A new device for collecting saliva for cortisol determination

Saliva for measurement of cortisol is generally sampled by swabbing the mouth with a cotton roll, but this method has drawbacks. In the present study, we evaluated the use of an eye sponge as an oral collection device for saliva cortisol. The eye sponge was compared with commercial cotton rolls, and tested for use in infants as well as adults. Our results show that the eye sponge has adequate cortisol recoveries, even after samples have been kept at 4-8 degrees C for up to a week. In adults, volumes of 200-250 microl are obtained without problem; although smaller volumes are obtained in young infants, they are sufficient for assays requiring only 50-100 microl of saliva. In conclusion, the eye sponge is a valid and adequate collection device for saliva cortisol. Additional advantages as compared to cotton rolls are: more comfortable sampling, tastelessness, no need to manipulate the absorbing material, and the ease with which the untrained eye can determine that enough saliva has been collected.     

早期跑轮联合针刺对重度脑外伤大鼠运动功能及脑源性神经生长因子表达的影响

目的:探究早期跑轮联合针刺对重度脑外伤大鼠运动功能及前额叶皮质脑源性神经生长因子(BDNF)表达的影响。方法:50只SD大鼠随机分为假手术组、模型组、针刺组、跑轮组和联合组,每组10只。改良Feeney法制备重度脑外伤大鼠模型。术后第二天开始干预,然后在不同时间点利用改良神经功能缺损评分(mNSS)和足误试验分别评估大鼠神经功能与协调功能。2周后利用Western Blot和免疫组化分别检测皮质BDNF的表达和阳性反应。结果:治疗第7、10、14天联合组大鼠mNSS评分明显低于模型组(P0.05),治疗第10、14天各干预组大鼠足误试验评分明显提高(P0.05)。2周后,与假手术组比较,模型组前额叶皮质BDNF表达降低(P0.05),而联合组BDNF的表达显著提高(P0.05)。免疫组化染色结果显示,与模型组比较,针刺组和跑轮组BDNF的表达增加(P0.05);而与针刺组和跑轮组比较,联合治疗组BDNF平均光密度值明显增加(P0.05)。结论:早期跑轮联合针刺可能通过提高皮质中BDNF的表达来改善脑外伤大鼠的运动功能。     

山莨菪碱足三里穴位注射并口服脾可欣颗粒治疗婴幼儿轮状病毒性肠炎的研究

目的探讨山莨菪碱足三里穴位注射并口服脾可欣颗粒治疗婴幼儿轮状病毒性肠炎的疗效及安全性。方法将720例婴幼儿轮状病毒性肠炎患儿随机分为A、B、C、D4组。A组（165例）：给予常规治疗;B组（170例）：在常规治疗的基础上给予口服脾可欣颗粒;C组（169例）：在常规治疗的基础上给予山莨菪碱足三里穴位注射;D组（216例）：在常规治疗的基础上给予山莨菪碱足三里穴位注射并口服脾可欣颗粒;比较4组患儿治疗3天后临床疗效及不良反应发生情况。结果总有效率C组和D组明显高于A组和B组（P〈0.01）,显效率、轮状病毒转阴率D组明显高于A组（P〈0.01）、B组（P〈0.01）和C组（P〈0.05）,病情复发率D组显著低于C组（P〈0.01）;4组均无明显不良反应发生。结论山莨菪碱足三里穴位注射并口服脾可欣颗粒治疗婴幼儿轮状病毒性肠炎安全、有效,值得在临床推广应用。     

HPCE法测定氧氟沙星滴眼液的含量

目的：建立高效毛细管电泳法测定氧氟沙星滴眼液的含量。方法：石英毛细管（40cm×50um）,运行缓冲溶液为80mmol·L^-1磷酸缓冲液,分离电压为15KV;压力进样5s;柱温25℃;检测波长254nm。结果：氧氟沙星的线性范围0．03～0．36mg·ml^-1（r=0．9992）;平均回收率为99．9％（RSD=0．4％,n=6）。结论：方法简便快捷,可控制氧氟沙星滴眼液的质量。     

调和阴阳法治疗失眠症临床观察

目的：观察调和阴阳法针刺治疗失眠症的疗效。方法：针刺组32倒采用针刺,药物组32例采用安定治疗,比较两组疗效。结果：针刺组总有效率为90．3％,与药物组疗效相当;针刺组中病程≤1年者临床痊愈率高于病程〉1年者。结论：针刺组疗效与药物组相当,但无明显副反应。     

Language processing in reading and speech perception is fast and incremental: implications for event-related potential research

An overview of language processing during reading and listening is provided. Evidence is reviewed indicating that language processing in both domains is fast and incremental. We also discuss some aspects of normal reading and listening that are often obscured in event-related potential (ERP) research. We also discuss some apparent limitations of ERP techniques, as well as some recent indications that electroencephalographic (EEG) measures can be used to probe how lexical knowledge and lexical or structural expectations can contribute to the incremental process of language comprehension.     

Eye movements and visuospatial problem solving: Identifying separable phases of complex cognition

Identifying overtly observable indicators of cognitive processes should provide a promising basis for a more precise tracking of the associated cognitive and neural events. In the current study we used recordings of eye movements to gain deeper insight into the time course of visuospatial problem solving as measured by the Tower of London. Single-trial, saccade-locked analyses revealed that, despite the complexity of the implemented task, gaze alternations between start and goal state followed a highly regular pattern. Consistent with the buildup of an internal representation, the first two fixations were of constant duration and unaffected by experimental variations of planning demands. Instead, planning manipulations exclusively influenced the duration of the very last fixation before problem execution. Our results demonstrate that different phases of complex cognition can be identified on a single-trial level using eye movement analyses.     

The Broadband-Transient Induced Gamma-Band Response in Scalp EEG Reflects the Execution of Saccades

The contraction of the extra-ocular muscles, during the execution of saccades, produces a strong electric potential in the EEG called the saccadic spike potential (SP). At the frequency spectrum, this SP manifests as a broadband response with most of its power at the gamma-band frequencies. Saccadic activity is known to follow a time-pattern of repression (at around 50–150 ms post stimulus) which is followed by a large increase in saccadic rate at around 200–300 ms post stimulus. Due to this temporal pattern relative to the stimulus, and to the appearance of a SP at each saccade, this increase in saccadic rate shows up after averaging as an increase in gamma-band activity at the time-range of 200–300 ms. Thus, the broadband-transient “induced gamma-band response” frequently reported in the EEG literature, is in fact a “gamma-imposter”, due to ocular myographic activity, and not to neural activity. Previous findings regarding the scalp EEG broadband-transient induced gamma-band response, relating it to neural synchronization and to various cognitive functions should be reevaluated considering the systematic contamination by ocular activity. This article is one of five on the “Special Topic: Discussing Gamma” in issue 22(1) of Brain Topography.     

Gaze displacement and inter-segmental coordination during large whole body voluntary rotations

Displacements of the visual axis and multi-segmental (eye-to-foot) coordination in the yaw plane were studied in ten human subjects (Ss) during voluntary reorientations to illuminated targets of eccentricities up to 180°. We also investigated how knowledge of target location modifies the movement pattern. Eccentric targets (outbound trials) elicited eye, head, trunk and foot movements at latencies ca. 0.5, 0.6, 0.7 and 1.1 s, respectively. Knowledge of target location (return trials) reduced latencies for foot and trunk (but not eye and head) thus eye, head and trunk moved more en bloc. In most trials, the initial gaze shift fell short of the target and more than 50% of the visual angle was covered by the sum of vestibular nystagmic fast phases and head-in-space displacement, until target fixation. This indicates that during large gaze shifts the ‘anticompensatory’ role of the vestibulo-ocular reflex in target acquisition is prominent. During some predictable trials Ss acquired targets with a single large gaze shift, shortening target acquisition time by more than 200 ms. In these, gaze velocity (trunk-in-space + head-on-trunk + eye-in-orbit) remained often fairly constant for durations of up to 500 ms, suggesting that gaze velocity is a controlled parameter. Such pattern occurred during trunk mobilization, thus eye velocity co-varied with head-in-space rather than head-on-trunk velocity. Foot rotations were stereotyped and of constant frequency, suggesting they are generated by locomotor pattern generators. However, knowledge of target location reduced foot latencies indicating that local and supraspinal mechanisms interact for foot control. We propose that a single controller is responsible for the coupling of the multiple body segments and gaze velocity control during gaze shifts.     

Discharge of pursuit-related neurons in the caudal part of the frontal eye fields in juvenile monkeys with up–down pursuit asymmetry

The smooth-pursuit system uses retinal image-slip-velocity information of target motion to match eye velocity to actual target velocity. The caudal part of the frontal eye fields (FEF) contains neurons whose activity is related to direction and velocity of smooth-pursuit eye movements (pursuit neurons), and these neurons are thought to issue a pursuit command. During normal pursuit in well-trained adult monkeys, a pursuit command is usually not differentiable from the actual eye velocity. We examined whether FEF pursuit neurons signaled the actual eye velocity during pursuit in juvenile monkeys that exhibited intrinsic differences between upward and downward pursuit capabilities. Two, head-stabilized Japanese monkeys of 4 years of age were tested for sinusoidal vertical pursuit of target motion at 0.2–1.2 Hz (±10°, peak target velocity 12.5–75.0°/s). Gains of downward pursuit were 0.8–0.9 at 0.2–1.0 Hz, and peak downward eye velocity increased up to ~60°/s linearly with target velocity, whereas peak upward eye velocity saturated at 15–20°/s. The majority of downward FEF pursuit neurons increased the amplitude of their discharge modulation almost linearly up to 1.2 Hz. The majority of upward FEF pursuit neurons also increased amplitude of modulation nearly linearly as target frequency increased, and the regression slope was similar to that of downward pursuit neurons despite the fact that upward peak eye velocity saturated at ~0.5 Hz. These results indicate that the responses of the majority of upward FEF pursuit neurons did not signal the actual eye velocity during pursuit. We suggest that their activity reflected primarily the required eye velocity.