Establishing the consistency of a voice recognition symbol digit modalities test analogue.

Background: We previously demonstrated the convergent validity of a fully automated voice recognition analogue of the Symbol Digit Modalities Test (VR-SDMT) for evaluating processing speed in people with multiple sclerosis (pwMS).

Objective/methods: We aimed to replicate these results in 54 pwMS and 18 healthy controls (HCs), demonstrating the VR-SDMT's reliability.

Results: Significant correlations were found between the VR-SDMT and the traditional oral SDMT in the multiple sclerosis (MS) ( = -0.

Integrative omics identifies conserved and pathogen-specific responses of sepsis-causing bacteria.

Even in the setting of optimal resuscitation in high-income countries severe sepsis and septic shock have a mortality of 20-40%, with antibiotic resistance dramatically increasing this mortality risk. To develop a reference dataset enabling the identification of common bacterial targets for therapeutic intervention, we applied a standardized genomic, transcriptomic, proteomic and metabolomic technological framework to multiple clinical isolates of four sepsis-causing pathogens: Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae species complex, Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pyogenes. Exposure to human serum generated a sepsis molecular signature containing global increases in fatty acid and lipid biosynthesis and metabolism, consistent with cell envelope remodelling and nutrient adaptation for osmoprotection.

Changes in the Proportion of Inhibitory Interneuron Types from Sensory to Executive Areas of the Primate Neocortex: Implications for the Origins of Working Memory Representations.

Neuronal spiking activity encoding working memory (WM) is robust in primate association cortices but weak or absent in early sensory cortices. This may be linked to changes in the proportion of neuronal types across areas that influence circuits' ability to generate recurrent excitation. We recorded neuronal activity from areas middle temporal (MT), medial superior temporal (MST), and the lateral prefrontal cortex (LPFC) of monkeys performing a WM task and classified neurons as narrow (NS) and broad spiking (BS).

CRF Mediates Stress-Induced Pathophysiological High-Frequency Oscillations in Traumatic Brain Injury.

It is not known why there is increased risk to have seizures with increased anxiety and stress after traumatic brain injury (TBI). Stressors cause the release of corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) both from the hypothalamic pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis and from CNS neurons located in the central amygdala and GABAergic interneurons. We have previously shown that CRF signaling is plastic, becoming excitatory instead of inhibitory after the kindling model of epilepsy.

Identification of a novel synaptic protein, TMTC3, involved in periventricular nodular heterotopia with intellectual disability and epilepsy.

Defects in neuronal migration cause brain malformations, which are associated with intellectual disability (ID) and epilepsy. Using exome sequencing, we identified compound heterozygous variants (p.Arg71His and p.

A switch in G protein coupling for type 1 corticotropin-releasing factor receptors promotes excitability in epileptic brains.

Anxiety and stress increase the frequency of epileptic seizures. These behavioral states induce the secretion of corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF), a 40-amino acid neuropeptide neurotransmitter that coordinates many behavioral responses to stress in the central nervous system. In the piriform cortex, which is one of the most seizurogenic regions of the brain, CRF normally dampens excitability.

Metalloproteinase inhibition prevents inhibitory synapse reorganization and seizure genesis.

The integrity and stability of interneurons in a cortical network are essential for proper network function. Loss of interneuron synaptic stability and precise organization can lead to disruptions in the excitation/inhibition balance, a characteristic of epilepsy. This study aimed to identify alterations to the GABAergic interneuron network in the piriform cortex (PC: a cortical area believed to be involved in the development of seizures) after kindling-induced seizures.

Sensitivity enhancement for evanescent-wave sensing using cavity-ring-down ellipsometry.

We demonstrate a method to increase the sensitivity of the s-p phase shift under total internal reflection (TIR) for optical sensing. This is achieved by the introduction of two simple dielectric layers to the TIR surface of a fused silica prism. The enhanced sensitivity is demonstrated using evanescent-wave cavity-ring-down-ellipsometry by measuring the refractive index of liquid mixtures and by studying the adsorption of polymers to the TIR surface of the fused silica prism.

Monitoring adsorption and sedimentation using evanescent-wave cavity ringdown ellipsometry.

We monitor the adsorption of Rhodamine 800, and the sedimentation of a polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) suspension at the surface of a fused-silica prism, by measuring both the absorption and s-p phase shift Δ of a 740 nm probe laser beam, using evanescent-wave cavity ringdown ellipsometry (EW-CRDE). The two systems demonstrate the complementary strengths of EW-CRDE, as the progress of adsorption of the Rhodamine 800 dye can only be observed sensitively via the measurement of absorption, whereas the progress of sedimentation of PTFE can only be observed sensitively via the measurement of Δ. We show that EW-CRDE provides a sensitive method for the measurement of Δ and demonstrates precision in Δ of about 10(-4) deg.

The loss of interneuron functional diversity in the piriform cortex after induction of experimental epilepsy.

Interneuronal functional diversity is thought to be an important factor in the control of neural network oscillations in many brain regions. Specifically, interneuron action potential firing patterns are thought to modulate brain rhythms. In neurological disorders such as epilepsy where brain rhythms are significantly disturbed interneuron function is largely unexplored.

Evanescent-Wave Cavity Ring-Down Ellipsometry.

We introduce the new technique of evanescent-wave cavity ring-down ellipsometry (EW-CRDE), used for the measurement of ellipsometric angles of samples at a solid-gas or solid-liquid interface, and achieve phase-shift measurements with precision of ∼0.01°. We demonstrate the technique by measuring the time-dependent refractive index of methanol-water mixtures and thin films at the liquid/fused-silica interface, showing that the monitoring of monolayers on microsecond time scales using EW-CRDE should be achievable.

(2+1) laser-induced fluorescence of spin-polarized hydrogen atoms.

We report the measurement of the spin polarization of hydrogen (SPH) atoms by (2+1) laser-induced fluorescence, produced via the photodissociation of thermal HBr molecules with circularly polarized 193 nm light. This scheme, which involves two-photon laser excitation at 205 nm and fluorescence at 656 nm, offers an experimentally simpler polarization-detection method than the previously reported vacuum ultraviolet detection scheme, allowing the detection of SPH atoms to be performed more straightforwardly, from the photodissociation of a wide range of molecules and from a variety of collision experiments.

Discrete sums for the rapid determination of exponential decay constants.

Several computational methods are presented for the rapid extraction of decay time constants from discrete exponential data. Two methods are found to be comparably fast and highly accurate. They are corrected successive integration and a method involving the Fourier transform (FT) of the data and the application of an expression that does not assume continuous data.

Identification of a transcription factor, BHLHB8, involved in mouse seminal vesicle epithelium differentiation and function.

The seminal vesicle is a male accessory sex organ that develops from segments of the Wolffian duct adjacent to the urogenital sinus. It produces most of the seminal plasma in both humans and rodents. To date, very few transcription factors have been linked to the development and differentiation of seminal vesicles.

The paradoxical reliance on allopathic medicine and positivist science among skeptical audiences.

A number of studies have found an association between what people see, hear and read in the mass media and their corresponding actions and beliefs. This link has been demonstrated both at the micro and at the macro levels of analysis. However, when people are asked directly about the impact of mass media they tend to deny that they are personally affected.

Hemoglobin adsorption to silica monitored with polarization-dependent evanescent-wave cavity ring-down spectroscopy.

Evanescent-wave cavity ring-down spectroscopy was used to monitor the adsorption of human hemoglobin to a fused-silica surface from aqueous solution. An uncoated dove prism was situated in a ring-down cavity such that the beam entered and exited with a normal-incidence geometry. This afforded ring-down times as high as 5 mus and values of sigma(tau)/tau as low as 0.

Cancer in the mass print media: fear, uncertainty and the medical model.

Cancer is increasing in incidence and prevalence in North America and around the world. The mass print media play an important role in information provision about prevention, diagnosis and treatment of this disease, as well as informing health policy and personal experience. This paper reports on a content analysis of the portrayal of cancer in the highest circulating magazines available in Canada and published in Canada or the USA in 1991, 1996, 2001.

Altered Glut-2 accumulation and beta-cell function in mice lacking the exocrine-specific transcription factor, Mist1.

Mist1 is an exocrine-specific transcription factor that is necessary for the establishment of cell organization and function of pancreatic acinar cells. While Mist1 is not expressed in the endocrine pancreas, the disorganized phenotype of the exocrine component may affect endocrine function. Therefore, we examined endocrine tissue morphology and function in Mist1-knockout (Mist1(KO)) mice.

Alteration in CD45RBhi/CD45RBlo T-cell ratio following CD45RB monoclonal-antibody therapy occurs by selective deletion of CD45RBhi effector cells.

Tolerance induction by CD45RB monoclonal antibody (mAb) in murine allograft models is associated with an alteration in the CD45RBlo/CD45RBhi T-cell ratio in favor of CD45RBlo T cells, which can function as regulatory cells and promote tolerance. It has been proposed that inversion of the CD45RBhi/CD45RBlo normal T-cell ratio by mAb can occur by down-regulation of CD45RB surface molecules expressed by T cells. Because CD45RB mAb infusion can lead to a reduction in peripheral T cells, we tested whether other mechanisms might participate in the inversion of the CD45RBhi/CD45RBlo ratio, including apoptosis of CD45RBhi cells.

Restriction fragment length polymorphism in amplification products of the bovine butyrophilin gene: assignment of bovine butyrophilin to bovine chromosome 23.

A polymorphism was identified in the bovine butyrophilin (BTN) gene by digesting polymerase chain reaction products with the restriction enzyme HaeIII. This polymorphism was segregating in a Holstein-Friesian sire selected as part of an ongoing study directed towards the identification of quantitative trait loci affecting milk composition. Screening of a half-sib family established for the heterozygous sire allowed the localization of BTN to bovine chromosome 23 (BTA23).

Late ventricular dysrhythmias after myocardial infarction.

Serious ventricular dysrhythmias occurred in hospital after discharge from a coronary intensive care unit in 11 out of 142 patients with myocardial infarction. Previous rhythm changes, hypotension, and left ventricular failure were common findings; only one of these patients had an uneventful previous course. Four patients were resuscitated and left hospital; six were resuscitated but died at varying periods up to eight days after the event; one patient could not be resuscitated.