Right Temporoparietal Gray Matter Predicts Accuracy of Social Perception in the Autism Spectrum

Individuals with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) show hallmark deficits in social perception. These difficulties might also reflect fundamental deficits in integrating visual signals. We contrasted predictions of a social perception and a spatial–temporal integration deficit account. Participants with ASD and matched controls performed two tasks: the first required spatiotemporal integration of global motion signals without social meaning, the second required processing of socially relevant local motion. The ASD group only showed differences to controls in social motion evaluation. In addition, gray matter volume in the temporal–parietal junction correlated positively with accuracy in social motion perception in the ASD group. Our findings suggest that social–perceptual difficulties in ASD cannot be reduced to deficits in spatial–temporal integration

Quantitative Sensory Testing in adults with Tourette syndrome

INTRODUCTION: Abnormal sensory perceptions, for instance hypersensitivity to certain external stimuli or premonitory urges preceding tics, are core features in Gilles de la Tourette syndrome (GTS). Aberrant awareness of externally applied stimuli in terms of altered sensory perception thresholds might contribute to these sensory phenomena in GTS. METHODS: We used the well-established and standardized “Quantitative Sensory Testing” (QST) battery (German Research Network on Neuropathic Pain) to investigate 13 sensory parameters including thermal, mechanical/tactile and pain thresholds in 14 GTS patients without clinically significant comorbidities and 14 healthy controls matched for age and gender. RESULTS: There were no relevant group differences in any of the 13 QST parameters and no specific QST pattern in GTS patients. There was no correlation between QST parameters and “Premonitory Urge for Tics scale” (PUTS) scores. CONCLUSION: Our data show that the perceptual threshold detection of externally applied sensory stimuli is normal in adults with GTS. This indicates that other perceptual mechanisms, such as abnormal central sensorimotor processing and/or aberrant interoceptive awareness might underlie the clinically significant sensory abnormalities in GTS

Dimethyl fumarate in patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19 (RECOVERY): a randomised, controlled, open-label, platform trial

Dimethyl fumarate (DMF) inhibits inflammasome-mediated inflammation and has been proposed as a treatment for patients hospitalised with COVID-19. This randomised, controlled, open-label platform trial (Randomised Evaluation of COVID-19 Therapy [RECOVERY]), is assessing multiple treatments in patients hospitalised for COVID-19 (NCT04381936, ISRCTN50189673). In this assessment of DMF performed at 27 UK hospitals, adults were randomly allocated (1:1) to either usual standard of care alone or usual standard of care plus DMF. The primary outcome was clinical status on day 5 measured on a seven-point ordinal scale. Secondary outcomes were time to sustained improvement in clinical status, time to discharge, day 5 peripheral blood oxygenation, day 5 C-reactive protein, and improvement in day 10 clinical status. Between 2 March 2021 and 18 November 2021, 713 patients were enroled in the DMF evaluation, of whom 356 were randomly allocated to receive usual care plus DMF, and 357 to usual care alone. 95% of patients received corticosteroids as part of routine care. There was no evidence of a beneficial effect of DMF on clinical status at day 5 (common odds ratio of unfavourable outcome 1.12; 95% CI 0.86-1.47; p = 0.40). There was no significant effect of DMF on any secondary outcome

Dimethyl fumarate in patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19 (RECOVERY): a randomised, controlled, open-label, platform trial

Dimethyl fumarate (DMF) inhibits inflammasome-mediated inflammation and has been proposed as a treatment for patients hospitalised with COVID-19. This randomised, controlled, open-label platform trial (Randomised Evaluation of COVID-19 Therapy [RECOVERY]), is assessing multiple treatments in patients hospitalised for COVID-19 (NCT04381936, ISRCTN50189673). In this assessment of DMF performed at 27 UK hospitals, adults were randomly allocated (1:1) to either usual standard of care alone or usual standard of care plus DMF. The primary outcome was clinical status on day 5 measured on a seven-point ordinal scale. Secondary outcomes were time to sustained improvement in clinical status, time to discharge, day 5 peripheral blood oxygenation, day 5 C-reactive protein, and improvement in day 10 clinical status. Between 2 March 2021 and 18 November 2021, 713 patients were enroled in the DMF evaluation, of whom 356 were randomly allocated to receive usual care plus DMF, and 357 to usual care alone. 95% of patients received corticosteroids as part of routine care. There was no evidence of a beneficial effect of DMF on clinical status at day 5 (common odds ratio of unfavourable outcome 1.12; 95% CI 0.86-1.47; p = 0.40). There was no significant effect of DMF on any secondary outcome

Evaluations of Different Metals for Manufacturing Mirrors of Thomson Scattering System for the LHD Divertor Plasma

"We compared various metals which is to be used as Thomson-scattering-laser-guiding mirrors in the Large Helical Device (LHD) plasma, in views of reflectivity, resistance to the long-term sputtering by low energy charge exchange atoms and to multi-shot laser-induced damage. Gold and rhodium mirrors, which are superior in high resistance to sputtering of charge exchange atoms and in high reflectivity, will be destroyed in 10^4 LHD-plasma shots; molybdenum, which is inferior to gold and rhodium in the sputtering resistance and reflectivity, will survive up to 10^6 LHD-plasma shots

Action inhibition in Tourette syndrome

Tourette syndrome is a neuropsychiatric disorder characterized by tics. Tic generation is often linked to dysfunction of inhibitory brain networks. Some previous behavioral studies found deficiencies in inhibitory motor control in Tourette syndrome, but others suggested normal or even better-than-normal performance. Furthermore, neural correlates of action inhibition in these patients are poorly understood. We performed event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging during a stop-signal reaction-time task in 14 uncomplicated adult Tourette patients and 15 healthy controls. In patients, we correlated activations in stop-signal reaction-time task with their individual motor tic frequency. Task performance was similar in both groups. Activation of dorsal premotor cortex was stronger in the StopSuccess than in the Go condition in healthy controls. This pattern was reversed in Tourette patients. A significant positive correlation was present between motor tic frequency and activations in the supplementary motor area during StopSuccess versus Go in patients. Inhibitory brain networks differ between healthy controls and Tourette patients. In the latter the supplementary motor area is probably a key relay of inhibitory processes mediating both suppression of tics and inhibition of voluntary action. © 2014 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Societ