View-invariant representations of familiar objects by neurons in the inferior temporal visual cortex

A view-invariant representation of objects in the brain would have many computational advantages. Here we describe a population of single neurons in the temporal visual cortex (IT) that have view-invariant representations of familiar objects. Ten real plastic objects were placed in the monkeys' home cages for a period of time before neurophysiological experiments in which neuronal responses were measured to four views of each object. The macaques performed a visual fixation task, and had never been trained in object discrimination. The majority of the visual neurons recorded were responsive to some views of some objects and/or to the control stimuli, as would be expected from previous studies. However, a small subset of these neurons were responsive to all views of one or more of the objects, providing evidence that these neurons were coding for objects, rather than simply for individual views or visual features within the image. This result was confirmed by information theoretic analyses, which showed that the neurons provided information about which object was being seen, independently of the view. The coding scheme was shown to be sparse distributed, with relatively independent information being provided by the different neurons. Hypotheses about how these view-invariant cells are formed are described.      

Prospective randomized study of the efficacy of hydrogel, hydrocolloid, and saline solution—moistened dressings on the management of pressure ulcers

A total of 67 patients with pressure ulcers were randomized into one of three treatment modalities: hydrogel sheet dressing, hydrocolloid, or wet-to-moist gauze. Safety, efficacy, and physical attributes of the three dressings were evaluated. No statistical significance was found in wound healing rate among the three treatments. Hydrogel sheets were advantageous in allowing wound visualization without dressing or wound disruption.     

Impact of season and discharge weight on complications and growth of Kangaroo Mother Care treated low birthweight infants in Mozambique

This study aimed to determine the impact of season and weight at discharge on growth rate and complications in low birthweight infants treated with Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) in Maputo, Mozambique. The study population included 246 infants of birthweight < 2000 g. Follow-up until 2400 g was obtained in 64%. There were no seasonal differences in weight gain and the risk of complications of infants treated with KMC in hospital. During the cold season after discharge, the risk of serious complications, including death, was higher (risk ratio 1.96; p = 0:02) and more readmissions occurred (risk ratio 2.77; p = 0:04). We postulate that after discharge mothers are unable to comply with the kangaroo position at all hours of the day and that exposure to low ambient temperatures may explain the more frequent occurrence of complications in the cold season. The weight at discharge did not affect complications or growth rate. We conclude that the current policy to discharge infants when having gained weight on 3 consecutive days, regardless of the actual weight, or whether the weight at birth has been regained, is adequate. In the cold season particularly, more efforts may be needed to ensure compliance with kangaroo position after discharge and to educate mothers on early signs of complications such as bronchopneumonia to encourage timely care seeking. With this method, low birthweight infants can grow adequately.     

Daily Assessment of Stressful events and Coping in early post‐operative recovery after colorectal cancer surgery

This study describes the most stressful events and coping strategies used by patients with colorectal cancer 4–6 weeks after surgery and whether the coping strategies were considered helpful or not. For the investigation of situational coping, an exploratory design was used. One hundred and five patients from three Swedish hospitals were included to fill in the Daily Coping Assessment. Most stressful event, number and types of pre‐defined coping strategies used, and if the coping strategy used was considered helpful or not, were measured for 5 days. Of 523 diary entries, 180 reported no stressful events. The most stressful event, also with worst level of control and expectation, was “Pain,” followed by “Nausea/vomiting.” The areas causing most stressful events were “Bowel‐related” and “Surgery and treatment‐related problems.” Acceptance and Direct action were the most frequently used coping strategies. There was a wide range of perceived helpfulness if coping strategies were placed in relation to specific areas of events. The conclusion was that patients revealed several strategies for coping with stressful events but needed a higher level of preparedness for what might come and therefore need to be given appropriate support to cope during the early recovery phase. Such support is suggested to be person‐centred and oriented towards individually adapting standardised regimens, given the variety of situations to which the stressful events reported in the study were related.     

湖北贝母属植物化学成分的研究——Ⅹ.紫花鄂北贝母生物碱的分离与鉴定

紫花鄂北贝母FritiItaria ebeiensis var.pvrpvreaG.D.Yu et P.Li系贝母属植物新变种,从它的鳞茎中分离到Ⅰ～Ⅶ个生物碱。经理化常数测定和波谱分析,并与标准品对照,鉴定碱Ⅰ,Ⅱ,Ⅲ和Ⅳ分别为浙贝甲素(peimine)、浙贝乙素(peiminine)、鄂贝甲素(ebeinine)和鄂贝乙素(ebeinone)。碱Ⅵ为新的异甾生物碱,定名为紫鄂贝碱(ziebeimine),其结构鉴定为5α,14α-cevanine-13,17-dehydro-3α,6β-diol。碱Ⅴ和Ⅶ的结构尚待鉴定。