rudyvdbrink/CitationDatabase huggingface dataset:
Are Spatial Memories for Familiar Environments Orientation Dependent?
Journal of cognition, 2021

In one experiment we examined the organizational structure of spatial memories for familiar environments, comparing it directly with that for unfamiliar environments. Participants in the familiar condition pointed from imagined perspectives towards objects in their own rooms and their performance was compared to that of matched controls in an unfamiliar condition who carried out the same task after studying the same rooms in immersive Virtual Reality. In both conditions, participants were faster and more accurate in pointing from imagined perspectives that were aligned with the geometry of the room (vs. not aligned), suggesting the presence of orientation-dependent representations. Whereas in the unfamiliar condition pointing performance was best along a single axis, performance in the familiar condition was about equal across all 4 orientations that were aligned with the geometric structure of the room. Moreover, performance in the familiar condition was influenced by the orientation from which participants started to preview the room prior to testing; in contrast, in the unfamiliar condition performance was not influenced by the orientation from which encoding started. This finding suggests that post-encoding situational factors (e.g., the starting orientation from which an environment is previewed) can prime the accessibility of information in well-established long-term spatial memories.
Physiological Modeling of Concentration-Effect Relationship for Nondepolarizing Neuromuscular Blocking Drugs.
Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society. IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society. Annual International Conference, 2020

This paper reports modeling of physiological processes of neuromuscular transmission considering effects of nondepolarizing neuromuscualr blocking drugs (NDNBs) used during general anesthesia. NDNBs are considered to act by interacting with acetylcohine receptors located at pre- and post-junctional sites. This paper proposes an extension of the standard model of synaptic depression used in the field of neuroscience to describe the pre-junctional effect of NDNBs. The extended model is then combined with a previously proposed model of the post-junctional effect to simulate the whole process of neuromuscular transmission. The derived model can be used to predict pharmacologic relationship between the drug concentration and its actual effect of NDNBs. Specifically, the model firstly enables the estimation of Post-tetanic Count (PTC), a clinically used monitoring measure for deep neuromuscular blockade (NMB). The effectiveness of the derived model is discussed by comparing simulation results with clinical data obtained from a patient undergoing a surgical operation.
Brain connectomics applied to oncological neuroscience: from a traditional surgical strategy focusing on glioma topography to a meta-network approach.
Acta neurochirurgica, 2021

The classical way for surgical selection and planning in cerebral glioma mainly focused on tumor topography. The emerging science of connectomics, which aims of mapping brain connectivity, resulted in a paradigmatic shift from a modular account of cerebral organization to a meta-network perspective. Adaptive behavior is actually mediated by constant changes in interactions within and across large-scale delocalized neural systems underlying conation, cognition, and emotion. Here, to optimize the onco-functional balance of glioma surgery, the purpose is to switch toward a connectome-based resection taking account of both relationships between the tumor and critical distributed circuits (especially subcortical pathways) as well as the perpetual instability of the meta-network. Such dynamic in the neural spatiotemporal integration permits functional reallocation leading to neurological recovery after massive resection in structures traditionally thought as "inoperable." This better understanding of connectome increases benefit/risk ratio of surgery (i) by selecting resection in areas deemed "eloquent" according to a localizationist dogma; (ii), conversely, by refining intraoperative awake cognitive mapping and monitoring in so-called non-eloquent areas; (iii) by improving preoperative information, enabling an optimal selection of intrasurgical tasks tailored to the patient's wishes; (iv) by developing an "oncological disconnection surgery"; (v) by defining a personalized multistep surgical strategy adapted to individual brain reshaping potential; and (vi) ultimately by preserving environmentally and socially appropriate behavior, including return to work, while increasing the extent of (possibly repeated) resection(s). Such a holistic vision of neural processing can enhance reliability of connectomal surgery in oncological neuroscience and may also be applied to restorative neurosurgery.
Associations between CYP2J2 (-76G>T) rs890293 polymorphism and age-related macular degeneration.
Biomedical papers of the Medical Faculty of the University Palacky, Olomouc, Czechoslovakia, 2020

Backgroung. Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a disease of the macula, which significantly affects the eyesight and leads to irreversible central vision loss. The etiopathogenesis of AMD is still not absolutely clear. It is thought that age-related macular degeneration has a multifactorial etiology, the development of which may be caused by interrelation of environmental with innate factors, while genetic factors also have an impact. Macular degenerative changes occur due to the formation of drusen, about 40% of which is lipids. As the CYP2J2 gene is involved in the metabolism of lipids, it was selected for investigation in this study.
MicroRNA Expression Profile Distinguishes Glioblastoma Stem Cells from Differentiated Tumor Cells.
Journal of personalized medicine, 2021

Glioblastoma (GBM) represents the most common and aggressive tumor of the brain. Despite the fact that several studies have recently addressed the molecular mechanisms underlying the disease, its etiology and pathogenesis are still poorly understood. GBM displays poor prognosis and its resistance to common therapeutic approaches makes it a highly recurrent tumor. Several studies have identified a subpopulation of tumor cells, known as GBM cancer stem cells (CSCs) characterized by the ability of self-renewal, tumor initiation and propagation. GBM CSCs have been shown to survive GBM chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Thus, targeting CSCs represents a promising approach to treat GBM. Recent evidence has shown that GBM is characterized by a dysregulated expression of microRNA (miRNAs). In this study we have investigated the difference between human GBM CSCs and their paired autologous differentiated tumor cells. Array-based profiling and quantitative Real-Time PCR (qRT-PCR) were performed to identify miRNAs differentially expressed in CSCs. The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) data were also interrogated, and functional interpretation analysis was performed. We have identified 14 miRNAs significantly differentially expressed in GBM CSCs (
Ethics Implications of the Use of Artificial Intelligence in Violence Risk Assessment.
The journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law, 2020

Artificial intelligence is rapidly transforming the landscape of medicine. Specifically, algorithms powered by deep learning are already gaining increasingly wide adoption in fields such as radiology, pathology, and preventive medicine. Forensic psychiatry is a complex and intricate specialty that seeks to balance the disparate approaches of psychiatric science, which strives to explain human behavior deterministically, and the law, which emphasizes free choice and moral responsibility. This balancing, a central task of the forensic psychiatrist, is necessarily fraught with ambiguity. Such a complex task may intuitively seem impenetrable to artificial intelligence. This article first aims to challenge this assumption and then seeks to address the unique concerns posed by the adoption of artificial intelligence in violence risk assessment and prediction. The relevant ethics concerns are analyzed within the framework of traditional bioethics principles. Finally, recommendations for practitioners, ethicists, and others are offered as a starting point for further discussion.
Value of Vascular and Non-Vascular Pattern on Computed Tomography Perfusion in Patients With Acute Isolated Aphasia.
Stroke, 2020

Acute onset aphasia may be due to stroke but also to other causes, which are commonly referred to as stroke mimics. We hypothesized that, in patients with acute isolated aphasia, distinct brain perfusion patterns are related to the cause and the clinical outcome. Herein, we analyzed the prognostic yield and the diagnostic usefulness of computed tomography perfusion (CTP) in patients with acute isolated aphasia.
A numerical investigation of the infrapatellar fat pad.
Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers. Part H, Journal of engineering in medicine, 2020

The infrapatellar fat pad is an adipose tissue in the knee that facilitates the distribution of synovial fluid and absorbs impulsive actions generated through the joint. The correlation between morphological configuration and mechanical properties is analyzed by a computational approach. The microscopic anatomy of the infrapatellar fat pad is studied aiming to measure the dimension of adipose lobules and the thickness of connective septa. Results from histomorphometric investigations show that the infrapatellar fat pad is an inhomogeneous tissue, constituted by large lobules in the superficial part and smaller lobules in the deepest one. Finite element models of the infrapatellar fat pad are developed. The first model considers the inhomogeneous conformation of the infrapatellar fat pad, composed of micro- and macro-chambers, while the second model considers a homogeneous distribution of adipose lobules with similar dimensions. Computational analyses are performed considering the static standing configuration and the passive flexion-extension movement. The computational results allow us to identify the different stress and strain fields within the tissue and to appreciate the variation of the mechanical performance of the overall system considering the distribution of adipose lobules. Results show that the distribution of adipose lobules in macro- and micro-chambers allows major deformation of the infrapatellar fat pad, decreasing the stress inside the tissues.
Structural and immunochemical characteristics of the neuronal organization of field 4 of the sensorimotor cortex in cats.
Neuroscience and behavioral physiology, 2010

Inhibitory interneurons in the cortex are regarded as an important intracortical module-forming factor. We report here our studies of the expression of three calcium-binding proteins in interneurons in the sensorimotor cortex of the cat. Calbindin-expressing non-pyramidal neurons were found to be distributed non-uniformly in layer III, forming large groups. Three-dimensional modeling showed that these groups formed continuous columns of width 400-1500 microm, which extended 6000-8000 microm mediolaterally both along the walls of the cruciate sulcus and on the free surfaces of the posterior and anterior sigmoid gyri. These data led to the hypothesis that these groups of inhibitory interneurons may create the conditions for selecting groups of efferent neurons within their areas and to recruit them into a single physiological act.
Graph Theoretic Analysis Reveals Intranasal Oxytocin Induced Network Changes Over Frontal Regions.
Neuroscience, 2021

In this study, we aim to elucidate how intranasal oxytocin modulates brain network characteristics, especially over the frontal network. As an essential brain hub of social cognition and emotion regulation, we also explore the association between graphic properties of the frontal network and individual personality traits under oxytocin (OT) administration. Fifty-nine male participants administered intranasal OT or placebo were followed by resting-state fMRI scanning. The correlation-based network model was applied to study OT modulation effects. We performed community detection algorithms and conducted further network analyses, including clustering coefficient, average shortest path and eigenvector centrality. In addition, we conducted a correlation analysis between clustering coefficients and the self-assessed psychological scales. Modular organizations in the OT group reveal integrations of the frontoparietal network (FPN) and the default mode network (DMN) over frontal regions. Results show that frontal nodes within the FPN are characterized by lower clustering coefficients and higher average shortest path values compared to the placebo group. Notably, these modulation effects on frontal network property are associated with Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI) fantasy value. Our results suggest that OT elevates integrations between FPN, DMN and limbic system as well as reduces small-worldness within the FPN. Our results support graph theoretic analysis as a potential tool to assess OT induced effects on the information integration in the frontal network.
Central Effects of Cranial Nerve Stimulation.
Otolaryngologic clinics of North America, 2020

The current literature on peripheral cranial nerve stimulation for the purpose of achieving therapeutic effects via altering brain activity is reviewed. Vagus nerve stimulation, which is approved for use in refractory epilepsy, is the most extensively studied cranial nerve stimulator that has direct impact on the central nervous system. Despite the recognized central effects of peripheral cranial nerve stimulation, the mechanism of action for all indications remains incompletely understood. Further research on both mechanisms and indications of central effects of cranial nerve stimulation has the potential to alleviate burden of disease in a large array of conditions.
Maternal Immune Activation Causes Schizophrenia-like Behaviors in the Offspring through Activation of Immune-Inflammatory, Oxidative and Apoptotic Pathways, and Lowered Antioxidant Defenses and Neuroprotection.
Molecular neurobiology, 2020

Schizophrenia is a complex neuropsychiatric disorder, influenced by a combined action of genes and environmental factors. The neurodevelopmental origin is one of the most widely recognized etiological models of this heterogeneous disorder. Environmental factors, especially infections during gestation, appear to be a major risk determinant of neurodevelopmental basis of schizophrenia. Prenatal infection may cause maternal immune activation (MIA) and enhance risk of schizophrenia in the offspring. However, the precise mechanistic basis through which MIA causes long-lasting schizophrenia-like behavioral deficits in offspring remains inadequately understood. Herein, we aimed to delineate whether prenatal infection-induced MIA causes schizophrenia-like behaviors through its long-lasting effects on immune-inflammatory and apoptotic pathways, oxidative stress toxicity, and antioxidant defenses in the brain of offspring. Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into three groups (n = 15/group) and were injected with poly (I:C), LPS, and saline at gestational day (GD)-12. Except IL-1β, plasma levels of IL-6, TNF-α, and IL-17A assessed after 24 h were significantly elevated in both the poly (I:C)- and LPS-treated pregnant rats, indicating MIA. The rats born to dams treated with poly (I:C) and LPS displayed increased anxiety-like behaviors and significant deficits in social behaviors. Furthermore, the hippocampus of the offspring rats of both the poly (I:C)- and LPS-treated groups showed increased signs of lipid peroxidation, diminished total antioxidant content, and differentially upregulated expression of inflammatory (TNFα, IL6, and IL1β), and apoptotic (Bax, Cas3, and Cas9) genes but decreased expression of neuroprotective (BDNF and Bcl2) genes. The results suggest long-standing effects of prenatal infections on schizophrenia-like behavioral deficits, which are mediated by immune-inflammatory and apoptotic pathways, increased oxidative stress toxicity, and lowered antioxidant and neuroprotective defenses. The findings suggest that prenatal infections may underpin neurodevelopmental aberrations and neuroprogression and subsequently schizophrenia-like symptoms.
Crisis Resource Management and High-Performing Teams in Hyperacute Stroke Care.
Neurocritical care, 2020

Management of stroke patients in the acute setting is a high-stakes task with several challenges including the need for rapid assessment and treatment, maintenance of high-performing team dynamics, management of cognitive load affecting providers, and factors impacting team communication. Crisis resource management (CRM) provides a framework to tackle these challenges and is well established in other resuscitative disciplines. The current Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has exposed a potential quality gap in emergency preparedness and the ability to adapt to emergency scenarios in real time.
A meta-analysis on RT-QuIC for the diagnosis of sporadic CJD.
Acta neurologica Belgica, 2021

Creutzfeld-Jakob disease (CJD) is a fatal neurodegenerative disease which belongs to the family of transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs), or prion diseases. Historically, CJD diagnosis has been based on the combination of clinical features and in vivo markers, including CSF protein assays, MRI and EEG changes. Brain-derived CSF proteins, such as 14-3-3, t-tau and p-tau have been largely used to support the diagnosis of probable CJD, although with certain limitations concerning sensitivity and specificity of these tests. More recently, a new method for the pre-mortem diagnosis of sporadic CJD has been developed, based on the ability of PrPsc to induce the polymerization of protease-sensitive recombinant PrP (PrPsen) into amyloid fibrils, and is known as Real-Time Quaking- Induced Conversion (RT-QuIC) assay allows the detection of > 1 fg of PrPsc in diluted CJD brain homogenate and a variety of biological tissues and fluids. In the present study, we did a meta-analysis on the liability of RT-QuIC method in the diagnosis of sporadic CJD, in comparison to 14-3-3 and Tau protein. Twelve studies were finally included in the statistical analysis which showed that RT-QuIC has a very high specificity and comparable sensitivity to 14-3-3 protein and Tau protein in the CSF, and hence can be used as a reliable biomarker for the diagnosis of sporadic CJD.
Immunoblotting and immunodetection.
Current protocols in neuroscience, 2004

Immunoblotting (western blotting) is used to identify specific antigens recognized by polyclonal or monoclonal antibodies. This unit provides numerous protocols for all steps starting with solubilization of the protein samples, usually with SDS and reducing agents. Following solubilization, the material is separated by SDS-PAGE and the antigens are then electrophoretically transferred to a membrane, a process that can be monitored by reversible staining or Ponceau S staining. The transferred proteins are bound to the surface of the membrane, providing access to immunodetection reagents. Any remaining binding sites are blocked by immersing the membrane in a blocking solution. After probing with the primary antibody, the membrane is washed and the antibody-antigen complexes are identified with horseradish peroxidase (HRPO) or alkaline phosphatase enzymes coupled to the secondary anti-IgG antibody (e.g., goat anti-rabbit IgG) and appropriate chromogenic or luminescent substrates. Finally, membranes may be stripped and reprobed.
Mutations in the exocyst component EXOC2 cause severe defects in human brain development.
The Journal of experimental medicine, 2020

The exocyst, an octameric protein complex, is an essential component of the membrane transport machinery required for tethering and fusion of vesicles at the plasma membrane. We report pathogenic variants in an exocyst subunit, EXOC2 (Sec5). Affected individuals have severe developmental delay, dysmorphism, and brain abnormalities; variability associated with epilepsy; and poor motor skills. Family 1 had two offspring with a homozygous truncating variant in EXOC2 that leads to nonsense-mediated decay of EXOC2 transcript, a severe reduction in exocytosis and vesicle fusion, and undetectable levels of EXOC2 protein. The patient from Family 2 had a milder clinical phenotype and reduced exocytosis. Cells from both patients showed defective Arl13b localization to the primary cilium. The discovery of mutations that partially disable exocyst function provides valuable insight into this essential protein complex in neural development. Since EXOC2 and other exocyst complex subunits are critical to neuronal function, our findings suggest that EXOC2 variants are the cause of the patients' neurological disorders.
In Vivo Comparative Study on Acute and Sub-acute Biological Effects Induced by Ultrafine Particles of Different Anthropogenic Sources in BALB/c Mice.
International journal of molecular sciences, 2019

Exposure to ultrafine particles (UFPs) leads to adverse effects on health caused by an unbalanced ratio between UFPs deposition and clearance efficacy. Since air pollution toxicity is first direct to cardiorespiratory system, we compared the acute and sub-acute effects of diesel exhaust particles (DEP) and biomass burning-derived particles (BB) on bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid (BALf), lung and heart parenchyma. Markers of cytotoxicity, oxidative stress and inflammation were analysed in male BALB/c mice submitted to single and repeated intra-tracheal instillations of 50 μg UFPs. This in-vivo study showed the activation of inflammatory response (COX-2 and MPO) after exposure to UFPs, both in respiratory and cardiovascular systems. Exposure to DEP results also in pro- and anti-oxidant (HO-1, iNOS, Cyp1b1, Hsp70) protein levels increase, although, stress persist only in cardiac tissue under repeated instillations. Statistical correlations suggest that stress marker variation was probably due to soluble components and/or mediators translocation of from first deposition site. This mechanism, appears more important after repeated instillations, since inflammation and oxidative stress endure only in heart. In summary, chemical composition of UFPs influenced the activation of different responses mediated by their components or pro-inflammatory and pro-oxidative molecules, indicating DEP as the most damaging pollutant in the comparison.
Mental Health and Social Care and Social Interventions.
International journal of environmental research and public health, 2018

In common parlance, the term 'social' is used in many senses ranging from the way society is organised to the rank or status someone has in society; to activities that involve meeting with other people; to the experience, behaviour and interaction of persons forming groups; and to promoting companionship and communal activities. [...].