Covert attention in touch: behavioral and ERP evidence for costs and benefits

To investigate the mechanism underlying tactile spatial attention, reaction times (RTs) and event-related potentials (ERPs) were recorded in response to mechanical stimuli delivered to the hands. At the start of each trial cues indicated either the correct (valid) or incorrect (invalid) tactile stimulus location or were uninformative (neutral). RT costs (suppression of invalid compared to neutral trials) were found to be larger than benefits (enhancement of valid compared to neutral trials). ERPs showed that costs and benefits contribute equally to attentional modulations of the somatosensory N140 component, whereas these were largely due to costs at longer latencies. These results differ from the pattern of attentional ERP modulations previously found for vision and audition, where costs precede benefits, and therefore suggest that the mechanisms of attentional selectivity in touch might be different from attentional processes in other modalities.     

幕上高血压脑出血预后影响因素的多重线性回归分析

目的探讨影响幕上高血压脑出血（SICH）患者预后的相关因素,以指导临床治疗和评估预后。方法回顾性分析符合本研究纳入标准的幕上高血压脑出血324例完整病历。以一般资料、起病症状、入院查体、影像学资料、治疗方式、并发症等43项为自变量,以发病后1个月后功能独立性评定评分（functional independence measure,FIM）为因变量,建立多重线性回归模型,筛选出对预后有影响的因素,并比较各因素的影响大小。结果经统计学处理发现血肿体积、入院时收缩期血压、GCS评分、脑室是否积血、血肿体积扩大、是否并发肺部感染和应激性溃疡等7项对预后有显著性的影响。结论血肿体积、入院GCS评分和脑室是否积血对预后影响有重要意义,可作为SICH患者预后的关键性指标。     

Muscle synergies during shifts of the center of pressure by standing persons

Movements by a standing person are commonly associated with adjustments in the activity of postural muscles to cause a desired shift of the center of pressure (COP) and keep balance. We hypothesize that such COP shifts are controlled (stabilized) using a small set of central variables (muscle modes, M-modes), while each M-mode induces changes in the activity of a subgroup of postural muscles. The main purpose of this study has been to explore the possibility of identification of muscle synergies in a postural task using the framework of the uncontrolled manifold (UCM) hypothesis employing the following three steps in data analysis: (i) Identification of M-modes: Subjects were asked to release a load from extended arms through a pulley system, resulting in a COP shift forward prior to load release. Electromyographic (EMG) activity of eleven postural muscles on one side of the body was integrated over a 100 ms interval corresponding to the early stage of the COP shift, and subjected to a principal component (PC) analysis across multiple repetitions of each task. Three PCs were identified and associated with a push-back M-mode, a push-forward M-mode and a mixed M-mode. (ii) Calculation of the Jacobian of the system, which relates changes in the magnitude of M-modes to COP shifts using regression techniques: Subjects performed three different tasks (releasing different loads at the back, voluntarily shifting body weight forward and backward, at different speeds) to verify if the relationship between magnitudes of M-modes and COP shifts is task or direction specific. (iii) UCM analysis: Three tasks were chosen (load release in the front, arm movement forward and backward) which were associated with an early shift in COP. A manifold was identified in the M-mode space corresponding to a certain average (across trials) shift of the COP and variance per degree of freedom within the UCM (V_UCM) and orthogonal (V_ORT) to the UCM was computed. Across subjects, V_UCM was significantly higher than V_ORT when analysis at the third step was performed using a Jacobian computed based on a set of tasks associated with a COP shift in the same direction but not in the opposite direction. This result confirms our hypothesis that the M-modes work together as a synergy to stabilize a desired shift of the COP. Forward and backward COP shifts are associated with different synergies based on the same three M-modes.An erratum to this article can be found at     

职业紧张与冠心病的病例对照研究

目的 :(1)探讨男性列车乘务人员职业紧张与冠心病发病的关系。方法 :应用职业紧张因素测试量表 (OSI) ,对男性列车乘务人员中 3 9例冠心病患者进行 1:2的配比病例对照研究并进行多因素条件Logistic回归分析。结果 :(1)在控制和考虑了非职业紧张因素条件下 ,职业紧张与冠心病关系密切 (OR =2 18,95 %CI :1 15 -4 15 ) ,而且随着职业紧张程度的增加 ,患冠心病的危险性显著增加 ;(2 )以铁路乘务人员为对照时 (与病例同工种 ) ,职业紧张仍与冠心病发病有关联 (OR =4 43 ,95 %CI :1 60 -12 2 5 ) ,但其OR值明显低于以其他服务行业人员为对照时的OR值 (OR =9 75 ,95 %CI:3 18-2 9 92 )。结论 :职业紧张是引起男性列车乘务人员冠心病发病的重要危险因素之一。     

Is Irregular Regression of Corpora Lutea in Climacteric Women Caused by Age-Induced Alterations in the “Tissue Control System”?

PROBLEM: We have recently observed that the regression of corpora lutea (CL) in women during the reproductive period of life is accompanied by a diminution of Thy-1 differentiation protein release from vascular pericytes and an accumulation of T lymphocytes and activated macrophages among both degenerating granulosa lutein cells (GLC) and theca lutein cells. These data suggest that the immune system and other stromal factors, representing components of the “tissue control system,” may play a role in regression of the CL. We investigated degenerating CL from climacteric women to address the possibility that the decline of immune functions with advancing age may result in incomplete regression of luteal tissue. This could contribute to the altered hormonal profiles and abnormal uterine bleeding that frequently occur during the climacteric. METHOD: Immunoperoxidase staining and image analysis were used to localize Thy-1 differentiation protein of vascular pericytes, cytokeratin staining of GLC, neural cell adhesion molecule expression by theca lutein cells, CD15 of neutrophils, CD4, CD14, CD68, and leukocyte common antigens of macrophages, and CD3 and CD8 determinants of T lymphocytes. We also investigated the expression of luteinizing hormone receptor (LH receptor) and mitogen activated protein kinases (MAP kinases) in luteal cells. Samples of regressing luteal tissue were obtained during the follicular phase from perimenopausal women (age 45–50) who exhibited prolonged or irregular cycles. For comparison, luteal tissues from women with regular cycles (age 29–45) and CL of pregnancy were also investigated. RESULTS: Corpora lutea of the climacteric women exhibited irregular regression of luteal tissue characterized by a lack of cytoplasmic vacuolization and nuclear pyknosis in GLC, and by a persistence of theca lutein cells exhibiting hyperplasia and adjacent theca externa layers. This was accompanied by a continuing release of Thy-1 differentiation protein from vascular pericytes. Persisting GLC lacked surface expression of macrophage markers (CD4, CD14, CD68 and leukocyte common antigen) as well as nuclear granules exhibiting CD15 of neutrophils, detected in regularly regressing GLC. In addition, such persisting GLC showed weak or no LH receptor expression, and retained the expression of cytokeratin. They also exhibited enhanced staining for MAP kinases. Strong cytoplasmic MAP kinase expression with occasional nuclear translocation was also detected in persisting theca lutein cells, indicating high metabolic activity of these cells. T lymphocytes, although occasionally present in luteal stroma within luteal convolutions, did not invade among persisting GLC and were virtually absent from layers of theca externa and theca lutein cells. CONCLUSIONS: These data indicate that the regressing CL in climacteric women may exhibit persistence of luteal cells, perhaps because of age-induced alterations of the immune system and other local stromal homeostatic mechanisms involved in the elimination of luteal cells. Persisting GLC and/or theca lutein cells may exhibit abnormal hormonal secretion that contributes to the alteration of target tissues, such as the endometrium, resulting in abnormal uterine bleeding, hyperplasia, and neoplasia.     

形态测量在胃癌病理—生物学分型中的价值

生物学行为是影响胃癌预后的重要因素而核面积是影响因素中最重要一个。本文按生长方式对胃癌作了新的病理生物学分型的尝试,把胃癌分作膨胀型和浸润型,每型又依核面积大小分为大核型和小核型。结果表明,本文的分型较其他分型更能体现肿瘤的生物学特性,值得提倡。     

企业员工应对方式与心理健康之间的关系

目的：验证不同应对方式对心理健康的单独与共同影响。方法：对4745名被试用分层回归的方法分析不同应对方式对心理健康的单独影响和交互作用。结论：单独使用“消极应对”的应对方式,对心理健康水平存在不利影响;而单独使用“积极应对”的应对方式能在一定程度上改善心理健康水平。“消极应对”与“积极应对”两种应对方式结合使用能显著改善心理健康水平,比单独使用这两种应对方式对心理健康更有利。     

CD8+T-bet+ cells as a predominant biomarker for inclusion body myositis

Background

Myositis is a heterogeneous group of muscular auto-immune diseases with clinical and pathological criteria that allow the classification of patients into different sub-groups. Inclusion body myositis is the most frequent myositis above fifty years of age. Diagnosing inclusion body myositis requires expertise and is challenging. Little is known concerning the pathogenic mechanisms of this disease in which conventional suppressive-immune therapies are inefficacious.

Immunolocalization of extracellular matrix proteins and integrins in sarcoid lymph nodes

 To improve our understanding of the role of extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins and integrins during the processes of granuloma formation in sarcoidosis, we examined the distribution of ECM proteins and the expression of integrins in sarcoid lymph nodes by immunohistochemical methods. We also examined the expression of transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1), which is one of major regulators for synthesis of ECM proteins. Most ECM proteins were detected in the periphery of the granulomas in a concentric pattern, and fibronectin was diffusely detected from an early to a regressive stage. Compared with normal lymph nodes, most β1-integrin subfamilies (α1, α4, α5 and α6) were more strongly expressed on lymphocytes around the granulomas. Epithelioid cells exhibited strong expression of the α5 molecule. Fibroblasts exhibited the expression of the α2 and α5 molecules surrounding ECM proteins. The α5β1 molecule had a distribution similar to that of fibronectin. TGF-β1 was detected in epithelioid cells throughout the various evolutional stages and its expression was especially marked in mature granulomas. Interaction of fibronectin and the α5β1 molecule may have an important role in the process of formation of sarcoid granuloma. The expression of TGF-β1 may be involved in the regression of sarcoid granuloma by initiating fibrosis and atrophy of epithelioid cells. Received: 2 December 1997 / Accepted: 19 February 1998     

利用脉搏波特征参数连续测量血压的方法研究

通过研究血压与脉搏波特征参数的关系，提出了一个选择多个与血压相关的脉搏波特征参数,通过回归分析建立适合不同人的特征方程，进行血压的连续测量的新方法，为了验证测量结果的准确性；研制了张力计。实验结果表明：该方法具有较高的测量精度，可以应用于临床危重病人的血压监护和一般医学研究中，经过进一步地改进和完善后可应用于载人航天和日常动态环境。