Both native and non-native disfluencies trigger listeners' attention

Disfluencies (such as uh and uhm) are a common phenomenon in spontaneous speech. Rather than filtering these hesitations from the incoming speech signal, listeners are sensitive to disfluency and have been shown to actually use disfluencies for speech comprehension. For instance, disfluencies have been found to have beneficial effects on listeners’ memory. Accumulating evidence indicates that attentional mechanisms underlie this disfluency effect: upon encountering disfluency, listeners raise their attention to the incoming speech signal. The experiments reported here investigated whether these beneficial effects of disfluency also hold when listening to a non-native speaker. Recent studies on the perception of non-native disfluency suggest that disfluency effects on prediction are attenuated when listening to a non-native speaker. This attenuation may be a result of listeners being familiar with the frequent and more variant incidence of disfluencies in non-native speech. If listeners also modulate the beneficial effect of disfluency on memory when listening to a non-native speaker, it would indicate a certain amount of control on the part of the listener over how disfluencies affect attention, and thus comprehension. Furthermore, it would argue against the hypothesis that disfluencies affect comprehension in a rather automatic fashion (cf. the Temporal Delay Hypothesis). Using the Change Detection Paradigm, we presented participants with three-sentence passages that sometimes contained a filled pause (e.g., “... that the patient with the uh wound was...”). After each passage, participants saw a transcript of the spoken passage in which one word had been substituted (e.g., “wound” > “injury”). In our first experiment, participants were more accurate in recalling words from previously heard speech (i.e., detecting the change) if these words had been preceded by a disfluency (relative to a fluent passage). Our second experiment - using non-native speech materials - demonstrated that non-native uh’s elicited an effect of the same magnitude and in the same direction: when new participants listened to a non-native speaker producing the same passages, they were also more accurate on disfluent (as compared to fluent) trials. These data suggest that, upon encountering a disfluency, listeners raise their attention levels irrespective of the (non-)native identity of the speaker. Whereas listeners have been found to modulate prediction effects of disfluencies when listening to non-native speech, no such modulation was found for memory effects of disfluencies in the present data, thus potentially constraining the role of listener control in disfluency processing. The current study emphasizes the central role of attention in an account of disfluency processing

Peritoneal Protein Losses and Cytokine Generation in Automated Peritoneal Dialysis with Combined Amino Acids and Glucose Solutions

Objectives. Protein-energy malnutrition as a consequence of deficient protein intake frequently occurs in peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients. Previously, we showed that peritoneal dialysate containing a mixture of amino acids (AA) and glucose has anabolic effects. However AA-dialysate has been reported to increase intraperitoneal protein and AA losses and the release of proinflammatory cytokines (interleukine-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα)). We investigated the effect of AA plus glucose (AAG) solutions on peritoneal protein losses and cytokine generation. Methods. In 6 patients on standard automated peritoneal dialysis (APD) 12 APD sessions of 6 cycles each were performed during the night using dialysate containing 1.1% AA plus glucose or glucose alone as control. Protein losses and TNFα and IL-6 concentrations were measured in dialysates separately collected from nightly cycling and daytime dwell. Results. The 24 hour-protein losses with AAG (median 6.7 g, range 4.7–9.4 g) were similar to control dialysate (median 6.0 g, range 4.2–9.2 g). Daytime dialysate IL-6 levels were higher after nightly AAG dialysis than after control dialysis (142 pg/ml and 82 pg/ml, respectively, P<.05). TNFα concentrations were very low. Conclusion. Nightly APD with amino acids containing dialysate was associated with an increase in peritoneal IL-6 generation during the day. The addition of AA to standard glucose dialysis solutions did not induce a significant increase of peritoneal protein losses

Radiotherapy Versus Inguinofemoral Lymphadenectomy as Treatment for Vulvar Cancer Patients With Micrometastases in the Sentinel Node: Results of GROINSS-V II

PURPOSE: The Groningen International Study on Sentinel nodes in Vulvar cancer (GROINSS-V)-II investigated whether inguinofemoral radiotherapy is a safe alternative to inguinofemoral lymphadenectomy (IFL) in vulvar cancer patients with a metastatic sentinel node (SN). METHODS: GROINSS-V-II was a prospective multicenter phase-II single-arm treatment trial, including patients with early-stage vulvar cancer (diameter < 4 cm) without signs of lymph node involvement at imaging, who had primary surgical treatment (local excision with SN biopsy). Where the SN was involved (metastasis of any size), inguinofemoral radiotherapy was given (50 Gy). The primary end point was isolated groin recurrence rate at 24 months. Stopping rules were defined for the occurrence of groin recurrences. RESULTS: From December 2005 until October 2016, 1,535 eligible patients were registered. The SN showed metastasis in 322 (21.0%) patients. In June 2010, with 91 SN-positive patients included, the stopping rule was activated because the isolated groin recurrence rate in this group went above our predefined threshold. Among 10 patients with an isolated groin recurrence, nine had SN metastases > 2 mm and/or extracapsular spread. The protocol was amended so that those with SN macrometastases (> 2 mm) underwent standard of care (IFL), whereas patients with SN micrometastases (≤ 2 mm) continued to receive inguinofemoral radiotherapy. Among 160 patients with SN micrometastases, 126 received inguinofemoral radiotherapy, with an ipsilateral isolated groin recurrence rate at 2 years of 1.6%. Among 162 patients with SN macrometastases, the isolated groin recurrence rate at 2 years was 22% in those who underwent radiotherapy, and 6.9% in those who underwent IFL (P = .011). Treatment-related morbidity after radiotherapy was less frequent compared with IFL. CONCLUSION: Inguinofemoral radiotherapy is a safe alternative for IFL in patients with SN micrometastases, with minimal morbidity. For patients with SN macrometastasis, radiotherapy with a total dose of 50 Gy resulted in more isolated groin recurrences compared with IFL

Ontogeny-Driven rDNA Rearrangement, Methylation, and Transcription, and Paternal Influence

Gene rearrangement occurs during development in some cell types and this genome dynamics is modulated by intrinsic and extrinsic factors, including growth stimulants and nutrients. This raises a possibility that such structural change in the genome and its subsequent epigenetic modifications may also take place during mammalian ontogeny, a process undergoing finely orchestrated cell division and differentiation. We tested this hypothesis by comparing single nucleotide polymorphism-defined haplotype frequencies and DNA methylation of the rDNA multicopy gene between two mouse ontogenic stages and among three adult tissues of individual mice. Possible influences to the genetic and epigenetic dynamics by paternal exposures were also examined for Cr(III) and acid saline extrinsic factors. Variables derived from litters, individuals, and duplicate assays in large mouse populations were examined using linear mixed-effects model. We report here that active rDNA rearrangement, represented by changes of haplotype frequencies, arises during ontogenic progression from day 8 embryos to 6-week adult mice as well as in different tissue lineages and is modifiable by paternal exposures. The rDNA methylation levels were also altered in concordance with this ontogenic progression and were associated with rDNA haplotypes. Sperm showed highest level of methylation, followed by lungs and livers, and preferentially selected haplotypes that are positively associated with methylation. Livers, maintaining lower levels of rDNA methylation compared with lungs, expressed more rRNA transcript. In vitro transcription demonstrated haplotype-dependent rRNA expression. Thus, the genome is also dynamic during mammalian ontogeny and its rearrangement may trigger epigenetic changes and subsequent transcriptional controls, that are further influenced by paternal exposures

Unilateral inguinofemoral lymphadenectomy in patients with early-stage vulvar squamous cell carcinoma and a unilateral metastatic sentinel lymph node is safe.

OBJECTIVE: Optimal management of the contralateral groin in patients with early-stage vulvar squamous cell carcinoma (VSCC) and a metastatic unilateral inguinal sentinel lymph node (SN) is unclear. We analyzed patients who participated in GROINSS-V I or II to determine whether treatment of the contralateral groin can safely be omitted in patients with a unilateral metastatic SN. METHODS: We selected the patients with a unilateral metastatic SN from the GROINSS-V I and II databases. We determined the incidence of contralateral additional non-SN metastases in patients with unilateral SN-metastasis who underwent bilateral inguinofemoral lymphadenectomy (IFL). In those who underwent only ipsilateral groin treatment or no further treatment, we determined the incidence of contralateral groin recurrences during follow-up. RESULTS: Of 1912 patients with early-stage VSCC, 366 had a unilateral metastatic SN. Subsequently, 244 had an IFL or no treatment of the contralateral groin. In seven patients (7/244; 2.9% [95% CI: 1.4%-5.8%]) disease was diagnosed in the contralateral groin: five had contralateral non-SN metastasis at IFL and two developed an isolated contralateral groin recurrence after no further treatment. Five of them had a primary tumor ≥30 mm. Bilateral radiotherapy was administered in 122 patients, of whom one (1/122; 0.8% [95% CI: 0.1%-4.5%]) had a contralateral groin recurrence. CONCLUSION: The risk of contralateral lymph node metastases in patients with early-stage VSCC and a unilateral metastatic SN is low. It appears safe to limit groin treatment to unilateral IFL or inguinofemoral radiotherapy in these cases

Bronchial asthma improved after removal of a phaeochromocytoma

It is uncommon for bronchial asthma to be a symptom of phaeochromocytoma. We describe a patient with a phaeochromocytoma who presented with worsening of her asthma and persistent dyspnoea between attacks. She had markedly elevated levels of catecholamines. After surgical resection of the phaeochromocytoma there was a lasting improvement of the bronchial asthma. We hypothesize that worsening of bronchial asthma in phaeochromocytoma patients may be due to catecholamine-induced deterioration of asthma.</p

Bronchial asthma improved after removal of a phaeochromocytoma

It is uncommon for bronchial asthma to be a symptom of phaeochromocytoma. We describe a patient with a phaeochromocytoma who presented with worsening of her asthma and persistent dyspnoea between attacks. She had markedly elevated levels of catecholamines. After surgical resection of the phaeochromocytoma there was a lasting improvement of the bronchial asthma. We hypothesize that worsening of bronchial asthma in phaeochromocytoma patients may be due to catecholamine-induced deterioration of asthma.</p

The selection of income measures in value of travel time models and their implications for the VTT, its cross-sectional income elasticity and transport appraisal

This paper investigates the extent to which the selection of income variables during the estimation of choice models underlying national value of time (VTT) studies affects the cross-sectional income elasticity and the resulting VTT. Using data from the most recent GB (Great Britain) national VTT study, we focus on two contentious issues in relation to the income variable, namely taxation and within household budget allocation. Our work finds that accounting for the progressive nature of income tax and social benefits both increase the cross-sectional income elasticity. In the same vein, assumptions regarding the within-household budget allocation affect the cross-sectional income elasticity. Although the cross-sectional income elasticity is sensitive to the selected income variable, the impact on the nationally representative VTT is insignificant if the stated preference sample is representative with respect to the income variable. The observed discrepancies between the cross-sectional and the inter-temporal income elasticity of the VTT highlight that using these elasticities interchangeably influences the evaluation of future transport infrastructure decisions in terms of value for money