Algorithm and software to automatically identify latency and amplitude features of local field potentials recorded in electrophysiological investigation

A function that is called by main_script.m to compute the onset and the maximum latencies and amplitudes from the signal time-derivative. Also the functions that guarantee the correct running of main_script.m. To test the algorithm, invoking only main_script.m is necessary (all the other functions must be contained in the same folder). (M 1 kb

Effects of Line Separation and Exploration on the Visual and Haptic Detection of Symmetry and Repetition

Abstract. Detection of regularities (e.g., symmetry, repetition) can be used to investigate object and shape perception. Symmetry and nearby lines may both signal that one object is present, so moving lines apart may disrupt symmetry detection, while repetition may signal that multiple objects are present. Participants discriminated symmetrical/irregular and repeated/irregular pairs of lines. For vision, as predicted, increased line separation disrupted symmetry detection more than repetition detection. For haptics, symmetry and repetition detection were similarly disrupted by increased line separation; also, symmetry was easier to detect than repetition for one-handed exploration and for body midline-aligned stimuli, whereas symmetry was harder to detect than repetition with two-handed exploration of stimuli oriented across the body. These effects of exploration and stimulus orientation show the influence of modality-specific processing rather than properties of the external world on regularity detection. These processes may, in turn, provide insights into the nature of objectness in vision and in touch

Simultaneous Two-Photon Voltage or Calcium Imaging and Multi-Channel Local Field Potential Recordings in Barrel Cortex of Awake and Anesthetized Mice

Neuronal population activity, both spontaneous and sensory-evoked, generates propagating waves in cortex. However, high spatiotemporal-resolution mapping of these waves is difficult as calcium imaging, the work horse of current imaging, does not reveal subthreshold activity. Here, we present a platform combining voltage or calcium two-photon imaging with multi-channel local field potential (LFP) recordings in different layers of the barrel cortex from anesthetized and awake head-restrained mice. A chronic cranial window with access port allows injecting a viral vector expressing GCaMP6f or the voltage-sensitive dye (VSD) ANNINE-6plus, as well as entering the brain with a multi-channel neural probe. We present both average spontaneous activity and average evoked signals in response to multi-whisker air-puff stimulations. Time domain analysis shows the dependence of the evoked responses on the cortical layer and on the state of the animal, here separated into anesthetized, awake but resting, and running. The simultaneous data acquisition allows to compare the average membrane depolarization measured with ANNINE-6plus with the amplitude and shape of the LFP recordings. The calcium imaging data connects these data sets to the large existing database of this important second messenger. Interestingly, in the calcium imaging data, we found a few cells which showed a decrease in calcium concentration in response to vibrissa stimulation in awake mice. This system offers a multimodal technique to study the spatiotemporal dynamics of neuronal signals through a 3D architecture in vivo. It will provide novel insights on sensory coding, closing the gap between electrical and optical recordings

Pheochromocytomas and paragangliomas in children: Data from the Italian Cooperative Study (TREP)

Pheochromocytomas (PCs) are neuroendocrine tumors arising from the chromaffin cells of the adrenal gland, and paragangliomas (PGLs) are their extra-adrenal counterparts arising from ganglia along the sympathetic/parasympathetic chain. Surgery is the cornerstone of treatment. A sporatic or inherited germline mutation is commonly associated

The Bryozoa collection of the Italian National Antarctic Museum, with an updated checklist from Terra Nova Bay, Ross Sea

This study provides taxonomic and distributional data of bryozoan species from the Ross Sea area, mainly around Terra Nova Bay, based on specimens curated at the Italian National Antarctic Museum (MNA, Section of Genoa). Bryozoan specimens were collected at 75 different sampling stations in the Ross Sea and in the Magellan Strait, in a bathymetric range of 18–711 meters, during 13 expeditions of the Italian National Antarctic Research Program (PNRA) conducted between 1988 and 2014. A total of 282 MNA vouchers corresponding to 311 specimens and 127 morphospecies have been identified and included in the present dataset. 62% of the species were already reported for the Terra Nova Bay area, where most of the Italian samples come from, with a 35% of samples representing new records classified at the specific level, and 3% classified at the genus level. These new additions increase to 124 the total number of species known to occur in Terra Nova Bay. Four 3D-models of Antarctic bryozoans from the Ross Sea are also presented and will be released for research and educational purposes on the Museum website

Early impairment in left ventricular longitudinal systolic function is associated with an increased risk of incident atrial fibrillation in patients with type 2 diabetes

It is known that type 2 diabetic patients are at high risk of atrial fibrillation (AF). However, the early echocardiographic determinants of AF vulnerability in this patient population remain poorly known

Serum Albumin Is Inversely Associated With Portal Vein Thrombosis in Cirrhosis

We analyzed whether serum albumin is independently associated with portal vein thrombosis (PVT) in liver cirrhosis (LC) and if a biologic plausibility exists. This study was divided into three parts. In part 1 (retrospective analysis), 753 consecutive patients with LC with ultrasound-detected PVT were retrospectively analyzed. In part 2, 112 patients with LC and 56 matched controls were entered in the cross-sectional study. In part 3, 5 patients with cirrhosis were entered in the in vivo study and 4 healthy subjects (HSs) were entered in the in vitro study to explore if albumin may affect platelet activation by modulating oxidative stress. In the 753 patients with LC, the prevalence of PVT was 16.7%; logistic analysis showed that only age (odds ratio [OR], 1.024; P = 0.012) and serum albumin (OR, -0.422; P = 0.0001) significantly predicted patients with PVT. Analyzing the 112 patients with LC and controls, soluble clusters of differentiation (CD)40-ligand (P = 0.0238), soluble Nox2-derived peptide (sNox2-dp; P < 0.0001), and urinary excretion of isoprostanes (P = 0.0078) were higher in patients with LC. In LC, albumin was correlated with sCD4OL (Spearman's rank correlation coefficient [r(s)], -0.33; P < 0.001), sNox2-dp (r(s), -0.57; P < 0.0001), and urinary excretion of isoprostanes (r(s), -0.48; P < 0.0001) levels. The in vivo study showed a progressive decrease in platelet aggregation, sNox2-dp, and urinary 8-iso prostaglandin F2 alpha-III formation 2 hours and 3 days after albumin infusion. Finally, platelet aggregation, sNox2-dp, and isoprostane formation significantly decreased in platelets from HSs incubated with scalar concentrations of albumin. Conclusion: Low serum albumin in LC is associated with PVT, suggesting that albumin could be a modulator of the hemostatic system through interference with mechanisms regulating platelet activation

Records of Chrysomya albiceps in Northern Italy: an ecological and forensic perspective

Knowledge of the carrion-breeding insects present at a local level is important and necessary for defining the post-mortem interval. Climate changes and globalisation are affecting species ranges and population dynamics. In this note, we report the incidence of Chrysomya albiceps (Diptera: Calliphoridae) on dead human bodies and carrion in Northern Italy. These data confirm the spread of this species in the Northern regions. The partial sequencing of a 583-bp region of the cytochrome oxidase subunit 1 gene of an Adriatic population did not reveal any difference compared to the same genomic region in the African and South American populations of this specie