478 research outputs found
Censoring Distances Based on Labeled Cortical Distance Maps in Cortical Morphometry
Shape differences are manifested in cortical structures due to
neuropsychiatric disorders. Such differences can be measured by labeled
cortical distance mapping (LCDM) which characterizes the morphometry of the
laminar cortical mantle of cortical structures. LCDM data consist of signed
distances of gray matter (GM) voxels with respect to GM/white matter (WM)
surface. Volumes and descriptive measures (such as means and variances) for
each subject and the pooled distances provide the morphometric differences
between diagnostic groups, but they do not reveal all the morphometric
information contained in LCDM distances. To extract more information from LCDM
data, censoring of the distances is introduced. For censoring of LCDM
distances, the range of LCDM distances is partitioned at a fixed increment
size; and at each censoring step, and distances not exceeding the censoring
distance are kept. Censored LCDM distances inherit the advantages of the pooled
distances. Furthermore, the analysis of censored distances provides information
about the location of morphometric differences which cannot be obtained from
the pooled distances. However, at each step, the censored distances aggregate,
which might confound the results. The influence of data aggregation is
investigated with an extensive Monte Carlo simulation analysis and it is
demonstrated that this influence is negligible. As an illustrative example, GM
of ventral medial prefrontal cortices (VMPFCs) of subjects with major
depressive disorder (MDD), subjects at high risk (HR) of MDD, and healthy
control (Ctrl) subjects are used. A significant reduction in laminar thickness
of the VMPFC and perhaps shrinkage in MDD and HR subjects is observed when
compared to Ctrl subjects. The methodology is also applicable to LCDM-based
morphometric measures of other cortical structures affected by disease.Comment: 25 pages, 10 figure
Tryptase potentiates enteric nerve activation by histamine and serotonin: Relevance for the effects of mucosal biopsy supernatants from irritable bowel syndrome patients
Antibacterial, antioxidant and anti-proliferative properties and zinc content of five south Portugal herbs
Context: Crataegus monogyna L. (Rosaceae) (CM), Equisetum telmateia L. (Equisataceae) (ET), Geranium purpureum Vil. (Geraniaceae) (GP), Mentha suaveolens Ehrh. (Lamiaceae) (MS), and Lavandula stoechas L. spp. luisieri (Lamiaceae) (LS) are all medicinal. Objective: To evaluate the antioxidant, antiproliferative and antimicrobial activities of plant extracts and quantify individual phenolics and zinc. Material and methods: Aerial part extracts were prepared with water (W), ethanol (E) and an 80% mixture (80EW). Antioxidant activity was measured with TAA, FRAP and RP methods. Phenolics were quantified with a HPLC. Zinc was quantified using voltammetry. Antibacterial activity (after 48 h) was tested using Enterococcus faecalis, Bacillus cereus, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Listeria monocytogenes. Antiproliferative activity (after 24 h) was tested using HEP G2 cells and fibroblasts. Results: Solvents influenced results; the best were E and 80EW. GP had the highest antioxidant activity (TAA and FRAP of 536.90mg AAE/g dw and 783.48mg TE/g dw, respectively). CM had the highest zinc concentration (37.21 mg/kg) and phenolic variety, with neochlorogenic acid as the most abundant (92.91 mg/100 g dw). LS was rich in rosmarinic acid (301.71 mg/100 g dw). GP and LS inhibited the most microorganisms: B. cereus, E. coli and S. aureus. GP also inhibited E. faecalis. CM had the lowest MIC: 5830 mu g/mL. The antibacterial activity is explained by the phenolics present. LS and CM showed the most significant anti-proliferative activity, which is explained by their zinc content. Conclusion: The most promising plants for further studies are CM, LS and GP.FCT, Fundacao para a Ciencia e a Tecnologia of Portugal [SFRH/BSA/139/2014
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