Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Identifying dynamic functional connectivity biomarkers using GIG‐ICA: Application to schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, and psychotic bipolar disorder

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies have shown altered brain dynamic functional connectivity (DFC) in mental disorders. Here, we aim to explore DFC across a spectrum of symptomatically‐related disorders including bipolar disorder with psychosis (BPP), schizoaffective disorder (SAD), and schizophrenia (SZ). We introduce a group information guided independent component analysis procedure to estimate both group‐level and subject‐specific connectivity states from DFC. Using resting‐state fMRI data of 238 healthy controls (HCs), 140 BPP, 132 SAD, and 113 SZ patients, we identified measures differentiating groups from the whole‐brain DFC and traditional static functional connectivity (SFC), separately. Results show that DFC provided more informative measures than SFC. Diagnosis‐related connectivity states were evident using DFC analysis. For the dominant state consistent across groups, we found 22 instances of hypoconnectivity (with decreasing trends from HC to BPP to SAD to SZ) mainly involving post‐central, frontal, and cerebellar cortices as well as 34 examples of hyperconnectivity (with increasing trends HC through SZ) primarily involving thalamus and temporal cortices. Hypoconnectivities/hyperconnectivities also showed negative/positive correlations, respectively, with clinical symptom scores. Specifically, hypoconnectivities linking postcentral and frontal gyri were significantly negatively correlated with the PANSS positive/negative scores. For frontal connectivities, BPP resembled HC while SAD and SZ were more similar. Three connectivities involving the left cerebellar crus differentiated SZ from other groups and one connection linking frontal and fusiform cortices showed a SAD‐unique change. In summary, our method is promising for assessing DFC and may yield imaging biomarkers for quantifying the dimension of psychosis. Hum Brain Mapp 38:2683–2708, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Dexmedetomidine versus clonidine as an adjunct to intrathecal small dose ropivacaine in patients undergoing transurethral resection of prostate

Context It is important to limit the cephalad spread of local anesthetic above T10 dermatome during spinal anesthesia in patients undergoing transurethral resection of prostate (TURP). This can be achieved by using small dose of local anesthetics in combination with intrathecal additives such as α2 -agonists, which improve the quality of block without altering the height of block. Aims The aim of the study was to compare dexmedetomidine and clonidine when added to intrathecal ropivacaine in patients undergoing TURP. Settings and design The study was designed as a prospective, randomized, and double-blind study. Materials and methods Fifty patients of ASA grade I-III, scheduled for elective TURP, were allocated into two groups. Group I received 7.5 mg ropivacaine+15 μg clonidine and group II received 7.5 mg ropivacaine+5 μg dexmedetomidine. Spinal anesthesia was administered in the sitting position after preloading the patients with 10 ml/kg Ringer′s lactate. Onset, duration, and peak sensory level, intensity of motor block, and analgesic requirements were recorded. Results Patients in both groups had comparable baseline and demographic characteristics. Peak sensory block was similar in both groups. Patients in group II had faster onset and longer duration of sensory block. Intensity and duration of motor block were also greater in group II. The quality of intraoperative and postoperative analgesia was better in group II. Conclusion Intrathecal dexmedetomidine with ropivacaine provides faster onset, better operating conditions, and patient comfort in patients undergoing TURP. However, it is associated with delayed motor recovery.
Unstable Sternoclavicular Joint: Indications for and Techniques of Reconstruction

Sternoclavicular instability is rare but occurs frequently enough that a shoulder surgeon will expect to encounter it several times during a career, and more if one has significant exposure to high-energy trauma. The results of treatment of patients with sternoclavicular instability are generally good if treatment is chosen appropriately and indicated surgeries are carried out with care. This article reviews the natural history of the various forms of sternoclavicular instability and the indications for surgery, the anatomy of the region, surgical technique, and complications. Avoiding inappropriate patient selection, preventing hardware-related complications, and preserving or reconstructing the rhomboid ligament are emphasized. Although this region can be somewhat intimidating because of the surrounding anatomic structures, a knowledgeable and careful surgeon can manage this joint instability safely and reliably produce good results.
Modelling the risk of noise-induced hearing loss among military pilots

Noise is a significant risk factor in aviation, especially in military aviation. Even though our earlier studies have shown that the risk of noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) among military pilots is small and the monitoring of their hearing is effective, we still need to develop methods of assessing the risk of NIHL more effectively at both the general and individual levels. In addition, many other risk factors are considered to contribute to the development of hearing impairment. The novel NoiseScan data management system enables assessment of the risk of developing hearing impairment on the basis of known risk factors. This study investigates the risk of hearing impairment among Finnish Air Force pilots using reasonably accurate noise exposure data and other risk factors for hearing impairment. This risk is also compared with that of industrial workers, whose risk followed the ISO 1999 prediction. Hearing among Finnish military pilots turned out to be better than predicted by the ISO 1999 model. The industrial workers had a larger number of risk factors than the pilots. Owing to the small number of risk factors, the hearing of pilots corresponds to approximately the 80th percentile, being 9-13 dB better than the 50th percentile obtained with the industrial population. Sumario El ruido es un importante factor de riesgo en la aviación, especialmente en la aviación militar. Aunque nuestros anteriores estudios mostraron que el riesgo de hipoacusia inducida por ruido (NIHL) entre pilotos militares es bajo y que el monitoreo de su audición es efectivo, seguimos necesitando el desarrollo de métodos de evaluación más efectivos para el riesgo de NIHL, tanto a nivel general como individual. Además, se considera que existen otros muchos factores de riesgo que contribuyen con el desarrollo de una alteración auditiva. El novedoso sistema de manejo de datos NoiseScan permite la evaluación del riesgo de desarrollar un trastorno auditivo con base en factores de riesgo conocidos. Este estudio investiga el riesgo de hipoacusia entre los pilotos de la Fuerza Aérea Finlandesa utilizando datos razonablemente exactos sobre exposición a ruido y otros factores de riesgo para generar alteraciones auditivas. También se compara este riesgo con el de los obreros industriales, que correspondió a la predicción ISO 1999. La audición entre los pilotos militares finlandeses resultó ser mejor que la predicción establecida por el modelo ISO1999. Los obreros industriales tuvieron un mayor número de factores de riesgo que los pilotos. Debido al bajo número de factores de riesgo, la audición en los pilotos corresponde aproximadamente al percentil 80, unos 9-13 dB mejor que el percentil 50 obtenido en la población industrial.
fMRI Study of Sentence Generation by Early Bilinguals Differing in Proficiency Level

The aim of this study was to identify the functional anatomy of the cerebral speech regions involved in speaking in native and foreign language in the same subject using functional magnetic resonance imaging. Experimental design consisted of two activation runs. Each of them included two kinds of tasks arranged in series of five blocks lasting for 30s. In the experimental condition of the first run subjects were required to speak in their native language and in the second run the task was to speak in the foreign language. In both runs, baseline condition was the same and subjects were supposed to lie silently inside the bore. We observed the influence of proficiency on brain activation. In subjects with equal proficiency in the first and the second language, differences were not observed. In the subjects with unequal proficiency in the first and the second language we observed two main effects. First was difference in the strength and extension of activation, the second effect was activation of new regions for the second language, in which proficiency was lower.
In child and adult migraineurs the somatosensory cortex stands out … again: An arterial spin labeling investigation

Over the past decade, human brain imaging investigations have reported altered regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) in the interictal phase of migraine. However, there have been conflicting findings across different investigations, making the use of perfusion imaging in migraine pathophysiology more difficult to define. These inconsistencies may reflect technical constraints with traditional perfusion imaging methods such as single‐photon emission computed tomography and positron emission tomography. Comparatively, pseudocontinuous arterial spin labeling (pCASL) is a recently developed magnetic resonance imaging technique that is noninvasive and offers superior spatial resolution and increased sensitivity. Using pCASL, we have previously shown increased rCBF within the primary somatosensory cortex (S1) in adult migraineurs, where blood flow was positively associated with migraine frequency. Whether these observations are present in pediatric and young adult populations remains unknown. This is an important question given the age‐related variants of migraine prevalence, symptomology, and treatments. In this investigation, we used pCASL to quantitatively compare and contrast blood flow within S1 in pediatric and young adult migraineurs as compared with healthy controls. In migraine patients, we found significant resting rCBF increases within bilateral S1 as compared with healthy controls. Furthermore, within the right S1, we report a positive correlation between blood flow value with migraine attack frequency and cutaneous allodynia symptom profile. Our results reveal that pediatric and young adult migraineurs exhibit analogous rCBF changes with adult migraineurs, further supporting the possibility that these alterations within S1 are a consequence of repeated migraine attacks. Hum Brain Mapp 38:4078–4087, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
The Brazilian Portuguese Hearing in Noise Test

The hearing in noise test (HINT) is currently available in several languages (Nilsson et al., 1994). The similarity of the procedures and the resulting similarity of the test materials makes the measures obtained with the HINT comparable across languages. Individuals from both genders, in the age range of 18 50 years, with hearing thresholds 20 dB HL or better at the octave frequencies from 250 to 8000 Hz, for both ears, who were native speakers of the Portuguese spoken in Brazil participated in this study.
Premature Infants have Lower Gastric Digestion Capacity for Human Milk Proteins than Term Infants

Objectives: Whether premature infants have lower gastric protein digestive capacity than term infants and the extent to which human milk proteases contribute to overall gastric digestion are unknown and were investigated in this study. Methods: Human milk and infant gastric samples were collected from 16 preterm (24–32 wk gestational age) and 6 term (38–40 wk gestational age) mother–infant pairs within a range of 5 to 42 days postnatal age. For each pair, an aliquot of human milk was adjusted to pH 4.5 and incubated for 2 hours at 37 °C to simulate the gastric conditions without pepsin (milkinc). Their gastric protein digestion capacity was measured as proteolysis (free N-terminals) and protease activities. Two-way analysis of variance followed by Tukey post hoc test was applied to compare measurements between preterm and term infants as well as among human milk, milkinc, and gastric samples. Results: Measurements of gastric protein digestion were significantly lower in preterm infants than term infants. Overall milk protease activity did not differ between human milk samples from term- and preterm-delivering mothers. As protease activity did not increase with simulated gastric incubation, milk proteases likely contributed minimally to gastric digestion. Conclusions: Preterm infants have lower gastric protein digestion capacity than term infants, which could impair nutrient acquisition. Human milk proteases contribute minimally to overall gastric digestion. The limited activity of milk proteases suggests that these enzymes cannot compensate for the premature infant's overall lower gastric protein digestion.
Digital noise reduction: Outcomes from laboratory and field studies

The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of a digital noise reduction (DNR) scheme implemented in a current commercial hearing aid. In a double-blinded design, three conditions of onset time (4, 8, 16 seconds) were randomly assigned to the 25 subjects, plus one condition wherein the noise-reduction feature was disengaged. Subsequently, a fifth trial/condition, wherein the subject had access to three memories in which the different onsets were programmed, was carried out. For each of the five conditions, the subjects had an at-home trial, prior to obtaining self-report measures. Laboratory measures of speech perception showed no effect of the DNR, with or without the provision of visual cues. Laboratory-based ratings of ease of listening showed DNR-on (all onset times) to be rated significantly better than DNR-off; for ratings of listening comfort, the 4-second onset time was rated significantly lower (poorer) than the 8-second onset or the DNR-off condition; for ratings of sound quality, DNR-on or -off had no differential effect. Self-report measures indicated significantly higher aversiveness in the DNR-off condition compared to the pre-test scores
Cognition counts: A working memory system for ease of language understanding (ELU)

A general working memory system for ease of language understanding (ELU, Rönnberg, ) is presented. The purpose of the system is to describe and predict the dynamic interplay between explicit and implicit cognitive functions, especially in conditions of poorly perceived or poorly specified linguistic signals. In relation to speech understanding, the system based on (1) the quality and precision of phonological representations in long-term memory, (2) phonologically mediated lexical access speed, and (3) explicit, storage, and processing resources. If there is a mismatch between phonological information extracted from the speech signal and the phonological information represented in long-term memory, the system is assumed to produce a mismatch signal that invokes explicit processing resources. In the present paper, we focus on four aspects of the model which have led to the current, updated version: the language generality assumption; the mismatch assumption; chronological age; and the episodic buffer function of rapid, automatic multimodal binding of phonology (RAMBPHO). We evaluate the language generality assumption in relation to sign language and speech, and the mismatch assumption in relation to signal processing in hearing aids. Further, we discuss the effects of chronological age and the implications of RAMBPHO.
Cingulate and cerebellar beta oscillations are engaged in the acquisition of auditory‐motor sequences

Singing, music performance, and speech rely on the retrieval of complex sounds, which are generated by the corresponding actions and are organized into sequences. It is crucial in these forms of behavior that the serial organization (i.e., order) of both the actions and associated sounds be monitored and learned. To investigate the neural processes involved in the monitoring of serial order during the initial learning of sensorimotor sequences, we performed magnetoencephalographic recordings while participants explicitly learned short piano sequences under the effect of occasional alterations of auditory feedback (AAF). The main result was a prominent and selective modulation of beta (13–30 Hz) oscillations in cingulate and cerebellar regions during the processing of AAF that simulated serial order errors. Furthermore, the AAF‐induced modulation of beta oscillations was associated with higher error rates, reflecting compensatory changes in sequence planning. This suggests that cingulate and cerebellar beta oscillations play a role in tracking serial order during initial sensorimotor learning and in updating the mapping of the sensorimotor representations. The findings support the notion that the modulation of beta oscillations is a candidate mechanism for the integration of sequential motor and auditory information during an early stage of skill acquisition in music performance. This has potential implications for singing and speech. Hum Brain Mapp 38:5161–5179, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Measuring outcome from vestibular rehabilitation, part II: Refinement and validation of a new self-report measure

A prototype self-report measure of vestibular rehabilitation outcome is described in a previous paper. The objectives of the present work were to identify the most useful items and assess their psychometric properties. Stage 1: One hundred fifty-five participants completed a prototype 36-item Vestibular Rehabilitation Benefit Questionnaire (VRBQ). Statistical analysis demonstrated its subscale structure and identified redundant items. Stage 2: One hundred twenty-four participants completed a refined 22-item VRBQ and three established questionnaires (Dizziness Handicap Inventory, DHI; Vertigo Symptom Scale short form, VSS-sf; Medical Outcomes Study short form 36, SF-36) in a longitudinal study. Statistical analysis revealed four internally consistent subscales of the VRBQ: Dizziness, Anxiety, Motion-Provoked Dizziness, and Quality of Life. Correlations with the DHI, VSS-sf, and SF-36 support the validity of the VRBQ, and effect size estimates suggest that the VRBQ is more responsive than comparable questionnaires. Twenty participants completed the VRBQ twice in a 24-hour period, indicating excellent test-retest reliability. The VRBQ appears to be a concise and psychometrically robust questionnaire that addresses the main aspects of dizziness impact.
Electrophysiological correlates of word comprehension: Event-related potential (ERP) and independent component analysis (ICA)

In this study we asked to what extent auditory evoked potentials can help us to understand the complex processes underlying word comprehension. Monosyllabic and bisyllabic words were presented to 34 young adults in the context of a semantic category judgment. The basic paradigm assessed the typicality effect, the tendency for classification of members of a category to be made more accurately and more rapidly for strong exemplars than for weak exemplars. Event-related potentials (ERPs) were recorded from 30 active scalp electrodes. The ERP waveform in response to the semantic categorization of a word was characterized by unique activity in four temporal intervals; (1) a negative peak at a latency of about 100 ms, (2) a positive peak at a latency of about 200 ms, (3) a broad negativity extending over the latency range from 200 to 600 ms, and (4) a broad positivity extending from 600 to 1400 ms. Independent component analysis (ICA) of the individual EEG epochs yielded four maximally independent components, interpreted as (1) exogenous detection of a change in the acoustic environment, followed by allocation of cognitive resources, especially sustained attention, to the analysis of subsequent acoustic events, (2) phonological processing, (3) semantic processing, and (4) decision processing. The morphologies of the four ICA waveforms were consistent with a parallel processing, interactive model of word recognition, and subsequent semantic categorization.
Serotonin, Inflammation, and IBS: Fitting the Jigsaw Together?

Unexplained diarrhoea is a frequent indication for gastroenterologic referral, and after full investigation the most common final diagnosis is irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Some patients with IBS describe an acute onset of symptoms following infective gastroenteritis. Postinfective IBS affects 7% to 31% of individuals infected, and appears to be a nonspecific response to injury which has been reported following Salmonella-, Campylobacter-, and Shigella-related IBS. The strongest risk factor for developing postinfective IBS is severity of the initial diarrhoea illness, but toxigenicity of the infected bacteria, age <60 years, and female sex also are important risk factors. Adverse life events, hypochondriasis, and depression are also important, as is increased enteroendocrine cell and lymphocyte numbers in rectal biopsies. Postinfective IBS and IBS with diarrhoea without an infectious onset both show increased postprandial release of serotonin, whilst constipated patients show a depressed release. Several studies suggest impairment of the serotonin transporter in IBS, which in animal studies has been shown to occur following a range of inflammatory insults. Clinical conditions with an inflammatory basis, such as coeliac and Crohn disease, also are characterised by excess postprandial serotonin release. Several studies report evidence of low-grade inflammation in IBS with diarrhoea. However, reliable markers of low-grade inflammation that may predict response to serotonin antagonists or other anti-inflammatory agents remain a goal for future research.
Validation of brain‐derived signals in near‐infrared spectroscopy through multivoxel analysis of concurrent functional magnetic resonance imaging

Near‐infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) is a convenient and safe brain‐mapping tool. However, its inevitable confounding with hemodynamic responses outside the brain, especially in the frontotemporal head, has questioned its validity. Some researchers attempted to validate NIRS signals through concurrent measurements with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), but, counterintuitively, NIRS signals rarely correlate with local fMRI signals in NIRS channels, although both mapping techniques should measure the same hemoglobin concentration. Here, we tested a novel hypothesis that different voxels within the scalp and the brain tissues might have substantially different hemoglobin absorption rates of near‐infrared light, which might differentially contribute to NIRS signals across channels. Therefore, we newly applied a multivariate approach, a partial least squares regression, to explain NIRS signals with multivoxel information from fMRI within the brain and soft tissues in the head. We concurrently obtained fMRI and NIRS signals in 9 healthy human subjects engaging in an n‐back task. The multivariate fMRI model was quite successfully able to predict the NIRS signals by cross‐validation (interclass correlation coefficient = ∼0.85). This result confirmed that fMRI and NIRS surely measure the same hemoglobin concentration. Additional application of Monte‐Carlo permutation tests confirmed that the model surely reflects temporal and spatial hemodynamic information, not random noise. After this thorough validation, we calculated the ratios of the contributions of the brain and soft‐tissue hemodynamics to the NIRS signals, and found that the contribution ratios were quite different across different NIRS channels in reality, presumably because of the structural complexity of the frontotemporal regions. Hum Brain Mapp 38:5274–5291, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.