Neural subspaces of imagined movements in parietal cortex remain stable over several years in humans.

A crucial goal in brain-machine interfacing is the long-term stability of neural decoding performance, ideally without regular retraining. Long-term stability has only been previously demonstrated in non-human primate experiments and only in primary sensorimotor cortices. Here we extend previous methods to determine long-term stability in humans by identifying and aligning low-dimensional structures in neural data.

Visual context affects the perceived timing of tactile sensations elicited through intra-cortical microstimulation.

Intra-cortical microstimulation (ICMS) is a technique to provide tactile sensations for a somatosensory brain-machine interface (BMI). A viable BMI must function within the rich, multisensory environment of the real world, but how ICMS is integrated with other sensory modalities is poorly understood. To investigate how ICMS percepts are integrated with visual information, ICMS and visual stimuli were delivered at varying times relative to one another.

Neural subspaces of imagined movements in parietal cortex remain stable over several years in humans.

A crucial goal in brain-machine interfacing is long-term stability of neural decoding performance, ideally without regular retraining. Here we demonstrate stable neural decoding over several years in two human participants, achieved by latent subspace alignment of multi-unit intracortical recordings in posterior parietal cortex. These results can be practically applied to significantly expand the longevity and generalizability of future movement decoding devices.

S1 represents multisensory contexts and somatotopic locations within and outside the bounds of the cortical homunculus.

Recent literature suggests that tactile events are represented in the primary somatosensory cortex (S1) beyond its long-established topography; in addition, the extent to which S1 is modulated by vision remains unclear. To better characterize S1, human electrophysiological data were recorded during touches to the forearm or finger. Conditions included visually observed physical touches, physical touches without vision, and visual touches without physical contact.

Temporal dynamics of the neural representation of hue and luminance polarity.

Hue and luminance contrast are basic visual features. Here we use multivariate analyses of magnetoencephalography data to investigate the timing of the neural computations that extract them, and whether they depend on common neural circuits. We show that hue and luminance-contrast polarity can be decoded from MEG data and, with lower accuracy, both features can be decoded across changes in the other feature.

Automated satellite remote sensing of giant kelp at the Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas).

Giant kelp populations that support productive and diverse coastal ecosystems at temperate and subpolar latitudes of both hemispheres are vulnerable to changing climate conditions as well as direct human impacts. Observations of giant kelp forests are spatially and temporally uneven, with disproportionate coverage in the northern hemisphere, despite the size and comparable density of southern hemisphere kelp forests. Satellite imagery enables the mapping of existing and historical giant kelp populations in understudied regions, but automating the detection of giant kelp using satellite imagery requires approaches that are robust to the optical complexity of the shallow, nearshore environment.

Noninflammatory comedones have greater diversity in microbiome and are more prone to biofilm formation than inflammatory lesions of acne vulgaris.

Background: The ability of Cutibacterium acnes strains to form biofilms has been correlated with their virulence.

Objective: This study examined biofilm and skin microbiota in acne patients in order to understand their role in the development of acne lesions.

Methods: Thin sections of punch biopsy specimens of (i) uninflamed comedones, (ii) inflammatory lesions, and (iii) uninvolved adjacent skin of acne patients were examined.

The Neurophysiological Representation of Imagined Somatosensory Percepts in Human Cortex.

Intracortical microstimulation (ICMS) in human primary somatosensory cortex (S1) has been used to successfully evoke naturalistic sensations. However, the neurophysiological mechanisms underlying the evoked sensations remain unknown. To understand how specific stimulation parameters elicit certain sensations we must first understand the representation of those sensations in the brain.

Color Space Geometry Uncovered with Magnetoencephalography.

The geometry that describes the relationship among colors, and the neural mechanisms that support color vision, are unsettled. Here, we use multivariate analyses of measurements of brain activity obtained with magnetoencephalography to reverse-engineer a geometry of the neural representation of color space. The analyses depend upon determining similarity relationships among the spatial patterns of neural responses to different colors and assessing how these relationships change in time.

Deconstructing Theory-of-Mind Impairment in High-Functioning Adults with Autism.

Inferring the beliefs, desires, and intentions of other people ("theory of mind," ToM) requires specialized psychological processes that represent the minds of others as distinct from our own [1-3]. ToM is engaged ubiquitously in our everyday social behavior and features a specific developmental trajectory [4] that is notably delayed in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) [5, 6]. In healthy individuals, model-based analyses of social learning and decision-making have successfully elucidated specific computational components of ToM processing [7-11].

Color statistics of objects, and color tuning of object cortex in macaque monkey.

We hypothesized that the parts of scenes identified by human observers as "objects" show distinct color properties from backgrounds, and that the brain uses this information towards object recognition. To test this hypothesis, we examined the color statistics of naturally and artificially colored objects and backgrounds in a database of over 20,000 images annotated with object labels. Objects tended to be warmer colored (L-cone response > M-cone response) and more saturated compared to backgrounds.

A unique telomere DNA expansion phenotype in human retinal rod photoreceptors associated with aging and disease.

We have identified a discrete, focal telomere DNA expansion phenotype in the photoreceptor cell layer of normal, non-neoplastic human retinas. This phenotype is similar to that observed in a subset of human cancers, including a large fraction of tumors of the central nervous system, which maintain their telomeres via the non-telomerase-mediated alternative lengthening of telomeres (ALT) mechanism. We observed that these large, ultra-bright telomere DNA foci are restricted to the rod photoreceptors and are not observed in other cell types.

Is Maintenance Electroconvulsive Therapy Always an Elective Procedure?: Weighing Medical Versus Psychiatric Risk.

Because of the severe nature of psychiatric illness, electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is not always an "elective procedure." The pre-ECT medical evaluation, although important, should not be an impediment to timely ECT. We argue that an arbitrary regulation requiring new assessments every 30 days may be unduly burdensome and unnecessary.

Dermatofibrosarcoma Protuberans-Like Tumor With COL1A1 Copy Number Gain in the Absence of t(17;22).

A 57-year-old woman presented with a 3-year history of a progressive firm plaque on the right cheek. Skin biopsies revealed a bland, storiform, spindle-cell proliferation involving the deep dermis and subcutaneous fat. By immunohistochemistry, the tumor cells were diffusely positive for CD34 and caldesmon with multifocal reactivity for epithelial membrane antigen and focal, weak staining for smooth muscle actin.

An HPLC method to determine sennoside A and sennoside B in Sennae fructus and Sennae folium.

Introduction: The current Ph. Eur. monographs for senna pods, senna leaf and senna leaf dry extract standardised describe a photometric assay based on the Bornträger reaction to determine hydroxyanthracene glycosides, calculated as sennoside B.

Validated method for the analysis of frangulins A and B and glucofrangulins A and B using HPLC and UHPLC.

In the present study, robust and validated HPLC and UHPLC methods for the quantitative determination of frangulins A and B (3 and 4) and glucofrangulins A and B (1 and 2) in the bark of Frangula alnus have been developed. The HPLC method allowed the separation of the analytes in 25 min and the UHPLC method in just 13 min. The HPLC method used an MN Nucleodur C18 125 × 4 mm column with 3 μm particles, while the UHPLC method used a Waters Acquity UPLC BEH C18, 100 × 2.

A case of infraorbital lichen sclerosus.

We present a 57-year-old man with erosive lichen sclerosus isolated to the infraorbital area.

Dose-ranging comparison of rifampin and rifapentine in two pathologically distinct murine models of tuberculosis.

In previous experiments, replacing the 10-mg/kg of body weight daily dose of rifampin with 7.5 to 10 mg/kg of rifapentine in combinations containing isoniazid and pyrazinamide reduced the duration of treatment needed to cure tuberculosis in BALB/c mice by approximately 50% due to rifapentine's more potent activity and greater drug exposures obtained. In the present study, we performed dose-ranging comparisons of the bactericidal and sterilizing activities of rifampin and rifapentine, alone and in combination with isoniazid and pyrazinamide with or without ethambutol, in BALB/c mice and in C3HeB/FeJ mice, which develop necrotic lung granulomas after infection with Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

Treatment of tuberculosis with rifamycin-containing regimens in immune-deficient mice.

Rationale: Daily rifapentine plus isoniazid-pyrazinamide in mice infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis produces cure in 3 months. Whether cure corresponds to latent infection contained by host immunity or true tissue sterilization is unknown.

Objectives: To determine the length of treatment with rifapentine-isoniazid-pyrazinamide or rifampin-isoniazid-pyrazinamide needed to prevent relapse in immune-deficient mice.

Short-course therapy with daily rifapentine in a murine model of latent tuberculosis infection.

Rationale: Regimens recommended to treat latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) are 3 to 9 months long. A 2-month rifampin+pyrazinamide regimen is no longer recommended. Shorter regimens are highly desirable.

Paradoxical effect of isoniazid on the activity of rifampin-pyrazinamide combination in a mouse model of tuberculosis.

To investigate the antagonism between isoniazid (INH) and rifampin (rifampicin) (RIF)-pyrazinamide (PZA) combination observed in Mycobacterium tuberculosis-infected mice, extensive pharmacokinetic studies of INH were performed and followed by experiments to assess the impact of increasing doses of INH on the antimicrobial activity of RIF-PZA combination. INH at 6.25 mg/kg of body weight produced a maximum concentration of drug in serum (Cmax) value of 4 microg/ml and an area under the concentration-time curve from 0 to 24 h (AUC(0-24)) value of 4.

Isoniazid or moxifloxacin in rifapentine-based regimens for experimental tuberculosis?

Rationale: Recent studies have demonstrated that combined substitutions of rifapentine for rifampin and moxifloxacin for isoniazid in the standard, daily, short-course regimen of rifampin, isoniazid, and pyrazinamide produces stable cure in 12 weeks or less. This study was designed to more precisely evaluate the contribution of moxifloxacin and isoniazid to rifapentine-based regimens.

Objectives: We compared bactericidal activity and treatment-shortening potential between regimens consisting of isoniazid or moxifloxacin plus rifapentine and pyrazinamide administered either thrice-weekly or daily.