Differential contributions of inferior frontal gyrus subregions to sentence processing guided by intonation

Auditory sentence comprehension involves processing content (semantics), grammar (syntax), and intonation (prosody). The left inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) is involved in sentence comprehension guided by these different cues, with neuroimaging studies preferentially locating syntactic and semantic processing in separate IFG subregions. However, this regional specialisation has not been confirmed with a neurostimulation method. Consequently, the causal role of such a specialisation remains unclear. This study probed the role of the posterior IFG (pIFG) for syntactic processing and the anterior IFG (aIFG) for semantic processing with repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) in a task that required the interpretation of the sentence''s prosodic realisation. Healthy participants performed a sentence completion task with syntactic and semantic decisions, while receiving 10 Hz rTMS over either left aIFG, pIFG, or vertex (control). Initial behavioural analyses showed an inhibitory effect on accuracy without task‐specificity. However, electric field simulations revealed differential effects for both subregions. In the aIFG, stronger stimulation led to slower semantic processing, with no effect of pIFG stimulation. In contrast, we found a facilitatory effect on syntactic processing in both aIFG and pIFG, where higher stimulation strength was related to faster responses. Our results provide first evidence for the functional relevance of left aIFG in semantic processing guided by intonation. The stimulation effect on syntactic responses emphasises the importance of the IFG for syntax processing, without supporting the hypothesis of a pIFG‐specific involvement. Together, the results support the notion of functionally specialised IFG subregions for diverse but fundamental cues for language processing.     

Anterosuperior Diverticula of the Right Ventricle: Morphological Spectrum and Long-Term Outcome of a Distinct Cardiac Anomaly

Right-ventricular diverticula (RVD), although rare, have particular characteristics. Our study describes the morphology of anterosuperior diverticula of the right ventricle (RV) and patient outcome for this anomaly. Retrospective analysis was performed on all patients with anterosuperior RVD diagnosed in two tertiary referral centres. From January 1982 to December 2012, five patients were diagnosed with anterosuperior RVD (median 4 months). Four patients had perimembranous ventricular septal defects (VSDs) with no clinical symptoms related to RVD. Communication of the RVD with the RV was located either close to the VSD (two patients) or in the anterior free wall of the RV opposite the VSD (two patients). In the remaining patient, the diverticulum was connected with the left ventricle (LV) by a tunnel-like structure originating from the left-ventricular outflow tract; the RVD communicated with the RV by way of a restrictive opening. Four patients underwent surgical repair including patch closure of the VSD (one patient) and patch closure of the VSD through an incision of the RVD followed by plication of the diverticulum or closure of its communication with the RV (three patients). All patients remained asymptomatic during a median follow-up of 14.8 years. Anterosuperior RVD is a specific congenital cardiovascular anomaly frequently associated with additional congenital heart disease. There are significant variations in how the RVD communicates with the RV with each requiring a different surgical repair strategy. According to the experience in our small cohort, the long-term prognosis of patients with anterosuperior RVD appears excellent after surgical correction of associated congenital heart disease.     

Adrenocortical activity and behavioral distress in human newborns

The association between behavioral distress and adrenocortical activity was examined in two experiments with human newborns. In Experiment 1, behavioral and adrenocortical responses to 4 events (circumcision, blood sampling, weighing and measuring, and discharge examination) were compared using a between-subject design. All 4 events elicited fussing and crying and elevations in plasma cortisol; however, differences in behavioral distress among conditions did not reliably predict differences in plasma cortisol. In Experiment 2, nonnutritive sucking was used to effectively reduce behavioral distress, but was not associated with a reduction in the adrenocortical response to stimulation. Finally, using data from both experiments, correlations were computed between behavioral distress and cortisol. Both positive and negative associations were found as a function of the type of stressor and the biomedical status of the newborn.     

A note on the subcellular distribution of adipose tissue noradrenaline

The distribution of noradrenaline between the residue and high-speed supernatant of adipose tissue homogenates in rats, guinea-pigs and cats has been examined. Most of the noradrenaline is in the supernatant fraction; little is in the 100,000 g fraction.     

Lack of stability in neonatal adrenocortical reactivity because of rapid habituation of the adrenocortical response

The purpose of the study was to examine the stability of the adrenocortical response to stimulation in the human neonate. Forty-nine healthy newborns were examined twice responding to discharge examinations performed on two consecutive days. The dependent measures were salivary and plasma cortisol and behavioral state. Little evidence of stability was obtained. Instead, the results showed significant elevations in cortisol only in response to the first discharge examination. No significant elevation in cortisol was noted to the second discharge examination although the newborns continued to exhibit behavioral distress. Time since delivery was not a significant factor in producing these results. The findings are discussed with regard to neonatal coping processes and the importance of novelty in regulating increases in adrenocortical activity.     

Seasonal changes of neutral alpha-glucosidase activity in human semen

Although there are contradictory reports, the biochemical evaluation of the seminal activity of neutral alpha-glucosidase (NAG) has repeatedly been described as an important parameter to test epididymal patency and is recommended by the WHO. Because, for a number of diagnostic parameters, seasonal variations have been described even in the human, it was the aim of this study to investigate possible circannual changes of NAG. This is an important aspect of andrological diagnosis, as seasonal changes of specific diagnostic parameters might have an impact on the accuracy and predictive power of these parameters, which in turn might have an effect on the therapeutic concept for the patients. In a total of 473 patients, sperm concentration, volume of the ejaculate, total motility, progressive motility, pH value, number of peroxidase-positive cells, concentration of fructose, and NAG as functional markers of the seminal vesicles and the epididymis, respectively, were analyzed according to standard procedures. Seminal activity of NAG was significantly correlated with the sperm concentration (P < .0001), ejaculate volume (P < .0001), and the pH (P = .0025). Moreover, significant (P = .0008) seasonal changes in the activity of seminal NAG with the maximum in spring (76.87 mU/ejaculate) and the minimum in autumn (58.55 mU/ejaculate) were found. The incidence of low-ranged activity of the enzyme was 9.2% in spring, while it was 20.3% in autumn. Thus, our data clearly demonstrate circannual changes of the seminal activity of neutral alpha-glucosidase. This in turn has clinical impact as the predictive power of the test system changes throughout the year.     

Novel human metapneumovirus sublineage

In a pediatric surveillance network, 287 (5.1%) of 5,580 specimens from patients with acute respiratory infections tested positive for human metapneumovirus (HMPV). Phylogenetic analysis of N- and F-gene sequences of identified HMPV showed that 30% belonged to a novel phylogenetic cluster.     

Na currents and action potentials in rat myelinated nerve fibres at 20 and 37° C

(1) Action potentials and membrane currents were recorded in single myelinated rat nerve fibres at 20 and 37° C. Three experiments were also performed in single cat nerve fibres. (2) K currents were blocked by internal CsCl and external TEA. The steady state and kinetic parameters of Na activation and inactivation were determined at both temperatures. (3) When the temperature was raised from 20 to 37° C, steady state Na activation,m (V), and inactivation,h (V), did not change significantly. (4) The time constant of Na activation, _m, was determined within the potential range of –40 to 125 mV at 20° C andV=40–60 mV at 37° C. The temperature coefficient, Q₁₀, of _m was 2.2. (5) The decay in the Na current was described by two exponentials at both temperatures. The amplitude of the slow phase was 1–10%. The time constant of the fast phase of Na inactivation, _h1, was determined at both temperatures within the potential range of –50 mV to 125 mV. The Q₁₀ of _h1 was 2.9 and did not depend on potential. (6) The Na equilibrium potential was 152 mV at 20° C and 144 mV at 37° C. The leakage conductance was 24 nS at 20° C and 43 nS at 37° C. These differences were interpreted as signs of fibre deterioration at higher temperature. (7) The results from the current and voltage clamp experiments performed in the cat nerve were essentially the same as those in the rat nerve fibres. (8) The action potentials computed on the basis of the voltage clamp results at 20° C were similar to the ones actually measured. This was also true for those action potentials predicted for 37° C on the basis of the 20° C data, theg _L andV _Na values measured at 37° C, and the Q₁₀ values of the time constants. (9) Steady state values and kinetic parameters of K permeability were adopted from the literature. As in the experiments the influence ofP _K on the shape of the predicted action potential was almost negligible at both temperatures.