DNA hypermethylation as a predictor of extramural vascular invasion (EMVI) in rectal cancer.

Purpose: DNA hypermethylation in gene promoter regions (CpG islands) is emerging as an important pathway in colorectal cancer tumourigenesis. Whilst genetic mutations have been associated with extramural vascular invasion (EMVI) in rectal cancer, no such association has yet been made with epigenetic factors.

Methods: 100 consecutive neoadjuvant-naïve patients undergoing curative surgery for rectal were classified according to the presence or absence of EMVI on histopathological examination.

Plasticity of temporal pattern codes for vocalization stimuli in primary auditory cortex.

It has been suggested that "call-selective" neurons may play an important role in the encoding of vocalizations in primary auditory cortex (A1). For example, marmoset A1 neurons often respond more vigorously to natural than to time-reversed twitter calls, although the spectral energy distribution in the natural and time-reversed signals is the same. Neurons recorded in cat A1, in contrast, showed no such selectivity for natural marmoset calls.