Embodied Precision : Intranasal Oxytocin Modulates Multisensory Integration

© 2018 Massachusetts Institute of Technology.Multisensory integration processes are fundamental to our sense of self as embodied beings. Bodily illusions, such as the rubber hand illusion (RHI) and the size-weight illusion (SWI), allow us to investigate how the brain resolves conflicting multisensory evidence during perceptual inference in relation to different facets of body representation. In the RHI, synchronous tactile stimulation of a participant's hidden hand and a visible rubber hand creates illusory body ownership; in the SWI, the perceived size of the body can modulate the estimated weight of external objects. According to Bayesian models, such illusions arise as an attempt to explain the causes of multisensory perception and may reflect the attenuation of somatosensory precision, which is required to resolve perceptual hypotheses about conflicting multisensory input. Recent hypotheses propose that the precision of sensorimotor representations is determined by modulators of synaptic gain, like dopamine, acetylcholine, and oxytocin. However, these neuromodulatory hypotheses have not been tested in the context of embodied multisensory integration. The present, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study ( N = 41 healthy volunteers) aimed to investigate the effect of intranasal oxytocin (IN-OT) on multisensory integration processes, tested by means of the RHI and the SWI. Results showed that IN-OT enhanced the subjective feeling of ownership in the RHI, only when synchronous tactile stimulation was involved. Furthermore, IN-OT increased an embodied version of the SWI (quantified as estimation error during a weight estimation task). These findings suggest that oxytocin might modulate processes of visuotactile multisensory integration by increasing the precision of top-down signals against bottom-up sensory input.Peer reviewedFinal Accepted Versio

Diseño, construcción y funcionamiento de biodigestores en formato kit para su implementación en laboratorios escolares

El objetivo del presente trabajo es dar a conocer el proceso de diseño y elaboración de dispositivos que permitirán la transferencia de tecnología, para realizar experimentos educativos que demuestren las transformaciones de la energía con recursos naturales renovables, además de promover el cuidado ambiental. Teniendo en cuenta las acciones a implementarse en las escuelas con los digestores anaeróbicos como ser: construcción, instalación y carga con residuos orgánicos, operación, descarga del bioabono, observación de la generación de biogás como energía no convencional, se logró la construcción de dispositivos generadores de biogás de carga semicontinua y de sistemas Bach con la reutilización de botellas PET. Para el análisis del funcionamiento de estos sistemas digestores se utilizaron diferentes tipos de sustratos

The Prognostic Value of 18^{18}F-FDG PET Imaging at Staging in Patients with Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma: A Literature Review

Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is an aggressive malignancy, frequently diagnosed at locally-advanced/metastatic stages. Due to a very poor prognosis and limited treatment options, the need to identify new prognostic markers represents a great clinical challenge. The prognostic role of metabolic information derived from Positron Emission Tomography (PET) with $^{18}$F-Fluoro-deoxy-glucose ($^{18}$F-FDG) has been investigated in different MPM settings, however with no definitive consensus. In this comprehensive review, the prognostic value of FDG-PET imaging exclusively performed at staging in MPM patients was evaluated, conducting a literature search on PubMed/MEDLINE from 2010 to 2020. From the 19 selected studies, despite heterogeneity in several aspects, staging FDG-PET imaging emerges as a valuable prognostic biomarker, with higher tumor uptake predictive of worse prognosis, and with volumetric metabolic parameters like Metabolic Tumor Volume, (MTV) and Total Lesion Glycolisis (TLG) performing better than SUVmax. However, PET uptake parameters were not always confirmed as independent prognostic factors, especially in patients previously treated with pleurodesis and with a non-epithelioid histotype. Future prospective studies in larger and clinically homogeneous populations, and using more standardized methods of PET images analysis, are needed to further validate the value of staging FDG-PET in the prognostic MPM stratification, with a potential impact on better patient-tailored treatment planning, in the perspective of personalized medicine

An assessment of the effect of hepatitis B vaccine in decreasing the amount of hepatitis B disease in Italy

Abstract Background Hepatitis B (HBV) infection is an important cause of morbidity and mortality and it is associated to a higher risk of chronic evolution in infected children. In Italy the anti-HBV vaccination was introduced in 1991 for newborn and twelve years old children. Our study aims to evaluate time trends of HBV incidence rates in order to provide an assessment of compulsory vaccination health impact. Method Data concerning HBV incidence rates coming from Acute Viral Hepatitis Integrated Epidemiological System (SEIEVA) were collected from 1985 to 2006. SEIEVA is the Italian surveillance national system that registers acute hepatitis cases. Time trends were analysed by joinpoint regression using Joinpoint Regression Program 3.3.1 according to Kim's method. A joinpoint represents the time point when a significant trend change is detected. Time changes are expressed in terms of the Expected Annual Percent Change (EAPC) with 95% confidence interval (95% CI). Results The joinpoint analysis showed statistically significant decreasing trends in all age groups. For the age group 0–14 EAPC was -39.0 (95% CI: -59.3; -8.4), in the period up to 1987, and -12.6 (95% CI: -16.0; -9.2) thereafter. EAPCs were -17.9 (95% CI: -18.7; -17.1) and -6.7 (95% CI: -8.0; -5.4) for 15–24 and ≥25 age groups, respectively. Nevertheless no joinpoints were found for age groups 15–24 and ≥25, whereas a joinpoint at year 1987, before compulsory vaccination, was highlighted in 0–14 age group. No joinpoint was observed after 1991. Discussion Our results suggest that the introduction of compulsory vaccination could have contribute partly in decreasing HBV incidence rates. Compulsory vaccination health impact should be better investigated in future studies to evaluate the need for changes in current vaccination strategy.</p

Blow-up analysis and existence results in the supercritical case for an asymmetric mean field equation with variable intensities

A class of equations with exponential nonlinearities on a compact Riemannian surface is considered. More precisely, we study an asymmetric sinh-Gordon problem arising as a mean field equation of the equilibrium turbulence of vortices with variable intensities. We start by performing a blow-up analysis in order to derive some information on the local blow-up masses. As a consequence we get a compactness property in a supercritical range. We next introduce a variational argument based on improved Moser-Trudinger inequalities which yields existence of solutions for any choice of the underlying surface

Are undocumented migrants&#8217; entitlements and barriers to healthcare a public health challenge for the European Union?

Undocumented migrants (UMs) are at higher risk for health problems because of their irregular status and the consequences of economic and social marginalization. Moreover, the emergent reality of undocumented migration in Europe calls for action in the field of management of UM's health demands as their access to health services has become a sensitive political and social issue. In this light, this paper aims to address UMs' entitlement and barriers to healthcare and related policies citing evidence from peer-reviewed and grey literature concerning people living in a country within the European Union without the legal right to be/remain in the destination country. A systematic review was performed using several databases and websites, and a total of 54 publications in English, with full text available, were taken into consideration. Between 2000 and 2015, Europe hosted the second largest number of international migrants (20 million, 1.3 million per year) after Asia. Even though there is limited evidence specifically focused on UMs' health, it is possible to state that infectious diseases, chronic illnesses, mental disorders, maternal-child conditions, dental issues, acute illnesses and injuries are the most common pathologies. In most cases across Europe, UMs have access only to emergency care. Even in countries where they are fully entitled to healthcare, formal and informal barriers hinder them from being or feeling entitled to this right. Socio-cultural barriers, such as language and communication problems, lack of formal and informal social and healthcare networks and lack of knowledge about the healthcare system and about informal networks of healthcare professionals are all common impediments. From the healthcare providers' perspective, there can be difficulties in providing appropriate care and in dealing with cultural and language barriers and false identification. Communication strategies play a central role in addressing the inequalities in access to healthcare services, and the definition and provision of specific training, focused on UMs' health needs, would be desirable. Improving access to healthcare for UMs is an urgent priority since the lack of access is proven to have serious consequences for UMs' health and wellbeing. Notwithstanding, few available examples of policies and best practices aimed at overcoming barriers in the delivery of healthcare to UMs are available

Neurophysiological Correlates of Trait Impulsivity in Parkinson's Disease.

BACKGROUND Impulsivity is common in people with Parkinson's disease (PD), with many developing impulsive compulsive behavior disorders (ICB). Its pathophysiological basis remains unclear. OBJECTIVES We aimed to investigate local field potential (LFP) markers of trait impulsivity in PD and their relationship to ICB. METHODS We recorded subthalamic nucleus (STN) LFPs in 23 PD patients undergoing deep brain stimulation implantation. Presence and severity of ICB were assessed by clinical interview and the Questionnaire for Impulsive-Compulsive Disorders in PD-Rating Scale (QUIP-RS), whereas trait impulsivity was estimated with the Barratt Impulsivity Scale (BIS-11). Recordings were obtained during the off dopaminergic states and the power spectrum of the subthalamic activity was analyzed using Fourier transform-based techniques. Assessment of each electrode contact localization was done to determine the topography of the oscillatory activity recorded. RESULTS Patients with (n = 6) and without (n = 17) ICB had similar LFP spectra. A multiple regression model including QUIP-RS, BIS-11, and Unified PD Rating Scale-III scores as regressors showed a significant positive correlation between 8-13 Hz power and BIS-11 score. The correlation was mainly driven by the motor factor of the BIS-11, and was irrespective of the presence or absence of active ICB. Electrode contact pairs with the highest α power, which also correlated most strongly with BIS-11, tended to be more ventral than contact pairs with the highest beta power, which localize to the dorsolateral motor STN. CONCLUSIONS Our data suggest a link between α power and trait impulsivity in PD, irrespective of the presence and severity of ICB. © 2021 The Authors. Movement Disorders published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society

Prediction of the Levodopa Challenge Test in Parkinson's Disease Using Data from a Wrist-Worn Sensor.

The response to levodopa (LR) is important for managing Parkinson's Disease and is measured with clinical scales prior to (OFF) and after (ON) levodopa. The aim of this study was to ascertain whether an ambulatory wearable device could predict the LR from the response to the first morning dose. The ON and OFF scores were sorted into six categories of severity so that separating Parkinson's Kinetigraph (PKG) features corresponding to the ON and OFF scores became a multi-class classification problem according to whether they fell below or above the threshold for each class. Candidate features were extracted from the PKG data and matched to the class labels. Several linear and non-linear candidate statistical models were examined and compared to classify the six categories of severity. The resulting model predicted a clinically significant LR with an area under the receiver operator curve of 0.92. This study shows that ambulatory data could be used to identify a clinically significant response to levodopa. This study has also identified practical steps that would enhance the reliability of this test in future studies