A Comparison of Brain-State Representations of Binary Neuroimaging Connectivity Data. Comment on Samantaray et al. Unique Brain Network Identification Number for Parkinson's and Healthy Individuals Using Structural MRI. 2023, , 1297.

Samantaray et al [...

The First Year of the Psychiatric Diseases Section.

Since its inception in May 2021, the Psychiatric Diseases Section of has grown to include a staff of 28 academic editors with expertise related to clinical psychiatry, in addition to its supporting staff of managing and English-language editors [...

Replicability in Brain Imaging.

In the early 2010s, the "replication crisis" and synonymous terms ("replicability crisis" and "reproducibility crisis") were coined to describe growing concerns regarding published research results too often not being replicable, potentially undermining scientific progress [...

What Do These Findings Tell Us? Comment on Tinella et al. Cognitive Efficiency and Fitness-to-Drive along the Lifespan: The Mediation Effect of Visuospatial Transformations. 2021, , 1028.

Tinella et al.'s recent article [..

The Quest for Psychiatric Advancement through Theory, beyond Serendipity.

Over the past century, advancements in psychiatric treatments have freed countless individuals from the burden of life-long, incapacitating mental illness. These treatments have largely been discovered by chance. Theory has driven advancement in the natural sciences and other branches of medicine, but psychiatry remains a field in its "infancy".

Seed-based dual regression: An illustration of the impact of dual regression's inherent filtering of global signal.

Background: Functional connectivity (FC) maps from brain fMRI data are often derived with seed-based methods that estimate temporal correlations between the time course in a predefined region (seed) and other brain regions (SCA, seed-based correlation analysis). Standard dual regression, which uses a set of spatial regressor maps, can detect FC with entire brain "networks," such as the default mode network, but may not be feasible when detecting FC associated with a single small brain region alone (for example, the amygdala).

New Method: We explored seed-based dual regression (SDR) from theoretical and practical points of view.

Selective use of sternal elevation before substernal dissection in more than 2000 Nuss repairs at a single institution.

Background/purpose: Evaluate the safety of sternal elevation (SE) used selectively before creating the substernal tunnel during the Nuss procedure.

Methods: An IRB-approved (01-05-EX-0175-HOSP), single institution, retrospective review was performed (1/1/1997-11/20/2017). Primary and secondary Nuss repairs (i.

Prevalence of pectus excavatum in an adult population-based cohort estimated from radiographic indices of chest wall shape.

Background: Pectus excavatum is the most common chest wall skeletal deformity. Although commonly evaluated in adolescence, its prevalence in adults is unknown.

Methods And Findings: Radiographic indices of chest wall shape were analyzed for participants of the first (n = 2687) and second (n = 1780) phases of the population-based Dallas Heart Study and compared to clinical cases of pectus (n = 297).

Recent Modifications of the Nuss Procedure: The Pursuit of Safety During the Minimally Invasive Repair of Pectus Excavatum.

Objective: To review standardized Nuss correction of pectus excavatum and vacuum bell treatment over the last 10 years.

Summary Of Background Data: In 2010, we reported 21 years of the Nuss procedure in 1215 patients.

Methods: Over the last 10 years, 2008-2018, we evaluated 1885 pectus excavatum patients.

Juvenile dermatomyositis resembling late-stage Degos disease with gastrointestinal perforations successfully treated with combination of cyclophosphamide and rituximab: case-based review.

Dermatomyositis (DM) is a multi-system disease that results in chronic inflammation principally of the skin and striated muscle. Small blood vessel injury in the GI tract has been described in dermatomyositis, manifesting as bleeding, ulceration, pneumatosis intestinalis, and ultimately perforation. Recent histopathological studies have shown deposits in the capillaries of the skin, gastrointestinal tract, and brain of patients with dermatomyositis similar to that found in patients with Degos disease, suggesting these disease processes are closely related or represent varying degrees of severity on the same pathologic spectrum.

Omission of temporal nuisance regressors from dual regression can improve accuracy of fMRI functional connectivity maps.

Functional connectivity (FC) maps from brain fMRI data can be derived with dual regression, a proposed alternative to traditional seed-based FC (SFC) methods that detect temporal correlation between a predefined region (seed) and other regions in the brain. As with SFC, incorporating nuisance regressors (NR) into the dual regression must be done carefully, to prevent potential bias and insensitivity of FC estimates. Here, we explore the potentially untoward effects on dual regression that may occur when NR correlate highly with the signal of interest, using both synthetic and real fMRI data to elucidate mechanisms responsible for loss of accuracy in FC maps.

Development and validation of the Pectus Carinatum Body Image Quality of Life (PeCBI-QOL) questionnaire.

Introduction: While body image disturbances and quality of life in persons with pectus excavatum (PE) have been well documented, very little has been done to systematically measure and document the same in patients with pectus carinatum (PC). Because of this, the current study aimed to develop and validate an instrument to assess body image related quality of life in patients with PC and their parents.

Method: Participants: Two waves of data collection took place.

Use of an Optical Scanning Device to Monitor the Progress of Noninvasive Treatments for Chest Wall Deformity: A Pilot Study.

Background: The nonsurgical treatment of chest wall deformity by a vacuum bell or external brace is gradual, with correction taking place over months. Monitoring the progress of nonsurgical treatment of chest wall deformity has relied on the ancient methods of measuring the depth of the excavatum and the protrusion of the carinatum. Patients, who are often adolescent, may become discouraged and abandon treatment.

Modifications and Further Development of the Original Nuss Procedure: Blessing or Curse?

The procedure introduced by Donald Nuss in 1997 for the treatment of pectus excavatum at the American Pediatric Surgical Association meeting has now been adopted by pediatric, thoracic, and plastic surgeons around the world. Rather than resection of the costal cartilages and sternal fracture, which had been standard practice for decades, he advocated using a metal bar to push the sternum into position. Reasoning that the chest wall of children is very flexible, he felt that resection was unnecessary.

Outcomes, quality of life, and long-term results after pectus repair from around the globe.

The procedure introduced by Donald Nuss in 1997 at the American Pediatric Surgical Association meeting has now been adopted by pediatric, thoracic, and plastic surgeons around the globe. Since its introduction, the Nuss procedure has been the subject of intense scrutiny. More than 20 years since the original publication, medical centers from around the world have reported their experience with the procedure and robust evidence now supports its safety and efficacy.

Multivariate analysis of risk factors for Nuss bar infections: A single center study.

Background/purpose: Our previously published data suggested several risk factors for infection after the Nuss procedure. We aimed to further elucidate these findings.

Methods: An IRB-approved (14-03-WC-0034), single institution, retrospective review was performed to evaluate the incidence of postoperative Nuss bar infections associated with seven variables.

Nonoperative management of pectus excavatum with vacuum bell therapy: A single center study.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine variables predictive of an excellent correction using vacuum bell therapy for nonoperative treatment of pectus excavatum.

Methods: A single institution, retrospective evaluation (IRB 15-01-WC-0024) of variables associated with an excellent outcome in pectus excavatum patients treated with vacuum bell therapy was performed. An excellent correction was defined as a chest wall depth equal to the mean depth of a reference group of 30 male children without pectus excavatum.

Selective versus routine patch metal allergy testing to select bar material for the Nuss procedure in 932 patients over 10years.

Aim Of The Study: The aim of the study was to determine the role of patch metal allergy testing to select bar material for the Nuss procedure.

Methods: An IRB-approved (11-04-WC-0098) single institution retrospective, cohort study comparing selective versus routine patch metal allergy testing to select stainless steel or titanium bars for Nuss repair was performed. In Cohort A (9/2004-1/2011), selective patch testing was performed based on clinical risk factors.

Life-threatening complications and mortality of minimally invasive pectus surgery.

Unlabelled: The prevalence and type of life-threatening complications related to the minimally invasive repair of pectus excavatum (MIRPE) and bar removal are unknown and underreported. The purpose of this communication is to make surgeons aware of the risk of these life threatening complications as well as the modifications which have been developed to prevent them.

Methods: Data related to life-threatening complications of Pectus Excavatum (PE) patients was obtained from four sources: 1.

Advocating for well-defined and validated procedures: Comment on Griffanti et al., Neuroimage 154:188-205.

Griffanti et al. (2017) provide a rich set of expert-consensus guidelines for how to label components derived from ICA as either belonging to signal of interest or noise to be filtered from fMRI data. These general hypotheses concerning procedures for "hand" classification of components are a good starting point that with further detail would improve reproduction of experiments and facilitate comparisons of alternative hypotheses/procedures.

Pectus excavatum from a pediatric surgeon's perspective.

Historically, pectus excavatum (PE) was reported to be congenital, but in our experience only 22% are noticed in the first decade of life. Thus far, genetic studies support an autosomal recessive heritability, which coincides with only 40% of our patients having some positive family history, but is also contradictory given a constant sex ratio of 4:1 in favor of males. This inconsistency may be explained by the effect of more than one pectus disease-associated allele.

Diminished pulmonary function in pectus excavatum: from denying the problem to finding the mechanism.

Background: Recently, technical improvement in the ability to measure lung function and the severity of chest deformity have enabled progress in understanding the mechanism of limitations of lung function in pectus excavatum.

Methods: After establishing that most patients with pectus excavatum do have symptoms of exercise intolerance, easy fatigability, and shortness of breath with exertion, lung function has been evaluated by a variety of methods in different centers. Spirometry, plethysmography, exercise testing, oculo electronic plethysmography, and imaging methods have been used to assess lung function in pectus excavatum and its response to surgery.

Nuss bar procedure: past, present and future.

Repair of pectus excavatum began at the beginning of the 20 century before endotracheal intubation was standard practice. Surgeons therefore developed techniques that corrected the deformity using an open procedure via the anterior chest wall. Initial techniques were unsatisfactory, but by the 1930s the partial rib resection and sternal osteotomy technique had been developed and was used in combination with external traction post-operatively to prevent the sternum from sinking back into the chest.

Validation of an Objective Assessment Instrument for Non-Surgical Treatments of Chest Wall Deformities.

Depending on the severity of the condition and associated risk, surgical intervention may not always be the first choice. This is true for treating chest wall deformities such as pectus excavatum and pectus carinatum. For both conditions, novel non-surgical treatments have been developed to gradually alleviate the malformation making use of the elastic nature of the costal cartilages at an early age of the patient.