Pattern Recognition of EEG Signals and Applications in Robotics

With the rapid development of brain computer interface (simply called BCI),electroencephalography (EEG) will be another interesting bio-electrical signal applied in robotics after EMG.In order to realize it finally,the accurate measurement and pattern recognition of EEG signal must be a very important and elementary research objective.Based on our current researches and some reports from the other international colleagues in the field,we deeply discuss the basic characteristics of EEG signal,the development and selection of EEG measurement system,feature extraction and recognition methods of EEG signal,and then review EEG‘s applications in robotics as well as the future research trends in this paper.     

Elevated plasma succinate in PTEN,SDHB, and SDHD mutation–positive individuals

PurposeCowden syndrome results from germline mutations in the gene for phosphatase and tensin homologue deleted on chromosome 10 (PTEN) and from variants in succinate dehydrogenase B and D subunits. We hypothesized that succinate accumulation may be common among individuals with SDH variants/mutations and those with PTEN mutations.MethodsUrine and blood were collected from individuals meeting full or partial Cowden syndrome diagnostic criteria or those with paraganglioma (PGL) or a known susceptibility paraganglioma-associated gene mutation, and succinate was measured. PTEN, SDHB, SDHC, and SDHD genes were sequenced from genomic DNA.ResultsElevated plasma succinate was observed in 13/21 (62%) individuals with germline PTEN, SDHB, or SDHD mutations as compared with 5/32 (16%) controls (P < 0.001), in 10/15 (67%) individuals with pathogenic PTEN mutations but in <20% of mutation-negative individuals meeting identical criteria, and in individuals with mutations in SDHB (1/1, 100%) and SDHD (2/5, 40%).ConclusionOur data suggest that mutations in PTEN, SDHB, and SDHD reduce catalytic activity of succinate dehydrogenase, resulting in succinate accumulation, and identify a common biochemical alteration in these two patient populations (PTEN and SDHx mutation positive individuals). Plasma organic acid analysis may provide an effective and inexpensive screening method to determine when more expensive gene sequencing of PTEN and SDH genes is warranted.Genet Med 2012:14(6):616–619     

The Sleep–Waking Cycle and Experimental Models of Mutations in the Panx1 Gene

Neuroscience and Behavioral Physiology - Objectives. To confirm the authors’ previous suggestion that mutations in the Panx1 gene (pannexin-1) may play an important role in the development of...     

Assessment and prevalence of depression in women 45–55 years of age visiting gynecological clinics in Poland

Summary ¶The aims of the Polish survey were to assess efficacy of screening for depression in gynecological practice and to estimate prevalence of depressive disorders in midlife women visiting gynecologists. The study included 2262 female outpatients aged 45–55, who were screened by 120 gynecologists throughout Poland. Patients completed the Becks Depression Inventory (BDI) and were assessed by gynecologists to verify the presence of symptoms of a current Depressive Episode according to ICD-10 diagnostic criteria. Patients who obtained a score of 12 points or more on the BDI were referred for psychiatric evaluation, including the modified version of Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI). The study showed that gynecologists in Poland are able to perform screenings for depression effectively in outpatient settings. Results also suggested that about 19% of women aged 45 to 55 years visiting gynecologists may suffer from depressive disorders.Received December 4, 2003; accepted May 9, 2003 Published online July 3, 2003     

Seasonal Pattern of Preterm Births in Korea for 2000–2012

The aim of this study was to investigate a seasonal pattern of preterm births in Korea. Data were obtained from the national birth registry of the Korean Statistics Office and included all births in Korea during the period 2000–2012 (n = 6,310,800). Delivery dates were grouped by month of the year or by season (winter [December, January, February], spring [March, April, May], summer [June, July, August], and autumn [September, October, November]). The seasonal patterns of prevalence of preterm births were assessed. The rates of preterm births at 37 weeks were highest twice a year (once in winter and again in summer). The rates of preterm births increased by 13.9% in summer and 7.5% in winter, respectively, than in spring (OR, 1.139; 95% CI, 1.127–1.152, and OR, 1.075; 95% 1.064–1.087, respectively) after controlling for age, the educational level of the parents, maternal parity, and neonatal gender. The pattern for spontaneous preterm births < 34 weeks was similar. In Korea, a seasonal pattern of preterm births was observed, with peak prevalence in summer and winter. A seasonal pattern of preterm births may provide new insights for the pathophysiology of preterm births.     

Pattern of neurobehavioral and organ-specific toxicities of β, β’-iminodipropionitrile in mice

Introduction

β, β’-iminodipropionitrile (IDPN) is a synthetic nitrile that produces a permanent movement disorder in rodents. Although IDPN-induced vestibular pathology is well documented, the mode of IDPN interaction with other organ systems is poorly understood. We examined the behavioral signs and histopathological changes in the vestibular labyrinth, brain, liver and kidneys of mice exposed to IDPN.

Material and methods

Adult male SWR/J mice were divided into 2 groups of 6 animals each. One group of mice received normal saline (control group) and the other group was treated with IDPN (400 mg/kg, i.p.) daily for 7 days. Dyskinetic movements including vertical and horizontal head weaving, circling and backward walking were quantified on days 7, 8 and 9.

Results

We observed a direct correlation between the severity of IDPN-induced behavioral deficits and the degeneration of vestibular hair cells in the crista ampullaris of mice. The brain cortex of both groups appeared similar, whereas the kidney histopathology revealed mild nephrotoxicity in some of the IDPN-treated mice. Administration of IDPN caused severe hepatotoxicity, but the intensity of hepatic damage was not correlated with the severity of behavioral deficits.

Conclusions

Degeneration of vestibular sensory hair cells plays an important role in the development of IDPN-induced behavioral deficits in mice. Exposure to IDPN also caused severe hepatotoxicity which was independent of the behavioral symptoms. These findings could be of potential relevance to human health, particularly after the observation that IDPN not only causes a movement disorder but also produces acute liver injury.     

The Test–Retest Reliability of the Visually Evoked Contingent Negative Variation (CNV) in Children and Adults

Establishing the reliability of event-related potentials is critical for future applications to biomarker development and clinical research. Few studies have examined the reliability of the contingent negative variation (CNV), and only in adults. The current study explored test–retest reliability of the visually evoked CNV and its embedded components, the O-wave and the E-wave, in children (7–13 years) and young adults (19–28 years) during a visual Go/No-Go task over 1–2 weeks. Test–retest reliability of the components was moderate for children, and low-to-moderate for adults. These findings were in contrast to previous work with adults showing moderate-to-high reliability of the auditory-evoked CNV.     

Practical Considerations for the Pharmacokinetic and Immunogenic Assessment of Antibody–Drug Conjugates

Currently, the most bioanalytically challenging drugs are antibody–drug conjugates (ADCs), constructs comprising a monoclonal antibody and a cytotoxic drug connected by a linker. The bioanalytical challenges arise from the heterogeneous nature of ADCs and their complex in vivo behavior, resulting in a high number of analytes to be measured. Measuring the concentration of biologics in blood/plasma/serum is a necessity to properly assess their pharmacokinetic (PK)/pharmacodynamic behaviors in vivo. An additional bioanalytical challenge is to monitor the stability of the ADCs, as cytotoxic drugs released from the ADC in blood circulation may pose a potential safety risk because of their high cytotoxic potency. The nature of ADCs does not only complicate bioanalysis, but also immunogenicity assessment. Questions, such as ‘Which part of the ADCs is the anti-drug antibodies directed against?’ may arise, and their answer normally includes several immunogenicity risk assessment strategies. This review will focus on the bioanalytical challenges of ADCs, current approaches involving ligand-binding assays (LBAs), liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry platforms, and recommendations on which approach to use for which stage of drug development, and will close with immunogenicity assessment. In order to appropriately tackle the bioanalytical and immunogenic challenges of ADCs and consider every angle, the authors of this review have expertise in ligand binding and liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry.     

Negative regulation of dendritic cell activation in psoriasis mediated via CD100–plexin-B2

Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory skin disease in which dendritic cells (DCs) play a pivotal role by inducing Th1/Th17 immune responses; however, the regulation of DC activation in psoriasis remains largely unknown. Previously we found that the level of soluble CD100 was increased in sera of psoriasis patients, and CD100 promoted the activation of inflammasome in keratinocytes. In the present study, CD100 knockout mice were utilized for generation of imiquimod (IMQ)-induced psoriatic dermatitis, with the result that skin inflammation in the early, but not late, phase of the psoriatic dermatitis was significantly exacerbated compared to that in wild-type controls. This was attributed mainly to the deficiency of CD100 in hematopoietic cells. Bone marrow-derived DCs, but not T cells or keratinocytes, from CD100 knockout mice produced significantly increased levels of IL-1β, IL-36, and IL-23 upon stimulation with IMQ in a plexin-B2-dependent manner. Moreover, the surface level of plexin-B2 on DCs of psoriasis patients was lower than that of healthy individuals, and CD100 attenuated IMQ-induced production of IL-1β and IL-36 from monocyte-derived DCs of psoriasis patients. Our results uncovered a negative regulatory mechanism for DCs activation in psoriasis, which was mediated via CD100–plexin-B2 in a cell type- and receptor-specific manner. © 2020 Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A ‘Textbook Pattern’? Malaria Control and Eradication in Jamaica, 1910–65

In 1965 Jamaica was declared free of malaria by the World Health Organisation (WHO), thus ending centuries of death and suffering from the disease. This declaration followed the successful completion of the WHO’s Malaria Eradication Programme (MEP) on the island, initiated in 1958. This account first explores the antecedent control measures adopted by the government up to the MEP. These, as advocated by the previous malaria ‘experts’ who had reported on the disease on the island concentrated on controlling the vector and the administration of quinine for individual protection. Although Jamaica suffered no catastrophic epidemics of island-wide scope, malaria was a constant cause of mortality and morbidity. Major change came in the wake of the Second World War within the changing political context of national independence and international development. In 1957 the Jamaican government joined the global WHO programme to eradicate malaria. The Jamaican campaign exposes many of the problems noted in other studies of such top–down initiatives in their lack of attention to the particular circumstances of each case. Despite being described as ‘a textbook pattern’ of malaria eradication, the MEP in Jamaica suffered from a lack of sufficient preparation and field knowledge. This is most obviously illustrated by the fact that all literature on the programme sent to Jamaica in the first two years was in Spanish. That the MEP exploited the technological opportunity provided by dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) with advantage in Jamaica is not disputed but as this analysis illustrates this success was by no means guaranteed. Keywords : Jamaica, Malaria, Control, Eradication, World Health Organisation     

Mutations in NGLY1 cause an inherited disorder of the endoplasmic reticulum–associated degradation pathway

PurposeThe endoplasmic reticulum–associated degradation pathway is responsible for the translocation of misfolded proteins across the endoplasmic reticulum membrane into the cytosol for subsequent degradation by the proteasome. To define the phenotype associated with a novel inherited disorder of cytosolic endoplasmic reticulum–associated degradation pathway dysfunction, we studied a series of eight patients with deficiency of N-glycanase 1.MethodsWhole-genome, whole-exome, or standard Sanger sequencing techniques were employed. Retrospective chart reviews were performed in order to obtain clinical data.ResultsAll patients had global developmental delay, a movement disorder, and hypotonia. Other common findings included hypolacrima or alacrima (7/8), elevated liver transaminases (6/7), microcephaly (6/8), diminished reflexes (6/8), hepatocyte cytoplasmic storage material or vacuolization (5/6), and seizures (4/8). The nonsense mutation c.1201A>T (p.R401X) was the most common deleterious allele.ConclusionNGLY1 deficiency is a novel autosomal recessive disorder of the endoplasmic reticulum–associated degradation pathway associated with neurological dysfunction, abnormal tear production, and liver disease. The majority of patients detected to date carry a specific nonsense mutation that appears to be associated with severe disease. The phenotypic spectrum is likely to enlarge as cases with a broader range of mutations are detected.     

Inhibition of return in cue–target and target–target tasks

Inhibition of return (IOR), the term given for the slowing of a response to a target that appeared at the same location as a previously presented stimulus, has been studied with both target–target (TT; participants respond to each successive event) and cue–target (CT; participants only respond to the second of two events) tasks. Although both tasks have been used to examine the processes and characteristics of IOR, few studies have been conducted to understand if there are any differences in the processes that underlie the IOR that results from ignoring (CT paradigm) or responding to (TT paradigm) the first stimulus. The purpose of the present study was to examine the notion that IOR found in TT tasks represents “true” IOR whereas IOR found in CT tasks consist of both “true” IOR and response inhibition (Coward et al. in Exp Brain Res 155:124–128, 2004). Consistent with the pattern of effects found by Coward et al. (Exp Brain Res 155:124–128, 2004), IOR was larger in the CT task than in the TT task when a single detection response was required (Experiment 1). However, when participants completed one of two spatially-directed responses (rapid aiming movement to the location of the target stimulus), IOR effects from the CT and TT tasks were equal in magnitude (Experiment 2). Rather than CT tasks having an additional response inhibition component, these results suggest that TT tasks may show less of an inhibitory effect because of a facilitatory response repetition effect.     

Assessment of Reproducibility of Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization–Time of Flight Mass Spectrometry for Bacterial and Yeast Identification

Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization–time of flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry (MS) has revolutionized the identification of clinical bacterial and yeast isolates. However, data describing the reproducibility of MALDI-TOF MS for microbial identification are scarce. In this study, we show that MALDI-TOF MS-based microbial identification is highly reproducible and can tolerate numerous variables, including differences in testing environments, instruments, operators, reagent lots, and sample positioning patterns. Finally, we reveal that samples of bacterial and yeast isolates prepared for MALDI-TOF MS identification can be repeatedly analyzed without compromising organism identification.     

Electropherotypes and serotypes of human rotavirus in Estonia in 1989–1992

Summary The electropherotypes and serotypes of human rotaviruses circulating in Tallinn (Estonia) in 1989–1992 have been studied. Rotaviruses were found in 372 (25.8%) of 1 442 faecal specimens of pediatric patients with acute diarrhea. Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of RNA from 318 isolates has revealed 41 electropherotypes. Frequent genomic alterations, including a shift of predominant electropherotypes, were observed during the study period. The serotype of 158 (50.3%) of 314 tested rotavirus isolates was identified using ELISA with VP7-specific monoclonal antibodies against 4 established human rotavirus serotypes. Serotype G1 was found to be largely predominant and accounted for 70.9% of the typeable specimens, serotypes G4, G2, and G3 accounted for 12%, 9.5%, 7.6%, respectively. A major shift to serotype G4 took place in 1990–1991. Serotype G1 was represented by the largest number of electropherotypes. All G1, G3 and G4 isolates were of long and all G2 isolates were of short electropherotypes. According to our results the isolates of an identical electropherotype belong to the same serotype.     

Assessment of post-competition peak blood lactate in male and female master swimmers aged 40–79 years and its relationship with swimming performance

The main purpose of this study was to measure the post-competition blood lactate concentration ([La]_b) in master swimmers of both sexes aged between 40 and 79 years in order to relate it to age and swimming performance. One hundred and eight swimmers participating in the World Master Championships were assessed for [La]_b and the average rate of lactate accumulation (La′; mmol l⁻¹ s⁻¹) was calculated. In addition, 77 of them were also tested for anthropometric measures. When the subjects were divided into 10-year age groups, males exhibited higher [La]_b than women (factorial ANOVA, P < 0.01) and a steeper decline with ageing than female subjects. Overall, mean values (SD) of [La]_b were 10.8 (2.8), 10.3 (2.0), 10.3 (1.9), 8.9 (3.2) mmol l⁻¹ in women, and 14.2 (2.5), 12.4 (2.5), 11.0 (1.6), 8.2 (2.0) mmol l⁻¹ in men for, respectively, 40–49, 50–59, 60–69, 70–79 years’ age groups. When, however, [La]_b values were normalised for a “speed index”, which takes into account swimming speed as a percentage of world record, these sex-related differences, although still present, were considerably attenuated. Furthermore, the differences in La′ between males and females were larger in the 40–49 age group (0.34 vs 0.20 mmol l⁻¹ s⁻¹ for 50-m distance) than in the 70–79 age group (0.12 vs 0.14 mmol l⁻¹ s⁻¹ for 50-m distance). Different physiological factors, supported by the considered anthropometric measurements, are suggested to explain the results.     

Assessment of immunomodulation and regulation of cell cycle in epithelium and stroma after Cidofovir injection in patients with recurrent respiratory papillomatosis—Pilot study

Recurrent respiratory papillomatosis is strictly connected with human papillomavirus (HPV) infection of the epithelium of the upper respiratory tract. The main treatment of lesions located in the larynx or lower pharynx includes microsurgical excision by using a CO₂ laser. To decrease the amount of surgical procedures gain in importance combined therapy with antiviral agents. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of the intralesional application of Cidofovir on the tissue of laryngeal papillomas. We have shown that simultaneous microsurgery with adjuvant therapy of Cidofovir reduces chronic inflammation (by measuring the expression of CD4 and CD8 in tissue samples), cell proliferation, and regulates the cell cycle of HPV-infected cells by reducing the expression of p53 and p63 proteins. In addition, this strategy reduces the multiple surgical procedures and regrowth of the pathology.