Imaginary agents exist perceptually for children but not for adults

Mental imagery refers to representations and the accompanying experience of sensory information in the absence of appropriate sensory input. Little is known about children’s social imagery, imagery about an agent. It is possible that children’s social imagery may qualitatively differ from that of adults by involving more perceptual characteristics. We conducted three experiments to investigate the perceptual existence of social imagery when induced by verbal cues. Experiment 1 was a precondition for Experiments 2 and 3, and we examined whether children’s and adults’ predictive eye movements were disrupted by the presence of a real person’s face. Preschool children (n = 20) and adults (n = 20) watched a video where a woman, with/without her face shown, placed balls into a bucket. Participants’ gazes were less predictive of the woman’s actions in ‘Face’ versus ‘No-Face’ videos, indirectly indicating the perceptual presence of agents. Next, we examined whether adults’ and children’s predictive eye movements were affected by imagining a person. In Experiment 2, adult participants were presented with a video where the balls moved automatically and were asked to either watch the video (Ball condition, n = 20) or imagine that an invisible person moved the balls (Imagination condition, n = 20). Adult gazes did not differ between conditions. However, in Experiment 3, preschool children’s gazes were less predictive when imagining an invisible person’s actions (Invisible condition, n = 20) than when not imagining anything (Ball condition, n = 20) or when imagining an object (Fan condition, n = 20). The results suggest that children experience realistic social imagery induced by verbal cues

胃癌リンパ節転移における18F-FDGの集積性に関する基礎的検討

学位の種別: 課程博士審査委員会委員 : （主査）東京大学教授 中島 淳, 東京大学准教授 多田 敬一郎, 東京大学准教授 藤城 光弘, 東京大学准教授 高尾 英正, 東京大学講師 吉田 昌史University of Tokyo(東京大学

Effect of acetylcholine on the highly stenotic coronary artery: Difference between the constrictor response of the infarct-related coronary artery and that of the noninfarct-related artery

AbstractTo examine the constrictor response of the infarct-related stenotic coronary artery in comparison with that of noninfarct-related stenotic arteries, acetylcholine in maximal doses of 100 μg for the left and 50 μg for the right coronary artery was injected into the 16 infarct-related coronary arteries of 16 patients with previous myocardial infarction (group 1) and into 19 stenotic coronary arteries of 16 patients with stable angina without myocardial infarction (group 2). Acetylcholine's effects on lumen diameter and area were quantitatively analyzed at the stenotic segment and its proximal segment without significant stenosis.Acetylcholine decreased lumen diameter and area at the stenotic segments from 0.72 ± 0.18 to 0.18 ± 0.33 mm and from 0.45 ± 0.22 to 0.10 ± 0.22 mm2, respectively, in group 1 (both p < 0.01) and from 0.75 ± 0.22 to 0.49 ± 0.30 mm and 0.48 ± 0.29 to 0.26 ± 0.23 mm2, respectively, in group 2 (both p < 0.01). Acetylcholine decreased the diameter and area at the proximal segment from 2.71 ± 0.75 to 2.38 ± 0.6 mm and from 6.18 ± 3.4 to 4.71 ± 2.23 mm2, respectively, in group 1 (both p < 0.01) and from 2.31 ± 0.67 to 1.95 ± 0.59 mm and from 4.5 ± 2.97 to 3.22 ± 1.96 mm2, respectively, in group 2 (both p < 0.01). The changes in diameter and area at the stenotic segment in group 1 were significantly greater than those in group 2 (both p < 0.01); there were no significant differences between groups in the changes at the proximal segment. Total or subtotal occlusion of the stenotic artery was induced in 11 (69%) patients in group 1 compared with 4 (21%) patients in group 2 (p < 0.01 group 1 vs. group 2).It is concluded that the constrictor response to acetylcholine of the stenotic segment of the infarct-related coronary artery is enhanced as compared with that of noninfarct-related arteries

Prediction of pathologic node-negative clinical stage IA lung adenocarcinoma for optimal candidates undergoing sublobar resection

ObjectivePatients with pathologic node-negative early lung cancer may be optimal candidates for sublobar resection. We aimed to identify predictors of pathologic lymph node involvement in clinical stage IA lung adenocarcinoma.MethodsThe data from a multicenter database of 502 patients with completely resected clinical stage IA lung adenocarcinoma were retrospectively analyzed to determine the relationship between the lymph node metastasis status and tumor size on high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) or maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) on [18F]-fluoro-2-deoxy-d-glucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (FDG-PET/CT). Revised SUVmax was used to correct interinstitutional discrepancies.ResultsIn multivariate analyses, either a solid tumor size on HRCT (P = .001) or an SUVmax on FDG-PET/CT (P = .049) was an independent predictor of lymph node metastasis. The predictive criteria of pathologic node-negative early lung cancer were a solid tumor size of less than 0.8 cm or an SUVmax of less than 1.5. Patients who met the predictive criteria of pathologic node-negative disease had less pathologic invasiveness, such as lymphatic, vascular, or pleural invasion (P < .001), and better disease-free survival (P < .0001) than those who did not, and 86 (40.4%) of the 213 patients with T1b (2-3 cm) tumors met the predictive criteria.ConclusionsEither a solid tumor size or an SUVmax was a significant independent predictor of nodal involvement in clinical stage IA lung adenocarcinoma. The pathologic node-negative status criteria of a solid tumor size of less than 0.8 cm on HRCT or an SUVmax of less than1.5 on FDG-PET/CT may be helpful for avoiding systematic lymphadenectomy for clinical stage IA lung adenocarcinoma, even in cases of T1b (2-3 cm) tumor

Differentiation of thyroid nodules using Tl-201 scintigraphy quantitative analysis and fine-needle aspiration biopsy.

We studied the differentiation of thyroid nodules using fine-needle aspiration biopsy (FNA) and Tl-201 scintigraphy quantitative analysis. One-hundred and thirty-one thyroid nodules were examined: 83 follicular lesions (58 benign and 25 malignant lesions) and 48 non-follicular lesions (8 benign and 40 malignant lesions). During Tl-201 scintigraphy examinations, an early and a delayed image were acquired 10 and 120 min after an intravenous injection, respectively. The T/N ratio (counts of nodular lesion/counts of contralateral normal thyroid tissue) of each image was calculated quantitatively. We assessed the ability of the Tl-201 scintigraphy and of the FNA analysis to differentiate benign and malignant lesions and determined the cut-off levels for the assays. For the follicular lesions, the area under the ROC (Receiver Operating Characteristic) curve (Az) for the Tl-201 scintigraphy data was greater than that for the FNA data. For the non-follicular lesions, the Az for the FNA data was greater than that for the Tl-201 scintigraphy data. We set cut-off levels at 1.370 for follicular lesions, and 1.070 for non-follicular lesions. The sensitivity and specificity were 76% and 82.7% for follicular lesions, and 90% and 87.5% for non-follicular lesions, respectively. The overall accuracy of the analysis was 84.0%.</p

Functional evaluation of lung by Xe-133 lung ventilation scintigraphy before and after lung volume reduction surgery (LVRS) in patients with pulmonary emphysema.

We evaluated the respiratory functions of patients with pulmonary emphysema who underwent lung volume reduction surgery (LVRS) by the mean transit time (MTT) with Xe-133 lung ventilation scintigraphy, forced expiration volume in 1 sec (FEV1.0), residual volume (RV), distance walked in 6 min (6-min walk), and the Hugh-Jones classification (H-J classification) before and after LVRS. In 69 patients with pulmonary emphysema (62 men, 7 women; age range, 47-75 years; mean age, 65.4 years +/- 6.1, preoperative H-J classification, III (two were II)-V) who underwent LVRS, all preoperative and postoperative parameters (MTT 3 weeks after LVRS and the others 3 months after LVRS) were judged statistically by the Wilcoxon signed-ranks test and Odds ratio. Every postoperative parameter was improved with a significant difference (P &#60; 0.05) compared to preoperative parameters. MTT at 3 weeks after LVRS was not associated with %FEV1.0 and the H-J classification at 3 months after LVRS, but was associated with RV and a 6-min walk at 3 months after LVRS. MTT was useful for the clinical evalution of aerobic capability after LVRS.</p

Wearable dummy to simulate equinovarus for training of physical therapists

Abstract: It is indispensable for physical therapists in training to experience various symptoms during their period of education; however, such chances are limited in educational institutions. We developed a prototype of a wearable dummyrobot system to simulate equinovarus, which is a typical disorder of the foot caused by stroke, to enhance the training of physical therapists (PTs). This wearable dummy system makes it possible to simulate joint disorders, while allowing the trainees to learn about the complex joint movements of humans, such as those observed in human feet. The dummy system deforms the foot of a healthy wearer using a wire mechanism so that the resultant foot posture and resistance force required for therapeutic operations resemble those of typical equinovarus patients. The resistance forces felt by the trainees can be tuned by changing the endpoint of the wire. From sensory evaluations involving PTs, it was concluded that with potential future improvements, the dummy simulator will become an effective training tool to aid physical therapy students