Four-Day-Old Human Neonates Look Longer at Non-Biological Motions of a Single Point-of-Light

BACKGROUND: Biological motions, that is, the movements of humans and other vertebrates, are characterized by dynamic regularities that reflect the structure and the control schemes of the musculo-skeletal system. Early studies on the development of the visual perception of biological motion showed that infants after three months of age distinguished between biological and non-biological locomotion. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Using single point-light motions that varied with respect to the “two-third-power law” of motion generation and perception, we observed that four-day-old human neonates looked longer at non-biological motions than at biological motions when these were simultaneously presented in a standard preferential looking paradigm. CONCLUSION/SIGNIFICANCE: This result can be interpreted within the “violation of expectation” framework and can indicate that neonates' motion perception — like adults'—is attuned to biological kinematics

Arthrodesis of the subtalar and talonavicular joints through a medial surgical approach: a series of 15 cases

INTRODUCTION: We report a series of 15 double-hindfoot (subtalar and talonavicular joint) arthrodeses through a single medial approach on 14 patients. Mean age at surgery was 59.3 years. The chosen surgical technique was always identical using a medial approach and performed by a single surgeon. The average follow-up was 20.6 months. METHOD: The mean Kitaoka score increased from 44 to 75, axis of the hindfoot decreased from 21 degrees to 11 degrees in valgus, arch foot angle decreased from 142 degrees to 134.4 degrees . Two failures have led to a secondary complementary arthrodesis of the talocrural joint. RESULTS: Throughout our study, subtalar and talonavicular arthrodesis in the treatment of painful valgus deformities of the hindfoot reveals to be a valuable and safe alternative. The chosen fixation method combined with a good articular surface avivement through medial approach guarantee a long-term fusion. Moreover, resort to a medial approach significantly reduces wound complications. CONCLUSION: This medial approach procedure permits the fusion without developing non-union and provides a significant correction of the fixed deformities

Probability of occurrence of the observed number of DNVs in genes recurrently hit by non-synonymous de novo SNVs.

<p>Probability of occurrence of the observed number of DNVs in genes recurrently hit by non-synonymous de novo SNVs.</p

List of the 49 validated <i>de novo</i> variants.

<p>List of the 49 validated <i>de novo</i> variants.</p

Common variant at 16p11.2 conferring risk of psychosis

Epidemiological and genetic data support the notion that schizophrenia and bipolar disorder share genetic risk factors. In our previous genome-wide association study, meta-analysis and follow-up (totaling as many as 18 206 cases and 42 536 controls), we identified four loci showing genome-wide significant association with schizophrenia. Here we consider a mixed schizophrenia and bipolar disorder (psychosis) phenotype (addition of 7469 bipolar disorder cases, 1535 schizophrenia cases, 333 other psychosis cases, 808 unaffected family members and 46 160 controls). Combined analysis reveals a novel variant at 16p11.2 showing genome-wide significant association (rs4583255T; odds ratio=1.08; P=6.6 × 10 -11). The new variant is located within a 593-kb region that substantially increases risk of psychosis when duplicated. In line with the association of the duplication with reduced body mass index (BMI), rs4583255T is also associated with lower BMI (P=0.0039 in the public GIANT consortium data set; P=0.00047 in 22 651 additional Icelanders). © 2014 Macmillan Publishers Limited