Distinguishing deception from its confounds by improving the validity of fMRI-based neural prediction.

Deception is a universal human behavior. Yet longstanding skepticism about the validity of measures used to characterize the biological mechanisms underlying deceptive behavior has relegated such studies to the scientific periphery. Here, we address these fundamental questions by applying machine learning methods and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to signaling games capturing motivated deception in human participants.

A dopaminergic basis of behavioral control.

Both goal-directed and automatic processes shape human behavior, but these processes often conflict. is the decision about which process guides behavior. Despite the importance of behavioral control for adaptive decision-making, its neural mechanisms remain unclear.

Generation of a patient-specific hiPS cell line with heterozygous GNB2 mutation (UKMi003-A) causative for human sinus node dysfunction and a corresponding CRISPR/Cas9-corrected isogenic control (UKMi004-A).

The heterozygous mutation c.155G > T in GNB2 clinically leads to sinus bradycardia and sinus node dysfunction. Here, patient-specific skin fibroblasts of the mutation carrier were used for Sendai virus reprogramming into human induced-pluripotent stem cells (hiPSC).

Selective but not pan-CDK inhibition abrogates 5-FU-driven tissue factor upregulation in colon cancer.

Thromboembolic events are complications in cancer patients and hypercoagulability has been linked to the tissue factor (TF) pathway, making this an attractive target. Here, we investigated the effects of chemotherapeutics and CDK inhibitors (CDKI) abemaciclib/palbociclib (CDK4/6), THZ-1 (CDK7/12/13), and dinaciclib (CDK1/2/5/9) alone and in combination regimens on TF abundance and coagulation. The human colorectal cancer (CRC) cell line HROC173 was treated with 5-FU or gemcitabine to stimulate TF expression.

Cold-water coral energy reserves and calcification in contrasting fjord environments.

The relationship between energy reserves of cold-water corals (CWCs) and their physiological performance remains largely unknown. In addition, it is poorly understood how the energy allocation to different metabolic processes might change with projected decreasing food supply to the deep sea in the future. This study explores the temporal and spatial variations of total energy reserves (proteins, carbohydrates and lipids) of the CWC Desmophyllum dianthus and their correlation with its calcification rate.

Cerebral perfusion in post-stroke aphasia and its relationship to residual language abilities.

Stroke alters blood flow to the brain resulting in damaged tissue and cell death. Moreover, the disruption of cerebral blood flow (perfusion) can be observed in areas surrounding and distal to the lesion. These structurally preserved but suboptimally perfused regions may also affect recovery.

Dopamine Modulates Effective Connectivity in Frontal Cortex.

There is increasing evidence that the left lateral frontal cortex is hierarchically organized such that higher-order regions have an asymmetric top-down influence over lower order regions. However, questions remain about the underlying neuroarchitecture of this hierarchical control organization. Within the frontal cortex, dopamine plays an important role in cognitive control functions, and we hypothesized that dopamine may preferentially influence top-down connections within the lateral frontal hierarchy.

The W101C Mutation Induces Slower Pacing by Constitutively Active GIRK Channels in hiPSC-Derived Cardiomyocytes.

Mutations in the gene, encoding one of the major subunits of cardiac G-protein-gated inwardly rectifying K (GIRK) channels, have been recently linked to inherited forms of sinus node dysfunction. Here, the pathogenic mechanism of the W101C mutation underlying sinus bradycardia in a patient-derived cellular disease model of sinus node dysfunction (SND) was investigated. A human-induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSCs) line of a mutation carrier was generated, and CRISPR/Cas9-based gene targeting was used to correct the familial mutation as a control line.

Patient-derived stem cell line UKMi005-A (hiPSC) harboring a non-synonymous heterozygous KCNJ5 gene variant.

A published heterozygous gain-of-function variant in the KCNJ5 gene (p.Trp101Cys) encoding the G-protein-activated inward-rectifier potassium channel 4 subunit of the I channel is associated with human sinus node dysfunction (SND). Differentiated hiPSC-cardiomyocytes may serve as an in-vitro model to study SND and to develop pharmacological rescue strategies.

Benzimidazole-diamide (bida) Pincer Chromium Complexes: Structures and Reactivity.

Serendipitous discovery of bida (i.e., N-Ar-N-((1-Ar-1-benzo[]imidazol-2-yl)methyl)benzene-1,2-diamide; Ar = 2,6-Pr-CH), a potentially redox noninnocent, hemilabile pincer ligand with a methylene group that may facilitate proton/H atom reactivity, prompted its investigation.

Results of a Peer Navigator Program to Address Chronic Illness Among Persons Experiencing Homelessness.

People who are homeless disproportionately experience the burdens of chronic disease, have limited access to preventive care, and may be less trusting of healthcare agencies. The Collective Impact Project created and evaluated an innovative model designed to increase chronic disease screening and referral to healthcare and public health services. Trained Peer Navigators (PNs), who were paid staff with lived experiences similar to the clients served, were embedded in five agencies serving people experiencing homelessness or at risk for homelessness.

From scanner to court: A neuroscientifically informed "reasonable person" test of trademark infringement.

Many legal decisions center on the thoughts or perceptions of some idealized group of individuals, referred to variously as the "average person," "the typical consumer," or the "reasonable person." Substantial concerns exist, however, regarding the subjectivity and vulnerability to biases inherent in conventional means of assessing such responses, particularly the use of self-report evidence. Here, we addressed these concerns by complementing self-report evidence with neural data to inform the mental representations in question.

Relocatable modular capacities in risk aware strategic supply network planning under demand uncertainty.

We propose a new model formulation for a three-echelon supply network design problem incorporating the concept of relocatable modular capacities. A robust supply network configuration must be determined based on uncertain demand. Furthermore, by incorporating the conditional value at risk (CVaR), the risk induced by uncertain demand is explicitly considered.

HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic: Results from a prospective observational study in Germany.

Aims: Since 2017, HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) care has been provided through an intersectoral collaboration at WIR (Walk-in-Ruhr, Center for Sexual Health and Medicine, Bochum, Germany). The aim of this study was to establish possible impact of COVID-restrictions on the sexual behavior of PrEP users in North Rhine-Westphalia.

Methods: The current PrEP study collected data of individuals using PrEP, their sexual behavior and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) before (each quarter of year 2018) and during the COVID-19 pandemic (each quarter of year 2020).

Connectivity-Defined Subdivisions of the Intraparietal Sulcus Respond Differentially to Abstraction during Decision-Making.

The intraparietal sulcus (IPS) has been implicated in numerous functions that range from representation of visual stimuli to action planning, but its role in abstract decision-making has been unclear, in part because low-level functions often act as confounds. Here, we address this problem using a task that dissociates abstract decision-making from sensory salience, attentional control, motor planning, and motor output. Functional MRI data were collected from healthy female and male human subjects while they performed a policy abstraction task requiring use of a more abstract (second-order) rule to select between two less abstract (first-order) rules that informed the motor response.

TEMPO coordination and reactivity in group 6; pseudo-pentagonal planar (η-TEMPO)CrX (X = Cl, TEMPO).

The exposure of CrCl(THF) to 1 equiv. of TEMPO and 1 equiv. [TEMPO]Na afforded (η-O,N-TEMPO)CrCl (1, 67%); addition of [TEMPO]Na to 1 yielded (η-O,N-TEMPO)Cr(TEMPO) (2).

Changes in the user profiles of HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) before and after PrEP reimbursement.

Background: In Germany, oral HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) was licensed in 2016. Health insurances have been covering the costs since 09/2019. This study compares the sociodemographic profiles of PrEP users before and after PrEP re-imbursement.

Electronic case reporting (eCR) of COVID-19 to public health: implementation perspectives from the Minnesota Department of Health.

Electronic case reporting (eCR) is the automated generation and transmission of case reports from electronic health records to public health for review and action. These reports (electronic initial case reports: eICRs) adhere to recommended exchange and terminology standards. eCR is a partnership of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL) and Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists (CSTE).

Online HIV/STI Risk Test (ORT): A prospective cross-sectional study among sexually active individuals in Germany.

Background: Our goal was to develop and evaluate an anonymous self-administrable web-based test to determine risk for HIV/STI.

Methods: The Online HIV/STI Risk Test was developed and hosted since 12/2017. 11,529 participants completed the test and 10,668 were analyzed.

Influence of dietary supplementation of short-chain fatty acid sodium propionate in people living with HIV (PLHIV).

Background: Non-AIDS-associated chronic diseases in HIV+ patients have been on the rise since the advent of antiretroviral therapy. Especially cardiovascular diseases and disruption in the gastrointestinal tract have limited health-related quality of life (QoL). Several of those complications have been associated with chronic systemic inflammation.

Worldwide Prevalence of Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor Mutations in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: A Meta-Analysis.

Background: Identification of variable epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) gene mutations in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is important for the selection of appropriate targeted therapies. This meta-analysis was conducted to provide a worldwide overview of EGFR mutation and submutation (specifically exon 19 deletions, exon 21 L858R substitutions, and others) prevalence, and identify important covariates that influence EGFR mutation status in patients with advanced NSCLC to address this clinical data gap.

Methods: Embase and MEDLINE in Ovid were searched for studies published between 2004 and 2019 with cohorts of ≥ 50 adults with EGFR mutations, focusing on stage III/IV NSCLC (≤ 20% of patients with stage I/II NSCLC).

[Sexual behavior and prevention of sexually transmitted infections taking the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic into account. Data from a sexual healthcare and medicine center-WIR].

Background: Application-based data regarding sexual health and sexual behavior in various sexually active populations are scarce but at the same time relevant with regards to prevention and healthcare supply strategies. Given the structure of its attendees, the Walk In Ruhr (WIR) Center for Sexual Health and Medicine is able to obtain data from diverse living environments.

Objectives: Based on the online HIV/STI risk test, questionnaires, and attendee data from the WIR, this study aims to deduce population-related findings with regards to age, gender, sexual orientation, and sexual and risk behavior as well as the respective needs for prevention.