Sensitivity of occipito-temporal cortex, premotor and Broca's areas to visible speech gestures in a familiar language.

When looking at a speaking person, the analysis of facial kinematics contributes to language discrimination and to the decoding of the time flow of visual speech. To disentangle these two factors, we investigated behavioural and fMRI responses to familiar and unfamiliar languages when observing speech gestures with natural or reversed kinematics. Twenty Italian volunteers viewed silent video-clips of speech shown as recorded (Forward, biological motion) or reversed in time (Backward, non-biological motion), in Italian (familiar language) or Arabic (non-familiar language).

Curcumin Enhances the Antitumoral Effect Induced by the Recombinant Vaccinia Neu Vaccine (rV-T) in Mice with Transplanted Salivary Gland Carcinoma Cells.

The survival rate for head and neck cancer patients has not substantially changed in the last two decades. We previously showed that two rV-T intratumoral injections induced an efficient antitumor response and rejection of transplanted Neu (rat oncogene-encoded protein)-overexpressing salivary gland tumor cells in BALB-T mice (BALB/c mice transgenic for the rat oncogene). However, reiterated poxviral vaccinations increase neutralizing antibodies to viral proteins in humans that prevent immune response against the recombinant antigen expressed by the virus.

Radiomics in breast cancer classification and prediction.

Breast Cancer (BC) is the common form of cancer in women. Its diagnosis and screening are usually performed through different imaging modalities such as mammography, magnetic resonance imaging and ultrasound. However, mammography and ultrasound-imaging techniques have limited sensitivity and specificity both in identifying lesions and in differentiating malign from benign lesions, especially in presence of dense breast parenchyma.

Correction to: The burden of chronic diseases across Europe: what policies and programs to address diabetes? A SWOT analysis.

It was highlighted that in the original article [1] Fig. 2 was incorrect and the link for the Additional File was missing. This Correction article provides the correct Fig.

Probabilistic Template of the Lateral Parabrachial Nucleus, Medial Parabrachial Nucleus, Vestibular Nuclei Complex, and Medullary Viscero-Sensory-Motor Nuclei Complex in Living Humans From 7 Tesla MRI.

The lateral parabrachial nucleus, medial parabrachial nucleus, vestibular nuclei complex, and medullary viscero-sensory-motor (VSM) nuclei complex (the latter including among others the solitary nucleus, vagus nerve nucleus, and hypoglossal nucleus) are anatomically and functionally connected brainstem gray matter structures that convey signals across multiple modalities between the brain and the spinal cord to regulate vital bodily functions. It is remarkably difficult to precisely extrapolate the location of these nuclei from atlases to conventional 3 Tesla images; thus, a probabilistic brainstem template in stereotaxic neuroimaging space in living humans is needed. We delineated these nuclei using single-subject high contrast 1.

The burden of chronic diseases across Europe: what policies and programs to address diabetes? A SWOT analysis.

Background: Promoting the well-being at all ages and reducing premature mortality from non-communicable diseases (NCDs) is a major target of the Sustainable Development Goals. In the frame of the JA-CHRODIS, a Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) analysis was conducted to provide different countries' insights on what makes a policy/programme addressing NCDs applicable, sustainable and effective, with a focus on diabetes.

Methods: A qualitative study has been performed using a SWOT analysis on policies/programmes at the national/federal or subnational level.

Altered mitochondrial function in cells carrying a premutation or unmethylated full mutation of the FMR1 gene.

Fragile X-related disorders are due to a dynamic mutation of the CGG repeat at the 5' UTR of the FMR1 gene, coding for the RNA-binding protein FMRP. As the CGG sequence expands from premutation (PM, 56-200 CGGs) to full mutation (> 200 CGGs), FMRP synthesis decreases until it is practically abolished in fragile X syndrome (FXS) patients, mainly due to FMR1 methylation. Cells from rare individuals with no intellectual disability and carriers of an unmethylated full mutation (UFM) produce slightly elevated levels of FMR1-mRNA and relatively low levels of FMRP, like in PM carriers.

Internal consistency and validity of the Jebsen-Taylor hand function test in an Italian population with hemiparesis.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate the internal consistency and validity of the Italian version of the Jebsen- Taylor Hand Function Test (JTHFT-IT) in Italian post-stroke adults with chronic hemiplegia or hemiparesis.

Methods: The test's internal consistency and validity were assessed by following international guidelines. Its internal consistency was examined using Cronbach's alpha (α) coefficient.

Tumor antigens heterogeneity and immune response-targeting neoantigens in breast cancer.

Breast cancer is both the most common type of cancer and the most frequent cause of cancer mortality in women, mainly because of its heterogeneity and limited immunogenicity. The aim of specific active cancer immunotherapy is to stimulate the host's immune response against cancer cells directly using a vaccine platform carrying one or more tumor antigens. In particular, the ideal tumor antigen should be able to elicit T cell and B cell responses, be specific for the tumor and be expressed at high levels on cancer cells.

Time-resolved connectome of the five-factor model of personality.

The human brain is characterized by highly dynamic patterns of functional connectivity. However, it is unknown whether this time-variant 'connectome' is related to the individual differences in the behavioural and cognitive traits described in the five-factor model of personality. To answer this question, inter-network time-variant connectivity was computed in n = 818 healthy people via a dynamical conditional correlation model.

Latest Advances in Annuloplasty Protheses for Valvular Reconstructive Surgery.

This is the third and final part of our update on the latest advances in cardiac valvular replacement. Part 1 was dedicated to cardiac valvular replacement, and Part 2 focused on transcatheter cardiac valvular treatment. This part concerns annuloplasty prostheses for valvular reconstructive surgery.

Lower Functional Connectivity in Vestibular-Limbic Networks in Individuals With Subclinical Agoraphobia.

Agoraphobia was described in 1871 as a condition of fear-related alterations in spatial orientation and locomotor control triggered by places or situations that might cause a patient to panic and feel trapped. In contemporary nosology, however, this original concept of agoraphobia was split into two diagnostic entities, i.e.

Regulation of PDE5 expression in human aorta and thoracic aortic aneurysms.

Aneurysms and dissections affecting thoracic aorta are associated with smooth muscle cell (SMC) dysfunction. NO/cGMP signaling pathway in smooth muscle cells has been shown to be affected in sporadic thoracic aortic aneurysms. We analyzed the mRNA levels of PDE5, a cGMP-hydrolyzing enzyme highly expressed in aortic SMCs, that regulates arterious vascular tone by lowering cGMP levels.

The Association Between Mutuality, Anxiety, and Depression in Heart Failure Patient-Caregiver Dyads: An Actor-Partner Interdependence Model Analysis.

Background: Heart failure (HF) patient-caregiver dyads experience severe psychological problems, such as anxiety and depression. A variable that has been found to be associated with anxiety and depression in patients and caregivers in severe chronic conditions is mutuality. However, this association has not been explored in HF patient-caregiver dyads to date.

Variability and Reproducibility of Directed and Undirected Functional MRI Connectomes in the Human Brain.

A growing number of studies are focusing on methods to estimate and analyze the functional connectome of the human brain. Graph theoretical measures are commonly employed to interpret and synthesize complex network-related information. While resting state functional MRI (rsfMRI) is often employed in this context, it is known to exhibit poor reproducibility, a key factor which is commonly neglected in typical cohort studies using connectomics-related measures as biomarkers.

Influence of preparedness on anxiety, depression, and quality of life in caregivers of heart failure patients: Testing a model of path analysis.

Objectives: Testing the influence of heart failure (HF) caregiver preparedness on anxiety and depression, and the influence of HF caregiver anxiety and depression on caregiver physical and mental QOL.

Methods: In this cross-sectional study, we used the Caregiver Preparedness Scale (CPS), the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) with the anxiety (HADS-A) and depression (HADS-D) subscales, and the Short-Form 12 (SF-12) measuring the physical component summary (PCS) and the mental component summary (MCS) of QOL. Socio-demographic data and patients' clinic data were also collected.