Trajectory of contact region on the fingerpad gives the illusion of haptic shape

When one explores a solid object with a fingertip, a contact region is usually defined. When the trajectory of this region on the fingerpad is artificially controlled so as to resemble the trajectory that is normally present while exploring a real object, the experience of shape is created. In order to generate appropriate local deformation trajectories, we built a servo-controlled mechanism that rolled a flat plate on the fingerpad during the manual exploration of virtual surfaces so that the plate was kept tangent to a virtual shape at the point of virtual contact. An experiment was then designed to test which mode of exploration maximized the shape information gain: active versus semi-active exploration, where semi-active exploration is when one hand touches passively and the other moves the target object, and the use of single versus multiple points of contact. We found that subjects were able to perform curvature discrimination at levels comparable to those achieved when using direct manual contact with real objects, and that the highly simplified stimulus provided by the device was a sufficient cue to give the illusion of touching three-dimensional surfaces.     

Human achaete-scute homologue (hASH1) mRNA level as a diagnostic marker to distinguish esthesioneuroblastoma from poorly differentiated tumors arising in the sinonasal tract

Distinction of high-grade esthesioneuroblastomas from other poorly differentiated tumors arising in the nasal cavity is an important diagnostic challenge because it determines patient management and prognosis. The human achaete-scute homologue (hASH1) gene is critical in olfactory neuronal differentiation and is expressed in immature olfactory cells; therefore, it could have potential use as a diagnostic marker The aim of the present study was to determine the value of hASH1 messenger RNA (mRNA) levels in differentiating esthesioneuroblastoma from other poorly differentiated tumors. A real-time polymerase chain reaction assay was developed, permitting the comparative determination of hASH1 mRNA levels in triplicate in a double-blind pilot study including 24 frozen cases of esthesioneuroblastoma and poorly differentiated tumors. All 4 positive cases were esthesioneuroblastomas, and all 19 poorly differentiated tumors were negative. In addition, there was an inverse association between the grade of esthesioneuroblastomas and hASH1 mRNA levels. The hASH1 mRNA level might represent a useful tool for distinguishing esthesioneuroblastoma from poorly differentiated tumors of the sinonasal region.     

Studying host genetic background effects on multimorbidity of intestinal cancer development,type 2 diabetes and obesity in response to oral bacterial infection and high‐fat diet using the collaborative cross (CC) lines

BackgroundMultimorbidity of intestinal cancer (IC), type 2 diabetes (T2D) and obesity is a complex set of diseases, affected by environmental and genetic risk factors. High‐fat diet (HFD) and oral bacterial infection play important roles in the etiology of these diseases through inflammation and various biological mechanisms.MethodsTo study the complexity of this multimorbidity, we used the collaborative cross (CC) mouse genetics reference population. We aimed to study the multimorbidity of IC, T2D, and obesity using CC lines, measuring their responses to HFD and oral bacterial infection. The study used 63 mice of both sexes generated from two CC lines (IL557 and IL711). For 12 weeks, experimental mice were maintained on specific dietary regimes combined with co‐infection with oral bacteria Porphyromonas gingivalis and Fusobacterium nucleatum, while control groups were not infected. Body weight (BW) and results of a intraperitoneal glucose tolerance test (IPGTT) were recorded at the end of 12 weeks, after which length and size of the intestines were assessed for polyp counts.ResultsPolyp counts ranged between 2 and 10 per CC line. The combination of HFD and infection significantly reduced (P < .01) the colon polyp size of IL557 females to 2.5 cm², compared to the other groups. Comparing BW gain, IL557 males on HFD gained 18 g, while the females gained 10 g under the same conditions and showed the highest area under curve (AUC) values of 40 000‐45 000 (min mg/dL) in the IPGTT.ConclusionThe results show that mice from different genetic backgrounds respond differently to a high fat diet and oral infection in terms of polyp development and glucose tolerance, and this effect is gender related.     

Mast cells are critical mediators of vaccine-induced Helicobacter clearance in the mouse model

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Despite the proven ability of immunization to prevent Helicobacter infection in mouse models, the precise mechanism of protection has remained elusive. METHODS: We explored the cellular events associated with Helicobacter clearance from the stomach following vaccination by flow cytometry analysis and histological and molecular studies. RESULTS: Kinetic studies showed that the infection is undetectable in vaccinated mice at day 5 postbacterial challenge. Flow cytometry analysis showed that the percentages of mast cells (CD3 - CD117 + ) increased in the lymphoid cells isolated from the stomach at day 4 postchallenge in urease + cholera toxin (CT)-vaccinated mice in comparison with mice administered with CT alone (9.4% +/- 4.4% and 3.1% +/- 1%, respectively, for vaccinated and CT administered, n = 5; P < .01). Quantitative PCR analysis showed an increased messenger RNA (mRNA) expression of the mast cell proteases 1 and 2 at day 5 postchallenge in the stomach of vaccinated mice. In contrast to wild-type mice, mast cell-deficient mice (W/W v mice) were not protected from H felis colonization after vaccination. Indeed only 1 out of 12 vaccinated W/W v mice showed a negative urease test. Remarkably, vaccinated W/W v mice reconstituted with cultured bone marrow-derived mast cells recovered the ability to clear the infection after vaccination (8 out of 10 mast cell-reconstituted mice showed negative urease tests [ P < .006 as compared with wild-type mice]). CONCLUSIONS: These experiments show that mast cells are, unexpectedly, critical mediators of anti- Helicobacter vaccination.     

Predictive value and reference ranges of anogenital distance for determining fetal gender in the first trimester: A retrospective cohort study

Objectives:To assess the usefulness of sonographically measured anogenital distance (AGD) in predicting fetal gender in Saudi fetuses during the first trimester and to provide normal reference centiles for AGD.Methods:A retrospective cohort study was conducted at King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia between November 2020 and May 2021. The ultrasound scans of 313 singleton pregnancies between 11–13 plus 6 gestational weeks and their gender-at-birth were collected. Anogenital distance was measured from the inferior base of the genital tubercle to the rump. Binominal logistic regression and receiver operating characteristic curves (ROC) evaluated the predictive performance of AGD for determining fetal gender.Results:There was a significant difference of approximately 15% in mean AGD between female (5.92 mm [95% CI= 6.70, 6.14]) and male (6.80 mm [95% CI= 6.61,7.00]) fetuses (p<0.001). Anogenital distance significantly correlated with gestational age (r=0.573, p<0.001) and crown-rump length (r=0.562, p<0.001). The logistic regression determined AGD as a significant predictor of fetal gender (p<0.001). However, ROC analysis showed that overall accuracies were low at 68% (p=0.001) for 11 weeks, 70% (p<0.001) for 12 weeks, and 64% (p=0.017), and for 13 weeks. The average AGD of our Saudi cohort was longer than what the literature reported from other populations.Conclusion:The first-trimester ultrasound evaluation of AGD was feasible and reliable. It showed a difference between the genders but did not yield high predictive accuracy. Future research should consider racial factors when evaluating AGD.     

Effect of changing referral mode to C-L Psychiatry for noncognitively impaired medical inpatients with emotional disorders

Objective: To test the effect of changing referral mode to Consultation–Liaison Psychiatry (C–L Psychiatry) by implementing early screening with systematic multidisciplinary management for emotional disorders in noncognitively impaired medical inpatients. Method: A prospective pre- and postintervention controlled study in the internal medicine division of a university hospital. Results: Out of 515 patients admitted to the internal medicine ward during the study period, 176 were included in the study and gave their informed consent (male=63%); 81 in the control group and 95 in the intervention group. Except for the increase in referral rate to the C–L Psychiatry service (4–32%), there were no significant differences between the baseline and intervention periods either in terms of length of stay in the internal medicine ward and of use and costs of medical resources, or in terms of patients' satisfaction as regards attention paid to psychosocial issues during hospitalization. Conclusion: As a result of changing referral mode to C–L Psychiatry, the lack of effect on length of stay and on medical consumption of medically ill inpatients should be considered in the context of the briefness of the hospitalization periods encountered. Furthermore, the change in referral process does not seem to increase patients' perception of the quality of care provided.