Heterogeneous and higher-order cortical connectivity undergirds efficient, robust, and reliable neural codes.

We hypothesized that the heterogeneous architecture of biological neural networks provides a substrate to regulate the well-known tradeoff between robustness and efficiency, thereby allowing different subpopulations of the same network to optimize for different objectives. To distinguish between subpopulations, we developed a metric based on the mathematical theory of simplicial complexes that captures the complexity of their connectivity by contrasting its higher-order structure to a random control and confirmed its relevance in several openly available connectomes. Using a biologically detailed cortical model and an electron microscopic dataset, we showed that subpopulations with low simplicial complexity exhibit efficient activity.

Paired associative stimulation improves motor function in the upper extremity in chronic incomplete spinal cord injury: a corroborative study.

Objective: To corroborate findings suggesting that spinally targeted paired associative stimulation improves upper extremity motor function in chronic incomplete spinal cord injury.

Design: Prospective interventional study.

Subjects: Five adults with chronic tetraplegia.

Critical exponents of correlated percolation of sites not visited by a random walk.

We consider a d-dimensional correlated percolation problem of sites not visited by a random walk on a hypercubic lattice L^{d} for d=3, 4, and 5. The length of the random walk is N=uL^{d}. Close to the critical value u=u_{c}, many geometrical properties of the problem can be described as powers (critical exponents) of u_{c}-u, such as β, which controls the strength of the spanning cluster, and γ, which characterizes the behavior of the mean finite cluster size S.

A reference framework for standardization and harmonization of CT radiomics features on cadaveric sample.

Radiomics features (RFs) serve as quantitative metrics to characterize shape, density/intensity, and texture patterns in radiological images. Despite their promise, RFs exhibit reproducibility challenges across acquisition settings, thus limiting implementation into clinical practice. In this investigation, we evaluate the effects of different CT scanners and CT acquisition protocols (KV, mA, field-of-view, and reconstruction kernel settings) on RFs extracted from lumbar vertebrae of a cadaveric trunk.

Insulin-Activated Signaling Pathway and GLUT4 Membrane Translocation in hiPSC-Derived Cardiomyocytes.

Human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (hiPSC-CM) are a cell model now widely used to investigate pathophysiological features of cardiac tissue. Given the invaluable contribution hiPSC-CM could make for studies on cardio-metabolic disorders by defining a postnatal metabolic phenotype, our work herein focused on monitoring the insulin response in CM derived from the hiPSC line UKBi015-B. Western blot analysis on total cell lysates obtained from hiPSC-CM showed increased phosphorylation of both AKT and AS160 following insulin treatment, but failed to highlight any changes in the expression dynamics of the glucose transporter GLUT4.

Role of ultrasound-guided vacuum-assisted breast biopsy in the management of radiologic-pathologic discordance: a retrospective single-centre study.

Purpose: To evaluate the efficacy of US-guided vacuum-assisted biopsy (US-VAB) in radiologic-pathologic (rad-path) discordance in women with suspicious breast lesions.

Methods: Two thousand three hundred and sixty patients with 2385 BI-RADS category 4 and 5 lesions underwent percutaneous US-guided CNB. Thirty-six lesions were classified as discordant benign and underwent second-line US-VAB.

Reporting of Magnetic Resonance Enterography in Inflammatory Bowel Disease: Results of an Italian Survey.

Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs) are chronic disorders that require close monitoring with imaging techniques such as magnetic resonance enterography (MRE). Standardization of radiological reports is crucial for the optimal management of IBD. We surveyed Italian radiologists regarding their experiences with MRE examinations and reporting for IBD.

A Qualitative Phenomenological Philosophy Analysis of Affectivity and Temporality in Experiences of COVID-19 and Remaining Symptoms after COVID-19 in Sweden.

This article explores affectivity, temporality, and their interrelation in patients who contracted COVID-19 during the first wave of the pandemic in Sweden and with symptoms indicative of post-COVID-19 Condition (PCC) that remained one year after the infection. It offers a qualitative phenomenological philosophy analysis, showing how being ill with acute COVID-19 and with symptoms indicative of PCC can entail a radically altered self-world relation. We identify two examples of pre-intentional (existential) feelings: that of listlessness and that of not being able to sense what is real and not real, both of which, in different ways, imply a changed self-world relation.

Modulation of neuronal dynamics by sustained and activity-dependent continuous-wave near-infrared laser stimulation.

Significance: Near-infrared laser illumination is a non-invasive alternative/complement to classical stimulation methods in neuroscience but the mechanisms underlying its action on neuronal dynamics remain unclear. Most studies deal with high-frequency pulsed protocols and stationary characterizations disregarding the dynamic modulatory effect of sustained and activity-dependent stimulation. The understanding of such modulation and its widespread dissemination can help to develop specific interventions for research applications and treatments for neural disorders.

CT Cadaveric dataset for Radiomics features stability assessment in lumbar vertebrae.

Radiomics features (RFs) studies have showed limitations in the reproducibility of RFs in different acquisition settings. To date, reproducibility studies using CT images mainly rely on phantoms, due to the harness of patient exposure to X-rays. The provided CadAIver dataset has the aims of evaluating how CT scanner parameters effect radiomics features on cadaveric donor.

The gut-brain axis: Correlation of choroid plexus volume and permeability with inflammatory biomarkers in Crohn's disease.

Background: The dysregulation of the gut-brain axis in chronic inflammatory bowel diseases can cause neuro-psychological disturbances, but the underlying mechanisms are still not fully understood. The choroid plexus (CP) maintains brain homeostasis and nourishment through the secretion and clearance of cerebrospinal fluid. Recent research has demonstrated the existence of a CP vascular barrier in mice which is modulated during intestinal inflammation.

Predicting the spread of SARS-CoV-2 variants: An artificial intelligence enabled early detection.

During more than 3 years since its emergence, SARS-CoV-2 has shown great ability to mutate rapidly into diverse variants, some of which turned out to be very infectious and have spread throughout the world causing waves of infections. At this point, many countries have already experienced up to six waves of infections. Extensive academic work has focused on the development of models to predict the pandemic trajectory based on epidemiological data, but none has focused on predicting variant-specific spread.

Bw4 ligand and direct T-cell receptor binding induced selection on HLA A and B alleles.

Introduction: The HLA region is the hallmark of balancing selection, argued to be driven by the pressure to present a wide variety of viral epitopes. As such selection on the peptide-binding positions has been proposed to drive HLA population genetics. MHC molecules also directly binds to the T-Cell Receptor and killer cell immunoglobulin-like receptors (KIR).

Quantification of cauda equina nerve root dispersion through radiomics features in weight-bearing MRI in normal subjects and spinal canal stenosis patients.

Objective: To quantify the distribution of cauda equina nerve roots in supine and upright positions using manual measurements and radiomics features both in normal subjects and in lumbar spinal canal stenosis (LSCS) patients.

Methods: We retrospectively recruited patients who underwent weight-bearing MRI in supine and upright positions for back pain. 3D T2-weighted isotropic acquisition (3D-HYCE) sequences were used to develop a 3D convolutional neural network for identification and segmentation of lumbar vertebrae.

MRI with generalized diffusion encoding reveals damaged white matter in patients previously hospitalized for COVID-19 and with persisting symptoms at follow-up.

There is mounting evidence of the long-term effects of COVID-19 on the central nervous system, with patients experiencing diverse symptoms, often suggesting brain involvement. Conventional brain MRI of these patients shows unspecific patterns, with no clear connection of the symptomatology to brain tissue abnormalities, whereas diffusion tensor studies and volumetric analyses detect measurable changes in the brain after COVID-19. Diffusion MRI exploits the random motion of water molecules to achieve unique sensitivity to structures at the microscopic level, and new sequences employing generalized diffusion encoding provide structural information which are sensitive to intravoxel features.

Shared bias in H chain V-J pairing in naive and memory B cells.

Introduction: H chain rearrangement in B cells is a two-step process where first binds , and only then is joined to the complex. As such, there is no direct rearrangement between and .

Results: Nevertheless, we here show that the JH combinations frequency in humans deviates from the one expected based on each gene usage frequency.

Development and Application of a Data-Driven Signal Detection Method for Surveillance of Adverse Event Variability Across Manufacturing Lots of Biologics.

Introduction: Postmarketing drug safety surveillance research has focused on the product-patient interaction as the primary source of variability in clinical outcomes. However, the inherent complexity of pharmaceutical manufacturing and distribution, especially of biologic drugs, also underscores the importance of risks related to variability in manufacturing and supply chain conditions that could potentially impact clinical outcomes. We propose a data-driven signal detection method called HMMScan to monitor for manufacturing lot-dependent changes in adverse event (AE) rates, and herein apply it to a biologic drug.

Association Between Duration of SARS-CoV-2 Positivity and Long COVID.

In an observational study, we analyzed 1293 healthcare workers previously infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), of which 34.1% developed postacute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (also known as long COVID). Using a multivariate logistic regression model, we demonstrate that the likelihood of developing long COVID in infected individuals rises with the increasing of duration of infection and that 3 doses of the BNT162b2 vaccine are protective, even during the Omicron wave.

Impact of Dietary Protein on the Management of Pediatric Short Bowel Syndrome.

Essential amino acids (AAs) play a key role in stimulating intestinal adaptation after massive small gut resection. The nutritional effect of dietary amino acids during intestinal regrowth has received considerable attention in recent years. This review explores the significance of dietary amino acids in the nutritional management of infants and children with intestinal failure and short bowel syndrome (SBS) as reported in the medical literature over the last three decades.

Food Insecurity and Diabetes: Overview of Intersections and Potential Dual Solutions.

Food insecurity increases the risk of developing diabetes and its complications. In this article, we describe the complex relationship that exists between food insecurity and diabetes and describe potential mechanisms that may underlie this association. We then describe how two different types of interventions, food-is-medicine and federal nutrition assistance programs, may help address both food insecurity and health.