Behavioral, electrophysiological and histopathological consequences of systemic manganese administration in MEMRI

Manganese (Mn2+)-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MEMRI) offers the possibility to generate longitudinal maps of brain activity in unrestrained and behaving animals. However, Mn2+ is a metabolic toxin and a competitive inhibitor for Ca2+, and therefore, a yet unsolved question in MEMRI studies is whether the concentrations of metal ion used may alter brain physiology. In the present work we have investigated the behavioral, electrophysiological and histopathological consequences of MnCl2 administration at concentrations and dosage protocols regularly used in MEMRI. Three groups of animals were sc injected with saline, 0.1 and 0.5 mmol/kg MnCl2, respectively. In vivo electrophysiological recordings in the hippocampal formation revealed a mild but detectable decrease in both excitatory postsynaptic potentials (EPSP) and population spike (PS) amplitude under the highest MnCl2 dose. The EPSP to PS ratio was preserved at control levels, indicating that neuronal excitability was not affected. Experiments of pair pulse facilitation demonstrated a dose dependent increase in the potentiation of the second pulse, suggesting presynaptic Ca2+ competition as the mechanism for the decreased neuronal response. Tetanization of the perforant path induced a long-term potentiation of synaptic transmission that was comparable in all groups, regardless of treatment. Accordingly, the choice accuracy tested on a hippocampal-dependent learning task was not affected. However, the response latency in the same task was largely increased in the group receiving 0.5 mmol/kg of MnCl2. Immunohistological examination of the hippocampus at the end of the experiments revealed no sign of neuronal toxicity or glial reaction. Although we show that MEMRI at 0.1 mmol/Kg MnCl2 may be safely applied to the study of cognitive networks, a detailed assessment of toxicity is strongly recommended for each particular study and Mn2+ administration protocol

Differences in functional brain organization during gesture recognition between autistic and neurotypical individuals

Persons with and without autism process sensory information differently. Differences in sensory processing are directly relevant to social functioning and communicative abilities, which are known to be hampered in persons with autism. We collected functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data from 25 autistic individuals and 25 neurotypical individuals while they performed a silent gesture recognition task. We exploited brain network topology, a holistic quantification of how networks within the brain are organized to provide new insights into how visual communicative signals are processed in autistic and neurotypical individuals. Performing graph theoretical analysis, we calculated two network properties of the action observation network: local efficiency, as a measure of network segregation, and global efficiency, as a measure of network integration. We found that persons with autism and neurotypical persons differ in how the action observation network is organized. Persons with autism utilize a more clustered, local-processing-oriented network configuration (i.e., higher local efficiency), rather than the more integrative network organization seen in neurotypicals (i.e., higher global efficiency). These results shed new light on the complex interplay between social and sensory processing in autism

Translation, cross-cultural adaptation, and validation of a Dutch version of the actions and feelings questionnaire in autistic and neurotypical adult

The actions and feelings questionnaire (AFQ) provides a short, self-report measure of how well someone uses and understands visual communicative signals such as gestures. The objective of this study was to translate and cross-culturally adapt the AFQ into Dutch (AFQ-NL) and validate this new version in neurotypical and autistic populations. Translation and adaptation of the AFQ consisted of forward translation, synthesis, back translation, and expert review. In order to validate the AFQ-NL, we assessed convergent and divergent validity. We additionally assessed internal consistency using Cronbach’s alpha. Validation and reliability outcomes were all satisfactory. The AFQ-NL is a valid adaptation that can be used for both autistic and neurotypical populations in the Netherlands

Differences in the production and perception of communicative kinematics in autism

In human communication, social intentions and meaning are often revealed in the way we move. In this study, we investigate the flexibility of human communication in terms of kinematic modulation in a clinical population, namely, autistic individuals. The aim of this study was twofold: to assess (a) whether communicatively relevant kinematic features of gestures differ between autistic and neurotypical individuals, and (b) if autistic individuals use communicative kinematic modulation to support gesture recognition. We tested autistic and neurotypical individuals on a silent gesture production task and a gesture comprehension task. We measured movement during the gesture production task using a Kinect motion tracking device in order to determine if autistic individuals differed from neurotypical individuals in their gesture kinematics. For the gesture comprehension task, we assessed whether autistic individuals used communicatively relevant kinematic cues to support recognition. This was done by using stick-light figures as stimuli and testing for a correlation between the kinematics of these videos and recognition performance. We found that (a) silent gestures produced by autistic and neurotypical individuals differ in communicatively relevant kinematic features, such as the number of meaningful holds between movements, and (b) while autistic individuals are overall unimpaired at recognizing gestures, they processed repetition and complexity, measured as the amount of submovements perceived, differently than neurotypicals do. These findings highlight how subtle aspects of neurotypical behavior can be experienced differently by autistic individuals. They further demonstrate the relationship between movement kinematics and social interaction in high-functioning autistic individuals

Active wild food practices among culturally diverse groups in the 21st century across latgale, Latvia

Local ecological knowledge (LEK), including but not limited to the use of wild food plants, plays a large role in sustainable natural resource management schemes, primarily due to the synergy between plants and people. There are calls for the study of LEK in culturally diverse areas due to a loss of knowledge, the active practice of utilizing wild plants in various parts of the world, and a decline in biodiversity. An ethnobotanical study in a border region of Latvia, characterised by diverse natural landscapes and people with deep spiritual attachments to nature, provided an opportunity for such insight, as well as the context to analyse wild food plant usages among different sociocultural groups, allowing us to explore the differences among these groups. Semi-structured interviews were carried out as part of a wider ethnobotanical field study to obtain information about wild food plants and their uses. The list of wild food plant uses, derived from 72 interviews, revealed a high level of homogenisation (in regards to knowledge) among the study groups, and that many local uses of wild food plants are still actively practiced. People did not gather plants as a recreational activity but rather as a source of diet diversification. The results provide evidence of the importance of safeguarding ecological and cultural diversity due to high local community dependency on natural resources

When does context shape word meanings?

Words’ meanings vary with context. When do context effects arise? The answer to this is critical for deciding between theories assuming that meanings are accessed from a stable mental lexicon and theories that suggest meanings are constructed ad hoc. On the first view, a word form activates an invariant semantic representation, which is subsequently tailored to fit the context (e.g., Evans, 2009; Machery, 2010). On an alternative view, word forms are cues to construct meaning; the information that gets activated is always co-determined by the word and its context (Elman, 2004; 2009; Lai, Hagoort, & Casasanto, 2011)

The use of Kutikulin for treatment and prevention of gastrointestinal diseases in calves and piglets

The global economy dictates more and more stringent  requirements  for the quality and volumes of products consumed. Veterinary professionals have to look for medicinal products that have a sparing effect on the animal body and, at the same time, are capable of eliminating  disease causes. The paper presents  the results of tests of Kutikulin, a product made at the Vologda Branch of the FSC VIEV, which consists of chicken gizzard cuticle containing a keratoid secretion and a number of biologically active enzymes. It is a non-toxic, water-insoluble, odourless yellow-green powder with a bitterish taste. When Kutikulin was used to treat newborn calves with a mild dyspepsia resulting from various alimentary causes, the disease duration averaged 2.9 days, recovery rates in the groups were approximately the same (96.6–96.9%). Kutikulin treatment of older calves allowed to reduce the duration of treatment by almost a day, to increase recovery rates by 4.8% and to decrease the number of deaths by 1.6 times.When used for preventive purposes in weaned piglets, Kutikulin helped to decrease morbidity in groups 1, 3 and 5 (test groups) by 2.7, 8.9 and 1.8 times, respectively, as compared with control groups. Its preventive effectiveness was found to be the highest in group 3 (test) piglets that received Kutikulin on a group basis with a liquid feed at a dose of 1.0 g once a day during 3 consecutive days. Along with a shorter disease duration, test group animals also demonstrated  less pronounced clinical symptoms. Thus, the use of Kutikulin reduces gastrointestinal disease morbidity and mortality in calves and piglets

Shared neural representations of tactile roughness intensities by somatosensation and touch observation using an associative learning method

Previous human fMRI studies have reported activation of somatosensory areas not only during actual touch, but also during touch observation. However, it has remained unclear how the brain encodes visually evoked tactile intensities. Using an associative learning method, we investigated neural representations of roughness intensities evoked by (a) tactile explorations and (b) visual observation of tactile explorations. Moreover, we explored (c) modality-independent neural representations of roughness intensities using a cross-modal classification method. Case (a) showed significant decoding performance in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and the supramarginal gyrus (SMG), while in the case (b), the bilateral posterior parietal cortices, the inferior occipital gyrus, and the primary motor cortex were identified. Case (c) observed shared neural activity patterns in the bilateral insula, the SMG, and the ACC. Interestingly, the insular cortices were identified only from the cross-modal classification, suggesting their potential role in modality-independent tactile processing. We further examined correlations of confusion patterns between behavioral and neural similarity matrices for each region. Significant correlations were found solely in the SMG, reflecting a close relationship between neural activities of SMG and roughness intensity perception. The present findings may deepen our understanding of the brain mechanisms underlying intensity perception of tactile roughness

Электрон-избыточные металлoфенантроцианины – новый класс тетраазахромофорных комплексов d-элементов

Data of experimental and theoretical study (DFT method) of electron-rich metal phenanthrocyanines – new class of tetraazachromophore complexes of delements Pt2+, Pd2+, Rh3+, Cr3+, Co2+, Ni2+, Zn2+ and Cd2+ was presented. On basis of experimental data on electron absorption spectra (EAS) and quantum chemical calculations of EAS of model anion-radical 1,10-phenanthroline and electron-rich 1,10-phenanthroline complexes suggest of long-wave bands in EAS of metal phenanthrocyanines was made. Some general regularities of new metal phenanthrocyanines formation in C(sp2 )H-C(sp2 )H-coupling reactions of coordinated 1,10-phenanthrolines concerned with metal promotion and elementary electron and proton transfer processes in initialization stage of C(sp2 )H-C(sp2 )H-coupling was analysedредставлены результаты экспериментального и теоретического (методом DFT) исследования электрон-избыточных металлофенантроцианинов – нового класса тетраазахромофорных комплексов d-элементов Pt2+, Pd2+, Rh3+, Cr3+, Co2+, Ni2+, Zn2+ и Cd2+. Сделаны отнесения длинноволновых полос в ЭСП металлофенантроцианинов. Проанализированы некоторые общие закономерности образования новых металлофенантроцианинов в реакциях C(sp2 )H-C(sp2 )H-сочетания координированных 1,10-фенантролинов, связанные с металл-промотированием, а также с элементарными процессами электронного и протонного переноса на стадии инициирования C(sp2 )H-C(sp2 )H-сочетания

МЕДИКАМЕНТОЗНОЕ ЛЕЧЕНИЕ МУКОВИСЦИДОЗА В РОССИИ: АНАЛИЗ ДАННЫХ НАЦИОНАЛЬНОГО РЕГИСТРА (2014)

The aim of this study was to analyze drug therapy of patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) in Russia. Methods. Findings of the Russian National Register of CF patients, 2014, were used in this study. The 2014 Register included data for 2,131 patients (2,092 alive and 39 died) from 74 regions of Russia. The median age was 10.2 (15.2) years, 29.2% of patients were aged 18 years and older. We analyzed administration of bronchodilators, inhaled corticosteroids (ICS), systemic steroids, dornase alfa, hypertonic saline solution, macrolides, systemic and inhaled antibiotics, pancreatic enzymes, ursodeoxycholic acid, and fat-soluble vitamins. Results. Drug administration rates were as follows: bronchodilators, 65.9%; ICS, 21.7%; systemic steroids, 5.5%; macrolides, 32.4%; dornase-alfa, 92.8%; hypertonic saline solution, 45.9%; intravenous antibiotics, 62.3%; oral antibiotics, 73.3%; inhaled antibiotics, 41.3%; pancreatic enzymes, 93.3%; ursodeoxycholic acid, 91.4%; and fat-soluble vitamins, 88.3%. Conclusion. Compared to treatment of CF patients in the Western Europe, there is higher rate of administration of pancreatic enzymes, ursodeoxycholic acid, dornase alfa, hypertonic saline solution and intravenous antibiotics in Russia. Compared to treatment strategy in USA, there is higher rate of administration of pancreatic enzymes and lower rate of administration of bronchodilators, hypertonic saline solution and inhaled antibiotics in Russia. Муковисцидоз (МВ) – тяжелое мультисистемное заболевание, требующее комплексного медикаментозного и немедикаментозного лечения. Особенностям лекарственной терапии разнородных по числу и возрасту групп больных МВ, проживающих в разных регионах России, посвящено ограниченное число работ, однако общий анализ данных большой группы пациентов в рамках единого регистра ранее не проводился. Цель. Выявление особенностей медикаментозной терапии больных МВ в России по данным национального Регистра (2014). Материалы и методы. Использованы сведения о пациентах (n = 2 131; 2 092 живых и 39 умерших) из 74 регионов России, состоящих в национальном Регистре больных муковисцидозом (2014). Медиана возраста пациентов составила 10,2 (15,2) года, доля взрослых (не моложе 18 лет) – 29,2 %. Проанализирована частота назначения лекарственной терапии бронходилататорами, ингаляционными (иГКС) и системными (сГКС) глюкокортикостероидами (ГКС), дорназой альфа, гипертоническим раствором натрия хлорида, макролидами, системными и ингаляционными антибактериальными препаратами (АБП), панкреатическими ферментами, урсодезоксихолевой кислотой (УДХК), жирорастворимыми витаминами. Результаты. Частота применения медикаментозной терапии по России распределена следующим образом: бронходилататоры – 65,9 %; иГКС – 21,7 %; сГКС – 5,5 %; макролиды – 32,4 %; дорназа альфа – 92,8 %; гипертонический раствор натрия хлорида – 45,9 %; внутривенные АБП – 62,3 %; пероральные АБП – 73,3 %; ингаляционные АБП – 41,3 %; панкреатические ферменты – 93,3 %; УДХК – 91,4 %; жирорастворимые витамины – 88,3 %. Отмечено, что взрослым больным наиболее часто назначаются бронхолитические препараты, АБП и ГКС; реже применяются панкреатические ферменты и УДХК. Заключение. Среди особенностей терапии российских больных по сравнению со странами Западной Европы можно выделить высокую долю назначения панкреатических ферментов, УДХК, дорназы альфа, гипертонического раствора и внутривенных АБП. По сравнению с США чаще назначаются панкреатические ферменты, реже – бронходилататоры, гипертонический раствор натрия хлорида и ингаляционные АБП