Reflexive and preparatory selection and suppression of salient information in the right and left posterior parietal cortex

Attentional cues can trigger activity in the parietal cortex in anticipation of visual displays, and this activity may, in turn, induce changes in other areas of the visual cortex, hence, implementing attentional selection. In a recent TMS study [Mevorach, C., Humphreys, G. W., & Shalev, L. Opposite biases in salience-based selection for the left and right posterior parietal cortex. Nature Neuroscience, 9, 740-742, 2006b], it was shown that the posterior parietal cortex (PPC) can utilize the relative saliency (a nonspatial property) of a target and a distractor to bias visual selection. Furthermore, selection was lateralized so that the right PPC is engaged when salient information must be selected and the left PPC when the salient information must be ignored. However, it is not clear how the PPC implements these complementary forms of selection. Here we used on-line triple-pulse TMS over the right or left PPC prior to or after the onset of global/local displays. When delivered after the onset of the display, TMS to the right PPC disrupted the selection of the more salient aspect of the hierarchical letter. In contrast, left PPC TMS delivered prior to the onset of the stimulus disrupted responses to the lower saliency stimulus. These findings suggest that selection and suppression of saliency, rather than being "two sides of the same coin," are fundamentally different processes. Selection of saliency seems to operate reflexively, whereas suppression of saliency relies on a preparatory phase that "sets up" the system in order to effectively ignore saliency

Age-related differences in selection by visual saliency

We examined the ability of older adults to select local and global stimuli varying in perceptual saliency – a task requiring non-spatial visual selection. Participants were asked to identify in separate blocks a target at either the global or local level of a hierarchical stimulus, while the saliency of each level was varied (across different conditions either the local or the global form was the more salient and relatively easier to identify). Older adults were less efficient than young adults in ignoring distractors that were higher in saliency than targets, and this occurred across both the global and local levels of form. The increased effects of distractor saliency on older adults occurred even when the effects were scaled by overall differences in task performance. The data provide evidence for an age-related decline in non spatial attentional selection of low-salient hierarchical stimuli, not determined by the (global or local) level at which selection was required. We discuss the implications of these results for understanding both the interaction between saliency and hierarchical processing and the effects of aging on non-spatial visual attention

A Noninvasive Test for Vesico-Ureteric Reflux in Children

Objective To report the development and testing of a device for the noninvasive diagnosis of vesico‐ureteric reflux (VUR) which avoids the need for urethral catheterization (currently required to reliably determine the presence of VUR), and which thus avoids the anxiety of parents and patients that causes many families to refuse such evaluation. Patients and methods Fifty‐four children (49 girls and five boys, mean age 7.2 years, range 4–14) previously evaluated as having VUR volunteered to participate; no child was symptomatic at the time of the study. Refluxing units were known to be present by voiding cysto‐urethrography (within 1 year, mean 7 months) in 45 and absent in 16. The device developed acquires electronically processed acoustic signals from the child during an observed urination. The signals are then analysed ‘off‐line’ to determine the presence or absence of VUR. The initial preparation for the test included: (i) a full bladder [at least 0.80 × {(2+age) ×30 mL}] measured by ultrasonography; and (ii) localization of the pelvi‐ureteric junction by ultrasonography to accurately place the device\u27s sensors on the child\u27s back. The children were then positioned at a commode after placing the sensors; the recording was started and continued until voiding occurred. The children were tested with the recording and analysis team unaware of the presence and/or degree of VUR. The first 47 studies were single‐kidney examinations and the remaining seven included simultaneous monitoring of both kidneys. Results Sixty‐one renal units were assessed and interpretable signals were obtained from 54 (89%). There were seven episodes of ‘system failure’ when no interpretable data were obtained. One unit with no VUR had a ‘reflux’ signal; in four kidneys, spontaneous (two) and postsurgical (two) resolution of reflux was predicted by the testing and subsequently verified by cyclic radionuclide cystography. Conclusions This noninvasive diagnostic technique detected VUR in 35 of 37 refluxing units and verified no reflux in 16 of 17 units without VUR. Further refinements may allow this technology to be used in all children with suspected VUR

Aggressive Inflammatory Myofibroblastic Tumor of the Urinary Bladder in Children

Inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor (IMT) of the genitourinary tract is a well-known entity. The majority of the literature characterizes IMT of the bladder as a benign, slowgrowing tumor in children. We present two cases of aggressive IMT. Although rhabdomyosarcoma ismore common, IMT should remain within the differential diagnosis for any bladder mass found in achild or young adult. The diagnosis of IMT is important in preventing unnecessarydiagnosticprocedures and guiding the appropriate treatment

Dissociation between Mature Phenotype and Impaired Transmigration in Dendritic Cells from Heparanase-Deficient Mice

To reach the lymphatics, migrating dendritic cells (DCs) need to interact with the extracellular matrix (ECM). Heparanase, a mammalian endo-β-D-glucuronidase, specifically degrades heparan sulfate proteoglycans ubiquitously associated with the cell surface and ECM. The role of heparanase in the physiology of bone marrow-derived DCs was studied in mutant heparanase knock-out (Hpse-KO) mice. Immature DCs from Hpse-KO mice exhibited a more mature phenotype; however their transmigration was significantly delayed, but not completely abolished, most probably due to the observed upregulation of MMP-14 and CCR7. Despite their mature phenotype, uptake of beads was comparable and uptake of apoptotic cells was more efficient in DCs from Hpse-KO mice. Heparanase is an important enzyme for DC transmigration. Together with CCR7 and its ligands, and probably MMP-14, heparanase controls DC trafficking

Cetaceans in the Mediterranean Sea. Encounter rate, dominant species, and diversity hotspots

We investigated the presence and diversity of cetaceans in the Mediterranean Sea, analysing the data collected by 32 different research units, over a period of 15 years (2004–2018), and shared on the common web-GIS platform named Intercet. We used the encounter rate, the species prevalence, and the Shannon diversity index as parameters for data analysis. The results show that cetacean diversity, in the context of the Mediterranean basin, is generally quite low when compared with the eastern Atlantic, as few species, namely the striped dolphin, the bottlenose dolphin, the fin whale, and the sperm whale, dominate over all the others. However, some areas, such as the Alboran Sea or the north-western Mediterranean Sea, which includes the Pelagos Sanctuary (the Specially Protected Area of Mediterranean Interest located in the northern portion of the western basin), show higher levels of diversity and should be considered hotspots to be preserved. Primary production and seabed profile seem to be the two main drivers influencing the presence and distribution of cetaceans, with the highest levels of diversity observed in areas characterized by high levels of primary production and high bathymetric variability and gradient. This collective work underlines the importance of data sharing to deepen our knowledge on marine fauna at the scale of the whole Mediterranean Sea and encourages greater efforts in the networking process, also to accomplish the requirements of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive, with particular reference to Descriptor 1: biological diversity is maintained

The Shift from Local to Global Visual Processing in 6-Year-Old Children Is Associated with Grey Matter Loss

International audienceBackground: A real-world visual scene consists of local elements (e.g. trees) that are arranged coherently into a global configuration (e.g. a forest). Children show psychological evolution from a preference for local visual information to an adult-like preference for global visual information, with the transition in visual preference occurring around 6 years of age. The brain regions involved in this shift in visual preference have not been described. Methods and Results: We used voxel-based morphometry (VBM) to study children during this developmental window to investigate changes in gray matter that underlie the shift from a bias for local to global visual information. Six-year-old children were assigned to groups according to their judgment on a global/local task. The first group included children who still presented with local visual processing biases, and the second group included children who showed global visual processing biases. VBM results indicated that compared to children with local visual processing biases, children with global visual processing biases had a loss of gray matter in the right occipital and parietal visuospatial areas. Conclusions: These anatomical findings are in agreement with previous findings in children with neurodevelopmental disorders and represent the first structural identification of brain regions that allow healthy children to develop a global perception of the visual world

Detection of human papillomavirus DNA and p53 codon 72 polymorphism in prostate carcinomas of patients from Argentina

BACKGROUND: Infections with high-risk human papillomaviruses (HPVs), causatively linked to cervical cancer, might also play a role in the development of prostate cancer. Furthermore, the polymorphism at codon 72 (encoding either arginine or proline) of the p53 tumor-suppressor gene is discussed as a possible determinant for cancer risk. The HPV E6 oncoprotein induces degradation of the p53 protein. The aim of this study was to analyse prostate carcinomas and hyperplasias of patients from Argentina for the presence of HPV DNA and the p53 codon 72 polymorphism genotype. METHODS: HPV DNA detection and typing were done by consensus L1 and type-specific PCR assays, respectively, and Southern blot hybridizations. Genotyping of p53 codon 72 polymorphism was performed both by allele specific primer PCRs and PCR-RFLP (Bsh1236I). Fischer's test with Woolf's approximation was used for statistical analysis. RESULTS: HPV DNA was detected in 17 out of 41 (41.5 %) carcinoma samples, whereas all 30 hyperplasia samples were HPV-negative. Differences in p53 codon 72 allelic frequencies were not observed, neither between carcinomas and hyperplasias nor between HPV-positive and HPV-negative carcinomas. CONCLUSION: These results indicate that the p53 genotype is probably not a risk factor for prostate cancer, and that HPV infections could be associated with at least a subset of prostate carcinomas

Differentiation and Glucocorticoid Regulated Apopto-Phagocytic Gene Expression Patterns in Human Macrophages. Role of Mertk in Enhanced Phagocytosis

The daily clearance of physiologically dying cells is performed safely mainly by cells in the mononuclear phagocyte system. They can recognize and engulf dying cells utilizing several cooperative mechanisms. In our study we show that the expression of a broad range of apopto-phagocytic genes is strongly up-regulated during differentiation of human monocytes to macrophages with different donor variability. The glucocorticoid dexamethasone has a profound effect on this process by selectively up-regulating six genes and down-regulating several others. The key role of the up-regulated mer tyrosine kinase (Mertk) in dexamethasone induced enhancement of phagocytosis could be demonstrated in human monocyte derived macrophages by gene silencing as well as blocking antibodies, and also in a monocyte-macrophage like cell line. However, the additional role of other glucocorticoid induced elements must be also considered since the presence of autologous serum during phagocytosis could almost completely compensate for the blocked function of Mertk

Empathy and emotion recognition in people with autism, first-degree relatives, and controls

Empathy is the lens through which we view others' emotion expressions, and respond to them. In this study, empathy and facial emotion recognition were investigated in adults with autism spectrum conditions (ASC; N=314), parents of a child with ASC (N=297) and IQ-matched controls (N=184). Participants completed a self-report measure of empathy (the Empathy Quotient [EQ]) and a modified version of the Karolinska Directed Emotional Faces Task (KDEF) using an online test interface. Results showed that mean scores on the EQ were significantly lower in fathers (p0.05) of children with ASC compared to controls, whilst both males and females with ASC obtained significantly lower EQ scores (p0.05). Finally, results indicated significant differences between males and females with ASC for emotion recognition performance (p0.05). These findings suggest that self-reported empathy deficits in fathers of autistic probands are part of the 'broader autism phenotype'. This study also reports new findings of sex differences amongst people with ASC in emotion recognition, as well as replicating previous work demonstrating empathy difficulties in adults with ASC. The use of empathy measures as quantitative endophenotypes for ASC is discussed