek Tsoon; Amm, Bruce; Foo, Thomas K.-F; Bernstein, Matt A.; Huston, John; Shu, Yunhong; Schenck, John F.

2015-01-01

Purpose To characterize peripheral nerve stimulation (PNS) of an asymmetric head-only gradient coil that is compatible with a commercial high-channel-count receive-only array. Methods Two prototypes of an asymmetric head-only gradient coil set, with 42-cm inner diameter, were constructed for brain imaging at 3T with maximum performance specifications of up to 85 mT/m and 708 T/m/s. 24 volunteer tests were performed to measure PNS thresholds with the transverse (X, left/right; Y, anterior/posterior) gradient coils of both prototypes. 14 volunteers were also tested for the Z-gradient PNS in the second prototype, and were additionally scanned with high-slew-rate EPI immediately after the PNS tests. Results For both prototypes, the Y-gradient PNS threshold was markedly higher than the X-gradient. The Z-gradient threshold was intermediate between those for the X- and Y-coils. Out of the 24 volunteer subjects, only two experienced Y-gradient PNS at 80 mT/m, 500 T/m/s. All volunteers underwent the EPI scan without PNS when the readout direction was set to A/P. Conclusion Measured PNS characteristics of asymmetric head-only gradient coil prototypes indicate that such coils, especially in the A/P direction, can be used for fast EPI readout in high-performance neuroimaging scans with substantially reduced PNS concerns compared to conventional whole-body gradient coils. PMID:26628078

Barriers to cancer care, perceived social support, and patient navigation services for Korean breast cancer patients.

PubMed

Lim, Jung-Won

2015-01-01

The present study aimed to examine the relationships among barriers to cancer care, perceived social support, and patient navigation services (PNS) for Korean breast cancer patients. For Korean breast cancer patients, PNS are comprised of five services, including emotional, financial, information, transportation, and disease management. The study findings demonstrated that transportation and disease management barriers were directly associated with PNS, whereas emotional and financial barriers were indirectly associated with PNS through perceived social support. The current study provides a preliminary Korean patient navigation model to identify how barriers to cancer care can be reduced through social support and PNS.

The role of selected lexical factors on confrontation naming accuracy, speed, and fluency in adults who do and do not stutter.

PubMed

Newman, Rochelle S; Bernstein Ratner, Nan

2007-02-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether lexical access in adults who stutter (AWS) differs from that in people who do not stutter. Specifically, the authors examined the role of 3 lexical factors on naming speed, accuracy, and fluency: word frequency, neighborhood density, and neighborhood frequency. If stuttering results from an impairment in lexical access, these factors were hypothesized to differentially affect AWS performance on a confrontation naming task. Twenty-five AWS and 25 normally fluent comparison speakers, matched for age and education, participated in a confrontation naming task designed to explore within-speaker performance on naming accuracy, speed, and fluency based on stimulus word frequency and neighborhood characteristics. Accuracy, fluency, and reaction time (from acoustic waveform analysis) were computed. In general, AWS demonstrated the same effects of lexical factors on their naming as did adults who do not stutter. However, accuracy of naming was reduced for AWS. Stuttering rate was influenced by word frequency but not other factors. Results suggest that AWS could have a fundamental deficit in lexical retrieval, but this deficit is unlikely to be at the level of the word's abstract phonological representation. Implications for further research are discussed.

Two Parallel Olfactory Pathways for Processing General Odors in a Cockroach

PubMed Central

Watanabe, Hidehiro; Nishino, Hiroshi; Mizunami, Makoto; Yokohari, Fumio

2017-01-01

In animals, sensory processing via parallel pathways, including the olfactory system, is a common design. However, the mechanisms that parallel pathways use to encode highly complex and dynamic odor signals remain unclear. In the current study, we examined the anatomical and physiological features of parallel olfactory pathways in an evolutionally basal insect, the cockroach Periplaneta americana. In this insect, the entire system for processing general odors, from olfactory sensory neurons to higher brain centers, is anatomically segregated into two parallel pathways. Two separate populations of secondary olfactory neurons, type1 and type2 projection neurons (PNs), with dendrites in distinct glomerular groups relay olfactory signals to segregated areas of higher brain centers. We conducted intracellular recordings, revealing olfactory properties and temporal patterns of both types of PNs. Generally, type1 PNs exhibit higher odor-specificities to nine tested odorants than type2 PNs. Cluster analyses revealed that odor-evoked responses were temporally complex and varied in type1 PNs, while type2 PNs exhibited phasic on-responses with either early or late latencies to an effective odor. The late responses are 30–40 ms later than the early responses. Simultaneous intracellular recordings from two different PNs revealed that a given odor activated both types of PNs with different temporal patterns, and latencies of early and late responses in type2 PNs might be precisely controlled. Our results suggest that the cockroach is equipped with two anatomically and physiologically segregated parallel olfactory pathways, which might employ different neural strategies to encode odor information. PMID:28529476

Development and evaluation of perfluorocarbon nanobubbles for apomorphine delivery.

PubMed

Hwang, Tsong-Long; Lin, Yin-Ku; Chi, Chen-Hsien; Huang, Tse-Hung; Fang, Jia-You

2009-10-01

Apomorphine is a dopamine receptor agonist for treating Parkinson's disease. However, its clinical application is limited by its instability and the need for frequent injections. The aim of the present work was to develop acoustically active perfluorocarbon nanobubbles (PNs) for encapsulation of both apomorphine HCl and base forms to circumvent these delivery problems. The PNs were prepared using coconut oil and perfluoropentane as the inner phase, which was emulsified by phospholipids and cholesterol. The morphology, size, zeta potential, and drug release of the PNs were characterized. The particle size ranged from 150 to 380 nm, with differences in the oil or perfluorocarbon ratio in the formulations. Atomic force microscopy confirmed oval- or raisin-shaped particles and a narrow size distribution of these systems (polydispersity index = 0.25-0.28). The stability experimental results indicated that PNs could protect apomorphine from degradation. Evaporation of the PNs at 37 degrees C was also limited. Apomorphine HCl and base in PNs showed retarded and sustained release profiles. Ultrasound imaging confirmed the echogenic activity of PNs developed in this study. The apomorphine HCl release by insonation at 1 MHz showed enhancements of two- to fourfold compared to the non-ultrasound group, illustrating a possible drug-targeting effect. On the contrary, apomorphine base showed a decreased release profile with ultrasound application. Apomorphine-loaded PNs showed promising stability and safety. They were successful in sustaining apomorphine delivery.

Impact of the 4G/5G polymorphism in the plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 gene on primary nephrotic syndrome.

PubMed

Luo, Yuezhong; Wang, Chao; Tu, Haitao

2014-03-01

The aim of the present study was to investigate whether the four guanosines (4G)/five guanosines (5G) polymorphism in the gene coding for plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) affects the clinical features of primary nephrotic syndrome (PNS). A cohort of 200 biopsy-diagnosed PNS patients was studied, with 40 healthy subjects as controls. The PAI-1 gene polymorphism was detected by polymerase chain reaction and DNA sequencing. Associations between the PAI-1 4G/5G polymorphism and clinical features and pathological types of PNS were analyzed. The results indicated that the PAI-1 genotype distribution is significantly different between patients with PNS and healthy controls, with significantly higher numbers of the 4G/4G genotype and lower numbers of the 5G5G genotype detected in PNS patients compared to controls (both P<0.05). The frequency of the 4G allele was also significantly higher in PNS patients compared to healthy controls (P<0.01). Among the different pathological types of PNS, IgA nephropathy (IgAN) and membranous nephropathy (MN) were associated with significantly increased frequencies of the 4G/4G and 4G/5G genotypes, as well as of the 4G allele. The increased 4G frequency was also detected in patients with minimal change disease (MCD). Significantly increased international normalized ratio (INR) and prolonged activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) were observed in 4G/4G compared to 5G/5G PNS subjects. The response to steroids was not significantly different among the three genotypes. In conclusion, the 4G allele of the PAI-1 gene appears to be associated with PNS, especially in MN and IgAN patients. These findings suggest that specific targeting may be required for the treatment of PNS patients with the 4G/4G genotype.

Effects of Tianeptine on Adult Rats Following Prenatal Stress

PubMed Central

Lee, Hwayoung; Kim, Hyung-Ki; Kwon, Jun-Tack; Kim, Young Ock; Seo, Jonghoon; Lee, Sanghyun; Cho, Ik-Hyun

2018-01-01

Objective Exposing a pregnant female to stress during the critical period of embryonic fetal brain development increases the risk of psychiatric disorders in the offspring. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of antidepressant tianeptine on prenatally stressed (PNS) rats. Methods In this study, a repeated variable stress paradigm was applied to pregnant rats during the last week of gestation. To investigate the effects of antidepressant tianeptine on PNS rats, behavioral and protein expression analyses were performed. Forced swim test, open field test, and social interaction test were performed to determine changes in PNS rats compared to non-stressed offspring. Haloperidol was used as a positive control as an antipsychotic drug based on previous studies. Results Behavioral changes were restored after treatment with tianeptine or haloperidol. Western blot and immunohistochemical analyses of the prefrontal cortex revealed downregulation of several neurodevelopmental proteins in PNS rats. After treatment with tianeptine or haloperidol, their expression levels were increased. Conclusion Downregulation of several proteins in PNS rats might have caused subsequent behavioral changes in PNS rats. After tianeptine or haloperidol treatment, behavioral changes in PNS rats were restored. Therefore, tianeptine might decrease incidence of prenatal stress related-psychiatric disorders such as depression and schizophrenia. PMID:29739134

Robustness of sensory-evoked excitation is increased by inhibitory inputs to distal apical tuft dendrites

PubMed Central

Egger, Robert; Schmitt, Arno C.; Wallace, Damian J.; Sakmann, Bert; Oberlaender, Marcel; Kerr, Jason N. D.

2015-01-01

Cortical inhibitory interneurons (INs) are subdivided into a variety of morphologically and functionally specialized cell types. How the respective specific properties translate into mechanisms that regulate sensory-evoked responses of pyramidal neurons (PNs) remains unknown. Here, we investigated how INs located in cortical layer 1 (L1) of rat barrel cortex affect whisker-evoked responses of L2 PNs. To do so we combined in vivo electrophysiology and morphological reconstructions with computational modeling. We show that whisker-evoked membrane depolarization in L2 PNs arises from highly specialized spatiotemporal synaptic input patterns. Temporally L1 INs and L2–5 PNs provide near synchronous synaptic input. Spatially synaptic contacts from L1 INs target distal apical tuft dendrites, whereas PNs primarily innervate basal and proximal apical dendrites. Simulations of such constrained synaptic input patterns predicted that inactivation of L1 INs increases trial-to-trial variability of whisker-evoked responses in L2 PNs. The in silico predictions were confirmed in vivo by L1-specific pharmacological manipulations. We present a mechanism—consistent with the theory of distal dendritic shunting—that can regulate the robustness of sensory-evoked responses in PNs without affecting response amplitude or latency. PMID:26512104

Electrical peripheral nerve stimulation relieves bone cancer pain by inducing Arc protein expression in the spinal cord dorsal horn

PubMed Central

Sun, Ke-fu; Feng, Wan-wen; Liu, Yue-peng; Dong, Yan-bin; Gao, Li; Yang, Hui-lin

2018-01-01

Objective The analgesic effect on chronic pain of peripheral nerve stimulation (PNS) has been proven, but its underlying mechanism remains unknown. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the analgesic effect of PNS on bone cancer pain in a rat model and to explore the underlying mechanism. Materials and methods PNS on sciatic nerves with bipolar electrode was performed in both naïve and bone cancer pain model rats. Then, the protein levels of activity-regulated cytoskeleton-associated protein (Arc), α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid–type glutamate receptor 1 (GluA1), and phosphate N-methyl-d-aspartic acid-type glutamate receptor subunit 2B (pGluNR2B) in spinal cord were evaluated by immunohistochemistry and Western blotting. Thermal paw withdraw latency and mechanical paw withdraw threshold were used to estimate the analgesic effect of PNS on bone cancer pain. Intrathecal administration of Arc shRNA was used to inhibit Arc expression in the spinal cord. Results PNS at 60 and 120 Hz for 20 min overtly induced Arc expression in the spinal cord, increased thermal pain thresholds in naïve rats, and relieved bone cancer pain; meanwhile, 10 Hz PNS did not achieve those results. In addition, PNS at 60 and 120 Hz also reduced the expression of GluA1, but not pGluNR2B, in the spinal cord. Finally, the anti-nociceptive effect and GluA1 downregulation induced by PNS were inhibited by intrathecal administration of Arc shRNA. Conclusion PNS (60 Hz, 0.3 mA) can relieve bone-cancer-induced allodynia and hyperalgesia by upregulating Arc protein expression and then by decreasing GluA1 transcription in the spinal cord dorsal horn. PMID:29606887

HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE SNAPSHOT SEARCH FOR PLANETARY NEBULAE IN GLOBULAR CLUSTERS OF THE LOCAL GROUP

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bond, Howard E., E-mail: heb11@psu.edu

2015-04-15

Single stars in ancient globular clusters (GCs) are believed incapable of producing planetary nebulae (PNs), because their post-asymptotic-giant-branch evolutionary timescales are slower than the dissipation timescales for PNs. Nevertheless, four PNs are known in Galactic GCs. Their existence likely requires more exotic evolutionary channels, including stellar mergers and common-envelope binary interactions. I carried out a snapshot imaging search with the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) for PNs in bright Local Group GCs outside the Milky Way. I used a filter covering the 5007 Å nebular emission line of [O iii], and another one in the nearby continuum, to image 66 GCs.more » Inclusion of archival HST frames brought the total number of extragalactic GCs imaged at 5007 Å to 75, whose total luminosity slightly exceeds that of the entire Galactic GC system. I found no convincing PNs in these clusters, aside from one PN in a young M31 cluster misclassified as a GC, and two PNs at such large angular separations from an M31 GC that membership is doubtful. In a ground-based spectroscopic survey of 274 old GCs in M31, Jacoby et al. found three candidate PNs. My HST images of one of them suggest that the [O iii] emission actually arises from ambient interstellar medium rather than a PN; for the other two candidates, there are broadband archival UV HST images that show bright, blue point sources that are probably the PNs. In a literature search, I also identified five further PN candidates lying near old GCs in M31, for which follow-up observations are necessary to confirm their membership. The rates of incidence of PNs are similar, and small but nonzero, throughout the GCs of the Local Group.« less

Network pharmacology-based identification of protective mechanism of Panax Notoginseng Saponins on aspirin induced gastrointestinal injury.

PubMed

Zhu, Baochen; Zhang, Wantong; Lu, Yang; Hu, Shaonan; Gao, Rui; Sun, Zongxi; Chen, Xiaonan; Ma, Junming; Guo, Shuang; Du, Shouying; Li, Pengyue

2018-05-29

Aspirin is the first line therapy for cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases and is widely used. However aspirin-induced gastrointestinal injury is one of its most common side effect which limits long-term use. Panax Notoginseng Saponins(PNS) which is also used to prevent thrombus may alleviate this side effect according to previous clinical evidences. Owing to the complexity of drug combination, the protective mechanism of PNS on aspirin-induced gastrointestinal injury remains unclear. Therefore, a network pharmacology-based strategy was proposed in this study to address this problem. A network pharmacology approach comprising multiple components, candidate targets of each component, known therapeutic targets, network analysis has been used in this study. Also, we establish aspirin-induced gastrointestinal injury model by the oral administration of aspirin (0.5 g/kg body weight) to verify the predicted targets from network pharmacology. All rats was randomly allocated to control groups (n = 6),aspirin groups (n = 6)and aspirin + PNS groups (n = 6) and conducted H&E staining and ELISA for VEGFA. The comprehensive systematic approach was successfully to identify 5 compounds and 154 candidate targets in PNS and 479 candidate targets in aspirin. After network establishment and analysis, 27 potential targets hit by PNS, aspirin and 6 kind of gastrointestinal diseases were found. The experiments results indicated that aspirin group has visible inflammation and lesions while aspirin + PNS group have not. The higher expression of VEGFA in aspirin + PNS group verified the predicted potential protective targets of PNS. PNS may have protective function for aspirin-induced gastrointestinal injury through increasing VEGFA expression. Network pharmacology strategy may provide a forceful tool for exploring the mechanism of herb medicine and discovering novel bioactive ingredients. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS.

Peripheral nerve stimulation characteristics of an asymmetric head-only gradient coil compatible with a high-channel-count receiver array.

PubMed

Lee, Seung-Kyun; Mathieu, Jean-Baptiste; Graziani, Dominic; Piel, Joseph; Budesheim, Eric; Fiveland, Eric; Hardy, Christopher J; Tan, Ek Tsoon; Amm, Bruce; Foo, Thomas K-F; Bernstein, Matt A; Huston, John; Shu, Yunhong; Schenck, John F

2016-12-01

To characterize peripheral nerve stimulation (PNS) of an asymmetric head-only gradient coil that is compatible with a commercial high-channel-count receive-only array. Two prototypes of an asymmetric head-only gradient coil set with a 42-cm inner diameter were constructed for brain imaging at 3T with maximum performance specifications of up to 85 mT/m and 708 T/m/s. Tests were performed in 24 volunteers to measure PNS thresholds with the transverse (x = left-right; y = anterior-posterior [A/P]) gradient coils of both prototypes. Fourteen of these 24 volunteers were also tested for the z-gradient PNS in the second prototype and were scanned with high-slew-rate echo planar imaging (EPI) immediately after the PNS tests. For both prototypes, the y-gradient PNS threshold was markedly higher than the x-gradient threshold. The z-gradient threshold was intermediate between those for the x- and y-coils. Of the 24 volunteers, only two experienced y-gradient PNS at 80 mT/m and 500 T/m/s. All volunteers underwent the EPI scan without PNS when the readout direction was set to A/P. Measured PNS characteristics of asymmetric head-only gradient coil prototypes indicate that such coils, especially in the A/P direction, can be used for fast EPI readout in high-performance neuroimaging scans with substantially reduced PNS concerns compared with conventional whole body gradient coils. Magn Reson Med 76:1939-1950, 2016. © 2015 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine. © 2015 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.

Leicester Cough Questionnaire: translation to Portuguese and cross-cultural adaptation for use in Brazil*

PubMed Central

Felisbino, Manuela Brisot; Steidle, Leila John Marques; Gonçalves-Tavares, Michelle; Pizzichini, Marcia Margaret Menezes; Pizzichini, Emilio

2014-01-01

Objective: To translate the Leicester Cough Questionnaire (LCQ) to Portuguese and adapt it for use in Brazil. Methods: Cross-cultural adaptation of a quality of life questionnaire requires a translated version that is conceptually equivalent to the original version and culturally acceptable in the target country. The protocol used consisted of the translation of the LCQ to Portuguese by three Brazilian translators who were fluent in English and its back-translation to English by another translator who was a native speaker of English and fluent in Portuguese. The back-translated version was evaluated by one of the authors of the original questionnaire in order to verify its equivalence. Later in the process, a provisional Portuguese-language version was thoroughly reviewed by an expert committee. In 10 patients with chronic cough, cognitive debriefing was carried out in order to test the understandability, clarity, and acceptability of the translated questionnaire in the target population. On that basis, the final Portuguese-language version of the LCQ was produced and approved by the committee. Results: Few items were questioned by the source author and revised by the committee of experts. During the cognitive debriefing phase, the Portuguese-language version of the LCQ proved to be well accepted and understood by all of the respondents, which demonstrates the robustness of the process of translation and cross-cultural adaptation. Conclusions: The final version of the LCQ adapted for use in Brazil was found to be easy to understand and easily applied. PMID:25029643

Visual cortex entrains to sign language.

PubMed

Brookshire, Geoffrey; Lu, Jenny; Nusbaum, Howard C; Goldin-Meadow, Susan; Casasanto, Daniel

2017-06-13

Despite immense variability across languages, people can learn to understand any human language, spoken or signed. What neural mechanisms allow people to comprehend language across sensory modalities? When people listen to speech, electrophysiological oscillations in auditory cortex entrain to slow ([Formula: see text]8 Hz) fluctuations in the acoustic envelope. Entrainment to the speech envelope may reflect mechanisms specialized for auditory perception. Alternatively, flexible entrainment may be a general-purpose cortical mechanism that optimizes sensitivity to rhythmic information regardless of modality. Here, we test these proposals by examining cortical coherence to visual information in sign language. First, we develop a metric to quantify visual change over time. We find quasiperiodic fluctuations in sign language, characterized by lower frequencies than fluctuations in speech. Next, we test for entrainment of neural oscillations to visual change in sign language, using electroencephalography (EEG) in fluent speakers of American Sign Language (ASL) as they watch videos in ASL. We find significant cortical entrainment to visual oscillations in sign language <5 Hz, peaking at [Formula: see text]1 Hz. Coherence to sign is strongest over occipital and parietal cortex, in contrast to speech, where coherence is strongest over the auditory cortex. Nonsigners also show coherence to sign language, but entrainment at frontal sites is reduced relative to fluent signers. These results demonstrate that flexible cortical entrainment to language does not depend on neural processes that are specific to auditory speech perception. Low-frequency oscillatory entrainment may reflect a general cortical mechanism that maximizes sensitivity to informational peaks in time-varying signals.

The perceived impact of stuttering on personality as measured by the NEO-FFI-3.

PubMed

Banerjee, Shivangi; Casenhiser, Devin; Hedinger, Tricia; Kittilstved, Tiffani; Saltuklaroglu, Tim

2017-04-01

The NEO-FFI has been widely used to demonstrate personality differences between people who stutter (PWS) and those who do not. These differences can be interpreted as indicators of internal sources of disability that contribute to handicaps associated with stuttering. The aim of the current study was to use this same tool to determine the perceived impact of stuttering on personality in order to provide a similar indicator of how external factors may contribute to the stuttering disability. A total of 49 non-stuttering young adults were given the NEO-FFI-3 after watching a video of someone stuttering (moderately to severely) and after watching a video of someone speaking fluently. Participants were asked to answer test items while imagining that they had spoken like the persons in the videos for their entire lives. When asked to assume the stuttering perspective, participants reported themselves to be significantly more neurotic (P < 0.01) and less extraverted (P < 0.01) than when they assumed the perspective of the fluent speaker. The large differences (∼10 points; greater than one standard deviation) in these domains between the fluent and stuttered perspectives are consistent with existing stereotypes about PWS. These differences are greater than and only partially consistent with differences in personality found between PWS and non-stuttering individuals. The findings support the notion that external factors (e.g. listener reactions and stereotypes about PWS) contribute strongly to the manner in which stuttering restricts function and results in handicaps.

Structured terror: further exploring the effects of mortality salience and personal need for structure on worldview defense.

PubMed

Juhl, Jacob; Routledge, Clay

2010-06-01

Previous research indicates that people respond to heightened death-related cognition with increased defense of predominant cultural beliefs (cultural worldview defense). However, recent research indicates that individual differences in personal need for structure (PNS) impact responses to threatening thoughts of death such that those high, but not low, in PNS respond to death thoughts by seeking a highly structured, clear, and coherent view of the world. Research has yet to fully consider the extent to which PNS affects the cultural worldview defenses typically exhibited after death is rendered salient. The current 3 studies examine the potential for PNS to determine the extent to which people respond to mortality salience with increased worldview defense. In all three studies PNS was measured and mortality salience induced. Subsequently, university-related (Study 1) or religious (Studies 2 and 3) worldview defense was assessed. Only individuals high in PNS responded to mortality salience with increased worldview defense.

The Effects of Fluency Enhancing Conditions on Sensorimotor Control of Speech in Typically Fluent Speakers: An EEG Mu Rhythm Study

PubMed Central

Kittilstved, Tiffani; Reilly, Kevin J.; Harkrider, Ashley W.; Casenhiser, Devin; Thornton, David; Jenson, David E.; Hedinger, Tricia; Bowers, Andrew L.; Saltuklaroglu, Tim

2018-01-01

Objective: To determine whether changes in sensorimotor control resulting from speaking conditions that induce fluency in people who stutter (PWS) can be measured using electroencephalographic (EEG) mu rhythms in neurotypical speakers. Methods: Non-stuttering (NS) adults spoke in one control condition (solo speaking) and four experimental conditions (choral speech, delayed auditory feedback (DAF), prolonged speech and pseudostuttering). Independent component analysis (ICA) was used to identify sensorimotor μ components from EEG recordings. Time-frequency analyses measured μ-alpha (8–13 Hz) and μ-beta (15–25 Hz) event-related synchronization (ERS) and desynchronization (ERD) during each speech condition. Results: 19/24 participants contributed μ components. Relative to the control condition, the choral and DAF conditions elicited increases in μ-alpha ERD in the right hemisphere. In the pseudostuttering condition, increases in μ-beta ERD were observed in the left hemisphere. No differences were present between the prolonged speech and control conditions. Conclusions: Differences observed in the experimental conditions are thought to reflect sensorimotor control changes. Increases in right hemisphere μ-alpha ERD likely reflect increased reliance on auditory information, including auditory feedback, during the choral and DAF conditions. In the left hemisphere, increases in μ-beta ERD during pseudostuttering may have resulted from the different movement characteristics of this task compared with the solo speaking task. Relationships to findings in stuttering are discussed. Significance: Changes in sensorimotor control related feedforward and feedback control in fluency-enhancing speech manipulations can be measured using time-frequency decompositions of EEG μ rhythms in neurotypical speakers. This quiet, non-invasive, and temporally sensitive technique may be applied to learn more about normal sensorimotor control and fluency enhancement in PWS. PMID:29670516

Prenatally stressed piglets 'shut down' in response to separation, oxytocin modulates some effects

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Prenatal stress (PNS) effects may enhance offspring’s survival traits. Yet, PNS could be maladaptive for captive animals, causing anxiety and abnormal social development. Oxytocin (OT) reduces anxiety while OT deficiency results in social behavior alteration. We hypothesized that PNS piglets would b...

Gross anatomy and development of the peripheral nervous system.

PubMed

Catala, Martin; Kubis, Nathalie

2013-01-01

The nervous system is divided into the central nervous system (CNS) composed of the brain, the brainstem, the cerebellum, and the spinal cord and the peripheral nervous system (PNS) made up of the different nerves arising from the CNS. The PNS is divided into the cranial nerves III to XII supplying the head and the spinal nerves that supply the upper and lower limbs. The general anatomy of the PNS is organized according to the arrangement of the fibers along the rostro-caudal axis. The control of the development of the PNS has been unravelled during the last 30 years. Motor nerves arise from the ventral neural tube. This ventralization is induced by morphogenetic molecules such as sonic hedgehog. In contrast, the sensory elements of the PNS arise from a specific population of cells originating from the roof of the neural tube, namely the neural crest. These cells give rise to the neurons of the dorsal root ganglia, the autonomic ganglia and the paraganglia including the adrenergic neurons of the adrenals. Furthermore, the supportive glial Schwann cells of the PNS originate from the neural crest cells. Growth factors as well as myelinating proteins are involved in the development of the PNS. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Increased firing frequency of spontaneous action potentials in cerebellar Purkinje neurons of db/db mice results from altered auto-rhythmicity and diminished GABAergic tonic inhibition.

PubMed

Forero-Vivas, María E; Hernández-Cruz, Arturo

2014-01-01

The hormone leptin, by binding to hypothalamic receptors, suppresses food intake and decreases body adiposity. Leptin receptors are also widely expressed in extra-hypothalamic areas such as hippocampus, amygdala and cerebellum, where leptin modulates synaptic transmission. Here we show that a defective leptin receptor affects the electrophysiological properties of cerebellar Purkinje neurons (PNs). PNs from (db/db) mice recorded in cerebellar slices display a higher firing rate of spontaneous action potentials than PNs from wild type (WT) mice. Blockade of GABAergic tonic inhibition with bicuculline in WT mice changes the firing pattern from continuous, uninterrupted spiking into bursting firing, but bicuculline does not produce these alterations in db/db neurons, suggesting that they receive a weaker GABAergic inhibitory input. Our results also show that the intrinsic firing properties (auto-rhythmicity) of WT and db/db PNs are different. Tonic firing of PNs, the only efferent output from the cerebellar cortex, is a persistent signal to downstream cerebellar targets. The significance of leptin modulation of PNs spontaneous firing is not known. Also, it is not clear if the increased excitability of cerebellar PNs in db/db mice results from hyperglycemia or from the lack of leptin signaling, since both conditions coexist in the db/db strain.

Over-reported peripheral neuropathy symptoms in a cohort of HIV infected and uninfected Rwandan women: the need for validated locally appropriate questionnaires.

PubMed

Tumusiime, David K; Musabeyezu, Emmanuel; Mutimurah, Eugene; Hoover, Donald R; Shi, Qiuhu; Rudakemwa, Emmanuel; Ndacyayisenga, Victorien; Dusingize, Jean Claude; Sinayobye, Jean D'Amour; Stewart, Aimee; Venter, Francois W D; Anastos, Kathryn

2014-06-01

Peripheral neuropathy symptoms (PNS) are commonly manifested in HIV-infected (HIV+) individuals, although data are limited on the prevalence and predictors of PNS in HIV+ patients from sub-Saharan Africa. To determine the prevalence and predictors of PNS in HIV+ and HIV-uninfected (HIV-) Rwandan women. Data were analysed from 936 (710 HIV+ and 226 HIV-) women from the Rwanda Women Interassociation Study and Assessment (RWISA), an observational prospective cohort study investigating the effectiveness and toxicity of ART in HIV+ women. Of 936 enrolled, 920 (98.3%) were included in this analysis with 44% of HIV- and 52% of the HIV+ women reporting PNS (p=0.06). CD4+ count was not associated with PNS, although there was a non-significant trend towards higher prevalence in those with lower CD4+ counts. For the HIV- women, only alcohol and co-trimoxazole use were independently associated with PNS. WHO HIV stage IV illness and albumin ≤ 3.5 were associated with PNS in HIV+ women. The rate of peripheral neuropathy symptoms reported in this cohort of HIV-infected African women seems implausible, and rather suggests that the screening tool for peripheral neuropathy in culturally diverse African settings be locally validated.

Familial Dysautonomia (FD) Human Embryonic Stem Cell Derived PNS Neurons Reveal that Synaptic Vesicular and Neuronal Transport Genes Are Directly or Indirectly Affected by IKBKAP Downregulation

PubMed Central

Kantor, Gal; Cheishvili, David; Even, Aviel; Birger, Anastasya; Turetsky, Tikva; Gil, Yaniv; Even-Ram, Sharona; Aizenman, Einat; Bashir, Nibal; Maayan, Channa; Razin, Aharon; Reubinoff, Benjamim E.; Weil, Miguel

2015-01-01

A splicing mutation in the IKBKAP gene causes Familial Dysautonomia (FD), affecting the IKAP protein expression levels and proper development and function of the peripheral nervous system (PNS). Here we found new molecular insights for the IKAP role and the impact of the FD mutation in the human PNS lineage by using a novel and unique human embryonic stem cell (hESC) line homozygous to the FD mutation originated by pre implantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) analysis. We found that IKBKAP downregulation during PNS differentiation affects normal migration in FD-hESC derived neural crest cells (NCC) while at later stages the PNS neurons show reduced intracellular colocalization between vesicular proteins and IKAP. Comparative wide transcriptome analysis of FD and WT hESC-derived neurons together with the analysis of human brains from FD and WT 12 weeks old embryos and experimental validation of the results confirmed that synaptic vesicular and neuronal transport genes are directly or indirectly affected by IKBKAP downregulation in FD neurons. Moreover we show that kinetin (a drug that corrects IKBKAP alternative splicing) promotes the recovery of IKAP expression and these IKAP functional associated genes identified in the study. Altogether, these results support the view that IKAP might be a vesicular like protein that might be involved in neuronal transport in hESC derived PNS neurons. This function seems to be mostly affected in FD-hESC derived PNS neurons probably reflecting some PNS neuronal dysfunction observed in FD. PMID:26437462

A Psychoneuroimmunologic Examination of Cumulative Perinatal Steroid Exposures and Preterm Infant Behavioral Follow-Up

PubMed Central

Purdy, Isabell B.; Smith, Lynne; Wiley, Dorothy; Badr, Lina

2014-01-01

Purpose This study’s aim was to explore relationships between preterm infant behavioral outcomes and maternal/infant glucocorticoid (dexamethasone [DEX]) treatments using a psychoneuroimmunologic approach. Research questions were (a) do relationships exist between infant cumulative perinatal steroid (PNS) exposure and child behavioral problems? and (b) do maternal/infant characteristics (e.g., immune markers and biophysiologic stressors) influence these relationships? Methods The convenience sample comprised 45 mother–child dyads in which the children (mean age 8 years ± 2.3) had been born at a mean postconceptional age of 28 weeks (± 4.2). We used the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) to assess behavior, the Clinical Risk Index for Babies (CRIB) to score stress at birth, and retrospective record review to identify additional perinatal factors (PNS dosage, sepsis, and maternal and infant complete blood counts near delivery). Results Children were dichotomized into high (> 0.2mg/kg; n = 20) versus low–no (≤ 0.2 mg/kg; n = 25) PNS exposure groups. Significant relationships existed between CBCL Total Problems score and sepsis, PNS exposure, timing of initial PNS, and infant length percentile at discharge. Competence problems were significantly associated with PNS, neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) infant length percentile, CRIB score, sepsis, retinopathy of prematurity, hearing deficit, and immunity markers (i.e., maternal lymphocyte percentage and infant band/seg ratio). Children in the higher PNS group exhibited more behavioral problems (e.g., withdrawn, attention, conduct, social, and rule breaking problems), but there were no significant differences. The findings are reassuring regarding long-term effects of this PNS dose on preterm infant behavioral outcomes. PMID:21900308

Language as a Facilitator of Cultural Connection

PubMed Central

Gonzalez, Miigis B.; Aronson, Benjamin D.; Kellar, Sidnee; Walls, Melissa L.; Greenfield, Brenna L.

2018-01-01

Understanding culture as a means of preventing or treating health concerns is growing in popularity among social behavioral health scientists. Language is one component of culture and therefore may be a means to improve health among Indigenous populations. This study explores language as a unique aspect of culture through its relationship to other demographic and cultural variables. Participants (n = 218) were adults who self-identified as American Indian, had a type 2 diabetes diagnosis, and were drawn from two Ojibwe communities using health clinic records. We used chi-squared tests to compare language proficiency by demographic groups and ANOVA tests to examine relationships between language and culture. A higher proportion of those living on reservation lands could use the Ojibwe language, and fluent speakers were most notably sixty-five years of age and older. Regarding culture, those with greater participation and value belief in cultural activities reported greater language proficiency. PMID:29782622

Task conflicts and exclusive professionalism in nursing in South Korea.

PubMed

Jung, Minsoo

2014-01-01

Task conflicts among medical professions are essential problems to be solved in health care organizations. This study examined job conflicts between practical nurses (PNs) and registered nurses (RNs) in their duties and tasks with representative panelists from South Korea. This qualitative study used the Dacum Task Analysis process. Subject-matter experts in practical nursing were recruited utilizing stratified sampling: Ten experts developed job descriptions of PNs, and 20 validated the descriptions. The on-site tasks and duties of the PNs were measured by means of Dacum, and the results were reviewed by RNs using 3 focus-group interviews. The job description of PNs consisted of 10 duties and 117 tasks, overlapping with some tasks of RNs. Core tasks performed by PNs, such as invasive activities, led to task conflicts between the 2 groups, as these activities were regarded as the inherent duty of nursing professions. Thus, the RNs did not concede the expanded job scope of the PNs in terms of exclusive professionalism. To reduce task conflict, there is a need for the balanced development of nursing professionalism.

Imaging auditory representations of song and syllables in populations of sensorimotor neurons essential to vocal communication.

PubMed

Peh, Wendy Y X; Roberts, Todd F; Mooney, Richard

2015-04-08

Vocal communication depends on the coordinated activity of sensorimotor neurons important to vocal perception and production. How vocalizations are represented by spatiotemporal activity patterns in these neuronal populations remains poorly understood. Here we combined intracellular recordings and two-photon calcium imaging in anesthetized adult zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata) to examine how learned birdsong and its component syllables are represented in identified projection neurons (PNs) within HVC, a sensorimotor region important for song perception and production. These experiments show that neighboring HVC PNs can respond at markedly different times to song playback and that different syllables activate spatially intermingled PNs within a local (~100 μm) region of HVC. Moreover, noise correlations were stronger between PNs that responded most strongly to the same syllable and were spatially graded within and between classes of PNs. These findings support a model in which syllabic and temporal features of song are represented by spatially intermingled PNs functionally organized into cell- and syllable-type networks within local spatial scales in HVC. Copyright © 2015 the authors 0270-6474/15/355589-17$15.00/0.

Super-response to cardiac resynchronization therapy may predict late phrenic nerve stimulation.

PubMed

Juliá, Justo; López-Gil, María; Fontenla, Adolfo; Lozano, Álvaro; Villagraz, Lola; Salguero, Rafael; Arribas, Fernando

2017-11-22

Changes in the anatomical relationship between left phrenic nerve and coronary veins may occur due to the reverse remodelling observed in super-responders to cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) and might be the underlying mechanism in patients developing late-onset phrenic nerve stimulation (PNS) without evidence of lead dislodgement (LD). In this study, we sought to evaluate the role of super-response (SR) to CRT as a potential predictor of late-onset PNS. Consecutive patients implanted with a left ventricular (LV) lead in a single centre were retrospectively analysed. Phrenic nerve stimulation was classified as 'early' when it occurred within 3 months of implantation and 'late' for occurrences thereafter. 'Late' PNS was considered related to LD (LD-PNS) when LV threshold differed by > 1 V or impedance >250 Ω from baseline values or in case of radiological displacement. Cases not meeting the former criteria were classified as 'non-LD-PNS'. Super-response was defined as a decrease ≥30% of the left ventricluar end-systolic volume at 1-year echocardiography. At 32 ± 7 months follow-up, PNS occurred in 20 of 139 patients. Late non-LD-PNS incidence was significantly higher in the SR group (8/61; 13.1%) when compared with the non-SR (1/78; 1.3%) (P = 0.010). Super-response remained the only predictor of non-LD-PNS at multivariate analysis (odds ratio: 11.62, 95% confidence interval 1.41-95.68, P = 0.023). Incidence of late non-LD-PNS is higher among SR to CRT, suggesting a potential role of the changes in the anatomical relationship between left phrenic nerve and coronary veins. Published on behalf of the European Society of Cardiology. All rights reserved. © The Author 2017. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Protective effect of saponins from Panax notoginseng against doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity in mice.

PubMed

Liu, Li; Shi, Run; Shi, Qiang; Cheng, Yiyu; Huo, Yang

2008-02-01

The dried rhizome of Panax notoginseng is a traditional Chinese herb extensively used for treatment of cardiovascular diseases and other ailments. Panax notoginseng saponins (PNS) are known as the major pharmacologically active constituents. The purpose of this study was to investigate the cardioprotective effects of PNS against doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity and its possible influence on the anti-tumor activity of doxorubicin. Five groups of ICR mice were treated with saline (control group), doxorubicin alone (20 mg/kg I. P.), PNS alone, doxorubicin pretreated with PNS (100 mg/kg I. G. for 5 consecutive days) or amifostine (single dose of 200 mg/kg I. V., used as positive control). After 72 h of doxorubicin treatment, cardiac function, serum levels of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), creatine kinase (CK) and creatine kinase isoenzyme (CK-MB) and activities of antioxidant enzymes in heart tissue were measured. Pretreatment with PNS significantly protected the mice from DOX-induced cardiotoxicity as evidenced from improved ventricular contractile function, lower levels of serum LDH, CK and CK-MB, minimal morphological changes in hearts, and normalization of myocardial superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase and catalase activities. Additionally, IN VITRO cytotoxic studies demonstrated that PNS did not compromise the inhibitory effect of doxorubicin on the proliferation of cancer cells. These results imply the potentially clinical application of PNS to overcome the negative side effects of doxorubicin.

Aggrecan-based extracellular matrix shows unique cortical features and conserved subcortical principles of mammalian brain organization in the Madagascan lesser hedgehog tenrec (Echinops telfairi Martin, 1838).

PubMed

Morawski, M; Brückner, G; Jäger, C; Seeger, G; Künzle, H; Arendt, T

2010-02-03

The Madagascan tenrecs (Afrotheria), an ancient mammalian clade, are characterized by unique brain anatomy. Striking features are an expanded paleocortex but a small and poorly differentiated neocortex devoid of a distinct granular layer IV. To investigate the organization of cortical areas we analyzed extracellular matrix components in perineuronal nets (PNs) using antibodies to aggrecan, lectin staining and hyaluronan-binding protein. Selected subcortical regions were studied to correlate the cortical patterns with features in evolutionary conserved systems. In the neocortex, paleocortex and hippocampus PNs were associated with nonpyramidal neurons. Quantitative analysis in the cerebral cortex revealed area-specific proportions and laminar distribution patterns of neurons ensheathed by PNs. Cortical PNs showed divergent structural phenotypes. Diffuse PNs forming a cotton wool-like perisomatic rim were characteristic of the paleocortex. These PNs were associated with a dense pericellular plexus of calretinin-immunoreactive fibres. Clearly contoured PNs were devoid of a calretinin-positive plexus and predominated in the neocortex and hippocampus. The organization of the extracellular matrix in subcortical nuclei followed the widely distributed mammalian type. We conclude that molecular properties of the aggrecan-based extracellular matrix are conserved during evolution of mammals; however, the matrix scaffold is adapted to specific wiring patterns of cortical and subcortical neuronal networks. Copyright 2010 IBRO. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Occurrence of phrenic nerve stimulation in cardiac resynchronization therapy patients: the role of left ventricular lead type and placement site.

PubMed

Biffi, Mauro; Exner, Derek V; Crossley, George H; Ramza, Brian; Coutu, Benoit; Tomassoni, Gery; Kranig, Wolfgang; Li, Shelby; Kristiansen, Nina; Voss, Frederik

2013-01-01

Unwanted phrenic nerve stimulation (PNS) has been reported in ∼1 in 4 patients undergoing left ventricular (LV) pacing. The occurrence of PNS over mid-term follow-up and the significance of PNS are less certain. Data from 1307 patients enrolled in pre-market studies of LV leads manufactured by Medtronic (models 4193 and 4195 unipolar, 4194, 4196, 4296, and 4396 bipolar) were pooled. Left ventricular lead location was recorded at implant using a common classification scheme. Phrenic nerve stimulation symptoms were either spontaneously reported or identified at scheduled follow-up visits. A PNS-related complication was defined as PNS resulting in invasive intervention or the termination of LV pacing. Average follow-up was 14.9 months (range 0.0-46.6). Phrenic nerve stimulation symptoms occurred in 169 patients (12.9%). Phrenic nerve stimulation-related complications occurred in 21 of 1307 patients (1.6%); 16 of 738 (2.2%) in the unipolar lead studies, and 5 of 569 (0.9%) in the bipolar lead studies (P = 0.08). Phrenic nerve stimulation was more frequent at middle-lateral/posterior, and apical LV sites (139/1010) vs. basal-posterior/lateral/anterior, and middle-anterior sites (20/297; P= 0.01). As compared with an anterior LV lead position, a lateral LV pacing site was associated with over a four-fold higher risk of PNS (P= 0.005) and an apical LV pacing site was associated with over six-fold higher risk of PNS (P= 0.001). Phrenic nerve stimulation occurred in 13% of patients undergoing LV lead placement and was more common at mid-lateral/posterior, and LV apical sites. Most cases (123/139; 88%) of PNS were mitigated via electrical reprogramming, without the need for invasive intervention.

Barriers and outcomes of an evidence-based approach to diagnosis and management of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in Australia: a qualitative study.

PubMed

Dennis, Sarah; Reddel, Helen K; Middleton, Sandy; Hasan, Iqbal; Hermiz, Oshana; Phillips, Rosemary; Crockett, Alan J; Vagholkar, Sanjyot; Marks, Guy B; Zwar, Nicholas

2017-08-01

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is commonly managed in primary care but there is poor awareness of evidence-based guidelines and the quality and interpretation of spirometry is suboptimal. The aims of this qualitative study were to explore how an intervention involving case finding and management of COPD was implemented, and the extent to which the GPs and practice nurses (PNs) worked in partnership to diagnose and manage COPD. Semi-structured interviews with PNs (n = 7), GPs (n = 4) and patients (n = 26) who had participated in the Primary care EarLy Intervention for Copd mANagement (PELICAN) study. The Theoretical Domains Framework was used to guide the coding and analysis of the interviews with PN and GPs. The patient interviews were analysed thematically. PNs developed technical skills and understood the requirements for good-quality spirometry. However, many lacked confidence in its interpretation and felt this was not part of their professional role. This was reflected in responses from the GPs. Once COPD was diagnosed, the GPs tended to manage the patients with the PNs less involved. This was in contrast with PNs' active role in managing patients with other chronic diseases such as diabetes. The extent to which the GPs and PNs worked in partnership to manage COPD varied. PNs improved their skills and confidence in performing spirometry. Beliefs about their professional role, identity and confidence influenced the extent to which PNs were involved in interpretation of the spirometry results and managing the patient in partnership with the GP. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Bony fish myelin: evidence for common major structural glycoproteins in central and peripheral myelin of trout.

PubMed

Jeserich, G; Waehneldt, T V

1986-02-01

Peripheral nervous system (PNS) myelin from the rainbow trout (Salmo gairdneri) banded at a density of 0.38 M sucrose. The main myelin proteins consisted of (1) two basic proteins, BPa and BPb (11,500 and 13,000 MW, similar to those of trout central nervous system (CNS) myelin proteins BP1 and BP2), and (2) two glycosylated components, IPb (24,400 MW) and IPc (26,200 MW). IPc comigrated with trout CNS myelin protein IP2 in sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, whereas trout CNS myelin protein IP1 had a lower molecular weight (23,000). Following two-dimensional separation, however, both IPb and IPc from PNS showed two components; the more acidic component of IPc comigrated with IP2 from CNS. PNS tissue autolysis led to the formation of IPa (20,000 MW), consisting of two components in isoelectric focusing of which again the more acidic one comigrated with the CNS autolysis product IP0. Limited enzymatic digestion of isolated IP proteins from PNS and CNS led to closely similar degradation patterns, being most pronounced in the case of IP2 and IPc. Immunoblotting revealed that all IP components from trout PNS and CNS myelins reacted with antibodies to trout IP1 (CNS) and bovine P0 protein (PNS) whereas antibodies to rat PLP (CNS) were entirely unreactive. All BP components from trout PNS and CNS myelins bound to antibodies against human myelin basic protein. On the basis of these studies trout PNS and CNS myelins contain at least one common IP glycoprotein, whereas other members of the IP myelin protein family appear closely related. In the CNS myelin of trout the IP components appear to replace PLP.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

From prosodic structure to acoustic saliency: A fMRI investigation of speech rate, clarity, and emphasis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Golfinopoulos, Elisa

Acoustic variability in fluent speech can arise at many stages in speech production planning and execution. For example, at the phonological encoding stage, the grouping of phonemes into syllables determines which segments are coarticulated and, by consequence, segment-level acoustic variation. Likewise phonetic encoding, which determines the spatiotemporal extent of articulatory gestures, will affect the acoustic detail of segments. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to measure brain activity of fluent adult speakers in four speaking conditions: fast, normal, clear, and emphatic (or stressed) speech. These speech manner changes typically result in acoustic variations that do not change the lexical or semantic identity of productions but do affect the acoustic saliency of phonemes, syllables and/or words. Acoustic responses recorded inside the scanner were assessed quantitatively using eight acoustic measures and sentence duration was used as a covariate of non-interest in the neuroimaging analysis. Compared to normal speech, emphatic speech was characterized acoustically by a greater difference between stressed and unstressed vowels in intensity, duration, and fundamental frequency, and neurally by increased activity in right middle premotor cortex and supplementary motor area, and bilateral primary sensorimotor cortex. These findings are consistent with right-lateralized motor planning of prosodic variation in emphatic speech. Clear speech involved an increase in average vowel and sentence durations and average vowel spacing, along with increased activity in left middle premotor cortex and bilateral primary sensorimotor cortex. These findings are consistent with an increased reliance on feedforward control, resulting in hyper-articulation, under clear as compared to normal speech. Fast speech was characterized acoustically by reduced sentence duration and average vowel spacing, and neurally by increased activity in left anterior frontal operculum and posterior dorsal inferior frontal gyms pars opercularis -- regions thought to be involved in sequencing and phrase-level structural processing. Taken together these findings identify the acoustic and neural correlates of adjusting speech manner and underscore the different processing stages that can contribute to acoustic variability in fluent sentence production.

A study of the development of the Korean version of PedsQL(TM) 3.0 cerebral palsy module and reliability and validity.

PubMed

Yun, Young-Ju; Shin, Yong-Beom; Kim, Soo-Yeon; Shin, Myung-Jun; Kim, Ra-Jin; Oh, Tae-Young

2016-07-01

[Purpose] The purpose of this study was to develop the Korean version of the PedsQL(TM) 3.0 Cerebral Palsy Module to evaluate the health-related quality of life of children with cerebral palsy and to test the reliability and validity. [Subjects and Methods] The study included 108 caregivers of children with cerebral palsy aged 2 to 4 years and 72 caregivers of children aged 5 to 7 years, who visited multiple sites between February and August 2015. The Translation Commission performed the first translation with the approval of the Mapi Research Trust Company to create a Korean-version of the PedsQL(TM). Afterwards, back-translation was performed by one translator specializing in health and medical treatment who was a native English-speaker fluent in Korean, and one native Korean-speaker fluent in English. The consistency of each question was confirmed and a translation-integrated version was created. Test components were explained to caregivers during a one-on-one interview; caregivers then completed the PedsQL(TM) questionnaire and a Pediatric Evaluation Disability Inventory (PEDI) questionnaire. Subjects contributing to test-retest measures were asked to repeat the PedsQL questionnaire one week later and return it by mail. To assess data quality for the survey question results, non-response rate, ceiling effect, and floor effect were analyzed. Test-retest reliability and internal consistency reliability were assessed. For test-retest reliability, an intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) was calculated, and for internal consistency reliability, Cronbach's alpha was used. To test criterion-related validity, Pearson's correlation coefficient was used. [Results] The content validity of the PedsQL 3.0 Cerebral Palsy Module was high for both age groups, and demonstrated significant internal consistency (>0.7) in all areas. For test-retest reliability, both groups demonstrated a significant ICC (>0.61). Correlation with the PEDI was statistically significant in all areas except pain and hurt. [Conclusion] The Korean version of the PedsQL(TM) 3.0 Cerebral Palsy Module was found to be reliable and valid, and is expected to contribute greatly to the evaluation of the quality of life of children with cerebral palsy.

The Effectiveness of a Computer-Tailored E-Learning Program for Practice Nurses to Improve Their Adherence to Smoking Cessation Counseling Guidelines: Randomized Controlled Trial.

PubMed

de Ruijter, Dennis; Candel, Math; Smit, Eline Suzanne; de Vries, Hein; Hoving, Ciska

2018-05-22

Improving practice nurses' (PN) adherence to smoking cessation counseling guidelines will benefit the quality of smoking cessation care and will potentially lead to higher smoking abstinence rates. However, support programs to aid PNs in improving their guideline uptake and adherence do not exist yet. The aim of this study was to assess the effects of a novel computer-tailored electronic learning (e-learning) program on PNs' smoking cessation guideline adherence. A Web-based randomized controlled trial (RCT) was conducted in which an intervention group (N=147) with full access to the e-learning program for 6 months was compared with a control group (N=122) without access. Data collection was fully automated at baseline and 6-month follow-up via online questionnaires, assessing PNs' demographics, work-related factors, potential behavioral predictors based on the I-Change model, and guideline adherence. PNs also completed counseling checklists to retrieve self-reported counseling activities for each consultation with a smoker (N=1175). To assess the program's effectiveness in improving PNs' guideline adherence (ie, overall adherence and adherence to individual counseling guideline steps), mixed linear and logistic regression analyses were conducted, thus accommodating for the smokers being nested within PNs. Potential effect moderation by work-related factors and behavioral predictors was also examined. After 6 months, 121 PNs in the intervention group (82.3%, 121/147) and 103 in the control group (84.4%, 103/122) completed the follow-up questionnaire. Mixed linear regression analysis revealed that counseling experience moderated the program's effect on PNs' overall guideline adherence (beta=.589; 95% CI 0.111-1.068; P Holm-Bonferroni =.048), indicating a positive program effect on adherence for PNs with a more than average level of counseling experience. Mixed logistic regression analyses regarding adherence to individual guideline steps revealed a trend toward moderating effects of baseline levels of behavioral predictors and counseling experience. More specifically, for PNs with less favorable scores on behavioral predictors (eg, low baseline self-efficacy) and high levels of counseling experience, the program significantly increased adherence. Results from our RCT showed that among PNs with more than average counseling experience, the e-learning program resulted in significantly better smoking cessation guideline adherence. Experienced PNs might have been better able to translate the content of our e-learning program into practically applicable counseling strategies compared with less experienced colleagues. Less favorable baseline levels of behavioral predictors among PNs possibly contributed to this effect, as there was more room for improvement by consulting the tailored content of the e-learning program. To further substantiate the effectiveness of e-learning programs on guideline adherence by health care professionals (HCPs), it is important to assess how to support a wider range of HCPs. Netherlands Trial Register NTR4436; http://www.trialregister.nl/trialreg/admin/rctview.asp?TC=4436 (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/6zJQuSRq0). ©Dennis de Ruijter, Math Candel, Eline Suzanne Smit, Hein de Vries, Ciska Hoving. Originally published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research (http://www.jmir.org), 22.05.2018.

Linking Psychological Need Satisfaction and Physical Activity to Dimensions of Health-Related Quality of Life During Adolescence: A Test of Direct, Reciprocal, and Mediating Effects.

PubMed

Gunnell, Katie E; Brunet, Jennifer; Sabiston, Catherine; Bélanger, Mathieu

2016-08-01

Despite research attention toward understanding relationships between psychological need satisfaction (PNS), moderate-to-vigorous-intensity physical activity (MVPA), and health-related quality of life (HRQoL), methodological limitations make it difficult to establish reciprocal and mediating effects. Reciprocal relationships between PNS and MVPA were examined over 4 years, and their effects on adolescents' change in dimensions of HRQoL were examined. Self-reported data were collected from 932 adolescents (M age = 10.9 years) every 4 months beginning in Grades 5/6. At the between-persons and within-person level, earlier PNS predicted later MVPA whereas earlier MVPA did not predict later PNS. Increases in MVPA were associated with greater change in physical (β linear = .61, β quadratic = .77, ps = .03) and school functioning (β linear = .68, β quadratic = .84, ps = .03) but no other dimensions of HRQoL (p > .05). Decreases in PNS were not associated with any of the dimensions of HRQoL. Fostering adolescents' PNS could be a starting point to increase MVPA, which, in turn, may enhance select dimensions of HRQoL.

Vowel reduction in word-final position by early and late Spanish-English bilinguals.

PubMed

Byers, Emily; Yavas, Mehmet

2017-01-01

Vowel reduction is a prominent feature of American English, as well as other stress-timed languages. As a phonological process, vowel reduction neutralizes multiple vowel quality contrasts in unstressed syllables. For bilinguals whose native language is not characterized by large spectral and durational differences between tonic and atonic vowels, systematically reducing unstressed vowels to the central vowel space can be problematic. Failure to maintain this pattern of stressed-unstressed syllables in American English is one key element that contributes to a "foreign accent" in second language speakers. Reduced vowels, or "schwas," have also been identified as particularly vulnerable to the co-articulatory effects of adjacent consonants. The current study examined the effects of adjacent sounds on the spectral and temporal qualities of schwa in word-final position. Three groups of English-speaking adults were tested: Miami-based monolingual English speakers, early Spanish-English bilinguals, and late Spanish-English bilinguals. Subjects performed a reading task to examine their schwa productions in fluent speech when schwas were preceded by consonants from various points of articulation. Results indicated that monolingual English and late Spanish-English bilingual groups produced targeted vowel qualities for schwa, whereas early Spanish-English bilinguals lacked homogeneity in their vowel productions. This extends prior claims that schwa is targetless for F2 position for native speakers to highly-proficient bilingual speakers. Though spectral qualities lacked homogeneity for early Spanish-English bilinguals, early bilinguals produced schwas with near native-like vowel duration. In contrast, late bilinguals produced schwas with significantly longer durations than English monolinguals or early Spanish-English bilinguals. Our results suggest that the temporal properties of a language are better integrated into second language phonologies than spectral qualities. Finally, we examined the role of nonstructural variables (e.g. linguistic history measures) in predicting native-like vowel duration. These factors included: Age of L2 learning, amount of L1 use, and self-reported bilingual dominance. Our results suggested that different sociolinguistic factors predicted native-like reduced vowel duration than predicted native-like vowel qualities across multiple phonetic environments.

Vowel reduction in word-final position by early and late Spanish-English bilinguals

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

Vowel reduction is a prominent feature of American English, as well as other stress-timed languages. As a phonological process, vowel reduction neutralizes multiple vowel quality contrasts in unstressed syllables. For bilinguals whose native language is not characterized by large spectral and durational differences between tonic and atonic vowels, systematically reducing unstressed vowels to the central vowel space can be problematic. Failure to maintain this pattern of stressed-unstressed syllables in American English is one key element that contributes to a “foreign accent” in second language speakers. Reduced vowels, or “schwas,” have also been identified as particularly vulnerable to the co-articulatory effects of adjacent consonants. The current study examined the effects of adjacent sounds on the spectral and temporal qualities of schwa in word-final position. Three groups of English-speaking adults were tested: Miami-based monolingual English speakers, early Spanish-English bilinguals, and late Spanish-English bilinguals. Subjects performed a reading task to examine their schwa productions in fluent speech when schwas were preceded by consonants from various points of articulation. Results indicated that monolingual English and late Spanish-English bilingual groups produced targeted vowel qualities for schwa, whereas early Spanish-English bilinguals lacked homogeneity in their vowel productions. This extends prior claims that schwa is targetless for F2 position for native speakers to highly-proficient bilingual speakers. Though spectral qualities lacked homogeneity for early Spanish-English bilinguals, early bilinguals produced schwas with near native-like vowel duration. In contrast, late bilinguals produced schwas with significantly longer durations than English monolinguals or early Spanish-English bilinguals. Our results suggest that the temporal properties of a language are better integrated into second language phonologies than spectral qualities. Finally, we examined the role of nonstructural variables (e.g. linguistic history measures) in predicting native-like vowel duration. These factors included: Age of L2 learning, amount of L1 use, and self-reported bilingual dominance. Our results suggested that different sociolinguistic factors predicted native-like reduced vowel duration than predicted native-like vowel qualities across multiple phonetic environments. PMID:28384234

GlcNAc6ST-1 regulates sulfation of N-glycans and myelination in the peripheral nervous system

PubMed Central

Yoshimura, Takeshi; Hayashi, Akiko; Handa-Narumi, Mai; Yagi, Hirokazu; Ohno, Nobuhiko; Koike, Takako; Yamaguchi, Yoshihide; Uchimura, Kenji; Kadomatsu, Kenji; Sedzik, Jan; Kitamura, Kunio; Kato, Koichi; Trapp, Bruce D.; Baba, Hiroko; Ikenaka, Kazuhiro

2017-01-01

Highly specialized glial cells wrap axons with a multilayered myelin membrane in vertebrates. Myelin serves essential roles in the functioning of the nervous system. Axonal degeneration is the major cause of permanent neurological disability in primary myelin diseases. Many glycoproteins have been identified in myelin, and a lack of one myelin glycoprotein results in abnormal myelin structures in many cases. However, the roles of glycans on myelin glycoproteins remain poorly understood. Here, we report that sulfated N-glycans are involved in peripheral nervous system (PNS) myelination. PNS myelin glycoproteins contain highly abundant sulfated N-glycans. Major sulfated N-glycans were identified in both porcine and mouse PNS myelin, demonstrating that the 6-O-sulfation of N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc-6-O-sulfation) is highly conserved in PNS myelin between these species. P0 protein, the most abundant glycoprotein in PNS myelin and mutations in which at the glycosylation site cause Charcot-Marie-Tooth neuropathy, has abundant GlcNAc-6-O-sulfated N-glycans. Mice deficient in N-acetylglucosamine-6-O-sulfotransferase-1 (GlcNAc6ST-1) failed to synthesize sulfated N-glycans and exhibited abnormal myelination and axonal degeneration in the PNS. Taken together, this study demonstrates that GlcNAc6ST-1 modulates PNS myelination and myelinated axonal survival through the GlcNAc-6-O-sulfation of N-glycans on glycoproteins. These findings may provide novel insights into the pathogenesis of peripheral neuropathy. PMID:28186137

GlcNAc6ST-1 regulates sulfation of N-glycans and myelination in the peripheral nervous system.

PubMed

Yoshimura, Takeshi; Hayashi, Akiko; Handa-Narumi, Mai; Yagi, Hirokazu; Ohno, Nobuhiko; Koike, Takako; Yamaguchi, Yoshihide; Uchimura, Kenji; Kadomatsu, Kenji; Sedzik, Jan; Kitamura, Kunio; Kato, Koichi; Trapp, Bruce D; Baba, Hiroko; Ikenaka, Kazuhiro

2017-02-10

Highly specialized glial cells wrap axons with a multilayered myelin membrane in vertebrates. Myelin serves essential roles in the functioning of the nervous system. Axonal degeneration is the major cause of permanent neurological disability in primary myelin diseases. Many glycoproteins have been identified in myelin, and a lack of one myelin glycoprotein results in abnormal myelin structures in many cases. However, the roles of glycans on myelin glycoproteins remain poorly understood. Here, we report that sulfated N-glycans are involved in peripheral nervous system (PNS) myelination. PNS myelin glycoproteins contain highly abundant sulfated N-glycans. Major sulfated N-glycans were identified in both porcine and mouse PNS myelin, demonstrating that the 6-O-sulfation of N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc-6-O-sulfation) is highly conserved in PNS myelin between these species. P 0 protein, the most abundant glycoprotein in PNS myelin and mutations in which at the glycosylation site cause Charcot-Marie-Tooth neuropathy, has abundant GlcNAc-6-O-sulfated N-glycans. Mice deficient in N-acetylglucosamine-6-O-sulfotransferase-1 (GlcNAc6ST-1) failed to synthesize sulfated N-glycans and exhibited abnormal myelination and axonal degeneration in the PNS. Taken together, this study demonstrates that GlcNAc6ST-1 modulates PNS myelination and myelinated axonal survival through the GlcNAc-6-O-sulfation of N-glycans on glycoproteins. These findings may provide novel insights into the pathogenesis of peripheral neuropathy.

Enhanced 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) release from vascular adrenergic nerves in spontaneously hypertensive rats

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kawasaki, H.; Urabe, M.; Takasaki, K.

1986-03-01

The release of 5-HT from vascular adrenergic nerves was compared between normotensive Wistar Kyoto rats (WKY) and SHR. The mesenteric vascular bed isolated from WKY and SHR was perfused with Krebs solution at a constant flow rate of 5 ml/min. Periarterial nerve stimulation (PNS) was delivered at 4 to 16 Hz for 30 sec. In the SHR preparation, the pressor response to PNS, previously decreased by prazonsin (50 nM), was greatly potentiated after treatment with 5-HT(1 ..mu..M) for 15 min and a frequency-dependent pressor response to PNS reappeared, whereas the 5-HT treatment did not alter the pressor response to exogenousmore » norepinephrine (1 nmol) previously reduced by prazonsin. The potentiation of pressor response to PNS after 5-HT treatment was small in the WKY preparation. This potentiation in both WKY and SHR did not occur in the presence of ketanserin (10 nM). In the preparation labeled with (/sup 3/H)-5-HT, PNS (4-16 Hz) evoked a frequency-dependent increase of (/sup 3/H)-efflux, which was abolished by treatment with tetrodotoxin (100 nM) or 6-hydroxydopamine (50 mg/kg i.p. x 2) and in calcium-free Krebs solution. The PNS evoked-(/sup 3/H)-efflux was much greater in SHR than WKY. These results suggest that the release of 5-HT from vascular adrenergic nerves by PNS is enhanced in the SHR preparation.« less

Perineural Spread of Renal Cell Carcinoma: A Case Illustration with a Proposed Anatomic Mechanism and a Review of the Literature.

PubMed

Capek, Stepan; Krauss, William E; Amrami, Kimberly K; Parisi, Joseph E; Spinner, Robert J

2016-05-01

Perineural spread (PNS) is an unusual mechanism of tumor extension and has been typically reported in squamous cell carcinoma, adenocystic carcinoma, and desmoplastic melanoma. Our group has previously demonstrated PNS in rectal, prostate, bladder, and cervical cancer from the primary site along the autonomic nerves to the major somatic nerves and even intradurally. We believe similar principles apply to renal cell carcinoma (RCC) as well, despite the different anatomy. We performed a retrospective search to identify cases of intradural-extramedullary metastases of RCC caused by PNS. Strict anatomic and imaging inclusion criteria were defined: only lesions located between T6 and L3 were included, and PNS as a potential cause had to be supported by imaging evidence. Although 3 cases of spinal intradural metastases were identified, only one met our strict inclusion criteria. A 61-year-old woman developed a late intradural-extramedullary metastasis of RCC 16 years after the original diagnosis that we believe represents an example of visceral organ PNS. RCC can propagate via PNS from the primary tumor along the autonomic nerves to the aorticorenal, celiac, and mesenteric ganglia and then along the thoracic and lumbar splanchnic nerves to the corresponding spinal nerves and intradurally. We present radiologic evidence together with the review of the literature to support the premise that PNS of RCC not only occurs but goes unrecognized. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Relationship Between Persistent Negative Symptoms and Findings of Neurocognition and Neuroimaging in Schizophrenia.

PubMed

İnce, Ezgi; Üçok, Alp

2018-01-01

Negative symptoms are defined as loss or reduction of otherwise present behaviors or functions in illness situation, and they have constituted an important aspect of schizophrenia. Although negative symptoms have usually been considered as a single entity, neurobiological investigations yielded discrepant results. To overcome challenges that derive from this discrepancy, researchers have proposed several approaches to structure negative symptoms into more homogenous constructs. Concept of persistent negative symptoms (PNS) is one of the proposed approaches, and includes both primary and secondary negative symptoms that persist after adequate treatment. PNS is relatively easy to assess, and by definition, more inclusive; yet it represents an unmet therapeutic need. Therefore, it is a target of several neurobiological and pharmacological studies. There are several structural and functional brain alterations associated with negative symptoms. On the other hand, neurocognitive investigations in patients with schizophrenia have revealed deficits in several domains that showed correlations with negative symptoms. There are several shared features between negative symptoms and neurocognitive deficits in schizophrenia such as prevalence rates, course through the illness, prognostic importance, and impact on social functioning. However, exact mechanisms behind the neurobiology of PNS and how it interacts with neurocognition remain to be explained. Earlier reviews on neuroimaging and neurocognitive correlates of PNS have been focused on studies with broadly defined negative symptoms that were selected by methodological closeness to PNS. In this review, we focus on neural correlates and neurocognitive associations of PNS, and we discuss PNS findings available to date.

Schwann cells use TAM receptor-mediated phagocytosis in addition to autophagy to clear myelin in a mouse model of nerve injury.

PubMed

Brosius Lutz, Amanda; Chung, Won-Suk; Sloan, Steven A; Carson, Glenn A; Zhou, Lu; Lovelett, Emilie; Posada, Sean; Zuchero, J Bradley; Barres, Ben A

2017-09-19

Ineffective myelin debris clearance is a major factor contributing to the poor regenerative ability of the central nervous system. In stark contrast, rapid clearance of myelin debris from the injured peripheral nervous system (PNS) is one of the keys to this system's remarkable regenerative capacity, but the molecular mechanisms driving PNS myelin clearance are incompletely understood. We set out to discover new pathways of PNS myelin clearance to identify novel strategies for activating myelin clearance in the injured central nervous system, where myelin debris is not cleared efficiently. Here we show that Schwann cells, the myelinating glia of the PNS, collaborate with hematogenous macrophages to clear myelin debris using TAM (Tyro3, Axl, Mer) receptor-mediated phagocytosis as well as autophagy. In a mouse model of PNS nerve crush injury, Schwann cells up-regulate TAM phagocytic receptors Axl and Mertk following PNS injury, and Schwann cells lacking both of these phagocytic receptors exhibit significantly impaired myelin phagocytosis both in vitro and in vivo. Autophagy-deficient Schwann cells also display reductions in myelin clearance after mouse nerve crush injury, as has been recently shown following nerve transection. These findings add a mechanism, Axl/Mertk-mediated myelin clearance, to the repertoire of cellular machinery used to clear myelin in the injured PNS. Given recent evidence that astrocytes express Axl and Mertk and have previously unrecognized phagocytic potential, this pathway may be a promising avenue for activating myelin clearance after CNS injury.

A comparative study of proliferative nodules and lethal melanomas in congenital nevi from children.

PubMed

Yélamos, Oriol; Arva, Nicoleta C; Obregon, Roxana; Yazdan, Pedram; Wagner, Annette; Guitart, Joan; Gerami, Pedram

2015-03-01

Differentiating proliferative nodules (PNs) from melanomas arising in congenital nevi (CN) is a considerable challenge for dermatopathologists. Most of the specimens dermatopathologists assess that deal with this differential diagnosis involve proliferations of melanocytes arising in the dermis. In this study, we compare the clinical, histologic, and molecular findings of these 2 conditions. In our database, we found 22 examples of PNs arising in the dermis of CN and 2 cases of lethal melanomas arising from the dermis/epidermis of CN of children. Importantly, we found that among dermal melanocytic proliferations arising from CN in children, PNs are far more common than lethal melanomas. Clinically, multiplicity of lesions favored a diagnosis of PNs, whereas ulceration was infrequent in PNs compared with lethal melanomas. Histologically, PNs showed several distinct patterns including expansile nodules of epithelioid melanocytes with mitotic counts lower than that seen in the melanomas (1.67 vs. 12.5 mitoses/mm), a small round blue cell pattern often highly mitotically active, neurocristic-like, blue nevus-like, a nevoid melanoma-like pattern, or an undifferentiated spindle cell pattern. The lethal melanomas both featured expansile nodules of epithelioid melanocytes with high mitotic counts (range, 5 to 20 mitoses/mm) and an ulcerated overlying epidermis. At the molecular level, the PNs showed mostly whole chromosomal copy number aberrations, which in some cases were accompanied by rare partial chromosomal aberrations, whereas both lethal melanomas showed highly elevated copy number aberrations involving 6p25 without gains of the long arm of chromosome 6.

In-situ recording of ionic currents in projection neurons and Kenyon cells in the olfactory pathway of the honeybee

PubMed Central

Rössler, Wolfgang

2018-01-01

The honeybee olfactory pathway comprises an intriguing pattern of convergence and divergence: ~60.000 olfactory sensory neurons (OSN) convey olfactory information on ~900 projection neurons (PN) in the antennal lobe (AL). To transmit this information reliably, PNs employ relatively high spiking frequencies with complex patterns. PNs project via a dual olfactory pathway to the mushroom bodies (MB). This pathway comprises the medial (m-ALT) and the lateral antennal lobe tract (l-ALT). PNs from both tracts transmit information from a wide range of similar odors, but with distinct differences in coding properties. In the MBs, PNs form synapses with many Kenyon cells (KC) that encode odors in a spatially and temporally sparse way. The transformation from complex information coding to sparse coding is a well-known phenomenon in insect olfactory coding. Intrinsic neuronal properties as well as GABAergic inhibition are thought to contribute to this change in odor representation. In the present study, we identified intrinsic neuronal properties promoting coding differences between PNs and KCs using in-situ patch-clamp recordings in the intact brain. We found very prominent K+ currents in KCs clearly differing from the PN currents. This suggests that odor coding differences between PNs and KCs may be caused by differences in their specific ion channel properties. Comparison of ionic currents of m- and l-ALT PNs did not reveal any differences at a qualitative level. PMID:29351552

Effects of prenatal chronic mild stress exposure on hippocampal cell proliferation, expression of GSK-3α, β and NR2B in adult offspring during fear extinction in rats.

PubMed

Li, Min; Li, Xiaobai; Zhang, Xinxin; Ren, Jintao; Jiang, Han; Wang, Yan; Ma, Yuchao; Cheng, Wenwen

2014-06-01

Stress during pregnancy has been implicated as a risk factor for the development of many mental disorders; however, the influence of prenatal stress on the fear or anxiety-related behaviors, especially the fear extinction in adult offspring has been little investigated. In order to investigate how prenatal stress affects fear extinction, which is regarded as a form of new learning that counteracts the expression of Pavlovian's conditioned fear, a rat model of prenatal chronic mild stress (PNS) was used to evaluate the effects of PNS on fear extinction in adult offspring. The expression of hippocampal glycogen synthase kinase-3s (GSK-3α, β), N-methyl-d-aspartic acid receptors (NMDARs)-2B and the hippocampal cell proliferation in dentate gyrus in the adult offspring during fear extinction were studied. Our results showed that PNS significantly reduced body weight of pups, indicating PNS might induce growth retardation in offspring. Moreover, PNS significantly enhanced the freezing behavior of offspring at the phase of extinction, suggesting PNS impaired the abilities of fear extinction learning. In addition, PNS significantly increased the levels of GSK-3α, β and NR2B, but reduced hippocampal cell proliferation during fear extinction. Taken together, our findings suggest that maternal stress during pregnancy can impair the fear extinction of adult offspring, probably by affecting the neural plasticity of brain. Copyright © 2014 ISDN. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Acute Stress Impairs Inhibitory Control based on Individual Differences in Parasympathetic Nervous System Activity

PubMed Central

Roos, Leslie E.; Knight, Erik L.; Beauchamp, Kathryn G.; Berkman, Elliot T.; Faraday, Kelsie; Hyslop, Katie; Fisher, Philip A.

2017-01-01

Identifying environmental influences on inhibitory control (IC) may help promote positive behavioral and social adjustment. Although chronic stress is known to predict lower IC, the immediate effects of acute stress are unknown. The parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) may be a mechanism of the stress-IC link, given its psychophysiological regulatory role and connections to prefrontal brain regions critical to IC. We used a focused assessment of IC (the stop-signal task) to test whether an acute social stressor (the Trier Social Stress Test) affected participants’ pre- to post-IC performance (n = 58), compared to a control manipulation (n = 31). High frequency heart-rate variability was used as an index of PNS activity in response to the manipulation. Results indicated that stress impaired IC performance, blocking the practice effects observed in control participants. We also investigated the associations between PNS activity and IC; higher resting PNS activity predicted better pre-manipulation IC, and greater PNS stressor reactivity protected against the negative effects of stress on IC. Together, these results are the first to document the immediate effects of acute stress on IC and a phenotypic marker (PNS reactivity to stressors) of susceptibility to stress-induced IC impairment. This study suggests a new way to identify situations in which individuals are likely to exhibit IC vulnerability and related consequences such as impulsivity and risk taking behavior. Targeting PNS regulation may represent a novel target for IC-focused interventions. PMID:28268165

Hubble Space Telescope Snapshot Search for Planetary Nebulae in Globular Clusters of the Local Group

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bond, Howard E.

2015-04-01

Single stars in ancient globular clusters (GCs) are believed incapable of producing planetary nebulae (PNs), because their post-asymptotic-giant-branch evolutionary timescales are slower than the dissipation timescales for PNs. Nevertheless, four PNs are known in Galactic GCs. Their existence likely requires more exotic evolutionary channels, including stellar mergers and common-envelope binary interactions. I carried out a snapshot imaging search with the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) for PNs in bright Local Group GCs outside the Milky Way. I used a filter covering the 5007 Å nebular emission line of [O iii], and another one in the nearby continuum, to image 66 GCs. Inclusion of archival HST frames brought the total number of extragalactic GCs imaged at 5007 Å to 75, whose total luminosity slightly exceeds that of the entire Galactic GC system. I found no convincing PNs in these clusters, aside from one PN in a young M31 cluster misclassified as a GC, and two PNs at such large angular separations from an M31 GC that membership is doubtful. In a ground-based spectroscopic survey of 274 old GCs in M31, Jacoby et al. found three candidate PNs. My HST images of one of them suggest that the [O iii] emission actually arises from ambient interstellar medium rather than a PN; for the other two candidates, there are broadband archival UV HST images that show bright, blue point sources that are probably the PNs. In a literature search, I also identified five further PN candidates lying near old GCs in M31, for which follow-up observations are necessary to confirm their membership. The rates of incidence of PNs are similar, and small but nonzero, throughout the GCs of the Local Group. Based on observations with the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope obtained at the Space Telescope Science Institute, and from the data archive at STScI, which are operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., under NASA contract NAS5-26555.

[Autoantibodies in Paraneoplastic Neurological Syndrome].

PubMed

Kawachi, Izumi

2018-04-01

Paraneoplastic neurological syndromes (PNS) are caused by immune responses against neuronal antigens expressed by the tumor. Based on the immunological pathomechanisms and responsiveness of treatments, onconeuronal antibodies are divided into two categories: 1) antibodies against neural intracellular antigens and 2) antibodies against neuronal surface or synaptic antigens. The recent discovery of onconeuronal antibodies have radically changed concepts of CNS autoimmunity, including PNS. The recognition of PNS provides a foundation for the early detection of underlying tumors and initiations of prompt treatments, which can result in substantial improvement. We here review the characteristic onconeuronal antibodies, including anti-Hu, anti-Ma2, and anti-N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor, and discuss the algorithm for the diagnosis of PNS.

Fluent Aphasia in Telugu: A Case Comparison Study of Semantic Dementia and Stroke Aphasia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alladi, Suvarna; Mridula, Rukmini; Mekala, Shailaja; Rupela, Vani; Kaul, Subhash

2010-01-01

This study presents two cases with fluent aphasia in Telugu with semantic dementia and post-stroke fluent aphasia. Comparable scores were obtained on the conventional neuropsychological and language tests that were administered on the two cases. Both cases demonstrated fluent, grammatical and well-articulated speech with little content, impaired…

Experimental study of brachial plexus and vessel compression: evaluation of combined central and peripheral electrodiagnostic approach.

PubMed

Yang, Chaoqun; Xu, Jianguang; Chen, Jie; Li, Shulin; Cao, Yu; Zhu, Yi; Xu, Lei

2017-08-01

We sought to investigate the reliability of a new electrodiagnostic method for identifying Electrodiagnosis of Brachial Plexus & Vessel Compression Syndrome (BPVCS) in rats that involves the application of transcranial electrical stimulation motor evoked potentials (TES-MEPs) combined with peripheral nerve stimulation compound muscle action potentials (PNS-CMAPs). The latencies of the TES-MEP and PNS-CMAP were initially elongated in the 8-week group. The amplitudes of TES-MEP and PNS-CMAP were initially attenuated in the 16-week group. The isolateral amplitude ratio of the TES-MEP to the PNS-CMAP was apparently decreased, and spontaneous activities emerged at 16 weeks postoperatively. Superior and inferior trunk models of BPVCS were created in 72 male Sprague Dawley (SD) rats that were divided into six experimental groups. The latencies, amplitudes and isolateral amplitude ratios of the TES-MEPs and PNS-CMAPs were recorded at different postoperative intervals. Electrophysiological and histological examinations of the rats' compressed brachial plexus nerves were utilized to establish preliminary electrodiagnostic criteria for BPVCS.

Peripheral Nerve Stimulation Compared to Usual Care for Pain Relief of Hemiplegic Shoulder Pain: A Randomized Controlled Trial

PubMed Central

Wilson, Richard D.; Gunzler, Douglas D.; Bennett, Maria E.; Chae, John

2014-01-01

Objective This study seeks to establish the efficacy of single-lead, 3-week peripheral nerve stimulation (PNS) therapy for pain reduction in stroke survivors with chronic hemiplegic shoulder pain. Design Single-site, pilot, randomized controlled trial for adults with chronic shoulder pain after stroke. Participants were randomized to receive a 3-week treatment of single-lead PNS or usual care (UC). The primary outcome was the worst pain in the last week (Brief Pain Inventory, Short Form question 3) measured at baseline, and weeks 1,4, 12, and 16. Secondary outcomes included pain interference (Brief Pain Inventory, Short Form question 9), pain measured by the ShoulderQ Visual Graphic Rating Scales; and health-related quality of life (SF-36v2). Results Twenty-five participants were recruited, 13 to PNS and 12 to UC. There was a significantly greater reduction in pain for the PNS group compared to controls, with significant differences at 6 and 12 weeks after treatment. Both PNS and UC were associated with significant improvements in pain interference and physical health related quality of life. Conclusions Short-term PNS is a safe and efficacious treatment for shoulder pain. Pain reduction is greater than compared to UC and is maintained for at least 12 weeks after treatment. PMID:24355994

Primary and persistent negative symptoms: Concepts, assessments and neurobiological bases.

PubMed

Mucci, Armida; Merlotti, Eleonora; Üçok, Alp; Aleman, André; Galderisi, Silvana

2017-08-01

Primary and persistent negative symptoms (PPNS) represent an unmet need in the care of people with schizophrenia. They have an unfavourable impact on real-life functioning and do not respond to available treatments. Underlying etiopathogenetic mechanisms of PPNS are still unknown. The presence of primary and enduring negative symptoms characterizes deficit schizophrenia (DS), proposed as a separate disease entity with respect to non-deficit schizophrenia (NDS). More recently, to reduce the heterogeneity of negative symptoms by using criteria easily applicable in the context of clinical trials, the concept of persistent negative symptoms (PNS) was developed. Both PNS and DS constructs include enduring negative symptoms (at least 6months for PNS and 12months for DS) that do not respond to available treatments. PNS exclude secondary negative symptoms based on a cross-sectional evaluation of severity thresholds on commonly used rating scales for positive symptoms, depression and extrapyramidal side effects; the DS diagnosis, instead, excludes all potential sources of secondary negative symptoms based on a clinical longitudinal assessment. In this paper we review the evolution of concepts and assessment modalities relevant to PPNS, data on prevalence of DS and PNS, as well as studies on clinical, neuropsychological, brain imaging electrophysiological and psychosocial functioning aspects of DS and PNS. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Modified Continuum Mechanics Modeling on Size-Dependent Properties of Piezoelectric Nanomaterials: A Review

PubMed Central

Yan, Zhi; Jiang, Liying

2017-01-01

Piezoelectric nanomaterials (PNs) are attractive for applications including sensing, actuating, energy harvesting, among others in nano-electro-mechanical-systems (NEMS) because of their excellent electromechanical coupling, mechanical and physical properties. However, the properties of PNs do not coincide with their bulk counterparts and depend on the particular size. A large amount of efforts have been devoted to studying the size-dependent properties of PNs by using experimental characterization, atomistic simulation and continuum mechanics modeling with the consideration of the scale features of the nanomaterials. This paper reviews the recent progresses and achievements in the research on the continuum mechanics modeling of the size-dependent mechanical and physical properties of PNs. We start from the fundamentals of the modified continuum mechanics models for PNs, including the theories of surface piezoelectricity, flexoelectricity and non-local piezoelectricity, with the introduction of the modified piezoelectric beam and plate models particularly for nanostructured piezoelectric materials with certain configurations. Then, we give a review on the investigation of the size-dependent properties of PNs by using the modified continuum mechanics models, such as the electromechanical coupling, bending, vibration, buckling, wave propagation and dynamic characteristics. Finally, analytical modeling and analysis of nanoscale actuators and energy harvesters based on piezoelectric nanostructures are presented. PMID:28336861

Supplementation with fish oil and coconut fat prevents prenatal stress-induced changes in early postnatal development.

PubMed

Borsonelo, Elizabethe C; Suchecki, Deborah; Calil, Helena Maria; Galduróz, José Carlos F

2011-08-01

Adequate development of the central nervous system depends on prenatal and postnatal factors. On one hand, prenatal stress (PNS) has been implicated in impaired development of the offspring. On other hand, nutritional factors during pregnancy and lactation can influence fetal and postnatal growth. This study assessed the postnatal development of rat offspring exposed to PNS, which consisted of restraint and bright lights, 3 times/day, from days 14 to 20 of pregnancy, whose mothers were fed different diets during pregnancy and lactation: regular diet, diet supplemented with coconut fat or fish oil. When pregnancy was confirmed, they were distributed into control (CTL) or PNS groups. At birth, PNS males and females weighed less than those in the group CTL. At 21 days of age, this alteration was no longer observed with fish oil and coconut fat groups. PNS and coconut fat diet induced increased locomotor activity in 13 day old male and female pups, and this effect was prevented by fish oil supplementation only in females. In conclusion, postnatal development from birth to weaning was influenced by PNS and diet and some of those alterations were prevented by coconut fat and fish oil. Copyright © 2011 ISDN. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Modified Continuum Mechanics Modeling on Size-Dependent Properties of Piezoelectric Nanomaterials: A Review.

PubMed

Yan, Zhi; Jiang, Liying

2017-01-26

Piezoelectric nanomaterials (PNs) are attractive for applications including sensing, actuating, energy harvesting, among others in nano-electro-mechanical-systems (NEMS) because of their excellent electromechanical coupling, mechanical and physical properties. However, the properties of PNs do not coincide with their bulk counterparts and depend on the particular size. A large amount of efforts have been devoted to studying the size-dependent properties of PNs by using experimental characterization, atomistic simulation and continuum mechanics modeling with the consideration of the scale features of the nanomaterials. This paper reviews the recent progresses and achievements in the research on the continuum mechanics modeling of the size-dependent mechanical and physical properties of PNs. We start from the fundamentals of the modified continuum mechanics models for PNs, including the theories of surface piezoelectricity, flexoelectricity and non-local piezoelectricity, with the introduction of the modified piezoelectric beam and plate models particularly for nanostructured piezoelectric materials with certain configurations. Then, we give a review on the investigation of the size-dependent properties of PNs by using the modified continuum mechanics models, such as the electromechanical coupling, bending, vibration, buckling, wave propagation and dynamic characteristics. Finally, analytical modeling and analysis of nanoscale actuators and energy harvesters based on piezoelectric nanostructures are presented.

Spatiotemporal, kinematic, and kinetic effects of a peroneal nerve stimulator versus an ankle foot orthosis in hemiparetic gait.

PubMed

Sheffler, Lynne R; Bailey, Stephanie Nogan; Wilson, Richard D; Chae, John

2013-06-01

The relative effect of a transcutaneous peroneal nerve stimulator (tPNS) and an ankle foot orthosis (AFO) on spatiotemporal, kinematic, and kinetic parameters of hemiparetic gait has not been well described. To compare the relative neuroprosthetic effect of a tPNS with the orthotic effect of an AFO using quantitative gait analysis (QGA). In all, 12 stroke survivors underwent QGA under 3 device conditions: (1) no device (ND), (2) AFO, and (3) tPNS. A series of repeated-measures analyses of variance (rmANOVAs) were performed with dorsiflexion status (presence or absence of volitional dorsiflexion) as a covariate to compare selected spatiotemporal, kinematic, and kinetic parameters for each device condition. Post hoc pairwise comparisons and/or subset analysis by dorsiflexion status were performed for significant effect. Stride length was improved with both the AFO (P = .035) and the tPNS (P = .029) relative to ND. Those with absent dorsiflexion had longer stride length with the tPNS relative to ND (P = .034) and a higher walking velocity with a tPNS relative to the AFO (P = .015). There was no device effect on dorsiflexion angle at initial contact; however, a significant Device × Dorsiflexion status interaction effect favored the AFO relative to ND (P = .025) in those with dorsiflexion present. This study suggests that level of motor impairment may influence the relative effects of the tPNS and AFO devices in chronic hemiparetic gait; however, the small sample size limits generalizability. Future studies are necessary to determine if motor impairment level should be considered in the clinical prescription of these devices.

Massive plexiform neurofibromas in childhood: natural history and management issues.

PubMed

Serletis, Demitre; Parkin, Patricia; Bouffet, Eric; Shroff, Manohar; Drake, James M; Rutka, James T

2007-05-01

The authors review their experience with massive plexiform neurofibromas (PNs) in patients with pediatric neurofibromatosis Type 1 (NF1) to better characterize the natural history and management of these complex lesions. The authors performed a retrospective review of data obtained in seven patients with NF1 in whom massive PNs were diagnosed at The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. These patients attended routine follow-up examinations conducted by a number of specialists, and serial neuroimaging studies were obtained to monitor disease progression. The most common presenting feature of PN was that of a painful, expanding lesion. Furthermore, two patients harbored multiple, distinct PNs affecting different body sites. With respect to management, two patients were simply observed, undergoing serial neuroimaging studies; two patients underwent biopsy sampling of their plexiform lesions; two patients underwent attempted medical treatment (farnesyl transferase inhibitor, R11577, and cyclophosphamide chemotherapy); and three patients required surgical debulking of their PNs because the massive growth of these tumors caused functional compromise. Ultimately, one patient died of respiratory complications due to progressive growth of the massive PN lesion. In this review of their experience, the authors found certain features that underscore the presentation and natural history of PNs. The management of these complex lesions, however, remains unclear. Slow-growing PNs may be observed conservatively, but the authors' experience suggests that resection should be considered in selected cases involving significant deterioration or functional compromise. Nevertheless, patients with massive PNs will benefit from close surveillance by a team of specialists to monitor for ongoing disease progression.

Barriers, facilitators and attitudes influencing health promotion activities in general practice: an explorative pilot study

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background The number of chronically ill patients increases every year. This is partly due to an unhealthy lifestyle. However, the frequency and quality of (evidence-based) health promotion activities conducted by Dutch general practitioners (GPs) and practice nurses (PNs) are limited. The aim of this pilot study was to explore which lifestyle interventions Dutch GPs and PNs carry out in primary care, which barriers and facilitators can be identified and what main topics are with respect to attitudes towards health promoting activities. These topic areas will be identified for a future, larger scale study. Method This qualitative study consisted of 25 semi-structured interviews with sixteen GPs and nine PNs. ATLAS.ti was used to analyse the transcripts of the interviews. Results All GPs and PNs said they discuss lifestyle with their patients. Next to this, GPs and PNs counsel patients, and/or refer them to other disciplines. Only few said they refer patients to specific lifestyle programs or interventions in their own practice or in the neighbourhood. Several barriers and facilitators were identified. The main topics as barriers are: a lack of patients’ motivation to make lifestyle changes, insufficient reimbursement, a lack of proven effectiveness of interventions and a lack of overview of health promoting programs in their neighbourhood. The most cited facilitators are availability of a PN, collaboration with other disciplines and availability of interventions in their own practice. With respect to attitudes, six different types of GPs were identified reflecting the main topics that relate to attitudes, varying from ‘ignorer’ to ‘nurturer’. The topics relating to PNs attitudes towards health promotion activities, were almost unanimously positive. Conclusion GPs and PNs all say they discuss lifestyle issues with their patients, but the health promotion activities that are organized in their practice vary. Main topics that hinder or facilitate implementation are identified, including those that relate to attitudes of GPs and PNs. PMID:23394162

Impact of crystalline lens opacification on effective phacoemulsification time in femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery.

PubMed

Mayer, Wolfgang J; Klaproth, Oliver K; Hengerer, Fritz H; Kohnen, Thomas

2014-02-01

To compare effective phacoemulsification time in cataract surgery performed by manual phacoemulsification vs femtosecond laser-assisted lens fragmentation. Retrospective, consecutive, nonrandomized, comparative case series. The setting was the Department of Ophthalmology, Goethe-University, Frankfurt, Germany. The study population included 150 eyes of 86 patients with senile cataract. In the intervention, 88 eyes (group 1) underwent femtosecond laser-assisted surgery (corneal incisions, capsulotomy, lens fragmentation) using the LenSx platform (Alcon) and residual lens work-up with pulsed ultrasound energy (Infiniti Vision System; Alcon). In 62 eyes (group 2), complete cataract removal was performed with phacoemulsification only, using pulsed ultrasound energy with the same device (Infiniti). Nucleus staging (Pentacam nucleus staging; PNS) was evaluated using Pentacam HR (Oculus); endothelial cell density was measured using specular microscopy (NonCon Robo). The main outcome measures were as follows. Mean preoperative PNS staging was assessed using an automatic ordinal scaling (PNS-O, grades 0-5) and a manually defined density grid derived from Scheimpflug imaging (PNS-P [%]). Effective phacoemulsification time and endothelial cell loss were evaluated in both groups. Preoperative PNS-O and PNS-P showed no significant difference between groups (P = 0.267). Overall mean effective phacoemulsification time was significantly lower in group 1 (1.58 ± 1.02 seconds) compared to 4.17 ± 2.06 seconds in group 2 (P = 0.001). Effective phacoemulsification time was significantly lower in group 1 for all PNS-O stages (P < 0.001). With increasing preoperative PNS-P, effective phacoemulsification time increased in both groups; however, this gain was noticeably, but not significantly, lower in group 2. Endothelial cell loss was significantly lower in group 1 (P = 0.02). Femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery allows a significant reduction in effective phacoemulsification time, which correlates positively with the preoperative lens opacity. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

[Studies on extraction process optimization of Panax notogingseng saponins].

PubMed

Qu, Lin-hai; Zheng, Ming; Lou, Yi-jia

2006-06-01

To optimize the conditions for the extraction of panax notogingseng saponins (PNS). After selected extraction solvent and suitable particle, we employed orthogonal experimental design to examine the conditions for the extraction by determination of PNS. Significant effect was observed only in extraction times. The optimum condition for extraction of PNS was to extract panax notogingseng (Burk.) F. H. Chen with 10 times 70% ethanol for 1.5 hours for 3 times.

Phytoalexin Phenalenone Derivatives Inactivate Mosquito Larvae and Root-knot Nematode as Type-II Photosensitizer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Song, Runjiang; Feng, Yian; Wang, Donghui; Xu, Zhiping; Li, Zhong; Shao, Xusheng

2017-02-01

Phytoalexins phenalenones (PNs) are phytochemicals biosynthesized inside the plant in responsive to exterior threat. PNs are excellent type-II photosensitizers, which efficiently produce singlet oxygen upon light irradiation. Based on the core functional structure of PNs, novel PN derivatives were synthesized here and their singlet oxygen generating abilities and their phototoxicity were evaluated. At the presence of light, these PNs have photoinduced toxicity towards Aedes albopictus larvae and nematode Meloidogyne incognita, while the activity lost in the dark. The obvious tissue damage was observed on the treated mosquito larvae and nematode due to the generation of singlet oxygen. Our results revealed the potential of phenalenones as photoactivated agents for mosquito and root-knot nematode management together with light.

Speech entrainment enables patients with Broca’s aphasia to produce fluent speech

PubMed Central

Hubbard, H. Isabel; Hudspeth, Sarah Grace; Holland, Audrey L.; Bonilha, Leonardo; Fromm, Davida; Rorden, Chris

2012-01-01

A distinguishing feature of Broca’s aphasia is non-fluent halting speech typically involving one to three words per utterance. Yet, despite such profound impairments, some patients can mimic audio-visual speech stimuli enabling them to produce fluent speech in real time. We call this effect ‘speech entrainment’ and reveal its neural mechanism as well as explore its usefulness as a treatment for speech production in Broca’s aphasia. In Experiment 1, 13 patients with Broca’s aphasia were tested in three conditions: (i) speech entrainment with audio-visual feedback where they attempted to mimic a speaker whose mouth was seen on an iPod screen; (ii) speech entrainment with audio-only feedback where patients mimicked heard speech; and (iii) spontaneous speech where patients spoke freely about assigned topics. The patients produced a greater variety of words using audio-visual feedback compared with audio-only feedback and spontaneous speech. No difference was found between audio-only feedback and spontaneous speech. In Experiment 2, 10 of the 13 patients included in Experiment 1 and 20 control subjects underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging to determine the neural mechanism that supports speech entrainment. Group results with patients and controls revealed greater bilateral cortical activation for speech produced during speech entrainment compared with spontaneous speech at the junction of the anterior insula and Brodmann area 47, in Brodmann area 37, and unilaterally in the left middle temporal gyrus and the dorsal portion of Broca’s area. Probabilistic white matter tracts constructed for these regions in the normal subjects revealed a structural network connected via the corpus callosum and ventral fibres through the extreme capsule. Unilateral areas were connected via the arcuate fasciculus. In Experiment 3, all patients included in Experiment 1 participated in a 6-week treatment phase using speech entrainment to improve speech production. Behavioural and functional magnetic resonance imaging data were collected before and after the treatment phase. Patients were able to produce a greater variety of words with and without speech entrainment at 1 and 6 weeks after training. Treatment-related decrease in cortical activation associated with speech entrainment was found in areas of the left posterior-inferior parietal lobe. We conclude that speech entrainment allows patients with Broca’s aphasia to double their speech output compared with spontaneous speech. Neuroimaging results suggest that speech entrainment allows patients to produce fluent speech by providing an external gating mechanism that yokes a ventral language network that encodes conceptual aspects of speech. Preliminary results suggest that training with speech entrainment improves speech production in Broca’s aphasia providing a potential therapeutic method for a disorder that has been shown to be particularly resistant to treatment. PMID:23250889

Prenatal stress increases the obesogenic effects of a high-fat-sucrose diet in adult rats in a sex-specific manner.

PubMed

Paternain, L; de la Garza, A L; Batlle, M A; Milagro, F I; Martínez, J A; Campión, J

2013-03-01

Stress during pregnancy can induce metabolic disorders in adult offspring. To analyze the possible differential response to a high-fat-sucrose (HFS) diet in offspring affected by prenatal stress (PNS) or not, pregnant Wistar rats (n = 11) were exposed to a chronic mild stress during the third week of gestation. The aim of this study was to model a chronic depressive-like state that develops over time in response to exposure of rats to a series of mild and unpredictable stressors. Control dams (n = 11) remained undisturbed. Adult offspring were fed chow or HFS diet (20% protein, 35% carbohydrate, 45% fat) for 10 weeks. Changes in adiposity, biochemical profile, and retroperitoneal adipose tissue gene expression by real-time polymerase chain reaction were analyzed. An interaction was observed between HFS and PNS concerning visceral adiposity, with higher fat mass in HFS-fed stressed rats, statistically significant only in females. HFS modified lipid profile and increased insulin resistance biomarkers, while PNS reduced insulin concentrations and the homeostasis model assessment index. HFS diet increased gene (mRNA) expression for leptin and apelin and decreased cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor 1A and fatty acid synthase (Fasn), whereas PNS increased Fasn and stearoyl-CoA desaturase1. An interaction between diet and PNS was observed for adiponutrin (Adpn) and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ coactivator1-α (Ppargc1a) gene expression: Adpn was increased by the PNS only in HFS-fed rats, whereas Ppargc1a was increased by the PNS only in chow-fed rats. From these results, it can be concluded that experience of maternal stress during intrauterine development can enhance predisposition to obesity induced by a HFS diet intake.

Possible mechanism of PNS protection against cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity in rat models.

PubMed

Liu, Xinwen; Huang, Zhenguang; Zou, Xiaoqin; Yang, Yufang; Qiu, Yue; Wen, Yan

2015-01-01

This study investigates the mechanism of the protective effect of Panax notoginsenosides (PNS) against cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity via the hypoxia inducible factor 1 (HIF-1)/Bcl-2/adenovirus E1B 19 kDa-interacting protein 3 (BNIP3) pathway of autophagy. The rats underwent intraperitoneal injection with a single dose of cisplatin and a subset of rats were also intraperitoneally injected with 31.35 mg/kg PNS once a day. After 24 h exposure to cisplatin, the concentrations of urinary N-acetyl-β-D-glucosaminidase (NAG), blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and serum creatinine (Scr) were determined. The rat renal tissue was examined using H&E-staining, and the mitochondria of renal tubular epithelial cells were observed using transmission electron microscopy. The expressions of microtubule-associated protein-1 light chain (LC)3, autophagy-related gene (Atg)5, Beclin-1 and BNIP3 in rat renal tissue were detected using western blotting. The expression of HIF-1 was detected by immunohistochemistry. The results showed that PNS significantly protected against cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity, as evidenced by decreasing the concentration of blood BUN and Scr, the attenuation of renal histopathological changes and the mitochondrial damages of renal cells, and the increase of mitochondria autophagosome in renal tubular epithelial cells. Additionally, PNS significantly increased the expression of LC3 and the ratio of LC3II/LC3I in rat renal tissue. Moreover, PNS significantly increased the expression of HIF-1α, BNIP3, Atg5 and Beclin-1 in rat renal tissue. In conclusion, the protective effect of PNS on cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity was mainly due to its ability to enhancing the mitochondrial autophagy of renal tissue via the HIF-1α/BNIP3 pathway, and here is the first demonstration about it.

Impact of electrolyte composition on the reactivity of a redox active polymer studied through surface interrogation and ion-sensitive scanning electrochemical microscopy.

PubMed

Burgess, Mark; Hernández-Burgos, Kenneth; Cheng, Kevin J; Moore, Jeffrey S; Rodríguez-López, Joaquín

2016-06-21

Elucidating the impact of interactions between the electrolyte and electroactive species in redox active polymers is key to designing better-performing electrodes for electrochemical energy storage and conversion. Here, we present on the improvement of the electrochemical activity of poly(para-nitrostyrene) (PNS) in solution and as a film by exploiting the ionic interactions between reduced PNS and K(+), which showed increased reactivity when compared to tetrabutylammonium (TBA(+))- and Li(+)-containing electrolytes. While cyclic voltammetry enabled the study of the effects of cations on the electrochemical reversibility and the reduction potential of PNS, scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM) provided new tools to probe the ionic and redox reactivity of this system. Using an ion-sensitive Hg SECM tip allowed to probe the ingress of ions into PNS redox active films, while surface interrogation SECM (SI-SECM) measured the specific kinetics of PNS and a solution phase mediator in the presence of the tested electrolytes. SI-SECM measurements illustrated that the interrogation kinetics of PNS in the presence of K(+) compared to TBA(+) and Li(+) are greatly enhanced under the same surface concentration of adsorbed radical anion, exhibiting up to a 40-fold change in redox kinetics. We foresee using this new application of SECM methods for elucidating optimal interactions that enhance polymer reactivity for applications in redox flow batteries.

3T MRI evaluation of large nerve perineural spread of head and neck cancers.

PubMed

Baulch, Justin; Gandhi, Mitesh; Sommerville, Jennifer; Panizza, Ben

2015-10-01

Accurate definition of the presence and extent of large nerve perineural spread (PNS) is a vital component in planning appropriate surgery and radiotherapy for head and neck cancers. Our research aimed to define the sensitivity and specificity of 3T MRI in detecting the presence and extent of large nerve PNS, compared with histologic evaluation. Retrospective review of surgically proven cases of large nerve PNS in patients with preoperative 3T MRI performed as high resolution neurogram. 3T MRI had a sensitivity of 95% and a specificity of 84%, detecting PNS in 36 of 38 nerves and correctly identifying uninvolved nerves in 16 of 19 cases. It correctly identified the zonal extent of spread in 32 of 36 cases (89%), underestimating the extent in three cases and overestimating the extent in one case. Targeted 3T MRI is highly accurate in defining the presence and extent of large nerve PNS in head and neck cancers. However, there is still a tendency to undercall the zonal extent due to microscopic, radiologically occult involvement. Superficial large nerve involvement also remains a difficult area of detection for radiologists and should be included as a 'check area' for review. Further research is required to define the role radiation-induced neuritis plays in the presence of false-positive PNS on MRI. © 2015 The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Radiologists.

Towards asteroseismology of core-collapse supernovae with gravitational-wave observations - I. Cowling approximation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Torres-Forné, Alejandro; Cerdá-Durán, Pablo; Passamonti, Andrea; Font, José A.

2018-03-01

Gravitational waves from core-collapse supernovae are produced by the excitation of different oscillation modes in the protoneutron star (PNS) and its surroundings, including the shock. In this work we study the relationship between the post-bounce oscillation spectrum of the PNS-shock system and the characteristic frequencies observed in gravitational-wave signals from core-collapse simulations. This is a fundamental first step in order to develop a procedure to infer astrophysical parameters of the PNS formed in core-collapse supernovae. Our method combines information from the oscillation spectrum of the PNS, obtained through linear perturbation analysis in general relativity of a background physical system, with information from the gravitational-wave spectrum of the corresponding non-linear, core-collapse simulation. Using results from the simulation of the collapse of a 35 M⊙ pre-supernova progenitor we show that both types of spectra are indeed related and we are able to identify the modes of oscillation of the PNS, namely g-modes, p-modes, hybrid modes, and standing accretion shock instability (SASI) modes, obtaining a remarkably close correspondence with the time-frequency distribution of the gravitational-wave modes. The analysis presented in this paper provides a proof of concept that asteroseismology is indeed possible in the core-collapse scenario, and it may serve as a basis for future work on PNS parameter inference based on gravitational-wave observations.

Panchromatic Hubble Andromeda Treasury. IX. A photometric survey of planetary nebulae in M31

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Veyette, Mark J.; Williams, Benjamin F.; Dalcanton, Julianne J.

We search the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) Advanced Camera for Surveys and Wide Field Camera 3 broadband imaging data from the Panchromatic Hubble Andromeda Treasury (PHAT) survey to identify detections of cataloged planetary nebulae (PNs). Of the 711 PNs currently in the literature within the PHAT footprint, we find 467 detected in the broadband. For these 467, we are able to refine their astrometric accuracy from ∼0.''3 to 0.''05. Using the resolution of the HST, we are able to show that 152 objects currently in the catalogs are definitively not PNs, and we show that 32 objects thought to bemore » extended in ground-based images are actually point-like and therefore good PN candidates. We also find one PN candidate that is marginally resolved. If this is a PN, it is up to 0.7 pc in diameter. With our new photometric data, we develop a method of measuring the level of excitation in individual PNs by comparing broadband and narrowband imaging and describe the effects of excitation on a PN's photometric signature. Using the photometric properties of the known PNs in the PHAT catalogs, we search for more PNs, but do not find any new candidates, suggesting that ground-based emission-line surveys are complete in the PHAT footprint to F475W ≅ 24.« less

“Effects of combined peripheral nerve stimulation and brain polarization on performance of a motor sequence task after chronic stroke”

PubMed Central

Celnik, Pablo; Paik, Nam-Jong; Vandermeeren, Yves; Dimyan, Michael; Cohen, Leonardo G.

2009-01-01

Background Recent work demonstrated that application of peripheral nerve and cortical stimulation independently can induce modest improvements in motor performance in patients with stroke. Objective To test the hypothesis that combining peripheral nerve stimulation (PNS) to the paretic hand with anodal direct current stimulation (tDCS) to the ipsilesional primary motor cortex (M1) would facilitate beneficial effects of motor training more than each intervention alone or sham (tDCSSham and PNSSham). Methods Nine chronic stroke patients completed a blinded, cross-over designed study. In separate sessions, we investigated the effects of single applications of PNS+tDCS, PNS+tDCSSham, tDCS+PNSSham and PNSSham+tDCSSham prior to motor training on the ability to perform finger motor sequences with the paretic hand. Results PNS+tDCS resulted in a 41.3% improvement in the number of correct key presses relative to PNSSham+tDCSSham, 15.4% relative to PNS+tDCSSham and 22.7% relative to tDCS+PNSSham. These performance differences were maintained 1 and 6 days after the end of the training. Conclusions These results indicate that combining PNS with tDCS can facilitate the beneficial effects of training on motor performance beyond levels reached with each intervention alone, a finding of relevance for the neurorehabilitation of motor impairments after stroke. PMID:19286579

Utility of quantitative sensory testing and screening tools in identifying HIV-associated peripheral neuropathy in Western Kenya: pilot testing.

PubMed

Cettomai, Deanna; Kwasa, Judith; Kendi, Caroline; Birbeck, Gretchen L; Price, Richard W; Bukusi, Elizabeth A; Cohen, Craig R; Meyer, Ana-Claire

2010-12-08

Neuropathy is the most common neurologic complication of HIV but is widely under-diagnosed in resource-constrained settings. We aimed to identify tools that accurately distinguish individuals with moderate/severe peripheral neuropathy and can be administered by non-physician healthcare workers (HCW) in resource-constrained settings. We enrolled a convenience sample of 30 HIV-infected outpatients from a Kenyan HIV-care clinic. A HCW administered the Neuropathy Severity Score (NSS), Single Question Neuropathy Screen (Single-QNS), Subjective Peripheral Neuropathy Screen (Subjective-PNS), and Brief Peripheral Neuropathy Screen (Brief-PNS). Monofilament, graduated tuning fork, and two-point discrimination examinations were performed. Tools were validated against a neurologist's clinical assessment of moderate/severe neuropathy. The sample was 57% male, mean age 38.6 years, and mean CD4 count 324 cells/µL. Neurologist's assessment identified 20% (6/30) with moderate/severe neuropathy. Diagnostic utilities for moderate/severe neuropathy were: Single-QNS--83% sensitivity, 71% specificity; Subjective-PNS-total--83% sensitivity, 83% specificity; Subjective-PNS-max and NSS--67% sensitivity, 92% specificity; Brief-PNS--0% sensitivity, 92% specificity; monofilament--100% sensitivity, 88% specificity; graduated tuning fork--83% sensitivity, 88% specificity; two-point discrimination--75% sensitivity, 58% specificity. Pilot testing suggests Single-QNS, Subjective-PNS, and monofilament examination accurately identify HIV-infected patients with moderate/severe neuropathy and may be useful diagnostic tools in resource-constrained settings.

Spatially Resolved Far-Infrared Spectroscopic Analysis of Planetary Nebulae

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rattray, Rebecca; Ueta, Toshiya

2015-01-01

Planetary Nebulae (PNs) are late-life intermediate-mass (1-8 solar mass) stars that have shed their outer layers. A wide variety of morphologies and physical conditions is seen in PNs, but a complete understanding of what causes these various conditions is still needed. Spatially resolved far-infrared spectroscopic analysis has been performed on 11 targets using both PACS and SPIRE instruments on the Herschel Space Observatory as part of the Herschel Planetary Nebula Survey (HerPlaNS). Far-IR lines probe the ionized parts of the nebulae and suffer less extinction than optical lines, so observations in the far-IR are critical to our complete understanding of PNs. Because PNs are extended objects, the spectral mapping capabilities of both PACS and SPIRE allow us to better understand the spatial variations of the objects by tracking line strengths as a function of location within the nebula. The far-IR lines detected in this study can be used as tracers of electron density and electron temperature which are critical parameters in radiative transfer modeling of PNs. Information on atomic, ionic, and molecular lines identified in these 11 targets will be presented.

Insight into the epidemiology of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma with perineural spread.

PubMed

Warren, Timothy A; Whiteman, David C; Porceddu, Sandro V; Panizza, Benedict J

2016-09-01

Perineural spread (PNS) of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN) can be associated with poor outcomes. Disease understanding and awareness is limited leading to delayed diagnosis and treatment. The purpose of this study was to identify epidemiological features of patients with PNS of cutaneous SCCHN. Tumor characteristics and demographics of patients with PNS of cutaneous SCCHN managed through a single institution were collected between 1998 and 2013. One hundred twenty patients were included in this study. The majority had a history of skin cancer (85.8%). The median time from primary tumor treatment to PNS symptom onset was 16 months (range, 1-86 months). A total of 34.2% had no perineural invasion (PNI) detected in the primary, and 22.5% had no known primary tumor. Only 5.8% of the patients had nodal involvement at presentation. Patients can present with PNS from cutaneous SCCHN with no known primary tumor or with primary tumors without PNI. The majority of patients presented without regional nodal involvement. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck 38: 1416-1420, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

The peripheral nervous system supports blood cell homing and survival in the Drosophila larva

PubMed Central

Makhijani, Kalpana; Alexander, Brandy; Tanaka, Tsubasa; Rulifson, Eric; Brückner, Katja

2011-01-01

Interactions of hematopoietic cells with their microenvironment control blood cell colonization, homing and hematopoiesis. Here, we introduce larval hematopoiesis as the first Drosophila model for hematopoietic colonization and the role of the peripheral nervous system (PNS) as a microenvironment in hematopoiesis. The Drosophila larval hematopoietic system is founded by differentiated hemocytes of the embryo, which colonize segmentally repeated epidermal-muscular pockets and proliferate in these locations. Importantly, we show that these resident hemocytes tightly colocalize with peripheral neurons and we demonstrate that larval hemocytes depend on the PNS as an attractive and trophic microenvironment. atonal (ato) mutant or genetically ablated larvae, which are deficient for subsets of peripheral neurons, show a progressive apoptotic decline in hemocytes and an incomplete resident hemocyte pattern, whereas supernumerary peripheral neurons induced by ectopic expression of the proneural gene scute (sc) misdirect hemocytes to these ectopic locations. This PNS-hematopoietic connection in Drosophila parallels the emerging role of the PNS in hematopoiesis and immune functions in vertebrates, and provides the basis for the systematic genetic dissection of the PNS-hematopoietic axis in the future. PMID:22071105

Post-Normal Science in Practice at the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency

PubMed Central

Petersen, Arthur C.; Cath, Albert; Hage, Maria; Kunseler, Eva; van der Sluijs, Jeroen P.

2011-01-01

About a decade ago, the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency (PBL) unwittingly embarked on a transition from a technocratic model of science advising to the paradigm of “post-normal science” (PNS). In response to a scandal around uncertainty management in 1999, a Guidance for “Uncertainty Assessment and Communication” was developed with advice from the initiators of the PNS concept and was introduced in 2003. This was followed in 2007 by a “Stakeholder Participation” Guidance. In this article, the authors provide a combined insider/outsider perspective on the transition process. The authors assess the extent to which the PNS paradigm has delivered new approaches in the agency’s practice and analyze two projects—on long-term options for Dutch sustainable development policy and for urban development policy—the latter in somewhat more detail. The authors identify several paradoxes PBL encounters when putting the PNS concept into practice. It is concluded that an openness to other styles of work than the technocratic model has become visible, but that the introduction of the PNS paradigm is still in its early stage. PMID:23805014

Parabolized Navier-Stokes Code for Computing Magneto-Hydrodynamic Flowfields

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mehta, Unmeel B. (Technical Monitor); Tannehill, J. C.

2003-01-01

This report consists of two published papers, 'Computation of Magnetohydrodynamic Flows Using an Iterative PNS Algorithm' and 'Numerical Simulation of Turbulent MHD Flows Using an Iterative PNS Algorithm'.

Two languages, two minds: flexible cognitive processing driven by language of operation.

PubMed

Athanasopoulos, Panos; Bylund, Emanuel; Montero-Melis, Guillermo; Damjanovic, Ljubica; Schartner, Alina; Kibbe, Alexandra; Riches, Nick; Thierry, Guillaume

2015-04-01

People make sense of objects and events around them by classifying them into identifiable categories. The extent to which language affects this process has been the focus of a long-standing debate: Do different languages cause their speakers to behave differently? Here, we show that fluent German-English bilinguals categorize motion events according to the grammatical constraints of the language in which they operate. First, as predicted from cross-linguistic differences in motion encoding, bilingual participants functioning in a German testing context prefer to match events on the basis of motion completion to a greater extent than do bilingual participants in an English context. Second, when bilingual participants experience verbal interference in English, their categorization behavior is congruent with that predicted for German; when bilingual participants experience verbal interference in German, their categorization becomes congruent with that predicted for English. These findings show that language effects on cognition are context-bound and transient, revealing unprecedented levels of malleability in human cognition. © The Author(s) 2015.

Reflections on International Certified Nursing Assistants.

PubMed

Shaw, Penelope Ann

2017-01-01

The author, a former university faculty member who taught English to speakers of other languages and now a nursing home resident, shares her observations about how English language proficiency, culture, and religious differences affect her care. She provides examples of communication challenges that can be annoying or cause harm, her coping strategies, and reasons many certified nursing assistants might never be fully fluent in English. She explains how international certified nursing assistants can benefit residents because of skills developed by family-centered care in their countries of origin. She also discusses related issues-the importance of being culturally competent about U.S. culture. She points out how religiousness not only affects residents but is a buffer for staff against the stress of physically and emotionally demanding low-wage work. Overall, the author likes receiving care from individuals from other countries, finding reward in comparing how her personal struggle with illness and paralysis resonates with the trauma of migration and how learning firsthand about varying beliefs and attitudes clarifies her identity and place in world history.

Proceedings of the 2010 National Toxicology Program Satellite Symposium

PubMed Central

Adams, E. Terence; Auerbach, Scott; Blackshear, Pamela E.; Bradley, Alys; Gruebbel, Margarita M.; Little, Peter B.; Malarkey, David; Maronpot, Robert; McKay, Jennifer S.; Miller, Rodney A.; Moore, Rebecca R.; Morrison, James P.; Nyska, Abraham; Ramot, Yuval; Rao, Deepa; Suttie, Andrew; Wells, Monique Y.; Willson, Gabrielle A.; Elmore, Susan A.

2011-01-01

The 2010 annual National Toxicology Program (NTP) Satellite Symposium, entitled “Pathology Potpourri,” was held in Chicago, Illinois, in advance of the scientific symposium sponsored jointly by the Society of Toxicologic Pathology (STP) and the International Federation of Societies of Toxicologic Pathologists (IFSTP). The goal of the annual NTP Symposium is to present current diagnostic pathology or nomenclature issues to the toxicologic pathology community. This article presents summaries of the speakers' presentations, including diagnostic or nomenclature issues that were presented, along with select images that were used for voting or discussion. Some topics covered during the symposium included a comparison of rat and mouse hepatocholangiocarcinoma, a comparison of cholangiofibrosis and cholangiocarcinoma in rats, a mixed pancreatic neoplasm with acinar and islet cell components, an unusual preputial gland tumor, renal hyaline glomerulopathy in rats and mice, eosinophilic substance in the nasal septum of mice, INHAND nomenclature for proliferative and nonproliferative lesions of the CNS/PNS, retinal gliosis in a rat, fibroadnexal hamartoma in rats, intramural plaque in a mouse, a treatment-related chloracne-like lesion in mice, and an overview of mouse ovarian tumors. PMID:21177527

ApoER2 and Reelin are expressed in regenerating peripheral nerve and regulate Schwann cell migration by activating the Rac1 GEF protein, Tiam1.

PubMed

Pasten, Consuelo; Cerda, Joaquín; Jausoro, Ignacio; Court, Felipe A; Cáceres, Alfredo; Marzolo, Maria-Paz

2015-11-01

ApoER2 and its ligand Reelin participate in neuronal migration during development. Upon receptor binding, Reelin induces the proteolytic processing of ApoER2 as well as the activation of signaling pathway, including small Rho GTPases. Besides its presence in the central nervous system (CNS), Reelin is also secreted by Schwann cells (SCs), the glial cells of the peripheral nervous system (PNS). Reelin deficient mice (reeler) show decreased axonal regeneration in the PNS; however neither the presence of ApoER2 nor the role of the Reelin signaling pathway in the PNS have been evaluated. Interestingly SC migration occurs during PNS development and during injury-induced regeneration and involves activation of small Rho GTPases. Thus, Reelin-ApoER2 might regulate SC migration during axon regeneration in the PNS. Here we demonstrate the presence of ApoER2 in PNS. After sciatic nerve injury Reelin was induced and its receptor ApoER2 was proteolytically processed. In vitro, SCs express both Reelin and ApoER2 and Reelin induces SC migration. To elucidate the molecular mechanism underlying Reelin-dependent SC migration, we examined the involvement of Rac1, a conspicuous small GTPase family member. FRET experiments revealed that Reelin activates Rac1 at the leading edge of SCs. In addition, Tiam1, a major Rac1-specific GEF was required for Reelin-induced SC migration. Moreover, Reelin-induced SC migration was decreased after suppression of the polarity protein PAR3, consistent with its association to Tiam1. Even more interesting, we demonstrated that PAR3 binds preferentially to the full-length cytoplasmic tail of ApoER2 corresponding to the splice-variant containing the exon 19 that encodes a proline-rich insert and that ApoER2 was required for SC migration. Our study reveals a novel function for Reelin/ApoER2 in PNS, inducing cell migration of SCs, a process relevant for PNS development and regeneration. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The Manchester Respiratory Activities of Daily Living questionnaire for use in COPD patients: translation into Portuguese and cross-cultural adaptation for use in Brazil

PubMed Central

Junkes-Cunha, Maíra; Mayer, Anamaria Fleig; Reis, Cardine; Yohannes, Abebaw M.; Maurici, Rosemeri

2016-01-01

Objective : To translate The Manchester Respiratory Activities of Daily Living (MRADL) questionnaire into Portuguese and to create a version of the MRADL that is cross-culturally adapted for use in Brazil. Methods : The English-language version of the MRADL was translated into Portuguese by two health care researchers who were fluent in English. A consensus version was obtained by other two researchers and a pulmonologist. That version was back-translated into English by another translator who was a native speaker of English and fluent in Portuguese. The cognitive debriefing process consisted in having 10 COPD patients complete the translated questionnaire in order to test its understandability, clarity, and acceptability in the target population. On the basis of the results, the final Portuguese-language version of the MRADL was produced and approved by the committee and one of the authors of the original questionnaire. Results : The author of the MRADL questioned only a few items in the translated version, and some changes were made to the mobility and personal hygiene domains. Cultural differences regarding the domestic activities domain were found, in particular regarding the item "Do you have the ability to do a full clothes wash and hang them out to dry?", due to socioeconomic and climatic issues. The item "Do you take care of your garden?" was questioned by the participants who lived in apartments, being modified to "Do you take care of your garden or plants in your apartment?" Conclusions : The final Portuguese-language version of the MRADL adapted for use in Brazil was found to be easy to understand and easily applied. PMID:26982036

Guillain-Barre Syndrome

MedlinePlus

Guillain-Barre syndrome is a rare disorder that causes your immune system to attack your peripheral nervous system (PNS). The PNS ... your brain. No one knows what causes the syndrome. Sometimes it is triggered by an infection, surgery, ...

Numerical simulation of transverse fuel injection

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mao, Marlon; Riggins, David W.; Mcclinton, Charles R.

1991-01-01

A review of recent work at NASA Langley Research Center to compare the predictions of transverse fuel injector flow fields and mixing performance with experimental results is presented. Various cold (non-reactive) mixing studies were selected for code calibration which include the effects of boundary layer thickness and injection angle for sonic hydrogen injection into supersonic air. Angled injection of helium is also included. This study was performed using both the three-dimensional elliptic and the parabolized Navier-Stokes (PNS) versions of SPARK. Axial solution planes were passed from PNS to elliptic and elliptic to PNS in order to efficiently generate solutions. The PNS version is used both upstream and far downstream of the injector where the flow can be considered parabolic in nature. The comparisons are used to identify experimental deficiencies and computational procedures to improve agreement.

Improvement in crystal quality and optical properties of n-type GaN employing nano-scale SiO2 patterned n-type GaN substrate.

PubMed

Jo, Min Sung; Sadasivam, Karthikeyan Giri; Tawfik, Wael Z; Yang, Seung Bea; Lee, Jung Ju; Ha, Jun Seok; Moon, Young Boo; Ryu, Sang Wan; Lee, June Key

2013-01-01

n-type GaN epitaxial layers were regrown on the patterned n-type GaN substrate (PNS) with different size of silicon dioxide (SiO2) nano dots to improve the crystal quality and optical properties. PNS with SiO2 nano dots promotes epitaxial lateral overgrowth (ELOG) for defect reduction and also acts as a light scattering point. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analysis suggested that PNS with SiO2 nano dots have superior crystalline properties. Hall measurements indicated that incrementing values in electron mobility were clear indication of reduction in threading dislocation and it was confirmed by TEM analysis. Photoluminescence (PL) intensity was enhanced by 2.0 times and 3.1 times for 1-step and 2-step PNS, respectively.

Topical delivery of anti-TNFα siRNA and capsaicin via novel lipid-polymer hybrid nanoparticles efficiently inhibits skin inflammation in vivo

PubMed Central

Desai, Pinaki R.; Marepally, Srujan; Patel, Apurva R.; Voshavar, Chandrashekhar; Chaudhuri, Arabinda; Singh, Mandip

2013-01-01

The barrier properties of the skin pose a significant but not insurmountable obstacle for development of new effective anti-inflammatory therapies. The objective of this study was to design and evaluate therapeutic efficacy of anti-nociception agent Capsaicin (Cap) and anti-TNFα siRNA (siTNFα) encapsulated cyclic cationic head Lipid-Polymer hybrid Nanocarriers (CyLiPns) against chronic skin inflammatory diseases. Physico-chemical characterizations including hydrodynamic size, surface potential and entrapment efficacies of CyLiPns were found to be 163 ± 9 nm, 35.14 ± 8.23 mV and 92% for Cap, respectively. In vitro skin distribution studies revealed that CyLiPns could effectively deliver FITC-siRNA upto 360 µm skin depth. Further, enhanced (p<0.001) Cap permeation from CyLiPns was observed compared to Capsaicin-Solution and Capzasin-HP. Therapeutic efficacies of CyLiPns were assessed using imiquamod induced psoriatic plaque like model. CyLiPns carrying both Cap and siTNFα showed significant reduced expression of TNFα, NF-κB, IL-17, IL-23 and Ki-67 genes compare to either drugs alone (p<0.05) and was in close comparison with Topgraf®;. Collectively these findings support our notion that novel cationic lipid-polymer hybrid nanoparticles can efficiently carry siTNFα and Cap into deeper dermal milieu and Cap with combination of siTNFα show synergism in treating skin inflammation. PMID:23643662

[Effect of Panax notoginseng saponins on liver drug metablic enzyme activity, mRNA and protein expressions in rats].

PubMed

Chen, Yan-Jin; Wang, Yu-Guang; Ma, Zeng-Chun; Xiao, Cheng-Rong; Tan, Hong-Ling; Liang, Qian-De; Tang, Xiang-Lin; Zhao, Yong-Hong; Wang, Dong-Gen; Gao, Yue

2014-10-01

To study the effect of Panax notoginseng saponins (PNS) on liver drug metabolic enzyme activity, mRNA and protein expressions in rats. Male Wistar rats were randomly divided into nine groups. After administration of the test drugs, their liver microsomes, liver total RNA and total protein were extracted to detect the regulating effect of PNS on liver drug metabolic enzyme activity-related subtype enzymatic activity, mRNA and protein expression by substrate probe, quantitative PCR and Western Blot technology. The result of this experiment was that PNS could significantly induce CYP1A2 and CYP2E1 enzyme activity, mRNA expression, CYP2E1 protein expression level. PNS significantly induced CYP3A mRNA expression, but with no significant effect in CYP3A enzyme activity level. PNS had no significant effect CYP1A1 and CYP2B mRNA expressions and enzyme activity levels. PNS had selective regulations on different P450 subtypes, and the major subtypes were CYP1A2 and CYP2E1. In clinical practice, particularly in the combination with CYP1A2 and CYP2E1 metabolism-related drugs, full consideration shall be given to the possible drug interactions in order to avoid potential toxic and side effects. Meanwhile, whether the induction effect of CYP2E1 gets involved in ginsenoside's effect incavenging free radicals deserves further studies.

Software and Systems Test Track Architecture and Concept Definition

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-05-01

Light 11.0 11.0 11.0 ASC Flex Free Software Foundation 2.5.31 2.5.31 2.5.31 ASC Fluent Fluent Inc. 6.2.26 6.2.26 6.2.26 6.2.26 ASC FMD ...11 ERDC Fluent Fluent 6.2.16 ERDC Fortran 77/90 compiler Compaq/Cray/SGI 7.4 7.4.3m 7.4.4m 5.6 ERDC FTA Platform 1.1 1.1 1.1 ERDC GAMESS

Prenatal stress programs neuroendocrine stress responses and affective behaviors in second generation rats in a sex-dependent manner.

PubMed

Grundwald, Natalia J; Brunton, Paula J

2015-12-01

An adverse environment in early life is often associated with dysregulation of the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and higher rates of mood disorders in adulthood. In rats, exposure to social stress during pregnancy results in hyperactive HPA axis responses to stress in the adult offspring and heightened anxiety behavior in the males, but not the females. Here we tested whether, without further intervention, the effects of prenatal stress (PNS) in the first filial generation (F1) are transmitted to the F2 generation via the maternal line. F1 control and PNS female rats were mated with control males and housed under non-stress conditions throughout pregnancy. HPA axis responses to acute stress, anxiety- and depressive-like behavior were assessed in the adult F2 offspring. ACTH and corticosterone responses to an acute stressor were markedly enhanced in F2 PNS females compared with controls. This was associated with greater corticotropin releasing hormone (Crh) mRNA expression in the paraventricular nucleus and reduced hippocampal glucocorticoid (Gr) and mineralocorticoid receptor (Mr) mRNA expression. Conversely, in the F2 PNS males, HPA axis responses to acute stress were attenuated and hippocampal Gr mRNA expression was greater compared with controls. F2 PNS males exhibited heightened anxiety-like behavior (light-dark box and elevated plus maze) compared with F2 control males. Anxiety-like behavior did not differ between F2 control and PNS females during metestrus/diestrus, however at proestrus/estrus, F2 control females displayed a reduction in anxiety-like behavior, but this effect was not observed in the F2 PNS females. Heightened anxiety in the F2 PNS males was associated with greater Crh mRNA expression in the central nucleus of the amygdala compared with controls. Moreover, Crh receptor-1 (Crhr1) mRNA expression was significantly increased, whereas Crhr2 mRNA was significantly decreased in discrete regions of the amygdala in F2 PNS males compared with controls, with no differences in the F2 females. No differences in depressive-like behavior (sucrose preference or forced swim test) were observed in either sex. In conclusion, the effects of maternal stress during pregnancy on HPA axis regulation and anxiety-like behavior can be transmitted to future generations in a sex-dependent manner. These data have implications for human neuropsychiatric disorders with developmental origins. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Hip and knee effects after implantation of a drop foot stimulator.

PubMed

Yao, Daiwei; Lahner, Matthias; Jakubowitz, Eike; Thomann, Anna; Ettinger, Sarah; Noll, Yvonne; Stukenborg-Colsman, Christina; Daniilidis, Kiriakos

2017-01-01

An active ankle dorsiflexion is essential for a proper gait pattern. If there is a failure of the foot lifting, considerable impairments occur. The therapeutic effect of an implantable peroneus nerve stimulator (iPNS) for the ankle dorsiflexion is already approved by recent studies. However, possible affection for knee and hip motion after implantation of an iPNS is not well described. The objective of this retrospective study was to examine with a patient cohort whether the use of iPNS induces a lower-extremity flexion withdrawal response in the form of an increased knee and hip flexion during swing phase. Eighteen subjects (12 m/6 w) treated with an iPNS (ActiGait®, Otto Bock, Duderstadt, Germany) were examined in knee and hip motion by gait analysis with motion capture system (Vicon Motion System Ltd®, Oxford, UK) and Plug-in-Gait model after a mean follow up from 12.5 months. The data were evaluated and compared in activated and deactivated iPNS. Only little changes could be documented, as a slight average improvement in peak knee flexion during stand phase from 1.0° to 2.5° and peak hip flexion in stance from 3.1° to 2.1° In contrast, peak knee flexion during swing appeared similar (25.3° to 25.7°) same as peak hip flexion during swing. In comparison with the healthy extremity, a more symmetric course of the knee flexion during stand phase could be shown. No statistical significant improvements or changes in hip and knee joint could be shown in this study. Only a more symmetric knee flexion during stand phase and a less hip flexion during stand phase might be hints for a positive affection of iPNS for knee and hip joint. It seems that the positive effect of iPNS is only based on the improvement in ankle dorsiflexion according to the recent literature.

Beyond the classic eicosanoids: Peripherally-acting oxygenated metabolites of polyunsaturated fatty acids mediate pain associated with tissue injury and inflammation.

PubMed

Shapiro, Haim; Singer, Pierre; Ariel, Amiram

2016-08-01

Pain is a complex sensation that may be protective or cause undue suffering and loss of function, depending on the circumstances. Peripheral nociceptor neurons (PNs) innervate most tissues, and express ion channels, nocisensors, which depolarize the cell in response to intense stimuli and numerous substances. Inflamed tissues manifest inflammatory hyperalgesia in which the threshold for pain and the response to painful stimuli are decreased and increased, respectively. Constituents of the inflammatory milieu sensitize PNs, thereby contributing to hyperalgesia. Polyunsaturated fatty acids undergo enzymatic and free radical-mediated oxygenation into an array of bioactive metabolites, oxygenated polyunsaturated fatty acids (oxy-PUFAs), including the classic eicosanoids. Oxy-PUFA production is enhanced during inflammation. Pioneering studies by Vane and colleagues from the early 1970s first implicated classic eicosanoids in the pain associated with inflammation. Here, we review the production and action of oxy-PUFAs that are not classic eicosanoids, but nevertheless are produced in injured/ inflamed tissues and activate or sensitize PNs. In general, oxy-PUFAs that sensitize PNs may do so directly, by activation of nocisensors, ion channels or GPCRs expressed on the surface of PNs, or indirectly, by increasing the production of inflammatory mediators that activate or sensitize PNs. We focus on oxy-PUFAs that act directly on PNs. Specifically, we discuss the role of arachidonic acid-derived 12S-HpETE, HNE, ONE, PGA2, iso-PGA2 and 15d-PGJ2, 5,6-and 8,9-EET, PGE2-G and 8R,15S-diHETE, as well as the linoleic acid-derived 9-and 13-HODE in inducing acute nocifensive behavior and/or inflammatory hyperalgesia in rodents. The nocisensors TRPV1, TRPV4 and TRPA1, and putative Gαs-type GPCRs are the PN targets of these oxy-PUFAs. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Communication between South Asian patients and GPs: comparative study using the Roter Interactional Analysis System

PubMed Central

Neal, Richard D; Ali, Nasreen; Atkin, Karl; Allgar, Victoria L; Ali, Shahid; Coleman, Tim

2006-01-01

Background The UK South Asian population has poorer health outcomes. Little is known about their process of care in general practice, or in particular the process of communication with GPs. Aim To compare the ways in which white and South Asian patients communicate with white GPs. Design of study Observational study of video-recorded consultations using the Roter Interactional Analysis System (RIAS). Setting West Yorkshire, UK. Method One hundred and eighty–three consultations with 11 GPs in West Yorkshire, UK were video-recorded and analysed. Results Main outcome measures were consultation length, verbal domination, 16 individual abridged RIAS categories, and three composite RIAS categories; with comparisons between white patients, South Asian patients fluent in English and South Asian patients non-fluent in English. South Asians fluent in English had the shortest consultations and South Asians non-fluent in English the longest consultations (one-way ANOVA F = 7.173, P = 0.001). There were no significant differences in verbal domination scores between the three groups. White patients had more affective (emotional) consultations than South Asian patients, and played a more active role in their consultations, as did their GPs. GPs spent less time giving information to South Asian patients who were not fluent in English and more time asking questions. GPs spent less time giving information to South Asian patients fluent in English compared with white patients. Conclusions These findings were expected between patients fluent and non-fluent in English but do demonstrate their nature. The differences between white patients and South Asian patients fluent in English warrant further explanation. How much of this was due to systematic differences in behaviour by the GPs, or was in response to patients' differing needs and expectations is unknown. These differences may contribute to differences in health outcomes. PMID:17132355

Carry-over fluency induced by extreme prolongations: A new behavioral paradigm.

PubMed

Briley, P M; Barnes, M P; Kalinowski, J S

2016-04-01

Extreme prolongations, which can be generated via extreme delayed auditory feedback (DAF) (e.g., 250-500 ms) or mediated cognitively with timing applications (e.g., analog stopwatch) at 2 s per syllable, have long been behavioral techniques used to inhibit stuttering. Some therapies have used this rate solely to establish initial fluency, while others use extremely slowed speech to establish fluency and add other strategic techniques such as easy onsets and diaphragmatic breathing. Extreme prolongations generate effective, efficient, and immediate forward flowing fluent speech, removing the signature behaviors of discrete stuttering (i.e., syllable repetitions and audible and inaudible postural fixations). Prolonged use of extreme prolongations establishes carry-over fluency, which is spontaneous, effortless speech absent of most, if not all, overt and covert manifestations of stuttering. The creation of this immediate fluency and the immense potential of extreme prolongations to generate long periods of carry-over fluency have been overlooked by researchers and clinicians alike. Clinicians depart from these longer prolongation durations as they attempt to achieve the same fluent results at a near normal rate of speech. Clinicians assume they are re-teaching fluency and slow rates will give rise to more normal rates with less control, but without carry-over fluency, controls and cognitive mediation are always needed for the inherently unstable speech systems of persons who stutter to experience fluent speech. The assumption being that the speech system is untenable without some level of cognitive and motoric monitoring that is always necessary. The goal is omnipresent "near normal rate sounding fluency" with continuous mediation via cognitive and motoric processes. This pursuit of "normal sounding fluency" continues despite ever-present relapse. Relapse has become so common that acceptance of stuttering is the new therapy modality because relapse has come to be understood as somewhat inevitable. Researchers and clinicians fail to recognize that immediate amelioration of stuttering and its attendant carry-over fluency are signs of a different pathway to fluency. In this path, clinicians focus on extreme prolongations and the extent of their carry-over. While fluency is automatically generated under these extreme prolongations, the realization is that communication at this rate in routine speaking tasks is not feasible. The perceived solution is a systematic reduction in the duration of these prolongations, which attempts to approximate "normal speech." Typically, the reintroduction of speech at a normalized rate precipitates a laborious style that is undesirable to the person who stutters (PWS) and is discontinued, once departed from the comforts of the clinical setting. The inevitable typically occurs; the well-intentioned therapist instructs the PWS to focus on the techniques while speaking at a rate that is nearest normal speech, but the overlooked extreme prolongations are unlikely to ever be revisited. The foundation of this hypothesis is that the departure from fluency generators (e.g. extreme prolongations) is the cause of regression to the stuttering set point. In turn, we postulate that the continued use of extreme prolongations, as a solitary practice method, will establish and nurture different neural pathways that will create a modality of fluent speech, able to be experienced without cognitive or motoric mediation. This would therefore result in fewer occurrences of stuttering due to a phenomenon called carry-over fluency. Thus, we hypothesize that the use of extreme prolongations fosters neural pathways for fluent speech, which will result in carry-over fluency that does not require mediation by the speaker. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Hubble space telescope observations and geometric models of compact multipolar planetary nebulae

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hsia, Chih-Hao; Chau, Wayne; Zhang, Yong

2014-05-20

We report high angular resolution Hubble Space Telescope observations of 10 compact planetary nebulae (PNs). Many interesting internal structures, including multipolar lobes, arcs, two-dimensional rings, tori, and halos, are revealed for the first time. These results suggest that multipolar structures are common among PNs, and these structures develop early in their evolution. From three-dimensional geometric models, we have determined the intrinsic dimensions of the lobes. Assuming the lobes are the result of interactions between later-developed fast winds and previously ejected asymptotic giant branch winds, the geometric structures of these PNs suggest that there are multiple phases of fast winds separatedmore » by temporal variations and/or directional changes. A scenario of evolution from lobe-dominated to cavity-dominated stages is presented. The results reported here will provide serious constraints on any dynamical models of PNs.« less

Intracranial Management of Perineural Spread in the Trigeminal Nerve.

PubMed

Redmond, Michael J; Panizza, Benedict J

2016-04-01

Since the mid-1960s surgeons have attempted to cure intracranial perineural spread (PNS) of cutaneous malignancies. Untreated patients with trigeminal PNS die from brainstem invasion and leptomeningeal disease. It was understood that resection with clear margins was potentially curative, but early surgical attempts were unsuccessful. The prevailing wisdom considered that this surgery failed to improve the results achieved with radiation therapy alone and was associated with high morbidity. However, with improved imaging, surgical equipment, and better understanding of cavernous sinus (CS) anatomy and access, contemporary surgeons can improve outcomes for this disease. The aim of this paper is to describe a technique to access the interdural compartment of the CS and treat PNS of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC) in the intracranial trigeminal nerve and ganglion. It is based on the experience of the Queensland Skull Base Unit, Australia in managing PNS of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (cSCCHN).

Regulation of Drosophila hematopoietic sites by Activin-β from active sensory neurons

PubMed Central

Makhijani, Kalpana; Alexander, Brandy; Rao, Deepti; Petraki, Sophia; Herboso, Leire; Kukar, Katelyn; Batool, Itrat; Wachner, Stephanie; Gold, Katrina S.; Wong, Corinna; O’Connor, Michael B.; Brückner, Katja

2017-01-01

An outstanding question in animal development, tissue homeostasis and disease is how cell populations adapt to sensory inputs. During Drosophila larval development, hematopoietic sites are in direct contact with sensory neuron clusters of the peripheral nervous system (PNS), and blood cells (hemocytes) require the PNS for their survival and recruitment to these microenvironments, known as Hematopoietic Pockets. Here we report that Activin-β, a TGF-β family ligand, is expressed by sensory neurons of the PNS and regulates the proliferation and adhesion of hemocytes. These hemocyte responses depend on PNS activity, as shown by agonist treatment and transient silencing of sensory neurons. Activin-β has a key role in this regulation, which is apparent from reporter expression and mutant analyses. This mechanism of local sensory neurons controlling blood cell adaptation invites evolutionary parallels with vertebrate hematopoietic progenitors and the independent myeloid system of tissue macrophages, whose regulation by local microenvironments remain undefined. PMID:28748922

What’s the Story? The Tale of Reading Fluency Told at Speed

PubMed Central

Benjamin, Christopher F. A.; Gaab, Nadine

2012-01-01

Fluent readers process written text rapidly and accurately, and comprehend what they read. Historically, reading fluency has been modeled as the product of discrete skills such as single word decoding. More recent conceptualizations emphasize that fluent reading is the product of competency in, and the coordination of, multiple cognitive sub-skills (a multi-componential view). In this study, we examined how the pattern of activation in core reading regions changes as the ability to read fluently is manipulated through reading speed. We evaluated 13 right-handed adults with a novel fMRI task assessing fluent sentence reading and lower-order letter reading at each participant’s normal fluent reading speed, as well as constrained (slowed) and accelerated reading speeds. Comparing fluent reading conditions with rest revealed regions including bilateral occipito-fusiform, left middle temporal, and inferior frontal gyral clusters across reading speeds. The selectivity of these regions’ responses to fluent sentence reading was shown by comparison with the letter reading task. Region of interest analyses showed that at constrained and accelerated speeds these regions responded significantly more to fluent sentence reading. Critically, as reading speed increased, activation increased in a single reading-related region: occipital/fusiform cortex (left > right). These results demonstrate that while brain regions engaged in reading respond selectively during fluent reading, these regions respond differently as the ability to read fluently is manipulated. Implications for our understanding of reading fluency, reading development, and reading disorders are discussed. PMID:21954000

Failure to upregulate Agrp and Orexin in response to activity based anorexia in weight loss vulnerable rats characterized by passive stress coping and prenatal stress experience

PubMed Central

Boersma, Gretha J.; Liang, Nu-Chu; Lee, Richard S.; Albertz, Jennifer D.; Kastelein, Anneke; Moody, Laura A.; Aryal, Shivani; Moran, Timothy H.; Tamashiro, Kellie L.

2016-01-01

We hypothesize that Anorexia Nervosa (AN) poses a physiological stress. Therefore, the way an individual copes with stress may affect AN vulnerability. Since prenatal stress (PNS) exposure alters stress responsivity in offspring this may increase their risk of developing AN. We tested this hypothesis using the activity based anorexia (ABA) rat model in control and PNS rats that were characterized by either proactive or passive stress-coping behavior. We found that PNS passively coping rats ate less and lost more weight during the ABA paradigm. Exposure to ABA resulted in higher baseline corticosterone and lower insulin levels in all groups. However, leptin levels were only decreased in rats with a proactive stress-coping style. Similarly, ghrelin levels were increased only in proactively coping ABA rats. Neuropeptide Y (Npy) expression was increased and proopiomelanocortin (Pomc) expression was decreased in all rats exposed to ABA. In contrast, agouti-related peptide (Agrp) and orexin (Hctr) expression were increased in all but the PNS passively coping ABA rats. Furthermore, DNA methylation of the orexin gene was increased after ABA in proactive coping rats and not in passive coping rats. Overall our study suggests that passive PNS rats have innate impairments in leptin and ghrelin in responses to starvation combined with prenatal stress associated impairments in Agrp and orexin expression in response to starvation. These impairments may underlie decreased food intake and associated heightened body weight loss during ABA in the passively coping PNS rats. PMID:26907996

Prenatal stress produces anxiety prone female offspring and impaired maternal behaviour in the domestic pig.

PubMed

Rutherford, Kenneth M D; Piastowska-Ciesielska, Agnieszka; Donald, Ramona D; Robson, Sheena K; Ison, Sarah H; Jarvis, Susan; Brunton, Paula J; Russell, John A; Lawrence, Alistair B

2014-04-22

Numerous studies have shown that prenatal stress (PNS) can have profound effects on postnatal well-being. Here, the domestic pig (Sus scrofa) was used to investigate PNS effects owing to the direct relevance for farm animal welfare and the developing status of the pig as a large animal model in translational research. Pregnant primiparous sows were exposed, in mid-gestation, to either a social stressor (mixing with unfamiliar conspecifics) or were kept in stable social groups. The ratio of levels of mRNAs for corticotropin releasing hormone (CRH) receptors 1 and 2 in the amygdala, measured for the first time in the pig, was substantially increased in 10-week-old female, but not male, PNS progeny indicating a neurobiological propensity for anxiety-related behaviour. Mature female offspring were observed at parturition in either a behaviourally restrictive crate or open pen. Such PNS sows showed abnormal maternal behaviour in either environment, following the birth of their first piglet. They spent more time lying ventrally, more time standing and showed a higher frequency of posture changes. They were also more reactive towards their piglets, and spent longer visually attending to their piglets compared to controls. Associated with this abnormal maternal care, piglet mortality was increased in the open pen environment, where protection for piglets is reduced. Overall, these data indicate that PNS females have their brain development shifted towards a pro-anxiety phenotype and that PNS can be causally related to subsequent impaired maternal behaviour in adult female offspring. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Process evaluation of a practice nurse-led smoking cessation trial in Australian general practice: views of general practitioners and practice nurses.

PubMed

Halcomb, Elizabeth J; Furler, John S; Hermiz, Oshana S; Blackberry, Irene D; Smith, Julie P; Richmond, Robyn L; Zwar, Nicholas A

2015-08-01

Support in primary care can assist smokers to quit successfully, but there are barriers to general practitioners (GPs) providing this support routinely. Practice nurses (PNs) may be able to effectively take on this role. The aim of this study was to perform a process evaluation of a PN-led smoking cessation intervention being tested in a randomized controlled trial in Australian general practice. Process evaluation was conducted by means of semi-structured telephone interviews with GPs and PNs allocated in the intervention arm (Quit with PN) of the Quit in General Practice trial. Interviews focussed on nurse training, content and implementation of the intervention. Twenty-two PNs and 15 GPs participated in the interviews. The Quit with PN intervention was viewed positively. Most PNs were satisfied with the training and the materials provided. Some challenges in managing patient data and follow-up were identified. The Quit with PN intervention was acceptable to participating PNs and GPs. Issues to be addressed in the planning and wider implementation of future trials of nurse-led intervention in general practice include providing ongoing mentoring support, integration into practice management systems and strategies to promote greater collaboration in GPs and PN teams in general practice. The ongoing feasibility of the intervention was impacted by the funding model supporting PN employment and the competing demands on the PNs time. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Infant Parasympathetic and Sympathetic Activity during Baseline, Stress and Recovery: Interactions with Prenatal Adversity Predict Physical Aggression in Toddlerhood.

PubMed

Suurland, J; van der Heijden, K B; Huijbregts, S C J; van Goozen, S H M; Swaab, H

2018-05-01

Exposure to prenatal adversity is associated with aggression later in life. Individual differences in autonomic nervous system (ANS) functioning, specifically nonreciprocal activation of the parasympathetic (PNS) and sympathetic (SNS) nervous systems, increase susceptibility to aggression, especially in the context of adversity. Previous work examining interactions between early adversity and ANS functioning in infancy is scarce and has not examined interaction between PNS and SNS. This study examined whether the PNS and SNS moderate the relation between cumulative prenatal risk and early physical aggression in 124 children (57% male). Cumulative risk (e.g., maternal psychiatric disorder, substance (ab)use, and social adversity) was assessed during pregnancy. Parasympathetic respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) and sympathetic pre-ejection period (PEP) at baseline, in response to and during recovery from emotional challenge were measured at 6 months. Physical aggression and non-physical aggression/oppositional behavior were measured at 30 months. The results showed that cumulative prenatal risk predicted elevated physical aggression and non-physical aggression/oppositional behavior in toddlerhood; however, the effects on physical aggression were moderated by PNS and SNS functioning. Specifically, the effects of cumulative risk on physical aggression were particularly evident in children characterized by low baseline PNS activity and/or by nonreciprocal activity of the PNS and SNS, characterized by decreased activity (i.e., coinhibition) or increased activity (i.e., coactivation) of both systems at baseline and/or in response to emotional challenge. These findings extend our understanding of the interaction between perinatal risk and infant ANS functioning on developmental outcome.

Failure to upregulate Agrp and Orexin in response to activity based anorexia in weight loss vulnerable rats characterized by passive stress coping and prenatal stress experience.

PubMed

Boersma, Gretha J; Liang, Nu-Chu; Lee, Richard S; Albertz, Jennifer D; Kastelein, Anneke; Moody, Laura A; Aryal, Shivani; Moran, Timothy H; Tamashiro, Kellie L

2016-05-01

We hypothesize that anorexia nervosa (AN) poses a physiological stress. Therefore, the way an individual copes with stress may affect AN vulnerability. Since prenatal stress (PNS) exposure alters stress responsivity in offspring this may increase their risk of developing AN. We tested this hypothesis using the activity based anorexia (ABA) rat model in control and PNS rats that were characterized by either proactive or passive stress-coping behavior. We found that PNS passively coping rats ate less and lost more weight during the ABA paradigm. Exposure to ABA resulted in higher baseline corticosterone and lower insulin levels in all groups. However, leptin levels were only decreased in rats with a proactive stress-coping style. Similarly, ghrelin levels were increased only in proactively coping ABA rats. Neuropeptide Y (Npy) expression was increased and proopiomelanocortin (Pomc) expression was decreased in all rats exposed to ABA. In contrast, agouti-related peptide (Agrp) and orexin (Hctr) expression were increased in all but the PNS passively coping ABA rats. Furthermore, DNA methylation of the orexin gene was increased after ABA in proactive coping rats and not in passive coping rats. Overall our study suggests that passive PNS rats have innate impairments in leptin and ghrelin in responses to starvation combined with prenatal stress associated impairments in Agrp and orexin expression in response to starvation. These impairments may underlie decreased food intake and associated heightened body weight loss during ABA in the passively coping PNS rats. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Protons modulate perivascular axo-axonal neurotransmission in the rat mesenteric artery.

PubMed

Takatori, Shingo; Hirai, Kazuhiro; Ozaki, Shuichiro; Tangsucharit, Panot; Fukushima-Miyashita, Satoko; Goda, Mitsuhiro; Hashikawa-Hobara, Narumi; Ono, Nobufumi; Kawasaki, Hiromu

2014-12-01

Previous studies have demonstrated that nicotine releases protons from adrenergic nerves via stimulation of nicotinic ACh receptors and activates transient receptor potential vanilloid-1 (TRPV1) receptors located on calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP)-containing (CGRPergic) vasodilator nerves, resulting in vasodilatation. The present study investigated whether perivascular nerves release protons, which modulate axon-axonal neurotransmission. Perfusion pressure and pH levels of perfusate in rat-perfused mesenteric vascular beds without endothelium were measured with a pressure transducer and a pH meter respectively. Periarterial nerve stimulation (PNS) initially induced vasoconstriction, which was followed by long-lasting vasodilatation and decreased pH levels in the perfusate. Cold-storage denervation of the preparation abolished the decreased pH and vascular responses to PNS. The adrenergic neuron blocker guanethidine inhibited PNS-induced vasoconstriction and effects on pH, but not PNS-induced vasodilatation. Capsaicin (CGRP depletor), capsazepine and ruthenium red (TRPV1 inhibitors) attenuated the PNS-induced decrease in pH and vasodilatation. In denuded preparations, ACh caused long-lasting vasodilatation and lowered pH; these effects were inhibited by capsaicin pretreatment and atropine, but not by guanethidine or mecamylamine. Capsaicin injection induced vasodilatation and a reduction in pH, which were abolished by ruthenium red. The use of a fluorescent pH indicator demonstrated that application of nicotine, ACh and capsaicin outside small mesenteric arteries reduced perivascular pH levels and these effects were abolished in a Ca(2+) -free medium. These results suggest that protons are released from perivascular adrenergic and CGRPergic nerves upon PNS and these protons modulate transmission in CGRPergic nerves. © 2014 The British Pharmacological Society.

Fluent aphasia in children: definition and natural history.

PubMed

Klein, S K; Masur, D; Farber, K; Shinnar, S; Rapin, I

1992-01-01

We compared the course of a preschool child we followed for 4 years with published reports of 24 children with fluent aphasia. Our patient spoke fluently within 3 weeks of the injury. She was severely anomic and made many semantic paraphasic errors. Unlike other children with fluent aphasia, her prosody of speech was impaired initially, and her spontaneous language was dominated by stock phrases. Residual deficits include chronic impairment of auditory comprehension, repetition, and word retrieval. She has more disfluencies in spontaneous speech 4 years after her head injury than acutely. School achievement in reading and mathematics remains below age level. Attention to the timing of recovery of fluent speech and to the characteristics of receptive and expressive language over time will permit more accurate description of fluent aphasia in childhood.

KINEMATIC DISTANCES OF GALACTIC PLANETARY NEBULAE

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Yang, A. Y.; Tian, W. W.; Zhu, H.

2016-03-15

We construct H i absorption spectra for 18 planetary nebulae (PNs) and their background sources using data from the International Galactic Plane Survey. We estimate the kinematic distances of these PNs, among which 15 objects’ kinematic distances are obtained for the first time. The distance uncertainties of 13 PNs range from 10% to 50%, which is a significant improvement with uncertainties of a factor of two or three smaller than most previous distance measurements. We confirm that PN G030.2−00.1 is not a PN because of its large distance found here.

Petri net modelling of biological networks.

PubMed

Chaouiya, Claudine

2007-07-01

Mathematical modelling is increasingly used to get insights into the functioning of complex biological networks. In this context, Petri nets (PNs) have recently emerged as a promising tool among the various methods employed for the modelling and analysis of molecular networks. PNs come with a series of extensions, which allow different abstraction levels, from purely qualitative to more complex quantitative models. Noteworthily, each of these models preserves the underlying graph, which depicts the interactions between the biological components. This article intends to present the basics of the approach and to foster the potential role PNs could play in the development of the computational systems biology.

Optimization of cerebellar purkinje neuron cultures and development of a plasmid-based method for purkinje neuron-specific, miRNA-mediated protein knockdown.

PubMed

Alexander, C J; Hammer, J A

2016-01-01

We present a simple and efficient method to knock down proteins specifically in Purkinje neurons (PN) present in mixed mouse primary cerebellar cultures. This method utilizes the introduction via nucleofection of a plasmid encoding a specific miRNA downstream of the L7/Pcp2 promoter, which drives PN-specific expression. As proof-of-principle, we used this plasmid to knock down the motor protein myosin Va, which is required for the targeting of smooth endoplasmic reticulum (ER) into PN spines. Consistent with effective knockdown, transfected PNs robustly phenocopied PNs from dilute-lethal (myosin Va-null) mice with regard to the ER targeting defect. Importantly, our plasmid-based approach is less challenging technically and more specific to PNs than several alternative methods (e.g., biolistic- and lentiviral-based introduction of siRNAs). We also present a number of improvements for generating mixed cerebellar cultures that shorten the procedure and improve the total yield of PNs, and of transfected PNs, considerably. Finally, we present a method to rescue cerebellar cultures that develop large cell aggregates, a common problem that otherwise precludes the further use of the culture. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Systemic delivery of the anticancer agent arenobufagin using polymeric nanomicelles.

PubMed

Yuan, Xue; Xie, Qian; Su, Keyu; Li, Zhijie; Dong, Dong; Wu, Baojian

2017-01-01

Arenobufagin (ABG) is a major active component of toad venom, a traditional Chinese medicine used for cancer therapy. However, poor aqueous solubility limits its pharmacological studies in vivo due to administration difficulties. In this study, we aimed to develop a polymeric nanomicelle (PN) system to enhance the solubility of ABG for effective intravenous delivery. ABG-loaded PNs (ABG-PNs) were prepared with methoxy poly (ethylene glycol)-block-poly (d,l-lactic-co-glycolic acid) (mPEG-PLGA) using the solvent-diffusion technique. The obtained ABG-PNs were 105 nm in size with a small polydispersity index of 0.08. The entrapment efficiency and drug loading were 71.9% and 4.58%, respectively. Cellular uptake of ABG-PNs was controlled by specific clathrin-mediated endocytosis. In addition, ABG-PNs showed improved drug pharmacokinetics with an increased area under the curve value (a 1.73-fold increase) and a decreased elimination clearance (37.8% decrease). The nanomicelles showed increased drug concentrations in the liver and lung. In contrast, drug concentrations in both heart and brain were decreased. Moreover, the nanomicelles enhanced the anticancer effect of the pure drug probably via increased cellular uptake of drug molecules. In conclusion, the mPEG-PLGA-based nanomicelle system is a satisfactory carrier for the systemic delivery of ABG.

Spontaneous olfactory receptor neuron activity determines follower cell response properties

PubMed Central

Joseph, Joby; Dunn, Felice A.; Stopfer, Mark

2012-01-01

Noisy or spontaneous activity is common in neural systems and poses a challenge to detecting and discriminating signals. Here we use the locust to answer fundamental questions about noise in the olfactory system: Where does spontaneous activity originate? How is this activity propagated or reduced throughout multiple stages of neural processing? What mechanisms favor the detection of signals despite the presence of spontaneous activity? We found that spontaneous activity long observed in the secondary projection neurons (PNs) originates almost entirely from the primary olfactory receptor neurons (ORNs) rather than from spontaneous circuit interactions in the antennal lobe, and that spontaneous activity in ORNs tonically depolarizes the resting membrane potentials of their target PNs and local neurons (LNs), and indirectly tonically depolarizes tertiary Kenyon cells (KCs). However, because these neurons have different response thresholds, in the absence of odor stimulation, ORNs and PNs display a high spontaneous firing rate but KCs are nearly silent. Finally, we used a simulation of the olfactory network to show that discrimination of signal and noise in the KCs is best when threshold levels are set so that baseline activity in PNs persists. Our results show how the olfactory system benefits from making a signal detection decision after a point of maximal information convergence, e.g., after KCs pool inputs from many PNs. PMID:22357872

Cephalometric risk factors of obstructive sleep apnea.

PubMed

Bayat, Mohamad; Shariati, Mahsa; Rakhshan, Vahid; Abbasi, Mohsen; Fateh, Ali; Sobouti, Farhad; Davoudmanesh, Zeinab

2017-09-01

Previous studies on risk factors of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) are highly controversial and mostly identifying a few cephalometric risk factors. OSA diagnosis was made according to the patients' apnea-hypopnea index (AHI). Included were 74 OSA patients (AHI > 10) and 52 control subjects (AHI ≤ 10 + free of other OSA symptoms). In both groups, 18 cephalometric parameters were traced (SNA, SNB, ANB, the soft palate's length (PNS-P), inferior airway space, the distance from the mandibular plane to the hyoid (MP-H), lengths of mandible (Go-Gn) and maxilla (PNS-ANS), vertical height of airway (VAL), vertical height of the posterior maxilla (S-PNS), superior posterior airway space (SPAS), middle airway space, distances from hyoid to third cervical vertebra and retrognathion (HH1), C3 (C3H), and RGN (HRGN), the maximum thickness of soft palate (MPT), tongue length (TGL), and the maximum height of tongue). These parameters were compared using t-test. Significant variables were SPAS (p = 0.027), MPT, TGL, HH1, C3H, HRGN, PNS-P, S-PNS, MP-H, VAL, and Go-Gn (all p values ≤ 0.006). OSA patients exhibited thicker and longer soft palates, hyoid bones more distant from the vertebrae, retrognathion, and mandibular plane, higher posterior maxillae, longer mandibles, and smaller superior-posterior airways.

A fluid response: Alpha-amylase reactions to acute laboratory stress are related to sample timing and saliva flow rate.

PubMed

Nagy, Tamás; van Lien, René; Willemsen, Gonneke; Proctor, Gordon; Efting, Marieke; Fülöp, Márta; Bárdos, György; Veerman, Enno C I; Bosch, Jos A

2015-07-01

Salivary alpha-amylase (sAA) is used as a sympathetic (SNS) stress marker, though its release is likely co-determined by SNS and parasympathetic (PNS) activation. The SNS and PNS show asynchronous changes during acute stressors, and sAA responses may thus vary with sample timing. Thirty-four participants underwent an eight-minute memory task (MT) and cold pressor task (CPT). Cardiovascular SNS (pre-ejection period, blood pressure) and PNS (heart rate variability) activity were monitored continuously. Unstimulated saliva was collected repeatedly during and after each laboratory stressor, and sAA concentration (U/ml) and secretion (U/minute) determined. Both stressors increased anxiety. The MT caused an immediate and continued cardiac SNS activation, but sAA concentration increased at task cessation only (+54%); i.e., when there was SNS-PNS co-activation. During the MT sAA secretion even decreased (-35%) in conjunction with flow rate and vagal tone. The CPT robustly increased blood pressure but not sAA. In summary, sAA fluctuations did not parallel changes in cardiac SNS activity or anxiety. sAA responses seem contingent on sample timing and flow rate, likely involving both SNS and PNS influences. Verification using other stressors and contexts seems warranted. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Sex-specific prenatal stress effects on the rat reproductive axis and adrenal gland structure

PubMed Central

George, Susan O; Hogg, Charis O; Lai, Yu-Ting; Brunton, Paula J

2016-01-01

Abstract Social stress during pregnancy has profound effects on offspring physiology. This study examined whether an ethologically relevant social stress during late pregnancy in rats alters the reproductive axis and adrenal gland structure in post-pubertal male and female offspring. Prenatally stressed (PNS) pregnant rats (n=9) were exposed to an unfamiliar lactating rat for 10 min/day from day 16 to 20 of pregnancy inclusive, whereas control pregnant rats (n=9) remained in their home cages. Gonads, adrenal glands and blood samples were obtained from one female and one male from each litter at 11 to 12-weeks of age. Anogenital distance was measured. There was no treatment effect on body, adrenal or gonad weight at 11–12 weeks. PNS did not affect the number of primordial, secondary or tertiary ovarian follicles, numbers of corpora lutea or ovarian FSH receptor expression. There was an indication that PNS females had more primary follicles and greater ovarian aromatase expression compared with control females (both P=0.09). PNS males had longer anogenital distances (0.01±0.0 cm/g vs 0.008±0.00 cm/g; P=0.007) and higher plasma FSH concentrations (0.05 ng/mL vs 0.006 ng/mL; s.e.d.=0.023; P=0.043) compared with control males. There were no treatment effects on the number of Sertoli cells or seminiferous tubules, seminiferous tubule area, plasma testosterone concentration or testis expression of aromatase, FSH receptor or androgen receptor. PNS did not affect adrenal size. These data suggest that the developing male reproductive axis is more sensitive to maternal stress and that PNS may enhance aspects of male reproductive development. PMID:27026714

The effects of tumor location on diagnostic criteria for canine malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors (MPNSTs) and the markers for distinction between canine MPNSTs and canine perivascular wall tumors.

PubMed

Suzuki, S; Uchida, K; Nakayama, H

2014-07-01

Canine malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors (MPNSTs) occur not only in the peripheral nervous system (PNS) but also in soft tissue and various organs (non-PNS). The most important diagnostic criterion is proof of peripheral nerve sheath origin. This is difficult in non-PNS MPNSTs, and its differential diagnosis is challenging. Canine perivascular wall tumors (PWTs) also commonly arise in soft tissue. Their histopathological features are quite similar to those of canine MPNSTs, making their differential diagnosis challenging. To elucidate whether the morphological features are applicable to diagnose non-PNS MPNSTs and to demonstrate useful markers for distinction between canine MPNSTs and PWTs, the authors examined 30 canine MPNSTs and 31 PWTs immunohistochemically for S100, nestin, NGFR, Olig2, claudin-1, CD57, PRX, α-SMA, desmin, and calponin. Among canine MPNSTs, the PNS tumors displayed significantly higher S100 and Olig2 expression than the non-PNS tumors. The expression levels of the other markers did not differ significantly, suggesting that the same morphological diagnostic criteria are applicable regardless of their location. The PWT cells displayed significantly weaker immunoreactivity than MPNSTs to markers used except α-SMA and desmin. Cluster analysis sorted most canine MPNSTs and PWTs into 2 distinctly different clusters, whereas 3 MPNSTs and 6 PWTs were assigned to the opposing cluster. These 3 MPNSTs were negative for almost all markers, while these 6 PWTs were positive for only neuronal markers. In particular, NGFR and Olig2 were almost negative in the rest of PWT cases. These findings suggest that NGFR and Olig2 are useful to distinguish these 2 tumors. © The Author(s) 2013.

Management of Pulmonary Nodules by Community Pulmonologists: A Multicenter Observational Study.

PubMed

Tanner, Nichole T; Aggarwal, Jyoti; Gould, Michael K; Kearney, Paul; Diette, Gregory; Vachani, Anil; Fang, Kenneth C; Silvestri, Gerard A

2015-12-01

Pulmonary nodules (PNs) are a common reason for referral to pulmonologists. The majority of data for the evaluation and management of PNs is derived from studies performed in academic medical centers. Little is known about the prevalence and diagnosis of PNs, the use of diagnostic testing, or the management of PNs by community pulmonologists. This multicenter observational record review evaluated 377 patients aged 40 to 89 years referred to 18 geographically diverse community pulmonary practices for intermediate PNs (8-20 mm). Study measures included the prevalence of malignancy, procedure/test use, and nodule pretest probability of malignancy as calculated by two previously validated models. The relationship between calculated pretest probability and management decisions was evaluated. The prevalence of malignancy was 25% (n = 94). Nearly one-half of the patients (46%, n = 175) had surveillance alone. Biopsy was performed on 125 patients (33.2%). A total of 77 patients (20.4%) underwent surgery, of whom 35% (n = 27) had benign disease. PET scan was used in 141 patients (37%). The false-positive rate for PET scan was 39% (95% CI, 27.1%-52.1%). Pretest probability of malignancy calculations showed that 9.5% (n = 36) were at a low risk, 79.6% (n = 300) were at a moderate risk, and 10.8% (n = 41) were at a high risk of malignancy. The rate of surgical resection was similar among the three groups (17%, 21%, 17%, respectively; P = .69). A substantial fraction of intermediate-sized nodules referred to pulmonologists ultimately prove to be lung cancer. Despite advances in imaging and nonsurgical biopsy techniques, invasive sampling of low-risk nodules and surgical resection of benign nodules remain common, suggesting a lack of adherence to guidelines for the management of PNs.

[(18)F-FDG PET/CT in the evaluation of patients suspected of paraneoplastic neurological syndrome].

PubMed

García Vicente, A M; Vega Caicedo, C H; Mondéjar Solís, R; de Ayala Fernández, J Á; Garrido Robles, J A; Pena Pardo, F J; Muñoz Pasadas, M; Del Saz Saucedo, P; Jiménez Londoño, G A; León Martín, A; Soriano Castrejón, Á

2015-01-01

This study aimed to determine the diagnostic impact of (18)F-FDG PET/CT based on the clinical features of paraneoplastic neurological syndrome (PNS). Multicenter retrospective and longitudinal study of patients with suspicion of PNS. The clinical picture was classified into classic (CS) and non-classic syndrome (NCS). After the follow-up, the definitive or possible diagnosis of PNS was established. The pictures that did not match any of the previous criteria were categorized as non-classifiable. The state of the onco-neural antibodies was studied. The PET/CT was classified as positive or negative for the detection of malignancy. The relationship between PET/CT findings and the final diagnosis was determined. The differences between variables (Pearson test X(2)) and the relationship between the results of the PET/CT and the final diagnosis were analyzed. A total of 64 patients were analyzed, classifying 30% as CS and 42% as NCS. After the follow-up, 20% and 16% of subjects were diagnosed as possible and definitive PNS, respectively. Positive onco-neural antibodies were found in 13% of the patients. A definitive diagnosis of PNS was associated with a positive PET/CT (P=.08). A significant relation between antibodies expression and final diagnosis of neoplasia (P=.04) was demonstrated. The PET/CT correctly localized malignancy in 5/7 cases of invasive cancer. The PET/CT showed a higher percentage of positive results in patients with definitive diagnosis of PNS. Despite the low prevalence of malignancy in our series, the PET/CT detected malignancy in a significant proportion of patients with invasive cancer. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier España, S.L.U. and SEMNIM. All rights reserved.

Heterogeneity in Kv2 Channel Expression Shapes Action Potential Characteristics and Firing Patterns in CA1 versus CA2 Hippocampal Pyramidal Neurons

PubMed Central

Chevaleyre, Vivien; Murray, Karl D.; Piskorowski, Rebecca A.

2017-01-01

Abstract The CA1 region of the hippocampus plays a critical role in spatial and contextual memory, and has well-established circuitry, function and plasticity. In contrast, the properties of the flanking CA2 pyramidal neurons (PNs), important for social memory, and lacking CA1-like plasticity, remain relatively understudied. In particular, little is known regarding the expression of voltage-gated K+ (Kv) channels and the contribution of these channels to the distinct properties of intrinsic excitability, action potential (AP) waveform, firing patterns and neurotransmission between CA1 and CA2 PNs. In the present study, we used multiplex fluorescence immunolabeling of mouse brain sections, and whole-cell recordings in acute mouse brain slices, to define the role of heterogeneous expression of Kv2 family Kv channels in CA1 versus CA2 pyramidal cell excitability. Our results show that the somatodendritic delayed rectifier Kv channel subunits Kv2.1, Kv2.2, and their auxiliary subunit AMIGO-1 have region-specific differences in expression in PNs, with the highest expression levels in CA1, a sharp decrease at the CA1-CA2 boundary, and significantly reduced levels in CA2 neurons. PNs in CA1 exhibit a robust contribution of Guangxitoxin-1E-sensitive Kv2-based delayed rectifier current to AP shape and after-hyperpolarization potential (AHP) relative to that seen in CA2 PNs. Our results indicate that robust Kv2 channel expression confers a distinct pattern of intrinsic excitability to CA1 PNs, potentially contributing to their different roles in hippocampal network function. PMID:28856240

Scientific decision-making and stakeholder consultations: the case of salt recommendations.

PubMed

Timotijevic, Lada; Barnett, Julie; Brown, Kerry; Raats, Monique M; Shepherd, Richard

2013-05-01

Scientific advisory committees (SACs) are seen as "boundary organisations" working at the interface between science, policy and society. Although their narrowly defined remit of risk assessment is anchored in notions of rationality, objectivity, and reason, in reality, their sources for developing recommendations are not limited to scientific evidence. There is a growing expectation to involve non-scientific sources of information in the formation of knowledge, including the expectation of stakeholder consultation in forming recommendations. Such a move towards "democratisation" of scientific processes of decision-making within SACs has been described and often studied as "post-normal science" (PNS) (Funtowicz & Ravetz, 1993). In the current paper we examine the application of PNS in practice through a study of stakeholder consultations within the workings of the UK Scientific Advisory Committee for Nutrition (SACN). We use the theoretical insights from PNS-related studies to structure the analysis and examine the way in which PNS tenets resonate with the practices of SACN. We have selected a particular case of the SACN UK recommendations for salt as it is characterized by scientific controversy, uncertainty, vested interests and value conflict. We apply the tenets of PNS through documentary analysis of the SACN Salt Subgroup (SSG) consultation documents published in 2002/2003: the minutes of the 5 SACN SSG's meetings which included summary of the SACN SSG's stakeholder consultation and the SSG's responses to the consultation. The analysis suggests that the SACN consultation can be construed as a process of managing sources of risk to its organisation. Thus, rather than being an evidence of post-normal scientific practice, engagement became a mechanism for confirming the specific framing of science that is resonant with technocratic models of science holding authority over the facts. The implications for PNS theory are discussed. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Contribution of early environmental stress to alcoholism vulnerability.

PubMed

Campbell, Joannalee C; Szumlinski, Karen K; Kippin, Tod E

2009-11-01

The most problematic aspects of alcohol abuse disorder are excessive alcohol consumption and the inability to refrain from alcohol consumption during attempted abstinence. The root causes that predispose certain individuals to these problems are poorly understood but are believed to be produced by a combination of genetic and environmental factors. Early environmental trauma alters neurodevelopmental trajectories that can predispose an individual to a number of neuropsychiatric disorders, including substance abuse. Prenatal stress (PNS) is a well-established protocol that produces perturbations in nervous system development, resulting in behavioral alterations that include hyperresponsiveness to stress, novelty, and psychomotor stimulant drugs (e.g., cocaine, amphetamine). Moreover, PNS animals exhibit enduring alterations in basal and cocaine-induced changes in dopamine and glutamate transmission within limbic structures, which exhibit pathology in drug addiction and alcoholism, suggesting that these alterations may contribute to an increased propensity to self-administer large amounts of drugs of abuse or to relapse after periods of drug withdrawal. Given that cocaine and alcohol have actions on common limbic neural substrates (albeit by different mechanisms), we hypothesized that PNS would elevate the motivation for, and consumption of, alcohol. Accordingly, we have found that male C57BL/6J mice subject to PNS exhibit higher operant responding and consume more alcohol during alcohol reinforcement as adults. Alterations in glutamate and dopamine neurotransmission within the forebrain structures appear to contribute to the PNS-induced predisposition to high alcohol intake and are induced by excessive alcohol intake. Accordingly, we are exploring the interactions between neurochemical changes produced by PNS and changes induced by consumption of alcohol in adulthood to model the biological bases of high vulnerability to alcohol abuse.

Contribution of early environmental stress to alcoholism vulnerability

PubMed Central

Campbell, Joannalee C.; Szumlinski, Karen K.; Kippin, Tod E.

2011-01-01

The most problematic aspects of alcohol abuse disorder are excessive alcohol consumption and the inability to refrain from alcohol consumption during attempted abstinence. The root causes that predispose certain individuals to these problems are poorly understood but are believed to be produced by a combination of genetic and environmental factors. Early environmental trauma alters neurodevelopmental trajectories that can predispose an individual to a number of neuropsychiatric disorders, including substance abuse. Prenatal stress (PNS) is a well-established protocol that produces perturbations in nervous system development, resulting in behavioral alterations that include hyperresponsiveness to stress, novelty, and psychomotor stimulant drugs (e.g., cocaine, amphetamine). Moreover, PNS animals exhibit enduring alterations in basal and cocaine-induced changes in dopamine and glutamate transmission within limbic structures, which exhibit pathology in drug addiction and alcoholism, suggesting that these alterations may contribute to an increased propensity to self-administer large amounts of drugs of abuse or to relapse after periods of drug withdrawal. Given that cocaine and alcohol have actions on common limbic neural substrates (albeit by different mechanisms), we hypothesized that PNS would elevate the motivation for, and consumption of, alcohol. Accordingly, we have found that male C57BL/6J mice subject to PNS exhibit higher operant responding and consume more alcohol during alcohol reinforcement as adults. Alterations in glutamate and dopamine neurotransmission within the forebrain structures appear to contribute to the PNS-induced predisposition to high alcohol intake and are induced by excessive alcohol intake. Accordingly, we are exploring the interactions between neurochemical changes produced by PNS and changes induced by consumption of alcohol in adulthood to model the biological bases of high vulnerability to alcohol abuse. PMID:19913199

Child obesity prevention in primary health care: investigating practice nurse roles, attitudes and current practices.

PubMed

Robinson, Alison; Denney-Wilson, Elizabeth; Laws, Rachel; Harris, Mark

2013-04-01

Overweight and obesity affects approximately 20% of Australian pre-schoolers. The general practice nurse (PN) workforce has increased in recent years; however, little is known of PN capacity and potential to provide routine advice for the prevention of child obesity. This mixed methods pilot study aims to explore the current practices, attitudes, confidence and training needs of Australian PNs surrounding child obesity prevention in the general practice setting. PNs from three Divisions of General Practice in New South Wales were invited to complete a questionnaire investigating PN roles, attitudes and practices in preventive care with a focus on child obesity. A total of 59 questionnaires were returned (response rate 22%). Semi-structured qualitative interviews were also conducted with a subsample of PNs (n = 10). Questionnaire respondent demographics were similar to that of national PN data. PNs described preventive work as enjoyable despite some perceived barriers including lack of confidence. Number of years working in general practice did not appear to strongly influence nurses' perceived barriers. Seventy per cent of PNs were interested in being more involved in conducting child health checks in practice, and 85% expressed an interest in taking part in child obesity prevention training. Findings from this pilot study suggest that PNs are interested in prevention of child obesity despite barriers to practice and low confidence levels. More research is needed to determine the effect of training on PN confidence and behaviours in providing routine healthy life-style messages for the prevention of child obesity. © 2013 The Authors. Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health © 2013 Paediatrics and Child Health Division (Royal Australasian College of Physicians).

77 FR 56133 - Dinotefuran; Pesticide Tolerances

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-09-12

... is the nervous system but effects on the nervous system were only observed at high doses. Nervous... cholinergic nervous system seen after repeated dosing. Typically, low to moderate levels of neonicotinoids... peripheral nervous system (PNS). High levels of neonicotinoids can over stimulate the PNS, maintaining cation...

ON THE NONTHERMAL κ-DISTRIBUTED ELECTRONS IN PLANETARY NEBULAE AND H ii REGIONS: THE κ INDEX AND ITS CORRELATIONS WITH OTHER NEBULAR PROPERTIES

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zhang, Yong; Zhang, Bing; Liu, Xiao-Wei, E-mail: zhangy96@hku.hk

2016-01-20

Recently, a suspicion arose that the free electrons in planetary nebulae (PNs) and H ii regions might have nonthermal energy distributions. In this scenario, a κ index is introduced to characterize the electron energy distributions, with smaller κ values indicating larger deviations from Maxwell–Boltzmann distributions. Assuming that this is the case, we determine the κ values for a sample of PNs and H ii regions by comparing the intensities of [O iii] collisionally excited lines and the hydrogen Balmer jump. We find the average κ indices of PNs and H ii regions to be 27 and 32, respectively. Correlations betweenmore » the resultant κ values and various physical properties of the nebulae are examined to explore the potential origin of nonthermal electrons in photoionized gaseous nebulae. However, no positive result is obtained. Thus, the current analysis does not lend support to the idea that κ-distributed electrons are present in PNs and H ii regions.« less

UV shielding with visible transparency based properties of poly (styrene-co-acrylonitrile)/Ag doped ZnO nanocomposite

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Singh, Rajender; Verma, Karan; Singh, Tejbir; Barman, P. B.; Sharma, Dheeraj

2018-02-01

Development of ultraviolet (UV) shielding with visible transparency based thermoplastic polymer nanocomposite (PNs) presents an important requisite in terms of their efficiency and cost. Present study contributed for the same approach by dispersion of Ag doped ZnO nanoparticles upto 10 wt% in poly (styrene-co-acrylonitrile) matrix by insitu emulsion polymerization method. The crystal and chemical structure of PNs has been analyzed by x-ray diffraction (XRD) and fourier infrared spectrometer (FTIR) techniques. The morphological and elemental information of synthesized nanomaterial has been studied by field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM) and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) technique. The optical properties of PNs has been studied by UV-visible spectroscopy technique. The incorporation of nanoparticles in polymer matrix absorb the complete UV light with visible transparency. The present reported polymer nanocomposite (PNs) have tuned refractive index with UV blocking and visible transparency based properties which can serve as a viable alternative as compared to related conventional materials.

Interaction between prenatal risk and infant parasympathetic and sympathetic stress reactivity predicts early aggression.

PubMed

Suurland, J; van der Heijden, K B; Huijbregts, S C J; van Goozen, S H M; Swaab, H

2017-09-01

Nonreciprocal action of the parasympathetic (PNS) and sympathetic (SNS) nervous systems, increases susceptibility to emotional and behavioral problems in children exposed to adversity. Little is known about the PNS and SNS in interaction with early adversity during infancy. Yet this is when the physiological systems involved in emotion regulation are emerging and presumably most responsive to environmental influences. We examined whether parasympathetic respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) and sympathetic pre-ejection period (PEP) response and recovery at six months, moderate the association between cumulative prenatal risk and physical aggression at 20 months (N=113). Prenatal risk predicted physical aggression, but only in infants exhibiting coactivation of PNS and SNS (i.e., increase in RSA and decrease in PEP) in response to stress. These findings indicate that coactivation of the PNS and SNS in combination with prenatal risk is a biological marker for the development of aggression. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Odor Discrimination in Drosophila: From Neural Population Codes to Behavior

PubMed Central

Parnas, Moshe; Lin, Andrew C.; Huetteroth, Wolf; Miesenböck, Gero

2013-01-01

Summary Taking advantage of the well-characterized olfactory system of Drosophila, we derive a simple quantitative relationship between patterns of odorant receptor activation, the resulting internal representations of odors, and odor discrimination. Second-order excitatory and inhibitory projection neurons (ePNs and iPNs) convey olfactory information to the lateral horn, a brain region implicated in innate odor-driven behaviors. We show that the distance between ePN activity patterns is the main determinant of a fly’s spontaneous discrimination behavior. Manipulations that silence subsets of ePNs have graded behavioral consequences, and effect sizes are predicted by changes in ePN distances. ePN distances predict only innate, not learned, behavior because the latter engages the mushroom body, which enables differentiated responses to even very similar odors. Inhibition from iPNs, which scales with olfactory stimulus strength, enhances innate discrimination of closely related odors, by imposing a high-pass filter on transmitter release from ePN terminals that increases the distance between odor representations. PMID:24012006

Pecan nutshell as biosorbent to remove Cu(II), Mn(II) and Pb(II) from aqueous solutions.

PubMed

Vaghetti, Julio C P; Lima, Eder C; Royer, Betina; da Cunha, Bruna M; Cardoso, Natali F; Brasil, Jorge L; Dias, Silvio L P

2009-02-15

In the present study we reported for the first time the feasibility of pecan nutshell (PNS, Carya illinoensis) as an alternative biosorbent to remove Cu(II), Mn(II) and Pb(II) metallic ions from aqueous solutions. The ability of PNS to remove the metallic ions was investigated by using batch biosorption procedure. The effects such as, pH, biosorbent dosage on the adsorption capacities of PNS were studied. Four kinetic models were tested, being the adsorption kinetics better fitted to fractionary-order kinetic model. Besides that, the kinetic data were also fitted to intra-particle diffusion model, presenting three linear regions, indicating that the kinetics of adsorption should follow multiple sorption rates. The equilibrium data were fitted to Langmuir, Freundlich, Sips and Redlich-Peterson isotherm models. Taking into account a statistical error function, the data were best fitted to Sips isotherm model. The maximum biosorption capacities of PNS were 1.35, 1.78 and 0.946mmolg(-1) for Cu(II), Mn(II) and Pb(II), respectively.

Ultrahigh sensitivity and layer-dependent sensing performance of phosphorene-based gas sensors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cui, Shumao; Pu, Haihui; Wells, Spencer A.; Wen, Zhenhai; Mao, Shun; Chang, Jingbo; Hersam, Mark C.; Chen, Junhong

2015-10-01

Two-dimensional (2D) layered materials have attracted significant attention for device applications because of their unique structures and outstanding properties. Here, a field-effect transistor (FET) sensor device is fabricated based on 2D phosphorene nanosheets (PNSs). The PNS sensor exhibits an ultrahigh sensitivity to NO2 in dry air and the sensitivity is dependent on its thickness. A maximum response is observed for 4.8-nm-thick PNS, with a sensitivity up to 190% at 20 parts per billion (p.p.b.) at room temperature. First-principles calculations combined with the statistical thermodynamics modelling predict that the adsorption density is ~1015 cm-2 for the 4.8-nm-thick PNS when exposed to 20 p.p.b. NO2 at 300 K. Our sensitivity modelling further suggests that the dependence of sensitivity on the PNS thickness is dictated by the band gap for thinner sheets (<10 nm) and by the effective thickness on gas adsorption for thicker sheets (>10 nm).

Ultrahigh sensitivity and layer-dependent sensing performance of phosphorene-based gas sensors

PubMed Central

Cui, Shumao; Pu, Haihui; Wells, Spencer A.; Wen, Zhenhai; Mao, Shun; Chang, Jingbo; Hersam, Mark C.; Chen, Junhong

2015-01-01

Two-dimensional (2D) layered materials have attracted significant attention for device applications because of their unique structures and outstanding properties. Here, a field-effect transistor (FET) sensor device is fabricated based on 2D phosphorene nanosheets (PNSs). The PNS sensor exhibits an ultrahigh sensitivity to NO2 in dry air and the sensitivity is dependent on its thickness. A maximum response is observed for 4.8-nm-thick PNS, with a sensitivity up to 190% at 20 parts per billion (p.p.b.) at room temperature. First-principles calculations combined with the statistical thermodynamics modelling predict that the adsorption density is ∼1015 cm−2 for the 4.8-nm-thick PNS when exposed to 20 p.p.b. NO2 at 300 K. Our sensitivity modelling further suggests that the dependence of sensitivity on the PNS thickness is dictated by the band gap for thinner sheets (<10 nm) and by the effective thickness on gas adsorption for thicker sheets (>10 nm). PMID:26486604

Axonal interferon responses and alphaherpesvirus neuroinvasion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Song, Ren

Infection by alphaherpesviruses, including herpes simplex virus (HSV) and pseudorabies virus (PRV), typically begins at a peripheral epithelial surface and continues into the peripheral nervous system (PNS) that innervates this tissue. Inflammatory responses are induced at the infected peripheral site prior to viral invasion of the PNS. PNS neurons are highly polarized cells with long axonal processes that connect to distant targets. When the peripheral tissue is first infected, only the innervating axons are exposed to this inflammatory milieu, which include type I interferon (e.g. IFNbeta) and type II interferon (i.e. IFNgamma). IFNbeta can be produced by all types of cells, while IFNgamma is secreted by some specific types of immune cells. And both types of IFN induce antiviral responses in surrounding cells that express the IFN receptors. The fundamental question is how do PNS neurons respond to the inflammatory milieu experienced only by their axons. Axons must act as potential front-line barriers to prevent PNS infection and damage. Using compartmented cultures that physically separate neuron axons from cell bodies, I found that pretreating isolated axons with IFNbeta or IFNgamma significantly diminished the number of HSV-1 and PRV particles moving from axons to the cell bodies in an IFN receptor-dependent manner. Furthermore, I found the responses in axons are activated differentially by the two types of IFNs. The response to IFNbeta is a rapid, axon-only response, while the response to IFNgamma involves long distance signaling to the PNS cell body. For example, exposing axons to IFNbeta induced STAT1 phosphorylation (p-STAT1) only in axons, while exposure of axons to IFNgamma induced p-STAT1 accumulation in distant cell body nuclei. Blocking transcription in cell bodies eliminated IFNgamma-, but not IFNbeta-mediated antiviral effects. Proteomic analysis of IFNbeta- or IFNgamma-treated axons identified several differentially regulated proteins. Therefore, unlike treatment with IFNgamma, IFNbeta induces a non-canonical, local antiviral response in axons. The activation of a local IFNbeta response in axons represents a new paradigm for early cytokine control of neuroinvasion. And the two response modes induced by the two distinct types of IFN erect an efficient and appropriate barrier against PNS infection.

Endocannabinoid-Dependent Long-Term Potentiation of Synaptic Transmission at Rat Barrel Cortex.

PubMed

Maglio, Laura Eva; Noriega-Prieto, José Antonio; Maraver, Maria Jesús; Fernández de Sevilla, David

2018-05-01

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) plays a critical role in modulating plasticity in sensory cortices. Indeed, a BDNF-dependent long-term potentiation (LTP) at distal basal excitatory synapses of Layer 5 pyramidal neurons (L5PNs) has been demonstrated in disinhibited rat barrel cortex slices. Although it is well established that this LTP requires the pairing of excitatory postsynaptic potentials (PSPs) with Ca2+ spikes, its induction when synaptic inhibition is working remains unexplored. Here we show that low-frequency stimulation at basal dendrites of L5PNs is able to trigger a PSP followed by an action potential (AP) and a slow depolarization (termed PSP-Ca2+ response) in thalamocortical slices without blocking synaptic inhibition. We demonstrate that AP barrage-mediated release of endocannabinoids (eCBs) from the recorded L5PNs induces PSP-Ca2+ response facilitation and BDNF-dependent LTP. Indeed, this LTP requires the type 1 cannabinoid receptors activation, is prevented by postsynaptic intracellular 1,2-bis(2-aminophenoxy) ethane-N,N,N,N'-tetraacetic acid (BAPTA) or the anandamide membrane transporter inhibitor AM404, and only occurs in L5PNs neurons showing depolarization-induced suppression of inhibition. Additionally, electrical stimulation at the posteromedial thalamic nucleus induced similar response and LTP. These results reveal a novel form of eCB-dependent LTP at L5PNs that could be relevant in the processing of sensory information in the barrel cortex.

Peripheral Nervous System Function and Organophosphate Pesticide Use among Licensed Pesticide Applicators in the Agricultural Health Study

PubMed Central

Starks, Sarah E.; Hoppin, Jane A.; Kamel, Freya; Lynch, Charles F.; Jones, Michael P.; Alavanja, Michael C.; Sandler, Dale P.

2012-01-01

Background: Evidence is limited that long-term human exposure to organophosphate (OP) pesticides, without poisoning, is associated with adverse peripheral nervous system (PNS) function. Objective: We investigated associations between OP pesticide use and PNS function by administering PNS tests to 701 male pesticide applicators in the Agricultural Health Study (AHS). Methods: Participants completed a neurological physical examination (NPx) and electrophysiological tests as well as tests of hand strength, sway speed, and vibrotactile threshold. Self-reported information on lifetime use of 16 OP pesticides was obtained from AHS interviews and a study questionnaire. Associations between pesticide use and measures of PNS function were estimated with linear and logistic regression controlling for age and outcome-specific covariates. Results: Significantly increased odds ratios (ORs) were observed for associations between ever use of 10 of the 16 OP pesticides and one or more of six NPx outcomes. Most notably, abnormal toe proprioception was significantly associated with ever use of 6 OP pesticides, with ORs ranging from 2.03 to 3.06; monotonic increases in strength of association with increasing use was observed for 3 of the 6 pesticides. Mostly null associations were observed between OP pesticide use and electrophysiological tests, hand strength, sway speed, and vibrotactile threshold. Conclusions: This study provides some evidence that long-term exposure to OP pesticides is associated with signs of impaired PNS function among pesticide applicators. PMID:22262687

PdCo porous nanostructures decorated on polypyrrole @ MWCNTs conductive nanocomposite-Modified glassy carbon electrode as a powerful catalyst for ethanol electrooxidation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fard, Leyla Abolghasemi; Ojani, Reza; Raoof, Jahan Bakhsh; Zare, Ehsan Nazarzadeh; Lakouraj, Moslem Mansour

2017-04-01

In the current study, well-defined PdCo porous nanostructure (PdCo PNS) is prepared by a simple one-pot wet-chemical method and polypyrrole@multi-walled carbon nanotubes (PPy@MWCNTs) nanocomposite is used as a catalyst support. The morphology and the structural properties of the prepared catalyst were studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). The electrocatalytic performance of PdCo PNS/PPy@MWCNTs on glassy carbon electrode has been evaluated by cyclic voltammetry (CV), chronoamperometry (CA) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) techniques. The specific activity of PdCo PNS/PPy@MWCNTs for ethanol electrooxidation (1.65 mA cm-2) is higher than those of other compared electrocatalysts. Also, PdCo PNS/PPy@MWCNTs catalyst represented higher electrocatalytic activity, better long-term stability and high level of poisoning tolerance to the carbonaceous oxidative intermediates for ethanol electrooxidation reaction in alkaline media. Furthermore, the presence of PPY@MWCNTs on the surface of GCE produce a high activity to electrocatalyst, which might be due to the easier charge transfer at polymer/carbon nanotubes interfaces, higher electrochemically accessible surface areas and electronic conductivity. The superior catalytic activity of PdCo PNS/PPy@MWCNTs suggests it to be as a promising electrocatalyst for future direct ethanol fuel cells.

Running ANSYS Fluent on the WinHPC System | High-Performance Computing |

Science.gov Websites

. If you don't have one, see WinHPC system user basics. Check License Use Status Start > All Jason Lustbader. Run Using Fluent Launcher Start Fluent launcher by opening: Start > All Programs > . Available node groups can be found from HPC Job Manager. Start > All Programs > Microsoft HPC Pack

How Do Fluent and Poor Readers' Endurance Differ in Reading?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bastug, Muhammet; Keskin, Hasan Kagan; Akyol, Mustafa

2017-01-01

It was observed in this research how endurance status of fluent readers and poor readers changed as the text became longer. 40 students of the primary school 4th-grade, 20 were fluent readers and other 20 were poor readers, participated in the research. A narrative text was utilised in the data collection process. Students' oral readings were…

Experience with turbulence interaction and turbulence-chemistry models at Fluent Inc.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Choudhury, D.; Kim, S. E.; Tselepidakis, D. P.; Missaghi, M.

1995-01-01

This viewgraph presentation discusses (1) turbulence modeling: challenges in turbulence modeling, desirable attributes of turbulence models, turbulence models in FLUENT, and examples using FLUENT; and (2) combustion modeling: turbulence-chemistry interaction and FLUENT equilibrium model. As of now, three turbulence models are provided: the conventional k-epsilon model, the renormalization group model, and the Reynolds-stress model. The renormalization group k-epsilon model has broadened the range of applicability of two-equation turbulence models. The Reynolds-stress model has proved useful for strongly anisotropic flows such as those encountered in cyclones, swirlers, and combustors. Issues remain, such as near-wall closure, with all classes of models.

Infants use known verbs to learn novel nouns: evidence from 15- and 19-month-olds.

PubMed

Ferguson, Brock; Graf, Eileen; Waxman, Sandra R

2014-04-01

Fluent speakers' representations of verbs include semantic knowledge about the nouns that can serve as their arguments. These "selectional restrictions" of a verb can in principle be recruited to learn the meaning of a novel noun. For example, the sentence He ate the carambola licenses the inference that carambola refers to something edible. We ask whether 15- and 19-month-old infants can recruit their nascent verb lexicon to identify the referents of novel nouns that appear as the verbs' subjects. We compared infants' interpretation of a novel noun (e.g., the dax) in two conditions: one in which dax is presented as the subject of animate-selecting construction (e.g., The dax is crying), and the other in which dax is the subject of an animacy-neutral construction (e.g., The dax is right here). Results indicate that by 19months, infants use their representations of known verbs to inform the meaning of a novel noun that appears as its argument. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

What is good medical ethics? A clinician's perspective.

PubMed

Kong, Wing May

2015-01-01

Speaking from the perspective of a clinician and teacher, good medical ethics needs to make medicine better. Over the past 50 years medical ethics has helped shape the culture in medicine and medical practice for the better. However, recent healthcare scandals in the UK suggest more needs to be done to translate ethical reasoning into ethical practice. Focusing on clinical practice and individual patient care, I will argue that, to be good, medical ethics needs to become integral to the activities of health professionals and healthcare organisations. Ethics is like a language which brings a way of thinking and responding to the world. For ethics to become embedded in clinical practice, health professionals need to progress from classroom learners to fluent social speakers through ethical dialogue, ethical reflection and ethical actions. I will end by discussing three areas that need to be addressed to enable medical ethics to flourish and bring about change in everyday clinical care. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

Using Nonword Repetition Tasks for the Identification of Language Impairment in Spanish-English Speaking Children: Does the Language of Assessment Matter?

PubMed Central

Gutiérrez-Clellen, Vera F.; Simon-Cereijido, Gabriela

2012-01-01

The purpose of this study was twofold: (a) to evaluate the clinical utility of a verbal working memory measure, specifically, a nonword repetition task, with a sample of Spanish-English bilingual children and (b) to determine the extent to which individual differences in relative language skills and language use had an effect on the clinical differentiation of these children by the measures. A total of 144 Latino children (95 children with typical language development and 49 children with language impairment) were tested using nonword lists developed for each language. The results show that the clinical accuracy of nonword repetition tasks varies depending on the language(s) tested. Test performance appeared related to individual differences in language use and exposure. The findings do not support a monolingual approach to the assessment of bilingual children with nonword repetition tasks, even if children appear fluent speakers in the language of testing. Nonword repetition may assist in the screening of Latino children if used bilingually and in combination with other clinical measures. PMID:22707854

Speech Evoked Auditory Brainstem Response in Stuttering

PubMed Central

Tahaei, Ali Akbar; Ashayeri, Hassan; Pourbakht, Akram; Kamali, Mohammad

2014-01-01

Auditory processing deficits have been hypothesized as an underlying mechanism for stuttering. Previous studies have demonstrated abnormal responses in subjects with persistent developmental stuttering (PDS) at the higher level of the central auditory system using speech stimuli. Recently, the potential usefulness of speech evoked auditory brainstem responses in central auditory processing disorders has been emphasized. The current study used the speech evoked ABR to investigate the hypothesis that subjects with PDS have specific auditory perceptual dysfunction. Objectives. To determine whether brainstem responses to speech stimuli differ between PDS subjects and normal fluent speakers. Methods. Twenty-five subjects with PDS participated in this study. The speech-ABRs were elicited by the 5-formant synthesized syllable/da/, with duration of 40 ms. Results. There were significant group differences for the onset and offset transient peaks. Subjects with PDS had longer latencies for the onset and offset peaks relative to the control group. Conclusions. Subjects with PDS showed a deficient neural timing in the early stages of the auditory pathway consistent with temporal processing deficits and their abnormal timing may underlie to their disfluency. PMID:25215262

The Development of Reading and Spelling Abilities in the First 3 Years of Learning Arabic

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mohamed, Wessam; Elbert, Thomas; Landerl, Karin

2011-01-01

In a cross-sectional study, we investigated the development of fluent reading and spelling in the first 3 years of learning Arabic. The goals of our study were to: (1) validate suitable measures for fluent reading and spelling in the first 3 years of learning Arabic; (2) trace the developmental course of the relationship between fluent reading and…

Marital Conflict and Children's Externalizing Behavior: Interactions between Parasympathetic and Sympathetic Nervous System Activity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

El-Sheikh, Mona; Kouros, Chrystyna D.; Erath, Stephen; Cummings, E. Mark; Keller, Peggy; Staton, Lori

2009-01-01

Toward greater specificity in the prediction of externalizing problems in the context of interparental conflict, interactions between children's parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous system (PNS and SNS) activity were examined as moderators. PNS activity was indexed by respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) and RSA reactivity (RSA-R) to lab…

Influence of prenatal stress on insulin response to a glucose challenge in yearling Brahman bulls

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

We hypothesized that stressing cows during gestation (prenatal stress, PNS) would increase the insulin sensitivity of their progeny. Progeny of PNS cows subjected to transportation for 2 hour periods on days 60, 80, 100, 120 and 140 of gestation were compared with progeny of nontransported controls ...

STP Position Paper: Recommended Best Practices for Sampling, Processing and Analysis of the Peripheral Nervous System (Nerves and Somatic and Autonomic Ganglia) during Nonclinical Toxicity Studies

EPA Science Inventory

These Society of Toxicologic Pathology “best” practice recommendations should ensure consistent sampling, processing, and evaluation of the peripheral nervous system (PNS). For toxicity studies where neurotoxicity is not anticipated (Situation 1), PNS evaluation may be limited...

Prenatal stress puzzle, the oxytocin piece: Prenatal stress alters the behaviour and autonomic regulation in piglets, insights from oxytocin

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Developmental changes in response to prenatal stressors (PNS) may represent an adaptive strategy to enhance survival traits in the offspring. Yet, PNS could be maladaptive for captive animals, causing anxiety and abnormal social development. Oxytocin (OT) reduces anxiety, whereas OT deficiencies are...

Odor discrimination in Drosophila: from neural population codes to behavior.

PubMed

Parnas, Moshe; Lin, Andrew C; Huetteroth, Wolf; Miesenböck, Gero

2013-09-04

Taking advantage of the well-characterized olfactory system of Drosophila, we derive a simple quantitative relationship between patterns of odorant receptor activation, the resulting internal representations of odors, and odor discrimination. Second-order excitatory and inhibitory projection neurons (ePNs and iPNs) convey olfactory information to the lateral horn, a brain region implicated in innate odor-driven behaviors. We show that the distance between ePN activity patterns is the main determinant of a fly's spontaneous discrimination behavior. Manipulations that silence subsets of ePNs have graded behavioral consequences, and effect sizes are predicted by changes in ePN distances. ePN distances predict only innate, not learned, behavior because the latter engages the mushroom body, which enables differentiated responses to even very similar odors. Inhibition from iPNs, which scales with olfactory stimulus strength, enhances innate discrimination of closely related odors, by imposing a high-pass filter on transmitter release from ePN terminals that increases the distance between odor representations. Copyright © 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Prospective relations between intrusive parenting and child behavior problems: Differential moderation by parasympathetic nervous system regulation and child sex.

PubMed

Rudd, Kristen L; Alkon, Abbey; Yates, Tuppett M

2017-10-15

This study examined children's parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) regulation, which was indexed by respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) during rest, reactivity, and recovery episodes, and sex as moderators of predicted relations between observed intrusive parenting and later observer-rated child behavior problems. Child-caregiver dyads (N=250; 50% girls; 46% Latino/a) completed a series of laboratory assessments yielding independent measures of intrusive parenting at age 4, PNS regulation at age 6, and child behavior problems at age 8. Results indicated that intrusive parenting was related to more internalizing problems among boys who showed low RSA reactivity (i.e., PNS withdrawal from pre-startle to startle challenge), but RSA reactivity did not moderate this relation among girls. Interestingly, RSA recovery (i.e., PNS activation from startle challenge to post-startle) moderated these relations differently for boys and girls. For girls with relatively low RSA post-startle (i.e., less recovery), intrusive parenting was positively related to both internalizing and externalizing problems. However, the reverse was true for boys, such that there was a significant positive relation between intrusive parenting and later externalizing problems among boys who evidenced relatively high RSA post-startle (i.e., more recovery). Findings provide evidence for the moderation of intrusive caregiving effects by children's PNS regulation while highlighting the differential patterning of these relations across distinct phases of the regulatory response and as a function of child sex. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Peripheral nervous system insulin resistance in ob/ob mice

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background A reduction in peripheral nervous system (PNS) insulin signaling is a proposed mechanism that may contribute to sensory neuron dysfunction and diabetic neuropathy. Neuronal insulin resistance is associated with several neurological disorders and recent evidence has indicated that dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons in primary culture display altered insulin signaling, yet in vivo results are lacking. Here, experiments were performed to test the hypothesis that the PNS of insulin-resistant mice displays altered insulin signal transduction in vivo. For these studies, nondiabetic control and type 2 diabetic ob/ob mice were challenged with an intrathecal injection of insulin or insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) and downstream signaling was evaluated in the DRG and sciatic nerve using Western blot analysis. Results The results indicate that insulin signaling abnormalities documented in other “insulin sensitive” tissues (i.e. muscle, fat, liver) of ob/ob mice are also present in the PNS. A robust increase in Akt activation was observed with insulin and IGF-1 stimulation in nondiabetic mice in both the sciatic nerve and DRG; however this response was blunted in both tissues from ob/ob mice. The results also suggest that upregulated JNK activation and reduced insulin receptor expression could be contributory mechanisms of PNS insulin resistance within sensory neurons. Conclusions These findings contribute to the growing body of evidence that alterations in insulin signaling occur in the PNS and may be a key factor in the pathogenesis of diabetic neuropathy. PMID:24252636

[Physical fingerprint for quality control of traditional Chinese medicine extract powders].

PubMed

Zhang, Yi; Xu, Bing; Sun, Fei; Wang, Xin; Zhang, Na; Shi, Xin-Yuan; Qiao, Yan-Jiang

2016-06-01

The physical properties of both raw materials and excipients are closely correlated with the quality of traditional Chinese medicine preparations in oral solid dosage forms. In this paper, based on the concept of the chemical fingerprint for quality control of traditional Chinese medicine products, the method of physical fingerprint for quality evaluation of traditional Chinese medicine extract powders was proposed. This novel physical fingerprint was built by the radar map, and consisted of five primary indexes (i.e. stackablity, homogeneity, flowability, compressibility and stability) and 12 secondary indexes (i.e. bulk density, tap density, particle size<50 μm percentage, relative homogeneity index, hausner ratio, angle of repose, powder flow time, inter-particle porosity, Carr index, cohesion index, loss on drying, hygroscopicity). Panax notoginseng saponins (PNS) extract was taken for an example. This paper introduced the application of physical fingerprint in the evaluation of source-to-source and batch-to-batch quality consistence of PNS extract powders. Moreover, the physical fingerprint of PNS was built by calculating the index of parameters, the index of parametric profile and the index of good compressibility, in order to successfully predict the compressibility of the PNS extract powder and relevant formulations containing PNS extract powder and conventional pharmaceutical excipients. The results demonstrated that the proposed method could not only provide new insights into the development and process control of traditional Chinese medicine solid dosage forms. Copyright© by the Chinese Pharmaceutical Association.

Real time imaging of peripheral nerve vasculature using optical coherence angiography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vasudevan, Srikanth; Kumsa, Doe; Takmakov, Pavel; Welle, Cristin G.; Hammer, Daniel X.

2016-03-01

The peripheral nervous system (PNS) carries bidirectional information between the central nervous system and distal organs. PNS stimulation has been widely used in medical devices for therapeutic indications, such as bladder control and seizure cessation. Investigational uses of PNS stimulation include providing sensory feedback for improved control of prosthetic limbs. While nerve safety has been well documented for stimulation parameters used in marketed devices, novel PNS stimulation devices may require alternative stimulation paradigms to achieve maximum therapeutic benefit. Improved testing paradigms to assess the safety of stimulation will expedite the development process for novel PNS stimulation devices. The objective of this research is to assess peripheral nerve vascular changes in real-time with optical coherence angiography (OCA). A 1300-nm OCA system was used to image vasculature changes in the rat sciatic nerve in the region around a surface contacting single electrode. Nerves and vasculature were imaged without stimulation for 180 minutes to quantify resting blood vessel diameter. Walking track analysis was used to assess motor function before and 6 days following experiments. There was no significant change in vessel diameter between baseline and other time points in all animals. Motor function tests indicated the experiments did not impair functionality. We also evaluated the capabilities to image the nerve during electrical stimulation in a pilot study. Combining OCA with established nerve assessment methods can be used to study the effects of electrical stimulation safety on neural and vascular tissue in the periphery.

Using qualitative methods to improve questionnaires for Spanish speakers: assessing face validity of a food behavior checklist.

PubMed

Banna, Jinan C; Vera Becerra, Luz E; Kaiser, Lucia L; Townsend, Marilyn S

2010-01-01

Development of outcome measures relevant to health nutrition behaviors requires a rigorous process of testing and revision. Whereas researchers often report performance of quantitative data collection to assess questionnaire validity and reliability, qualitative testing procedures are often overlooked. This report outlines a procedure for assessing face validity of a Spanish-language dietary assessment tool. Reviewing the literature produced no rigorously validated Spanish-language food behavior assessment tools for the US Department of Agriculture's food assistance and education programs. In response to this need, this study evaluated the face validity of a Spanish-language food behavior checklist adapted from a 16-item English version of a food behavior checklist shown to be valid and reliable for limited-resource English speakers. The English version was translated using rigorous methods involving initial translation by one party and creation of five possible versions. Photos were modified based on client input and new photos were taken as necessary. A sample of low-income, Spanish-speaking women completed cognitive interviews (n=20). Spanish translation experts (n=7) fluent in both languages and familiar with both cultures made minor modifications but essentially approved client preferences. The resulting checklist generated a readability score of 93, indicating low reading difficulty. The Spanish-language checklist has adequate face validity in the target population and is ready for further validation using convergent measures. At the conclusion of testing, this instrument may be used to evaluate nutrition education interventions in California. These qualitative procedures provide a framework for designing evaluation tools for low-literate audiences participating in the US Department of Agriculture food assistance and education programs. Copyright 2010 American Dietetic Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Using Qualitative Methods to Improve Questionnaires for Spanish Speakers: Assessing Face Validity of a Food Behavior Checklist

PubMed Central

BANNA, JINAN C.; VERA BECERRA, LUZ E.; KAISER, LUCIA L.; TOWNSEND, MARILYN S.

2015-01-01

Development of outcome measures relevant to health nutrition behaviors requires a rigorous process of testing and revision. Whereas researchers often report performance of quantitative data collection to assess questionnaire validity and reliability, qualitative testing procedures are often overlooked. This report outlines a procedure for assessing face validity of a Spanish-language dietary assessment tool. Reviewing the literature produced no rigorously validated Spanish-language food behavior assessment tools for the US Department of Agriculture’s food assistance and education programs. In response to this need, this study evaluated the face validity of a Spanish-language food behavior checklist adapted from a 16-item English version of a food behavior checklist shown to be valid and reliable for limited-resource English speakers. The English version was translated using rigorous methods involving initial translation by one party and creation of five possible versions. Photos were modified based on client input and new photos were taken as necessary. A sample of low-income, Spanish-speaking women completed cognitive interviews (n=20). Spanish translation experts (n=7) fluent in both languages and familiar with both cultures made minor modifications but essentially approved client preferences. The resulting checklist generated a readability score of 93, indicating low reading difficulty. The Spanish-language checklist has adequate face validity in the target population and is ready for further validation using convergent measures. At the conclusion of testing, this instrument may be used to evaluate nutrition education interventions in California. These qualitative procedures provide a framework for designing evaluation tools for low-literate audiences participating in the US Department of Agriculture food assistance and education programs. PMID:20102831

Do s-Process Enhanced Planetary Nebulae Have Unusual Dust Emission Spectra?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dinerstein, Harriet; Sellgren, Kris; Sterling, Nicholas

2006-05-01

We propose to obtain IRS observations of the mid-infrared dust emission of a sample of Galactic planetary nebulae (PNs) which are known to have enrichments of elements produced in the precursor star by slow neutron-capture nucleosynthesis (the "s-process"). These enhanced abundances result from captures of free neutrons by Fe-peak nuclei following by convective mixing during the AGB; this "third dredge-up" is also responsible for increasing the surface abundance of carbon. Since PNs are the descendants of AGB stars and are often C-rich, it is not surprising that we find substantial enrichments of s-process products such as Ge, Se, and Kr in some PNs. Despite their low initial abundances, 1e-9 to 1e-10 times H, modest enrichments of neutron-capture elements can have observable effects. The spectral type S, a transitional class between O-rich and C-rich AGB stars, is characterized by prominent ZrO bands; Zr is produced in the s-process. We have attempted, without success, to detect gas-phase Zr in PNs. However, Zr is highly refractory. It can condense into ZrO2 or be incorporated into high-temperature rocky condensates in O-rich environments, while in C-rich environments it may form metallic carbides (i.e. ZrC, an analog of TiC). Indeed, Zr-Mo carbide inclusions found in some meteoritic presolar grains are thought to originate in the atmospheres of C-rich AGB stars. Other refractory s-process products (e.g. Sr, Ba) may also be incorporated into grains. High-quality Spitzer spectra of the dust emission in a set of PNs with known s-process enhancements - determined by us from gas-phase measurements of undepleted elements - will be valuable for comparison with laboratory spectroscopy of grain analogs. These comparisons will help determine whether the dredge-up of n-capture products affects the dust chemistry of PNs and may offer some new insights into the dust composition.

IL-23 Activated γδ T Cells Affect Th17 Cells and Regulatory T Cells by Secreting IL-21 in Children with Primary Nephrotic Syndrome.

PubMed

Zhang, L; Yan, J; Yang, B; Zhang, G; Wang, M; Dong, S; Liu, W; Yang, H; Li, Q

2018-01-01

This study (1) analysed the percentage of γδ T cells, γδ T cell subsets, Th17 cells and regulatory T cells (Treg cells) and (2) determined the role of IL-23 in primary nephrotic syndrome (PNS) patients with active disease and in remission. Eighty-four patients with PNS and 51 healthy age-matched controls were included in this study. The percentage of γδ T cells, γδ T cell subsets, Th17 cells and Treg cells in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were analysed by fluorescence-activated cell sorting. PMBCs from PNS patients with active disease were cultured in the presence of IL-23, IL-23 and an IL-23 antagonist, or IL23 and an anti-IL-21 monoclonal antibody (mAb). The percentage of γδ T cells, IL-23R + γδ T cells and IL-17 + γδ T cells were significantly increased in PNS patients with active disease. There was a positive correlation between the percentage of γδ T cells, IL-23R + γδ T cells, IL-17 + γδ T cells and the Th17/Treg ratio. IL-23 increased the percentage of γδ T cells and Th17 cells and decreased the percentage of Treg cells in PBMCs isolated from PNS patients with active disease. Anti-IL-21 mAb reduced the percentage of γδ T cells and Th17 cells, but increased the percentage of Treg cells. γδ T cells, IL-17 + γδ T cells and IL-23R + γδ T cells may be involved in the pathogenesis of paediatric PNS by modulating the balance of Th17/Treg cells. γδ T cells may cause an imbalance in Th17/Treg cells by secreting IL-21 in the presence of IL-23. © 2017 The Foundation for the Scandinavian Journal of Immunology.

Combination of autologous transplantation of G-CSF-mobilized peripheral blood mononuclear cells and Panax notoginseng saponins in the treatment of unreconstructable critical limb ischemia.

PubMed

Wang, Xiuchun; Jiang, Liping; Wang, Xuemei; Yin, Fengling; Li, Guixin; Feng, Xueqiang; Wang, Kai; Sun, Shunji

2014-08-01

The aim of this study is to explore the efficacy and safety of the combination of autologous transplantation of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF)-mobilized peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMNCs) and Panax notoginseng saponins (PNS) in the treatment of unreconstructable critical limb ischemia (CLI). We performed an open-label, parallel-group, single-center, randomized clinical trial in this study. A total of 52 patients were enrolled and randomly divided into 2 groups (the PBMNC + PNS group and the PBMNC group) in a 1:1 ratio. Evaluation variables, including changes in the ankle-brachial index (ABI) of ischemic limbs, ulcer area, severity of rest pain, transcutaneous oxygen pressure (T(C)PO2), and 6-min walk distance from baseline to week 8 and 16, as well as angiographic scores for new collateral vessel formation at week 16, were used to compare the benefits of these 2 treatment approaches. After 16 weeks of treatment, improvement in ABI, T(C)PO2, and 6-min walk distance was significantly better in the PBMNC + PNS group. In addition, the combination of PBMNC transplantation and PNS administration yielded a greater reduction in ulcer area and severity of rest pain than did PBMNC transplantation alone. The proportion of patients experiencing any adverse event was similar between both treatment groups. Adverse events caused by PBMNC transplantation or PNS were generally mild and no serious adverse events occurred throughout the entire period of study. A combination of PNS and PBMNC transplantation appears to be a safe and effective treatment for patients with unreconstructable CLI. This combination may have great potential advantages in comparison with PBMNC transplantation alone and might constitute a novel therapeutic option for unreconstructable CLI. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Sustained-release progesterone nanosuspension following intramuscular injection in ovariectomized rats

PubMed Central

Salem, Heba F

2010-01-01

The production of an intramuscular (IM) injection of natural progesterone would provide a safer solution than using semi synthetic progesterone. However, disadvantages such as low solubility and a short half life prevent the use of natural progesterone. In this study, we formulated a sustained release form of natural progesterone to be given as IM injection. A progesterone nanosuspension (PNS) was first developed and then dispersed in a thermosensitive gel matrix. The selected nanoparticles showed an average particle size of 267 nm and a zeta potential approaching-41 mV. The in vitro release profile of PNS from the F127 plus methyl cellulose gel followed zero order kinetics and correlated linearly with the weight percentage of gel dissolved, demonstrating that the overall rate of release of PNS is controlled by dissolution of the pluronic F127/methyl cellulose (MC) gel (r2 > 0.99). The pharmacokinetic parameters of the PNS (6 mg/mL) in pluronic F127/MC gel were evaluated in comparison with the control progesterone suspension. After the administration of PNS in F127/MC gel into the rats, a maximum serum concentration of 22.1 ± 1.9 ng/mL was reached at a Tmax of 4.05 ± 0.1 h. The terminal half life was 12.7 ± 0.8 h. The area under the curve AUC0-∞ of the injected formula was 452.75 ± 42.8 ng·h/mL and the total mean residence time was 18.57 ± 1.44 h. The PNS in gel was significantly different from the control in rate and extent at P < 0.001. The natural progesterone which was nanosized and formulated in a thermosensitive gel significantly sustained the action of natural progesterone so that it could be injected every 36 h instead of every day. Moreover, this formula is expected to provide a much safer choice than the use of semi-synthetic progesterone. PMID:21187946

Sustained-release progesterone nanosuspension following intramuscular injection in ovariectomized rats.

PubMed

Salem, Heba F

2010-11-10

The production of an intramuscular (IM) injection of natural progesterone would provide a safer solution than using semi synthetic progesterone. However, disadvantages such as low solubility and a short half life prevent the use of natural progesterone. In this study, we formulated a sustained release form of natural progesterone to be given as IM injection. A progesterone nanosuspension (PNS) was first developed and then dispersed in a thermosensitive gel matrix. The selected nanoparticles showed an average particle size of 267 nm and a zeta potential approaching-41 mV. The in vitro release profile of PNS from the F127 plus methyl cellulose gel followed zero order kinetics and correlated linearly with the weight percentage of gel dissolved, demonstrating that the overall rate of release of PNS is controlled by dissolution of the pluronic F127/methyl cellulose (MC) gel (r² > 0.99). The pharmacokinetic parameters of the PNS (6 mg/mL) in pluronic F127/MC gel were evaluated in comparison with the control progesterone suspension. After the administration of PNS in F127/MC gel into the rats, a maximum serum concentration of 22.1 ± 1.9 ng/mL was reached at a T(max) of 4.05 ± 0.1 h. The terminal half life was 12.7 ± 0.8 h. The area under the curve AUC₀₋∞ of the injected formula was 452.75 ± 42.8 ng·h/mL and the total mean residence time was 18.57 ± 1.44 h. The PNS in gel was significantly different from the control in rate and extent at P < 0.001. The natural progesterone which was nanosized and formulated in a thermosensitive gel significantly sustained the action of natural progesterone so that it could be injected every 36 h instead of every day. Moreover, this formula is expected to provide a much safer choice than the use of semi-synthetic progesterone.

Radiculopathy in neuromyelitis optica. How does anti-AQP4 Ab involve PNS?

PubMed

Kim, Seungyeon; Park, Joonghyun; Kwon, Bum Sun; Park, Jin-Woo; Lee, Ho Jun; Choi, Jin-Ho; Nam, Kiyeun

2017-11-01

Until recently, the peripheral nervous system (PNS) had been known to be spared in multiple sclerosis (MS) and neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD). However, some studies of late have reported PNS damage in demyelination diseases of the central nervous system (CNS) such as MS and NMOSD. Although multiple studies have reported characteristics reminiscent of peripheral neuropathy in MS, there have been limited reports in NMOSD. To investigate the incidence and pathology of peripheral neuropathy in NMOSD, we reviewed articles describing such cases including our own case. We performed a search of all clinical studies of peripheral neuropathy in NMOSD published up to December 17, 2016. We put no restrictions on language or year of publication in our search. The following keywords were searched: radiculopathy, peripheral nervous system diseases, neuromyelitis optica, neuromyelitis optica septrum disorder, aquaporin 4, electrodiagnosis, neural conduction and electromyography. We review ten cases (nine published reports and our own case study) of peripheral neuropathy in NMOSD. Each case could be confirmed as radiculopathy by electrodiagnostic (EDX) testing. Presently, there are two disparate viewpoints on peripheral neuropathy in NMOSD. In the first, aquaporin 4, which exists in the transitional zone of the CNS-PNS at the root level, may be the target of radiculitis in NMOSD. In the second, there may be some other unknown antibody to an axoglial antigen or something else that may play an active role in PNS damage. In our survey of ten case studies, the EDX results confirmed mixed axonal loss as well as demyelination type radiculopathy, which lends support to the first viewpoint. Pathophysiology of PNS damage in NMOSD might be due to radiculopathy. Although it seems to be rare, radiculopathy may actually be underestimated, and correspondingly underreported, due to its overlap with symptoms of myelitis. Therefore, further evaluation is needed to establish the incidence and pathophysiology of radiculopathy in NMOSD. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Anodal Cerebellar Direct Current Stimulation Reduces Facilitation of Propriospinal Neurons in Healthy Humans.

PubMed

Chothia, Muhammed; Doeltgen, Sebastian; Bradnam, Lynley V

2016-01-01

Coordinated muscle synergies in the human upper limb are controlled, in part, by a neural distribution network located in the cervical spinal cord, known as the cervical propriospinal system. Studies in the cat and non-human primate indicate the cerebellum is indirectly connected to this system via output pathways to the brainstem. Therefore, the cerebellum may indirectly modulate excitability of putative propriospinal neurons (PNs) in humans during upper limb coordination tasks. This study aimed to test whether anodal direct current stimulation (DCS) of the cerebellum modulates PNs and upper limb coordination in healthy adults. The hypothesis was that cerebellar anodal DCS would reduce descending facilitation of PNs and improve upper limb coordination. Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), paired with peripheral nerve stimulation, probed activity in facilitatory and inhibitory descending projections to PNs following an established protocol. Coordination was tested using a pursuit rotor task performed by the non-dominant (ipsilateral) hand. Anodal and sham DCS were delivered over the cerebellum ipsilateral to the non-dominant hand in separate experimental sessions. Anodal DCS was applied to a control site lateral to the vertex in a third session. Twelve right-handed healthy adults participated. Pairing TMS with sub-threshold peripheral nerve stimulation facilitated motor evoked potentials at intensities just above threshold in accordance with the protocol. Anodal cerebellar DCS reduced facilitation without influencing inhibition, but the reduction in facilitation was not associated with performance of the pursuit rotor task. The results of this study indicate dissociated indirect control over cervical PNs by the cerebellum in humans. Anodal DCS of the cerebellum reduced excitability in the facilitatory descending pathway with no effect on the inhibitory pathway to cervical PNs. The reduction in PN excitability is likely secondary to modulation of primary motor cortex or brainstem nuclei, and identifies a neuroanatomical pathway for the cerebellum to assist in coordination of upper limb muscle synergies in humans. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Cost-effectiveness of follow-up of pulmonary nodules incidentally detected on cardiac computed tomographic angiography in patients with suspected coronary artery disease.

PubMed

Goehler, Alexander; McMahon, Pamela M; Lumish, Heidi S; Wu, Carol C; Munshi, Vidit; Gilmore, Michael; Chung, Jonathan H; Ghoshhajra, Brian B; Mark, Daniel; Truong, Quynh A; Gazelle, G Scott; Hoffmann, Udo

2014-08-19

Pulmonary nodules (PNs) are often detected incidentally during coronary computed tomographic (CT) angiography, which is increasingly being used to evaluate patients with chest pain symptoms. However, the efficiency of following up on incidentally detected PN is unknown. We determined demographic and clinical characteristics of stable symptomatic patients referred for coronary CT angiography in whom incidentally detected PNs warranted follow-up. A validated lung cancer simulation model was populated with data from these patients, and clinical and economic consequences of follow-up per Fleischner guidelines versus no follow-up were simulated. Of the 3665 patients referred for coronary CT angiography, 591 (16%) had PNs requiring follow-up. The mean age of patients with PNs was 59±10 years; 66% were male; 67% had ever smoked; and 21% had obstructive coronary artery disease. The projected overall lung cancer incidence was 5.8% in these patients, but the majority died of coronary artery disease (38%) and other causes (57%). Follow-up of PNs was associated with a 4.6% relative reduction in cumulative lung cancer mortality (absolute mortality: follow-up, 4.33% versus non-follow-up, 4.54%), more downstream testing (follow-up, 2.34 CTs per patient versus non-follow-up, 1.01 CTs per patient), and an average increase in quality-adjusted life of 7 days. Costs per quality-adjusted life-year gained were $154 700 to follow up the entire cohort and $129 800 per quality-adjusted life-year when only smokers were included. Follow-up of PNs incidentally detected in patients undergoing coronary CT angiography for chest pain evaluation is associated with a small reduction in lung cancer mortality. However, significant downstream testing contributes to limited efficiency, as demonstrated by a high cost per quality-adjusted life-year, especially in nonsmokers. © 2014 American Heart Association, Inc.

Maternal late pregnancy anxiety and stress is associated with children's health: a longitudinal study.

PubMed

Zijlmans, Maartje A C; Beijers, Roseriet; Riksen-Walraven, Marianne J; de Weerth, Carolina

2017-09-01

Maternal prenatal anxiety and stress (PNS) have been positively associated to physical health prob lems in offspring in the first year of life. Whether these associations are transient, persistent, or even progressive over time, is as yet unknown. The goal of this study is to investigate associations between late pregnancy PNS and child health from 18 months to age 6. Mothers were recruited in late pregnancy, and had uncomplicated, singleton pregnancies without physical health problems. Around week 37 of pregnancy, mothers reported on their PNS by means of questionnaires, and provided saliva for determination of circadian cortisol concentrations. Children's illnesses in the preceding year were assessed using maternal reports at 30, 48, 60, and 72 months. Antibiotic use was obtained from medical records between one and six years. Multilevel models (N¼174) showed a positive relation between maternal prenatal general and pregnancy-specific anxiety during late pregnancy and offspring respiratory illnesses and symptoms. Interaction effects with time indicated that more PNS was related to more respiratory illnesses until toddlerhood, but not later in life. Furthermore, maternal prenatal cortisol concentrations were related to child digestive illnesses. A steeper maternal cortisol decline over the day was related to more child digestive illnesses, until around three years of age. Finally, children of mothers who suffered more from daily hassles during pregnancy received more antibiotics between one and six years of age. PNS was not related to general and skin illnesses. Summarizing, this study showed that late pregnancy anxiety and cortisol was associated with children's respiratory and digestive illnesses till the age of 3.0-3.5 years. Additionally, more daily hassles were related to more prescribed antibiotics between one and six years. These findings point in the direction of possible effects of PNS persisting beyond the first year of life and into toddlerhood, but disappearing at older ages.

A New Population of Galactic Bulge Planetary Nebulas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stenborg, T. N.

A new population of Galactic bulge planetary nebulas is presented. Nebula candidates were discovered by systematically reviewing archival [OIII] on/off band survey imaging of the central -5° ≤ l ≤ 5°, -5° ≤ b ≤ 5° region around the Galactic centre. An image segmentation and interleaving scheme was developed to facilitate this review. The resultant candidates (> 200) were then double checked against complementary archival Hα sky survey data to screen for obvious planetary nebula (PN) mimics or spurious image artefacts. Confirmatory spectroscopy of the PN candidates was pursued with thin slit, fibre multiobject and wide field spectrographs. Custom software was built to streamline interfacing with third-party spectroscopic management tools and a parallel greedy set cover algorithm implemented for efficient field selection in constrained multi-object observations. The combined imaging and spectroscopic evidence yielded true (4), probable (31) and possible (83) PNs toward the bulge. Secondary discoveries such as new PN mimics and late type stars were by-products of the confirmatory spectroscopy. Instances of literature PN duplication encountered during the investigation were noticed and documented. Spectral analysis of new PNs, including those obtained with a new optimised sky subtraction technique devised and demonstrated here, provided diagnostic data allowing radial velocity and Balmer decrement determination. Using a combined diameter and radial velocity criterion, bona fide bulge PNs were distinguished from new foreground PNs. Where Balmer decrements were available for new bulge PNs, differential aperture photometry was used to provide a modest data increment to Galactic bulge planetary nebula luminosity function (PNLF). The PNLF was revised with data from some new bulge PNs, but more significantly, by a series of corrections to the data derived from previously known bulge PNs (~225), such as improved filter transmission effects, statistically justified binning and application of a uniform bulge-relevant extinction law. The result was the most rigorous bulge PNLF to date. An improvement on the legacy PNLF, the revised PNLF exhibited a form inconsistent with typical extragalactic examples, an expected result of the unusual extinction correction method used to address bulge-specific observational limitations. Issues restricting the accuracy of the bulge PNLF were identified. Until those restrictions are ameliorated, the utility of the PNLF in aiding physical understanding of its constituent members or their progenitors cannot be realised.

The outer regions of the giant Virgo galaxy M 87 Kinematic separation of stellar halo and intracluster light

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Longobardi, Alessia; Arnaboldi, Magda; Gerhard, Ortwin; Hanuschik, Reinhard

2015-07-01

Aims: We present a spectroscopic study of a sample of 287 planetary nebulas (PNs) around the brightest cluster galaxy (BCG) M 87 in Virgo A, of which 211 are located between 40 kpc and 150 kpc from the galaxy centre. With these data we can distinguish the stellar halo from the co-spatial intracluster light (ICL) and study both components separately. Methods: We obtained PN velocities with a high resolution FLAMES/VLT survey targeting eight fields in a total area of ~0.4 deg2. We identified PNs from their narrow and symmetric redshifted λ5007 Å [OIII] emission line, the presence of the second λ4959 Å [OIII] emission line, and the absence of significant continuum. We implement a robust technique to measure the halo velocity dispersion from the projected phase-space to identify PNs associated with the M 87 halo and ICL. Using photometric magnitudes, we construct PN luminosity functions (PNLFs), which are complete down to m5007 = 28.8. Results: The velocity distribution of the spectroscopically confirmed PNs is bimodal, containing a narrow component centred on the systemic velocity of the BCG and an off-centred broader component, which we identify as halo and ICL, respectively. We find that 243 PNs are part of the velocity distribution of the M 87 halo, while the remaining subsample of 44 PNs are intracluster PNs (ICPNs). Halo and ICPNs have different spatial distributions: the number density of halo PNs follow the galaxy's surface brightness profile, whereas the ICPNs are characterised by a shallower power-law profile, IICL ∝ Rγ with γ in the range [-0.34, -0.04 ]. No evidence is found for an asymmetry in the halo and ICPN density distributions when the NW and SE fields are studied separately. A study of the composite PN number density profile confirms the superposition of different PN populations associated with the M 87 halo and the ICL, characterised by different PN specific numbers α. We derive αhalo = 1.06 × 10-8NPN L⊙,bol-1 and αICL = 2.72 × 10-8NPN L⊙,bol-1, respectively. The M 87 halo PNLF has fewer bright PNs and a steeper slope towards faint magnitudes than the ICPNLF, and both are steeper than the standard PNLF for the M 31 bulge. Moreover, the ICPNLF has a dip at ~1-1.5 mag fainter than the bright cut-off, reminiscent of the PNLFs of systems with extended star formation history, such as M 33 or the Magellanic clouds. Conclusions: The BCG halo of M 87 and the Virgo ICL are dynamically distinct components with different density profiles and velocity distributions. Moreover, the different α-parameter values and PNLF shapes of the halo and ICL indicate distinct parent stellar populations, consistent with the existence of a gradient towards bluer colours at large radii. These results reflect the hierarchical build-up of the Virgo cluster. Based on observations made with the VLT at Paranal Observatory under programs 088.B-0288(A) and 093.B-066(A), and with the SUBARU Telescope under program S10A-039.

75 FR 64960 - Airworthiness Directives; Bombardier, Inc. Model CL-600-2B19 (Regional Jet Series 100 & 440...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-10-21

... the Regional Jet engine TCGB [throttle control gearbox] P/Ns: 2100140-003, 2100140- 005 & 2100140-007... Viselli, Senior Aviation Safety Engineer, Avionic & Flight Test Branch, ANE-172, FAA, New York Aircraft...: There has been numerous reported failures of the Regional Jet engine TCGB P/Ns: 2100140-003, 2100140-005...

Protective effects of panax notoginseng saponins on cardiovascular diseases: a comprehensive overview of experimental studies.

PubMed

Yang, Xiaochen; Xiong, Xingjiang; Wang, Heran; Wang, Jie

2014-01-01

Panax notoginseng saponins (PNS) are one of the most important compounds derived from roots of the herb Panax notoginseng which are traditionally used as a hemostatic medicine to control internal and external bleeding in China for thousands of years. To date, at least twenty saponins were identified and some of them including notoginsenoside R1, ginsenoside Rb1, and ginsenoside Rg1 were researched frequently in the area of cardiovascular protection. However, the protective effects of PNS on cardiovascular diseases based on experimental studies and its underlying mechanisms have not been reviewed systematically. This paper reviewed the pharmacology of PNS and its monomers Rb1, Rg1, and R1 in the treatment for cardiovascular diseases.

Female Autism Phenotypes Investigated at Different Levels of Language and Developmental Abilities.

PubMed

Howe, Yamini J; O'Rourke, Julia A; Yatchmink, Yvette; Viscidi, Emma W; Jones, Richard N; Morrow, Eric M

2015-11-01

This study investigated the differences in clinical symptoms between females and males with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) across three verbal ability groups (nonverbal, phrase and fluent speech), based on which Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule module was administered to 5723 individuals in four research datasets. In the Simons Simplex Collection and Autism Treatment Network, females with ASD and phrase or fluent speech had lower cognitive, adaptive, and social abilities than males. In the Autism Genetics Resource Exchange and the Autism Consortium, females with phrase or fluent speech had similar or better adaptive and social abilities than males. Females who were nonverbal had similar cognitive, adaptive, and social abilities as males. Population-based longitudinal studies of verbally fluent females with ASD are needed.

A randomized pilot study of MOtiVation and Enhancement training (MOVE) for negative symptoms in schizophrenia

PubMed Central

Velligan, Dawn I.; Roberts, David; Mintz, Jim; Maples, Natalie; Li, Xueying; Medellin, Elisa; Brown, Matt

2015-01-01

Introduction Among individuals with schizophrenia, those who have persistent and clinically significant negative symptoms (PNS) have the poorest functional outcomes and quality of life. The NIMH-MATRICS Consensus Statement indicated that these symptoms represent an unmet therapeutic need for large numbers of individuals with schizophrenia. No psychosocial treatment model addresses the entire constellation of PNS. Method 51 patients with PNS were randomized into one of two groups for a period of 9 months: 1) MOtiVation and Engagement (MOVE) or 2) Treatment as usual. MOVE is a home based, manual-driven, multi-modal treatment that employs a number of cognitive and behavioral principles to address the broad range of factors contributing to PNS and their functional consequences. Components of MOVE include: Environmental supports to prompt initiation and persistence, in-vivo skills training to ameliorate deficits and encourage interaction, cognitive behavioral techniques to address self-defeating attitudes, in-vivo training in emotional processing to address affective blunting and problems in identifying emotions, and specific techniques to address the deficits in anticipatory pleasure. Patients were assessed at baseline and each 3 months with multiple measures of negative symptoms. Results Repeated measures analyses of variance for mixed models indicated significant Group by Time effects for the Negative Symptom Assessment (NSA; p<.02) and the Clinical Assessment Interview for Negative Symptoms (CAINS p<.04). Group differences were not significant until 9 months of treatment and were not significant for the Brief Negative Symptom Scale (BNSS). Conclusion Further investigation of a comprehensive treatment for PNS, such as MOVE, is warranted. PMID:25937461

A randomized pilot study of MOtiVation and Enhancement (MOVE) Training for negative symptoms in schizophrenia.

PubMed

Velligan, Dawn I; Roberts, David; Mintz, Jim; Maples, Natalie; Li, Xueying; Medellin, Elisa; Brown, Matt

2015-07-01

Among individuals with schizophrenia, those who have persistent and clinically significant negative symptoms (PNS) have the poorest functional outcomes and quality of life. The NIMH-MATRICS Consensus Statement indicated that these symptoms represent an unmet therapeutic need for large numbers of individuals with schizophrenia. No psychosocial treatment model addresses the entire constellation of PNS. 51 patients with PNS were randomized into one of two groups for a period of 9 months: 1) MOtiVation and Enhancement (MOVE) or 2) treatment as usual. MOVE is a home based, manual-driven, multi-modal treatment that employs a number of cognitive and behavioral principles to address the broad range of factors contributing to PNS and their functional consequences. The components of MOVE include: Environmental supports to prompt initiation and persistence, in-vivo skills training to ameliorate deficits and encourage interaction, cognitive behavioral techniques to address self-defeating attitudes, in-vivo training in emotional processing to address affective blunting and problems in identifying emotions, and specific techniques to address the deficits in anticipatory pleasure. Patients were assessed at baseline and each 3 months with multiple measures of negative symptoms. Repeated measures analyses of variance for mixed models indicated significant Group by Time effects for the Negative Symptom Assessment (NSA; p<.02) and the Clinical Assessment Interview for Negative Symptoms (CAINS; p<.04). Group differences were not significant until 9 months of treatment and were not significant for the Brief Negative Symptom Scale (BNSS). Further investigation of a comprehensive treatment for PNS, such as MOVE, is warranted. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Semaphorin-1a prevents Drosophila olfactory projection neuron dendrites from mis-targeting into select antennal lobe regions.

PubMed

Shen, Hung-Chang; Chu, Sao-Yu; Hsu, Tsai-Chi; Wang, Chun-Han; Lin, I-Ya; Yu, Hung-Hsiang

2017-04-01

Elucidating how appropriate neurite patterns are generated in neurons of the olfactory system is crucial for comprehending the construction of the olfactory map. In the Drosophila olfactory system, projection neurons (PNs), primarily derived from four neural stem cells (called neuroblasts), populate their cell bodies surrounding to and distribute their dendrites in distinct but overlapping patterns within the primary olfactory center of the brain, the antennal lobe (AL). However, it remains unclear whether the same molecular mechanisms are employed to generate the appropriate dendritic patterns in discrete AL glomeruli among PNs produced from different neuroblasts. Here, by examining a previously explored transmembrane protein Semaphorin-1a (Sema-1a) which was proposed to globally control initial PN dendritic targeting along the dorsolateral-to-ventromedial axis of the AL, we discover a new role for Sema-1a in preventing dendrites of both uni-glomerular and poly-glomerular PNs from aberrant invasion into select AL regions and, intriguingly, this Sema-1a-deficient dendritic mis-targeting phenotype seems to associate with the origins of PNs from which they are derived. Further, ectopic expression of Sema-1a resulted in PN dendritic mis-projection from a select AL region into adjacent glomeruli, strengthening the idea that Sema-1a plays an essential role in preventing abnormal dendritic accumulation in select AL regions. Taken together, these results demonstrate that Sema-1a repulsion keeps dendrites of different types of PNs away from each other, enabling the same types of PN dendrites to be sorted into destined AL glomeruli and permitting for functional assembly of olfactory circuitry.

Peripheral nervous system injury after high-dose single-fraction image-guided stereotactic radiosurgery for spine tumors.

PubMed

Stubblefield, Michael D; Ibanez, Katarzyna; Riedel, Elyn R; Barzilai, Ori; Laufer, Ilya; Lis, Eric; Yamada, Yoshiya; Bilsky, Mark H

2017-03-01

OBJECTIVE The object of this study was to determine the percentage of high-dose (1800-2600 cGy) single-fraction stereotactic radiosurgery (SF-SRS) treatments to the spine that result in peripheral nervous system (PNS) injury. METHODS All patients treated with SF-SRS for primary or metastatic spine tumors between January 2004 and May 2013 and referred to the Rehabilitation Medicine Service for evaluation and treatment of neuromuscular, musculoskeletal, or functional impairments or pain were retrospectively identified. RESULTS Five hundred fifty-seven SF-SRS treatments in 447 patients resulted in 14 PNS injuries in 13 patients. All injures resulted from SF-SRS delivered to the cervical or lumbosacral spine at 2400 cGy. The overall percentage of SF-SRS treatments resulting in PNS injury was 2.5%, increasing to 4.5% when the thoracic spine was excluded from analysis. The median time to symptom onset following SF-SRS was 10 months (range 4-32 months). The plexus (cervical, brachial, and/or lumbosacral) was affected clinically and/or electrophysiologically in 12 (86%) of 14 cases, the nerve root in 2 (14%) of 14, and both in 6 (43%) of 14 cases. All patients experienced pain and most (93%) developed weakness. Peripheral nervous system injuries were CTCAE Grade 1 in 14% of cases, 2 in 64%, and 3 in 21%. No dose relationship between SF-SRS dose and PNS injury was detected. CONCLUSIONS Single-fraction SRS to the spine can result in PNS injury with major implications for function and quality of life.

Paraneoplastic autoantibody panels: sensitivity and specificity, a retrospective cohort.

PubMed

Albadareen, Rawan; Gronseth, Gary; Goeden, Marcie; Sharrock, Matthew; Lechtenberg, Colleen; Wang, Yunxia

2017-06-01

Experts in the autoimmune paraneoplastic field recommend autoantibody testing as "panels" to improve the poor sensitivity of individual autoantibodies in detecting paraneoplastic neurological syndromes (PNS). The sensitivity of those panels was not reported to date in a fashion devoid of incorporation bias. We aimed to assess the collective sensitivity and specificity of one of the commonly used panels in detecting PNS. A single-centered retrospective cohort of all patients tested for paraneoplastic evaluation panel (PAVAL; test ID: 83380) over one year for the suspicion of PNS. Case adjudication was based on newly proposed diagnostic criteria in line with previously published literature, but modified to exclude serological status to avoid incorporation bias. Measures of diagnostic accuracy were subsequently calculated. Cases that failed to show association with malignancy within the follow-up time studied, reflecting a possibly pure autoimmune process was considered paraneoplastic-like syndromes. Out of 321 patients tested, 51 patients tested positive. Thirty-two patients met diagnostic criteria for paraneoplastic/paraneoplastic-like syndromes. The calculated collective sensitivity was 34% (95% CI: 17-53), specificity was 86% (95% CI: 81-90), Youden's index 0.2 and a positive clinical utility index 0.07 suggesting poor utility for case-detection. This is the first reported diagnostic accuracy measures of paraneoplastic panels without incorporation bias. Despite recommended panel testing to improve detection of PNS, sensitivity remains low with poor utility for case-detection. The high-calculated specificity suggests a possible role in confirming the condition in difficult cases suspicious for PNS, when enough supportive evidence is lacking on ancillary testing.

Purinergic and cholinergic components of bladder contractility and flow.

PubMed

Theobald, R J

1995-01-01

The role of ATP as a neurotransmitter/neuromodulator in the urinary tract has been the subject of much study, particularly whether ATP has a functional role in producing urine flow. Recent studies suggested significant species variation, specifically a variation between cat and other species. This study was performed to determine the in vivo response of cat urinary bladder to pelvic nerve stimulation (PNS) and to the exogenous administration of cholinergic and purinergic agents. In anesthetized cats, bladder contractions and fluid expulsion was measured in response to PNS and to the exogenous administration of cholinergic and purinergic agents. Fluid was instilled into the bladder and any fluid expelled by bladder contractions induced by PNS or exogenous agents was collected in a beaker. The volume was measured in a graduated cylinder and recorded. PNS, carbachol and APPCP produced sustained contractions with significant expulsion of fluid. ATP, ACh and hypogastric nerve stimulation did not produce any significant expulsion of fluid. Atropine, a cholinergic antagonist, inhibited PNS contractions and fluid expulsion with no effect on purinergic actions. There was a significant relationship between the magnitude of the contraction, duration of the contractions and volume of fluid expelled. The data and information from other studies, strongly suggests a functional role for ATP as a cotransmitter in the lower urinary tract different from ACh's role. ATP stimulation of a specific purinergic receptor plays a role in initiation of bladder contractions and perhaps in the initiation of urine flow from the bladder. ACh's role is functionally different and appears to be more involved in maintenance of contractile activity and flow.

Neural stem cells rescue nervous purkinje neurons by restoring molecular homeostasis of tissue plasminogen activator and downstream targets.

PubMed

Li, Jianxue; Imitola, Jaime; Snyder, Evan Y; Sidman, Richard L

2006-07-26

Neural stem cells (NSCs) offer special therapeutic prospects because they can be isolated from the CNS, expanded ex vivo, and re-implanted into diseased CNS where they not only migrate and differentiate according to cues from host tissue but also appear to be capable of affecting host cells. In nervous (nr) mutant mice Purkinje neuron (PN) mitochondria become abnormal by the second postnatal week, and a majority of PNs die in the fourth to fifth weeks. We previously identified in nr cerebellum a 10-fold increase in tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) as a key component of the mechanism causing nr PN death. Here we report that undifferentiated wild-type murine NSCs, when transplanted into the newborn nr cerebellar cortex, do not replace host PNs but contact imperiled PNs and support their mitochondrial function, dendritic growth, and synaptogenesis, subsequently leading to the rescue of host PNs and restoration of motor coordination. This protection of nr PNs also is verified by an in vitro organotypic slice model in which nr cerebellar slices are cocultured with NSCs. Most importantly, the integrated NSCs in young nr cerebellum rectify excessive tPA mRNA and protein to close to normal levels and protect the mitochondrial voltage-dependent anion channel and neurotrophins, downstream targets of the tPA/plasmin proteolytic system. This report demonstrates for the first time that NSCs can rescue imperiled host neurons by rectifying their gene expression, elevating somatic stem cell therapeutic potential beyond solely cell replacement strategy.

One-step synthesis of three-dimensional Pd polyhedron networks with enhanced electrocatalytic performance.

PubMed

Xu, You; Xu, Rui; Cui, Jianhua; Liu, Yang; Zhang, Bin

2012-04-21

Three-dimensional Pd polyhedron networks (Pd PNs) have been fabricated for the first time through a one-step, Cu(2+)-assisted, solution-chemical approach. These as-prepared 3D Pd PNs exhibit high stability and remarkably improved electrocatalytic activity toward formic acid oxidation over commercially available Pd black. This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry 2012

Total peroxy nitrates and ozone production : analysis of forest fire plumes during BORTAS campaign

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Busilacchio, Marcella; Di Carlo, Piero; Aruffo, Eleonora; Biancofiore, Fabio; Giammaria, Franco; Bauguitte, Stephane; Lee, James; Moller, Sarah; Lewis, Ally; Parrington, Mark; Palmer, Paul; Dari Salisburgo, Cesare

2014-05-01

The goal of this work is to investigate the connection between PNS and ozone within plumes emitted from boreal forest fires and the possible perturbation to oxidant chemistry in the troposphere. During the Aircraft campaign in Canada called BORTAS (summer 2011 ) were carried out several profiles from ground up to 10 km with the BAe-146 aircraft to observe the atmospheric composition inside and outside fire plumes. The BORTAS flights have been selected based on the preliminary studies of 'Plume identification', selecting those effected by Boreal forest fire emissions (CO > 200 ppbv). The FLAMBE fire counts were used concertedly with back trajectory calculations generated by the HYbrid Single-Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory (HYSPLIT) model to locate the sources of Boreal biomass burning.Profiles measured on board the BAe-146 aircraft are used to calculate the productions of PNs and O3 within the biomass burning plume. By selecting the flights that intercept the biomass burning plume, we evaluate the ratio between the ozone production and the PNs production within the plume. Analyzing this ratio it is possible to determine whether O3 production or PNs production is the dominant process in the biomass burning boreal plume detected during BORTAS campaign.

Asymmetric core collapse of rapidly rotating massive star

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gilkis, Avishai

2018-02-01

Non-axisymmetric features are found in the core collapse of a rapidly rotating massive star, which might have important implications for magnetic field amplification and production of a bipolar outflow that can explode the star, as well as for r-process nucleosynthesis and natal kicks. The collapse of an evolved rapidly rotating MZAMS = 54 M⊙ star is followed in three-dimensional hydrodynamic simulations using the FLASH code with neutrino leakage. A rotating proto-neutron star (PNS) forms with a non-zero linear velocity. This can contribute to the natal kick of the remnant compact object. The PNS is surrounded by a turbulent medium, where high shearing is likely to amplify magnetic fields, which in turn can drive a bipolar outflow. Neutron-rich material in the PNS vicinity might induce strong r-process nucleosynthesis. The rapidly rotating PNS possesses a rotational energy of E_rot ≳ 10^{52} erg. Magnetar formation proceeding in a similar fashion will be able to deposit a portion of this energy later on in the supernova ejecta through a spin-down mechanism. These processes can be important for rare supernovae generated by rapidly rotating progenitors, even though a complete explosion is not simulated in the present study.

Investigating speech motor practice and learning in people who stutter.

PubMed

Namasivayam, Aravind Kumar; van Lieshout, Pascal

2008-03-01

In this exploratory study, we investigated whether or not people who stutter (PWS) show motor practice and learning changes similar to those of people who do not stutter (PNS). To this end, five PWS and five PNS repeated a set of non-words at two different rates (normal and fast) across three test sessions (T1, T2 on the same day and T3 on a separate day, at least 1 week apart). The results indicated that PWS and PNS may resemble each other on a number of performance variables (such as movement amplitude and duration), but they differ in terms of practice and learning on variables that relate to movement stability and strength of coordination patterns. These findings are interpreted in support of recent claims about speech motor skill limitations in PWS. The reader will be able to: (1) define oral articulatory changes associated with motor practice and learning and their measurement; (2) summarize findings from previous studies examining motor practice and learning in PWS; and (3) discuss hypotheses that could account for the present findings that suggest PWS and PNS differ in their speech motor learning abilities.

Whole-body cortisol response of zebrafish to acute net handling stress

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ramsay, J.M.; Feist, G.W.; Varga, Z.M.; Westerfield, M.; Kent, M.L.; Schreck, C.B.

2009-01-01

Zebrafish, Danio rerio, are frequently handled during husbandry and experimental procedures in the laboratory, yet little is known about the physiological responses to such stressors. We measured the whole-body cortisol levels of adult zebrafish subjected to net stress and air exposure at intervals over a 24 h period; cortisol recovered to near control levels by about 1 h post-net-stress (PNS). We then measured cortisol at frequent intervals over a 1 h period. Cortisol levels were more than 2-fold higher in net stressed fish at 3 min PNS and continued to increase peaking at 15 min PNS, when cortisol levels were 6-fold greater than the control cortisol. Mean cortisol declined from 15 to 60 min PNS, and at 60 min, net-stressed cortisol was similar to control cortisol. Because the age of fish differed between studies, we examined resting cortisol levels of fish of different ages (3, 7, 13, and 19 months). The resting cortisol values among tanks with the same age fish differed significantly but there was no clear effect of age. Our study is the first to report the response and recovery of cortisol after net handling for laboratory-reared zebrafish. ?? 2009 Elsevier B.V.

Thermosensory processing in the Drosophila brain

PubMed Central

Liu, Wendy W.; Mazor, Ofer; Wilson, Rachel I.

2014-01-01

In Drosophila, just as in vertebrates, changes in external temperature are encoded by bidirectional opponent thermoreceptor cells: some cells are excited by warming and inhibited by cooling, whereas others are excited by cooling and inhibited by warming1,2. The central circuits that process these signals are not understood. In Drosophila, a specific brain region receives input from thermoreceptor cells2,3. Here we show that distinct genetically-identified projection neurons (PNs) in this brain region are excited by cooling, warming, or both. The PNs excited by cooling receive mainly feedforward excitation from cool thermoreceptors. In contrast, the PNs excited by warming (“warm-PNs”) receive both excitation from warm thermoreceptors and crossover inhibition from cool thermoreceptors via inhibitory interneurons. Notably, this crossover inhibition elicits warming-evoked excitation, because warming suppresses tonic activity in cool thermoreceptors. This in turn disinhibits warm-PNs and sums with feedforward excitation evoked by warming. Crossover inhibition could cancel non-thermal activity (noise) that is positively-correlated among warm and cool thermoreceptor cells, while reinforcing thermal activity which is anti-correlated. Our results show how central circuits can combine signals from bidirectional opponent neurons to construct sensitive and robust neural codes. PMID:25739502

Analyses and treatments of postoperative nasal complications after endonasal transsphenoidal resection of pituitary neoplasms

PubMed Central

Cheng, You; Xue, Fei; Wang, Tian-You; Ji, Jun-Feng; Chen, Wei; Wang, Zhi-Yi; Xu, Li; Hang, Chun-Hua; Liu, Xin-Feng

2017-01-01

Abstract In this study, we analyze and discuss the treatments of postoperative nasal complications after endonasal transsphenoidal resection of pituitary neoplasms (PNs). We performed 129 endonasal transsphenoidal resections of PNs and analyzed and treated cases with nasal complications. After endonasal transsphenoidal resection of PNs, there were 26 cases of postoperative nasal complications (20.1%), including nasal hemorrhage (4.8%), cerebrospinal fluid rhinorrhea (6.9%), sphenoid sinusitis (2.3%), atrophic rhinitis (1.6%), olfactory disorder (1.6%), perforation of nasal septum (0.8%), and nasal adhesion (2.3%). All patients clinically recovered after therapy, which included treatment of the cavity through nasal endoscopy, intranasal corticosteroids, and nasal irrigation. We propose that regular nasal endoscopic review, specific nasal medications, and regular nasal irrigation can effectively clear nasal mucosal hyperemia-induced edema and nasal/nasoantral secretions, as well as promote regeneration of nasal mucosa, prevent nasal adhesion, maintain the sinus cavity drainage, and accelerate the recovery of the physiological function of the paranasal sinus. Timely treatment of patients with nasal complications after endonasal transsphenoidal resections of PNs could greatly relieve the clinical symptoms. Nasal cleaning is very beneficial to patients after surgery recovery. PMID:28403108

Senseless, a Zn finger transcription factor, is necessary and sufficient for sensory organ development in Drosophila

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nolo, R.; Abbott, L. A.; Bellen, H. J.

2000-01-01

The senseless (sens) gene is required for proper development of most cell types of the embryonic and adult peripheral nervous system (PNS) of Drosophila. Sens is a nuclear protein with four Zn fingers that is expressed and required in the sensory organ precursors (SOP) for proper proneural gene expression. Ectopic expression of Sens in many ectodermal cells causes induction of PNS external sensory organ formation and is able to recreate an ectopic proneural field. Hence, sens is both necessary and sufficient for PNS development. Our data indicate that proneural genes activate sens expression. Sens is then in turn required to further activate and maintain proneural gene expression. This feedback mechanism is essential for selective enhancement and maintenance of proneural gene expression in the SOPs.

Paraneoplastic syndromes

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Weller, R.E.

1994-03-01

Paraneoplastic syndromes (PNS) comprise a diverse group of disorders that are associated with cancer but unrelated to the size, location, metastases, or physiologic activities of the mature tissue of origin. They are remote effects of tumors that may appear as signs, symptoms, or syndromes which can mimic other disease conditions encountered in veterinary medicine. Recognition of PNS is valuable for several reasons: the observed abnormalities may represent tumor cell markers and facilitate early diagnosis of the tumor; they may allow assessment of premalignant states; they may aid in the search metastases; they may help quantify and monitor response to therapy;more » and, they may provide insight into the study of malignant transformation and oncogene expression. This review will concentrate on the pathophysiology, diagnosis, and treatment of some of the common PNS encountered in veterinary medicine.« less

Convection-Enhanced Delivery (CED) in an Animal Model of Malignant Peripheral Nerve Sheath Tumors and Plexiform Neurofibromas

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-09-01

with an accelerated schedule Convection-Enhanced Delivery ( CED ), Malignant Peripheral Nerve Sheath ( MPNST ), Plexiform Neurofibromas (PN...the distribution of macromolecules delivered to intraneural PNs and MPNST via CED . Design: Orthotopic xenograft models of sciatic intraneural NF1...determine the efficacy CED of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) inhibitor erlotinib in animal models of intraneural PNs and MPNST

Quantum cryptography protocols robust against photon number splitting attacks for weak laser pulse implementations.

PubMed

Scarani, Valerio; Acín, Antonio; Ribordy, Grégoire; Gisin, Nicolas

2004-02-06

We introduce a new class of quantum key distribution protocols, tailored to be robust against photon number splitting (PNS) attacks. We study one of these protocols, which differs from the original protocol by Bennett and Brassard (BB84) only in the classical sifting procedure. This protocol is provably better than BB84 against PNS attacks at zero error.

Phonological Encoding in the Silent Speech of Persons Who Stutter

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sasisekaran, Jayanthi; De Nil, Luc F.; Smyth, Ron; Johnson, Carla

2006-01-01

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the role of phonological encoding in the silent speech of persons who stutter (PWS) and persons who do not stutter (PNS). Participants were 10 PWS (M=30.4 years, S.D.=7.8), matched in age, gender, and handedness with 11 PNS (M=30.1 years, S.D.=7.8). Each participant performed five tasks: a…

Exogenous prenatal corticosterone exposure mimics the effects of prenatal stress on adult brain stress response systems and fear extinction behavior.

PubMed

Bingham, Brian C; Sheela Rani, C S; Frazer, Alan; Strong, Randy; Morilak, David A

2013-11-01

Exposure to early-life stress is a risk factor for the development of cognitive and emotional disorders later in life. We previously demonstrated that prenatal stress (PNS) in rats results in long-term, stable changes in central stress-response systems and impairs the ability to extinguish conditioned fear responding, a component of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Maternal corticosterone (CORT), released during prenatal stress, is a possible mediator of these effects. The purpose of the present study was to investigate whether fetal exposure to CORT at levels induced by PNS is sufficient to alter the development of adult stress neurobiology and fear extinction behavior. Pregnant dams were subject to either PNS (60 min immobilization/day from ED 14-21) or a daily injection of CORT (10mg/kg), which approximated both fetal and maternal plasma CORT levels elicited during PNS. Control dams were given injections of oil vehicle. Male offspring were allowed to grow to adulthood undisturbed, at which point they were sacrificed and the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), hippocampus, hypothalamus, and a section of the rostral pons containing the locus coeruleus (LC) were dissected. PNS and prenatal CORT treatment decreased glucocorticoid receptor protein levels in the mPFC, hippocampus, and hypothalamus when compared to control offspring. Both treatments also decreased tyrosine hydroxylase levels in the LC. Finally, the effect of prenatal CORT exposure on fear extinction behavior was examined following chronic stress. Prenatal CORT impaired both acquisition and recall of cue-conditioned fear extinction. This effect was additive to the impairment induced by previous chronic stress. Thus, these data suggest that fetal exposure to high levels of maternal CORT is responsible for many of the lasting neurobiological consequences of PNS as they relate to the processes underlying extinction of learned fear. The data further suggest that adverse prenatal environments constitute a risk factor for PTSD-like symptomatology, especially when combined with chronic stressors later in life. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Preliteracy signatures of poor-reading abilities in resting-state EEG

PubMed Central

Schiavone, Giuseppina; Linkenkaer-Hansen, Klaus; Maurits, Natasha M.; Plakas, Anna; Maassen, Ben A. M.; Mansvelder, Huibert D.; van der Leij, Aryan; van Zuijen, Titia L.

2014-01-01

The hereditary character of dyslexia suggests the presence of putative underlying neural anomalies already in preliterate age. Here, we investigated whether early neurophysiological correlates of future reading difficulties—a hallmark of dyslexia—could be identified in the resting-state EEG of preliterate children. The children in this study were recruited at birth and classified on the basis of parents' performance on reading tests to be at-risk of becoming poor readers (n = 48) or not (n = 14). Eyes-open rest EEG was measured at the age of 3 years, and the at-risk children were divided into fluent readers (n = 24) and non-fluent readers (n = 24) after reading assessment at their third grade of school. We found that fluent readers and non-fluent readers differed in normalized spectral amplitude. Non-fluent readers were characterized by lower amplitude in the delta-1 frequency band (0.5–2 Hz) and higher amplitude in the alpha-1 band (6–8 Hz) in multiple scalp regions compared to control and at-risk fluent readers. Interestingly, across groups these EEG biomarkers correlated with several behavioral test scores measured in the third grade. Specifically, the performance on reading fluency, phonological and orthographic tasks and rapid automatized naming task correlated positively with delta-1 and negatively with alpha-1. Together, our results suggest that combining family-risk status, neurophysiological testing and behavioral test scores in a longitudinal setting may help uncover physiological mechanisms implicated with neurodevelopmental disorders such as the predisposition to reading disabilities. PMID:25285075

Self-micelle formation and the incorporation of lipid in the formulation affect the intestinal absorption of Panax notoginseng.

PubMed

Xiong, Jing; Guo, Jianxin; Huang, Luosheng; Meng, Boyu; Ping, Qineng

2008-08-06

The purpose of this research is to evaluate the effect of self-micelle formation and incorporation of lipid in the formulation on absorption of ginsenosides Rg1 and Rb1 from intestinal tract in rats. Ginsenosides Rg1 and Rb1 were extracted from Panax notoginseng saponins (PNS). The critical micellar concentration (CMC) of PNS in deionzied water was determined to be 0.339 mg/ml. At normal physiological ionic strengths, PNS was salted out from the solution above the CMC. The particle size of the micelle grows as PNS concentration increases. By in situ injection to a closed loop of the rat jejunum, AUC0-6h obtained after administration of low concentration solution (12 mg/ml) was 3.61 times for ginsenoside Rg1 and 3.84-folds for ginsenoside Rb1 compared with high concentration solution (120 mg/ml). The release rate of ginsenosides in aqueous medium was too slow to complete in 24h, especially for Rb1. The data suggested that the self-micelle formation tendency in ginsenosides might prevent them from permeation or absorption through the cell membrane of gastrointestinal (GI) tract. To inhibit the formation of micelles, lipid was incorporated in the PNS formulation. The intraduodenal bioavailability in rats showed that the bioavailability was enhanced remarkably relative to the aqueous solution. AUC 0-infinity of ginsenoside Rg1 and Rb1 in the lipid-based formulation were 207.52+/-53.95 and 1961.72+/-686.60 microg ml(-1) h, compared with 7.87+/-2.85 and 148.58+/-36.73 microg ml(-1) h, respectively from its aqueous solution. These findings suggested a new strategy to increase the absorption of amphiphilic saponins.

Cutaneous penetration of soft nanoparticles via photodamaged skin: Lipid-based and polymer-based nanocarriers for drug delivery.

PubMed

Hung, Chi-Feng; Chen, Wei-Yu; Hsu, Ching-Yun; Aljuffali, Ibrahim A; Shih, Hui-Chi; Fang, Jia-You

2015-08-01

Photoaging is recognized as the factor damaging skin-barrier function. The aim of this study was to examine the impact of ultraviolet (UV) irradiation on the cutaneous penetration of soft nanoparticles, including nanostructured lipid carriers (NLCs) and poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) polymer nanoparticles (PNs). In vitro cutaneous permeation of retinoic acid (RA) carried by nanoparticles was evaluated. In vivo nude mouse skin distribution of topically applied nanoparticles was observed by fluorescence and confocal microscopies. The association of nanoparticles with cultured keratinocytes was measured by flow cytometry and fluorescence microscopy. The average diameter and surface charge were 236nm and -32mV for NLCs, and 207nm and -12mV for PNs. The ultrastructural images of skin demonstrated that the application of UV produced a loss of Odland bodies and desmosomes, the organelles regulating skin-barrier function. UVA exposure increased skin deposition of RA regardless of nanoparticle formulation. UVB did not alter RA deposition from nanoparticles as compared to the non-treated group. Exposure to UVA promoted RA delivery into hair follicles from NLCs and PNs by 4.2- and 4.9-fold, respectively. The in vivo skin distribution also showed a large accumulation of Nile red-loaded nanoparticles in follicles after UVA treatment. The soft nanoparticles were observed deep in the dermis. PNs with higher lipophilicity showed a greater association with keratinocytes compared to NLCs. The cell association of PNs was increased by UVA application, whereas the association between NLCs and keratinocytes was reduced two times by UVA. It was concluded that both follicles and intercellular spaces were the main pathways for nanoparticle diffusion into photodamaged skin. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Effects of yoga on the autonomic nervous system, gamma-aminobutyric-acid, and allostasis in epilepsy, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder.

PubMed

Streeter, C C; Gerbarg, P L; Saper, R B; Ciraulo, D A; Brown, R P

2012-05-01

A theory is proposed to explain the benefits of yoga practices in diverse, frequently comorbid medical conditions based on the concept that yoga practices reduce allostatic load in stress response systems such that optimal homeostasis is restored. It is hypothesized that stress induces (1) imbalance of the autonomic nervous system (ANS) with decreased parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) and increased sympathetic nervous system (SNS) activity, (2) underactivity of the gamma amino-butyric acid (GABA) system, the primary inhibitory neurotransmitter system, and (3) increased allostatic load. It is further hypothesized that yoga-based practices (4) correct underactivity of the PNS and GABA systems in part through stimulation of the vagus nerves, the main peripheral pathway of the PNS, and (5) reduce allostatic load. Depression, epilepsy, post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and chronic pain exemplify medical conditions that are exacerbated by stress, have low heart rate variability (HRV) and low GABAergic activity, respond to pharmacologic agents that increase activity of the GABA system, and show symptom improvement in response to yoga-based interventions. The observation that treatment resistant cases of epilepsy and depression respond to vagal nerve stimulation corroborates the need to correct PNS underactivity as part of a successful treatment plan in some cases. According to the proposed theory, the decreased PNS and GABAergic activity that underlies stress-related disorders can be corrected by yoga practices resulting in amelioration of disease symptoms. This has far-reaching implications for the integration of yoga-based practices in the treatment of a broad array of disorders exacerbated by stress. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Ultrastructure and post-floral secretion of the pericarpial nectaries of Erythrina speciosa (Fabaceae)

PubMed Central

Paiva, Elder Antônio Sousa

2009-01-01

Background and Aims The occurrence of nectaries in fruits is restricted to a minority of plant families and consistent reports of their occurrence are not found associated with Fabaceae, mainly showing cellular details. The present study aims to describe the anatomical organization and ultrastructure of the pericarpial nectaries (PNs) in Erythrina speciosa, a bird-pollinated species, discussing functional aspects of these unusual structures. Methods Samples of floral buds, ovaries of flowers at anthesis and fruits at several developmental stages were fixed and processed by the usual methods for studies using light, and scanning and transmission electron microscopy. Nectar samples collected by filter paper wicks were subjected to chemical analysis using thin-layer chromatography. Key Results The PNs are distributed in isolation on the exocarp. Each PN is represented by a single hyaline trichome that consists of a basal cell at epidermal level, stalk cell(s) and a small secretory multicellular head. The apical stalk cell shows inner periclinal and anticlinal walls impregnated by lipids and lignin and has dense cytoplasm with a prevalence of mitochondria and endoplasmic reticulum. The secretory cells show voluminous nuclei and dense cytoplasm, which predominantly has dictyosomes, rough endoplasmic reticulum, plastids, mitochondria and free ribosomes. At the secretory stage the periplasmic space is prominent and contains secretion residues. Tests for sugar indicate the presence of non-reducing sugars in the secretory cells. Nectar samples from PNs contained sucrose, glucose and fructose. Conclusions The secretory stage of these PNs extends until fruit maturation and evidence suggests that the energetic source of nectar production is based on pericarp photosynthesis. Patrolling ants were seen foraging on fruits during all stages of fruit development, which suggests that the PNs mediate a symbiotic relationship between ants and plant, similar to the common role of many extrafloral nectaries. PMID:19617593

Ultrastructure and post-floral secretion of the pericarpial nectaries of Erythrina speciosa (Fabaceae).

PubMed

Paiva, Elder Antônio Sousa

2009-10-01

The occurrence of nectaries in fruits is restricted to a minority of plant families and consistent reports of their occurrence are not found associated with Fabaceae, mainly showing cellular details. The present study aims to describe the anatomical organization and ultrastructure of the pericarpial nectaries (PNs) in Erythrina speciosa, a bird-pollinated species, discussing functional aspects of these unusual structures. Samples of floral buds, ovaries of flowers at anthesis and fruits at several developmental stages were fixed and processed by the usual methods for studies using light, and scanning and transmission electron microscopy. Nectar samples collected by filter paper wicks were subjected to chemical analysis using thin-layer chromatography. The PNs are distributed in isolation on the exocarp. Each PN is represented by a single hyaline trichome that consists of a basal cell at epidermal level, stalk cell(s) and a small secretory multicellular head. The apical stalk cell shows inner periclinal and anticlinal walls impregnated by lipids and lignin and has dense cytoplasm with a prevalence of mitochondria and endoplasmic reticulum. The secretory cells show voluminous nuclei and dense cytoplasm, which predominantly has dictyosomes, rough endoplasmic reticulum, plastids, mitochondria and free ribosomes. At the secretory stage the periplasmic space is prominent and contains secretion residues. Tests for sugar indicate the presence of non-reducing sugars in the secretory cells. Nectar samples from PNs contained sucrose, glucose and fructose. The secretory stage of these PNs extends until fruit maturation and evidence suggests that the energetic source of nectar production is based on pericarp photosynthesis. Patrolling ants were seen foraging on fruits during all stages of fruit development, which suggests that the PNs mediate a symbiotic relationship between ants and plant, similar to the common role of many extrafloral nectaries.

Effect of fish oil and coconut fat supplementation on depressive-type behavior and corticosterone levels of prenatally stressed male rats.

PubMed

Borsonelo, Elizabethe Cristina; Suchecki, Deborah; Galduróz, José Carlos Fernandes

2011-04-18

Prenatal stress (PNS) during critical periods of brain development has been associated with numerous behavioral and/or mood disorders in later life. These outcomes may result from changes in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis activity, which, in turn, can be modulated by environmental factors, such as nutritional status. In this study, the adult male offspring of dams exposed to restraint stress during the last semester of pregnancy and fed different diets were evaluated for depressive-like behavior in the forced swimming test and for the corticosterone response to the test. Female Wistar rats were allocated to one of three groups: regular diet, diet supplemented with coconut fat or with fish oil, offered during pregnancy and lactation. When pregnancy was confirmed, they were distributed into control or stress groups. Stress consisted of restraint and bright light for 45 min, three times per day, in the last week of pregnancy. The body weight of the adult offspring submitted to PNS was lower than that of controls. In the forced swimming test, time of immobility was reduced and swimming was increased in PNS rats fed fish oil and plasma corticosterone levels immediately after the forced swimming test were lower in PNS rats fed regular diet than their control counterparts; this response was reduced in control rats whose mothers were fed fish oil and coconut fat. The present results indicate that coconut fat and fish oil influenced behavioral and hormonal responses to the forced swimming test in both control and PNS adult male rats. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Semaphorin-1a prevents Drosophila olfactory projection neuron dendrites from mis-targeting into select antennal lobe regions

PubMed Central

Chu, Sao-Yu; Wang, Chun-Han; Lin, I-Ya

2017-01-01

Elucidating how appropriate neurite patterns are generated in neurons of the olfactory system is crucial for comprehending the construction of the olfactory map. In the Drosophila olfactory system, projection neurons (PNs), primarily derived from four neural stem cells (called neuroblasts), populate their cell bodies surrounding to and distribute their dendrites in distinct but overlapping patterns within the primary olfactory center of the brain, the antennal lobe (AL). However, it remains unclear whether the same molecular mechanisms are employed to generate the appropriate dendritic patterns in discrete AL glomeruli among PNs produced from different neuroblasts. Here, by examining a previously explored transmembrane protein Semaphorin-1a (Sema-1a) which was proposed to globally control initial PN dendritic targeting along the dorsolateral-to-ventromedial axis of the AL, we discover a new role for Sema-1a in preventing dendrites of both uni-glomerular and poly-glomerular PNs from aberrant invasion into select AL regions and, intriguingly, this Sema-1a-deficient dendritic mis-targeting phenotype seems to associate with the origins of PNs from which they are derived. Further, ectopic expression of Sema-1a resulted in PN dendritic mis-projection from a select AL region into adjacent glomeruli, strengthening the idea that Sema-1a plays an essential role in preventing abnormal dendritic accumulation in select AL regions. Taken together, these results demonstrate that Sema-1a repulsion keeps dendrites of different types of PNs away from each other, enabling the same types of PN dendrites to be sorted into destined AL glomeruli and permitting for functional assembly of olfactory circuitry. PMID:28448523

Emotional reactivity and regulation associated with fluent and stuttered utterances of preschool-age children who stutter

PubMed Central

Jones, Robin M.; Conture, Edward G.; Walden, Tedra A.

2014-01-01

Purpose The purpose of this study was to assess the relation between emotional reactivity and regulation associated with fluent and stuttered utterances of preschool-age children who stutter (CWS) and those who do not (CWNS). Participants Participants were eight 3 to 6-year old CWS and eight CWNS of comparable age and gender. Methods Participants were exposed to three emotion-inducing overheard conversations—neutral, angry and happy—and produced a narrative following each overheard conversation. From audio-video recordings of these narratives, coded behavioral analysis of participants’ negative and positive affect and emotion regulation associated with stuttered and fluent utterances was conducted. Results Results indicated that CWS were significantly more likely to exhibit emotion regulation attempts prior to and during their fluent utterances following the happy as compared to the negative condition, whereas CWNS displayed the opposite pattern. Within-group assessment indicated that CWS were significantly more likely to display negative emotion prior to and during their stuttered than fluent utterances, particularly following the positive overheard conversation. Conclusions After exposure to emotional-inducing overheard conversations, changes in preschool-age CWS’s emotion and emotion regulatory attempts were associated with the fluency of their utterances. PMID:24630144

Computational models for the analysis/design of hypersonic scramjet components. I - Combustor and nozzle models

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dash, S. M.; Sinha, N.; Wolf, D. E.; York, B. J.

1986-01-01

An overview of computational models developed for the complete, design-oriented analysis of a scramjet propulsion system is provided. The modular approach taken involves the use of different PNS models to analyze the individual propulsion system components. The external compression and internal inlet flowfields are analyzed by the SCRAMP and SCRINT components discussed in Part II of this paper. The combustor is analyzed by the SCORCH code which is based upon SPLITP PNS pressure-split methodology formulated by Dash and Sinha. The nozzle is analyzed by the SCHNOZ code which is based upon SCIPVIS PNS shock-capturing methodology formulated by Dash and Wolf. The current status of these models, previous developments leading to this status, and, progress towards future hybrid and 3D versions are discussed in this paper.

Investigation of Low-Reynolds-Number Rocket Nozzle Design Using PNS-Based Optimization Procedure

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hussaini, M. Moin; Korte, John J.

1996-01-01

An optimization approach to rocket nozzle design, based on computational fluid dynamics (CFD) methodology, is investigated for low-Reynolds-number cases. This study is undertaken to determine the benefits of this approach over those of classical design processes such as Rao's method. A CFD-based optimization procedure, using the parabolized Navier-Stokes (PNS) equations, is used to design conical and contoured axisymmetric nozzles. The advantage of this procedure is that it accounts for viscosity during the design process; other processes make an approximated boundary-layer correction after an inviscid design is created. Results showed significant improvement in the nozzle thrust coefficient over that of the baseline case; however, the unusual nozzle design necessitates further investigation of the accuracy of the PNS equations for modeling expanding flows with thick laminar boundary layers.

Event-Related Brain Potential Investigation of Preparation for Speech Production in Late Bilinguals

PubMed Central

Wu, Yan Jing; Thierry, Guillaume

2011-01-01

It has been debated how bilinguals select the intended language and prevent interference from the unintended language when speaking. Here, we studied the nature of the mental representations accessed by late fluent bilinguals during a rhyming judgment task relying on covert speech production. We recorded event-related brain potentials in Chinese–English bilinguals and monolingual speakers of English while they indicated whether the names of pictures presented on a screen rhymed.  Whether bilingual participants focussed on rhyming selectively in English or Chinese, we found a significant priming effect of language-specific sound repetition. Surprisingly, however, sound repetitions in Chinese elicited significant priming effects even when the rhyming task was performed in English. This cross-language priming effect was delayed by ∼200  ms as compared to the within-language effect and was asymmetric, since there was no priming effect of sound repetitions in English when participants were asked to make rhyming judgments in Chinese. These results demonstrate that second language production hinders, but does not seal off, activation of the first language, whereas native language production appears immune to competition from the second language. PMID:21687468

Afferent and Efferent Aspects of Mandibular Sensorimotor Control in Adults who Stutter

PubMed Central

Daliri, Ayoub; Prokopenko, Roman A.; Max, Ludo

2013-01-01

Purpose Individuals who stutter show sensorimotor deficiencies in speech and nonspeech movements. For the mandibular system, we dissociated the sense of kinesthesia from the efferent control component to examine whether kinesthetic integrity itself is compromised in stuttering or whether deficiencies occur only when generating motor commands. Method We investigated 11 stuttering and 11 nonstuttering adults’ kinesthetic sensitivity threshold and kinesthetic accuracy for passive jaw movements as well as their minimal displacement threshold and positioning accuracy for active jaw movements. We also investigated the correlation with an anatomical index of jaw size. Results The groups showed no statistically significant differences on sensory measures for passive jaw movements. Although some stuttering individuals performed more poorly than any nonstuttering participants on the active movement tasks, between-group differences for active movements were also not statistically significant. Unlike fluent speakers, however, the stuttering group showed a statistically significant correlation between mandibular size and performance in the active and passive near-threshold tasks. Conclusions Previously reported minimal movement differences were not replicated. Instead, stuttering individuals’ performance varied with anatomical properties. These correlational results are consistent with the hypothesis that stuttering participants generate and perceive movements based on less accurate internal models of the involved neuromechanical systems. PMID:23816664

Bilingual Mothers' Language Choice in Child-directed Speech: Continuity and Change.

PubMed

De Houwer, Annick; Bornstein, Marc H

2016-01-01

An important aspect of Family Language Policy in bilingual families is parental language choice. Little is known about the continuity in parental language choice and the factors affecting it. This longitudinal study explores maternal language choice over time. Thirty-one bilingual mothers provided reports of what language(s) they spoke with their children. Mother-child interactions were videotaped when children were pre-verbal (5M), producing words in two languages (20M), and fluent speakers (53M). All children had heard two languages from birth in the home. Most mothers reported addressing children in the same single language. Observational data confirmed mothers' use of mainly a single language in interactions with their children, but also showed the occasional use of the other language in over half the sample when children were 20 months. Once children were 53 months mothers again used only the same language they reported speaking to children. These findings reveal a possible effect of children's overall level of language development and demonstrate the difficulty of adhering to a strict "one person, one language" policy. The fact that there was longitudinal continuity in the language most mothers mainly spoke with children provided children with cumulative language input learning opportunities.

Aerodynamics of the pseudo-glottis.

PubMed

Kotby, M N; Hegazi, M A; Kamal, I; Gamal El Dien, N; Nassar, J

2009-01-01

The aim of this work is to study the hitherto unclear aerodynamic parameters of the pseudo-glottis following total laryngectomy. These parameters include airflow rate, sub-pseudo-glottic pressure (SubPsG), efficiency and resistance, as well as sound pressure level (SPL). Eighteen male patients who have undergone total laryngectomy, with an age range from 54 to 72 years, were investigated in this study. All tested patients were fluent esophageal 'voice' speakers utilizing tracheo-esophageal prosthesis. The airflow rate, SubPsG and SPL were measured. The results showed that the mean value of the airflow rate was 53 ml/s, the SubPsG pressure was 13 cm H(2)O, while the SPL was 66 dB. The normative data obtained from the true glottis in healthy age-matched subjects are 89 ml/s, 7.9 cm H(2)O and 70 dB, respectively. Other aerodynamic indices were calculated and compared to the data obtained from the true glottis. Such a comparison of the pseudo-glottic aerodynamic data to the data of the true glottis gives an insight into the mechanism of action of the pseudo-glottis. The data obtained suggests possible clinical applications in pseudo-voice training. Copyright 2009 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Absolute pitch among students in an American music conservatory: association with tone language fluency.

PubMed

Deutsch, Diana; Dooley, Kevin; Henthorn, Trevor; Head, Brian

2009-04-01

Absolute pitch (AP), the ability to name a musical note in the absence of a reference note, is extremely rare in the U.S. and Europe, and its genesis is unclear. The prevalence of AP was examined among students in an American music conservatory as a function of age of onset of musical training, ethnicity, and fluency in speaking a tone language. Taking those of East Asian ethnicity, the performance level on a test of AP was significantly higher among those who spoke a tone language very fluently compared with those who spoke a tone language fairly fluently and also compared with those who were not fluent in speaking a tone language. The performance level of this last group did not differ significantly from that of Caucasian students who spoke only nontone language. Early onset of musical training was associated with enhanced performance, but this did not interact with the effect of language. Further analyses showed that the results could not be explained by country of early music education. The findings support the hypothesis that the acquisition of AP by tone language speakers involves the same process as occurs in the acquisition of a second tone language.

Bilingual Mothers' Language Choice in Child-directed Speech: Continuity and Change

PubMed Central

De Houwer, Annick; Bornstein, Marc H.

2016-01-01

An important aspect of Family Language Policy in bilingual families is parental language choice. Little is known about the continuity in parental language choice and the factors affecting it. This longitudinal study explores maternal language choice over time. Thirty-one bilingual mothers provided reports of what language(s) they spoke with their children. Mother-child interactions were videotaped when children were pre-verbal (5M), producing words in two languages (20M), and fluent speakers (53M). All children had heard two languages from birth in the home. Most mothers reported addressing children in the same single language. Observational data confirmed mothers' use of mainly a single language in interactions with their children, but also showed the occasional use of the other language in over half the sample when children were 20 months. Once children were 53 months mothers again used only the same language they reported speaking to children. These findings reveal a possible effect of children's overall level of language development and demonstrate the difficulty of adhering to a strict “one person, one language” policy. The fact that there was longitudinal continuity in the language most mothers mainly spoke with children provided children with cumulative language input learning opportunities. PMID:28210008

Investigating Speech Motor Practice and Learning in People Who Stutter

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Namasivayam, Aravind Kumar; van Lieshout, Pascal

2008-01-01

In this exploratory study, we investigated whether or not people who stutter (PWS) show motor practice and learning changes similar to those of people who do not stutter (PNS). To this end, five PWS and five PNS repeated a set of non-words at two different rates (normal and fast) across three test sessions (T1, T2 on the same day and T3 on a…

Preplanetary Nebulae: A Hubble Space Telescope Imaging Survey and a New Morphological Classification System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sahai, Raghvendra; Morris, Mark; Sanchez Contreras, Carmen; Claussen, Mark

2007-01-01

Using the Hubble Space Telescope (HST ), we have carried out a survey of candidate preplanetary nebulae (PPNs). We report here our discoveries of objects having well-resolved geometric structures, and we use the large sample of PPNs now imaged with HST (including previously studied objects in this class) to devise a comprehensive morphological classification system for this category of objects. The wide variety of aspherical morphologies which we have found for PPNs are qualitatively similar to those found for young planetary nebulae (PNs) in previous surveys. We also find prominent halos surrounding the central aspherical shapes in many of our objects; these are direct signatures of the undisturbed circumstellar envelopes of the progenitor AGB stars. Although the majority of these have surface brightness distributions consistent with a constant mass-loss rate with a constant expansion velocity, there are also examples of objects with varying mass-loss rates. As in our surveys of young PNs, we find no round PPNs. The similarities in morphologies between our survey objects and young PNs supports the view that the former are the progenitors of aspherical PNs. This suggests that the primary shaping of a PN does not occur during the PN phase via the fast radiative wind of the hot central star, but significantly earlier in its evolution.

The role of soluble and insoluble gastric fluid components in the pathogenesis of obliterative bronchiolitis in rat lung allografts.

PubMed

Leung, Jason H; Chang, Jui-Chih; Bell, Sadé M; Holzknecht, Zoie E; Thomas, Samantha M; Everett, Mary Lou; Parker, William; Davis, R Duane; Lin, Shu S

2016-02-01

Repetitive gastric fluid aspirations have been shown to lead to obliterans bronchiolitis (OB), but the component or components of gastric fluid that are responsible are unknown. This study investigates the role of particulates and, separately, soluble material in gastric fluid during the development of OB. Whole gastric fluid (WGF) was collected from male Fischer 344 (F344) rats and separated by centrifugation into particle reduced gastric fluid (PRGF) and particulate components resuspended in normal saline (PNS). Orthotopic left lung transplants from male Wistar-Kyoto rats into F344 rats were performed using a modification of the nonsuture external cuff technique with prolonged cold ischemia. Rats were subjected to weekly aspiration of 0.5 ml/kg of WGF (n = 9), PRGF (n = 10), PNS (n = 9), or normal saline (control, NS; n = 9) for 8 weeks following transplantation. Lung allografts treated with WGF, PRGF, or PNS developed a significantly greater percentage of OB-like lesions compared with the control. No statistical difference was observed when comparing the fibrosis grades or the percentage of OB lesions of WGF, PRGF, and PNS groups, suggesting that both soluble and insoluble components of gastric fluid can promote the development of aspiration-induced OB and fibrosis in lung allografts. © 2015 Steunstichting ESOT.

Formation of Bipolar Lobes by Jets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Soker, Noam

2002-04-01

I conduct an analytical study of the interaction of jets, or a collimated fast wind (CFW), with a previously blown asymptotic giant branch (AGB) slow wind. Such jets (or CFWs) are supposedly formed when a compact companion, a main-sequence star, or a white dwarf accretes mass from the AGB star, forms an accretion disk, and blows two jets. This type of flow, which I think shapes bipolar planetary nebulae (PNs), requires three-dimensional gasdynamical simulations, which are limited in the parameter space they can cover. By imposing several simplifying assumptions, I derive simple expressions which reproduce some basic properties of lobes in bipolar PNs and which can be used to guide future numerical simulations. I quantitatively apply the results to two proto-PNs. I show that the jet interaction with the slow wind can form lobes which are narrow close to, and far away from, the central binary system, and which are wider somewhere in between. Jets that are recollimated and have constant cross section can form cylindrical lobes with constant diameter, as observed in several bipolar PNs. Close to their source, jets blown by main-sequence companions are radiative; only further out they become adiabatic, i.e., they form high-temperature, low-density bubbles that inflate the lobes.

Non-fluent speech following stroke is caused by impaired efference copy.

PubMed

Feenaughty, Lynda; Basilakos, Alexandra; Bonilha, Leonardo; den Ouden, Dirk-Bart; Rorden, Chris; Stark, Brielle; Fridriksson, Julius

2017-09-01

Efference copy is a cognitive mechanism argued to be critical for initiating and monitoring speech: however, the extent to which breakdown of efference copy mechanisms impact speech production is unclear. This study examined the best mechanistic predictors of non-fluent speech among 88 stroke survivors. Objective speech fluency measures were subjected to a principal component analysis (PCA). The primary PCA factor was then entered into a multiple stepwise linear regression analysis as the dependent variable, with a set of independent mechanistic variables. Participants' ability to mimic audio-visual speech ("speech entrainment response") was the best independent predictor of non-fluent speech. We suggest that this "speech entrainment" factor reflects integrity of internal monitoring (i.e., efference copy) of speech production, which affects speech initiation and maintenance. Results support models of normal speech production and suggest that therapy focused on speech initiation and maintenance may improve speech fluency for individuals with chronic non-fluent aphasia post stroke.

Nurse-led management of contraceptive services.

PubMed

Wilson, Emma

2014-07-01

This article discusses the role of the practice nurse (PN) in the provision of health assessment for contraceptive choices. PNs who have an extended role as an independent nurse prescriber must demonstrate the principles of safe prescribing practice, with appropriate and informed assessment of the patient's needs and risk within the limited time of a general practice appointment. With continued professional development, PNs are well placed to provide comprehensive, independent nurse-led contraceptive services.

Convection-Enhanced Delivery (CED) in an Animal Model of Malignant Peripheral Nerve Sheath Tumors and Plexiform Neurofibromas

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-02-01

successfully establish the xenograft within the sciatic nerve. Convection-Enhanced Delivery ( CED ), Malignant Peripheral Nerve Sheath ( MPNST ), Plexiform...intraneural PNs and MPNST via CED . Design: Orthotopic xenograft models of sciatic intraneural NF1 MPNST and PNs in scid mice as described by Perrin et...using convection-enhanced delivery ( CED ). Relative Growth of MPNST cells in vivo treated with rapamycin, imatinib or erlotinib: Elotinib

Panax Notoginseng Saponin Controls IL-17 Expression in Helper T Cells

PubMed Central

Wei, Jia-Ru; Wen, Xiaofeng; Bible, Paul W.; Li, Zhiyu; Nussenblatt, Robert B.

2017-01-01

Abstract Purpose: Panax Notoginseng, a traditional Chinese medicine, is known as an anti-inflammatory herb. However, the molecular mechanism by which it controls helper T cell mediated immune responses is largely unknown. Methods: Naive CD4+ T cells isolated from healthy donors, patients with Behcet's disease, and C57BL/6 mice were polarized into Th1, Th17, and Treg cells. Proliferation and cytokine expression were measured in these cells with the presence or absence of Panax Notoginseng saponins (PNS). Genomewide expression profiles of Th1, Th17, and Treg cells were assessed using Affymetrix microarray analysis. Results: We found that PNS control the proliferation and differentiation of Th17 cells by globally downregulating the expression of inflammatory cytokines and cell cycle genes. Conclusions: These findings demonstrated that PNS function as an anti-inflammatory agent through directly targeting Th17 cell mediated immune response. PMID:28051353

Children's patterns of emotional reactivity to conflict as explanatory mechanisms in links between interpartner aggression and child physiological functioning.

PubMed

Davies, Patrick T; Sturge-Apple, Melissa L; Cicchetti, Dante; Manning, Liviah G; Zale, Emily

2009-11-01

This paper examined children's fearful, sad, and angry reactivity to interparental conflict as mediators of associations between their exposure to interparental aggression and physiological functioning. Participants included 200 toddlers and their mothers. Assessments of interparental aggression and children's emotional reactivity were derived from maternal surveys and a semi-structured interview. Cortisol levels and cardiac indices of sympathetic nervous system (SNS) and parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) activity were used to assess toddler physiological functioning. Results indicated that toddler exposure to interparental aggression was associated with greater cortisol levels and PNS activity and diminished SNS activity. Toddler angry emotional reactivity mediated associations between interparental aggression and cortisol and PNS functioning. Fearful emotional reactivity was a mediator of the link between interparental aggression and SNS functioning. The results are interpreted within conceptualizations of how exposure and reactivity to family risk organize individual differences in physiological functioning.

AlphaB-crystallin regulates remyelination after peripheral nerve injury

PubMed Central

Lim, Erin-Mai F.; Nakanishi, Stan T.; Hoghooghi, Vahid; Eaton, Shane E. A.; Palmer, Alexandra L.; Frederick, Ariana; Stratton, Jo A.; Stykel, Morgan G.; Zochodne, Douglas W.; Biernaskie, Jeffrey; Ousman, Shalina S.

2017-01-01

AlphaB-crystallin (αBC) is a small heat shock protein that is constitutively expressed by peripheral nervous system (PNS) axons and Schwann cells. To determine what role this crystallin plays after peripheral nerve damage, we found that loss of αBC impaired remyelination, which correlated with a reduced presence of myelinating Schwann cells and increased numbers of nonmyelinating Schwann cells. The heat shock protein also seems to regulate the cross-talk between Schwann cells and axons, because expected changes in neuregulin levels and ErbB2 receptor expression after PNS injury were disrupted in the absence of αBC. Such dysregulations led to defects in conduction velocity and motor and sensory functions that could be rescued with therapeutic application of the heat shock protein in vivo. Altogether, these findings show that αBC plays an important role in regulating Wallerian degeneration and remyelination after PNS injury. PMID:28137843

A national patient navigator training program.

PubMed

Calhoun, Elizabeth A; Whitley, Elizabeth M; Esparza, Angelina; Ness, Elizabeth; Greene, Amanda; Garcia, Roland; Valverde, Patricia A

2010-03-01

Patient Navigation is an intervention aimed at addressing cancer health disparities by eliminating barriers to diagnosis, treatment, and services. Three major patient navigation (PN) programs (The National Cancer Institute, The American Cancer Society &The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services) are underway to address the needs of medically underserved cancer patients. There has not been national training with a defined curriculum for patient navigators (PNs). Curriculum for training the PNs was created by experts from the three programs. The efficacy of training was evaluated using a pre- and posttest. The data show that overall the posttest scores improved from the pretest. In addition, having a high school education or greater or having more years of work experience were significantly related to improvements on the posttest. The first successful standardized national training program was attended by 116 PNs representing 85 cities with the goal to reduce health disparities for medically underserved.

Peripheral neuromodulation: a review.

PubMed

Goroszeniuk, Teodor; Pang, David

2014-05-01

Peripheral nerve stimulation (PNS) is likely the most diverse and rapidly expanding area of neuromodulation. Its expansion has become possible due to both technological and clinical advances in pain medicine. The first implantable systems were surgically placed. However, it is currently commonplace to use percutaneous leads, as this approach has become instrumental in its expansion. The first percutaneous peripheral nerve stimulators were reported in 1999. Cylindrical leads were implanted to stimulate the greater occipital nerve to manage intractable headache. It has been expanded into other individual nerves or nerve plexuses to treat neuropathic, visceral, cardiac, abdominal, low back and facial pain. The use of PNS in modulating organ function in treatment of syndromes such as epilepsy, incontinence and obesity with vagal, tibial and gastric stimulation is under extensive investigation. New technologies that allow easier and safer electrode placement are expected to further expand the uses of PNS. A noninvasive stimulation will open this treatment modality to more clinicians of varying backgrounds.

Numerical wind-tunnel simulation for Spar platform

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shen, Wenjun

2017-05-01

ANSYS Fluent software is used in the simulation analysis of numerical wind tunnel model for the upper Spar platform module. Design Modeler (DM), Meshing, FLUENT and CFD-POST are chosen in the numerical calculation. And DM is used to deal with and repair the geometric model, and Meshing is used to mesh the model, Fluent is used to set up and solve the calculation condition, finally CFD-POST is used for post-processing of the results. The wind loads are obtained under different direction and incidence angles. Finally, comparison is made between numerical results and empirical formula.

Cross-Modal Matching of Audio-Visual German and French Fluent Speech in Infancy

PubMed Central

Kubicek, Claudia; Hillairet de Boisferon, Anne; Dupierrix, Eve; Pascalis, Olivier; Lœvenbruck, Hélène; Gervain, Judit; Schwarzer, Gudrun

2014-01-01

The present study examined when and how the ability to cross-modally match audio-visual fluent speech develops in 4.5-, 6- and 12-month-old German-learning infants. In Experiment 1, 4.5- and 6-month-old infants’ audio-visual matching ability of native (German) and non-native (French) fluent speech was assessed by presenting auditory and visual speech information sequentially, that is, in the absence of temporal synchrony cues. The results showed that 4.5-month-old infants were capable of matching native as well as non-native audio and visual speech stimuli, whereas 6-month-olds perceived the audio-visual correspondence of native language stimuli only. This suggests that intersensory matching narrows for fluent speech between 4.5 and 6 months of age. In Experiment 2, auditory and visual speech information was presented simultaneously, therefore, providing temporal synchrony cues. Here, 6-month-olds were found to match native as well as non-native speech indicating facilitation of temporal synchrony cues on the intersensory perception of non-native fluent speech. Intriguingly, despite the fact that audio and visual stimuli cohered temporally, 12-month-olds matched the non-native language only. Results were discussed with regard to multisensory perceptual narrowing during the first year of life. PMID:24586651

Clinical relevance of aberrant polypoid nodule scar after endoscopic submucosal dissection

PubMed Central

Arantes, Vitor; Uedo, Noriya; Pedrosa, Moises Salgado; Tomita, Yasuhiko

2016-01-01

AIM To describe a series of patients with aberrant polypoid nodule scar developed after gastric endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD), and to discuss its pathogenesis and clinical management. METHODS We reviewed retrospectively the endoscopic database of two academic institutions located in Brazil and Japan and searched for all patients that underwent ESD to manage gastric neoplasms from 2003 to 2015. The criteria for admission in the study were: (1) successful en bloc ESD procedure with R0 and curative resection confirmed histologically; (2) postoperative endoscopic examination with identification of a polypoid nodule scar (PNS) at ESD scar; (3) biopsies of the PNS with hyperplastic or regenerative tissue, reviewed by two independent experienced gastrointestinal pathologists, one from each Institution. Data were examined for patient demographics, Helicobacter pylori status, precise neoplastic lesion location in the stomach, tumor size, histopathological assessment of the ESD specimen, and postoperative information including medical management, endoscopic and histological findings, and clinical outcome. RESULTS A total of 14 patients (10 men/4 women) fulfilled the inclusion criteria and were enrolled in this study. One center contributed with 8 cases out of 60 patients (13.3%) from 2008 to 2015. The second center contributed with 6 cases (1.7%) out of 343 patients from 2003 to 2015. Postoperative endoscopic follow-up revealed similar findings in all patients: A protruded polypoid appearing nodule situated in the center of the ESD scar surrounded by convergence of folds. Biopsies samples were taken from PNS, and histological assessment revealed in all cases regenerative and hyperplastic tissue, without recurrent tumor or dysplasia. Primary neoplastic lesions were located in the antrum in 13 patients and in the angle in one patient. PNS did not develop in any patient after ESD undertaken for tumors located in the corpus, fundus or cardia. All patients have been followed systematically on an annual basis and no malignant recurrence in the ESD scar has been identified (mean follow-up period: 45 mo). CONCLUSION PNS may occur after ESD for antral lesions and endoscopically look concerning, especially for the patient or the family doctor. However, as long as curative R0 resection was successfully achieved and histology demonstrates only regenerative and hyperplastic tissue, PNS should be viewed as a benign alteration that does not require any type of intervention, other than endoscopic surveillance. PMID:27668074

A planetary nervous system for social mining and collective awareness

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Giannotti, F.; Pedreschi, D.; Pentland, A.; Lukowicz, P.; Kossmann, D.; Crowley, J.; Helbing, D.

2012-11-01

We present a research roadmap of a Planetary Nervous System (PNS), capable of sensing and mining the digital breadcrumbs of human activities and unveiling the knowledge hidden in the big data for addressing the big questions about social complexity. We envision the PNS as a globally distributed, self-organizing, techno-social system for answering analytical questions about the status of world-wide society, based on three pillars: social sensing, social mining and the idea of trust networks and privacy-aware social mining. We discuss the ingredients of a science and a technology necessary to build the PNS upon the three mentioned pillars, beyond the limitations of their respective state-of-art. Social sensing is aimed at developing better methods for harvesting the big data from the techno-social ecosystem and make them available for mining, learning and analysis at a properly high abstraction level. Social mining is the problem of discovering patterns and models of human behaviour from the sensed data across the various social dimensions by data mining, machine learning and social network analysis. Trusted networks and privacy-aware social mining is aimed at creating a new deal around the questions of privacy and data ownership empowering individual persons with full awareness and control on own personal data, so that users may allow access and use of their data for their own good and the common good. The PNS will provide a goal-oriented knowledge discovery framework, made of technology and people, able to configure itself to the aim of answering questions about the pulse of global society. Given an analytical request, the PNS activates a process composed by a variety of interconnected tasks exploiting the social sensing and mining methods within the transparent ecosystem provided by the trusted network. The PNS we foresee is the key tool for individual and collective awareness for the knowledge society. We need such a tool for everyone to become fully aware of how powerful is the knowledge of our society we can achieve by leveraging our wisdom as a crowd, and how important is that everybody participates both as a consumer and as a producer of the social knowledge, for it to become a trustable, accessible, safe and useful public good.

The neurological underpinnings of cluttering: Some initial findings.

PubMed

Ward, David; Connally, Emily L; Pliatsikas, Christos; Bretherton-Furness, Jess; Watkins, Kate E

2015-03-01

Cluttering is a fluency disorder characterised by overly rapid or jerky speech patterns that compromise intelligibility. The neural correlates of cluttering are unknown but theoretical accounts implicate the basal ganglia and medial prefrontal cortex. Dysfunction in these brain areas would be consistent with difficulties in selection and control of speech motor programs that are characteristic of speech disfluencies in cluttering. There is a surprising lack of investigation into this disorder using modern imaging techniques. Here, we used functional MRI to investigate the neural correlates of cluttering. We scanned 17 adults who clutter and 17 normally fluent control speakers matched for age and sex. Brain activity was recorded using sparse-sampling functional MRI while participants viewed scenes and either (i) produced overt speech describing the scene or (ii) read out loud a sentence provided that described the scene. Speech was recorded and analysed off line. Differences in brain activity for each condition compared to a silent resting baseline and between conditions were analysed for each group separately (cluster-forming threshold Z>3.1, extent p<0.05, corrected) and then these differences were further compared between the two groups (voxel threshold p<0.01, extent>30 voxels, uncorrected). In both conditions, the patterns of activation in adults who clutter and control speakers were strikingly similar, particularly at the cortical level. Direct group comparisons revealed greater activity in adults who clutter compared to control speakers in the lateral premotor cortex bilaterally and, as predicted, on the medial surface (pre-supplementary motor area). Subcortically, adults who clutter showed greater activity than control speakers in the basal ganglia. Specifically, the caudate nucleus and putamen were overactive in adults who clutter for the comparison of picture description with sentence reading. In addition, adults who clutter had reduced activity relative to control speakers in the lateral anterior cerebellum bilaterally. Eleven of the 17 adults who clutter also stuttered. This comorbid diagnosis of stuttering was found to contribute to the abnormal overactivity seen in the group of adults who clutter in the right ventral premotor cortex and right anterior cingulate cortex. In the remaining areas of abnormal activity seen in adults who clutter compared to controls, the subgroup who clutter and stutter did not differ from the subgroup who clutter but do not stutter. Our findings were in good agreement with theoretical predictions regarding the neural correlates of cluttering. We found evidence for abnormal function in the basal ganglia and their cortical output target, the medial prefrontal cortex. The findings are discussed in relation to models of cluttering that point to problems with motor control of speech. This paper reports findings on the neural correlates seen in adults who clutter, and offers hypotheses as to how these might map onto the behaviours seen amongst those who clutter. Readers will be able to (a) identify the structures that are implicated in the disorder of cluttering, (b) understand arguments relating these structures to the behavioural expression of the disorder, (c) understand some of the complexities in interpreting data pertaining to recovery from cluttering, (d) understand where future efforts in research into the neurological correlates of cluttering should be focussed. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Inc.

An Attempt at Blocking of Position Learning by Training with Reward-Memory Associations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Burns, Richard A.; Johnson, Kendra S.

2006-01-01

Rats were runway trained with sequences of rewards that changed in 3 phases. In Phase 1 (24 days), the sequences were NP', SNP', and P'SNP' (n = 3), or NS', PNS', and S'PNS', where P and P' refer to 4 and 8 plain Noyes pellets, and S and S' are 4 and 8 sucrose pellets. N was a 30-s confinement in the goal without reward. In Phase 2 (14 days) the…

Improving the Diagnostic Specificity of CT for Early Detection of Lung Cancer: 4D CT-Based Pulmonary Nodule Elastometry

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-10-01

2012, patients who received stereotactic ablative radiotherapy ( SABR ) for early stage non-small cell lung cancer were included in this study. All...comparing the elasticities of malignant PNs treated with stereotactic ablative radiotherapy ( SABR ) with those of the lung. Methods: We analyzed...breath-hold images of 30 patients with malignant PNs who underwent SABR in our department. A parametric nonrigid transformation model based on multi

Human papillomavirus and papillomavirus vaccines: knowledge, attitudes and intentions of general practitioners and practice nurses in Christchurch.

PubMed

Henninger, Judith

2009-12-01

General practitioners (GP) and practice nurses (PN) perform the majority of cervical screening in Christchurch and will have a key role in influencing uptake of human papillomavirus (HPV) immunisation. To assess and compare GP and PN knowledge about HPV disease, attitudes concerning adolescent sexual behaviour and intentions to recommend HPV immunisation. A self-administered, anonymous questionnaire was distributed to GPs and PNs in Christchurch, New Zealand who attended peer-led small group meetings hosted by Pegasus Health Independent Provider Association in May 2008. Participation rate was 39%. Overall, 94% of respondents knew that HPV immunisation will not replace cervical cancer screening; 73% knew that HPV is the cause of cervical cancer; 48% knew that most HPV infections will clear without medical treatment; 20% correctly reported that anogenital warts are not cervical cancer precursors. More GPs reported comfort discussing sexual behaviour with adolescents than PNs (p < .008). While 95% of participants intend to recommend immunisation for 13-15-year-old girls, PNs were more likely than GPs to recommend HPV immunisation to older female adolescents and more often indicated that HPV vaccination may lead to risky sexual behaviour (p < .0001). This is the first New Zealand study to assess primary care knowledge and attitudes about HPV and HPV immunisations. The results are encouraging, provide a baseline for future research and may guide the development of training materials for GPs and PNs.

Neutron scattering from myelin revisited: bilayer asymmetry and water-exchange kinetics

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Denninger, Andrew R.; Demé, Bruno; Cristiglio, Viviana

2014-12-01

The structure of internodal myelin in the rodent central and peripheral nervous systems has been determined using neutron diffraction. The kinetics of water exchange in these tissues is also described. Rapid nerve conduction in the central and peripheral nervous systems (CNS and PNS, respectively) of higher vertebrates is brought about by the ensheathment of axons with myelin, a lipid-rich, multilamellar assembly of membranes. The ability of myelin to electrically insulate depends on the regular stacking of these plasma membranes and on the presence of a number of specialized membrane-protein assemblies in the sheath, including the radial component, Schmidt–Lanterman incisures andmore » the axo–glial junctions of the paranodal loops. The disruption of this fine-structure is the basis for many demyelinating neuropathies in the CNS and PNS. Understanding the processes that govern myelin biogenesis, maintenance and destabilization requires knowledge of myelin structure; however, the tight packing of internodal myelin and the complexity of its junctional specializations make myelin a challenging target for comprehensive structural analysis. This paper describes an examination of myelin from the CNS and PNS using neutron diffraction. This investigation revealed the dimensions of the bilayers and aqueous spaces of myelin, asymmetry between the cytoplasmic and extracellular leaflets of the membrane, and the distribution of water and exchangeable hydrogen in internodal multilamellar myelin. It also uncovered differences between CNS and PNS myelin in their water-exchange kinetics.« less

Peripheral nervous system assessment in acromegaly patients under somatostatin analogue therapy.

PubMed

Alibas, H; Gogas Yavuz, D; Kahraman Koytak, P; Uygur, M; Tanridag, T; Uluc, K

2017-01-01

Acromegaly is known to affect peripheral nervous system (PNS) causing carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) and polyneuropathy. The frequency of these disorders and the evaluation methods vary among studies. In the present study, we aimed to examine PNS of acromegaly patients under somatostatin analogue (SSA) therapy. Forty-eight acromegaly patients (26 F/22 M, 45.58 ± 11.6 years) under SSA treatment and 44 healthy controls (25 F/19 M, 47.46 ± 8.7 years) were assessed by symptom questionnaires, neurologic examination and electrophysiological studies. 87.5 % of the acromegaly patients had at least one abnormal finding regarding PNS. With the incorporation of palm-wrist median nerve conduction velocity method, we detected CTS in 50 % of patients. Polyneuropathy was less frequent (29.2 %). Both conditions were independent from the coexisting diabetes mellitus (p = 0.22 for CTS, p = 0.71 for polyneuropathy). Polyneuropathy but not CTS was more common among biochemically uncontrolled acromegaly patients rather than those under control (p = 0.03; p = 0.68, respectively). Our findings emphasize the high prevalence of peripheral nervous system involvement in acromegaly patients under SSA therapy and importance of neurological evaluation of these patients. Early diagnosis and treatment of the disease may reduce the PNS involvement.

Paraneoplastic hypercalcemia.

PubMed

Bergman, Philip J

2012-11-01

Paraneoplastic syndromes (PNSs) are neoplasm-associated alterations in bodily structure or function or both that occur distant to the tumor. They are an extremely diverse group of clinical aberrations that are associated with the noninvasive actions of the tumor. In many situations, the PNS parallels the underlying malignancy, and therefore, successful treatment of the tumor leads to disappearance of the PNS. Alternatively, recurrence of the PNS after successful treatment signals recurrence of the tumor, and the return of the PNS often significantly precedes the detectable recurrence of the tumor. This is often the case with paraneoplastic hypercalcemia, often referred to as hypercalcemia of malignancy (HM). The most common cause of hypercalcemia in dogs is cancer. Neoplasia is diagnosed in approximately two-thirds of dogs with hypercalcemia vs. approximately one-third in cats. A variety of tumors have been associated with HM. Lymphoma is the most common cause of HM, and the most common anatomical site for dogs with lymphoma-associated HM is the cranial mediastinum. Other tumors associated with HM in dogs and cats include anal sac apocrine gland adenocarcinoma, thyroid carcinoma, multiple myeloma, bone tumors, thymoma, squamous cell carcinoma, mammary gland carcinoma/adenocarcinoma, melanoma, primary lung tumors, chronic lymphocytic leukemia, renal angiomyxoma, and parathyroid gland tumors. As HM is a potential medical emergency, the primary goal in cases of HM is the elucidation of the underlying cause and thereby instituting the appropriate specific therapy. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Practice nurse and health visitor management of acute minor illness in a general practice.

PubMed

Pritchard, A; Kendrick, D

2001-11-01

To evaluate practice nurse (PN) and health visitor (HV) management of patients with acute minor illnesses, monitor the effect on general practitioner (GP) workload, and describe the range of conditions seen by nurses. Patients requesting 'urgent' appointments (within 24 hours) were offered consultations with a PN or HV trained in the management of acute minor illness. Comparative data were collected before and after the establishment of the acute minor illness service. A general practice in Nottingham, England. Patient satisfaction, consultation rate, prescriptions, investigations, referrals and urgent re-consultations for the same condition within 2 weeks. About 2056 urgent consultations were recorded in the study period, of which 332 (16.1%) were seen by PNs and 46 (2.2%) by a HV. High levels of patient satisfaction were reported for all health professionals. Patients seeing the HV reported higher levels of satisfaction than those consulting GPs (P=0.033) and PNs (P=0.010). There was no difference by health professional for prescription rates (P=0.76), re-consultations (P=0.14), or referrals to secondary care (P=0.07). General practitioners were more likely to initiate further investigations than the PNs or HV (P < 0.001). With suitable training, PNs and HVs can successfully manage patients with a range of conditions. General practitioner workload can be reduced while maintaining high patient satisfaction levels.

The impacts of acute carbon monoxide poisoning on the brain: Longitudinal clinical and 99mTc ethyl cysteinate brain SPECT characterization of patients with persistent and delayed neurological sequelae.

PubMed

Tsai, Chung-Fen; Yip, Ping-Keung; Chen, Shao-Yuan; Lin, Jen-Cheng; Yeh, Zai-Ting; Kung, Lan-Yu; Wang, Cheng-Yi; Fan, Yu-Ming

2014-04-01

Acute carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning poses a significant threat to the central nervous system. It can cause brain injury and diverse neurological deficits including persistent neurological sequelae (PNS) and delayed neurological sequelae (DNS). The study aimed to investigate the long-term impacts of acute CO poisoning on brain perfusion and neurological function, and to explore potential differences between PNS and DNS patients. We evaluated brain perfusion using (99m)Tc ethyl cysteinate (ECD) brain single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) and assessed clinical neurological symptoms and signs one month following acute poisoning. For DNS patients, ECD SPECT and clinical evaluation were performed when their delayed symptoms appeared. All patients had follow-up SPECT imaging, along with clinical assessments six months following poisoning. 12 PNS and 12 DNS patients were recruited between 2007 and 2010. Clinically, the main characteristic presentations were cognitive decline, emotional instability, and gait disturbance. SPECT imaging demonstrated consistent frontal hypoperfusion of varying severities in all patients, which decreased in severity at follow-up imaging. DNS patients usually had more severe symptoms and perfusion defects, along with worse clinical outcomes than the PNS group. These results suggest that acute CO poisoning might lead to long term brain injuries and neurological sequelae, particularly in DNS patients. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Comparing digraph and Petri net approaches to deadlock avoidance in FMS.

PubMed

Fanti, M P; Maione, B; Turchiano, B

2000-01-01

Flexible manufacturing systems (FMSs) are modern production facilities with easy adaptability to variable production plans and goals. These systems may exhibit deadlock situations occurring when a circular wait arises because each piece in a set requires a resource currently held by another job in the same set. Several authors have proposed different policies to control resource allocation in order to avoid deadlock problems. These approaches are mainly based on some formal models of manufacturing systems, such as Petri nets (PNs), directed graphs, etc. Since they describe various peculiarities of the FMS operation in a modular and systematic way, PNs are the most extensively used tool to model such systems. On the other hand, digraphs are more synthetic than PNs because their vertices are just the system resources. So, digraphs describe the interactions between jobs and resources only, while neglecting other details on the system operation. The aim of this paper is to show the tight connections between the two approaches to the deadlock problem, by proposing a unitary framework that links graph-theoretic and PN models and results. In this context, we establish a direct correspondence between the structural elements of the PN (empty siphons) and those of the digraphs (maximal-weight zero-outdegree strong components) characterizing a deadlock occurrence. The paper also shows that the avoidance policies derived from digraphs can be implemented by controlled PNs.

Parasympathetic Nervous System Reactivity Moderates Associations Between Children's Executive Functioning and Social and Academic Competence.

PubMed

McQuade, Julia D; Penzel, Taylor E; Silk, Jennifer S; Lee, Kyung Hwa

2017-10-01

This study examined whether children with poor executive functioning (EF) evidenced less social and academic impairments, compared to other children, if they demonstrated adaptive parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) regulation during experiences of failure. Participants with and without clinical elevations in ADHD symptoms (N = 61; 9-13 years; 48% male; 85% Caucasian) were administered a battery of EF tests and completed manipulated social and cognitive failure tasks. While participants completed failure tasks, respiratory sinus arrhythmia reactivity (RSA-R) was measured as an indicator of PNS reactivity. Children's social and academic impairment in daily life was assessed based on parent and teacher report on multiple measures. RSA-R during social failure moderated the association between poor EF and adult-rated social impairment and RSA-R during cognitive failure moderated the association between poor EF and adult-rated academic impairment. Simple effects indicated that poor EF was significantly associated with impairment when children demonstrated RSA activation (increased PNS activity) but not when children demonstrated RSA withdrawal (decreases in PNS activity). Domain-crossed models (e.g., reactivity to social failure predicting academic impairment) were not significant, suggesting that the moderating effect of RSA-R was domain-specific. Results suggest that not all children with poor EF evidence social and academic impairment; RSA withdrawal during experiences of failure may be protective specifically for children with impaired EF skills.

Reproducing American Sign Language sentences: cognitive scaffolding in working memory

PubMed Central

Supalla, Ted; Hauser, Peter C.; Bavelier, Daphne

2014-01-01

The American Sign Language Sentence Reproduction Test (ASL-SRT) requires the precise reproduction of a series of ASL sentences increasing in complexity and length. Error analyses of such tasks provides insight into working memory and scaffolding processes. Data was collected from three groups expected to differ in fluency: deaf children, deaf adults and hearing adults, all users of ASL. Quantitative (correct/incorrect recall) and qualitative error analyses were performed. Percent correct on the reproduction task supports its sensitivity to fluency as test performance clearly differed across the three groups studied. A linguistic analysis of errors further documented differing strategies and bias across groups. Subjects' recall projected the affordance and constraints of deep linguistic representations to differing degrees, with subjects resorting to alternate processing strategies when they failed to recall the sentence correctly. A qualitative error analysis allows us to capture generalizations about the relationship between error pattern and the cognitive scaffolding, which governs the sentence reproduction process. Highly fluent signers and less-fluent signers share common chokepoints on particular words in sentences. However, they diverge in heuristic strategy. Fluent signers, when they make an error, tend to preserve semantic details while altering morpho-syntactic domains. They produce syntactically correct sentences with equivalent meaning to the to-be-reproduced one, but these are not verbatim reproductions of the original sentence. In contrast, less-fluent signers tend to use a more linear strategy, preserving lexical status and word ordering while omitting local inflections, and occasionally resorting to visuo-motoric imitation. Thus, whereas fluent signers readily use top-down scaffolding in their working memory, less fluent signers fail to do so. Implications for current models of working memory across spoken and signed modalities are considered. PMID:25152744

Writing Blocks and Tacit Knowledge.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boice, Robert

1993-01-01

A review of the literature on writing block looks at two kinds: inability to write in a timely, fluent fashion, and reluctance by academicians to assist others in writing. Obstacles to fluent writing are outlined, four historical trends in treating blocks are discussed, and implications are examined. (MSE)

Identifying controlling variables for math computation fluency through experimental analysis: the interaction of stimulus control and reinforcing consequences.

PubMed

Hofstadter-Duke, Kristi L; Daly, Edward J

2015-03-01

This study investigated a method for conducting experimental analyses of academic responding. In the experimental analyses, academic responding (math computation), rather than problem behavior, was reinforced across conditions. Two separate experimental analyses (one with fluent math computation problems and one with non-fluent math computation problems) were conducted with three elementary school children using identical contingencies while math computation rate was measured. Results indicate that the experimental analysis with non-fluent problems produced undifferentiated responding across participants; however, differentiated responding was achieved for all participants in the experimental analysis with fluent problems. A subsequent comparison of the single-most effective condition from the experimental analyses replicated the findings with novel computation problems. Results are discussed in terms of the critical role of stimulus control in identifying controlling consequences for academic deficits, and recommendations for future research refining and extending experimental analysis to academic responding are made. © The Author(s) 2014.

Rosin-Rammler Distributions in ANSYS Fluent

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dunham, Ryan Q.

In Health Physics monitoring, particles need to be collected and tracked. One method is to predict the motion of potential health hazards with computer models. Particles released from various sources within a glove box can become a respirable health hazard if released into the area surrounding a glove box. The goal of modeling the aerosols in a glove box is to reduce the hazards associated with a leak in the glove box system. ANSYS Fluent provides a number of tools for modeling this type of environment. Particles can be released using injections into the flow path with turbulent properties. Themore » models of particle tracks can then be used to predict paths and concentrations of particles within the flow. An attempt to understand and predict the handling of data by Fluent was made, and results iteratively tracked. Trends in data were studied to comprehend the final results. The purpose of the study was to allow a better understanding of the operation of Fluent for aerosol modeling for future application in many fields.« less

[Use of percutaneous needles in the feasability of single-port laparoscopic cholecystectomy].

PubMed

Dávila, Fausto; Tsin, Daniel; González, Gloria; Dávila, M Ruth; Lemus, José; Dávila, Ulises

2014-04-01

The usefulness of percutaneous needles (PN) to replace traditional assistance ports in mini-invasive techniques with a single port is analyzed and their feasibility for conducting a single port laparoscopic cholecystectomy (SPLC) is demonstrated. A retrospective, linear and descriptive study covering 2,431 patients with a diagnosis of acute and non-acute gallbladder disease has been conducted. The patients underwent a single port laparoscopic cholecystectomy using some type of PNs, replacing the assisting ports used in traditional laparoscopic cholecystechtomy (TLC). Based on the progressive use of PNs-reins (R), hooked needles (HN) and passing suture needles (PSN)-to carry out the SPLC technique, 3 groups have been established: A, B and C. The results were compared using a Student T test, odds ratio and CI and were analyzed by means of the SPSS software v. 13.0. The use of PNs showed an increased feasibility for the laparoscopic procedure, as they were included in the surgical technique. The R were useful when carrying out the SPLC in 78% of the cases and when the HK were added, the results increased to 88%. When using the 3 types (R, HN and PSN), the results increased by 96%. Statistical significance was obtained with these values: chi 2=67.13 and P<.001; odds ratio and 95% CI became significant when comparing the B/C, A/C, and A-B/C groups. The PNs, replacing the assisting ports in laparoscopy, make it possible to attain a feasibility of the process in 96% of the cases. This percentage was similar to what is achieved with the TLC, which places the one port laparoscopy surgery technique as an advantageous and economic alternative. This application of the PNs could be made extensive to other single-port techniques, with a multi-valve platform and natural orifice surgery. Copyright © 2012 AEC. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.

An Explicit Upwind Algorithm for Solving the Parabolized Navier-Stokes Equations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Korte, John J.

1991-01-01

An explicit, upwind algorithm was developed for the direct (noniterative) integration of the 3-D Parabolized Navier-Stokes (PNS) equations in a generalized coordinate system. The new algorithm uses upwind approximations of the numerical fluxes for the pressure and convection terms obtained by combining flux difference splittings (FDS) formed from the solution of an approximate Riemann (RP). The approximate RP is solved using an extension of the method developed by Roe for steady supersonic flow of an ideal gas. Roe's method is extended for use with the 3-D PNS equations expressed in generalized coordinates and to include Vigneron's technique of splitting the streamwise pressure gradient. The difficulty associated with applying Roe's scheme in the subsonic region is overcome. The second-order upwind differencing of the flux derivatives are obtained by adding FDS to either an original forward or backward differencing of the flux derivative. This approach is used to modify an explicit MacCormack differencing scheme into an upwind differencing scheme. The second order upwind flux approximations, applied with flux limiters, provide a method for numerically capturing shocks without the need for additional artificial damping terms which require adjustment by the user. In addition, a cubic equation is derived for determining Vegneron's pressure splitting coefficient using the updated streamwise flux vector. Decoding the streamwise flux vector with the updated value of Vigneron's pressure splitting improves the stability of the scheme. The new algorithm is applied to 2-D and 3-D supersonic and hypersonic laminar flow test cases. Results are presented for the experimental studies of Holden and of Tracy. In addition, a flow field solution is presented for a generic hypersonic aircraft at a Mach number of 24.5 and angle of attack of 1 degree. The computed results compare well to both experimental data and numerical results from other algorithms. Computational times required for the upwind PNS code are approximately equal to an explicit PNS MacCormack's code and existing implicit PNS solvers.

Peripheral neuropathy in the twitcher mouse: accumulation of extracellular matrix in the endoneurium and aberrant expression of ion channels.

PubMed

Kagitani-Shimono, Kuriko; Mohri, Ikuko; Yagi, Takashi; Taniike, Masako; Suzuki, Kinuko

2008-05-01

Globoid cell leukodystrophy (GLD; Krabbe's disease), caused by a genetic galactosylceramidase deficiency, affects both the central and peripheral nervous systems (CNS and PNS). Allogenic hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation (HSCT) has been beneficial for clinical improvement of this disease. However, recent reports by Siddiqi et al. suggested that none of their transplanted patients achieved complete normalization of their peripheral nerve function, despite the well-documented remyelination of the CNS and PNS in the treated patients. We hypothesized that the PNS dysfunction in GLD is due to altered Schwann cell-axon interactions, resulting in structural abnormalities of the node of Ranvier and aberrant expression of ion channels caused by demyelination and that the persistence of this altered interaction is responsible for the dysfunction of the PNS after HSCT. Since there has not been any investigation of the Schwann cell-axonal relationship in twitcher mice, an authentic model of GLD, we first investigated structural abnormalities, focusing on the node of Ranvier in untreated twitcher mice, and compared the results with those obtained after receiving bone marrow transplantation (BMT). As expected, we found numerous supernumerary Schwann cells that formed structurally abnormal nodes of Ranvier. Similar findings, though at somewhat variable extent, were detected in mice treated with BMT. Activated supernumerary Schwann cells expressed GFAP immunoreactivity and generated Alcian blue-positive extracellular matrix (ECM) in the endoneurial space. The processes of these supernumerary Schwann cells often covered and obliterated the nodal regions. Furthermore, the distribution of Na(+) channel immunoreactivity was diffuse without the concentration at the nodes of Ranvier as seen in wild-type mice. Neither K(+) channels nor Neurexin IV/ Caspr/ Paranoidin (NCP-1) were detected in the twi/twi sciatic nerve. The results of our study suggest the importance of normalization of the Schwann cell-axon relationship for the functional recovery of peripheral nerves, when one considers therapeutic strategies for PNS pathology in GLD.

Apis mellifera octopamine receptor 1 (AmOA1) expression in antennal lobe networks of the honey bee (Apis mellifera) and fruit fly (Drosophila melanogaster)

PubMed Central

Sinakevitch, Irina T.; Smith, Adrian N.; Locatelli, Fernando; Huerta, Ramon; Bazhenov, Maxim; Smith, Brian H.

2013-01-01

Octopamine (OA) underlies reinforcement during appetitive conditioning in the honey bee and fruit fly, acting via different subtypes of receptors. Recently, antibodies raised against a peptide sequence of one honey bee OA receptor, AmOA1, were used to study the distribution of these receptors in the honey bee brain (Sinakevitch et al., 2011). These antibodies also recognize an isoform of the AmOA1 ortholog in the fruit fly (OAMB, mushroom body OA receptor). Here we describe in detail the distribution of AmOA1 receptors in different types of neurons in the honey bee and fruit fly antennal lobes. We integrate this information into a detailed anatomical analysis of olfactory receptor neurons (ORNs), uni- and multi-glomerular projection neurons (uPNs, and mPNs) and local interneurons (LNs) in glomeruli of the antennal lobe. These neurons were revealed by dye injection into the antennal nerve, antennal lobe, medial and lateral antenno-protocerbral tracts (m-APT and l-APT), and lateral protocerebral lobe (LPL) by use of labeled cell lines in the fruit fly or by staining with anti-GABA. We found that ORN receptor terminals and uPNs largely do not show immunostaining for AmOA1. About seventeen GABAergic mPNs leave the antennal lobe through the ml-APT and branch into the LPL. Many, but not all, mPNs show staining for AmOA1. AmOA1 receptors are also in glomeruli on GABAergic processes associated with LNs. The data suggest that in both species one important action of OA in the antennal lobe involves modulation of different types of inhibitory neurons via AmOA1 receptors. We integrated this new information into a model of circuitry within glomeruli of the antennal lobes of these species. PMID:24187534

Recombination Line versus Forbidden Line Abundances in Planetary Nebulae

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Robertson-Tessi, Mark; Garnett, Donald R.

2005-04-01

Recombination lines (RLs) of C II, N II, and O II in planetary nebulae (PNs) have been found to give abundances that are much larger in some cases than abundances from collisionally excited forbidden lines (CELs). The origins of this abundance discrepancy are highly debated. We present new spectroscopic observations of O II and C II recombination lines for six planetary nebulae. With these data we compare the abundances derived from the optical recombination lines with those determined from collisionally excited lines. Combining our new data with published results on RLs in other PNs, we examine the discrepancy in abundances derived from RLs and CELs. We find that there is a wide range in the measured abundance discrepancy Δ(O+2)=logO+2(RL)-logO+2(CEL), ranging from approximately 0.1 dex (within the 1 σ measurement errors) up to 1.4 dex. This tends to rule out errors in the recombination coefficients as a source of the discrepancy. Most RLs yield similar abundances, with the notable exception of O II multiplet V15, known to arise primarily from dielectronic recombination, which gives abundances averaging 0.6 dex higher than other O II RLs. We compare Δ(O+2) against a variety of physical properties of the PNs to look for clues as to the mechanism responsible for the abundance discrepancy. The strongest correlations are found with the nebula diameter and the Balmer surface brightness; high surface brightness, compact PNs show small values of Δ(O+2), while large low surface brightness PNs show the largest discrepancies. An inverse correlation of Δ(O+2) with nebular density is also seen. A marginal correlation of Δ(O+2) is found with expansion velocity. No correlations are seen with electron temperature, He+2/He+, central star effective temperature and luminosity, stellar mass-loss rate, or nebular morphology. Similar results are found for carbon in comparing C II RL abundances with ultraviolet measurements of C III].

Q-marker based strategy for CMC research of Chinese medicine: A case study of Panax Notoginseng saponins.

PubMed

Zhong, Yi; Zhu, Jieqiang; Yang, Zhenzhong; Shao, Qing; Fan, Xiaohui; Cheng, Yiyu

2018-01-31

To ensure pharmaceutical quality, chemistry, manufacturing and control (CMC) research is essential. However, due to the inherent complexity of Chinese medicine (CM), CMC study of CM remains a great challenge for academia, industry, and regulatory agencies. Recently, quality-marker (Q-marker) was proposed to establish quality standards or quality analysis approaches of Chinese medicine, which sheds a light on Chinese medicine's CMC study. Here manufacture processes of Panax Notoginseng Saponins (PNS) is taken as a case study and the present work is to establish a Q-marker based research strategy for CMC of Chinese medicine. The Q-markers of Panax Notoginseng Saponins (PNS) is selected and established by integrating chemical profile with pharmacological activities. Then, the key processes of PNS manufacturing are identified by material flow analysis. Furthermore, modeling algorithms are employed to explore the relationship between Q-markers and critical process parameters (CPPs) of the key processes. At last, CPPs of the key processes are optimized in order to improving the process efficiency. Among the 97 identified compounds, Notoginsenoside R 1 , ginsenoside Rg 1 , Re, Rb 1 and Rd are selected as the Q-markers of PNS. Our analysis on PNS manufacturing show the extraction process and column chromatography process are the key processes. With the CPPs of each process as the inputs and Q-markers' contents as the outputs, two process prediction models are built separately for the extraction process and column chromatography process of Panax notoginseng, which both possess good prediction ability. Based on the efficiency models of extraction process and column chromatography process we constructed, the optimal CPPs of both processes are calculated. Our results show that the Q-markers derived from CMC research strategy can be applied to analyze the manufacturing processes of Chinese medicine to assure product's quality and promote key processes' efficiency simultaneously. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

Preparation, in vitro and in vivo evaluation of polymeric nanoparticles based on hyaluronic acid-poly(butyl cyanoacrylate) and D-alpha-tocopheryl polyethylene glycol 1000 succinate for tumor-targeted delivery of morin hydrate

PubMed Central

Abbad, Sarra; Wang, Cheng; Waddad, Ayman Yahia; Lv, Huixia; Zhou, Jianping

2015-01-01

Herein, we describe the preparation of a targeted cellular delivery system for morin hydrate (MH), based on a low-molecular-weight hyaluronic acid-poly(butyl cyanoacrylate) (HA-PBCA) block copolymer. In order to enhance the therapeutic effect of MH, D-alpha-tocopheryl polyethylene glycol 1000 succinate (TPGS) was mixed with HA-PBCA during the preparation process. The MH-loaded HA-PBCA “plain” nanoparticle (MH-PNs) and HA-PBCA/TPGS “mixed” nanoparticles (MH-MNs) were concomitantly characterized in terms of loading efficiency, particle size, zeta potential, critical aggregation concentration, and morphology. The obtained MH-PNs and MH-MNs exhibited a spherical morphology with a negative zeta potential and a particle size less than 200 nm, favorable for drug targeting. Remarkably, the addition of TPGS resulted in about 1.6-fold increase in drug-loading. The in vitro cell viability experiment revealed that MH-MNs enhanced the cytotoxicity of MH in A549 cells compared with MH solution and MH-PNs. Furthermore, blank MNs containing TPGS exhibited selective cytotoxic effects against cancer cells without diminishing the viability of normal cells. In addition, the cellular uptake study indicated that MNs resulted in 2.28-fold higher cellular uptake than that of PNs, in A549 cells. The CD44 receptor competitive inhibition and the internalization pathway studies suggested that the internalization mechanism of the nanoparticles was mediated mainly by the CD44 receptors through a clathrin-dependent endocytic pathway. More importantly, MH-MNs exhibited a higher in vivo antitumor potency and induced more tumor cell apoptosis than did MH-PNs, following intravenous administration to S180 tumor-bearing mice. Overall, the results imply that the developed nanoparticles are promising vehicles for the targeted delivery of lipophilic anticancer drugs. PMID:25609946

Improving the Diagnostic Specificity of CT for Early Detection of Lung Cancer: 4D CT-Based Pulmonary Nodule Elastometry

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-10-01

malignant PNs treated with stereotactic ablative radiotherapy ( SABR ) with those of the lung. Methods: We analyzed breath-hold images of 30...patients with malignant PNs who underwent SABR in our department. A parametric nonrigid transformation model based on multi-level B-spline guided by Sum of...and 50 of 4D CT and deep inhale and natural exhale of breath-hold CT images of 30 MPN treated with stereotactic ablative radiotherapy ( SABR ). The

Peripheral nervous system involvement in essential cryoglobulinemia and nephropathy.

PubMed

Valli, G; De Vecchi, A; Gaddi, L; Nobile-Orazio, E; Tarantino, A; Barbieri, S

1989-01-01

The clinical and neurophysiological features of 23 patients affected by essential cryoglobulinemia (EC) have been studied. It was possible to perform sural nerve biopsy in 3 cases. Six patients were found to be affected by a peripheral neuropathy, according to the WHO criteria, while in 8 other patients clinical and neurophysiological signs of a milder peripheral nervous system (PNS) involvement were evident. The incidence of PNS involvement seems to be high (60.9%). Neurophysiological and histological studies were indicative of a mainly axonal damage.

Characteristics of stuttering-like disfluencies in Dutch-speaking children.

PubMed

Boey, Ronny A; Wuyts, Floris L; Van de Heyning, Paul H; De Bodt, Marc S; Heylen, Louis

2007-01-01

The purpose of this study was to compare the characteristics of stuttering-like disfluencies in a group of native Dutch-speaking children who stutter (n=693), with a group of normally fluent children (n=79). Methods involved the observation of stuttering-like disfluencies in participants' conversational speech samples (total 77,200 words), particularly the frequency, duration and physical tension of instances of stuttering. Findings indicate that stuttering-like disfluencies exhibited by children who stutter are significantly more frequent, longer in duration and involve more physical tension when compared to those of normally fluent children. Furthermore, applying a criterion of 3% stuttering-like disfluencies to distinguish stuttering from normally fluent children resulted in a high degree of sensitivity (0.9452) and specificity (0.9747). Results were taken to suggest that characteristics of stuttering-like disfluencies of Dutch-speaking children are similar to those of English-speaking children and that talker group membership criteria for childhood stuttering can reasonably be extrapolated from the Dutch to the English language and vice versa. The reader will be able to: (1) describe characteristics of stuttering-like disfluencies, (2) define properties such as frequency, duration and physical tension for stuttering children and normally fluent children, and (3) make use of data on sensitivity and specificity of the criterion of 3% stuttering-like disfluencies to distinguish stuttering and normally fluent children.

Ma2 antibodies: an evaluation of commercially available detection methods.

PubMed

Johannis, Wibke; Renno, Joerg H; Wielckens, Klaus; Voltz, Raymond

2011-01-01

Ma2 antibodies belong to the onconeuronal antibodies which define a "definite" paraneoplastic neurological syndrome (PNS). Because of the clinical relevance, use of two separate methods (indirect immunofluorescence technique--IFT--and immunoblot) is advocated; however, with an increasing number of commercially available assay systems, usually only one assay is performed. We compared IFT and three commercially available immunoblots (ravo Diagnostika, Euroimmun, Milenia Biotec) on sera from 35 patients with clinically suspected PNS. 17 were Ma2 antibody associated as defined by consensus result (showing positive reactivity in 2 assays), 18 were Ma2 antibody negative controls. Sensitivity/specificity for single assays were for IFT 94%/94%, for ravo Diagnostika PNS blot 88%/100%, for Euroimmun Neuronal Antigens Profile blot 100%/89%, and for Milenia Biotec MTR blot 94%/100%. Our data confirm, although all tests performed well, a combination of 2 independent assays is still advisable for Ma2 antibody detection in order to achieve higher sensitivity and specificity rates.

Heavy nuclei as thermal insulation for protoneutron stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nakazato, Ken'ichiro; Suzuki, Hideyuki; Togashi, Hajime

2018-03-01

A protoneutron star (PNS) is a newly formed compact object in a core collapse supernova. In this paper, the neutrino emission from the cooling process of a PNS is investigated using two types of nuclear equation of state (EOS). It is found that the neutrino signal is mainly determined by the high-density EOS. The neutrino luminosity and mean energy are higher and the cooling time scale is longer for the softer EOS. Meanwhile, the neutrino mean energy and the cooling time scale are also affected by the low-density EOS because of the difference in the population of heavy nuclei. Heavy nuclei have a large scattering cross section with neutrinos owing to the coherent effects and act as thermal insulation near the surface of a PNS. The neutrino mean energy is higher and the cooling time scale is longer for an EOS with a large symmetry energy at low densities, namely a small density derivative coefficient of the symmetry energy, L .

Ultrahigh sensitivity and layer-dependent sensing performance of phosphorene-based gas sensors

DOE PAGES

Cui, Shumao; Pu, Haihui; Wells, Spencer A.; ...

2015-10-21

Two-dimensional (2D) layered materials have attracted significant attention for device applications because of their unique structures and outstanding properties. Here, a field-effect transistor (FET) sensor device is fabricated based on 2D phosphorene nanosheets (PNSs). The PNS sensor exhibits an ultrahigh sensitivity to NO 2 in dry air and the sensitivity is dependent on its thickness. A maximum response is observed for 4.8-nm-thick PNS, with a sensitivity up to 190% at 20 parts per billion (p.p.b.) at room temperature. First-principles calculations combined with the statistical thermodynamics modelling predict that the adsorption density is ~10 15 cm -2 for the 4.8-nm-thick PNSmore » when exposed to 20 p.p.b. NO 2 at 300 K. As a result, our sensitivity modelling further suggests that the dependence of sensitivity on the PNS thickness is dictated by the band gap for thinner sheets (<10 nm) and by the effective thickness on gas adsorption for thicker sheets (>10 nm).« less

Children’s Patterns of Emotional Reactivity to Conflict as Explanatory Mechanisms in Links Between Interpartner Aggression and Child Physiological Functioning

PubMed Central

Davies, Patrick T.; Sturge-Apple, Melissa L.; Cicchetti, Dante; Manning, Liviah G.; Zale, Emily

2009-01-01

Background This paper examined children’s fearful, sad, and angry reactivity to interparental conflict as mediators of associations between their exposure to interparental aggression and physiological functioning. Methods Participants included 200 toddlers and their mothers. Assessments of interparental aggression and children’s emotional reactivity were derived from maternal surveys and a semi-structured interview. Cortisol levels and cardiac indices of sympathetic nervous system (SNS) and parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) activity were used to assess toddler physiological functioning. Results Results indicated that toddler exposure to interparental aggression was associated with greater cortisol levels and PNS activity and diminished SNS activity. Toddler angry emotional reactivity mediated associations between interparental aggression and cortisol and PNS functioning. Fearful emotional reactivity was a mediator of the link between interparental aggression and SNS functioning. Conclusions The results are interpreted within conceptualizations of how exposure and reactivity to family risk organizing individual differences in physiological functioning. PMID:19744183

["Dual Guidance"? - parallel combination of ultrasound-guidance and nerve stimulation - Contra].

PubMed

Maecken, Tim

2015-07-01

Sonography is a highly user-dependent technology. It presupposes a considerable degree of sonoanatomic and sonographic knowledge and requires good practical skills of the examiner. Sonography allows the identification of the puncture target, observes the needle feed and assesses the spread pattern of the local anesthetic in real time. Peripheral electrical nerve stimulation (PNS) cannot offer these advantages to the same degree, but may allow nerve localization under difficult sonographic conditions. The combination of the two locating techniques is complex in its practical implementation. Partially, the use of one location technique is made even more difficult by the combination with the second. PNS in parallel to sonography serves primarily as a warning technology in the case of an invisible cannula tip. It should not be construed as a compensation technique for the lack of sonographic skills or knowledge. However, PNS may be helpful in the sense of a bridging technology as long as the user is aware of its limitations. © Georg Thieme Verlag Stuttgart · New York.

Merlin controls the repair capacity of Schwann cells after injury by regulating Hippo/YAP activity

PubMed Central

Doddrell, Robin D.S.; Edwards, Philip; Morrison, Helen

2017-01-01

Loss of the Merlin tumor suppressor and activation of the Hippo signaling pathway play major roles in the control of cell proliferation and tumorigenesis. We have identified completely novel roles for Merlin and the Hippo pathway effector Yes-associated protein (YAP) in the control of Schwann cell (SC) plasticity and peripheral nerve repair after injury. Injury to the peripheral nervous system (PNS) causes a dramatic shift in SC molecular phenotype and the generation of repair-competent SCs, which direct functional repair. We find that loss of Merlin in these cells causes a catastrophic failure of axonal regeneration and remyelination in the PNS. This effect is mediated by activation of YAP expression in Merlin-null SCs, and loss of YAP restores axonal regrowth and functional repair. This work identifies new mechanisms that control the regenerative potential of SCs and gives new insight into understanding the correct control of functional nerve repair in the PNS. PMID:28137778

Systemic and anti-neuronal auto-antibodies in patients with paraneoplastic neurological disease.

PubMed

Moll, J W; Hooijkaas, H; van Goorbergh, B C; Roos, L G; Henzen-Logmans, S C; Vecht, C J

1996-01-01

Sera from 23 patients with paraneoplastic disease of the central nervous system (PNS) were examined for the presence of anti-neuronal (anti-Hu, anti-Yo/PCA) and anti-Ri) and systemic auto-antibodies, including antibodies against DNA, centromeres, nRNP, Sm antigen, Scl-70, Ro(SS-A), La(SS-B), mitochondria, thyroid antigens, parietal calls, brush border antigen and rheumatoid factor. As controls, sera from 33 patients with small cell lung cancer, 33 with ovarian cancer and 7 with breast cancer and from 107 aged-matched healthy persons were used. Systemic auto-antibodies were found in 52% of patients with paraneoplastic neurological syndromes compared with only 16% (P = 0.001) in the control group with cancer only and 15% in the group of healthy controls. The relatively high percentage of systemic auto-antibodies in patients with PNS indicates that there is a genetic susceptibility to the development of auto-immune phenomena. This may provide an explanation for the relatively rare occurrence of PNS in patients with cancer.

Peripheral nerve stimulation for occipital neuralgia: surgical leads.

PubMed

Kapural, Leonardo; Sable, James

2011-01-01

Peripheral nerve stimulation (PNS) has been used for the treatment of various neuropathic pain disorders, including occipital neuralgia, for the patients who failed less-invasive therapeutic approaches. Several different mechanisms of pain relief were proposed when PNS is used to treat occipital neuralgia and clinical studies using various types of electrical leads suggested largely positive clinical responses in patients with mostly refractory, severe neuropathic pain. With advancements in cylindrical lead design for PNS and placement/implantation techniques, there are very few clear indications where 'paddle' (surgical) leads could be advantageous. Those include patients who experienced repeated migration of cylindrical lead as paddle lead may provide greater stability, who are experiencing unpleasant recruitment of surrounding muscle and/or motor nerve stimulation and for cases where skin erosions were caused by a cylindrical lead. However, disregarding the type of lead used, multiple clinical advantages of this minimally invasive, easily reversible approach include relatively low morbidity and a high treatment efficacy. Copyright © 2011 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Evolution of planetary nebulae. III. Position-velocity images of butterfly-type nebulae

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Icke, V.; Preston, H.L.; Balick, B.

1989-02-01

Observations of the motions of the shells of the planetary nebulae NGC 2346, NGC 2371-2, NGC 2440, NGC 6058, NGC 6210, IC 1747, IC 5217, J-320, and M2-9 are presented. These are all 'butterfly' type PNs, and show evidence for bipolar shocks. The observations are interpreted in terms of a fast spherical wind, driven by the central star into a quasi-toroidal envelope deposited earlier by the star, during its slow-wind phase on the asymptotic giant branch. It is shown that this model, which is a straightforward extension of a mechanism previously invoked to account for elliptical PNs, reproduces the essentialmore » kinematic features of butterfly PNs. It is inferred that the envelopes of butterflies must have a considerable equator-to-pole density gradient, and it is suggested that the origin of this asphericity must be sought in an as yet unknown mechanism during the AGB, Mira, or OH/IR phases of late stellar evolution. 28 references.« less

Relation between aggression exposure in adolescence and adult posttraumatic stress symptoms: Moderating role of the parasympathetic nervous system.

PubMed

Barry, Samantha A; Rabkin, Ari N; Olezeski, Christy L; Rivers, Alison J; Gordis, Elana B

2015-03-15

The present study examines the impact of the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS), as measured by respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), on the link between family aggression experienced during adolescence and posttraumatic stress symptoms during young adulthood. Participants completed retrospective self-report measures of interparental aggression and harsh parenting exposure during adolescence and measures of current posttraumatic stress symptoms. RSA indexed PNS activity. Among females, the three-way interaction between harsh parenting, interparental aggression, and resting RSA was significant in accounting for young adulthood PTSD symptoms. At higher values of resting RSA and higher levels of interparental aggression exposure, harsh parenting experienced during adolescence was positively associated with adulthood PTSD symptoms. Among males, adolescent aggression exposure and resting RSA did not significantly account for variation in adulthood PTSD symptoms. Thus, this study suggests that resting PNS activity may play an important role in the relationship between stressors during adolescence and later PTSD in females. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Npas4 deficiency and prenatal stress interact to affect social recognition in mice.

PubMed

Heslin, K; Coutellier, L

2018-06-01

Neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism spectrum disorders and schizophrenia have an expansive array of reported genetic and environmental contributing factors. However, none of these factors alone can account for a substantial proportion of cases of either disorder. Instead, many gene-by-environment interactions are responsible for neurodevelopmental disturbances that lead to these disorders. The current experiment used heterozygous knock-out mice to examine a potential interaction between 2 factors commonly linked to neurodevelopmental disorders and cognitive deficit: imbalanced excitatory/inhibitory signaling in the cortex and prenatal stress (PNS) exposure. Both of these factors have been linked to disrupt GABAergic signaling in the prefrontal cortex (PFC), a common feature of neurodevelopmental disorders. The neuronal PAS domain protein 4 (Npas4) gene is instrumental in regulation of the excitatory/inhibitory balance in the cortex and hippocampus in response to activation. Npas4 heterozygous and wild-type male and female mice were exposed to either PNS or standard gestation, then evaluated during adulthood in social and anxiety behavioral measures. The combination of PNS and Npas4 deficiency in male mice impaired social recognition. This behavioral deficit was associated with decreased parvalbumin and cFos protein expression in the infralimbic region of the PFC following social stimulation in Npas4 heterozygous males. In contrast, females displayed fewer behavioral effects and molecular changes in PFC in response to PNS and decreased Npas4. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd and International Behavioural and Neural Genetics Society.

Influence of Panax ginseng on the offspring of adult rats exposed to prenatal stress

PubMed Central

KIM, YOUNG OCK; LEE, HWA-YOUNG; WON, HANSOL; NAH, SEONG-SU; LEE, HWA-YOUNG; KIM, HYUNG-KI; KWON, JUN-TACK; KIM, HAK-JAE

2015-01-01

The exposure of pregnant females to stress during a critical period of fetal brain development is an environmental risk factor for the development of schizophrenia in adult offspring. Schizophrenia is a group of common mental disorders of unclear origin, affecting approximately 1% of the global population, showing a generally young age at onset. In the present study, a repeated variable stress paradigm was applied to pregnant rats during the final week of gestation. The effects of an extract of Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer (PG) on rats exposed to prenatal stress (PNS) were investigated in terms of behavioral activity and protein expression analyses. In the behavioral tests, grooming behavior in a social interaction test, line-crossing behavior in an open-field test and swimming activity in a forced-swim test were decreased in the rats exposed to PNS compared with the non-stressed offspring; the changes in behavioral activity were reversed upon oral treatment with PG (300 mg/kg). Subsequently, western blot analysis and immunohistochemical analyses of the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus revealed that the downregulation of several neurodevelopmental genes which occurred following exposure to PNS was reversed upon treatment with PG. The current findings demonstrate that the downregulation of several genes following exposure to PNS may affect subsequent behavioral changes, and that these phenomena are reversed following treatment with PG during pregnancy. Our results suggest that oral treatment with PG reduces the incidence of psychiatric disorders, such as schizophrenia. PMID:25394395

The Effect of Rhythmic Auditory Stimulation on the Disfluency of Nonstutterers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Silverman, Franklin H.

1971-01-01

Twenty adult male nonstutterers became more fluent when pacing their speech with a metronome. The degree to which they became more fluent was within the range which has been reported for stutterers. This finding suggests that the effect of the metronome on stuttering is not primarily a result of distraction. (Author/KW)

Reclassification of English Learner Students in California. Technical Appendices

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hill, Laura E.; Weston, Margaret; Hayes, Joseph M.

2014-01-01

Former English Learner students who have improved their facility with English to such a degree that they have been reclassified by their school districts as fluent in the English language are among the best performing students in the state. Because these Reclassified Fluent English Proficient (RFEP) students have much better academic outcomes than…

Reclassification of English Learner Students in California

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hill, Laura E.; Weston, Margaret; Hayes, Joseph M.

2014-01-01

Former English Learner students who have improved their facility with English to such a degree that they have been reclassified by their school districts as fluent in the English language are among the best performing students in the state. Because these Reclassified Fluent English Proficient (RFEP) students have much better academic outcomes than…

Extending Interactive Writing into Grades 2-5

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roth, Kate; Dabrowski, Joan

2014-01-01

Interactive writing is an instructional practice widely considered effective and most appropriate for emergent writers. This article asserts that it is a valuable method for more fluent writers in grades 2-5. It outlines the basic lesson sequence and proposes four key shifts to adapt interactive writing for older, more fluent writers: 1) The…

Coordination of Oral and Laryngeal Movements in the Perceptually Fluent Speech of Adults Who Stutter

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Max, Ludo; Gracco, Vincent L.

2005-01-01

This work investigated whether stuttering and nonstuttering adults differ in the coordination of oral and laryngeal movements during the production of perceptually fluent speech. This question was addressed by completing correlation analyses that extended previous acoustic studies by others as well as inferential analyses based on the…

Speech Errors in Progressive Non-Fluent Aphasia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ash, Sharon; McMillan, Corey; Gunawardena, Delani; Avants, Brian; Morgan, Brianna; Khan, Alea; Moore, Peachie; Gee, James; Grossman, Murray

2010-01-01

The nature and frequency of speech production errors in neurodegenerative disease have not previously been precisely quantified. In the present study, 16 patients with a progressive form of non-fluent aphasia (PNFA) were asked to tell a story from a wordless children's picture book. Errors in production were classified as either phonemic,…

Modulation of N400 in Chronic Non-Fluent Aphasia Using Low Frequency Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barwood, Caroline H. S.; Murdoch, Bruce E.; Whelan, Brooke-Mai; Lloyd, David; Riek, Stephan; O'Sullivan, John D.; Coulthard, Alan; Wong, Andrew

2011-01-01

Low frequency Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) has previously been applied to language homologues in non-fluent populations of persons with aphasia yielding significant improvements in behavioral language function up to 43 months post stimulation. The present study aimed to investigate the electrophysiological correlates…

Differences of Articulation Rate and Utterance Length in Fluent and Disfluent Utterances of Preschool Children Who Stutter

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chon, HeeCheong; Sawyer, Jean; Ambrose, Nicoline G.

2012-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate characteristics of four types of utterances in preschool children who stutter: perceptually fluent, containing normal disfluencies (OD utterance), containing stuttering-like disfluencies (SLD utterance), and containing both normal and stuttering-like disfluencies (SLD+OD utterance).…

Under Construction: Minority Girls Becoming Technologically Fluent in an Urban After-School Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

De La Pena, Yvonne

2012-01-01

Technological fluency involves having a deep understanding of information technology as well as an identity as someone who engages with technology in meaningful and complex ways. Hence, it is more fruitful to think about individuals not as developing technological fluency but rather as becoming technologically fluent. Although physical access to…

A Fluent Language Disorder Following Antepartum Left-Hemisphere Brain Injury.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Feldman, Heidi M.; And Others

1992-01-01

This article describes the language development in a left-handed young child with a left middle cerebral artery infarction. Patterns of development observed between 36 and 60 months of age are described as a transient jargon or fluent aphasia possibly resulting from initial reliance on an uninjured right hemisphere. (Author/DB)

Analysis of oral narratives of children who stutter and their fluent peers: kindergarten through second grade.

PubMed

Bajaj, Amit

2007-03-01

Measures of language sample length (in c-units) and morphological, syntactic, and narrative abilities were obtained from oral narrative transcripts of 22 children who stutter and 22 children who do not stutter; participants attended kindergarten, first, and second grades. A two-way MANOVA yielded significant main effects for grade, with significant differences on some measures evidenced between participants in kindergarten and second grades. No significant differences between groups or group-grade interaction effects on the measures were obtained. Grade-wise comparisons (through t-tests) indicated that the performance of children who stutter did not differ significantly from their typically fluent peers on all dependent measures; however, kindergarten children who stutter obtained the most discrepant (lower) scores than their grade-matched fluent peers on the Narrative Scoring Scheme measure, with group differences approaching statistical significance on this measure. The findings suggest that children who do and do not stutter evidence similar expressive language abilities, even as subgroups of children who stutter may lag behind their grade-matched fluent peers in particular language domains.

Deep dysphasic performance in non-fluent progressive aphasia: a case study.

PubMed

Tree, J J; Perfect, T J; Hirsh, K W; Copstick, S

2001-01-01

We present a patient (PW) with non-fluent progressive aphasia, characterized by severe word finding difficulties and frequent phonemic paraphasias in spontaneous speech. It has been suggested that such patients have insufficient access to phonological information for output and cannot construct the appropriate sequence of selected phonemes for articulation. Consistent with such a proposal, we found that PW was impaired on a variety of verbal tasks that demand access to phonological representations (reading, repetition, confrontational naming and rhyme judgement); she also demonstrated poor performance on syntactic and grammatical processing tasks. However, examination of PW's repetition performance also revealed that she made semantic paraphasias and that her performance was influenced by imageability and lexical status. Her auditory-verbal short-term memory was also severely compromised. These features are consistent with 'deep dysphasia', a disorder reported in patients suffering from stroke or cerebrovascular accident, and rarely reported in the context of non-fluent progressive aphasia. PW's pattern of performance is evaluated in terms of current models of both non-fluent progressive aphasia and deep dysphasia.

Audio-visual speech perception in adult readers with dyslexia: an fMRI study.

PubMed

Rüsseler, Jascha; Ye, Zheng; Gerth, Ivonne; Szycik, Gregor R; Münte, Thomas F

2018-04-01

Developmental dyslexia is a specific deficit in reading and spelling that often persists into adulthood. In the present study, we used slow event-related fMRI and independent component analysis to identify brain networks involved in perception of audio-visual speech in a group of adult readers with dyslexia (RD) and a group of fluent readers (FR). Participants saw a video of a female speaker saying a disyllabic word. In the congruent condition, audio and video input were identical whereas in the incongruent condition, the two inputs differed. Participants had to respond to occasionally occurring animal names. The independent components analysis (ICA) identified several components that were differently modulated in FR and RD. Two of these components including fusiform gyrus and occipital gyrus showed less activation in RD compared to FR possibly indicating a deficit to extract face information that is needed to integrate auditory and visual information in natural speech perception. A further component centered on the superior temporal sulcus (STS) also exhibited less activation in RD compared to FR. This finding is corroborated in the univariate analysis that shows less activation in STS for RD compared to FR. These findings suggest a general impairment in recruitment of audiovisual processing areas in dyslexia during the perception of natural speech.

Why are background telephone conversations distracting?

PubMed

Marsh, John E; Ljung, Robert; Jahncke, Helena; MacCutcheon, Douglas; Pausch, Florian; Ball, Linden J; Vachon, François

2018-06-01

Telephone conversation is ubiquitous within the office setting. Overhearing a telephone conversation-whereby only one of the two speakers is heard-is subjectively more annoying and objectively more distracting than overhearing a full conversation. The present study sought to determine whether this "halfalogue" effect is attributable to unexpected offsets and onsets within the background speech (acoustic unexpectedness) or to the tendency to predict the unheard part of the conversation (semantic [un]predictability), and whether these effects can be shielded against through top-down cognitive control. In Experiment 1, participants performed an office-related task in quiet or in the presence of halfalogue and dialogue background speech. Irrelevant speech was either meaningful or meaningless speech. The halfalogue effect was only present for the meaningful speech condition. Experiment 2 addressed whether higher task-engagement could shield against the halfalogue effect by manipulating the font of the to-be-read material. Although the halfalogue effect was found with an easy-to-read font (fluent text), the use of a difficult-to-read font (disfluent text) eliminated the effect. The halfalogue effect is thus attributable to the semantic (un)predictability, not the acoustic unexpectedness, of background telephone conversation and can be prevented by simple means such as increasing the level of engagement required by the focal task. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

Rethinking covert stuttering.

PubMed

Constantino, Christopher Dominick; Manning, Walter H; Nordstrom, Susan Naomi

2017-09-01

The experience of passing as fluent, also called covert stuttering, has been uncritically framed as an inherently negative pursuit. Historically passing has been understood as a repression of one's true, authentic self in response to either psychological distress or social discrimination. The authors of this paper seek a more nuanced understanding of passing. We ask, how must a person relate to herself in order to pass as fluent? This is a qualitative research study in which the authors utilized the ethical theories of philosopher Michel Foucault to contextualize data obtained from semi-structured interviews with nine participants who pass as fluent. Rather than a repression of an authentic self our data suggests passing is more usefully understood as a form of resistance by people who stutter to a hostile society. Participants learned from experiences of delegitimization that their stuttering had ethical ramifications. Consequently, they used a variety of self-forming practices to pass and thereby achieve the privileges that come with perceived able-bodiedness. Passing as fluent is not an inauthentic form of stuttering but a form of stuttering that is produced through the use of specific technologies of communication. These technologies of communication are constituted by the unique ethical relationship of the person who stutters with herself. Passing can be understood as an active form of resistance rather than a passive form of repression. By theorizing passing as fluent as an ethical relationship, we open up the possibility of changing the relationship and performing it differently. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The trouble with nouns and verbs in Greek fluent aphasia.

PubMed

Kambanaros, Maria

2008-01-01

In the past verb retrieval problems were associated primarily with agrammatism and noun retrieval difficulties with fluent aphasia. With regards to fluent aphasia, so far in the literature, three distinct patterns of verb/noun dissociations have been described for individuals with fluent anomic aphasia in languages with different underlying forms; better verb retrieval, poorer verb retrieval and equal retrieval difficulties for verbs and nouns. Verbs and nouns in Greek are considered of similar morphological complexity thus it was predicted that anomic aphasic individuals would suffer from a non-dissociated impairment of verbs and nouns. Problems with verbs and/or nouns may arise at any stage in the process of lexical retrieval, i.e. lexical-semantic, lemma, lexeme or articulation. The aim of this research was to investigate verb and noun retrieval using a picture-naming task to explore any possible selective noun and/or verb comprehension or retrieval deficits in Greek individuals with anomic aphasia. The results revealed a significant verb/noun dichotomy with verbs significantly more difficult to retrieve than nouns. These findings lend support for the growing body of evidence showing a specific verb impairment in fluent anomic individuals as well as Broca's patients. Given the prevailing view, that anomic patients experience difficulty retrieving the morpho-phonological form of the target word, the results show that specific information of the grammatical category is also important during word form retrieval. LEARNER OUTCOMES: The reader will become familiar with (i) studies investigating grammatical word class breakdown in individuals with aphasia who speak different languages, (ii) the application of the serial model to word production breakdown in aphasia and (iii) the characteristics of verbs and nouns in Greek. It will be concluded that successful verb retrieval for fluent aphasic individuals who speak Greek is dependant on the retrieval of the morpho-phonological information of the target verb.

Damage to the anterior arcuate fasciculus predicts non-fluent speech production in aphasia.

PubMed

Fridriksson, Julius; Guo, Dazhou; Fillmore, Paul; Holland, Audrey; Rorden, Chris

2013-11-01

Non-fluent aphasia implies a relatively straightforward neurological condition characterized by limited speech output. However, it is an umbrella term for different underlying impairments affecting speech production. Several studies have sought the critical lesion location that gives rise to non-fluent aphasia. The results have been mixed but typically implicate anterior cortical regions such as Broca's area, the left anterior insula, and deep white matter regions. To provide a clearer picture of cortical damage in non-fluent aphasia, the current study examined brain damage that negatively influences speech fluency in patients with aphasia. It controlled for some basic speech and language comprehension factors in order to better isolate the contribution of different mechanisms to fluency, or its lack. Cortical damage was related to overall speech fluency, as estimated by clinical judgements using the Western Aphasia Battery speech fluency scale, diadochokinetic rate, rudimentary auditory language comprehension, and executive functioning (scores on a matrix reasoning test) in 64 patients with chronic left hemisphere stroke. A region of interest analysis that included brain regions typically implicated in speech and language processing revealed that non-fluency in aphasia is primarily predicted by damage to the anterior segment of the left arcuate fasciculus. An improved prediction model also included the left uncinate fasciculus, a white matter tract connecting the middle and anterior temporal lobe with frontal lobe regions, including the pars triangularis. Models that controlled for diadochokinetic rate, picture-word recognition, or executive functioning also revealed a strong relationship between anterior segment involvement and speech fluency. Whole brain analyses corroborated the findings from the region of interest analyses. An additional exploratory analysis revealed that involvement of the uncinate fasciculus adjudicated between Broca's and global aphasia, the two most common kinds of non-fluent aphasia. In summary, the current results suggest that the anterior segment of the left arcuate fasciculus, a white matter tract that lies deep to posterior portions of Broca's area and the sensory-motor cortex, is a robust predictor of impaired speech fluency in aphasic patients, even when motor speech, lexical processing, and executive functioning are included as co-factors. Simply put, damage to those regions results in non-fluent aphasic speech; when they are undamaged, fluent aphasias result.

Damage to the anterior arcuate fasciculus predicts non-fluent speech production in aphasia

PubMed Central

Guo, Dazhou; Fillmore, Paul; Holland, Audrey; Rorden, Chris

2013-01-01

Non-fluent aphasia implies a relatively straightforward neurological condition characterized by limited speech output. However, it is an umbrella term for different underlying impairments affecting speech production. Several studies have sought the critical lesion location that gives rise to non-fluent aphasia. The results have been mixed but typically implicate anterior cortical regions such as Broca’s area, the left anterior insula, and deep white matter regions. To provide a clearer picture of cortical damage in non-fluent aphasia, the current study examined brain damage that negatively influences speech fluency in patients with aphasia. It controlled for some basic speech and language comprehension factors in order to better isolate the contribution of different mechanisms to fluency, or its lack. Cortical damage was related to overall speech fluency, as estimated by clinical judgements using the Western Aphasia Battery speech fluency scale, diadochokinetic rate, rudimentary auditory language comprehension, and executive functioning (scores on a matrix reasoning test) in 64 patients with chronic left hemisphere stroke. A region of interest analysis that included brain regions typically implicated in speech and language processing revealed that non-fluency in aphasia is primarily predicted by damage to the anterior segment of the left arcuate fasciculus. An improved prediction model also included the left uncinate fasciculus, a white matter tract connecting the middle and anterior temporal lobe with frontal lobe regions, including the pars triangularis. Models that controlled for diadochokinetic rate, picture-word recognition, or executive functioning also revealed a strong relationship between anterior segment involvement and speech fluency. Whole brain analyses corroborated the findings from the region of interest analyses. An additional exploratory analysis revealed that involvement of the uncinate fasciculus adjudicated between Broca’s and global aphasia, the two most common kinds of non-fluent aphasia. In summary, the current results suggest that the anterior segment of the left arcuate fasciculus, a white matter tract that lies deep to posterior portions of Broca’s area and the sensory-motor cortex, is a robust predictor of impaired speech fluency in aphasic patients, even when motor speech, lexical processing, and executive functioning are included as co-factors. Simply put, damage to those regions results in non-fluent aphasic speech; when they are undamaged, fluent aphasias result. PMID:24131592

NEURONAL ACTION ON THE DEVELOPING BLOOD VESSEL PATTERN

PubMed Central

James, Jennifer M.; Mukouyama, Yoh-suke

2011-01-01

The nervous system relies on a highly specialized network of blood vessels for development and neuronal survival. Recent evidence suggests that both the central and peripheral nervous systems (CNS and PNS) employ multiple mechanisms to shape the vascular tree to meet its specific metabolic demands, such as promoting nerve-artery alignment in the PNS or the development the blood brain barrier in the CNS. In this article we discuss how the nervous system directly influences blood vessel patterning resulting in neuro-vascular congruence that is maintained throughout development and in the adult. PMID:21978864

Communicative Ability Conceptions among Children Who Stutter and Their Fluent Peers: A Qualitative Exploration

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bajaj, Amit; Hodson, Barbara; Westby, Carol

2005-01-01

Meta issues in stuttering were examined by analyzing verbal-descriptive data drawn from structured interviews with 23 male children who stutter (CWS) and their 23 fluent male peers. Participants described others' "good" and "bad" talk behaviors and provided their self-appraisals as talkers. Analysis of interview transcripts suggested that CWS…

Assisting a Struggling Turkish Student with a Repeated Reading Fluency Intervention

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yildirim, Kasim; Ritz, Elizabeth; Akyol, Hayati; Rasinski, Timothy

2015-01-01

One of the most important aims of teaching reading is to help students acquire fluent reading skills. With this aim in mind, this study attempted to support a student with difficulty to become a fluent reader by improving his reading skills using a fluency instruction method called repeated reading. This study was performed with an elementary…

Making English Learner Reclassification to Fluent English Proficient Attainable or Elusive: When Meeting Criteria Is and Is "Not" Enough

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Estrada, Peggy; Wang, Haiwen

2018-01-01

Employing longitudinal, multisite comparative mixed-methods, we describe patterns of reclassifying and not reclassifying eligible English learner (EL) students to fluent English proficient, and we identify factors impeding and facilitating reclassification. Analyses of administrative data for 7 cohorts of students over 3 years in one district and…

Individual Variability in Delayed Auditory Feedback Effects on Speech Fluency and Rate in Normally Fluent Adults

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chon, HeeCheong; Kraft, Shelly Jo; Zhang, Jingfei; Loucks, Torrey; Ambrose, Nicoline G.

2013-01-01

Purpose: Delayed auditory feedback (DAF) is known to induce stuttering-like disfluencies (SLDs) and cause speech rate reductions in normally fluent adults, but the reason for speech disruptions is not fully known, and individual variation has not been well characterized. Studying individual variation in susceptibility to DAF may identify factors…

Poetry: A Feast to Form Fluent Readers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Seitz, Sheila

In this lesson plan, grade 3 to 5 students examine elements of fluent reading through oral poetry performance. They use the Internet to identify a poem to prepare and perform for the class. The main objective of this lesson concerns improving fluency. During four hours over a span of five days, students will: be able to identify text written in…

Phonation Interval Modification and Speech Performance Quality during Fluency-Inducing Conditions by Adults Who Stutter

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ingham, Roger J.; Bothe, Anne K.; Wang, Yuedong; Purkhiser, Krystal; New, Anneliese

2012-01-01

Purpose: To relate changes in four variables previously defined as characteristic of normally fluent speech to changes in phonatory behavior during oral reading by persons who stutter (PWS) and normally fluent controls under multiple fluency-inducing (FI) conditions. Method: Twelve PWS and 12 controls each completed 4 ABA experiments. During A…

Distinct Molecular Features of Different Macroscopic Subtypes of Colorectal Neoplasms

PubMed Central

Konda, Kenichi; Konishi, Kazuo; Yamochi, Toshiko; Ito, Yoichi M.; Nozawa, Hisako; Tojo, Masayuki; Shinmura, Kensuke; Kogo, Mari; Katagiri, Atsushi; Kubota, Yutaro; Muramoto, Takashi; Yano, Yuichiro; Kobayashi, Yoshiya; Kihara, Toshihiro; Tagawa, Teppei; Makino, Reiko; Takimoto, Masafumi; Imawari, Michio; Yoshida, Hitoshi

2014-01-01

Background Colorectal adenoma develops into cancer with the accumulation of genetic and epigenetic changes. We studied the underlying molecular and clinicopathological features to better understand the heterogeneity of colorectal neoplasms (CRNs). Methods We evaluated both genetic (mutations of KRAS, BRAF, TP53, and PIK3CA, and microsatellite instability [MSI]) and epigenetic (methylation status of nine genes or sequences, including the CpG island methylator phenotype [CIMP] markers) alterations in 158 CRNs including 56 polypoid neoplasms (PNs), 25 granular type laterally spreading tumors (LST-Gs), 48 non-granular type LSTs (LST-NGs), 19 depressed neoplasms (DNs) and 10 small flat-elevated neoplasms (S-FNs) on the basis of macroscopic appearance. Results S-FNs showed few molecular changes except SFRP1 methylation. Significant differences in the frequency of KRAS mutations were observed among subtypes (68% for LST-Gs, 36% for PNs, 16% for DNs and 6% for LST-NGs) (P<0.001). By contrast, the frequency of TP53 mutation was higher in DNs than PNs or LST-Gs (32% vs. 5% or 0%, respectively) (P<0.007). We also observed significant differences in the frequency of CIMP between LST-Gs and LST-NGs or PNs (32% vs. 6% or 5%, respectively) (P<0.005). Moreover, the methylation level of LINE-1 was significantly lower in DNs or LST-Gs than in PNs (58.3% or 60.5% vs. 63.2%, P<0.05). PIK3CA mutations were detected only in LSTs. Finally, multivariate analyses showed that macroscopic morphologies were significantly associated with an increased risk of molecular changes (PN or LST-G for KRAS mutation, odds ratio [OR] 9.11; LST-NG or DN for TP53 mutation, OR 5.30; LST-G for PIK3CA mutation, OR 26.53; LST-G or DN for LINE-1 hypomethylation, OR 3.41). Conclusion We demonstrated that CRNs could be classified into five macroscopic subtypes according to clinicopathological and molecular differences, suggesting that different mechanisms are involved in the pathogenesis of colorectal tumorigenesis. PMID:25093594

Effect of methylnaltrexone and naloxone on esophageal motor function in man.

PubMed

Scarpellini, E; Pauwels, A; Vos, R; Rommel, N; Tack, J

2017-03-01

Endogenous opioids (EO) acting on μ-opiod receptors in central and enteric nervous system (ENS) control gastrointestinal motility but it is still unclear whether EO in ENS may control esophageal function in man, thus we will study the effects of methylnaltrexone (MNTX), a peripherally selective, and naloxone (NA), a non-selective μ-opiod receptor antagonist, on esophageal motility in healthy subjects. Fifteen HV (6 M; 34.1 ± 0.6 years; BMI: 22.1 ± 0.1 kg/m 2 ) underwent three esophageal high-resolution manometry impedance (HRiM) studies with 10 saline swallows administered every 30 minutes: drug was administered after 30 minutes (MNTX subcutaneously/NA or saline intravenously), a solid meal after 90 minutes; measurements continued for 120 minutes postprandially. Methylnaltrexone did not significantly decrease the upper esophageal sphincter (UES) percentage of relaxation preprandially (72.5 ± 5 vs 66.9 ± 4.6 and 73 ± 3.8%, ANOVA between placebo, MNTX and NA, P=NS) and postprandially (60 minutes: 68.2 ± 5.6 vs 61 ± 5.5 and 67.1 ± 5.6%; 120 minutes: 68 ± 5.9 vs 59.3 ± 5.2 and 67.7 ± 4.7%; ANOVA between placebo, MNTX and NA, P=NS). MNTX and NA did not significantly alter preprandial and postprandial LES resting pressures and integrated relaxation pressure (ANOVA between placebo, MNTX and NA, all P=NS). Peak front velocity and distal contractile integral were not altered pre- and postprandially by MNTX and NA (ANOVA between placebo, MNTX and NA, P=NS). Transient lower esophageal sphincter relaxations (TLESRs') number was not altered by MNTX and NA (ANOVA between placebo, MNTX and NA, all P=NS). The peripheral selective and non-selective μ-opioid receptor antagonists MNTX and NA, respectively, do not alter TLESRs occurrence and esophageal peristalsis. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Australian nurses in general practice, enabling the provision of cervical screening and well women’s health care services: a qualitative study

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background The role of Australian general practice nurses (PNs) has developed exponentially since the introduction of service based funding in 2005. In particular, their role has expanded to include cervical screening and well women’s health care services provided under the supervision of a general practitioner (GP). While previous research identifies barriers to the provision of these services, this study sought to investigate enablers for nurse led care in this area. Methods A number of grounded theory methods including constantly comparing data, concurrent data collection and analysis and theoretical sampling are utilised in this qualitative, exploratory study. A purposive sample of PNs who completed the required program of education in order to provide cervical screening and well women’s health care services was recruited to the study. Data is presented in categories, however a limitation of the study is that a fully integrated grounded theory was unable to be produced due to sampling constraints. Results Four enablers for the implementation of a change in the PN role to include cervical screening and well women’s health checks are identified in this study. These enablers are: GPs being willing to relinquish the role of cervical screener and well women’s health service provider; PNs being willing to expand their role to include cervical screening and well women’s health services; clients preferring a female practice nurse to meet their cervical screening and well women’s health needs; and the presence of a culture that fosters interprofessional teamwork. Seven strategies for successfully implementing change from the perspective of PNs are also constructed from the data. This study additionally highlights the lack of feedback on smear quality provided to PNs cervical screeners and well women’s health service providers. Conclusions The influence of consumers on the landscape of primary care service delivery in Australia is of particular note in this study. Developing interprofessional teams that maximise each health care provider’s role will be fundamental to comprehensive service delivery in the future. PMID:23145901

Ex vivo dissection of optogenetically activated mPFC and hippocampal inputs to neurons in the basolateral amygdala: implications for fear and emotional memory

PubMed Central

Hübner, Cora; Bosch, Daniel; Gall, Andrea; Lüthi, Andreas; Ehrlich, Ingrid

2014-01-01

Many lines of evidence suggest that a reciprocally interconnected network comprising the amygdala, ventral hippocampus (vHC), and medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) participates in different aspects of the acquisition and extinction of conditioned fear responses and fear behavior. This could at least in part be mediated by direct connections from mPFC or vHC to amygdala to control amygdala activity and output. However, currently the interactions between mPFC and vHC afferents and their specific targets in the amygdala are still poorly understood. Here, we use an ex-vivo optogenetic approach to dissect synaptic properties of inputs from mPFC and vHC to defined neuronal populations in the basal amygdala (BA), the area that we identify as a major target of these projections. We find that BA principal neurons (PNs) and local BA interneurons (INs) receive monosynaptic excitatory inputs from mPFC and vHC. In addition, both these inputs also recruit GABAergic feedforward inhibition in a substantial fraction of PNs, in some neurons this also comprises a slow GABAB-component. Amongst the innervated PNs we identify neurons that project back to subregions of the mPFC, indicating a loop between neurons in mPFC and BA, and a pathway from vHC to mPFC via BA. Interestingly, mPFC inputs also recruit feedforward inhibition in a fraction of INs, suggesting that these inputs can activate dis-inhibitory circuits in the BA. A general feature of both mPFC and vHC inputs to local INs is that excitatory inputs display faster rise and decay kinetics than in PNs, which would enable temporally precise signaling. However, mPFC and vHC inputs to both PNs and INs differ in their presynaptic release properties, in that vHC inputs are more depressing. In summary, our data describe novel wiring, and features of synaptic connections from mPFC and vHC to amygdala that could help to interpret functions of these interconnected brain areas at the network level. PMID:24634648

Validity Evidence and Scoring Guidelines for Standardized Patient Encounters and Patient Notes From a Multisite Study of Clinical Performance Examinations in Seven Medical Schools.

PubMed

Park, Yoon Soo; Hyderi, Abbas; Heine, Nancy; May, Win; Nevins, Andrew; Lee, Ming; Bordage, Georges; Yudkowsky, Rachel

2017-11-01

To examine validity evidence of local graduation competency examination scores from seven medical schools using shared cases and to provide rater training protocols and guidelines for scoring patient notes (PNs). Between May and August 2016, clinical cases were developed, shared, and administered across seven medical schools (990 students participated). Raters were calibrated using training protocols, and guidelines were developed collaboratively across sites to standardize scoring. Data included scores from standardized patient encounters for history taking, physical examination, and PNs. Descriptive statistics were used to examine scores from the different assessment components. Generalizability studies (G-studies) using variance components were conducted to estimate reliability for composite scores. Validity evidence was collected for response process (rater perception), internal structure (variance components, reliability), relations to other variables (interassessment correlations), and consequences (composite score). Student performance varied by case and task. In the PNs, justification of differential diagnosis was the most discriminating task. G-studies showed that schools accounted for less than 1% of total variance; however, for the PNs, there were differences in scores for varying cases and tasks across schools, indicating a school effect. Composite score reliability was maximized when the PN was weighted between 30% and 40%. Raters preferred using case-specific scoring guidelines with clear point-scoring systems. This multisite study presents validity evidence for PN scores based on scoring rubric and case-specific scoring guidelines that offer rigor and feedback for learners. Variability in PN scores across participating sites may signal different approaches to teaching clinical reasoning among medical schools.

Alternative generation of CNS neural stem cells and PNS derivatives from neural crest-derived peripheral stem cells.

PubMed

Weber, Marlen; Apostolova, Galina; Widera, Darius; Mittelbronn, Michel; Dechant, Georg; Kaltschmidt, Barbara; Rohrer, Hermann

2015-02-01

Neural crest-derived stem cells (NCSCs) from the embryonic peripheral nervous system (PNS) can be reprogrammed in neurosphere (NS) culture to rNCSCs that produce central nervous system (CNS) progeny, including myelinating oligodendrocytes. Using global gene expression analysis we now demonstrate that rNCSCs completely lose their previous PNS characteristics and acquire the identity of neural stem cells derived from embryonic spinal cord. Reprogramming proceeds rapidly and results in a homogenous population of Olig2-, Sox3-, and Lex-positive CNS stem cells. Low-level expression of pluripotency inducing genes Oct4, Nanog, and Klf4 argues against a transient pluripotent state during reprogramming. The acquisition of CNS properties is prevented in the presence of BMP4 (BMP NCSCs) as shown by marker gene expression and the potential to produce PNS neurons and glia. In addition, genes characteristic for mesenchymal and perivascular progenitors are expressed, which suggests that BMP NCSCs are directed toward a pericyte progenitor/mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) fate. Adult NCSCs from mouse palate, an easily accessible source of adult NCSCs, display strikingly similar properties. They do not generate cells with CNS characteristics but lose the neural crest markers Sox10 and p75 and produce MSC-like cells. These findings show that embryonic NCSCs acquire a full CNS identity in NS culture. In contrast, MSC-like cells are generated from BMP NCSCs and pNCSCs, which reveals that postmigratory NCSCs are a source for MSC-like cells up to the adult stage. © 2014 AlphaMed Press.

Sleep and pulmonary outcomes for clinical trials of airway plexiform neurofibromas in NF1.

PubMed

Plotkin, Scott R; Davis, Stephanie D; Robertson, Kent A; Akshintala, Srivandana; Allen, Julian; Fisher, Michael J; Blakeley, Jaishri O; Widemann, Brigitte C; Ferner, Rosalie E; Marcus, Carole L

2016-08-16

Plexiform neurofibromas (PNs) are complex, benign nerve sheath tumors that occur in approximately 25%-50% of individuals with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1). PNs that cause airway compromise or pulmonary dysfunction are uncommon but clinically important. Because improvement in sleep quality or airway function represents direct clinical benefit, measures of sleep and pulmonary function may be more meaningful than tumor size as endpoints in therapeutic clinical trials targeting airway PN. The Response Evaluation in Neurofibromatosis and Schwannomatosis functional outcomes group reviewed currently available endpoints for sleep and pulmonary outcomes and developed consensus recommendations for response evaluation in NF clinical trials. For patients with airway PNs, polysomnography, impulse oscillometry, and spirometry should be performed to identify abnormal function that will be targeted by the agent under clinical investigation. The functional group endorsed the use of the apnea hypopnea index (AHI) as the primary sleep endpoint, and pulmonary resistance at 10 Hz (R10) or forced expiratory volume in 1 or 0.75 seconds (FEV1 or FEV0.75) as primary pulmonary endpoints. The group defined minimum changes in AHI, R10, and FEV1 or FEV0.75 for response criteria. Secondary sleep outcomes include desaturation and hypercapnia during sleep and arousal index. Secondary pulmonary outcomes include pulmonary resistance and reactance measurements at 5, 10, and 20 Hz; forced vital capacity; peak expiratory flow; and forced expiratory flows. These recommended sleep and pulmonary evaluations are intended to provide researchers with a standardized set of clinically meaningful endpoints for response evaluation in trials of NF1-related airway PNs. © 2016 American Academy of Neurology.

Safety and feasibility of chronic transvenous phrenic nerve stimulation for treatment of central sleep apnea in heart failure patients.

PubMed

Zhang, Xilong; Ding, Ning; Ni, Buqing; Yang, Bing; Wang, Hong; Zhang, Shi-Jiang

2017-03-01

Central sleep apnea (CSA) is common in patients with heart failure (HF) and is associated with poor quality of life and prognosis. Early acute studies using transvenous phrenic nerve stimulation (PNS) to treat CSA in HF have shown a significantly reduction of CSA and improvement of key polysomnographic parameters. In this study, we evaluated the safety of and efficiency chronic transvenous PNS with an implanted neurostimulator in HF patients with CSA. This study was a prospective, nonrandomized evaluation of unilateral transvenous PNS in eight HF patients with CSA. The stimulation lead, which connected to a proprietary neurostimulator, was positioned in either the left pericardiophrenic or right brachiocephalic vein. Monitoring during implantation and 6-monthly follow-ups were performed. Six of the implanted eight patients completed the study (one was lost to follow-up; one died from pneumonia). Neither side effects nor adverse events related to stimulation occurred. During the 6-monthly follow-ups, one patient had a lead dislodgement in the first month and the lead was subsequently repositioned. No additional lead dislodgements occurred. There were no significant changes in sleep habits, appetite, bleeding or infections. Compared with the parameters before stimulator implantation, there were significant improvement in apnea-hypopnea index, central apnea index, left ventricular ejection fraction and 6-min walk distance (all P < 0.01). Use of chronic transvenous PNS appears to be safe and feasible in HF patients with CSA. Large multicenter studies are needed to confirm safety and efficacy in this population. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Sexual orientation health inequality: Evidence from Understanding Society, the UK Longitudinal Household Study.

PubMed

Booker, Cara L; Rieger, Gerulf; Unger, Jennifer B

2017-08-01

Few studies from the United Kingdom have fully investigated inequalities between members of different sexual minority groups and heterosexuals over range of health outcomes. Using data from over 40,000 individuals, this study explores the health inequalities of sexual minority UK adults. We include respondents who identify as other and those who prefer not to say (PNS). Data come from wave three (2011-2012) of the nationally-representative Understanding Society, the UK Household Longitudinal Study. Sexual orientation was asked in the self-completion portion of the study. Markers of health include physical and mental functioning, minor psychological distress, self-rated health, substance use and disability. Multiple linear and logistic regression analyses tested for differences in markers of health between sexual orientation groups. Overall, heterosexual respondents had the best health while bisexual respondents had the worst. Gay and lesbian respondents reported poorer health than heterosexuals, specifically with regards to mental functioning, distress and illness status. The other and PNS respondents were most similar to each other and generally experienced fewer health inequalities than gay and lesbian respondents; they were less likely to use tobacco or alcohol. In sum, sexual minorities experience health inequality. The inclusion of other and PNS respondents has not been done in other studies and shows that while they may be healthier than gay/lesbian and bisexual respondents they still experiences poorer health than heterosexuals. Health promotion interventions are needed for these other and PNS individuals, who might not participate in interventions targeted toward known sexual minority groups. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hoppe, Bradford S.; Stegman, Lauren D.; Zelefsky, Michael J.

Purpose: To perform a retrospective analysis of patients with paranasal sinus (PNS) cancer treated with postoperative radiotherapy (RT) at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. Methods and Materials: Between January 1987 and July 2005, 85 patients with PNS and nasal cavity cancer underwent postoperative RT. Most patients had squamous cell carcinoma (49%; n = 42), T4 tumors (52%; n = 36), and the maxillary sinus (53%; n = 45) as the primary disease site. The median radiation dose was 63 Gy. Of the 85 patients, 76 underwent CT simulation and 53 were treated with either three-dimensional conformal RT (27%; n = 23)more » or intensity-modulated RT (35%; n = 30). Acute and late toxicities were scored according to the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group radiation morbidity scoring criteria. Results: With a median follow-up for surviving patients of 60 months, the 5-year estimates of local progression-free, regional progression-free, distant metastasis-free, disease-free, and overall survival rates were 62%, 87%, 82%, 55%, and 67%, respectively. On multivariate analysis, squamous cell histology and cribriform plate involvement predicted for an increased likelihood of local recurrence, and squamous cell histologic features predicted for worse overall survival. None of the patients who underwent CT simulation and were treated with modern techniques developed a Grade 3-4 late complication of the eye. Conclusion: Complete surgical resection followed by adjuvant RT is an effective and safe approach in the treatment of PNS cancer. Emerging tools, such as three-dimensional conformal treatment and, in particular, intensity-modulated RT for PNS tumors, may minimize the occurrence of late complications associated with conventional RT techniques. Local recurrence remains a significant problem.« less

Intraneural convection enhanced delivery of AAVrh20 for targeting primary sensory neurons.

PubMed

Pleticha, Josef; Jeng-Singh, Christian; Rezek, Rahaf; Zaibak, Manal; Beutler, Andreas S

2014-05-01

Gene therapy using adeno-associated virus (AAV) is an attractive strategy to treat disorders of the peripheral nervous system (PNS), such as chronic pain or peripheral neuropathies. Although intrathecal (IT) administration of AAV has been the standard in the field for targeting the PNS, it lacks anatomical specificity and results in wide rostro-caudal distribution of the vector. An alternative approach is to deliver AAV directly to the peripheral nerve axon. The present study employed convection-enhanced delivery (CED) of a novel AAV serotype, AAVrh20, expressing enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) into rat sciatic nerve investigating its efficacy, anatomical selectivity, and safety, compared to the IT route. Intraneural CED resulted in transduction confined to the ipsilateral L4 and L5 DRG while IT administration led to promiscuous DRG transduction encompassing the entire lumbar region bilaterally. The transduction rate for intraneural AAV administration was similar to IT delivery (24% for L4 and 31.5% for L5 DRG versus 50% for L4 and 19.5% for L5 DRG). The use of hyperosmotic diluent did not further improve the transduction efficiency. AAVrh20 was superior to reference serotypes previously described to be most active for each route. Intraneural CED of AAV was associated with transient allodynia that resolved spontaneously. These findings establish intraneural CED as an alternative to IT administration for AAV mediated gene transfer to the PNS and, based on a reference rodent model, suggest AAVrh20 as a superior serotype for targeting the PNS. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Comparison of natural head position in different anteroposterior malocclusions.

PubMed

Hedayati, Zohreh; Paknahad, Maryam; Zorriasatine, Farbod

2013-05-01

The facial esthetics after orthodontic treatment and orthognathic surgery may be affected by the patient's natural head position. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the natural head position for the three skeletal classes of malocclusion. Our sample consisted of 102 lateral cephalometric radiographs of patients aged 15 to 18 years; class I (n=32), class II (n=40) and class III (n=30). Nine landmarks of the craniofacial skeleton and three landmarks of the cervical vertebrae were determined. Variables consisted of two angles for cervical posture (OPT/Hor and CVT/Hor), three angles for craniofacial posture (SN/Ver, PNS-ANS/Ver, and ML/Ver ) and five for craniofacial angulation (SN/OPT, SN/CVT, PNS-ANS/OPT, PNS-ANS/CVT, ML/CVT). The data were analyzed statistically using ANOVA and post hoc tests. PNS-ANS/Ver and SN/Ver differed significantly (p<0.05) among the three groups. There were no significant differences between class I and class II malocclusions for the indicator angles of cranial posture except for ML/Ver. The SN/CVT was significantly different for class I compared to class III patients. A head posture camouflaging the underlying skeletal class III was observed in our population. A more forward head posture was observed in skeletal class III participants compared to skeletal class I and II and that class III patients tended to incline their head more ventral compared to class I participants. These findings may have implications for the amount of jaw movements during surgery particularly in patients with a class III malocclusion.

Parallel processing via a dual olfactory pathway in the honeybee.

PubMed

Brill, Martin F; Rosenbaum, Tobias; Reus, Isabelle; Kleineidam, Christoph J; Nawrot, Martin P; Rössler, Wolfgang

2013-02-06

In their natural environment, animals face complex and highly dynamic olfactory input. Thus vertebrates as well as invertebrates require fast and reliable processing of olfactory information. Parallel processing has been shown to improve processing speed and power in other sensory systems and is characterized by extraction of different stimulus parameters along parallel sensory information streams. Honeybees possess an elaborate olfactory system with unique neuronal architecture: a dual olfactory pathway comprising a medial projection-neuron (PN) antennal lobe (AL) protocerebral output tract (m-APT) and a lateral PN AL output tract (l-APT) connecting the olfactory lobes with higher-order brain centers. We asked whether this neuronal architecture serves parallel processing and employed a novel technique for simultaneous multiunit recordings from both tracts. The results revealed response profiles from a high number of PNs of both tracts to floral, pheromonal, and biologically relevant odor mixtures tested over multiple trials. PNs from both tracts responded to all tested odors, but with different characteristics indicating parallel processing of similar odors. Both PN tracts were activated by widely overlapping response profiles, which is a requirement for parallel processing. The l-APT PNs had broad response profiles suggesting generalized coding properties, whereas the responses of m-APT PNs were comparatively weaker and less frequent, indicating higher odor specificity. Comparison of response latencies within and across tracts revealed odor-dependent latencies. We suggest that parallel processing via the honeybee dual olfactory pathway provides enhanced odor processing capabilities serving sophisticated odor perception and olfactory demands associated with a complex olfactory world of this social insect.

Interaction of planetary nebulae with the interstellar medium

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Borkowski, Kazimierz J.; Sarazin, Craig L.; Soker, Noam

1990-01-01

The interaction of a moving planetary nebula (PN) with the interstellar medium is considered. The PN shell is compressed first in the direction of the stellar motion. This produces a dipole asymmetry in the surface brightness of the nebula, typically at a nebular density of about 40/cu cm if the nebula is located in the Galactic plane. In the later stages of the interaction, this part of the shell is significantly decelerated with respect to the central star, and the PN becomes strongly asymmetric in shape. This distortion and the subsequent stripping of the nebular gas away from the central star typically occurs at a low nebular density of about 6/cu cm. The morphology of PNs with central stars whose proper motions exceed 0.015 arcsec/yr was examined, and it was found that many of the extended nebulae are interacting with the interstellar medium (ISM). The sample doubles the number of known PNs interacting with the ISM. The morphology of nearby PNs was examined, and a number of strongly asymmetric nebuale were found.

GPR56/ADGRG1 regulates development and maintenance of peripheral myelin.

PubMed

Ackerman, Sarah D; Luo, Rong; Poitelon, Yannick; Mogha, Amit; Harty, Breanne L; D'Rozario, Mitchell; Sanchez, Nicholas E; Lakkaraju, Asvin K K; Gamble, Paul; Li, Jun; Qu, Jun; MacEwan, Matthew R; Ray, Wilson Zachary; Aguzzi, Adriano; Feltri, M Laura; Piao, Xianhua; Monk, Kelly R

2018-03-05

Myelin is a multilamellar sheath generated by specialized glia called Schwann cells (SCs) in the peripheral nervous system (PNS), which serves to protect and insulate axons for rapid neuronal signaling. In zebrafish and rodent models, we identify GPR56/ADGRG1 as a conserved regulator of PNS development and health. We demonstrate that, during SC development, GPR56-dependent RhoA signaling promotes timely radial sorting of axons. In the mature PNS, GPR56 is localized to distinct SC cytoplasmic domains, is required to establish proper myelin thickness, and facilitates organization of the myelin sheath. Furthermore, we define plectin-a scaffolding protein previously linked to SC domain organization, myelin maintenance, and a series of disorders termed "plectinopathies"-as a novel interacting partner of GPR56. Finally, we show that Gpr56 mutants develop progressive neuropathy-like symptoms, suggesting an underlying mechanism for peripheral defects in some human patients with GPR56 mutations. In sum, we define Gpr56 as a new regulator in the development and maintenance of peripheral myelin. © 2018 Ackerman et al.

[Artificial control of blood-nerve barrier: a novel therapeutic approach to peripheral neuropathies].

PubMed

Kanda, Takashi

2011-11-01

Blood-nerve barrier (BNB) is a "Janus-faced" structure for the peripheral nerve parenchyma. Healthy BNB may contribute to stabilize the internal milleu of peripheral nervous system (PNS) and to stop the entrance of toxic substances and harmful leukocytes into nerve parenchyma. On the other hand, healthy BNB may sometimes be a drawback because the peripheral nerve parenchyma cannot receive enough amount of nutrients and growth factors and cannot excrete toxic substances into systemic circulation because of its presence. Here we present a future therapeutic strategy to control BNB function, based on the basic knowledge acquired from recently developed human immortalized cell lines of BNB origin. If we can artificially regulate the BNB permeability and the expression of adhesion molecules on the surface of BNB-forming endothelial cells, and stop the entrance of toxic substances as well as pathogenic leukocytes into PNS parenchyma, the treatment of inflammatory neuropathies may make great progresses. For hereditary, metabolic and ischemic neuropathies, the promotion of the entrance of growth factors into PNS parenchyma and of the excretion of toxic substances should powerfully encourage the regeneration of axons.

Peripheral Nervous System Genes Expressed in Central Neurons Induce Growth on Inhibitory Substrates

PubMed Central

Buchser, William J.; Smith, Robin P.; Pardinas, Jose R.; Haddox, Candace L.; Hutson, Thomas; Moon, Lawrence; Hoffman, Stanley R.; Bixby, John L.; Lemmon, Vance P.

2012-01-01

Trauma to the spinal cord and brain can result in irreparable loss of function. This failure of recovery is in part due to inhibition of axon regeneration by myelin and chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans (CSPGs). Peripheral nervous system (PNS) neurons exhibit increased regenerative ability compared to central nervous system neurons, even in the presence of inhibitory environments. Previously, we identified over a thousand genes differentially expressed in PNS neurons relative to CNS neurons. These genes represent intrinsic differences that may account for the PNS’s enhanced regenerative ability. Cerebellar neurons were transfected with cDNAs for each of these PNS genes to assess their ability to enhance neurite growth on inhibitory (CSPG) or permissive (laminin) substrates. Using high content analysis, we evaluated the phenotypic profile of each neuron to extract meaningful data for over 1100 genes. Several known growth associated proteins potentiated neurite growth on laminin. Most interestingly, novel genes were identified that promoted neurite growth on CSPGs (GPX3, EIF2B5, RBMX). Bioinformatic approaches also uncovered a number of novel gene families that altered neurite growth of CNS neurons. PMID:22701605

Relational victimization and depressive symptoms: The role of autonomic nervous system reactivity in emerging adults.

PubMed

Holterman, Leigh Ann; Murray-Close, Dianna K; Breslend, Nicole L

2016-12-01

The goal of the current study was to investigate the association between relational victimization, defined as being the target of aggressive acts that damage relationships (e.g., gossip, social exclusion) and depressive symptoms during the relatively understudied developmental period of emerging adulthood. In addition, as individual differences in stress reactivity may influence the outcomes associated with victimization by peers, the moderating roles of sympathetic nervous system (SNS; as measured by skin conductance reactivity) and parasympathetic nervous system (PNS; as measured by respiratory sinus arrhythmia) reactivity to social and non-social stressors were examined. Findings indicated that relational victimization was positively related to depressive symptoms in individuals demonstrating coactivation (i.e., high SNS and PNS reactivity) and coinhibition (blunted SNS and PNS reactivity) to both social and non-social stressor tasks. These patterns may reflect a breakdown of regulation in the body's physiological response to stress, thus increasing risk for depressive symptoms in the context of peer stress. Findings highlight potential areas for future interventions. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A viral protein promotes host SAMS1 activity and ethylene production for the benefit of virus infection

PubMed Central

Wu, Jianguo; Wang, Yu; Ji, Shaoyi; Zhu, Shuyi; Wei, Chunhong; Zhang, Jinsong

2017-01-01

Ethylene plays critical roles in plant development and biotic stress response, but the mechanism of ethylene in host antiviral response remains unclear. Here, we report that Rice dwarf virus (RDV) triggers ethylene production by stimulating the activity of S-adenosyl-L-methionine synthetase (SAMS), a key component of the ethylene synthesis pathway, resulting in elevated susceptibility to RDV. RDV-encoded Pns11 protein specifically interacted with OsSAMS1 to enhance its enzymatic activity, leading to higher ethylene levels in both RDV-infected and Pns11-overexpressing rice. Consistent with a counter-defense role for ethylene, Pns11-overexpressing rice, as well as those overexpressing OsSAMS1, were substantially more susceptible to RDV infection, and a similar effect was observed in rice plants treated with an ethylene precursor. Conversely, OsSAMS1-knockout mutants, as well as an osein2 mutant defective in ethylene signaling, resisted RDV infection more robustly. Our findings uncover a novel mechanism which RDV manipulates ethylene biosynthesis in the host plants to achieve efficient infection. PMID:28994391

A viral protein promotes host SAMS1 activity and ethylene production for the benefit of virus infection.

PubMed

Zhao, Shanshan; Hong, Wei; Wu, Jianguo; Wang, Yu; Ji, Shaoyi; Zhu, Shuyi; Wei, Chunhong; Zhang, Jinsong; Li, Yi

2017-10-10

Ethylene plays critical roles in plant development and biotic stress response, but the mechanism of ethylene in host antiviral response remains unclear. Here, we report that Rice dwarf virus (RDV) triggers ethylene production by stimulating the activity of S-adenosyl-L-methionine synthetase (SAMS), a key component of the ethylene synthesis pathway, resulting in elevated susceptibility to RDV. RDV-encoded Pns11 protein specifically interacted with OsSAMS1 to enhance its enzymatic activity, leading to higher ethylene levels in both RDV-infected and Pns11-overexpressing rice. Consistent with a counter-defense role for ethylene, Pns11-overexpressing rice, as well as those overexpressing OsSAMS1 , were substantially more susceptible to RDV infection, and a similar effect was observed in rice plants treated with an ethylene precursor. Conversely, OsSAMS1- knockout mutants, as well as an osein2 mutant defective in ethylene signaling, resisted RDV infection more robustly. Our findings uncover a novel mechanism which RDV manipulates ethylene biosynthesis in the host plants to achieve efficient infection.

Epidural cortical stimulation as adjunctive treatment for non-fluent aphasia: preliminary findings.

PubMed

Cherney, Leora R; Erickson, Robert K; Small, Steven L

2010-09-01

This study evaluated the safety and feasibility of targeted epidural cortical stimulation delivered concurrently with intensive speech-language therapy for treatment of chronic non-fluent aphasia. Eight stroke survivors with non-fluent aphasia received intensive behavioural therapy for 3 h daily for 6 weeks using a combination of articulation drills, oral reading and conversational practice. Four of these participants (investigational participants) also underwent functional MRI guided surgical implantation of an epidural stimulation device which was activated only during therapy sessions. Behavioural data were collected before treatment, immediately after treatment and at 6 and 12 weeks following termination of therapy. Imaging data were collected before and after treatment. Investigational participants showed a mean Aphasia Quotient change of 8.0 points immediately post-therapy and at the 6 week follow-up, and 12.3 points at 12 weeks. The control group had changes of 4.6, 5.5 and 3.6 points, respectively. Similar changes were noted on subjective caregiver ratings. Functional imaging suggested increased consolidation of activity in interventional participants. Behavioural speech-language therapy improves non-fluent aphasia, independent of cortical stimulation. However, epidural stimulation of the ipsilesional premotor cortex may augment this effect, with the largest effects after completion of therapy. The neural mechanisms underlying these effects are manifested in the brain by decreases in the volume of activity globally and in particular regions. Although the number of participants enrolled in this trial precludes definitive conclusions, targeted epidural cortical stimulation appears safe and may be a feasible adjunctive treatment for non-fluent aphasia, particularly when the aphasia is more severe.

Separation of trait and state in stuttering.

PubMed

Connally, Emily L; Ward, David; Pliatsikas, Christos; Finnegan, Sarah; Jenkinson, Mark; Boyles, Rowan; Watkins, Kate E

2018-04-06

Stuttering is a disorder in which the smooth flow of speech is interrupted. People who stutter show structural and functional abnormalities in the speech and motor system. It is unclear whether functional differences reflect general traits of the disorder or are specifically related to the dysfluent speech state. We used a hierarchical approach to separate state and trait effects within stuttering. We collected sparse-sampled functional MRI during two overt speech tasks (sentence reading and picture description) in 17 people who stutter and 16 fluent controls. Separate analyses identified indicators of: (1) general traits of people who stutter; (2) frequency of dysfluent speech states in subgroups of people who stutter; and (3) the differences between fluent and dysfluent states in people who stutter. We found that reduced activation of left auditory cortex, inferior frontal cortex bilaterally, and medial cerebellum were general traits that distinguished fluent speech in people who stutter from that of controls. The stuttering subgroup with higher frequency of dysfluent states during scanning (n = 9) had reduced activation in the right subcortical grey matter, left temporo-occipital cortex, the cingulate cortex, and medial parieto-occipital cortex relative to the subgroup who were more fluent (n = 8). Finally, during dysfluent states relative to fluent ones, there was greater activation of inferior frontal and premotor cortex extending into the frontal operculum, bilaterally. The above differences were seen across both tasks. Subcortical state effects differed according to the task. Overall, our data emphasise the independence of trait and state effects in stuttering. © 2018 The Authors Human Brain Mapping Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Supporting Students in Making Sense of Connections and in Becoming Perceptually Fluent in Making Connections among Multiple Graphical Representations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rau, Martina A.; Aleven, Vincent; Rummel, Nikol

2017-01-01

Prior research shows that multiple representations can enhance learning, provided that students make connections among them. We hypothesized that support for connection making is most effective in enhancing learning of domain knowledge if it helps students both in making sense of these connections and in becoming perceptually fluent in making…

Reading Performance Profile of Children with Dyslexia in Primary and Secondary School Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Balci, Emine; Çayir, Aybala

2018-01-01

The purpose of the present research was to provide information to the community about the reading subskill profiles of children with dyslexia in primary and secondary school students. 175 children (aged 7-15 yrs) were examined on a varied set of phonological coding, spelling and fluent reading tasks. For this purpose, students' fluent reading were…

Stimulating Conversation: Enhancement of Elicited Propositional Speech in a Patient with Chronic Non-Fluent Aphasia following Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hamilton, Roy H.; Sanders, Linda; Benson, Jennifer; Faseyitan, Olufunsho; Norise, Catherine; Naeser, Margaret; Martin, Paula; Coslett, H. Branch

2010-01-01

Although evidence suggests that patients with left hemisphere strokes and non-fluent aphasia who receive 1Hz repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) over the intact right inferior frontal gyrus experience persistent benefits in naming, it remains unclear whether the effects of rTMS in these patients generalize to other language…

Using Self- and Parent-Reports to Test the Association between Peer Victimization and Internalizing Symptoms in Verbally Fluent Adolescents with ASD

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Adams, Ryan E.; Fredstrom, Bridget K.; Duncan, Amie W.; Holleb, Lauren J.; Bishop, Somer L.

2014-01-01

The current study tested the associations between peer victimization and internalizing symptoms in 54 verbally fluent adolescent males with a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder. Adolescent- and parent-reports of multiple types of peer victimization and internalizing symptoms were used. First, the validity and reliability of the…

Using Words Instead of Jumbled Characters as Stimuli in Keyboard Training Facilitates Fluent Performance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

DeFulio, Anthony; Crone-Todd, Darlene E.; Long, Lauren V.; Nuzzo, Paul A.; Silverman, Kenneth

2011-01-01

Keyboarding skill is an important target for adult education programs due to the ubiquity of computers in modern work environments. A previous study showed that novice typists learned key locations quickly but that fluency took a relatively long time to develop. In the present study, novice typists achieved fluent performance in nearly half the…

Video Self-Modeling Technique That Can Be Used in Improving the Abilities of Fluent Reading and Fluent Speaking

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sen, Ülker

2016-01-01

The use of technology in the field of education makes the educational process more efficient and motivating. Technological tools are used for developing the communication skills of students and teachers in the learning process increasing the participation, supporting the peer, the realization of collaborative learning. The use of technology is…

The Integrity of Anticipatory Coarticulation in Fluent and Non-Fluent Tokens of Adults Who Stutter

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sussman, Harvey M.; Byrd, Courtney T.; Guitar, Barry

2011-01-01

This article analysed the acoustic structure of voiced stop ++ vowel sequences in a group of persons who stutter (PWS). This phonetic unit was chosen because successful production is highly dependent on the differential tweaking of right-to-left anticipatory coarticulation as a function of stop place. Thus, essential elements of both speech motor…

The Role of Interest in Students' Writing Fluency and the Quality of the Product.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lewis, Dorothy P.

A study was conducted to examine the effects of students' interests on their writing. A group of 571 high school seniors, fluent and nonfluent in writing, completed a questionnaire dealing with aspects of writing interest, such as subject, form, or voice. Tape recorded interviews addressing the same aspects were conducted with 11 fluent seniors…

Masked Priming Effects in Aphasia: Evidence for Altered Automatic Spreading Activation

PubMed Central

Silkes, JoAnn P.; Rogers, Margaret A.

2015-01-01

Purpose Previous research has suggested that impairments of automatic spreading activation may underlie some aphasic language deficits. This study further investigated the status of automatic spreading activation in individuals with aphasia as compared with typical adults. Method Participants were 21 individuals with aphasia (12 fluent, 9 non-fluent) and 31 typical adults. Reaction time data were collected on a lexical decision task with masked repetition primes, assessed at 11 different interstimulus intervals (ISIs). Masked primes were used to assess automatic spreading activation without the confound of conscious processing. The various ISIs were used to assess the time to onset, and duration, of priming effects. Results The control group showed maximal priming in the 200 ms ISI condition, with significant priming at a range of ISIs surrounding that peak. Participants with both fluent and non-fluent aphasia showed maximal priming effects in the 250 ms ISI condition, and primed across a smaller range of ISIs than the control group. Conclusions Results suggest that individuals with aphasia have slowed automatic spreading activation, and impaired maintenance of activation over time, regardless of fluency classification. These findings have implications for understanding aphasic language impairment and for development of aphasia treatments designed directly address automatic language processes. PMID:22411281

Slowed articulation rate is a sensitive diagnostic marker for identifying non-fluent primary progressive aphasia

PubMed Central

Cordella, Claire; Dickerson, Bradford C.; Quimby, Megan; Yunusova, Yana; Green, Jordan R.

2016-01-01

Background Primary progressive aphasia (PPA) is a neurodegenerative aphasic syndrome with three distinct clinical variants: non-fluent (nfvPPA), logopenic (lvPPA), and semantic (svPPA). Speech (non-) fluency is a key diagnostic marker used to aid identification of the clinical variants, and researchers have been actively developing diagnostic tools to assess speech fluency. Current approaches reveal coarse differences in fluency between subgroups, but often fail to clearly differentiate nfvPPA from the variably fluent lvPPA. More robust subtype differentiation may be possible with finer-grained measures of fluency. Aims We sought to identify the quantitative measures of speech rate—including articulation rate and pausing measures—that best differentiated PPA subtypes, specifically the non-fluent group (nfvPPA) from the more fluent groups (lvPPA, svPPA). The diagnostic accuracy of the quantitative speech rate variables was compared to that of a speech fluency impairment rating made by clinicians. Methods and Procedures Automatic estimates of pause and speech segment durations and rate measures were derived from connected speech samples of participants with PPA (N=38; 11 nfvPPA, 14 lvPPA, 13 svPPA) and healthy age-matched controls (N=8). Clinician ratings of fluency impairment were made using a previously validated clinician rating scale developed specifically for use in PPA. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analyses enabled a quantification of diagnostic accuracy. Outcomes and Results Among the quantitative measures, articulation rate was the most effective for differentiating between nfvPPA and the more fluent lvPPA and svPPA groups. The diagnostic accuracy of both speech and articulation rate measures was markedly better than that of the clinician rating scale, and articulation rate was the best classifier overall. Area under the curve (AUC) values for articulation rate were good to excellent for identifying nfvPPA from both svPPA (AUC=.96) and lvPPA (AUC=.86). Cross-validation of accuracy results for articulation rate showed good generalizability outside the training dataset. Conclusions Results provide empirical support for (1) the efficacy of quantitative assessments of speech fluency and (2) a distinct non-fluent PPA subtype characterized, at least in part, by an underlying disturbance in speech motor control. The trend toward improved classifier performance for quantitative rate measures demonstrates the potential for a more accurate and reliable approach to subtyping in the fluency domain, and suggests that articulation rate may be a useful input variable as part of a multi-dimensional clinical subtyping approach. PMID:28757671

The Impact of Input Quality on Early Sign Development in Native and Non-Native Language Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lu, Jenny; Jones, Anna; Morgan, Gary

2016-01-01

There is debate about how input variation influences child language. Most deaf children are exposed to a sign language from their non-fluent hearing parents and experience a delay in exposure to accessible language. A small number of children receive language input from their deaf parents who are fluent signers. Thus it is possible to document the…

Cultivating Culturally Fluent Leaders for the Future of Kinesiology. 2016 NAKHE Hally Beth Poindexter Young Scholar Award

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

James-Hassan, Martha J.

2016-01-01

This article posits that each content area that falls under the umbrella of kinesiology must develop a future cadre of professionals who are competent in their content knowledge and are trained as leaders who are able to understand the essential impacts of culture on their work. The intentional development of culturally fluent leaders should be a…

Case Study on the Effect of Word Repetition Method Supported by Neurological Affecting Model on Fluent Reading

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Duran, Erol

2013-01-01

This research is a case study which is a qualitative study model and named as example event as well. The purpose of this research is determining the effect of word repetitive reading method supported with neurological affecting model on fluent reading. In this study, False Analysis Inventory was used in order to determine the student's oral…

Retrospective Evaluation of Safety, Efficacy and Risk Factors for Pneumothorax in Simultaneous Localizations of Multiple Pulmonary Nodules Using Hook Wire System.

PubMed

Zhong, Yan; Xu, Xiao-Quan; Pan, Xiang-Long; Zhang, Wei; Xu, Hai; Yuan, Mei; Kong, Ling-Yan; Pu, Xue-Hui; Chen, Liang; Yu, Tong-Fu

2017-09-01

To evaluate the safety and efficacy of the hook wire system in the simultaneous localizations for multiple pulmonary nodules (PNs) before video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS), and to clarify the risk factors for pneumothorax associated with the localization procedure. Between January 2010 and February 2016, 67 patients (147 nodules, Group A) underwent simultaneous localizations for multiple PNs using a hook wire system. The demographic, localization procedure-related information and the occurrence rate of pneumothorax were assessed and compared with a control group (349 patients, 349 nodules, Group B). Multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to determine the risk factors for pneumothorax during the localization procedure. All the 147 nodules were successfully localized. Four (2.7%) hook wires dislodged before VATS procedure, but all these four lesions were successfully resected according to the insertion route of hook wire. Pathological diagnoses were acquired for all 147 nodules. Compared with Group B, Group A demonstrated significantly longer procedure time (p < 0.001) and higher occurrence rate of pneumothorax (p = 0.019). Multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated that position change during localization procedure (OR 2.675, p = 0.021) and the nodules located in the ipsilateral lung (OR 9.404, p < 0.001) were independent risk factors for pneumothorax. Simultaneous localizations for multiple PNs using a hook wire system before VATS procedure were safe and effective. Compared with localization for single PN, simultaneous localizations for multiple PNs were prone to the occurrence of pneumothorax. Position change during localization procedure and the nodules located in the ipsilateral lung were independent risk factors for pneumothorax.

Mean-field study of hot β -stable protoneutron star matter: Impact of the symmetry energy and nucleon effective mass

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tan, Ngo Hai; Loan, Doan Thi; Khoa, Dao T.; Margueron, Jerome

2016-03-01

A consistent Hartree-Fock study of the equation of state (EOS) of asymmetric nuclear matter at finite temperature has been performed using realistic choices of the effective, density-dependent nucleon-nucleon (NN ) interaction, which were successfully used in different nuclear structure and reaction studies. Given the importance of the nuclear symmetry energy in the neutron star formation, EOSs associated with different behaviors of the symmetry energy were used to study hot asymmetric nuclear matter. The slope of the symmetry energy and nucleon effective mass with increasing baryon density was found to affect the thermal properties of nuclear matter significantly. Different density-dependent NN interactions were further used to study the EOS of hot protoneutron star (PNS) matter of the n p e μ ν composition in β equilibrium. The hydrostatic configurations of PNS in terms of the maximal gravitational mass Mmax and radius, central density, pressure, and temperature at the total entropy per baryon S /A =1 ,2 , and 4 have been determined in both the neutrino-free and neutrino-trapped scenarios. The obtained results show consistently a strong impact of the symmetry energy and nucleon effective mass on thermal properties and composition of hot PNS matter. Mmax values obtained for the (neutrino-free) β -stable PNS at S /A =4 were used to assess time tBH of the collapse of a 40 M⊙ protoneutron progenitor to a black hole, based on a correlation between tBH and Mmax found from the hydrodynamic simulation by Hempel et al. [Astrophys. J. 748, 70 (2012), 10.1088/0004-637X/748/1/70].

ROTATING STARS AND THE FORMATION OF BIPOLAR PLANETARY NEBULAE. II. TIDAL SPIN-UP

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

García-Segura, G.; Villaver, E.; Manchado, A.

We present new binary stellar evolution models that include the effects of tidal forces, rotation, and magnetic torques with the goal of testing planetary nebulae (PNs) shaping via binary interaction. We explore whether tidal interaction with a companion can spin-up the asymptotic giant brach (AGB) envelope. To do so, we have selected binary systems with main-sequence masses of 2.5 M {sub ⊙} and 0.8 M {sub ⊙} and evolve them allowing initial separations of 5, 6, 7, and 8 au. The binary stellar evolution models have been computed all the way to the PNs formation phase or until Roche lobemore » overflow (RLOF) is reached, whatever happens first. We show that with initial separations of 7 and 8 au, the binary avoids entering into RLOF, and the AGB star reaches moderate rotational velocities at the surface (∼3.5 and ∼2 km s{sup −1}, respectively) during the inter-pulse phases, but after the thermal pulses it drops to a final rotational velocity of only ∼0.03 km s{sup −1}. For the closest binary separations explored, 5 and 6 au, the AGB star reaches rotational velocities of ∼6 and ∼4 km s{sup −1}, respectively, when the RLOF is initiated. We conclude that the detached binary models that avoid entering the RLOF phase during the AGB will not shape bipolar PNs, since the acquired angular momentum is lost via the wind during the last two thermal pulses. This study rules out tidal spin-up in non-contact binaries as a sufficient condition to form bipolar PNs.« less

Does a foot-drop implant improve kinetic and kinematic parameters in the foot and ankle?

PubMed

Daniilidis, Kiriakos; Jakubowitz, Eike; Thomann, Anna; Ettinger, Sarah; Stukenborg-Colsman, Christina; Yao, Daiwei

2017-04-01

Unlike the drop foot therapy with ortheses, the therapeutic effect of an implantable peroneus nerve stimulator (iPNS) is not well described. IPNS is a dynamic therapy option which is placed directly to the motoric part of the peroneal nerve and evokes a dorsiflexion of the paralysed foot. This retrospective study evaluates the kinematics and kinetics in drop foot patients who were treated with an iPNS. 18 subjects (mean age 51.3 years) with a chronic stroke-related drop foot were treated with an implantable peroneal nerve stimulator. After a mean follow-up from 12.5 months, kinematics and kinetics as well as spatiotemporal parameters were evaluated and compared in activated and deactivated iPNS. Therefore, a gait analysis with motion capture system (Vicon Motion System Ltd®, Oxford, UK) and Plug-in-Gait model was performed. The study showed significantly improved results in ankle dorsiflexion from 6.8° to 1.8° at the initial contact and from -7.3° to 0.9° during swing phase (p ≤ 0.004 and p ≤ 0.005, respectively). Likewise, we could measure improved kinetics, i.a. with a statistically significant improvement in vertical ground reaction force at loading response from 99.76 to 106.71 N/kg (p = 0.043). Enhanced spatiotemporal results in cadence, douple support, stride length, and walking speed could also be achieved, but without statistical significance (p > 0.05). The results show statistically significant improvement in ankle dorsiflexion and vertical ground reaction forces. These facts indicate a more gait stability and gait efficacy. Therefore, the use of an iPNS appears an encouraging therapeutic option for patients with a stroke-related drop foot.

Pharmacokinetics and correlation between in vitro release and in vivo absorption of bio-adhesive pellets of panax notoginseng saponins.

PubMed

Li, Ying; Zhang, Yun; Zhu, Chun-Yan

2017-02-01

The present study was designed to prepare and compare bio-adhesive pellets of panax notoginseng saponins (PNS) with hydroxy propyl methyl cellulose (HPMC), chitosan, and chitosan : carbomer, explore the influence of different bio-adhesive materials on pharmacokinetics behaviors of PNSbio-adhesive pellets, and evaluate the correlation between in vivo absorption and in vitro release (IVIVC). In order to predict the in vivo concentration-time profile by the in vitro release data of bio-adhesive pellets, the release experiment was performed using the rotating basket method in pH 6.8 phosphate buffer. The PNS concentrations in rat plasma were analyzed by HPLC-MS-MS method and the relative bioavailability and other pharmacokinetic parameters were estimated using Kinetica4.4 pharmacokinetic software. Numerical deconvolution method was used to evaluate IVIVC. Our results indicated that, compared with ordinary pellets, PNS bio-adhesive pellets showed increased oral bioavailability by 1.45 to 3.20 times, increased C max , and extended MRT. What's more, the release behavior of drug in HPMC pellets was shown to follow a Fickian diffusion mechanism, a synergetic function of diffusion and skeleton corrosion. The in vitro release and the in vivo biological activity had a good correlation, demonstrating that the PNS bio-adhesive pellets had a better sustained release. Numerical deconvolution technique showed the advantage in evaluation of IVIVC for self-designed bio-adhesive pellets with HPMC. In conclusion, the in vitro release data of bio-adhesive pellets with HPMC can predict its concentration-time profile in vivo. Copyright © 2017 China Pharmaceutical University. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A Complete Developmental Sequence of a Drosophila Neuronal Lineage as Revealed by Twin-Spot MARCM

PubMed Central

He, Yisheng; Ding, Peng; Kao, Jui-Chun; Lee, Tzumin

2010-01-01

Drosophila brains contain numerous neurons that form complex circuits. These neurons are derived in stereotyped patterns from a fixed number of progenitors, called neuroblasts, and identifying individual neurons made by a neuroblast facilitates the reconstruction of neural circuits. An improved MARCM (mosaic analysis with a repressible cell marker) technique, called twin-spot MARCM, allows one to label the sister clones derived from a common progenitor simultaneously in different colors. It enables identification of every single neuron in an extended neuronal lineage based on the order of neuron birth. Here we report the first example, to our knowledge, of complete lineage analysis among neurons derived from a common neuroblast that relay olfactory information from the antennal lobe (AL) to higher brain centers. By identifying the sequentially derived neurons, we found that the neuroblast serially makes 40 types of AL projection neurons (PNs). During embryogenesis, one PN with multi-glomerular innervation and 18 uniglomerular PNs targeting 17 glomeruli of the adult AL are born. Many more PNs of 22 additional types, including four types of polyglomerular PNs, derive after the neuroblast resumes dividing in early larvae. Although different offspring are generated in a rather arbitrary sequence, the birth order strictly dictates the fate of each post-mitotic neuron, including the fate of programmed cell death. Notably, the embryonic progenitor has an altered temporal identity following each self-renewing asymmetric cell division. After larval hatching, the same progenitor produces multiple neurons for each cell type, but the number of neurons for each type is tightly regulated. These observations substantiate the origin-dependent specification of neuron types. Sequencing neuronal lineages will not only unravel how a complex brain develops but also permit systematic identification of neuron types for detailed structure and function analysis of the brain. PMID:20808769

Pudendal nerve stimulation and block by a wireless-controlled implantable stimulator in cats.

PubMed

Yang, Guangning; Wang, Jicheng; Shen, Bing; Roppolo, James R; de Groat, William C; Tai, Changfeng

2014-07-01

The study aims to determine the functionality of a wireless-controlled implantable stimulator designed for stimulation and block of the pudendal nerve. In five cats under α-chloralose anesthesia, the stimulator was implanted underneath the skin on the left side in the lower back along the sacral spine. Two tripolar cuff electrodes were implanted bilaterally on the pudendal nerves in addition to one bipolar cuff electrode that was implanted on the left side central to the tripolar cuff electrode. The stimulator provided high-frequency (5-20 kHz) biphasic stimulation waveforms to the two tripolar electrodes and low-frequency (1-100 Hz) rectangular pulses to the bipolar electrode. Bladder and urethral pressures were measured to determine the effects of pudendal nerve stimulation (PNS) or block. The maximal (70-100 cmH2O) urethral pressure generated by 20-Hz PNS applied via the bipolar electrode was completely eliminated by the pudendal nerve block induced by the high-frequency stimulation (6-15 kHz, 6-10 V) applied via the two tripolar electrodes. In a partially filled bladder, 20-30 Hz PNS (2-8 V, 0.2 ms) but not 5 Hz stimulation applied via the bipolar electrode elicited a large sustained bladder contraction (45.9 ± 13.4 to 52.0 ± 22 cmH2O). During cystometry, the 5 Hz PNS significantly (p < 0.05) increased bladder capacity to 176.5 ± 27.1% of control capacity. The wireless-controlled implantable stimulator successfully generated the required waveforms for stimulation and block of pudendal nerve, which will be useful for restoring bladder functions after spinal cord injury. © 2013 International Neuromodulation Society.

Concomitant use of warfarin and ticagrelor as an alternative to triple antithrombotic therapy after an acute coronary syndrome.

PubMed

Braun, Oscar Ö; Bico, Besim; Chaudhry, Uzma; Wagner, Henrik; Koul, Sasha; Tydén, Patrik; Scherstén, Fredrik; Jovinge, Stefan; Svensson, Peter J; Gustav Smith, J; van der Pals, Jesper

2015-01-01

Treatment with warfarin in combination with clopidogrel has been shown to reduce the incidence of major bleeding as compared to triple antithrombotic therapy (TT; warfarin, clopidogrel and aspirin). However, there are uncertainties regarding the risk for thrombosis since poor-responsiveness to clopidogrel is common. Ticagrelor is a more potent platelet inhibitor, but data supporting concurrent use of ticagrelor and warfarin (dual antithrombotic therapy, DT) is limited. This study therefore sought to evaluate the risk of bleeding and thrombosis associated with DT after an acute coronary syndrome (ACS). We identified all ACS patients on DT upon discharge from Helsingborg Hospital and Skåne University Hospital in Malmö and Lund, Sweden, during 2013. Patients on DT were compared with historical controls discharged with TT. Major bleeding was defined in accordance with the HAS-BLED derivation study. Patients were retrospectively followed for three months. In total, 107 DT patients were identified and compared with 159 controls on TT. Mean HAS-BLED bleeding risk score and duration of treatment were similar between the groups (HAS-BLED 2.2+/-0.8 vs 2.2+/-1.0 units, p=NS; duration 2.7+/-0.8 vs 2.5+/-0.9months, p=NS; DT vs TT). The incidence of spontaneous major bleeding was similar between the groups, as was a composite of all thrombotic events, i.e. peripheral embolism, stroke/TIA and acute coronary syndrome (bleeding 8/106 (7.5%) vs 11/157 (7.0%), p=NS; thrombosis 5/106 (4.7%) vs 5/157 (3.2%), p=NS; DT vs TT). Rates of thrombotic and bleeding events were similar in patients with TT and patients with ticagrelor and warfarin. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Abolished perineuronal nets and altered parvalbumin-immunoreactivity in the nucleus reticularis thalami of wildtype and 3xTg mice after experimental stroke.

PubMed

Härtig, Wolfgang; Appel, Simon; Suttkus, Anne; Grosche, Jens; Michalski, Dominik

2016-11-19

Treatment strategies for ischemic stroke are still limited, since numerous attempts were successful only in preclinical research but failed under clinical condition. To overcome this translational roadblock, clinical relevant stroke models should consider co-morbidities, age-related effects and the complex neurovascular unit (NVU) concept. The NVU includes neurons, vessels and glial cells with astrocytic endfeet in close relation to the extracellular matrix (ECM). However, the role of the ECM after stroke-related tissue damage is poorly understood and mostly neglected for treatment strategies. This study is focused on alterations of perineuronal nets (PNs) as ECM constituents and parvalbumin-containing GABAergic neurons in mice with emphasis on the nucleus reticularis thalami (NRT) in close proximity to the ischemic lesion as induced by a filament-based stroke model. One day after ischemia onset, immunofluorescence-based quantitative analyses revealed drastically declined PNs in the ischemia-affected NRT from 3- and 12-month-old wildtype and co-morbid triple-transgenic (3xTg) mice with Alzheimer-like alterations. Parvalbumin-positive cells decreased numerically in the ischemia-affected NRT, while staining intensity did not differ between the affected and non-affected hemisphere. Additional qualitative analyses demonstrated ischemia-induced loss of PNs and allocated neuropil ECM immunoreactive for aggrecan and neurocan, and impaired immunoreactivity for calbindin, the potassium channel subunit Kv3.1b and the glutamate decarboxylase isoforms GAD65 and GAD67 in the NRT. In conclusion, these data confirm PNs as highly sensitive constituents of the ECM along with impaired neuronal integrity of GABAergic neurons. Therefore, specific targeting of ECM components might appear as a promising strategy for future treatment strategies in stroke. Copyright © 2016 IBRO. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Long-Term Paired Associative Stimulation Enhances Motor Output of the Tetraplegic Hand.

PubMed

Tolmacheva, Aleksandra; Savolainen, Sarianna; Kirveskari, Erika; Lioumis, Pantelis; Kuusela, Linda; Brandstack, Nina; Ylinen, Aarne; Mäkelä, Jyrki P; Shulga, Anastasia

2017-09-15

A large proportion of spinal cord injuries (SCI) are incomplete. Even in clinically complete injuries, silent non-functional connections can be present. Therapeutic approaches that can strengthen transmission in weak neural connections to improve motor performance are needed. Our aim was to determine whether long-term delivery of paired associative stimulation (PAS, a combination of transcranial magnetic stimulation [TMS] with peripheral nerve stimulation [PNS]) can enhance motor output in the hands of patients with chronic traumatic tetraplegia, and to compare this technique with long-term PNS. Five patients (4 males; age 38-68, mean 48) with no contraindications to TMS received 4 weeks (16 sessions) of stimulation. PAS was given to one hand and PNS combined with sham TMS to the other hand. Patients were blinded to the treatment. Hands were selected randomly. The patients were evaluated by a physiotherapist blinded to the treatment. The follow-up period was 1 month. Patients were evaluated with Daniels and Worthingham's Muscle Testing (0-5 scale) before the first stimulation session, after the last stimulation session, and 1 month after the last stimulation session. One month after the last stimulation session, the improvement in the PAS-treated hand was 1.02 ± 0.17 points (p < 0.0001, n = 100 muscles from 5 patients). The improvement was significantly higher in PAS-treated than in PNS-treated hands (176 ± 29%, p = 0.046, n = 5 patients). Long-term PAS might be an effective tool for improving motor performance in incomplete chronic SCI patients. Further studies on PAS in larger patient cohorts, with longer stimulation duration and at earlier stages after the injury, are warranted.

CNS Schwann cells display oligodendrocyte precursor-like potassium channel activation and antigenic expression in vitro.

PubMed

Kegler, Kristel; Imbschweiler, Ilka; Ulrich, Reiner; Kovermann, Peter; Fahlke, Christoph; Deschl, Ulrich; Kalkuhl, Arno; Baumgärnter, Wolfgang; Wewetzer, Konstantin

2014-06-01

Central nervous system (CNS) injury triggers production of myelinating Schwann cells from endogenous oligodendrocyte precursors (OLPs). These CNS Schwann cells may be attractive candidates for novel therapeutic strategies aiming to promote endogenous CNS repair. However, CNS Schwann cells have been so far mainly characterized in situ regarding morphology and marker expression, and it has remained enigmatic whether they display functional properties distinct from peripheral nervous system (PNS) Schwann cells. Potassium channels (K+) have been implicated in progenitor and glial cell proliferation after injury and may, therefore, represent a suitable pharmacological target. In the present study, we focused on the function and expression of voltage-gated K+ channels Kv(1-12) and accessory β-subunits in purified adult canine CNS and PNS Schwann cell cultures using electrophysiology and microarray analysis and characterized their antigenic phenotype. We show here that K+ channels differed significantly in both cell types. While CNS Schwann cells displayed prominent K D-mediated K+ currents, PNS Schwann cells elicited K(D-) and K(A-type) K+ currents. Inhibition of K+ currents by TEA and Ba2+ was more effective in CNS Schwann cells. These functional differences were not paralleled by differential mRNA expression of Kv(1-12) and accessory β-subunits. However, O4/A2B5 and GFAP expressions were significantly higher and lower, respectively, in CNS than in PNS Schwann cells. Taken together, this is the first evidence that CNS Schwann cells display specific properties not shared by their peripheral counterpart. Both Kv currents and increased O4/A2B5 expression were reminiscent of OLPs suggesting that CNS Schwann cells retain OLP features during maturation.

Gestural recovery and the role of forward and reversed syllabic repetitions as stuttering inhibitors in adults.

PubMed

Kalinowski, Joseph; Saltuklaroglu, Tim; Guntupalli, Vijaya; Stuart, Andrew

2004-06-10

Instead of being the core stuttering 'problem', syllabic repetitions may be a biological mechanism, or 'solution', to the central involuntary stuttering block. Simply put, stuttering is an endogenous transitory state of 'shadowed speech', a choral speech derivative that allows for a neural release of the central block. To investigate this possibility, 14 adults who stutter read while listening to forward fluent speech, reversed fluent speech, forward stuttered speech, and reversed stuttered speech. All conditions induced significant degrees of stuttering inhibition when compared to a control condition. However, the reversed fluent condition was less powerful than the other three conditions ( approximately 42% vs. approximately 65%) for inhibiting stuttering. Stuttering inhibition appears to proceed by 'gestural recovery', made possible by the presence of an exogenous or 'second' set of speech gestures and engagement of mirror neurons. When reversed fluent speech was used, violations in normal gesture-time relationships (i.e., normal speech entropy) resulted in gestural configurations that apparently were inadequately recovered, and therefore, were not as conducive to high levels of stuttering inhibition. In contrast, high levels of encoding found in the simple syllabic structures of stuttered speech allowed its forward and reversed forms to be equally effective for gestural recovery and stuttering inhibition. The reversal of repeated syllables did not appear to significantly degrade the natural gesture-time relationships (i.e., they were perceptually recognizable). Thus, exogenous speech gestures that displayed near normal gestural relationships allowed for easy recovery and fluent productions via mirror systems, suggesting a more choral-like nature. The importance of syllabic repetitions is highlighted: both their perceived (exogenous) and produced (endogenous) forms appear to be fundamental, surface acoustic manifestations for central stuttering inhibition via the engagement of mirror neurons.

Treatment of word-finding deficits in fluent aphasia through the manipulation of spatial attention: Preliminary findings

PubMed Central

Dotson, Vonetta M.; Singletary, Floris; Fuller, Renee; Koehler, Shirley; Moore, Anna Bacon; Gonzalez Rothi, Leslie J.; Crosson, Bruce

2010-01-01

Background Attention, the processing of one source of information to the exclusion of others, is important for most cognitive processes, including language. Evidence suggests not only that dysfunctional attention mechanisms contribute to language deficits after stroke, but also that orienting attention to a patient's ipsilesional hemispace recruits attention mechanisms in the intact hemisphere and improves language functions in some persons with aphasia. Aims The aim of the current research was to offer proof of concept for the strategy of improving picture-naming performance in fluent aphasia by moving stimuli into the left hemispace. It was hypothesised that repeated orientation of attention to the ipsilesional hemispace during picture naming would lead to improved naming accuracy for participants with fluent aphasia. Methods & Procedures Three participants with stable fluent aphasia received daily treatment sessions that consisted of naming simple line drawings presented 45 degrees to the left of body midline on a computer monitor. Naming probes were administered before initiation of the treatment protocol to establish a baseline, and before each treatment session to measure change during treatment. The C statistic was used to establish the stability of baseline performance and to determine whether the slope of the treatment phases differed significantly from the slope of the baseline. Outcomes & Results Two of the three participants showed significant improvement over baseline performance in the percent correct of naming probes. One participant showed no improvement over baseline accuracy. Conclusions Results suggest that engaging right-hemisphere attention mechanisms may improve naming accuracy in some people with fluent aphasia. Findings justify further investigation of this treatment in a larger controlled study. PMID:22131638

Speech Motor Control in Fluent and Dysfluent Speech Production of an Individual with Apraxia of Speech and Broca's Aphasia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

van Lieshout, Pascal H. H. M.; Bose, Arpita; Square, Paula A.; Steele, Catriona M.

2007-01-01

Apraxia of speech (AOS) is typically described as a motor-speech disorder with clinically well-defined symptoms, but without a clear understanding of the underlying problems in motor control. A number of studies have compared the speech of subjects with AOS to the fluent speech of controls, but only a few have included speech movement data and if…

School Competence and Fluent Academic Performance: Informing Assessment of Educational Outcomes in Survivors of Pediatric Medulloblastoma.

PubMed

Holland, Alice Ann; Hughes, Carroll W; Stavinoha, Peter L

2015-01-01

Academic difficulties are widely acknowledged but not adequately studied in survivors of pediatric medulloblastoma. Although most survivors require special education services and are significantly less likely than healthy peers to finish high school, measured academic skills are typically average. This study sought to identify potential factors associated with academic difficulties in this population and focused on school competence and fluent academic performance. Thirty-six patients (ages 7-18 years old) were recruited through the Departments of Neurosurgery and Neuro-Oncology at Children's Medical Center Dallas and Cook Children's Medical Center in Fort Worth, TX. Participants completed a neuropsychological screening battery including selected Woodcock-Johnson III Tests of Achievement subtests. Parents completed the Child Behavior Checklist. School competence was significantly correlated with measured academic skills and fluency. Basic academic skill development was broadly average, in contrast to significantly worse fluent academic performance. School competence may have utility as a measure estimating levels of educational success in this population. Additionally, academic difficulties experienced by childhood medulloblastoma survivors may be better captured by measuring deficits in fluent academic performance rather than skills. Identification of these potential factors associated with educational outcomes of pediatric medulloblastoma survivors has significant implications for research, clinical assessment, and academic services/interventions.

Rhythm in disguise: why singing may not hold the key to recovery from aphasia

PubMed Central

Kotz, Sonja A.; Henseler, Ilona; Turner, Robert; Geyer, Stefan

2011-01-01

The question of whether singing may be helpful for stroke patients with non-fluent aphasia has been debated for many years. However, the role of rhythm in speech recovery appears to have been neglected. In the current lesion study, we aimed to assess the relative importance of melody and rhythm for speech production in 17 non-fluent aphasics. Furthermore, we systematically alternated the lyrics to test for the influence of long-term memory and preserved motor automaticity in formulaic expressions. We controlled for vocal frequency variability, pitch accuracy, rhythmicity, syllable duration, phonetic complexity and other relevant factors, such as learning effects or the acoustic setting. Contrary to some opinion, our data suggest that singing may not be decisive for speech production in non-fluent aphasics. Instead, our results indicate that rhythm may be crucial, particularly for patients with lesions including the basal ganglia. Among the patients we studied, basal ganglia lesions accounted for more than 50% of the variance related to rhythmicity. Our findings therefore suggest that benefits typically attributed to melodic intoning in the past could actually have their roots in rhythm. Moreover, our data indicate that lyric production in non-fluent aphasics may be strongly mediated by long-term memory and motor automaticity, irrespective of whether lyrics are sung or spoken. PMID:21948939

Cholesterol: a novel regulatory role in myelin formation.

PubMed

Saher, Gesine; Quintes, Susanne; Nave, Klaus-Armin

2011-02-01

Myelin consists of tightly compacted membranes that form an insulating sheath around axons. The function of myelin for rapid saltatory nerve conduction is dependent on its unique composition, highly enriched in glycosphingolipids and cholesterol. Cholesterol emerged as the only integral myelin component that is essential and rate limiting for the development of CNS and PNS myelin. Experiments with conditional mouse mutants that lack cholesterol biosynthesis in oligodendrocytes revealed that only minimal changes of the CNS myelin lipid composition are tolerated. In Schwann cells of the PNS, protein trafficking and myelin compaction depend on cholesterol. In this review, the authors summarize the role of cholesterol in myelin biogenesis and myelin disease.

Antibody to CCDC104 is associated with a paraneoplastic antibody to CDR2 (anti-Yo).

PubMed

Totland, Cecilie; Bredholt, Geir; Haugen, Mette; Haukanes, Bjørn Ivar; Vedeler, Christian A

2010-02-01

Patients with cancer may develop paraneoplastic neurological syndromes (PNS) in which onconeural antibodies are important diagnostic findings. As the functional role of onconeural antibodies is largely unknown, insight gained by identifying associated antibodies may help to clarify the pathogenesis of the PNS. In this study, we identified patients with Yo antibodies who also had antibodies to an uncharacterized protein called coiled-coil domain-containing protein 104 (CCDC104). We found a significant association between CCDC104 and Yo antibodies (4 of 38, 10.5%), but not other onconeural antibodies (0 of 158) (P = 0.007, Fisher's exact test). The prevalence of CCDC104 antibodies was approximately similar in patients with cancer (8 of 756, 1.1%) and in healthy blood donors (2 of 300, 0.7%). CCDC104 antibodies were not associated with PNS, as this was found in only two of the ten CCDC104-positive patients. The CCDC104 protein, whose function is unknown, is expressed in various human tissues, including the brain, and is localized mainly to the nucleus, but is also found in the cytoplasm. The association between Yo and CCDC104 antibodies may indicate functional similarities.

Numerical Simulation of 3-D Supersonic Viscous Flow in an Experimental MHD Channel

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kato, Hiromasa; Tannehill, John C.; Gupta, Sumeet; Mehta, Unmeel B.

2004-01-01

The 3-D supersonic viscous flow in an experimental MHD channel has been numerically simulated. The experimental MHD channel is currently in operation at NASA Ames Research Center. The channel contains a nozzle section, a center section, and an accelerator section where magnetic and electric fields can be imposed on the flow. In recent tests, velocity increases of up to 40% have been achieved in the accelerator section. The flow in the channel is numerically computed using a new 3-D parabolized Navier-Stokes (PNS) algorithm that has been developed to efficiently compute MHD flows in the low magnetic Reynolds number regime. The MHD effects are modeled by introducing source terms into the PNS equations which can then be solved in a very e5uent manner. To account for upstream (elliptic) effects, the flowfield can be computed using multiple streamwise sweeps with an iterated PNS algorithm. The new algorithm has been used to compute two test cases that match the experimental conditions. In both cases, magnetic and electric fields are applied to the flow. The computed results are in good agreement with the available experimental data.

The West Africa Disaster Preparedness Initiative: Strengthening National Capacities for All-Hazards Disaster Preparedness.

PubMed

Morton Hamer, Melinda J; Reed, Paul L; Greulich, Jane D; Kelen, Gabor D; Bradstreet, Nicole A; Beadling, Charles W

2017-08-01

The Ebola outbreak demonstrated the need for improved disaster response throughout West Africa. The West Africa Disaster Preparedness Initiative was a training and assessment effort led by US Africa Command and partners to strengthen capacities among 12 West African partner nations (PNs). Series of 3-week training sessions with representatives from each PN were held from 13 July through 20 November 2015 at the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre in Accra, Ghana. A team conducted Disaster Management Capabilities Assessments (DMCAs) for each PN, including a review of key data, a survey for leaders, and in-person interviews of key informants. All 12 PNs generated a national Ebola Preparedness and Response Plan and Emergency Operations Center standard operating procedures. DMCA metrics were generated for each PN. Top performers included Ghana, with a plan rated good/excellent, and Benin and Burkina Faso, which both achieved a satisfactory rating for their plans. More than 800 people from 12 nations were trained. PNs have improved disaster management capabilities and awareness of their strengths and weaknesses. The Economic Community of West African States has increased its lead role in this and future planned initiatives. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2017;11:431-438).

Intracellular iron concentration of neurons with and without perineuronal nets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fiedler, Anja; Reinert, Tilo; Morawski, Markus; Brückner, Gert; Arendt, Thomas; Butz, Tilman

2007-07-01

Neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease and Huntington's disease are characterized by abnormally high concentrations of iron in the affected brain areas. Iron is believed to contribute to oxidative stress by catalysing radical generation and subsequently causing neuronal death. Interestingly, subpopulations of neurons are less vulnerable against degeneration. One of these subpopulations possesses a specialized extracellular matrix arranged as a perineuronal net (PN), a structure with poorly understood functions. In order to differentiate between neurons with and without PN according to their iron concentrations we have performed a μPIXE study at the Leipzig LIPSION laboratory. PN-ensheathed neurons in selected brain areas were detected by lectin-histochemical staining with Wisteria floribunda agglutinin (WFA). The staining was intensified by DAB- nickel by an established method enabling the visualisation of the PNs by nuclear microscopy. The cellular concentration of iron in the rat brain was about 1 mmol/l (ca. 30 μg/g dw). First results of subcellular analysis showed that the intracellular iron concentration of PN-ensheathed neurons tends to be slightly increased in comparison to neurons without PNs. The difference in intracellular iron concentrations could be an effect of the PNs.

A nested case-control study of leukemia mortality and ionizing radiation at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard.

PubMed

Kubale, Travis L; Daniels, Robert D; Yiin, James H; Couch, James; Schubauer-Berigan, Mary K; Kinnes, Gregory M; Silver, Sharon R; Nowlin, Susan J; Chen, Pi-Hsueh

2005-12-01

A nested case-control study using conditional logistic regression was conducted to evaluate the exposure-response relationship between external ionizing radiation exposure and leukemia mortality among civilian workers at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard (PNS), Kittery, Maine. The PNS civilian workers received occupational radiation exposure while performing construction, overhaul, repair and refueling activities on nuclear-powered submarines. The study age-matched 115 leukemia deaths with 460 controls selected from a cohort of 37,853 civilian workers employed at PNS between 1952 and 1992. In addition to radiation doses received in the workplace, a secondary analysis incorporating doses from work-related medical X rays and other occupational radiation exposures was conducted. A significant positive association was found between leukemia mortality and external radiation exposure, adjusting for gender, radiation worker status, and solvent exposure duration (OR = 1.08 at 10 mSv of exposure; 95% CI = 1.01, 1.16). Solvent exposure (including benzene and carbon tetrachloride) was also significantly associated with leukemia mortality adjusting for radiation dose, radiation worker status, and gender. Incorporating doses from work-related medical X rays did not change the estimated leukemia risk per unit of dose.

Vibration, buckling and smart control of microtubules using piezoelectric nanoshells under electric voltage in thermal environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Farajpour, A.; Rastgoo, A.; Mohammadi, M.

2017-03-01

Piezoelectric nanomaterials such as zinc oxide (ZnO) are of low toxicity and have many biomedical applications including optical imaging, drug delivery, biosensing and harvesting biomechanical energy using hybrid nanogenerators. In this paper, the vibration, buckling and smart control of microtubules (MTs) embedded in an elastic medium in thermal environment using a piezoelectric nanoshell (PNS) are investigated. The MT and PNS are considered to be coupled by a filament network. The PNS is subjected to thermal loads and an external electric voltage which operates to control the mechanical behavior of the MT. Using the nonlocal continuum mechanics, the governing differential equations are derived. An exact solution is presented for simply supported boundary conditions. The differential quadrature method is also used to solve the governing equations for other boundary conditions. A detailed parametric study is conducted to investigate the effects of the elastic constants of surrounding medium and internal filament matrix, scale coefficient, electric voltage, the radius-to-thickness ratio of PNSs and temperature change on the smart control of MTs. It is found that the applied electric voltage can be used as an effective controlling parameter for the vibration and buckling of MTs.

Real-Time Neural Signals Decoding onto Off-the-Shelf DSP Processors for Neuroprosthetic Applications.

PubMed

Pani, Danilo; Barabino, Gianluca; Citi, Luca; Meloni, Paolo; Raspopovic, Stanisa; Micera, Silvestro; Raffo, Luigi

2016-09-01

The control of upper limb neuroprostheses through the peripheral nervous system (PNS) can allow restoring motor functions in amputees. At present, the important aspect of the real-time implementation of neural decoding algorithms on embedded systems has been often overlooked, notwithstanding the impact that limited hardware resources have on the efficiency/effectiveness of any given algorithm. Present study is addressing the optimization of a template matching based algorithm for PNS signals decoding that is a milestone for its real-time, full implementation onto a floating-point digital signal processor (DSP). The proposed optimized real-time algorithm achieves up to 96% of correct classification on real PNS signals acquired through LIFE electrodes on animals, and can correctly sort spikes of a synthetic cortical dataset with sufficiently uncorrelated spike morphologies (93% average correct classification) comparably to the results obtained with top spike sorter (94% on average on the same dataset). The power consumption enables more than 24 h processing at the maximum load, and latency model has been derived to enable a fair performance assessment. The final embodiment demonstrates the real-time performance onto a low-power off-the-shelf DSP, opening to experiments exploiting the efferent signals to control a motor neuroprosthesis.

Disease associated prion protein may deposit in the peripheral nervous system in human transmissible spongiform encephalopathies.

PubMed

Hainfellner, J A; Budka, H

1999-11-01

There is increasing evidence indicating involvement of the peripheral nervous system (PNS) in the pathogenesis of transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs). Immunocytochemically detectable deposits of TSE-specific abnormal prion protein (PrP(sc)) are considered as a surrogate marker for infectivity. We used anti-PrP immunocytochemistry to trace PrP(sc) deposition in spinal and enteric ganglia, and peripheral nerve in Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD), Gerstmann-Sträussler-Scheinker disease (GSS), and fatal familial insomnia. Discrete PrP(sc) deposits were detectable only in a few posterior root nerve fibers in an adaxonal location in one of nine CJD and the one GSS patients examined. Follicular dendritic cells of the gut and enteric nervous system were not labeled. Thus, PrP(sc) may spread to the PNS in different forms of human prion disease. In contrast to our observations in experimental scrapie (Groschup et al., Acta Neuropathol, this issue), the deposits were scant. Possible explanations for this discrepancy comprise strain difference, or centripetal (experimental scrapie) versus centrifugal (sporadic and genetic human prion diseases) spread of PrP(sc), resulting in different patterns and amounts of PrP(sc) accumulation in the PNS.

Modeling of high speed chemically reacting flow-fields

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Drummond, J. P.; Carpenter, Mark H.; Kamath, H.

1989-01-01

The SPARK3D and SPARK3D-PNS computer programs were developed to model 3-D supersonic, chemically reacting flow-fields. The SPARK3D code is a full Navier-Stokes solver, and is suitable for use in scramjet combustors and other regions where recirculation may be present. The SPARK3D-PNS is a parabolized Navier-Stokes solver and provides an efficient means of calculating steady-state combustor far-fields and nozzles. Each code has a generalized chemistry package, making modeling of any chemically reacting flow possible. Research activities by the Langley group range from addressing fundamental theoretical issues to simulating problems of practical importance. Algorithmic development includes work on higher order and upwind spatial difference schemes. Direct numerical simulations employ these algorithms to address the fundamental issues of flow stability and transition, and the chemical reaction of supersonic mixing layers and jets. It is believed that this work will lend greater insight into phenomenological model development for simulating supersonic chemically reacting flows in practical combustors. Currently, the SPARK3D and SPARK3D-PNS codes are used to study problems of engineering interest, including various injector designs and 3-D combustor-nozzle configurations. Examples, which demonstrate the capabilities of each code are presented.

Program development and defining characteristics of returning military in a VA Polytrauma Network Site.

PubMed

Lew, Henry L; Poole, John H; Vanderploeg, Rodney D; Goodrich, Gregory L; Dekelboum, Sharon; Guillory, Sylvia B; Sigford, Barbara; Cifu, David X

2007-01-01

The conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan have resulted in a new generation of combat survivors with complex physical injuries and emotional trauma. This article reports the initial implementation of the Polytrauma Network Site (PNS) clinic, which is a key component of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Polytrauma System of Care and serves military personnel returning from combat. The PNS clinic in Palo Alto, California, is described to demonstrate the VA healthcare system's evolving effort to meet the clinical needs of this population. We summarize the following features of this interdisciplinary program: (1) sequential assessment, from initial traumatic brain injury screening throughout our catchment area to evaluation by the PNS clinic team, and (2) clinical evaluation results for the first 62 clinic patients. In summary, this population shows a high prevalence of postconcussion symptoms, posttraumatic stress, poor cognitive performance, head and back pain, auditory and visual symptoms, and problems with dizziness or balance. An anonymous patient feedback survey, which we used to fine-tune the clinic process, reflected high satisfaction with this new program. We hope that the lessons learned at one site will enhance the identification and treatment of veterans with polytrauma across the country.

New Aspects of Progesterone Interactions with the Actin Cytoskeleton and Neurosteroidogenesis in the Cerebellum and the Neuronal Growth Cone

PubMed Central

Wessel, Lisa; Olbrich, Laura; Brand-Saberi, Beate

2014-01-01

The impact of progesterone on neuronal tissues in the central (CNS) and peripheral (PNS) nervous system is of significant scientific and therapeutic interest. Glial and neuronal cells of vertebrates express steroidogenic enzymes, and are able to synthesize progesterone de novo from cholesterol. Progesterone is described to have neuroprotective, neuroreparative, anti-degenerative, and anti-apoptotic effects in the CNS and the PNS. Thus, the first clinical studies promise new therapeutic options using progesterone in the treatment of patients with traumatic brain injury. Additionally, experimental data from different animal models suggest further positive effects of progesterone on neurological diseases such as cerebral ischemia, peripheral nerve injury and amyothropic lateral sclerosis. In regard to this future clinical use of progesterone, we discuss in this review the underlying physiological principles of progesterone effects in neuronal tissues. Mechanisms leading to morphological reorganizations of neurons in the CNS and PNS affected by progesterone are addressed, with special focus on the actin cytoskeleton. Furthermore, new aspects of a progesterone-dependent regulation of neurosteroidogenesis mediated by the recently described progesterone binding protein PGRMC1 in the nervous system are discussed. PMID:25141866

Kv1 channels control spike threshold dynamics and spike timing in cortical pyramidal neurones

PubMed Central

Higgs, Matthew H; Spain, William J

2011-01-01

Abstract Previous studies showed that cortical pyramidal neurones (PNs) have a dynamic spike threshold that functions as a high-pass filter, enhancing spike timing in response to high-frequency input. While it is commonly assumed that Na+ channel inactivation is the primary mechanism of threshold accommodation, the possible role of K+ channel activation in fast threshold changes has not been well characterized. The present study tested the hypothesis that low-voltage activated Kv1 channels affect threshold dynamics in layer 2–3 PNs, using α-dendrotoxin (DTX) or 4-aminopyridine (4-AP) to block these conductances. We found that Kv1 blockade reduced the dynamic changes of spike threshold in response to a variety of stimuli, including stimulus-evoked synaptic input, current steps and ramps of varied duration, and noise. Analysis of the responses to noise showed that Kv1 channels increased the coherence of spike output with high-frequency components of the stimulus. A simple model demonstrates that a dynamic spike threshold can account for this effect. Our results show that the Kv1 conductance is a major mechanism that contributes to the dynamic spike threshold and precise spike timing of cortical PNs. PMID:21911608

Prenatal exposure of testosterone prevents SDN-POA neurons of postnatal male rats from apoptosis through NMDA receptor.

PubMed

Hsu, H K; Yang, R C; Shih, H C; Hsieh, Y L; Chen, U Y; Hsu, C

2001-11-01

The role of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor in mediating the effect of testosterone exposure prenatally on neuronal apoptosis in the sexual dimorphic nucleus of the preoptic area (SDN-POA) of rats was studied. The endogenous testosterone was diminished by prenatal stress (PNS) or simulated by testosterone exposure (TE) to understand the effect of testosterone on NR(1) (a functional subunit protein of NMDA receptor) expression and neuronal apoptosis. To further study whether the testosterone, after being converted into estradiol, modulates NR(1) expression, 4-androstein-4-ol-3,17-dione (ATD; an aromatase inhibitor) was used to block the conversion of estradiol from testosterone. The expressions of the NR(1) mRNA and NR(1) subunit protein were quantified by RT-PCR and western blotting analysis, respectively. In addition, a noncompetitive antagonist of NMDA receptor, MK-801, was used to find out whether blockage of NMDA receptor affects the naturally occurring apoptosis in SDN-POA. The results showed the following. 1) Expression of perinatal NR(1) subunit protein in the central part of the medial preoptic area of male rats was significantly higher than that of females, especially on postnatal days 1 and 3. 2) The testosterone level of male fetuses on embryonic day 18 was significantly higher than that of females, while the testosterone level of TE females or PNS males was similar to that of intact males or intact females, respectively. 3) The apoptotic incidence of intact male rats was significantly less than that of females, and the apoptosis was stimulated by PNS in male or inhibited by TE in female. 4) The expression of NR(1) subunit protein could be inhibited by PNS or ATD-treatment in male, while stimulated by TE in female. 5) NR(1) mRNA showed no significant difference among intact male, PNS male, ATD-treated male, TE female and intact female rats. 6) The low apoptotic incidence of male rats was significantly increased when NMDA receptor was blocked by MK-801. These results suggest that testosterone, after being converted to estradiol, may prevent the SDN-POA neurons of male rats from apoptosis through enhancing the expression of NR(1) at the posttranscriptional level.

Patient Engagement and Coaching for Health: The PEACH study--a cluster randomised controlled trial using the telephone to coach people with type 2 diabetes to engage with their GPs to improve diabetes care: a study protocol.

PubMed

Young, Doris; Furler, John; Vale, Margarite; Walker, Christine; Segal, Leonie; Dunning, Patricia; Best, James; Blackberry, Irene; Audehm, Ralph; Sulaiman, Nabil; Dunbar, James; Chondros, Patty

2007-04-11

The PEACH study is based on an innovative 'telephone coaching' program that has been used effectively in a post cardiac event trial. This intervention will be tested in a General Practice setting in a pragmatic trial using existing Practice Nurses (PN) as coaches for people with type 2 diabetes (T2D). Actual clinical care often fails to achieve standards, that are based on evidence that self-management interventions (educational and psychological) and intensive pharmacotherapy improve diabetes control. Telephone coaching in our study focuses on both. This paper describes our study protocol, which aims to test whether goal focused telephone coaching in T2D can improve diabetes control and reduce the treatment gap between guideline based standards and actual clinical practice. In a cluster randomised controlled trial, general practices employing Practice Nurses (PNs) are randomly allocated to an intervention or control group. We aim to recruit 546 patients with poorly controlled T2D (HbA1c >7.5%) from 42 General Practices that employ PNs in Melbourne, Australia. PNs from General Practices allocated to the intervention group will be trained in diabetes telephone coaching focusing on biochemical targets addressing both patient self-management and engaging patients to work with their General Practitioners (GPs) to intensify pharmacological treatment according to the study clinical protocol. Patients of intervention group practices will receive 8 telephone coaching sessions and one face-to-face coaching session from existing PNs over 18 months plus usual care and outcomes will be compared to the control group, who will only receive only usual care from their GPs. The primary outcome is HbA1c levels and secondary outcomes include cardiovascular disease risk factors, behavioral risk factors and process of care measures. Understanding how to achieve comprehensive treatment of T2D in a General Practice setting is the focus of the PEACH study. This study explores the potential role for PNs to help reduce the treatment and outcomes gap in people with T2D by using telephone coaching. The intervention, if found to be effective, has potential to be sustained and embedded within real world General Practice.

CO-SPATIAL LONG-SLIT UV/OPTIC AL SPECTRA OF 10 GALACTIC PLANETARY NEBULAE WITH HST/STIS. I. DESCRIPTION OF THE OBSERVATIONS, GLOBAL EMISSION-LINE MEASUREMENTS, AND CNO ABUNDANCES

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dufour, Reginald J.; Kwitter, Karen B.; Shaw, Richard A.

We present observations and initial analysis from a Hubble Space Telescope (HST) Cycle 19 program using STIS to obtain the first co-spatial, UV–optical spectra of 10 Galactic planetary nebulae (PNs). Our primary objective was to measure the critical emission lines of carbon and nitrogen with unprecedented signal-to-noise ratio (S/N) and spatial resolution over the wavelength range 1150–10270 Å, with the ultimate goal of quantifying the production of these elements in low- and intermediate-mass stars. Our sample was selected from PNs with a near-solar metallicity, but spanning a broad range in N/O based on published ground-based and IUE spectra. This study,more » the first of a series, concentrates on the observations and emission-line measurements obtained by integrating along the entire spatial extent of the slit. We derived ionic and total elemental abundances for the seven PNs with the strongest UV line detections (IC 2165, IC 3568, NGC 2440, NGC 3242, NGC 5315, NGC 5882, and NGC 7662). We compare these new results with other recent studies of the nebulae and discuss the relative merits of deriving the total elemental abundances of C, N, and O using ionization correction factors (ICFs) versus summed abundances. For the seven PNs with the best UV line detections, we conclude that summed abundances from direct diagnostics of ions with measurable UV lines give the most accurate values for the total elemental abundances of C and N (although ICF abundances often produced good results for C). In some cases where significant discrepancies exist between our abundances and those from other studies, we show that the differences can often be attributed to their use of fluxes that are not co-spatial. Finally, we examined C/O and N/O versus O/H and He/H in well-observed Galactic, LMC, and SMC PNs and found that highly accurate abundances are essential for properly inferring elemental yields from their progenitor stars. Future papers will discuss photoionization modeling of our observations, of both the integrated spectra and spatial variations of the UV versus optical lines along the STIS slit lengths, which are unique to our observations.« less

Computation of asymmetric supersonic flows around cones at large incidence

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Degani, David

1987-01-01

The Schiff-Steger parabolized Navier-Stokes (PNS) code has been modified to allow computation of conical flowfields around cones at high incidence. The improved algorithm of Degani and Schiff has been incorporated with the PNS code. This algorithm adds the cross derivative and circumferential viscous terms to the original PNS code and modifies the algebraic eddy viscosity turbulence model to take into account regions of so called cross-flow separation. Assuming the flowfield is conical (but not necessarily symmetric) a marching stepback procedure is used: the solution is marched one step downstream using improved PNS code and the flow variables are then scaled to place the solution back to the original station. The process is repeated until no change in the flow variables is observed with further marching. The flow variables are then constant along rays of the flowfield. The experiments obtained by Bannik and Nebbeling were chosen as a test case. In these experiments a cone of 7.5 deg. half angle at Mach number 2.94 and Reynolds number 1.372 x 10(7) was tested up 34 deg. angle of attack. At high angle of attack nonconical asymmetric leeward side vortex patterns were observed. In the first set of computations, using an earlier obtained solution of the above cone for angle of attack of 22.6 deg. and at station x=0.5 as a starting solution, the angle of attack was gradually increased up to 34 deg. During this procedure the grid was carfully adjusted to capture the bow shock. A stable, converged symmetric solution was obtained. Since the numerical code converged to a symmetric solution which is not the physical one, the stability was tested by a random perturbation at each point. The possible effect of surface roughness or non perfect body shape was also investigated. It was concluded that although the assumption of conical viscous flows can be very useful for certain cases, it can not be used for the present case. Thus the second part of the investigation attempted to obtain a marching (in space) solution with the PNS method using the conical solution as initial data. Finally, the solution of the full Navier-Stokes equations was carried out.

Verification of ANSYS Fluent and OpenFOAM CFD platforms for prediction of impact flow

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tisovská, Petra; Peukert, Pavel; Kolář, Jan

The main goal of the article is a verification of the heat transfer coefficient numerically predicted by two CDF platforms - ANSYS-Fluent and OpenFOAM on the problem of impact flows oncoming from 2D nozzle. Various mesh parameters and solver settings were tested under several boundary conditions and compared to known experimental results. The best solver setting, suitable for further optimization of more complex geometry is evaluated.

Investigation of computational aeroacoustic tools for noise predictions of wind turbine aerofoils

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Humpf, A.; Ferrer, E.; Munduate, X.

2007-07-01

In this work trailing edge noise levels of a research aerofoil have been computed and compared to aeroacoustic measurements using two different approaches. On the other hand, aerodynamic and aeroacoustic calculations were performed with the full Navier-Stokes CFD code Fluent [Fluent Inc 2005 Fluent 6.2 Users Guide, Lebanon, NH, USA] on the basis of a steady RANS simulation. Aerodynamic characteristics were computed by the aid of various turbulence models. By the combined usage of implemented broadband noise source models, it was tried to isolate and determine the trailing edge noise level. Throughout this work two methods of different computational cost have been tested and quantitative and qualitative results obtained. On the one hand, the semi-empirical noise prediction tool NAFNoise [Moriarty P 2005 NAFNoise User's Guide. Golden, Colorado, July. http://wind.nrel.gov/designcodes/ simulators/NAFNoise] was used to directly predict trailing edge noise by taking into consideration the nature of the experiments.

On the optimization of a mixed speaker array in an enclosed space using the virtual-speaker weighting method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peng, Bo; Zheng, Sifa; Liao, Xiangning; Lian, Xiaomin

2018-03-01

In order to achieve sound field reproduction in a wide frequency band, multiple-type speakers are used. The reproduction accuracy is not only affected by the signals sent to the speakers, but also depends on the position and the number of each type of speaker. The method of optimizing a mixed speaker array is investigated in this paper. A virtual-speaker weighting method is proposed to optimize both the position and the number of each type of speaker. In this method, a virtual-speaker model is proposed to quantify the increment of controllability of the speaker array when the speaker number increases. While optimizing a mixed speaker array, the gain of the virtual-speaker transfer function is used to determine the priority orders of the candidate speaker positions, which optimizes the position of each type of speaker. Then the relative gain of the virtual-speaker transfer function is used to determine whether the speakers are redundant, which optimizes the number of each type of speaker. Finally the virtual-speaker weighting method is verified by reproduction experiments of the interior sound field in a passenger car. The results validate that the optimum mixed speaker array can be obtained using the proposed method.

Differences of Articulation Rate and Utterance Length in Fluent and Disfluent Utterances of Preschool Children Who Stutter

PubMed Central

Chon, HeeCheong; Sawyer, Jean; Ambrose, Nicoline G.

2014-01-01

Purpose The purpose of this study was to investigate characteristics of four types of utterances in preschool children who stutter: perceptually fluent, containing normal disfluencies (OD utterance), containing stuttering-like disfluencies (SLD utterance), and containing both normal and stuttering-like disfluencies (SLD+OD utterance). Articulation rate and length of utterance were measured to seek the differences. Because articulation rate may reflect temporal aspects of speech motor control, it was predicted that the articulation rate would be different between perceptually fluent utterances and utterances containing disfluencies. The length of utterance was also expected to show different patterns. Method Participants were 14 preschool children who stutter. Disfluencies were identified from their spontaneous speech samples, and articulation rate in syllables per second and utterance length in syllables were measured for the four types of utterances. Results and discussion There was no significant difference in articulation rate between each type of utterance. Significantly longer utterances were found only in SLD+OD utterances compared to fluent utterances, suggesting that utterance length may be related to efforts in executing motor as well as linguistic planning. The SLD utterance revealed a significant negative correlation in that longer utterances tended to be slower in articulation rates. Longer utterances may place more demand on speech motor control due to more linguistic and/or grammatical features, resulting in stuttering-like disfluencies and a decreased rate. PMID:22995336

Phonation interval modification and speech performance quality during fluency-inducing conditions by adults who stutter

PubMed Central

Ingham, Roger J.; Bothe, Anne K.; Wang, Yuedong; Purkhiser, Krystal; New, Anneliese

2012-01-01

Purpose To relate changes in four variables previously defined as characteristic of normally fluent speech to changes in phonatory behavior during oral reading by persons who stutter (PWS) and normally fluent controls under multiple fluency-inducing (FI) conditions. Method Twelve PWS and 12 controls each completed 4 ABA experiments. During A phases, participants read normally. B phases were 4 different FI conditions: auditory masking, chorus reading, whispering, and rhythmic stimulation. Dependent variables were the durations of accelerometer-recorded phonated intervals; self-judged speech effort; and observer-judged stuttering frequency, speech rate, and speech naturalness. The method enabled a systematic replication of Ingham et al. (2009). Results All FI conditions resulted in decreased stuttering and decreases in the number of short phonated intervals, as compared with baseline conditions, but the only FI condition that satisfied all four characteristics of normally fluent speech was chorus reading. Increases in longer phonated intervals were associated with decreased stuttering but also with poorer naturalness and/or increased speech effort. Previous findings concerning the effects of FI conditions on speech naturalness and effort were replicated. Conclusions Measuring all relevant characteristics of normally fluent speech, in the context of treatments that aim to reduce the occurrence of short-duration PIs, may aid the search for an explanation of the nature of stuttering and may also maximize treatment outcomes for adults who stutter. PMID:22365886

Internal computational fluid mechanics on supercomputers for aerospace propulsion systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Andersen, Bernhard H.; Benson, Thomas J.

1987-01-01

The accurate calculation of three-dimensional internal flowfields for application towards aerospace propulsion systems requires computational resources available only on supercomputers. A survey is presented of three-dimensional calculations of hypersonic, transonic, and subsonic internal flowfields conducted at the Lewis Research Center. A steady state Parabolized Navier-Stokes (PNS) solution of flow in a Mach 5.0, mixed compression inlet, a Navier-Stokes solution of flow in the vicinity of a terminal shock, and a PNS solution of flow in a diffusing S-bend with vortex generators are presented and discussed. All of these calculations were performed on either the NAS Cray-2 or the Lewis Research Center Cray XMP.

Decoy state method for quantum cryptography based on phase coding into faint laser pulses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kulik, S. P.; Molotkov, S. N.

2017-12-01

We discuss the photon number splitting attack (PNS) in systems of quantum cryptography with phase coding. It is shown that this attack, as well as the structural equations for the PNS attack for phase encoding, differs physically from the analogous attack applied to the polarization coding. As far as we know, in practice, in all works to date processing of experimental data has been done for phase coding, but using formulas for polarization coding. This can lead to inadequate results for the length of the secret key. These calculations are important for the correct interpretation of the results, especially if it concerns the criterion of secrecy in quantum cryptography.

Mean-field approximation for spacing distribution functions in classical systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

González, Diego Luis; Pimpinelli, Alberto; Einstein, T. L.

2012-01-01

We propose a mean-field method to calculate approximately the spacing distribution functions p(n)(s) in one-dimensional classical many-particle systems. We compare our method with two other commonly used methods, the independent interval approximation and the extended Wigner surmise. In our mean-field approach, p(n)(s) is calculated from a set of Langevin equations, which are decoupled by using a mean-field approximation. We find that in spite of its simplicity, the mean-field approximation provides good results in several systems. We offer many examples illustrating that the three previously mentioned methods give a reasonable description of the statistical behavior of the system. The physical interpretation of each method is also discussed.

A clean self reduces bribery intent.

PubMed

Li, Chao; Liu, Li; Zheng, Wenwen; Dang, Jianning; Liang, Yuan

2017-08-14

The present research aimed at investigating the effect of physical cleanliness on bribery intent and the moderating role of personal need for structure (PNS) on this relationship. In Study 1, we used questionnaires to establish the correlation between bodily cleanliness and bribery intent. In Study 2, we examined the effect by priming sense of self-cleanliness. Study 3 was conducted outside a public bath to test our finding that physical purity decreases bribery intent again; we further found that individuals with high PNS showed no reduction in bribery intent even after cleaning themselves. We thus connected physical cleanliness with the corruption field and improved our understanding of its underlying moderating mechanism. © 2017 International Union of Psychological Science.

Speech sequence skill learning in adults who stutter.

PubMed

Bauerly, Kim R; De Nil, Luc F

2011-12-01

The present study compared the ability of 12 people who stutter (PWS) and 12 people who do not stutter (PNS) to consolidate a novel sequential speech task. Participants practiced 100 repetitions of a single, monosyllabic, nonsense word sequence during an initial practice session and returned 24-h later to perform an additional 50 repetitions. Results showed significantly slower sequence durations in the PWS compared to PNS following extensive practice and consolidation. However, the hypothesis that poor performance gains in PWS compared to PNS during practice would be maintained following a 24-h consolidation period was not supported. Further descriptive analysis revealed large within group differences in PWS which to some extent were attributed to a subgroup of PWS who failed to show any improvements in performance following practice or consolidation. The results and the possible presence of subgroups of PWS are discussed with regard to their limitations in motor learning abilities. The reader will be able to (1) explain the difference between practice and learning, (2) define consolidation and explain the importance of measuring performance following a consolidation period, (3) understand past research on PWS' performance during both speech and nonspeech motor tasks, and (4) explain why individual differences in practice effects and learning may have important implications for client variability in treatment outcome. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The utility of combining RSA indices in depression prediction.

PubMed

Yaroslavsky, Ilya; Rottenberg, Jonathan; Kovacs, Maria

2013-05-01

Depression is associated with protracted despondent mood, blunted emotional reactivity, and dysregulated parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) activity. PNS activity is commonly indexed via cardiac output, using indictors of its level (resting respiratory sinus arrhythmia [RSA]) or fluctuations (RSA reactivity). RSA reactivity can reflect increased or decreased PNS cardiac output (RSA augmentation and RSA withdrawal, respectively). Because a single index of a dynamic physiological system may be inadequate to characterize interindividual differences, we investigated whether the interaction of RSA reactivity and resting RSA is a better predictor of depression. Adult probands with childhood-onset depressive disorder histories (n = 113) and controls with no history of major mental disorders (n = 93) completed a psychophysiology protocol involving assessment of RSA at multiple rest periods and while watching a sad film. When examined independently, resting RSA and RSA reactivity were unrelated to depression, but their interaction predicted latent depression levels and proband status. In the context of high resting RSA, RSA withdrawal from the sad film predicted the lowest levels of depressive symptoms (irrespective of depression histories) and the greatest likelihood of having had no history of major mental disorder (irrespective of current distress). Our findings highlight the utility of combining indices of physiological responses in studying depression; combinations of RSA indices should be given future consideration as reflecting depression endophenotypes. © 2013 American Psychological Association

Necessity of introducing postencounter note describing history and physical examination at clinical performance examination in Korea.

PubMed

Kim, Jonghoon

2014-06-01

Information gathering ability had been evaluated mainly via checklists in clinical performance examinations (CPX). But, it is not proved yet if students write the information correctly in postencounter note (PN), although they asked questions or performed physical examinations (PE) about the information when they interacted with standardized patients in CPX. This study addressed the necessity of introducing PN to evaluate the ability in CPX. After patient encounters, students were instructed to write the findings of history taking and physical examination that they considered as important information in approaching the patient's problems in PN. PNs were scored using answer keys selected from checklist items, which were considered to be recorded in PN by CPX experts. PNs of six CPX cases from 54 students were analyzed. Correlation coefficients between the key-checklist scores and PN scores of six cases were moderate to high (0.52 to 0.79). However, students frequently neglected some cardinal features of chief complains, pertinent findings of past/social history and PE, and pertinent negative findings of associated symptoms in PNs, which were checked as 'done' in the keys of checklists. It is necessary to introduce PN in CPX to evaluate the students' ability of synthesis and integration of patient information.

Reexamining the role of choline transporter-like (Ctlp) proteins in choline transport.

PubMed

Zufferey, Rachel; Santiago, Teresa C; Brachet, Valerie; Ben Mamoun, Choukri

2004-02-01

In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, choline enters the cell via a single high-affinity transporter, Hnmlp. hnm1delta cells lacking HNM1 gene are viable. However, they are unable to transport choline suggesting that no additional active choline transporters are present in this organism. A complementation study of a choline auxotrophic mutant, ctrl-ise (hnm1-ise), using a cDNA library from Torpedo marmorata electric lobe identified a membrane protein named Torpedo marmorata choline transporter-like, tCtl1p. tCtllp was proposed to mediate a high-affinity choline transport (O'Regan et al., 1999, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci.). Homologs of tCtl1p have been identified in other organisms, including yeast (Pns1p, YOR161c) and are postulated to function as choline transporters. Here we provide several lines of evidence indicating that Ctlp proteins are not involved in choline transport. Loss of PNS1 has no effect on choline transport and overexpression of either PNS1 or tCTL1 does not restore choline uptake activity of choline transport-defective mutants. The data presented here call into question the role of proteins of the CTL family in choline transport and suggest that the mechanism by which tCTL1 complements hnm1-ise mutant is independent of its ability to transport choline.

Planetary Nebulae: Reviews and Previews of a Rapidly Evolving Field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Balick, Bruce

2015-01-01

Observational results from the ground and space in the past decade and covering the entire spectrum have jolted and energized research into the nature, the formation, and the evolution of planetary nebulae (PNs). The 101-level bubble structure of PNs turned out to be a pleasant but misleading fantasy as observations by HST and ALMA revealed basic details of their infancy. Some combination of close geriatric binary stars (the precusrors of SN Ia's) and magnetic fields dredged into the dusty winds appear to play vital roles in the ejection and collimation of AGB atmospheres. As a result, PNe and their antecedents, AGB stars and prePNs, are providing an array of new opportunities to study asymmetric wind formation, complex gas dynamics, CNO production rates in various galactic environments, and galaxy structure and evolution. I shall review the highlights of recent results, summarize their interpretations, and show some of the observational opportunities to monitor in the next decade, many of which couple strongly to research to related fields.This talk is dedicated to the career of Olivier Chesneau (1972-2014) who pioneered new high-resolution imaging methods that peered into the deep inner cores of nascent planetary nebulae. We remember Olivier as everyone's enthusiastic friend and colleague whose career ended in full stride.

Gravitational Wave Signatures in Black Hole Forming Core Collapse

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cerdá-Durán, Pablo; DeBrye, Nicolas; Aloy, Miguel A.; Font, José A.; Obergaulinger, Martin

2013-12-01

We present general relativistic numerical simulations of collapsing stellar cores. Our initial model consists of a low metallicity rapidly-rotating progenitor which is evolved in axisymmetry with the latest version of our general relativistic code CoCoNuT, which allows for black hole formation and includes the effects of a microphysical equation of state (LS220) and a neutrino leakage scheme to account for radiative losses. The motivation of our study is to analyze in detail the emission of gravitational waves in the collapsar scenario of long gamma-ray bursts. Our simulations show that the phase during which the proto-neutron star (PNS) survives before ultimately collapsing to a black hole is particularly optimal for gravitational wave emission. The high-amplitude waves last for several seconds and show a remarkable quasi-periodicity associated with the violent PNS dynamics, namely during the episodes of convection and the subsequent nonlinear development of the standing-accretion shock instability (SASI). By analyzing the spectrogram of our simulations we are able to identify the frequencies associated with the presence of g-modes and with the SASI motions at the PNS surface. We note that the gravitational waves emitted reach large enough amplitudes to be detected with third-generation detectors such as the Einstein Telescope within a Virgo Cluster volume at rates <~ 0.1 yr-1.

Morphological and Functional Attenuation of Degeneration of Peripheral Neurons by Mesenchymal Stem Cell-Conditioned Medium in Spinocerebellar Ataxia Type 1-Knock-in Mice.

PubMed

Suto, Nana; Mieda, Tokue; Iizuka, Akira; Nakamura, Kazuhiro; Hirai, Hirokazu

2016-08-01

Spinocerebellar ataxia type 1 (SCA1) is caused by the ataxin-1 protein (ATXN1) with an abnormally expanded polyglutamine tract and is characterized by progressive neurodegeneration. We previously showed that intrathecal injection of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) during the nonsymptomatic stage mitigates the degeneration of the peripheral nervous system (PNS) neurons in SCA1-knock-in (SCA1-KI) mice. We tested in this study whether the therapeutic effects of MSCs in SCA1-KI mice could be reproduced with MSC-releasing factor(s). To test the effects of MSC-releasing factor(s), we used MSC-conditioned medium (MSC-CM). MSC-CM was intrathecally and/or intravenously injected into young SCA1-KI mice, and the therapeutic effects were assessed in the PNS at later ages using immunostaining, electrophysiology, and behavioral tests. MSC-CM attenuated the degeneration of axons and myelin of spinal motor neurons. Consequently, the injected SCA1-KI mice exhibited smaller reductions in nerve conduction velocity in spinal motor neurons and reduced motor incoordination than the untreated mice. These results suggest that factors released from MSC mitigate the morphological and functional abnormalities in the PNS that are observed in SCA1-KI mice in a paracrine manner. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Techniques for Updating Pedestrian Network Data Including Facilities and Obstructions Information for Transportation of Vulnerable People

PubMed Central

Park, Seula; Bang, Yoonsik; Yu, Kiyun

2015-01-01

Demand for a Pedestrian Navigation Service (PNS) is on the rise. To provide a PNS for the transportation of vulnerable people, more detailed information of pedestrian facilities and obstructions should be included in Pedestrian Network Data (PND) used for PNS. Such data can be constructed efficiently by collecting GPS trajectories and integrating them with the existing PND. However, these two kinds of data have geometric differences and topological inconsistencies that need to be addressed. In this paper, we provide a methodology for integrating pedestrian facilities and obstructions information with an existing PND. At first we extracted the significant points from user-collected GPS trajectory by identifying the geometric difference index and attributes of each point. Then the extracted points were used to make an initial solution of the matching between the trajectory and the PND. Two geometrical algorithms were proposed and applied to reduce two kinds of errors in the matching: on dual lines and on intersections. Using the final solution for the matching, we reconstructed the node/link structure of PND including the facilities and obstructions information. Finally, performance was assessed with a test site and 79.2% of the collected data were correctly integrated with the PND. PMID:26404307

Tonic and Phasic Receptor Neurons in the Vertebrate Olfactory Epithelium

PubMed Central

Madrid, Rodolfo; Sanhueza, Magdalena; Alvarez, Osvaldo; Bacigalupo, Juan

2003-01-01

Olfactory receptor neurons (ORNs) respond to odorants with characteristic patterns of action potentials that are relevant for odor coding. Prolonged odorant exposures revealed three populations of dissociated toad ORNs, which were mimicked by depolarizing currents: tonic (TN, displaying sustained firing, 49% of 102 cells), phasic (PN, exhibiting brief action potential trains, 36%) and intermediate neurons (IN, generating trains longer than PN, 15%). We studied the biophysical properties underlying the differences between TNs and PNs, the most extreme cases among ORNs. TNs and PNs possessed similar membrane capacitances (∼4 pF), but they differed in resting potential (−82 versus −64 mV), input resistance (4.2 versus 2.9 GΩ) and unspecific current, Iu (TNs: 0 < Iu ≤ 1 pA/pF; and PNs: Iu > 1 pA/pF). Firing behavior did not correlate with differences in voltage-gated conductances. We developed a mathematical model that accurately simulates tonic and phasic patterns. Whole cell recordings from rat ORNs in fragments (∼4 mm2) of olfactory epithelium showed that such a tissue normally contains tonic and phasic receptor neurons, suggesting that this feature is common across a wide range of vertebrates. Our findings show that the individual passive electrical properties can govern the firing patterns of ORNs. PMID:12770919

Application of Petri Nets in Bone Remodeling

PubMed Central

Li, Lingxi; Yokota, Hiroki

2009-01-01

Understanding a mechanism of bone remodeling is a challenging task for both life scientists and model builders, since this highly interactive and nonlinear process can seldom be grasped by simple intuition. A set of ordinary differential equations (ODEs) have been built for simulating bone formation as well as bone resorption. Although solving ODEs numerically can provide useful predictions for dynamical behaviors in a continuous time frame, an actual bone remodeling process in living tissues is driven by discrete events of molecular and cellular interactions. Thus, an event-driven tool such as Petri nets (PNs), which may dynamically and graphically mimic individual molecular collisions or cellular interactions, seems to augment the existing ODE-based systems analysis. Here, we applied PNs to expand the ODE-based approach and examined discrete, dynamical behaviors of key regulatory molecules and bone cells. PNs have been used in many engineering areas, but their application to biological systems needs to be explored. Our PN model was based on 8 ODEs that described an osteoprotegerin linked molecular pathway consisting of 4 types of bone cells. The models allowed us to conduct both qualitative and quantitative evaluations and evaluate homeostatic equilibrium states. The results support that application of PN models assists understanding of an event-driven bone remodeling mechanism using PN-specific procedures such as places, transitions, and firings. PMID:19838338

Photon-number-splitting versus cloning attacks in practical implementations of the Bennett-Brassard 1984 protocol for quantum cryptography

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Niederberger, Armand; Scarani, Valerio; Gisin, Nicolas

2005-04-01

In practical quantum cryptography, the source sometimes produces multiphoton pulses, thus enabling the eavesdropper Eve to perform the powerful photon-number-splitting (PNS) attack. Recently, it was shown by Curty and Luetkenhaus [Phys. Rev. A 69, 042321 (2004)] that the PNS attack is not always the optimal attack when two photons are present: if errors are present in the correlations Alice-Bob and if Eve cannot modify Bob's detection efficiency, Eve gains a larger amount of information using another attack based on a 2{yields}3 cloning machine. In this work, we extend this analysis to all distances Alice-Bob. We identify a new incoherent 2{yields}3more » cloning attack which performs better than those described before. Using it, we confirm that, in the presence of errors, Eve's better strategy uses 2{yields}3 cloning attacks instead of the PNS. However, this improvement is very small for the implementations of the Bennett-Brassard 1984 (BB84) protocol. Thus, the existence of these new attacks is conceptually interesting but basically does not change the value of the security parameters of BB84. The main results are valid both for Poissonian and sub-Poissonian sources.« less

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Cerdá-Durán, Pablo; DeBrye, Nicolas; Aloy, Miguel A.

We present general relativistic numerical simulations of collapsing stellar cores. Our initial model consists of a low metallicity rapidly-rotating progenitor which is evolved in axisymmetry with the latest version of our general relativistic code CoCoNuT, which allows for black hole formation and includes the effects of a microphysical equation of state (LS220) and a neutrino leakage scheme to account for radiative losses. The motivation of our study is to analyze in detail the emission of gravitational waves in the collapsar scenario of long gamma-ray bursts. Our simulations show that the phase during which the proto-neutron star (PNS) survives before ultimatelymore » collapsing to a black hole is particularly optimal for gravitational wave emission. The high-amplitude waves last for several seconds and show a remarkable quasi-periodicity associated with the violent PNS dynamics, namely during the episodes of convection and the subsequent nonlinear development of the standing-accretion shock instability (SASI). By analyzing the spectrogram of our simulations we are able to identify the frequencies associated with the presence of g-modes and with the SASI motions at the PNS surface. We note that the gravitational waves emitted reach large enough amplitudes to be detected with third-generation detectors such as the Einstein Telescope within a Virgo Cluster volume at rates ≲ 0.1 yr{sup –1}.« less

Biomimetic Architectures for Peripheral Nerve Repair: A Review of Biofabrication Strategies.

PubMed

Wieringa, Paul A; Gonçalves de Pinho, Ana Rita; Micera, Silvestro; van Wezel, Richard J A; Moroni, Lorenzo

2018-04-01

Biofabrication techniques have endeavored to improve the regeneration of the peripheral nervous system (PNS), but nothing has surpassed the performance of current clinical practices. However, these current approaches have intrinsic limitations that compromise patient care. The "gold standard" autograft provides the best outcomes but requires suitable donor material, while implantable hollow nerve guide conduits (NGCs) can only repair small nerve defects. This review places emphasis on approaches that create structural cues within a hollow NGC lumen in order to match or exceed the regenerative performance of the autograft. An overview of the PNS and nerve regeneration is provided. This is followed by an assessment of reported devices, divided into three major categories: isotropic hydrogel fillers, acting as unstructured interluminal support for regenerating nerves; fibrous interluminal fillers, presenting neurites with topographical guidance within the lumen; and patterned interluminal scaffolds, providing 3D support for nerve growth via structures that mimic native PNS tissue. Also presented is a critical framework to evaluate the impact of reported outcomes. While a universal and versatile nerve repair strategy remains elusive, outlined here is a roadmap of past, present, and emerging fabrication techniques to inform and motivate new developments in the field of peripheral nerve regeneration. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Leishmania Major Infection Among Psammomys Obesus and Meriones Shawi: Reservoirs of Zoonotic Cutaneous Leishmaniasis in Sidi Bouzid (Central Tunisia)

PubMed Central

Toumi, Amine; Snoussi, Mohamed-Ali; Chlif, Sadok; Zâatour, Amor; Boukthir, Aïcha; Bel Haj Hamida, Nabil; Chemkhi, Jomâa; Diouani, Mohamed Fethi; Ben-Salah, Afif

2011-01-01

Abstract A study was undertaken between November 2008 and March 2010, in the focus of cutaneous leishmaniasis of Central Tunisia, to evaluate the role of Psammomys obesus (n=472) and Meriones shawi (n=167) as reservoir hosts for Leishmania major infection. Prevalence of L. major infection was 7% versus 5% for culture (p=not signifiant [NS]), 19% versus 16% for direct examination of smears (p=NS), and 20% versus 33% (p=NS) for Indirect Fluorescent Antibody Test among P. obesus and M. shawi, respectively. The peak of this infection was in winter and autumn and increased steadily with age for the both species of rodents. The clinical examination showed that depilation, hyper-pigmentation, ignition, and severe edema of the higher edge of the ears were the most frequent signs observed in the study sample (all signs combined: 47% for P. obesus versus 43% for M. shawi; p=NS). However, the lesions were bilateral and seem to be more destructive among M. shawi compared with P. obesus. Asymptomatic infection was ∼40% for both rodents. This study demonstrated that M. shawi plays an important role in the transmission and the emergence of Leishmania major cutaneous leishmaniasis in Tunisia. PMID:21919726

Modeling of an argon cascaded arc plasma by ANSYS FLUENT

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wei, Guodong; Qi, Xin; Yang, Lei

2014-04-01

In this work, an argon cascaded arc plasma is simulated by the business software ANSYS FLUENT. In fact, thus plasma is a high temperature arc (plasma window) with an average temperature of 12000 °C, which can be used as a medium between high pressure and vacuum mainly due to its characteristics of high temperature. According to the simulating results, the temperature can reach as high as 11500 °C which is in great agreement with that of other reports about plasma window.

CFD RANS Simulations on a Generic Conventional Scale Model Submarine: Comparison between Fluent and OpenFOAM

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-09-01

lift and drag forces on two model car geometries (designated as the VRAK model and the S80 model). For the VRAK model the OpenFOAM drag coefficient was...lift coefficient was 16.5% higher than the Fluent value. Both model car geometries were meshed using Harpoon, which is a commercial software package...2. Clarke, G., Vun, S., Giacobello, M. and Reddy, R., “Estimation of ARH Tiger Fuselage Aerodynamic Characteristics Using Computational Fluid

Comparison of Ultrasound with Peripheral Nerve Stimulator-guided Technique for Supraclavicular Block in Upper Limb Surgeries: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

PubMed

Alfred, Vinu Mervick; Srinivasan, Gnanasekaran; Zachariah, Mamie

2018-01-01

The supraclavicular approach is considered to be the easiest and most effective approach to block the brachial plexus for upper limb surgeries. The classical approach using the anatomical landmark technique was associated with higher failure rates and complications. Ultrasonography (USG) guidance and peripheral nerve stimulator (PNS) have improved the success rates and safety margin. The aim of the present study is to compare USG with PNS in supraclavicular brachial plexus block for upper limb surgeries with respect to the onset of motor and sensory blockade, total duration of blockade, procedure time, and complications. Prospective, randomized controlled study. Sixty patients aged above 18 years scheduled for elective upper limb surgery were randomly allocated into two groups. Group A patients received supraclavicular brachial plexus block under ultrasound guidance and in Group B patients, PNS was used. In both groups, local anesthetic mixture consisting of 15 ml of 0.5% bupivacaine and 10 ml of 2% lignocaine with 1:200,000 adrenaline were used. Independent t -test used to compare mean between groups; Chi-square test for categorical variables. The procedure time was shorter with USG (11.57 ± 2.75 min) compared to PNS (21.73 ± 4.84). The onset time of sensory block (12.83 ± 3.64 min vs. 16 ± 3.57 min) and onset of motor block (23 ± 4.27 min vs. 27 ± 3.85 min) were significantly shorter in Group A compared to Group B ( P < 0.05). The duration of sensory block was significantly prolonged in Group A (8.00 ± 0.891 h) compared to Group B (7.25 ± 1.418 h). None of the patients in either groups developed any complications. The ultrasound-guided supraclavicular brachial plexus block can be done quicker, with a faster onset of sensory and motor block compared to nerve stimulator technique.

Quantitation of maxillary remodeling. 1. A description of osseous changes relative to superimposition on metallic implants.

PubMed

Baumrind, S; Korn, E L; Ben-Bassat, Y; West, E E

1987-01-01

Lateral skull radiographs for a set of 31 human subjects were examined using computer-aided methods in an attempt to quantify modal trends of maxillary remodeling during the mixed dentition and adolescent growth periods. Cumulative changes in position of anterior nasal spine (ANS), posterior nasal spine (PNS), and Point A are reported at annual intervals relative to superimposition on previously placed maxillary metallic implants. This in vivo longitudinal study confirms at a high level of confidence earlier findings by Enlow, Björk, Melsen, and others to the effect that the superior surface of the maxilla remodels downward during the period of growth and development being investigated. However, the inter-individual variability is relatively large, the mean magnitudes of change are relatively small, and the rate of change appears to diminish by 13.5 years. For the 19 subjects for whom data were available for the time interval from 8.5 to 15.5 years, mean downward remodeling at PNS was 2.50 mm with a standard deviation of 2.23 mm. At ANS, corresponding mean value was 1.56 mm with a standard deviation of 2.92 mm. Mean rotation of the ANS-PNS line relative to the implant line was 1.1 degree in the "forward" direction. However, this rotational change was particularly variable with a standard deviation of 4.6 degrees and a range of 11.3 degrees "forward" to 6.7 degrees "backward." The study provides strong evidence that the palate elongates anteroposteriorly mainly by the backward remodeling of structures located posterior to the region in which the implants were placed. There is also evidence that supports the idea of modal resorptive remodeling at ANS and PNS, but here the data are somewhat more equivocal. It appears likely, but not certain, that there are real differences in the modal patterns of remodeling between treated and untreated subjects. Because of problems associated with overfragmentation of the sample, sex differences were not investigated.

Effects of the Herbicide Imazethapyr on Photosynthesis in PGR5- and NDH-Deficient Arabidopsis thaliana at the Biochemical, Transcriptomic, and Proteomic Levels.

PubMed

Sun, Chongchong; Chen, Si; Jin, Yujian; Song, Hao; Ruan, Songlin; Fu, Zhengwei; Asad, Muhammad Asad Ullah; Qian, Haifeng

2016-06-08

Photosynthesis is a very important metabolic pathway for plant growth and crop yield. This report investigated the effect of the herbicide imazethapyr on photosynthesis in the Arabidopsis thaliana pnsB3 mutant (a defect in the NDH pathway) and pgr5 mutant (a defect in the PGR5 pathway) to determine which cyclic electron transport chain (CET) of the NDH and PGR5 pathways is more important for protecting the photosynthetic system under herbicide stress. The results showed that 20 μg/L imazethapyr markedly inhibited the growth of the three ecotypes of A. thaliana and produced more anthocyanins and reactive oxygen species (ROS), particularly in the pgr5 mutant. The chlorophyll fluorescence results showed that PSII was severely damaged in the pgr5 mutant. Additionally, the CET was significantly stimulated to protect the photosynthetic system from light damage in Wt and the pnsB3 mutant but not the pgr5 mutant. The real-time PCR analysis indicated that imazethapyr treatment considerably decreased the transcript levels of most photosynthesis-related genes in the three treated groups. Several genes in the PGR5 pathway were significantly induced in the pnsB3 mutant, but no genes in the NDH pathway were induced in the pgr5 mutant. The gene transcription analysis showed that the pgr5 mutant cannot compensate for the deficit in the PGR5 pathway by stimulating the NDH pathway, whereas the pnsB3 mutant can compensate for the deficit in the CET cycle by regulating the PGR5 pathway. The iTRAQ analyses also showed that the photosynthesis system, glycolysis, and TCA cycle suffered the most severe damage in the pgr5 mutant. All of these results showed that the PGR5 pathway is more critical for electron transfer around PSI than the NDH pathway to resist herbicide stress.

Subcutaneous peripheral nerve stimulation with inter-lead stimulation for axial neck and low back pain: case series and review of the literature.

PubMed

Burgher, Abram H; Huntoon, Marc A; Turley, Todd W; Doust, Matthew W; Stearns, Lisa J

2012-01-01

While pain in the extremities often responds to treatment using spinal cord stimulation (SCS), axial pain is notoriously refractory to SCS. Interest in subcutaneous peripheral nerve stimulation (SQ PNS) as an alternative to SCS has emerged, but the most appropriate electrode locations and neurostimulator programming techniques are not yet clear. A retrospective review was conducted of consecutive patients evaluated from August 2009 to December 2010 who had undergone trial of SQ PNS with inter-lead stimulation for axial spine pain. Patients proceeding to implant were followed postoperatively with routine clinical visits and a survey form at last follow-up. Ultrasound was used intraoperatively to ensure placement of electrodes at the appropriate depth in patients with larger body mass index. Primary outcome was patient-reported pain relief at last follow-up. Literature review was conducted by searching MEDLINE (1948-present) and through an unstructured review by the authors. Ten patients underwent trial of SQ PNS and six proceeded to permanent implantation. Fifty percent (3/6) of implanted patients preferred neurostimulation programming that included inter-lead stimulation ("cross-talk"). Average duration of postoperative follow-up was 4.5 months (range 2-9 months). Average patient-reported pain relief at last follow-up was 45% (range 20-80%). One patient required re-operation for migration. Patients not proceeding to implant had paresthesia coverage but no analgesia. SQ PNS is a promising therapy for axial neck and back pain based on a small cohort of patients. Ultrasound was useful to assist with electrode placement at the most appropriate depth beneath the skin. While inter-lead stimulation has been preferred by patients in published reports, we did not find it clearly influenced pain relief. Future investigations should include a randomized, controlled study design, as well as defined implantation technique and neurostimulator programming algorithms. © 2011 International Neuromodulation Society.

Effective secondary prevention through cardiac rehabilitation after coronary revascularization and predictors of poor adherence to lifestyle modification and medication. Results of the ICAROS Survey.

PubMed

Griffo, Raffaele; Ambrosetti, Marco; Tramarin, Roberto; Fattirolli, Francesco; Temporelli, Pier Luigi; Vestri, Anna Rita; De Feo, Stefania; Tavazzi, Luigi

2013-08-20

Secondary prevention is a priority after coronary revascularization. We investigate the impact of a cardiac rehabilitation (CR) program on lifestyle, risk factors and medication modifications and analyze predictors of poor behavioral changes and events in patients after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) or percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Multicenter (n=62), prospective, longitudinal survey in post-CABG or -PCI consecutive patients after a comprehensive CR program. Cardiac risk factors, lifestyle habits, medication and 1 year cardiovascular events were collected. Logistic regression analyzed the association between risk factors, events and predictors of non-adherence to treatment and lifestyle. At 1 year, of the 1262 patients (66 ± 10 years, CABG 69%, PCI 31%), 94% were taking antiplatelet agents (vs. 91.8% at CR admission and 91.7% at CR discharge, p=ns), 87% statins (vs. 67.5%, p<.0001, and 86.3%, p=ns), 80.7% beta-blockers (vs. 67.4%, p<.0001, and 88.8%, p=ns), and 81.1% ACE inhibitors (vs. 57.5% p<.0001, and 77.7%, p=ns). 89.9% of the patients showed good adherence to treatment, 72% adhered to diet and 51% to exercise recommendations; 74% of smokers stopped smoking. Younger age was predictive of smoking resumption (OR 8.9, CI 3.5-22.8). Pre-event sedentary lifestyle (OR 3.3, CI 1.3-8.7) was predictive of poor diet. Older patients with comorbidity (OR 3.1; CI, 1.8-5.2) tended to persist in sedentary lifestyle and discontinue therapy and diet recommendations. Age, diabetes, smoking and PCI indication were predictors of recurrent CV events which occurred in 142 patients. Participation in CR results in excellent treatment after revascularization, as well as a good lifestyle and medication adherence at 1 year and provides further confirmation of the benefit of secondary prevention. Several clinical characteristics may predict poor behavioral changes. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Is serial determination of inspiratory muscle strength a useful prognostic marker in chronic heart failure?

PubMed

Frankenstein, Lutz; Meyer, Franz Joachim; Sigg, Caroline; Nelles, Manfred; Schellberg, Dieter; Remppis, Andrew; Katus, Hugo A; Zugck, Christian

2008-04-01

Little data exists on the prognostic role of inspiratory muscle strength (PImax) in chronic heart failure (CHF). Training studies, however, frequently use it as a therapeutic target and surrogate marker for prognosis. The prognostic value of changes of PImax that allow this extrapolation is unknown. Patients with stable CHF were prospectively included and 1-year and all-time event rates recorded for endpoint analysis. In 158 patients (85% men; New York Heart Association functional class: 2.4+/-0.6), PImax was measured along with clinical evaluations at two visits, the initial visit and the second visit, 6.4+/-1.4 months apart. The mean follow-up was 59+/-34 months. Overall, 59 patients (37%) reached the primary endpoint of death or hospitalization (endpoint positive), and overall mortality rate (secondary endpoint) was 26% (42 patients). PImax did not differ between endpoint-negative and endpoint-positive patients, both at the initial and at the second visit (8.3+/-5.6 vs. 7.3+/-3.4 kPa and 8.8+/-6.0 vs. 7.9+/-3.6 kPa, respectively; P=NS), and both groups showed increased PImax (0.6+/-2.6 vs. 0.6+/-2.8 kPa; P=NS). Cox analyses found neither the absolute nor the relative change of PImax to be significant predictors for the primary and secondary endpoints (P=NS for both), both for the 1-year and for the all-time event rates. Endpoint rates did not differ between patients showing increasing or decreasing PImax (P=NS; relative risk (RR): 0.77; 95% confidence interval: 0.47-1.27). Trials focusing on inspiratory muscle function should use the actual levels of PImax as a surrogate marker to represent prognostic information, rather than relative or absolute changes. This is the first study to investigate the prognostic information of the changes of PImax over time, regarding both short-term and long-term morbidity and mortality in patients with stable CHF.

18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography in the diagnosis of malignancy in patients with paraneoplastic neurological syndrome: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

PubMed

García Vicente, Ana María; Delgado-Bolton, Roberto C; Amo-Salas, Mariano; López-Fidalgo, Jesús; Caresia Aróztegui, Ana Paula; García Garzón, José Ramón; Orcajo Rincón, Javier; García Velloso, María José; de Arcocha Torres, María; Alvárez Ruíz, Soledad

2017-08-01

The detection of occult cancer in patients suspected of having a paraneoplastic neurological syndrome (PNS) poses a diagnostic challenge. The aim of our study was to perform a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the diagnostic performance of FDG PET for the detection of occult malignant disease responsible for PNS. A systematic review of the literature (MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane, and DARE) was undertaken to identify studies published in any language. The search strategy was structured after addressing clinical questions regarding the validity or usefulness of the test, following the PICO framework. Inclusion criteria were studies involving patients with PNS in whom FDG PET was performed to detect malignancy, and which reported sufficient primary data to allow calculation of diagnostic accuracy parameters. When possible, a meta-analysis was performed to calculate the joint sensitivity, specificity, and detection rate for malignancy (with 95% confidence intervals [CIs]), as well as a subgroup analysis based on patient characteristics (antibodies, syndrome). The comprehensive literature search revealed 700 references. Sixteen studies met the inclusion criteria and were ultimately selected. Most of the studies were retrospective (12/16). For the quality assessment, the QUADAS-2 tool was applied to assess the risk of bias. Across 16 studies (793 patients), the joint sensitivity, specificity, and detection rate for malignancy with FDG PET were 0.87 (95% CI: 0.80-0.93), 0.86 (95% CI: 0.83-0.89), and 14.9% (95% CI: 11.5-18.7), respectively. The area under the curve (AUC) of the summary ROC curve was 0.917. Homogeneity of results was observed for sensitivity but not for specificity. Some of the individual studies showed large 95% CIs as a result of small sample size. The results of our meta-analysis reveal high diagnostic performance of FDG PET in the detection of malignancy responsible for PNS, not affected by the presence of onconeural antibodies or clinical characteristics.