Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Automated white‐matter tractography using a probabilistic diffusion tensor atlas: Application to temporal lobe epilepsy

Diffusion‐weighted magnetic resonance imaging allows researchers and clinicians to identify individual white matter fiber tracts and map their trajectories. The reliability and interpretability of fiber‐tracking procedures is improved when a priori anatomical information is used as a guide. We have developed an automated method for labeling white matter fiber tracts in individual subjects based on a probabilistic atlas of fiber tract locations and orientations. The probabilistic fiber atlas contains 23 fiber tracts and was constructed by manually identifying fiber tracts in 21 healthy controls and 21 patients with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE). The manual tract identification method required ∼40 h of manual editing by a trained image analyst using multiple regions of interest to select or exclude streamline fibers. Identification of fiber tracts with the atlas does not require human intervention, but nonetheless benefits from the a priori anatomical information that was used to manually identify the tracts included in the atlas. We applied this method to compare fractional anisotropy—thought to be a measure of white matter integrity—in individual fiber tracts between control subjects and patients with TLE. We found that the atlas‐based and manual fiber selection methods produced a similar pattern of results. However, the between‐group effect sizes using the atlas‐derived fibers were generally as large or larger than those obtained with manually selected fiber tracks. Hum Brain Mapp, 2009. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Late Primary Graft Dysfunction After Lung Transplantation and Bronchiolitis Obliterans Syndrome

Primary graft dysfunction (PGD) is a common early complication after lung transplantation. We conducted a retrospective cohort study of 334 recipients to evaluate the impact of PGD graded at 24, 48 and 72 h on the risk of bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome (BOS) development (stage 1) and progression (stages 2 and 3). We constructed multivariable Cox proportional hazards models to determine the risk of BOS attributable to PGD in the context of other potential risk factors including acute rejection, lymphocytic bronchitis and respiratory viral infections. All grades of PGD at all time points were significant risk factors for BOS development and progression independent of acute rejection, lymphocytic bronchitis and respiratory viral infections. Specifically, PGD grade 1 at T24 was associated with a relative risk of BOS stage 1 of 1.93, grade 2 with a relative risk of 2.29 and grade 3 with a relative risk of 3.31. Furthermore, this direct relationship between the severity of PGD and the risk of BOS persisted at all time points. We conclude that all grades of PGD at all time points are independent risk factors for BOS development and progression. Future strategies that might attenuate the severity of PGD may mitigate the risk of BOS.
Priming words with pictures: Neural correlates of semantic associations in a cross‐modal priming task using fMRI

In our everyday life we process information from different modalities simultaneously with great ease. With the current study we had the following goals: to detect the neural correlates of (1) automatic semantic processing of associates and (2) to investigate the influence of different visual modalities on semantic processing. Stimuli were presented with a short SOA (350 ms) as subjects performed a lexical decision task. To minimize the variance and increase homogeneity within our sample, only male subjects were measured. Three experimental conditions were compared while brain activation was measured with a 3 T fMRI scanner: related word‐pairs (e.g., frame–picture), unrelated word‐pairs (e.g., frame–car) as well as word‐nonword pairs (e.g., frame–fubber). They were presented uni‐ (word ‐word) and cross‐modally (picture–word). Behavioral data revealed a priming effect for cross‐modal and unimodal word‐pairs. On a neural level, the unimodal condition revealed response suppression in bilateral fronto‐parietal regions. Cross‐modal priming led to response suppression within the right inferior frontal gyrus. Common areas of deactivation for both modalities were found in bilateral fronto‐tempo‐parietal regions. These results suggest that the processing of semantic associations presented in different modalities lead to modality‐specific activation caused by early access routes. However, common activation for both modalities refers to a common neural network for semantic processing suggesting amodal processing. Hum Brain Mapp, 2009. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Neural representation of anxiety and personality during exposure to anxiety‐provoking and neutral scenes from scary movies

Some people search for intense sensations such as being scared by frightening movies while others do not. The brain mechanisms underlying such inter‐individual differences are not clear. Testing theoretical models, we investigated neural correlates of anxiety and the personality trait sensation seeking in 40 subjects who watched threatening and neutral scenes from scary movies during functional magnetic resonance imaging. Threat versus neutral scenes induced increased activation in anterior cingulate cortex, insula, thalamus, and visual areas. Movie‐induced anxiety correlated positively with activation in dorsomedial prefrontal cortex, indicating a role for this area in the subjective experience of being scared. Sensation seeking‐scores correlated positively with brain activation to threat versus neutral scenes in visual areas and in thalamus and anterior insula, i.e. regions involved in the induction and representation of arousal states. For the insula and thalamus, these outcomes were partly due to an inverse relation between sensation seeking scores and brain activation during neutral film clips. These results support models predicting cerebral hypoactivation in high sensation seekers during neutral stimulation, which may be compensated by more intense sensations such as watching scary movies. Hum Brain Mapp, 2010. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Interest in politics modulates neural activity in the amygdala and ventral striatum

Studies on political participation have found that a person's interest in politics contributes to the likelihood that he or she will be involved in the political process. Here, we looked at whether or not interest in politics affects patterns of brain activity when individuals think about political matters. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), we scanned individuals (either interested or uninterested in politics based on a self‐report questionnaire) while they were expressing their agreement or disagreement with political opinions. After scanning, participants were asked to rate each political opinion presented in the scanner for emotional valence and emotional intensity. Behavioral results showed that those political opinions participants agreed with were perceived as more emotionally intense and more positive by individuals interested in politics relative to individuals uninterested in politics. In addition, individuals interested in politics showed greater activation in the amygdala and the ventral striatum (ventral putamen) relative to individuals uninterested in politics when reading political opinions in accordance with their own views. This study shows that having an interest in politics elicits activations in emotion‐ and reward‐related brain areas even when simply agreeing with written political opinions. Hum Brain Mapp, 2010. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Microwave thermal therapy in the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia and prostatic cancer

For many years, transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) has been the definitive treatment for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). However, TURP is considered rather invasive because about 20% of the patients develop significant complications within 10 years. With the development of microwave technology, minimally invasive procedures have been introduced in an attempt to decrease the morbidity experienced with TURP. Various studies reviewed in this article indicate that the outcome of microwave heat therapy for BPH and prostatic cancer is encouraging although further research is required to evaluate the long-term effectiveness and safety of this therapy. The authors conclude that, as microwave technologies improve in the near future, increased clinical utilization of this exciting method is expected.
A Comparative Analysis of Transarterial Downstaging for Hepatocellular Carcinoma: Chemoembolization Versus Radioembolization

Chemoembolization and other ablative therapies are routinely utilized in downstaging from United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) T3 to T2, thus potentially making patients transplant candidates under the UNOS model for end‐stage liver disease (MELD) upgrade for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). This study was undertaken to compare the downstaging efficacy of transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) versus transarterial radioembolization. Eighty‐six patients were treated with either TACE (n = 43) or transarterial radioembolization with Yttrium‐90 microspheres (TARE‐Y90; n = 43). Median tumor size was similar (TACE: 5.7 cm, TARE‐Y90: 5.6 cm). Partial response rates favored TARE‐Y90 versus TACE (61% vs. 37%). Downstaging to UNOS T2 was achieved in 31% of TACE and 58% of TARE‐Y90 patients. Time to progression according to UNOS criteria was similar for both groups (18.2 months for TACE vs. 33.3 months for TARE‐Y90, p = 0.098). Event‐free survival was significantly greater for TARE‐Y90 than TACE (17.7 vs. 7.1 months, p = 0.0017). Overall survival favored TARE‐Y90 compared to TACE (censored 35.7/18.7 months; p = 0.18; uncensored 41.6/19.2 months; p = 0.008). In conclusion, TARE‐Y90 appears to outperform TACE for downstaging HCC from UNOS T3 to T2.
Diffusion tensor imaging of white matter involvement in essential tremor

This study set out to determine whether there is white matter involvement in essential tremor (ET), the most common movement disorder. We collected diffusion MRI and analysed differences in fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean diffusivity (MD) between ET patients and control subjects as markers of white matter integrity. We used both classical ROI‐based statistics and whole‐brain analysis techniques, including voxel‐wise analysis with SPM5 and tract‐based spatial statistics (TBSS). Using region of interest (ROI) analysis, we found increased MD bilaterally in the inferior cerebellar peduncles (ICP) and reduced FA in the right‐sided ICP of ET patients. Whole‐brain analyses with TBSS detected increased MD distributed in both motor and nonmotor white matter fibers of ET patients predominantly in the left parietal white matter, while there were no significant FA differences in these areas between ET patients and controls. Voxel‐wise analysis with SPM detected significant increase of MD congruent with the highest probability of difference as detected by TBSS. VBM analysis of T1 images did not detect significant differences in either gray or white matter density between our study groups. In summary, we found evidence for changes in white matter MRI properties in ET. The circumscript pathology of the ICP corroborates the pathogenetic concept of the cerebellum and its projections as key structures for tremor generation in ET. Moreover, increased diffusivity in white matter structures of both hemispheres suggests widespread alterations of fiber integrity in motor and nonmotor networks in ET patients. The underlying cause of the DTI changes observed remains to be elucidated. Hum Brain Mapp, 2011. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Significance of Des‐Gamma‐Carboxy Prothrombin in Selection Criteria for Living Donor Liver Transplantation for Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Des‐gamma‐carboxy prothrombin (DCP) levels reportedly correlate with histological features of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We examined serum DCP as a predictor of HCC recurrence in 144 patients who underwent living donor liver transplantation. Receiver operating characteristics (ROC) analysis revealed superiority of DCP and AFP over preoperative tumor size or number for predicting recurrence. Multivariate analysis revealed tumor size >5 cm, ≥11 nodules, and DCP >400 mAU/mL as significant independent risk factors for recurrence. Incidence of microvascular invasion (62% vs. 27%, p = 0.0003) and poor differentiation (38% vs. 16%, p = 0.0087) were significantly higher for patients with DCP >400 mAU/mL than for patients with DCP ≤400 mAU/mL. In ROC analysis for patients with ≤10 nodules all ≤5 cm to predict recurrence, area under the curve was much higher for DCP than for AFP (0.84 vs. 0.69). Kyoto criteria were thus defined as ≤10 nodules all ≤5 cm, and DCP ≤400 mAU/mL. The 5‐year recurrence rate for 28 patients beyond‐Milan but within‐Kyoto criteria was as excellent as that for 78 patients within‐Milan criteria (3% vs. 7%). The preoperative DCP level offers additional information regarding histological features, and thus can greatly improve patient selection criteria when used with tumor bulk information.
Discovering the somatotopic organization of the motor areas of the medial wall using low‐frequency bold fluctuations

This study explored the somatotopy of the motor areas of the medial wall of the cerebral hemisphere, in the human brain. In a sample of 16 healthy participants, we drew 9 regions of interest (ROI) over the primary motor area (M1), each corresponding to a well‐known somatic representation. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging, we investigated the resting state functional connectivity between each selected ROI and the motor areas of the medial wall. The main finding was the identification of a rostrocaudal gradient of connectivity in which the more we move from cranial to caudal body representation areas in M1, the more the corresponding connected area in the medial wall is shifted rostrocaudally, confirming the somatotopic schema found in the SMA. We also reanalyzed data obtained in a previous experiment, we performed using hand and foot motor tasks; the reanalysis consisted in traditional BOLD and functional connectivity analyses. Finally, we performed a meta‐analysis of 28 studies of hand and foot motor tasks, mapping their cerebral representations using the tools provided by the Brainmap database. All data converge in confirming a somatotopic representation of the medial wall motor areas, with hand representation placed more rostrally and ventrally than that of the foot. Hum Brain Mapp, 2010. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Corticospinal output and cortical excitation‐inhibition balance in distal hand muscle representations in nonprimary motor area

Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) of the superior frontal gyrus in the non‐primary motor area (NPMA) can evoke motor‐evoked potentials (MEPs) at 20 ms latency range in contralateral distal hand muscles similar to stimulation of M1 and indicating monosynaptic corticospinal tracts. We compared the intracortical inhibitory and excitatory balance in primary motor cortex (M1) and in NPMA by navigated single‐ and paired‐pulse TMS (ppTMS). We also evaluated the spatial stability of muscle representations in M1 and NPMA by remapping 11 healthy subjects one year after the initial mapping. Resting motor threshold (rMT) was higher in NPMA than in M1 as were the MEP amplitudes evoked by 120% rMT stimulation intensity of the local MT. Short‐interval intracortical inhibition (SICI) was significantly weaker in NPMA than in M1 at ISI of 2 ms and conditioning stimulus (CS) 80% rMT. Our findings suggest that the cortical hand representations in NPMA 1) are connected to lower motoneurons monosynaptically, 2) are less strictly organized, i.e. motoneuron population representing a discrete hand muscle is sparser and less dense than in M1 and 3) have the capacity to generate powerful, rapid muscle contraction if sufficient number of motoneurones are activated. In NPMA, local intracortical inhibitory and excitatory activity is mainly similar to that in M1. The lower SICI in NPMA at an ISI of 2 ms may reflect less strict topographic organization and readiness to reorganization of neural circuits during motor learning or after motor deficits. Hum Brain Mapp, 2010. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Baseline Donor‐Specific Antibody Levels and Outcomes in Positive Crossmatch Kidney Transplantation

Renal transplant candidates with donor‐specific alloantibody (DSA) have increased risk of antibody‐mediated allograft injury. The goal of this study was to correlate the risk of antibody‐mediated rejection (AMR), transplant glomerulopathy (TG) and graft survival with the baseline DSA level (prior to initiation of pretransplant conditioning). These analyses include 119 positive crossmatch (+XM) compared to 70 negative crossmatch (−XM) transplants performed between April 2000 and July 2007. Using a combination of cell‐based crossmatch tests, DSA level was stratified into very high +XM, high +XM, low +XM and −XM groups. In +XM transplants, increasing DSA level was associated with increased risk for AMR (HR = 1.76 [1.51, 2.07], p = 0.0001) but not TG (p = 0.18). We found an increased risk for both early and late allograft loss associated with very high DSA (HR = 7.71 [2.95, 20.1], p = 0.0001). Although lower DSA recipients commonly developed AMR and TG, allograft survival was similar to that of −XM patients (p = 0.31). We conclude that the baseline DSA level correlates with risk of early and late alloantibody‐mediated allograft injury. With current protocols, very high baseline DSA patients have high rates of AMR and poor long‐term allograft survival highlighting the need for improved therapy for these candidates.
Parieto‐frontal network in humans studied by cortico‐cortical evoked potential

Parieto‐frontal network is essential for sensorimotor integration in various complex behaviors, and its disruption is associated with pathophysiology of apraxia and visuo‐spatial disorders. Despite advances in knowledge regarding specialized cortical areas for various sensorimotor transformations, little is known about the underlying cortico‐cortical connectivity in humans. We investigated inter‐areal connections of the lateral parieto‐frontal network in vivo by means of cortico‐cortical evoked potentials (CCEPs). Six patients with epilepsy and one with brain tumor were studied. With the use of subdural electrodes implanted for presurgical evaluation, network configuration was investigated by tracking the connections from the parietal stimulus site to the frontal site where the maximum CCEP was recorded. It was characterized by (i) a near‐to‐near and distant‐to‐distant, mirror symmetric configuration across the central sulcus, (ii) preserved dorso‐ventral organization (the inferior parietal lobule to the ventral premotor area and the superior parietal lobule to the dorsal premotor area), and (iii) projections to more than one frontal cortical sites in 56% of explored connections. These findings were also confirmed by the standardized parieto‐frontal CCEP connectivity map constructed in reference to the Jülich cytoarchitectonic atlas in the MNI standard space. The present CCEP study provided an anatomical blueprint underlying the lateral parieto‐frontal network and demonstrated a connectivity pattern similar to non‐human primates in the newly developed inferior parietal lobule in humans. Hum Brain Mapp, 2012. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Brain mechanisms for processing affective touch

Despite the crucial role of touch in social development, there is very little functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) research on brain mechanisms underlying social touch processing. The “skin as a social organ” hypothesis is supported by the discovery of C‐tactile (CT) nerves that are present in hairy skin and project to the insular cortex. CT‐fibers respond specifically well to slow, gentle touch such as that which occurs during close social interactions. Given the social significance of such touch researchers have proposed that the CT‐system represents an evolutionarily conserved mechanism important for normative social development. However, it is currently unknown whether brain regions other than the insula are involved in processing CT‐targeted touch. In the current fMRI study, we sought to characterize the brain regions involved in the perception of CT‐supported affective touch. Twenty‐two healthy adults received manual brush strokes to either the arm or palm. A direct contrast of the blood‐oxygenation‐level‐dependent (BOLD) response to gentle brushing of the arm and palm revealed the involvement of a network of brain regions, in addition to the posterior insula, during CT‐targeted affective touch to the arm. This network included areas known to be involved in social perception and social cognition, including the right posterior superior temporal sulcus and the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC)/dorso anterior cingulate cortex (dACC). Connectivity analyses with an mPFC/dACC seed revealed coactivation with the left insula and amygdala during arm touch. These findings characterize a network of brain regions beyond the insula involved in coding CT‐targeted affective touch. Hum Brain Mapp, 2013. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Long‐Term Renal Allograft Survival in the United States: A Critical Reappraisal

Renal allograft survival has increased tremendously over past decades; this has been mostly attributed to improvements in first‐year survival. This report describes the evolution of renal allograft survival in the United States where a total of 252 910 patients received a single‐organ kidney transplant between 1989 and 2009. Half‐lives were obtained from the Kaplan–Meier and Cox models. Graft half‐life for deceased‐donor transplants was 6.6 years in 1989, increased to 8 years in 1995, then after the year 2000 further increased to 8.8 years by 2005. More significant improvements were made in higher risk transplants like ECD recipients where the half‐lives increased from 3 years in 1989 to 6.4 years in 2005. In low‐risk populations like living‐donor‐recipients half‐life did not change with 11.4 years in 1989 and 11.9 years in 2005. First‐year attrition rates show dramatic improvements across all subgroups; however, attrition rates beyond the first year show only small improvements and are somewhat more evident in black recipients. The significant progress that has occurred over the last two decades in renal transplantation is mostly driven by improvements in short‐term graft survival but long‐term attrition is slowly improving and could lead to bigger advances in the future.
Role of Substance P and Bradykinin in Acute Pancreatitis Induced by Secretory Phospholipase A2

Objectives: Secretory phospholipases A2 (sPLA2s) induce acute pancreatitis when injected into the common bile duct of rats. Substance P via neurokinin 1 (NK-1) receptors and bradykinin via B2 receptors are described to play important roles in the pathophysiology of acute pancreatitis. This study was undertaken to evaluate the role of substance P and bradykinin in the sPLA2-induced pancreatitis. Methods: Rats were submitted to the common bile duct injection of sPLA2 obtained from Naja mocambique mocambique venom at300 μg/kg. At 4 hours thereafter, measurement of pancreatic plasma extravasation, pancreatic and lung myeloperoxidase (MPO), serum amylase, and serum tumor necrosis factor α levels were evaluated. Results: Injection of sPLA2 significantly increased all parameters evaluated. Pretreatment with either the NK-1 receptor antagonist SR140333 or the B2 receptor antagonist icatibant largely reduced the increased pancreatic plasma extravasation and circulating levels of tumor necrosis factor α. Both treatments partly reduced the MPO levels in the pancreas, whereas in the lungs, icatibant was more efficient to reduce the increased MPO levels. In addition, icatibant largely reduced the serum levels of amylase, whereas SR140333 had no significant effect. Conclusions: We concluded that NK-1 and B2 receptors can regulate important steps in the local and remote inflammation during acute pancreatitis induced by sPLA2.