The development of hemispheric asymmetry in human motion VEPs

AbstractIn six healthy adults we examined the sources underlying P1 and N2 of the motion VEP. For this purpose we acquired, in addition to the VEP, MRI images and patterns of regional cerebral blood flow with SPECT for three of the subjects. With the same motion stimulus we also examined the spatial distribution of N2 in children. In both adults and children left and right half-field responses were compared. It was found that N2 is generated by extrastriate activity and that motion stimuli are not equivalently processed in the two cerebral hemispheres. In adults, N2 dominates in one hemisphere irrespective of the visual half-field used for stimulation whereas children show an ipsilateral maximum for N2 upon half-field presentation

Topographical Organization of Mu and Beta Band Activity Associated with Hand and Foot Movements in Patients with Perirolandic Lesions

To study the topographical organization of mu and beta band event-related desynchronization (ERD) associated with voluntary hand and foot movements, we used magnetoencephalographic (MEG) recordings from 19 patients with perirolandic lesions. Synthetic aperture magnetometry (SAM) was used to detect and localize changes in the mu (7 - 11 Hz) and beta (13 - 30 Hz) frequency bands associated with repetitive movements of the hand and foot and overlaid on individual coregistered magnetic resonance (MR) images. Hand movements showed homotopic and contralateral ERD at the sensorimotor (S/M) cortex in the majority of cases for mu and to a lesser extent for beta rhythms. Foot movements showed an increased heterotopic distribution with bilateral and ipsilateral ERD compared to hand movements. No systematic topographical segregation between mu and beta ERD could be observed. In patients with perirolandic lesions, the mu and beta band spatial characteristics associated with hand movements retain the expected functional-anatomical boundaries to a large extent. Foot movements have altered patterns of mu and beta band ERD, which may give more insight into the differential functional role of oscillatory activity in different voluntary movements

Structural basis of GM-CSF and IL-2 sequestration by the viral decoy receptor GIF.

Subversion of the host immune system by viruses is often mediated by molecular decoys that sequester host proteins pivotal to mounting effective immune responses. The widespread mammalian pathogen parapox Orf virus deploys GIF, a member of the poxvirus immune evasion superfamily, to antagonize GM-CSF (granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor) and IL-2 (interleukin-2), two pleiotropic cytokines of the mammalian immune system. However, structural and mechanistic insights into the unprecedented functional duality of GIF have remained elusive. Here we reveal that GIF employs a dimeric binding platform that sequesters two copies of its target cytokines with high affinity and slow dissociation kinetics to yield distinct complexes featuring mutually exclusive interaction footprints. We illustrate how GIF serves as a competitive decoy receptor by leveraging binding hotspots underlying the cognate receptor interactions of GM-CSF and IL-2, without sharing any structural similarity with the cytokine receptors. Our findings contribute to the tracing of novel molecular mimicry mechanisms employed by pathogenic viruses

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on breast cancer incidence and tumor stage in the Netherlands and Norway:A population-based study

BACKGROUND: Comparing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the incidence of newly diagnosed breast tumors and their tumor stage between the Netherlands and Norway will help us understand the effect of differences in governmental and social reactions towards the pandemic.METHODS: Women newly diagnosed with breast cancer in 2017-2021 were selected from the Netherlands Cancer Registry and the Cancer Registry of Norway. The crude breast cancer incidence rate (tumors per 100,000 women) during the first (March-September 2020), second (October 2020-April 2021), and Delta COVID-19 wave (May-December 2021) was compared with the incidence rate in the corresponding periods in 2017, 2018, and 2019. Incidence rates were stratified by age group, method of detection, and clinical tumor stage.RESULTS: During the first wave breast cancer incidence declined to a larger extent in the Netherlands than in Norway (27.7% vs. 17.2% decrease, respectively). In both countries, incidence decreased in women eligible for screening. In the Netherlands, incidence also decreased in women not eligible for screening. During the second wave an increase in the incidence of stage IV tumors in women aged 50-69 years was seen in the Netherlands. During the Delta wave an increase in overall incidence and incidence of stage I tumors was seen in Norway.CONCLUSION: Alterations in breast cancer incidence and tumor stage seem related to a combined effect of the suspension of the screening program, health care avoidance due to the severity of the pandemic, and other unknown factors.</p

De-escalation of axillary treatment in the event of a positive sentinel lymph node biopsy in cT1-2 N0 breast cancer treated with mastectomy:nationwide registry study (BOOG 2013-07)

Background: Trials have demonstrated the safety of omitting completion axillary lymph node dissection in patients with cT1-2 N0 breast cancer operated with breast-conserving surgery who have limited metastatic burden in the sentinel lymph node. The aim of this registry study was to provide insight into the oncological safety of omitting completion axillary treatment in patients operated with mastectomy who have limited-volume sentinel lymph node metastasis. Methods: Women diagnosed in 2013-2014 with unilateral cT1-2 N0 breast cancer treated with mastectomy, with one to three sentinel lymph node metastases (pN1mi-pN1a), were identified from the Netherlands Cancer Registry, and classified by axillary treatment: no completion axillary treatment, completion axillary lymph node dissection, regional radiotherapy, or completion axillary lymph node dissection followed by regional radiotherapy. The primary endpoint was 5-year regional recurrence rate. Secondary endpoints included recurrence-free interval and overall survival, among others. Results: In total, 1090 patients were included (no completion axillary treatment, 219 (20.1%); completion axillary lymph node dissection, 437 (40.1%); regional radiotherapy, 327 (30.0%); completion axillary lymph node dissection and regional radiotherapy, 107 (9.8%)). Patients in the group without completion axillary treatment had more favourable tumour characteristics and were older. The overall 5-year regional recurrence rate was 1.3%, and did not differ significantly between the groups. The recurrence-free interval was also comparable among groups. The group of patients who did not undergo completion axillary treatment had statistically significantly worse 5-year overall survival, owing to a higher percentage of non-cancer deaths. Conclusion:In this registry study of patients with cT1-2 N0 breast cancer treated with mastectomy, with low-volume sentinel lymph node metastasis, the 5-year regional recurrence rate was low and comparable between patients with and without completion axillary treatment.</p

De-escalation of axillary treatment in the event of a positive sentinel lymph node biopsy in cT1-2 N0 breast cancer treated with mastectomy:nationwide registry study (BOOG 2013-07)

Background: Trials have demonstrated the safety of omitting completion axillary lymph node dissection in patients with cT1-2 N0 breast cancer operated with breast-conserving surgery who have limited metastatic burden in the sentinel lymph node. The aim of this registry study was to provide insight into the oncological safety of omitting completion axillary treatment in patients operated with mastectomy who have limited-volume sentinel lymph node metastasis. Methods: Women diagnosed in 2013-2014 with unilateral cT1-2 N0 breast cancer treated with mastectomy, with one to three sentinel lymph node metastases (pN1mi-pN1a), were identified from the Netherlands Cancer Registry, and classified by axillary treatment: no completion axillary treatment, completion axillary lymph node dissection, regional radiotherapy, or completion axillary lymph node dissection followed by regional radiotherapy. The primary endpoint was 5-year regional recurrence rate. Secondary endpoints included recurrence-free interval and overall survival, among others. Results: In total, 1090 patients were included (no completion axillary treatment, 219 (20.1%); completion axillary lymph node dissection, 437 (40.1%); regional radiotherapy, 327 (30.0%); completion axillary lymph node dissection and regional radiotherapy, 107 (9.8%)). Patients in the group without completion axillary treatment had more favourable tumour characteristics and were older. The overall 5-year regional recurrence rate was 1.3%, and did not differ significantly between the groups. The recurrence-free interval was also comparable among groups. The group of patients who did not undergo completion axillary treatment had statistically significantly worse 5-year overall survival, owing to a higher percentage of non-cancer deaths. Conclusion:In this registry study of patients with cT1-2 N0 breast cancer treated with mastectomy, with low-volume sentinel lymph node metastasis, the 5-year regional recurrence rate was low and comparable between patients with and without completion axillary treatment.</p

Commentaries on Viewpoint: The ongoing need for good physiological investigation: Obstructive sleep apnea in HIV patients as a paradigm

The final publication is available via http://dx.doi.org/10.1152/japplphysiol.00989.2014[Abstract] The intriguing paradigm put forth by Darquenne et al. (3) highlighted that improved therapy against human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) has come at the cost of elevated rates of chronic diseases, such as obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and obesity, during the highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) era.Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad; TIN2013-40686-P