rudyvdbrink/CitationDatabase huggingface dataset:
Cancer cachexia in a mouse model of oxidative stress.
Journal of cachexia, sarcopenia and muscle, 2020

Cancer is associated with muscle atrophy (cancer cachexia) that is linked to up to 40% of cancer-related deaths. Oxidative stress is a critical player in the induction and progression of age-related loss of muscle mass and weakness (sarcopenia); however, the role of oxidative stress in cancer cachexia has not been defined. The purpose of this study was to examine if elevated oxidative stress exacerbates cancer cachexia.
Ultrasound imaging in paediatric rheumatology.
Best practice & research. Clinical rheumatology, 2020

The role of ultrasound imaging in the diagnosis and monitoring of paediatric rheumatic diseases with special emphasis on recent scientific work regarding the evidence base and standardization of this technique is being reviewed. An overview of the most important practical aspects for the use of musculoskeletal ultrasound in a clinical setting is also provided. Huge scientific efforts and advances in recent years illustrate the increasing importance of musculoskeletal ultrasound in pediatric rheumatology. Several studies focused on setting an evidence-based standard for the ultrasound appearance of healthy and normal joints in children of all age groups. Physiologic vascularization and ossification were two main aspects of these studies. Other publications demonstrate that ultrasound imaging is also an important and useful tool to detect pathology as synovitis, tenosynovitis or enthesitis in children and to monitor pediatric patients with rheumatic conditions. Important practical aspects include training in the use of correct ultrasound techniques, as well as knowledge and experience of normal pediatric sonoanatomy and the appearance of pathological findings on ultrasound.
[Advance of gene-modified non-human primate models].
Sheng wu gong cheng xue bao = Chinese journal of biotechnology, 2017

Non-human primates would be particularly valuable in life sciences and biomedical research area. Gene-modified monkeys with gene overexpression or loss of function have been successfully generated with the rapid advance in gene manipulation technology such as lentivirus infection and programmable nucleases (ZFN, TALEN, CRISPR-Cas9). Here we review the recent development on gene-modified monkey generation by lentivirus and programmable nucleases. Then we discuss three concerns, the long time for sexual maturation, the off target and the mosaicism of founders, which limit the wide application of gene-modified non-human-primates. At last, hotspots and future trend for gene-modified non-human-primates generation are proposed.
Stream of consciousness: Quantum and biochemical assumptions regarding psychopathology.
Medical hypotheses, 2017

The accepted paradigms of mainstream neuropsychiatry appear to be incompletely adequate and in various cases offer equivocal analyses. However, a growing number of new approaches are being proposed that suggest the emergence of paradigm shifts in this area. In particular, quantum theories of mind, brain and consciousness seem to offer a profound change to the current approaches. Unfortunately these quantum paradigms harbor at least two serious problems. First, they are simply models, theories, and assumptions, with no convincing experiments supporting their claims. Second, they deviate from contemporary mainstream views of psychiatric illness and do so in revolutionary ways. We suggest a possible way to integrate experimental neuroscience with quantum models in order to address outstanding issues in psychopathology. A key role is played by the phenomenon called the "stream of consciousness", which can be linked to the so-called "Gamma Synchrony" (GS), which is clearly demonstrated by EEG data. In our novel proposal, a unipolar depressed patient could be seen as a subject with an altered stream of consciousness. In particular, some clues suggest that depression is linked to an "increased power" stream of consciousness. It is additionally suggested that such an approach to depression might be extended to psychopathology in general with potential benefits to diagnostics and therapeutics in neuropsychiatry.
Experimentally revealed stochastic preferences for multicomponent choice options.
Journal of experimental psychology. Animal learning and cognition, 2020

Realistic, everyday rewards contain multiple components. An apple has taste and size. However, we choose in single dimensions, simply preferring some apples to others. How can such single-dimensional preference relationships refer to multicomponent choice options? Here, we measured how stochastic choices revealed preferences for 2-component milkshakes. The preferences were intuitively graphed as indifference curves that represented the orderly integration of the 2 components as trade-off: parts of 1 component were given up for obtaining 1 additional unit of the other component without a change in preference. The well-ordered, nonoverlapping curves satisfied leave-one-out tests, followed predictions by machine learning decoders and correlated with single-dimensional Becker-DeGroot-Marschak (BDM) auction-like bids for the 2-component rewards. This accuracy suggests a decision process that integrates multiple reward components into single-dimensional estimates in a systematic fashion. In interspecies comparisons, human performance matched that of highly experienced laboratory monkeys, as measured by accuracy of the critical trade-off between bundle components. These data describe the nature of choices of multicomponent choice options and attest to the validity of the rigorous economic concepts and their convenient graphic schemes for explaining choices of human and nonhuman primates. The results encourage formal behavioral and neural investigations of normal, irrational, and pathological economic choices. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).
Bolus infusion scheme for the adjustment of steady state [
NeuroImage, 2020

The use of hybrid PET/MR imaging facilitates the simultaneous investigation of challenge-related changes in ligand binding to neuroreceptors using PET, while concurrently measuring neuroactivation or blood flow with MRI. Having attained a steady state of the PET radiotracer using a bolus-infusion protocol, it is possible to observe alterations in ligand neuroreceptor binding through changes in distribution volumes. Here, we present an iterative procedure for establishing an administration scheme to obtain steady state [
The development of brain functional connectome during text reading.
Developmental cognitive neuroscience, 2021

Reading is an important skill for human beings to obtain information, whose acquisition is a major learning task for children. Especially, compared with single word reading, text reading requires an integration of multiple cognitive processes, which makes its underlying neural developmental mechanism not only extremely complicated but also remained poorly understood. Employing the graph theory analysis method, the present study explored the development of brain in the context of story reading from the perspective of connectomics. Forty-two primary school students and thirty-two adults read the stories in the functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) experiment. We found that compared with children, adults had increased connectivity strength, nodal degree, and modular interactions for vision-related and semantics-related brain regions while decreased connectivity strength, nodal degree, and modular interactions for phonology-related brain regions. Brain-behavior association analysis suggested that the transmission to vision-related brain circuits would enhance the reading performance in adults, whereas phonology-related brain circuits played important roles in children's reading before they develop into fluent readers. Collectivity, we highlight a shift from reliance on phonology-related networks to semantics-related and vision-related networks with age for text reading, which provides insights into the underlying neural signature of developmental cognitive mechanisms.
Frequency of attacks in patients with psychogenic non-epileptic seizures.
Epileptic disorders : international epilepsy journal with videotape, 2019

The aim of this study was to investigate the frequency of attacks (psychogenic seizures) in patients with psychogenic non-epileptic seizures (PNES) and to characterize factors potentially associated with attack frequency. In this retrospective study, all patients with PNES, who were studied at Shiraz Comprehensive Epilepsy Center at Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Iran, from 2008 until 2018, were reviewed. We categorized the attack frequency in the patients as (1) daily; (2) weekly; and (3) frequency of less than one per week. Three hundred and ten patients were studied. Attack frequency in patients was 34 ± 67 per month. One hundred and eleven patients (36%) had daily attacks, 93 (30%) had weekly attacks, and 106 (34%) had less than weekly attacks. Sixty-five patients (21%) reported having more than one attack per day. Demographic variables, attack-related variables, PNES associated factors, and use of AEDs were not significantly associated with attack frequency in the patients. We observed that two thirds of the patients with PNES had frequent daily or weekly attacks. The findings of our study could be helpful in designing future clinical trials. First, attack frequency is an unbiased outcome measure in the design of such studies. Second, it is easily measurable using attack calendars; we suggest that attack frequency be assessed daily using daily attack calendars. Finally, it is very easy to recruit patients with PNES for clinical trials (with regards to their attack frequency) since many of them have frequent attacks.
Recurrence rate after loop electrosurgical excision procedure (LEEP) and laser Conization: A 5-year follow-up study.
Gynecologic oncology, 2020

Conization aims to remove pre-neoplastic lesions of the uterine cervix. Several techniques for conization have been compared, but evidence regarding the most effective therapeutic option is scant. Here, we aimed to compare the recurrence rate following laser conization and loop electrosurgical excision procedure (LEEP) in patients with high-grade cervical dysplasia (HSIL/CIN2+).
Identification of rare variants in CADM1 in patients with anorexia nervosa.
Psychiatry research, 2020

As a polygenic psychiatric disorder, the genetics of anorexia nervosa (AN) remains largely unexplored. Recently a large GWAS meta-analysis identified a significant SNP (rs6589488) as associated with AN. We suggested that rs6589488 might have gotten its association as being in linkage disequilibrium with unknown variants or functional intronic variants. In a selective cohort containing 51 patients diagnosed with restrictive subtype AN, we screened the whole coding region of the CADM1gene by Sanger sequencing and further investigated if these variants are associated with specific outcome. Only 13 single nucleotide polymorphisms, including 2 missense variants, 2 synonymous variants, 2 variants located at 5'-UTR and 7 intronic variants, including rs6589488, were identified in our AN cohort. The 2 missense variants, p.Val5Leu and p.Asp285Glu were not predicted to be deleterious. In conclusion, the intronic initial variant appears to be not associated with causative coding variant in the vicinity. If CADM1 is not the AN predisposition factor, the causative variant probably lies within 1 Mb of CADM1. Interestingly, among the 7 closest genes to CADM1, the nicotinamide N-methyltransferase (NNMT) gene is known to be associated with obesity. We suggest that the intronic variant in CADM1 could be in linkage disequilibrium with other causative variants located in NNMT.
Usefulness of echocardiography to detect cardiac involvement in COVID-19 patients.
Echocardiography (Mount Kisco, N.Y.), 2020

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak is a current global healthcare burden, leading to the life-threatening severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). However, evidence showed that, even if the prevalence of COVID-19 damage consists in pulmonary lesions and symptoms, it could also affect other organs, such as heart, liver, and spleen. Particularly, some infected patients refer to the emergency department for cardiovascular symptoms, and around 10% of COVID-19 victims had finally developed heart injury. Therefore, the use of echocardiography, according to the safety local protocols and ensuring the use of personal protective equipment, could be useful firstly to discriminate between primary cardiac disease or COVID-19-related myocardial damage, and then for assessing and monitoring COVID-19 cardiovascular complications: acute myocarditis and arrhythmias, acute heart failure, sepsis-induced myocardial impairment, and right ventricular failure derived from treatment with high-pressure mechanical ventilation. The present review aims to enlighten the applications of transthoracic echocardiography for the diagnostic and therapeutic management of myocardial damage in COVID-19 patients.
3-D reconstruction of neurons from multichannel confocal laser scanning image series.
Current protocols in neuroscience, 2014

A confocal laser scanning microscope (CLSM) collects information from a thin, focal plane and ignores out-of-focus information. Scanning of a specimen, with stepwise axial (Z-) movement of the stage in between each scan, produces Z-series of confocal images of a tissue volume, which then can be used to 3-D reconstruct structures of interest. The operator first configures separate channels (e.g., laser, filters, and detector settings) for each applied fluorochrome and then acquires Z-series of confocal images: one series per channel. Channel signal separation is extremely important. Measures to avoid bleaching are vital. Post-acquisition deconvolution of the image series is often performed to increase resolution before 3-D reconstruction takes place. In the 3-D reconstruction programs described in this unit, reconstructions can be inspected in real time from any viewing angle. By altering viewing angles and by switching channels off and on, the spatial relationships of 3-D-reconstructed structures with respect to structures visualized in other channels can be studied. Since each brand of CLSM, computer program, and 3-D reconstruction package has its own proprietary set of procedures, a general approach is provided in this protocol wherever possible.
Role of Oligodendrocytes and Myelin in the Pathophysiology of Autism Spectrum Disorder.
Brain sciences, 2020

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is an early neurodevelopmental disorder that involves deficits in interpersonal communication, social interaction, and repetitive behaviors. Although ASD pathophysiology is still uncertain, alterations in the abnormal development of the frontal lobe, limbic areas, and putamen generate an imbalance between inhibition and excitation of neuronal activity. Interestingly, recent findings suggest that a disruption in neuronal connectivity is associated with neural alterations in white matter production and myelination in diverse brain regions of patients with ASD. This review is aimed to summarize the most recent evidence that supports the notion that abnormalities in the oligodendrocyte generation and axonal myelination in specific brain regions are involved in the pathophysiology of ASD. Fundamental molecular mediators of these pathological processes are also examined. Determining the role of alterations in oligodendrogenesis and myelination is a fundamental step to understand the pathophysiology of ASD and identify possible therapeutic targets.
Dopaminergic activity and behaviour in SOCS2 transgenic mice: Revealing a potential drug target for schizophrenia.
Progress in neuro-psychopharmacology & biological psychiatry, 2015

Alterations in immune function have been implicated in the aetiopathogenesis of schizophrenia. Specifically, the induction of inflammatory cytokines, which are important immunological factors in infection or inflammation, may be critical factors altering the normal course of brain development and increasing schizophrenia risk. Suppressor of cytokine signalling 2 (SOCS2) can negatively regulate the signalling of cytokines. The present study aimed to determine the behavioural phenotype of transgenic mice over-expressing SOCS2 (SOCS2 Tg) in paradigms of relevance to schizophrenia. Both male and female SOCS2 Tg mice displayed reduced locomotor hyperactivity after the administration of the dopamine releaser, amphetamine, compared to wildtype controls (WT). However, only male SOCS2 Tg mice showed enhanced prepulse inhibition compared to WT. Dopamine D2 receptors mRNA expression was reduced and dopamine transporter mRNA expression was increased in the nucleus accumbens of female, but not male, SOCS2 Tg mice, compared to WT. The role of hyperdopaminergia has long been implicated in the aetiology of schizophrenia. This study shows that over-expression of SOCS2 reduces the psychostimulant effects of amphetamine, enhances PPI, and alters mesolimbic dopaminergic activity. SOCS2 may provide a novel target in the development of treatments for schizophrenia.
Progression of motor deficits in glioma-bearing mice: impact of CNF1 therapy at symptomatic stages.
Oncotarget, 2017

Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most aggressive type of brain tumor. In this context, animal models represent excellent tools for the early detection and longitudinal mapping of neuronal dysfunction, that are critical in the preclinical validation of new therapeutic strategies. In a mouse glioma model, we developed sensitive behavioral readouts that allow early recognizing and following neurological symptoms. We injected GL261 cells into the primary motor cortex of syngenic mice and we used a battery of behavioral tests to longitudinally monitor the dysfunction induced by tumor growth. Grip strength test revealed an early onset of functional deficit associated to the glioma growth, with a significant forelimb weakness appearing 9 days after tumor inoculation. A later deficit was observed in the rotarod and in the grid walk tasks. Using this model, we found reduced tumor growth and maintenance of behavioral functions following treatment with Cytotoxic Necrotizing Factor 1 (CNF1) at a symptomatic stage. Our data provide a detailed and precise examination of how tumor growth reverberates on the behavioral functions of glioma-bearing mice, providing normative data for the study of therapeutic strategies for glioma treatment. The reduced tumor volume and robust functional sparing observed in CNF1-treated, glioma-bearing mice strengthen the notion that CNF1 delivery is a promising strategy for glioma therapy.
Cognitive reserve protects language functions in patients with brain tumours.
Neuropsychologia, 2021

Cognitive reserve (CR) theory suggests that individual differences in general intelligence (IQ), occupational attainment or participation in leisure/recreational activities protect against cognitive decline. However the relationship between CR and cognitive functioning in patients with brain tumours has been very rarely investigated in past research. The present study systematically assesses whether CR concept can also be applied to cognitive functions of neurosurgical patients affected by brain tumours. We investigated the role of different CR proxies (education level, premorbid IQ, current IQ, working and leisure activity) in protecting language against brain tumours and surgery effects, considering interactions with demographic (sex/age), anatomical (hemisphere/lobe location of lesion) and clinical/biological variables (tumour type: High/Low Grade Glioma or Meningioma; lesion volume; lesion aggressiveness). One-hundred patients undergoing neuropsychological assessment before and immediately after surgery participated. A "Language Score" summarizing performance on all language tests was derived with Principal Component Analysis. Data were then analyzed with Multiple Regression and Classification and Regression Tree analyses to investigate possible relationships between predictors (CR proxies and clinical variables) and Language Score. We found that premorbid IQ was the best predictor of pre-operatory language integrity, above and beyond all clinical variables considered, also moderating lesion volume effects. Moreover, patients with lower pre-operatory language integrity and low-to-moderately aggressive tumours showed a mitigating effect of current IQ over surgery consequences. Results thus suggest that different CR proxies play a role in moderating cognitive decline following brain tumours and surgery.
An optimized recording method to characterize biophysical and pharmacological properties of acid-sensing ion channel.
Neuroscience bulletin, 2008

To re-confirm and characterize the biophysical and pharmacological properties of endogenously expressed human acid-sensing ion channel 1a (hASIC1a) current in HEK293 cells with a modified perfusion methods.
Nicotine chronic tolerance development and withdrawal in the planaria (Schmidtea mediterranea).
Pharmacology, biochemistry, and behavior, 2021

Chronic nicotine exposure reduces sensitivity to the effects of nicotine, which then results in behavioural changes and tolerance development. In the planaria, a valuable first-stage preclinical model for addictive behaviour, acute nicotine administration has been shown to steadily alter the motility of the animals, a result that has been interpreted as evidence of tolerance and withdrawal effects; however, chronic exposure - typically regarded as a condition for the development of tolerance - and the role of the contextual cues have not been systematically assessed. The present study assessed the acute and chronic effects of nicotine on the motility of planarians (Schmidtea mediterranea). The animals in the experimental groups received long chronic exposure to nicotine (ten daily 30 min exposures); a control group was exposed to water in the same context but in the absence of the drug. The motility of the animals was closely monitored on every exposure. Following this phase, all the animals were subject to three different tests: in the presence of the exposure context (without the drug, Test 1); in the presence of nicotine in the exposure context (Test 2); and in the presence of the drug in a novel context (Test 3). Exposure to nicotine consistently reduced motility; the motility in the presence of nicotine increased with repeated exposures to the drug, an instance of tolerance development. Tolerance development was dependent on nicotinic receptor activation, because it was blocked by the co-administration of mecamylamine. However, this tolerance was found to be independent of the contextual cues where the effects of the drug had been experienced. The results are discussed by reference to the existent theories of tolerance development to drugs.
Risk factors for symptomatic HIV-associated neurocognitive disorder in adults aged 50 and over attending a HIV clinic in Tanzania.
International journal of geriatric psychiatry, 2020

HIV-associated neurocognitive disorder (HAND), although prevalent, remains a poorly researched cause of morbidity particularly in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). We aimed to explore the risk factors for HAND in people aged 50 and over under regular follow-up at a government HIV clinic in Tanzania.