Reproducing the internal and external anatomy of fossil bones: Two new automatic digital tools

OBJECTIVES: We present two new automatic tools, developed under the R environment, to reproduce the internal and external structures of bony elements. The first method, Computer-Aided Laser Scanner Emulator (CA-LSE), provides the reconstruction of the external portions of a 3D mesh by simulating the action of a laser scanner. The second method, Automatic Segmentation Tool for 3D objects (AST-3D), performs the digital reconstruction of anatomical cavities. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We present the application of CA-LSE and AST-3D methods to different anatomical remains, highly variable in terms of shape, size and structure: a modern human skull, a malleus bone, and a Neanderthal deciduous tooth. Both methods are developed in the R environment and embedded in the packages "Arothron" and "Morpho," where both the codes and the data are fully available. RESULTS: The application of CA-LSE and AST-3D allows the isolation and manipulation of the internal and external components of the 3D virtual representation of complex bony elements. In particular, we present the output of the four case studies: a complete modern human endocast and the right maxillary sinus, the dental pulp of the Neanderthal tooth and the inner network of blood vessels of the malleus. DISCUSSION: Both methods demonstrated to be much faster, cheaper, and more accurate than other conventional approaches. The tools we presented are available as add-ons in existing software within the R platform. Because of ease of application, and unrestrained availability of the methods proposed, these tools can be widely used by paleoanthropologists, paleontologists and anatomists

Bat-borne H9N2 influenza virus evades MxA restriction and exhibits efficient replication and transmission in ferrets

Abstract Influenza A viruses (IAVs) of subtype H9N2 have reached an endemic stage in poultry farms in the Middle East and Asia. As a result, human infections with avian H9N2 viruses have been increasingly reported. In 2017, an H9N2 virus was isolated for the first time from Egyptian fruit bats (Rousettus aegyptiacus). Phylogenetic analyses revealed that bat H9N2 is descended from a common ancestor dating back centuries ago. However, the H9 and N2 sequences appear to be genetically similar to current avian IAVs, suggesting recent reassortment events. These observations raise the question of the zoonotic potential of the mammal-adapted bat H9N2. Here, we investigate the infection and transmission potential of bat H9N2 in vitro and in vivo, the ability to overcome the antiviral activity of the human MxA protein, and the presence of N2-specific cross-reactive antibodies in human sera. We show that bat H9N2 has high replication and transmission potential in ferrets, efficiently infects human lung explant cultures, and is able to evade antiviral inhibition by MxA in transgenic B6 mice. Together with its low antigenic similarity to the N2 of seasonal human strains, bat H9N2 fulfils key criteria for pre-pandemic IAVs

Mapping the neuropsychological profile of temporal lobe epilepsy using cognitive network topology and graph theory

OBJECTIVE: Normal cognitive function is defined by harmonious interaction among multiple neuropsychological domains. Epilepsy has a disruptive effect on cognition, but how diverse cognitive abilities differentially interact with one another compared to healthy controls (HC) is unclear. This study used graph theory to analyze the community structure of cognitive networks in adults with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) compared with HC. METHODS: Neuropsychological assessment was performed in 100 patients with TLE and 82 HC. For each group, an adjacency matrix was constructed representing pair-wise correlation coefficients between raw scores obtained in each possible test-combination. For each cognitive network, each node corresponded to a cognitive test; each link corresponded to the correlation coefficient between tests. Global network structure, community structure and node-wise graph theory properties were qualitatively assessed. RESULTS: The community structure in patients with TLE was composed of fewer, larger, more mixed modules, characterizing three main modules representing close relationships between: 1) aspects of executive function (EF), verbal and visual memory, 2) speed and fluency, and 3) speed, EF, perception, language, intelligence, and nonverbal memory. Conversely, controls exhibited a relative division between cognitive functions, segregating into more numerous, smaller modules consisting of: 1) verbal memory, 2) language, perception and intelligence, 3) speed and fluency, and 4) visual memory and EF. Overall node-wise clustering coefficient and efficiency were increased in TLE. SIGNIFICANCE: Adults with TLE demonstrate a less clear and poorly structured segregation between multiple cognitive domains. This panorama suggests a higher degree of interdependency across multiple cognitive domains in TLE, possibly indicating compensatory mechanisms to overcome functional impairments