Eye eccentricity modifies the perception of whole-body rotation

In order to explore the effect of gaze orientation on whole-body rotation perception, ten healthy participants were rotated in the dark while fixating on a visual target located either straight ahead or 15° to the right. A vestibular-memory contingent saccade paradigm was used to estimate the rotation perception. The results attest to the participants’ ability to accurately perceive their rotation, based solely on the intrinsic inputs (somesthetic and mainly vestibular), since the correlation between the imposed body rotation and the saccade amplitude was significant and positive. However, the rotation perception was less accurate and of lesser magnitude when the gaze was deviated in the opposite direction to the rotation than when it was either straight ahead or deviated in the direction of the rotation. This can be interpreted as the perceptual equivalent of Alexander’s law.     

Circulating adhesion molecules in allergic and non-allergic asthma

Circulating forms of adhesion molecules (intercellular-adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1), vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) and E-selectin ) are related to the turnover of these molecules on the cell surface. In contrast to the other molecules, the levels of E-selectin probably exclusively reflect the activity of endothelial cells. The aim of this study was to compare levels of circulating adhesion molecules in patients with allergic (AA) and non-allergic asthma (NA) and to relate the levels of soluble adhesion molecules to methacholine responsiveness and lung function. The study comprised 19 patients with AA, 15 patients with NA and 17 healthy subjects. Soluble adhesion molecules, spirometry, methacholine responsiveness and peak flow variability was measured. The group of patients with AA had higher levels of sE-selectin than the reference group (P=0.046). Serum levels of sE-selectin correlated significantly with bronchial responsiveness (r=0.76) and peak flow variability (r=0.75) (P<0.01) in the NA but not in the AA group. All adhesion molecules in AA (P<0.05-<0.001), but only sE-selectin in NA (P<0.05), were correlated to airway conductance. sVCAM-1 was reduced by inhaled steroids (P<0.01). Our results indicate that endothelial cells are activated in asthma and that this activity has a bearing on airflow variability and bronchial responsiveness in NA.     

Incidental findings in multislice computed tomography prior to transcatheter aortic valve implantation: frequency,clinical relevance and outcome

Multislice computed tomography (MSCT) has emerged as the mainstay in patients planned for transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI). Incidental findings (IF) in MSCT are common. However, the exact incidence, clinical relevance and further consequences of IF are unclear and it is controversial whether IF adversely affect patients’ outcome. We analyzed MSCT data of 1050 patients screened for TAVI between January 2011 and December 2014. Median follow-up of patients was 20 months. In total, 3194 IF were identified, which were classified into clinically non-relevant IF (2872, 90%) and clinically relevant IF (322, 10%). In 25% of patients (258/1050) at least one clinically relevant IF was present. Age (80?±?7 vs. 80?±?7 years; p?=?0.198) and EuroSCORE II (3.6% [2.1–5.7] vs. 3.6% [2.1–5.9]; p?=?0.874) was similar between patients with and without a clinically relevant IF. TAVI was performed less frequently in patients with a clinically relevant IF (76% vs. 85%; p?<?0.001), with more patients receiving surgical aortic valve replacement in that group (14% vs. 11%; p?=?0.042), possibly due to the high rate of incidental aneurysms of the ascending aorta (n?=?48). If TAVI was performed mortality did not differ (30-days: 4% vs. 3%; p?=?0.339, 1-year: 11% vs. 14%; p?=?0.226) between patients with and without a clinically relevant IF. Our study is the largest study to analyze prevalence, clinical relevance and therapeutic consequences of IF during screening for TAVI. IF in pre-procedural MSCT are common and clinically relevant in one-quarter of patients. However, these findings had no impact on overall mortality.     

Obsessive–Compulsive Disorder is Characterized by a Lack of Adaptive Coping Rather than an Excess of Maladaptive Coping

The present study aimed to elucidate the profile of coping in patients with obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) in order to discern whether the disorder is characterized by an excess of maladaptive coping skills and/or a lack of adaptive coping skills. Sixty individuals with OCD were compared with 110 individuals with depression and 1050 nonclinical controls on the Maladaptive and Adaptive Coping Styles Questionnaire (MAX). Psychopathology was assessed with the Obsessive–Compulsive Inventory-Revised (OCI-R), the Yale-Brown Obsessive–Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS), and the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 for depression (PHQ-9). Individuals with OCD and depression displayed more maladaptive coping and avoidance as well as less adaptive coping than nonclinical controls. Importantly, adaptive coping was significantly lower in individuals with OCD than in those with depression at a medium effect size, whereas the clinical groups were indistinguishable on maladaptive coping and avoidance. Lack of adaptive coping was strongly correlated with resistance to symptoms and poor insight in OCD (Y-BOCS), even after controlling for depression. Lack of adaptive coping skills may represent a specific pathogenetic factor in OCD. Longitudinal studies need to clarify whether strengthening adaptive skills during childhood and adolescence may help to prevent the progression from subclinical to manifest OCD.     

Direct measurements of the permeability surface area for insulin and glucose in human skeletal muscle

To elucidate mechanisms regulating capillary transport of insulin and glucose, we directly calculated the permeability surface (PS) area product for glucose and insulin in muscle. Intramuscular microdialysis in combination with the forearm model and blood flow measurements was performed in healthy males, studied during an oral glucose tolerance test or during a one-step or two-step euglycemic hyperinsulinemic clamp. PS for glucose increased significantly from 0.29 +/- 0.1 to 0.64 +/- 0.2 ml/min.100 g after oral glucose tolerance test, and glucose uptake increased from 1.2 +/- 0.4 to 2.6 +/- 0.6 micro mol/min.100 g (P < 0.05). During one-step hyperinsulinemic clamp (plasma insulin, 1.962 pmol/liter), PS for glucose increased from 0.2 +/- 0.1 to 2.3 +/- 0.9 ml/min.100 g (P < 0.05), and glucose uptake increased from 0.6 +/- 0.2 to 5.0 +/- 1.4 micro mol/min.100 g (P < 0.05). During the two-step clamp (plasma insulin, 1380 +/- 408 and 3846 +/- 348 pmol/liter), the arterial-interstitial difference and PS for insulin were constant. The PS for glucose tended to increase (P = not significant), whereas skeletal muscle blood flow increased from 4.4 +/- 0.7 to 6.2 +/- 0.8 ml/min.100 ml (P < 0.05). The present data show that PS for glucose is markedly increased by oral glucose, whereas a further vasodilation exerted by high insulin concentrations may not be physiologically relevant for capillary delivery of either glucose or insulin in resting muscle.