rudyvdbrink/CitationDatabase huggingface dataset:
Internet-delivered cognitive behavioral therapy for posttraumatic stress disorder in international humanitarian aid workers: Study protocol.
Internet interventions, 2017

Humanitarian aid workers are likely to be exposed or witness complex emergencies. Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is one of the most widespread and most commonly studied mental health problems after exposure to adversities and trauma. However, face-to-face treatment has limited utilization in the resource-constrained settings where humanitarian aid workers often operate. Internet-delivered cognitive behavioral therapy (iCBT) is a treatment option with the potential to improve the access to evidence-based care for humanitarian aid workers. Until now, only a few studies have evaluated iCBT in the treatment of PTSD. No studies have yet explored the feasibility of iCBT for humanitarian aid workers with PTSD. The aim of this study is to investigate the participants' experiences and progress with the treatment, in order to determine whether TELLUS is acceptable for humanitarian aid workers.
Biportal endoscopic technique in the treatment of spinal stenosis: early clinical experiences and results.
Neurological research, 2020

Minimally invasive procedures in spine surgery have undergone significant development in recent times. A demand emerged from both surgeons and patients to develop and perform these types of surgeries in order to prevent biomechanical and surgical complications. Our study aimed to present early clinical results of a biportal endoscopy technique in the treatment of degenerative spinal stenosis.
Predictive values and specificity of electroencephalographic findings in autoimmune encephalitis diagnosis.
Epilepsy & behavior : E&B, 2018

Early diagnosis of autoimmune encephalitis (AE) to not delay treatment is challenging but needed in practice. Most previous evidences of electroencephalographic (EEG) findings in AE were derived from descriptive studies. Given paucity of evidence of specific EEG findings to help with early diagnosis of AE, this study aimed to ascertain specific EEG findings and assess their predictive values in diagnosis of AE.
Alpha-sarcoglycanopathy presenting as myalgia and hyperCKemia in two adults with a long-term follow-up. Case reports.
Acta myologica : myopathies and cardiomyopathies : official journal of the Mediterranean Society of Myology, 2020

Two patients with a paucisymptomatic hyperckemia underwent a skeletal muscle biopsy and massive gene panel to investigate mutations associated with inherited muscle disorders. In the SGCA gene, sequence analyses revealed a homozygous c.850C > T/p.Arg284Cys in patient 1 and two heterozygous variants (c.739G > A/p.Val247Met and c.850C > T/p.Arg284Cys) in patient 2. Combination of histology and immunofluorence studies showed minimal changes for muscular proteins including the α-sarcoglycan. These two cases highlight the advantages of next-generation sequencing in the differential diagnosis of mild myopathic conditions before considering the more invasive muscle biopsy in sarcoglycanopathies.
A systematic review of the clinical and genetic characteristics of Chinese patients with cystic fibrosis.
Pediatric pulmonology, 2020

To investigate and summarize the clinical and genetic characteristics of Chinese cystic fibrosis (CF) patients to improve clinicians' understanding and decrease the rates of misdiagnosis and missed diagnoses in China.
Botulinum toxin therapy of dystonia.
Journal of neural transmission (Vienna, Austria : 1996), 2021

Botulinum toxin (BT) is used to treat a large number of muscle hyperactivity syndromes. Its use in dystonia, however, is still one of the most important indications for BT therapy. When BT is injected into dystonic muscles, it produces a peripheral paresis which is localised, well controllable and follows a distinct and predictable time course of around 3 months. Adverse effects are always transient and usually mild, long-term application is safe. With this profile BT can be used to treat cranial dystonia, cervical dystonia and limb dystonia including writer's and musician's cramps. The recent introduction of BT high dose therapy also allows to treat more wide-spread dystonia including segmental and generalised dystonia. BT can easily be combined with other anti-dystonic treatments such as deep brain stimulation and intrathecal baclofen application. Best treatment results are obtained when BT therapy is integrated in the multimodal and long-term 'multilayer concept of treatment of dystonia'. The biggest challenge for the future will be to deliver state of the art BT therapy to all dystonia patients in need, regardless of whether they live in developed countries or beyond.
Validation of the Human-Animal Interaction Scale (HAIS) in Czech Language.
International journal of environmental research and public health, 2020

Human-Animal interaction (HAI) refers to any contact between humans and animals. Despite the lack of standardized measures of evaluation, one possible tool is the Human Animal Interaction Scale (HAIS). This study aimed to evaluate it in Czech language and to verify its use in clinical settings. One group of participants included 85 non-clinical volunteers; the second included 22 clinical participants, who were hospitalized in a long-term inpatient department All participants filled out the HAIS, the Companion Animal Bonding Scale (CABS) and the Companion Animal Semantic Differential (CASD). The Czech HAIS achieved similarly good psychometric properties as the original scale. The Cronbach's alpha showed strong internal consistency (α = 0.920) in the sample of volunteers, but low internal consistency (α = 0.656) in the group of clinical participants. In non-clinical volunteers, all scales and subscales correlated mutually at the
Synthesis, Computational Studies and Assessment of in Vitro Activity of Squalene Derivatives as Carbonic Anhydrase Inhibitors.
ChemMedChem, 2020

We report novel molecules incorporating the nontoxic squalene scaffold and different carbonic anhydrase inhibitors (CAIs). Potent inhibitory action, in the low-nanomolar range, was detected against isoforms hCA II for sulfonamide derivatives, which proved to be selective against this isoform over the tumor-associate hCA IX and XII isoforms. On the other hand, coumarin derivatives showed weak potency but high selectivity against the tumor-associated isoform CA IX. These compounds are interesting candidates for preclinical evaluation in glaucoma or various tumors in which the two enzymes are involved. In addition, an in silico study of inhibitor-bound hCA II revealed extensive interactions with the hydrophobic pocket of the active site and provided molecular insights into the binding properties of these new inhibitors.
The effect of visual uncertainty on implicit motor adaptation.
Journal of neurophysiology, 2021

Sensorimotor adaptation is influenced by both the size and variance of error information. In the present study, we varied visual uncertainty and error size in a factorial manner and evaluated their joint effect on adaptation, using a feedback method that avoids inherent limitations with standard visuomotor tasks. Uncertainty attenuated adaptation, but only when the error was small. This striking interaction highlights a novel constraint for models of sensorimotor adaptation. Sensorimotor adaptation is driven by sensory prediction errors, the difference between the predicted and actual feedback. When the position of the feedback is made uncertain, motor adaptation is attenuated. This effect, in the context of optimal sensory integration models, has been attributed to the motor system discounting noisy feedback and thus reducing the learning rate. In its simplest form, optimal integration predicts that uncertainty would result in reduced learning for all error sizes. However, these predictions remain untested since manipulations of error size in standard visuomotor tasks introduce confounds in the degree to which performance is influenced by other learning processes such as strategy use. Here, we used a novel visuomotor task that isolates the contribution of implicit adaptation, independent of error size. In two experiments, we varied feedback uncertainty and error size in a factorial manner. At odds with the basic predictions derived from the optimal integration theory, the results show that uncertainty attenuated learning only when the error size was small but had no effect when the error size was large. We discuss possible mechanisms that may account for this interaction, considering how uncertainty may interact with the relevance assigned to the error signal or how the output of the adaptation system in terms of recalibrating the sensorimotor map may be modified by uncertainty.
An unusual cause of high peak airway pressure: Interpretation of displayed alarms.
Saudi journal of anaesthesia, 2015

Airway pressure monitoring is critical in modern day anesthesia ventilators to detect and warn high or low pressure conditions in the breathing system. We report a scenario leading to unexpectedly very high peak inspiratory pressure in the intraoperative period and describe the mechanism for high priority alarm activation. We also discuss the role of a blocked bacterial filter in causing sustained display of increased airway pressure. This scenario is a very good example for understanding the unique safety feature present in the Dräger ventilators and the attending anesthesiologist must have an adequate knowledge of the functioning and safety feature of the ventilators they are using to interpret the alarms in the perioperative to prevent unnecessary anxiety and intervention.
Nest construction and presence do not alter territorial aggression in male threespine stickleback.
Animal behaviour, 2020

Constructing a nest within a mating territory provides a clear benefit to the resident, particularly by improving the opportunity to mate. It is unclear whether animals who use nests exclusively for reproductive purposes account for either the effort invested or the resulting increase in mating potential when valuing their territories. We sought to explicitly reveal a nest's added subjective resource value through within-group comparison of aggressive behaviour before and after nest construction. An increase in aggression following construction would indicate that the resident perceives greater subjective value in his territory, and thus values the nest. Threespine stickleback,
Commentary: Transdiagnostic neuroscience of child and adolescent mental disorders--differentiating decision-making in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, conduct disorder, depression and anxiety. A commentary on Sonuga-Barke et al. (2016).
Journal of child psychology and psychiatry, and allied disciplines, 2016

Sonuga-Barke, Cortese, Fairchild, and Stringaris offer us new insights not only on the neuropsychological processes and neurobiological mechanisms involved in the decision-making process but also how some of the most relevant child mental disorders might impact this process through a very comprehensive review of the pertinent literature. Although it is difficult to select specific points for discussing in a so dense review, I would like to highlight some aspects for 'whetting readers appetite' and seduce them to be in contact with the fascinating neurobiology behind an essential aspect of our lives.
MicroRNA-19a-PTEN Axis Is Involved in the Developmental Decline of Axon Regenerative Capacity in Retinal Ganglion Cells.
Molecular therapy. Nucleic acids, 2020

Irreversible blindness from glaucoma and optic neuropathies is attributed to retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) losing the ability to regenerate axons. While several transcription factors and proteins have demonstrated enhancement of axon regeneration after optic nerve injury, mechanisms contributing to the age-related decline in axon regenerative capacity remain elusive. In this study, we show that microRNAs are differentially expressed during RGC development and identify microRNA-19a (miR-19a) as a heterochronic marker; developmental decline of miR-19a relieves suppression of phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN), a key regulator of axon regeneration, and serves as a temporal indicator of decreasing axon regenerative capacity. Intravitreal injection of miR-19a promotes axon regeneration after optic nerve crush in adult mice, and it increases axon extension in RGCs isolated from aged human donors. This study uncovers a previously unrecognized involvement of the miR-19a-PTEN axis in RGC axon regeneration, and it demonstrates therapeutic potential of microRNA-mediated restoration of axon regenerative capacity in optic neuropathies.
Transcriptomic analysis to identify genes associated with selective hippocampal vulnerability in Alzheimer's disease.
Nature communications, 2021

Selective vulnerability of different brain regions is seen in many neurodegenerative disorders. The hippocampus and cortex are selectively vulnerable in Alzheimer's disease (AD), however the degree of involvement of the different brain regions differs among patients. We classified corticolimbic patterns of neurofibrillary tangles in postmortem tissue to capture extreme and representative phenotypes. We combined bulk RNA sequencing with digital pathology to examine hippocampal vulnerability in AD. We identified hippocampal gene expression changes associated with hippocampal vulnerability and used machine learning to identify genes that were associated with AD neuropathology, including SERPINA5, RYBP, SLC38A2, FEM1B, and PYDC1. Further histologic and biochemical analyses suggested SERPINA5 expression is associated with tau expression in the brain. Our study highlights the importance of embracing heterogeneity of the human brain in disease to identify disease-relevant gene expression.
"Protenuria in SLE: Is it always lupus?".
Lupus, 2021

Proteinuria is one of the most typical manifestations of kidney involvement in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE). We report the case of a 23-year-old woman with a 6-year-long history of SLE presenting with proteinuria after a three-year remission on hydroxychloroquine. Kidney histological examination showed alterations inconsistent with lupus nephritis and suggestive of hydroxychloroquine toxicity or Fabry disease. The latter was confirmed by genetic assay.
Acute Cryptogenic Stroke During West Nile Virus Infection: Case Report.
The Neurohospitalist, 2021

West Nile virus is an emerging infection in North America but has not traditionally been associated with acute vascular events. We report a 57-year-old healthy male who developed pharyngitis and a corporeal rash, followed 1 week later by an acute cryptogenic stroke. Following successful endovascular thrombectomy, cerebrospinal fluid analysis revealed acute West Nile virus infection. While severe cases of vasculopathy have been described with flavivirus infection, stroke associated with relatively mild symptoms has not been. Given increasing evidence that viral and bacterial infections of many varieties may be stroke triggers, West Nile virus and other flaviviruses may represent an uncommon but underappreciated trigger of cryptogenic stroke. We review indirect evidence that viral endothelial tropism or a nonspecific peri-infectious inflammatory state may be causative mechanisms.
Chiari I Malformation and Spinal Cord Ischemia in a Cadaver.
Cureus, 2017

With advanced imaging, the Chiari I malformation (CIM) is more frequently diagnosed than in the past when this entity was identified most commonly at autopsy. Herein, we report the rare case of an adult cadaver found not only to have CIM but also adjacent spinal cord ischemia. This case is discussed in the context of chronic compression of the spinal cord by a CIM and the need for close monitoring of these patients.
A comparative evaluation of different neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder sets of criteria.
European journal of neurology, 2020

Three different sets of criteria have been proposed for the diagnosis of neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD). The objective was to compare the specificity, sensitivity and diagnostic accuracy of the three different sets of NMOSD criteria in patients presenting with inflammatory disorders of the central nervous system suggestive of NMOSD.
The relationship between perceived stress and emotional distress during the COVID-19 outbreak: Effects of boredom proneness and coping style.
Journal of anxiety disorders, 2021

The outbreak of a novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic was a great threat to the physical and mental health of the general population. Our research aimed to investigate the relationship between perceived stress and emotional distress during the initial outbreak. Furthermore, potential risks and protective factors, i.e., coping and boredom proneness, of stress-related emotional distress were also explored. Data from 3233 participants in China were collected through an online survey platform during the initial outbreak of the COVID-19 from January 31 to February 9 in 2020. Results showed that higher perceived stress was associated with more emotional distress including depression, fear, compulsion-anxiety, neurasthenia, and hypochondria. Boredom proneness significantly and positively mediated the relationship between perceived stress and emotional distress. Moreover, coping style moderated the stress-emotional distress relationship, i.e., individuals who mainly adopted positive coping strategies suffered fewer symptoms of depression, compulsion-anxiety, and neurasthenia under stress, while negative coping strategies aggravated emotional distress. These results from the present study provide practical value for mental health intervention during the emergent public health events.
The role of delta and theta oscillations during ego-motion in healthy adult volunteers.
Experimental brain research, 2021

The successful cortical processing of multisensory input typically requires the integration of data represented in different reference systems to perform many fundamental tasks, such as bipedal locomotion. Animal studies have provided insights into the integration processes performed by the neocortex and have identified region specific tuning curves for different reference frames during ego-motion. Yet, there remains almost no data on this topic in humans.In this study, an experiment originally performed in animal research with the aim to identify brain regions modulated by the position of the head and eyes relative to a translational ego-motion was adapted for humans. Subjects sitting on a motion platform were accelerated along a translational pathway with either eyes and head aligned or a 20° yaw-plane offset relative to the motion direction while EEG was recorded.Using a distributed source localization approach, it was found that activity in area PFm, a part of Brodmann area 40, was modulated by the congruency of translational motion direction, eye, and head position. In addition, an asymmetry between the hemispheres in the opercular-insular region was observed during the cortical processing of the vestibular input. A frequency specific analysis revealed that low-frequency oscillations in the delta- and theta-band are modulated by vestibular stimulation. Source-localization estimated that the observed low-frequency oscillations are generated by vestibular core-regions, such as the parieto-opercular region and frontal areas like the mid-orbital gyrus and the medial frontal gyrus.
Measuring Nucleotide Binding to Intact, Functional Membrane Proteins in Real Time.
Journal of visualized experiments : JoVE, 2021

We have developed a method to measure binding of adenine nucleotides to intact, functional transmembrane receptors in a cellular or membrane environment. This method combines expression of proteins tagged with the fluorescent non-canonical amino acid ANAP, and FRET between ANAP and fluorescent (trinitrophenyl) nucleotide derivatives. We present examples of nucleotide binding to ANAP-tagged KATP ion channels measured in unroofed plasma membranes and excised, inside-out membrane patches under voltage clamp. The latter allows for simultaneous measurements of ligand binding and channel current, a direct readout of protein function. Data treatment and analysis are discussed extensively, along with potential pitfalls and artefacts. This method provides rich mechanistic insights into the ligand-dependent gating of KATP channels and can readily be adapted to the study of other nucleotide-regulated proteins or any receptor for which a suitable fluorescent ligand can be identified.
Reduced odor detection and hedonic changes in asymptomatic university students as SARS-CoV-2 emerged locally.
medRxiv : the preprint server for health sciences, 2020

Aerosol droplets have emerged as the primary mode of SARS-Cov-2 transmission and can be spread by infectious asymptomatic/pre-symptomatic persons rendering indicators of latent viral infection essential. Olfactory impairment is now a recognized symptom of COVID-19 and is rapidly becoming one of the most reliable indicators of the disease. We compared olfaction data from asymptomatic students, who were assessed as SARS-CoV-2 was unknowingly spreading locally, to students tested prior to the arrival of the virus. This study was naturalistic by design as testing occurred in the context of four research studies, all of which used the same inclusion/exclusion criteria and the same protocol to objectively assess odor detection, identification, and hedonics with physiological tests. Data from students (Cohort II; N=22) with probable SARS-CoV-2 exposure were compared to students tested just prior to local virus transmission (Cohort I; N=25), and a normative sample of students assessed over the previous four years (N=272). Students in Cohort II demonstrated significantly reduced odor detection sensitivity compared to students in Cohort I (t=2.60; P=.01; d=0.77; CI, 0.17, 1.36), with a distribution skewed towards reduced detection sensitivity (D=0.38; P=.005). Categorically, the exposed group was significantly more likely to have hyposmia (OR=7.74; CI, 3.1, 19.40), particularly the subgroup assessed in the final week before campus closure (OR=13.61; CI, 3.40, 35.66;). The exposed cohort also rated odors as less unpleasant (P<.001, CLES=0.77). A limitation of our study is that participants were not tested for COVID-19 as testing was unavailable in the area. Objective measures of olfaction may detect olfactory impairment in asymptomatic persons who are otherwise unaware of smell loss. The development of cost-effective, objective olfaction tests that could be self-administered regularly could aid in early detection of SARS-CoV-2 exposure, which is vital to combatting this pandemic.
Electroencephalogram γ-band activity during the perception of music key levels.
Neuroreport, 2013

An interdisciplinary research field, music perception involves various disciplines, such as psychology, neuroscience, and even physics. Research on music perception offers us a window into the mechanism of the brain. In music perception, the same distance of key shift in different directions tends to be perceived as different degrees of change. It, however, still remains unclear whether directional asymmetry is specific to key shift perception or a general phenomenon of key perception. Using both behavioral and electroencephalogram methods, this study examined Chinese nonmusicians' subjective ratings and electroencephalogram γ-band activity related to a piece of music performed at three different key levels and presented in three separate performances, none of which contained a key shift. This study showed that directional asymmetry is a general phenomenon of key level perception rather than specific to key shift perception. Furthermore, a counterclockwisely modulated key is related to stronger γ-band spectral power than a clockwisely modulated key.