bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Dementia With Lewy Bodies: An Overview
Authors: Hovendon Bridget , Kaufman Michelle 
Published: July 2022

Background: Dementia is a neurocognitive disorder that involves multiple cognitive deficits, including memory impairment. Dementia occurs in a variety of disease processes, including Alzheimer disease (AD) and dementia with Lewy bodies, the two most prevalent neurocognitive diseases. This paper reviews the signs and symptoms, neuropathology, diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment of Dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB).
Methods: Terms searched included “Lewy body dementia,” “Lewy body disease,” “cognitive disorders,” and “neurodegenerative diseases.” Priority was given to peer-reviewed sources published within the last five years.
Summary: In addition to standard neurocognitive disorder symptoms, patients with DLB present clinically fluctuating cognition, visual hallucinations, and Parkinsonism as well as a variety of other symptoms with lower diagnostic sensitivity. Clinical signs, cognitive assessments, and radiologic imaging are used to diagnose DLB as being distinct from disorders like AD, Parkinson disease dementia (PDD), delirium, and normal aging changes. Interventions for this disease may be pharmacological or non-pharmacological. Pharmacological treatments include cholinesterase inhibitors, Levadopa, and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors or serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors. Non-pharmacological interventions include occupational therapy, cognitive stimulation, and physical activity.
Promise of Mindfulness-Based Interventions as Therapies to Prevent Cognitive Decline
Authors: Sapozhnikov Daniel 
Published: July 2022

Background: Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder that affects 5 million United States citizens. Many authors have proposed that mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) have the potential to effectively prevent AD-associated pathology and symptomology. However, the fact that both meditation and AD are complex processes that involve a great number of biological pathways has made these phenomena particularly challenging to dissect. This review advocates the use of gene expression to investigate the mechanisms by which MBIs combat AD pathology.
Methods: Searches were performed using Thomson Reuters Web of Science. Ultimately, 85 journal articles were selected for their content as it pertains to the purpose of this review.
Summary: Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) may provide reliable measures of cerebral gene expression. Profiling their gene expression has demonstrated that MBIs may produce gene expression changes in many of the same pathways (inflammation, cellular stress, proliferation, synaptic function) and often in the opposite direction of disease-related deregulation. While AD is marked by shortened telomeres resulting in genetic turmoil, meditation has been documented to exhibit a positive effect on telomere maintenance. A comprehensive gene expression investigation is invaluable to reveal relevant molecular mechanisms and provide the foundation for exploring the interaction between MBI and AD.
The Relationship between Large Herbivore Abundance and Algal Cover on Coral Reefs on West Coast Barbados
Authors: Caron Vanessa , Greiner Ariel , Ransier Krista , Cameron-Steinke Bryna 
Published: July 2022

Background: Over the past few decades, climate change and the intensification of coastal development significantly contributed to the degradation of coral reefs across the Caribbean Sea. Widespread increase in algal cover on coral reefs since the 1970s has made it difficult for the corals to recover. Thus, algae regulating factors, such as herbivorous grazers and groundwater nutrient concentrations, have important implications for the conservation of coral reefs. In this study we conducted a small-scale assessment of the relationship between the abundance of two families of herbivorous fishes, Scaridae and Acanthuridae, and algal cover on the coral reefs of West Coast Barbados was conducted, and we hypothesized that a direct negative correlation exists between them.
Methods: Herbivorous fish abundance and percent algal cover were quantified for three different coral reefs, and the data was analyzed using linear regressions and analyses of variance.
Results: We found that although there were no significant relationship between herbivorous fish abundance and algal cover, there was a significant difference between them across the three reefs studied. These results suggest the presence of other factors influencing algal cover. One such factor could potentially be ground- water input levels, which was found to differ at each of the three sites studied.
Limitations: The limited timeframe of this study did not allow for extensive sampling.
Conclusion: In order to effectively protect the coral reefs in Western Barbados, Further studies are needed to increase the understanding of the relationship between herbivory and algal cover in Western Barbados as well as to further investigate the role of groundwater seepage on algal growth.
Preserved Vestibular Function in Mice with Loss of α-9 Subunit of the α-9/10 Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor (α-9/10 nAChR)
Authors: Mendoza Jesse , Grafton Francis , Shan Wong Amy , Cullen Kathleen 
Published: July 2022

Background: The α-9/10 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor is known to be the primary channel through which both vestibular and auditory efferents mediate the inhibition of their respective peripheral hair cells and afferents. With respect to the auditory system, the deletion of the α-9 subunit results in abnormalities in the development of properly functioning cochlear hair cells. Given the high degree of similarity between the au- ditory and the vestibular systems, we hypothesize that α-9 knockout mice should have impaired vestibular hair cell development and consequently compromised vestibular-mediated functions.
Methods: In order to characterize vestibular function in α-9 knockout alert mice, we quantified the vestibu- lo-ocular reflex (VOR) through both gain and phase. Additionally, the optokinetic nystagmus (OKN) was sim- ilarly assessed as a control. VOR in light (VORl) was also quantified to further evaluate VOR and OKN efficacy. Furthermore, as information from the vestibular system mediates postural regulation and head stabilization, we assessed these properties through rotor rod and balance beam paradigms.
Results: Surprisingly, the loss of the α-9 subunit in knockout mice did not result in any attenuation in VOR gain nor deviations in phase compared to wild type. OKN and VORl’s gain and phase values remain similarly unchanged, confirming preserved function within the vestibular nucleus. Descending vestibulospinal infor- mation seems to be unaltered as well, as no significant difference was observed in postural testing.
Limitations: The α-9 knockout mice used specifically had exon 1 and exon 2 of the α-9 gene targeted, which could potentially limit generalizability. Also, frequencies greater than 3Hz were not tested.
Conclusions: Our findings demonstrate that α-9 knockout mice still maintain normal vestibular function.
Understanding the 2013-2015 Ebola Outbreak
Authors: Shapiro Janna 
Published: July 2022

Background: The 2013-2015 Ebola outbreak caused severe human suffering and a global health crisis. Ebola Virus (EBOV) is a naturally zoonotic RNA virus that has several immune-evasion mechanisms and can cause serious disease and death in humans. The massive impact of the recent epidemic is unique in the 40-year history of this pathogen. Scientists and public health officials around the world are researching the factors that may have contributed to the scale and devastating nature of the 2013-2015 outbreak.
Methods: Terms searched online through the McGill library and Medline Ovid included “Ebola”, “immune evasion”, “sequencing”, “Ebola glycoprotein” and “zoonotic transmission”. Only articles published since 2014 were selected.
Summary: In this review article, we will provide discussion on the principal factors contributing to the un- usually destructive nature of the 2013-2015 Ebola outbreak. Interestingly, although several nonsynony- mous mutations have been observed in the recently circulating strains, they were not the principal cause of the unusually devastating nature of the outbreak. Instead, the high rate of transmission was likely caused by sociological factors, such as population dynamics and late detection of the outbreak. However, there is evidence to suggest that once the high rate of transmission in humans was established there was selective pressure on the virus to evade the human immune system. This selective pressure may have exacerbated an already deadly outbreak. Ongoing research efforts indicate that there is still much to be discovered about the virus and the control of outbreak management.
Correlations of Fundamental Social Motives with Personality Measures and Life History Variables
Authors: Moshkforoush Mana 
Published: July 2022

Background: In response to the replication crisis in the field of psychology, the authors conduct a replication of the Neel et al. (2016) (1) study examining individual differences in fundamental social motives. Methods: Using the Fundamental Social Motives Inventory, we explore the relationships of the fundamental social motives to other individual differences and personality measures and the extent to which life history variables (e.g., age, sex, childhood environment) predict individual differences in the fundamental social motives. In addition to the replication study, the authors also incorporate the Behavioral Inhibition/Activation Scale (BIS/BAS) as a new variable to determine this measure of personality’s correlation with all seven fundamental social motives of Self-Protection, Disease Avoidance, Affiliation, Status, Mate Seeking, Mate Retention, and Kin Care. A total of 34 participants are recruited from Amazon Mechanical Turk to complete the measures of personality under question. The replication criteria are set at ±0.15 r/β-units from the original study results and effect sizes greater than or equal to r/β=0.5 have to demonstrate statistical significance at the p<0.05 level.Results: Results demonstrate that between a third and a half of all effect sizes replicate Neel et al.’s (1) findings.Limitations: These results should be considered carefully with respect to the low sample size of our study.Conclusion: The BIS/BAS variable proves to be most informative, indicating that the seven motives cluster under either the BIS or BAS factors with medium to large strengths of correlation. These findings contribute to discussions on considering the most accurate measures of social motivation and the implications of individual differences in psychology’s understanding of such motivational systems.
Substitution Sensitivity and the Bat-and-Ball Problem: A Direct Replication of De Neys et al. (2013)
Authors: Machalani Alexandra , Gallant Amanda , Orha Victoria , Ostbo Nora , Hehman Eric 
Published: July 2022

Background: Cognitive misers are no happy fools. Earlier findings (1) came to this conclusion by assessing people’s sensitivity to attribute substitution, which they defined as the situation that occurs when we are confronted with a problem that demands greater cognitive effort, for which we rely on automatic and intuitive processes that substitute the complex situation for an easier one. Methods: Through the exploration of the “bat-and-ball” problem, (2) De Neys, Rossi, and Houdé (1) found that participants were indeed sensitive to the substitution bias. Specifically, participants who incorrectly answered the question that gave rise to the substitution bias were significantly less confident in their answer relative to their answer on a control problem that did not give rise to the substitution. Using the same methods, we conducted a direct replication study on a sample of 264 undergraduate psychology students. Results and Conclusion: Our results suggest that we successfully replicated the original conclusions; participants who answered by substituting the difficult question for an easier one significantly (p<.0001) decreased their confidence ratings on the version of the problem that gave rise to the substitution bias, relative to the problem that did not. Limitations: Though there may have been limitations, it seems that we are sensitive to attribute substitution.
What is the Best Music for Neurofeedback Training?
Authors: Hawari Lyla , Singer Neomi , Rabinowitz Arielle , Zatorre Robert 
Published: July 2022

The nucleus accumbens (NAc) is widely known for its role in reward seeking behavior which is heavily reliant on dopamine signaling. Dopamine plays an important role in reward seeking behavior and motivation and its dysregulation is shown to cause symptoms of depression such as apathy, a lack of motivation, and anhedonia, a loss of pleasure. Studying the NAc, specifically the ventral striatum in this case, is critical in understanding the underlying mechanisms of this dysregulation. Music neurofeedback is a biofeedback technique that provides feedback on brain activity through the audio quality of the music, with lower quality sounding more muffled. This study uses this technique to train participants to increase the activity of their ventral striatum in an attempt to upregulate the activity of the reward system.
This paper aims to investigate what the most effective music choices are in terms of genre, key, valence (positive or negative emotions) and energy (pertaining to levels of arousal) to maximize the improvement on neurofeedback training. These musical attributes were identified by the Spotify “Organize Your Music” categorization tool. Participants underwent six EEG music neurofeedback training sessions with individually tailored pleasurable music as the source of feedback. The participants either received real feedback in the neurofeedback group (NF) or sham feedback in the control group. The results of this study showed that neurofeedback performance was negatively correlated with valence whereby songs that led to the greatest performance, measured as increase in ventral striatum activity from baseline, were those low in valence. Participants that had the greatest improvement in their neurofeedback training selected songs that were in a minor key and belonged to the pop genre. Although this study is based on a small sample, it takes the first step towards the overarching goal of using music to manage dysregulation in the reward system.
A study of the effect of auditory prime type on emotional facial expression recognition
Authors: Sethi Sameer , Pell Dr. Marc D. 
Published: July 2022

Background: In this study, we investigated the influence of two types of emotional auditory primes - vocalizations and pseudoutterances - on the ability to judge a subsequently presented emotional facial expression in an event-related potential (ERP) study using the facial-affect decision task. We hypothesized that accuracy would be greater for congruent trials than for incongruent trials. This is due to the possibility that a congruent prime would allow the listener to implicitly identify the particular emotion of the face more effectively. We also hypothesized that the normal priming effect would be observed in the N400 for both prime types, i.e. a greater negativity for incongruent trials than for congruent trials.
Methods: Emotional primes (vocalization or pseudoutterance) were presented to participants who were then asked to make a judgment regarding whether or not a facial expression conveyed an emotion. Behavioural data on participant accuracy and experimental electroencephalogram (EEG) data were collected and subsequently analyzed for six participants.
Results: Behavioural results showed that participants were more accurate in judging faces when primed with vocalizations than pseudoutterances. ERP results revealed that a normal priming effect was observed for vocalizations in the 150 msec - 250 msec temporal window – where greater negativities were produced during incongruent trials than during congruent trials – whereas the reverse effect was observed for pseudoutterances. Few participants were tested (n = 7). Hence, this study is a pilot study preceding a further study conducted with a greater sample size (n = 25) and slight modifications in the methodology (such as the duration of auditory primes.)
Conclusions: Vocalizations showed the expected priming effect of greater negativities for incongruent trials than for congruent trials, while pseudoutterances unexpectedly showed the opposite effect. These results suggest that vocalizations may provide more prosodic information in a shorter time and thereby generate the expected congruency effect.
Neuroplasticity and Post-Synaptic Rebound-Induced Spiking at Purkinje Cell-Deep Cerebellar Nuclei Synapses
Authors: Hotton Jenna 
Published: July 2022

Background: Within the cerebellum white matter are located four pairs of nuclei, collectively known as the deep cerebellar nuclei (DCN) (1). In the cerebellum, signal integration from pre-cerebellar structures via excitatory parallel fibers and climbing fibers in the cerebellar cortex occurs in GABAergic Purkinje cells (PC) (2). The main target of these PC cells is the DCN (2) and approximately 85% of GABAergic input on the DCN is from PCs (3). Furthermore, PCs outnumber DCN neurons (26:1) (2). Therefore, despite receiving substantial inhibition from Purkinje cells, DCN neurons are still active at rest showing regular spiking or spontaneous bursts (4). DCN neurons fire spontaneously at approximately 10-50 Hz (5). Given this unique anatomy of PC-DCN synapses, characterization of this synaptic circuit is important in understanding the overall role of the DCN in the brain.
Methods: The findings of 28 studies, including a few reviews, are reported in this paper. Studies selected focused principally on characterization of DCN circuitry properties and the role these properties have in the functioning of the DCN. Most studies employed in vivo and/or in vitro cellular recordings in rodents, among other models. Studies ranged from 1984 to 2013.
Summary: This review outlines current findings on the forms of plasticity found in the DCN, the function of the DCN and the connections between the DCN and other brain regions. In short, neurons in the DCN demonstrate both synaptic and non-synaptic plasticity. Cerebellar involvement in motor activity has been extensively studied therefore, not surprisingly; DCN neurons form connections with the motor cortex but also the prefrontal cortex. PC input on the DCN influences spike rate and timing through fluctuations in PC synchrony, and rebound depolarization.
Comparison of thiol disulfide values in the cord blood of patients undergoing cesarean section under spinal or general anesthesia
Authors: Soysal Çağanay , Soysal Yalçın , Döğer Cihan , Yılmaz Elif , Özdemir Oğuz , Küçüközkan Tuncay , Erel Özcan 
Published: July 2022

Background/Aim: Oxidative stress is known to increase in patients receiving anesthesia before undergoing surgery. Since newborns are more sensitive to oxygen-free radicals, the effects and characteristics of anesthesia methods that are used for pregnant women require analysis. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of spinal and general anesthesia on oxidative stress by investigating thiol disulfide and ischemia modified albumin (IMA) concentrations in the cord blood of patients undergoing cesarean section (C-section) via spinal or general anesthesia.
Methods: This cross-sectional prospective study included 60 patients who were indicated for elective cesarean section. Patients with chronic disease, pregnancy complications and/or required emergency cesareans were not included. Group 1 (n = 30) underwent general anesthesia, and Group 2 (n = 30) underwent spinal anesthesia during their C-sections. Thiol–disulfide levels were evaluated concurrently in all blood samples taken from the umbilical artery remaining on the placental side.
Results: The mean age (SD) of the mothers was 30.6 (4.4) years and the mean gestational age (SD) was 39.0 (0.9) weeks. Gestational age, birth weight, and first and fifth min Apgar scores of the two groups were similar. The mean (SD) native thiol (362.4 [63.8]; 323.2 [45.8]), total thiol (409.6 [70.2]; 363.5 [46.1]), and disulfide values (23.6 (5.4); 20.2 (4.3)) were significantly higher in group 1 than group 2, while the median (interquartile range [IQR]) values of IMA (0.89 (0.85-max 0.92); 0.85 (min 0.82-max 0.879) were significantly higher in group 2 than group 1 (P < 0.05).
Conclusions: As general anesthesia may cause a higher degree of oxidative stress, selecting the appropriate anesthetic technique may be especially important for risky pregnancies in which increased oxidative stress in the mother and baby may be critical for the outcome.
Predictors of eligibility for reimbursement of antiviral treatment in HBe-Ag negative chronic hepatitis B patients with high ALT levels
Authors: Engin İsmail , Duman Ali Erkan , Ataoğlu Hayriye Esra , Örmeci Aslı Çifçibaşı , Poturoğlu Şule 
Published: July 2022

Background/Aim: A liver biopsy is required for the reimbursement of antiviral therapy in Hepatitis B e-antigen (HBe-Ag) negative chronic hepatitis B patients. Liver biopsy is an invasive procedure with potential complications, such as bleeding, pain, pneumothorax, and even death. The study aimed to evaluate simple and non-invasive parameters that may help predict histological criteria that would be eligible for antiviral treatment reimbursement.
Methods: HBeAg-negative chronic hepatitis B patients with alanine transaminase (ALT) levels > upper normal limit (40 IU/L) and HBV DNA viral load > 2000 IU/ml who underwent liver biopsy were enrolled in this retrospective cohort study. ALT, aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) values, hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA levels, platelet count, and hepato-steatosis grade based on ultrasonography were used to predict the eligibility for antiviral therapy reimbursement. Eligibility for reimbursement of antiviral treatment regarding histological criteria defined by National Social Security Institution is based on the hepatitis activity index (HAI) score ≥ 6 and/or fibrosis score ≥ 2 according to Ishak’s scoring system.
Results: One hundred and fifteen patients were included in the study; 79 patients (68.7%) were male. The mean age of patients was 46.51 (11.39). Sixty-two patients (53.9%) had a fibrosis score ≥ 2, and 80 (69.6%) patients had an HAI score ≥ 6. Ninety-two (80%) of the patients fulfilled histological criteria for antiviral treatment reimbursement. Multivariate analysis revealed that age and platelet count were independent predictors of eligibility for antiviral treatment reimbursement. The platelet count cut-off point was 198 x 109 /L for predicting eligibility for antiviral treatment reimbursement.
Conclusion: Most patients (92/115, 80%) with high ALT and DNA viral load were eligible for antiviral treatment reimbursement. Platelet count and age may be used as simple non-invasive parameters for predicting the eligibility for antiviral treatment reimbursement in terms of histological findings.