Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
On the Role of Memory Representations in Action Control: Neurophysiological Decoding Reveals the Reactivation of Integrated Stimulus–Response Feature Representations

Abstract Efficient response selection is essential to flexible, goal-directed behavior. Prominent theoretical frameworks such as the Theory of Event Coding and Binding and Retrieval in Action Control have provided insights regarding the dynamics of perception–action integration processes. According to Theory of Event Coding and Binding and Retrieval in Action Control, encoded representations of stimulus–response bindings influence later retrieval processes of these bindings. However, this concept still lacks conclusive empirical evidence. In the current study, we applied representational decoding to EEG data. On the behavioral level, the findings replicated binding effects that have been established in previous studies: The task performance was impaired when an event file had to be reconfigured. The EEG-decoding results showed that retrieval processes of stimulus–response bindings could be decoded using the representational content developed after the initial establishment of these stimulus–response bindings. We showed that stimulus-related properties became immediately reactivated when re-encountering the respective stimulus–response association. These reactivations were temporally stable. In contrast, representations of stimulus–response mappings revealed a transient pattern of activity and could not successfully be decoded directly after stimulus–response binding. Information detailing the bindings between stimuli and responses were also retrieved, but only after having been loaded into a memory system. The current study supports the notion that stimulus–response integration and memory processes are intertwined at multiple levels.
Expansion of granulocytic myeloid‐derived suppressor cells in patients with severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome

Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS), caused by novel bunyavirus (SFTSV), is a hemorrhagic fever with a high mortality rate of over 10%. We have previously shown that granulocytic myeloid‐derived suppressor cell (gMDSC) might affect arginine metabolism, which was associated with decreased platelet count and T lymphocyte dysfunction in this disease. The study was designed to investigate the expression of the gMDSCs subsets in SFTS patients, and to evaluate its association with disease severity. A prospective study was performed on 166 confirmed SFTSV infected patients. Sequential blood samples were collected during hospitalization and after recovery. SFTSV RNA was quantified by real‐time RT‐PCR. The gMDSCs and NK cells were determined by flow cytometry analysis, which were associated with disease severity. Elevation of the activated gMDSC was observed in SFTS patients at the acute phase, with a significantly higher level of gMDSC attained in 79 severe and 29 fatal SFTS patients than in the mild patients. The NK cells were depleted at the early infection and not restored to normal level until 4 months after the disease. The expansion of gMDSC was accompanied by the elevated expressions of CD3‐ζ of NK and Arginase‐1, in contrast with the decreased reactive oxygen species (ROS) in gMDSC. The levels of NK, CD3‐ζ of NK, viral load, and platelet count were significantly associated with the level of gMDSC. Expansion of gMDSC was demonstrated in SFTS, which was associated with severe disease and suppressed antiviral NK cell via other mechanisms than Arginase‐1 or ROS.
Adaptive Potential of Epigenetic Switching During Adaptation to Fluctuating Environments

Abstract Epigenetic regulation of gene expression allows for the emergence of distinct phenotypic states within the clonal population. Due to the instability of epigenetic inheritance, these phenotypes can intergenerationally switch between states in a stochastic manner. Theoretical studies of evolutionary dynamics predict that the phenotypic heterogeneity enabled by this rapid epigenetic switching between gene expression states would be favored under fluctuating environmental conditions, whereas genetic mutations, as a form of stable inheritance system, would be favored under a stable environment. To test this prediction, we engineered switcher and non-switcher yeast strains, in which the uracil biosynthesis gene URA3 is either continually expressed or switched on and off at two different rates (slow and fast switchers). Competitions between clones with an epigenetically controlled URA3 and clones without switching ability (SIR3 knockout) show that the switchers are favored in fluctuating environments. This occurs in conditions where the environments fluctuate at similar rates to the rate of switching. However, in stable environments, but also in environments with fluctuation frequency higher than the rate of switching, we observed that genetic changes dominated. Remarkably, epigenetic clones with a high, but not with a low, rate of switching can coexist with non-switchers even in a constant environment. Our study offers an experimental proof of concept that helps defining conditions of environmental fluctuation under which epigenetic switching provides an advantage.
Relationship Between Esophageal Motility Disorders and Autonomic Nervous System in Diabetic Patients: Pilot North African Study

Little attention has been given to esophageal disorders in diabetes mellitus. Pathophysiology of esophageal motility disorders (EMD) in patients with diabetes mellitus is multifactorial. The aims of the present study were: (a) to evaluate the prevalence of EMD in patients with Type 2 diabetes mellitus and (b) to determine the relationship between EMD and autonomic neuropathy as assessed by heart rate variability (HRV). All the patients completed a questionnaire about diabetes characteristics and gastrointestinal symptoms. Conventional esophageal manometry was performed in all patients. HRV was measured in three different situations (Lying Position 1, standing position, and Lying Position 2). The temporal and frequency domain parameters were considered for analysis. The prevalence of EMD in our patients was 60.5% (n = 23). Low score physical activity was significantly more frequent in patients with EMD (p = .03). There was an increase in sympathetic activity represented by the low frequency (LF) parameter (p = .027) in the presence of EMD. Whereas parasympathetic modulation of heart rate represented by the high frequency (HF) parameter (p = .027) was declined in patients with EMD compared to those without. The LF/HF ratio was significantly higher (p = .002) in patients with EMD. EMD were prevalent in diabetes mellitus and were associated to autonomic nervous system dysfunction predominantly at the parasympathetic component.
Patterns of brain activity associated with nostalgia: a social-cognitive neuroscience perspective

Abstract Nostalgia arises from tender and yearnful reflection on meaningful life events or important persons from one’s past. In the last two decades, the literature has documented a variety of ways in which nostalgia benefits psychological well-being. Only a handful of studies, however, have addressed the neural basis of the emotion. In this prospective review, we postulate a neural model of nostalgia. Self-reflection, autobiographical memory, regulatory capacity and reward are core components of the emotion. Thus, nostalgia involves brain activities implicated in self-reflection processing (medial prefrontal cortex, posterior cingulate cortex and precuneus), autobiographical memory processing (hippocampus, medial prefrontal cortex, posterior cingulate cortex and precuneus), emotion regulation processing (anterior cingulate cortex and medial prefrontal cortex) and reward processing (striatum, substantia nigra, ventral tegmental area and ventromedial prefrontal cortex). Nostalgia’s potential to modulate activity in these core neural substrates has both theoretical and applied implications.
Brain-wide interactions during hippocampal sharp wave ripples

Significance Bidirectional communication between the hippocampus and other brain areas via sharp wave ripples (SPW-Rs) has been hypothesized to play an important role in cognitive functions. However, brain-wide coupling to SPW-Rs has been difficult to study at high temporal and spatial resolution. Here, we show that SPW-Rs coincide with transient brain-wide increase of functional connectivity. The diversity in SPW-R features was related to slower excitability fluctuations in cortical and subcortical areas. In return, SPW-Rs correlated with the timing, sign, and magnitude of partner structure responses. Our findings provide the most extensive survey of spiking activity surrounding hippocampal SPW-Rs to date.
Combining cardiac monitoring with actigraphy aids nocturnal arousal detection during ambulatory sleep assessment in insomnia

Abstract Study Objectives The objective assessment of insomnia has remained difficult. Multisensory devices collecting heart rate (HR) and motion are regarded as the future of ambulatory sleep monitoring. Unfortunately, reports on altered average HR or heart rate variability (HRV) during sleep in insomnia are equivocal. Here, we evaluated whether the objective quantification of insomnia improves by assessing state-related changes in cardiac measures. Methods We recorded electrocardiography, posture, and actigraphy in 33 people without sleep complaints and 158 patients with mild to severe insomnia over 4 d in their home environment. At the microscale, we investigated whether HR changed with proximity to gross (body) and small (wrist) movements at nighttime. At the macroscale, we calculated day-night differences in HR and HRV measures. For both timescales, we tested whether outcome measures were related to insomnia diagnosis and severity. Results At the microscale, an increase in HR was often detectable already 60 s prior to as well as following a nocturnal chest, but not wrist, movement. This increase was slightly steeper in insomnia and was associated with insomnia severity, but future EEG recordings are necessary to elucidate whether these changes occur prior to or simultaneously with PSG-indicators of wakefulness. At the macroscale, we found an attenuated cardiac response to sleep in insomnia: patients consistently showed smaller day-night differences in HR and HRV. Conclusions Incorporating state-related changes in cardiac features in the ambulatory monitoring of sleep might provide a more sensitive biomarker of insomnia than the use of cardiac activity averages or actigraphy alone.
Population connectivity and genetic offset in the spawning coral Acropora digitifera in Western Australia

Anthropogenic climate change has caused widespread loss of species biodiversity and ecosystem productivity across the globe, particularly on tropical coral reefs. Predicting the future vulnerability of reef‐building corals, the foundation species of coral reef ecosystems, is crucial for cost‐effective conservation planning in the Anthropocene. In this study, we combine regional population genetic connectivity and seascape analyses to explore patterns of genetic offset (the mismatch of gene–environmental associations under future climate conditions) in Acropora digitifera across 12 degrees of latitude in Western Australia. Our data revealed a pattern of restricted gene flow and limited genetic connectivity among geographically distant reef systems. Environmental association analyses identified a suite of loci strongly associated with the regional temperature variation. These loci helped forecast future genetic offset in gradient forest and generalized dissimilarity models. These analyses predicted pronounced differences in the response of different reef systems in Western Australia to rising temperatures. Under the most optimistic future warming scenario (RCP 2.6), we predicted a general pattern of increasing genetic offset with latitude. Under the extreme climate scenario (RCP 8.5 in 2090–2100), coral populations at the Ningaloo World Heritage Area were predicted to experience a higher mismatch between current allele frequencies and those required to cope with local environmental change, compared to populations in the inshore Kimberley region. The study suggests complex and spatially heterogeneous patterns of climate‐change vulnerability in coral populations across Western Australia, reinforcing the notion that regionally tailored conservation efforts will be most effective at managing coral reef resilience into the future.
Sirt1 overexpression attenuates Western‐style diet‐induced aortic stiffening in mice

Increased arterial stiffness is a cardiovascular disease risk factor in the setting of advancing age and Western diet (WD) induced obesity. Increases in large artery stiffness, as measured by pulse wave velocity (PWV), occur within 8 weeks of WD feeding in mice. Sirtuin‐1 (Sirt1), a NAD‐dependent deacetylase, regulates cellular metabolic activity and activation of this protein has been associated with vasoprotection in aged mice. The aim of the study was to elucidate the effect of global Sirt1 overexpression (Sirttg) on WD‐induced arterial stiffening. Sirt1 overexpression did not influence PWV in normal chow (NC) fed mice. However, PWV was higher in wild‐type (WT) mice (p < 0.04), but not in Sirttg mice, after 12 weeks of WD and this effect was independent of changes in blood pressure or the passive pressure diameter relation in the carotid artery. Overexpression of Sirt1 was associated with lower collagen and higher elastin mRNA expression in the aorta of WD fed mice (both p < 0.05). Although MMP2 and MMP3 mRNA were both upregulated in WT mice after WD (both p < 0.05), this effect was reversed in Sirttg mice compared to WT mice fed WD (both p < 0.05). Surprisingly, histologically assessed collagen and elastin quality were unchanged in the aortas of WT or Sirttg mice after WD. However, Sirttg mice were protected from WD‐induced glucose intolerance, although there was no difference in insulin tolerance between groups. These findings demonstrate a vasoprotective effect of Sirt1 overexpression that limits the increase in arterial stiffness in response to consumption of a WD.
Early childhood learning patterns for a home visiting program in rural China

Abstract This paper uses novel experimental data from a prototypical early childhood home visiting program in China with high‐frequency measurements to investigate the growth of multiple skills. After identifying the presence of child skill development on multiple skills during the intervention, we further study the features of child learning patterns. We find that individual heterogeneity and previous task performance (state dependence) are key properties of the child's task performance during the intervention, consistent with models of reinforcement learning.
Anxiety and depression in graduating university students during the COVID-19 pandemic: a longitudinal study.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the prevalence of anxiety and depression in graduating university students during the COVID-19 pandemic and determine the associated factors. METHODS A total of 681 graduating university students and 620 juniors enrolled in the first stage. The Self-rating Anxiety Scale (SAS) and Self-rating Depression Scale (SDS) were used to measure anxiety and depression. In the second stage, 578 of the 681 graduating students completed the SAS and SDS questionnaires after graduation. RESULTS The average SAS score of the graduating university students was significantly higher than that of the juniors (47.66±12.86 vs. 43.97±10.42, P<0.001). Depression was more prevalent among the graduating university students than in the control groups (39.06% vs. 9.19%, P<0.01). The percentages of anxiety and depression significantly decreased after graduation (t=8.602, P<0.001). The anxiety of graduating university students was associated with gender (OR=1.62, 95% CI: 1.10-2.37), monthly family income (OR=0.05, 95% CI: 0.02-0.11), and weekly exercise time (OR=0.53, 95% CI: 0.35-0.08). Their depression was related to their family's monthly income (OR=0.09, 95% CI: 0.05-0.16) and father's educational status (OR=2.24, 95% CI: 1.17-4.30). CONCLUSION Anxiety and depression were rife within the graduating Chinese university students during the period of the COVID-19 pandemic and were both associated with monthly family income. Treatments tailored to specific targets are needed for graduating university students with mental problems.
Mucosal Melanoma of the Oral Cavity: What is the Role of Elective Neck Dissection?

Mucosal melanoma (MM) is a rare malignancy that can present in the head and neck (H&N). The Oral cavity is the second most common primary site in the H&N after sinonasal mucosa. This study investigates the impact of demographic and clinical factors on survival in oral cavity MM. Further, it investigates the outcomes and utility of elective neck dissections (END) in the management of oral MM.
Machine learning-based algorithm demonstrates differences in del19 and L858R EGFR subgroups in non-small cell lung cancer: a single center experience.

BACKGROUND Exon del19 and L858R mutations account for 90% of EGFR mutant non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). LUX lung 3 and 6 initially reported a survival difference between these two. However, other studies did not demonstrate the same. By using machine learning (ML), it is possible to discover novel patterns for cancer susceptibility, recurrence, prognostication, and therapy. We evaluate the effect of these two molecular subtypes on overall survival/progression-free survival (OS/PFS). METHODS 413 patients with stage IV EGFR mutant NSCLC were analyzed for clinicopathologic features, treatment details, and survival outcome. PFS prediction models were built using ensemble decision trees, and random forest. Ensemble decision trees were built and validation was performed using survival analysis. Clustering regression techniques were then applied to train and test the prediction of the 1st PFS of patients. RESULTS The median age of the cohort was 59 years comprising 53% males and 47% females. 275 (66.5%) patients showed a del19 mutation type and 138 (33.5%) harbored L858R. After clustering, the most important variables were age (P<0.05), ECOG performance status (PS) (P<0.04), PDL1 (P<0.09), smoking status (P<0.01) and to a lesser extent, number of extrathoracic metastasis (ETM) sites (median 1.2, P<0.06), brain metastasis (P<0.06) and gender (P<0.08). The prediction for 1st PFS for del19 showed mean absolute error of 2.6 months and 4.72 months for L858R. The accuracy was 79.8% with 82% sensitivity, 79% specificity and AUC: 0.72. The precision was 92% with a Mathews correlation coefficient of 0.59. CONCLUSION This study used machine learning modeling with fair accuracy to demonstrate that ECOG PS, age at diagnosis, and smoking status are the three main predictive factors of PFS in these patients.
Lexical indicators of anxiety in schizophrenia

ABSTRACT Background and Objectives Anxiety is a dominant emotion in schizophrenia. It is most often diagnosed by questionnaire-based methods. In this study, it was decided to analyse the utterances of patients with schizophrenia for the occurrence of lexical indicators of anxiety, which are a good predictor of experienced anxiety and lie beyond the subject’s control. Design The indicators most frequently described in the literature and considered to be of the most significant diagnostic value were selected: first-person pronouns and verbs; causal expressions and conjunctions; affirmative and negative particles; and dogmatic expressions. It was assumed that more of these would appear in the utterances of people with schizophrenia than in the utterances of healthy subjects. Methods The study was conducted on 130 patients with paranoid schizophrenia and 130 healthy subjects. They were asked to describe five pictures. Results In all verbal indicators of anxiety (except for negative particles) patients with positive schizophrenia attained the highest values, differing significantly from the results for the control groups. Conclusion This result is consistent with the subject literature, which emphasizes the high level of anxiety in schizophrenia, especially in its first phase, when the generative symptoms of the illness predominate.
Modeling Mood Polarity and Declaration Occurrence by Neural Temporal Point Processes

Neural point processes provide the flexibility needed to deal with time series of heterogeneous nature within the robust framework of point processes. This aspect is of particular relevance when dealing with real-world data, mixing generative processes characterized by radically different distributions and sampling. This brief discusses a neural point process approach for health and behavioral data, comprising both sparse events coming from user subjective declarations as well as fast-flowing time series from wearable sensors. We propose and empirically validate different neural architectures and we assess the effect of including input sources of different nature. The empirical analysis is built on the top of a challenging original dataset, never published before, and collected as part of a real-world experiment in an uncontrolled setting. Results show the potential of neural point processes both in terms of predicting the next event type as well as in predicting the time to next user interaction.
MRD in multiple myeloma: does CR really matter?

Multiple myeloma embodies the paradigm of the deepest the response the longer the survival. However, there are conflicting results between the achievement of complete remission and MRD negativity, because some patients with persistent M-protein have nonetheless undetectable MRD. We reviewed the frequency of this discordancy and the outcome of these patients. We spotlighted possible explanations and consequences of conflicting response criteria, and suggest that MRD should be assessed in patients achieving very good partial response or better in clinical trials.
Effect of pulmonary artery pressure‐guided therapy on heart failure readmission in a nationally representative cohort

Pulmonary artery pressure (PAP)‐guided therapy in patients with heart failure (HF) using the CardioMEMS (CMM) device, an implantable PAP sensor, has been shown to reduce HF hospitalizations in previous studies. We sought to evaluate the clinical benefit of the CMM device in regard to 30, 90, and 180 day readmission rates in real‐world usage.
Monocytosis and its association with clonal hematopoiesis in community-dwelling individuals

Key Points Monocytosis associates with a higher frequency of CH with spliceosome and multiple gene mutations, but not isolated DNMT3A/TET2/ASXL1. Few community-based individuals with monocytosis and CH develop myeloid malignancy (among 166 individuals: n = 4 cases including n = 1 CMML).