Variability signatures distinguish verbal from nonverbal counting for both large and small numbers

Humans appear to share with animals a nonverbal counting process. In a nonverbal counting condition, subjects pressed a key a numeral-specified number of times, while saying "the" at every press. The mean number of presses increased as a power function of the target number, with a constant coefficient of variation (c.v.), both within and beyond the proposed subitizing range (1-4 or 5), suggesting small numbers are represented on the same continuum as larger numbers and subject to the same noise process (scalar variability). By contrast, when subjects counted their presses out loud as fast as they could, the c.v. decreased as the inverse square root of the target value (binomial variability instead of scalar variability). The unexpected power-law relation between target value and mean number of presses in nonverbal counting suggests a new hypothesis about the development of the function relating number symbols to mental magnitudes.

Source location of a 50 msec latency auditory evoked field component

We recorded auditory evoked magnetic fields in response to 128 15 msec duration 1 kHz tone pips from both hemispheres of 6 normal adult males. Auditory evoked potentials were recorded conventionally from a vertex lead. An approximately 50 msec latency component was identified in both the magnetic (called the M50) and EEG (called the P50) recordings. Isofield topographical contour maps were used to estimate M50 source location and depth. With respect to extracranial bony landmarks, M50 source locations were significantly higher and tended to be more posterior, over the left hemisphere. M50 and P50 latencies were not significantly different in 5 of 6 subjects; in one, M50 latencies were significantly longer than P50 latencies over the left hemisphere. Magnetic resonance images in 5 subjects were used to identify the neuroanatomical structure(s) present at the estimated source location. M50 sources appeared to reside in the cortex of the planum temporale in both left and right hemispheres in all 5 subjects.

Mohs Micrographic Surgery vs Traditional Surgical Excision

OBJECTIVE

To compare the cost and margin adequacy of Mohs micrographic surgery (Mohs) and traditional surgical excision (TSE) for the treatment of facial and auricular nonmelanoma skin cancer (NMSC).

DESIGN

Prospective cost analysis with each patient serving as his or her own control.

SETTING

Study was performed from 1999 to 2001 at the University of Connecticut dermatology clinic, a tertiary care referral center.

PATIENTS

A total of 98 consecutive patients with a primary diagnosis of NMSC on the face and ears.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

The average cost of Mohs and TSE per patient for the treatment and repair of NMSC; adequacy of TSE margins after the initial procedure(because this outcome affects overall cost).

RESULTS

Mohs was cost comparable to TSE when the subsequent procedure for inadequate TSE margins after permanent section was Mohs (937 vs 1029 US dollars; P =.16) or a subsequent TSE (937 vs 944 US dollars; P =.53). When facility-based frozen sections were requested for TSE, Mohs was significantly less costly (956 vs 1399 US dollars; P<.001). The cost difference between Mohs and TSE was sensitive to the type of repair chosen.

CONCLUSIONS

If the end point is clear margins, Mohs is cost comparable to TSE performed by otolaryngologic surgeons. Some caution is needed when evaluating the cost of facial and auricular NMSC treatment because the choice of repair can significantly affect the cost conclusions.

Ex vivo gene therapy to produce bone using different cell types

Gene therapy and tissue engineering promise to revolutionize orthopaedic surgery. This study comprehensively compares five different cell types in ex vivo gene therapy to produce bone. The cell types include a bone marrow stromal cell line, primary muscle derived cells, primary bone marrow stromal cells, primary articular chondrocytes, and primary fibroblasts. After transduction by an adenovirus encoding for bone morphogenetic protein-2, all of the cell types were capable of secreting bone morphogenetic protein-2. However, the bone marrow stromal cell line and muscle derived cells showed more responsiveness to recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein-2 than did the other cell types. In vivo injection of each of the cell populations transduced to secrete bone morphogenetic protein-2 resulted in bone formation. Radiographic and histologic analyses corroborated the in vitro data regarding bone morphogenetic protein-2 secretion and cellular osteocompetence. This study showed the feasibility of using primary bone marrow stromal cells, primary muscle derived cells, primary articular chondrocytes, primary fibroblasts, and an osteogenesis imperfecta stromal cell line in ex vivo gene therapy to produce bone. The study also showed the advantages and disadvantages inherent in using each cell type.

Human skeletal muscle cells in ex vivo gene therapy to deliver bone morphogenetic protein-2

We have examined whether primary human muscle-derived cells can be used in ex vivo gene therapy to deliver BMP-2 and to produce bone in vivo. Two in vitro experiments and one in vivo experiment were used to determine the osteocompetence and BMP-2 secretion capacity of cells isolated from human skeletal muscle. We isolated five different populations of primary muscle cells from human skeletal muscle in three patients. In the first in vitro experiment, production of alkaline phosphatase by the cells in response to stimulation by rhBMP-2 was measured and used as an indicator of cellular osteocompetence. In the second, secretion of BMP-2 was measured after the cell populations had been transduced by an adenovirus encoding for BMP-2. In the in vivo experiment, the cells were cotransduced with a retrovirus encoding for a nuclear localised beta-galactosidase gene and an adenovirus encoding for BMP-2. The cotransduced cells were then injected into the hind limbs of severe combined immune-deficient (SCID) mice and analysed radiographically and histologically. The nuclear localised beta-galactosidase gene allowed identification of the injected cells in histological specimens. In the first in vitro experiment, the five different cell populations all responded to in vitro stimulation of rhBMP-2 by producing higher levels of alkaline phosphatase when compared with non-stimulated cells. In the second, the five different cell populations were all successfully transduced by an adenovirus to express and secrete BMP-2. The cells secreted between 444 and 2551 ng of BMP-2 over three days. In the in vivo experiment, injection of the transduced cells into the hind-limb musculature of SCID mice resulted in the formation of ectopic bone at 1, 2, 3 and 4 weeks after injection. Retroviral labelling of the cell nuclei showed labelled human muscle-derived cells occupying locations of osteoblasts in the ectopic bone, further supporting their osteocompetence. Cells from human skeletal muscle, because of their availability to orthopaedic surgeons, their osteocompetence, and their ability to express BMP-2 after genetic engineering, are an attractive cell population for use in BMP-2 gene therapy approaches.

Late auditory magnetic sources may differ in the left hemisphere of schizophrenic patients. A preliminary report

We recorded magnetoencephalographic auditory evoked fields from the left and right hemispheres of six medicated, paranoid schizophrenic subjects and six normal controls. The magnetic field data were used in estimating the location, orientation, and depth of the source generating the 100-millisecond latency evoked field component (M100). The M100 latencies were slightly shorter than simultaneously recorded vertex electroencephalographic evoked potential N100 latencies, suggesting that magnetoencephalographic and electroencephalographic recordings were examining slightly different aspects of the source(s). The M100 sources demonstrated substantial interhemispheric asymmetry in normal controls, and were located more posteriorly, with more nearly vertical orientations, over the left hemisphere. The M100 sources in schizophrenics did not exhibit the same interhemispheric asymmetry. Left hemisphere source orientation differed significantly between normal controls and schizophrenics. Discriminant function analysis correctly classified normal controls and schizophrenics at 100% using the conservative jackknife procedure on the basis of left hemisphere orientation alone. Our findings, while preliminary, support altered left hemisphere function, or possibly structure, in this group of schizophrenic subjects, and suggest that magnetoencephalographic recordings may be a useful research method in this major mental illness.

The effects of age and gender on the perception of lexical emotion

The primary purpose of this study was to examine the perception of lexical/verbal emotion across the adult life span. Secondary goals were to examine the contribution of gender and valence (i.e., pleasantness/unpleasantness) to the processing of lexical emotional stimuli. Participants were 28 young (ages 20-39), 28 middle-aged (ages 40-59), and 28 older (ages 60-85) right-handed adults; there were 14 men and 14 women in each age group. Age groups were comparable on demographic and cognitive variables. Participants made accuracy judgments and intensity ratings of emotional (both positive and negative) and nonemotional stimuli from lexical perception tasks from the New York Emotion Battery (Borod, Welkowitz, & Obler, 1992). Accuracy and intensity measures were not significantly correlated. When age was examined, older participants perceived emotional and nonemotional lexical stimuli with significantly less accuracy than did younger and middle-aged participants. On the other hand, older participants evaluated the nonemotional lexical stimuli as significantly more intense than younger participants. When gender was examined, lexical stimuli were processed more accurately by female than male participants. Further, emotional stimuli were rated more intense by female participants. Clinical implications of these findings are discussed.

Sweet Corn Sentinel Monitoring for Lepidopteran Field-Evolved Resistance to Bt Toxins

As part of an insect resistance management plan to preserve Bt transgenic technology, annual monitoring of target pests is mandated to detect susceptibility changes to Bt toxins. Currently Helicoverpa zea (Boddie) monitoring involves investigating unexpected injury in Bt crop fields and collecting larvae from non-Bt host plants for laboratory diet bioassays to determine mortality responses to diagnostic concentrations of Bt toxins. To date, this monitoring approach has not detected any significant change from the known range of baseline susceptibility to Bt toxins, yet practical field-evolved resistance in H. zea populations and numerous occurrences of unexpected injury occur in Bt crops. In this study, we implemented a network of 73 sentinel sweet corn trials, spanning 16 U.S. states and 4 Canadian provinces, for monitoring changes in H. zea susceptibility to Cry and Vip3A toxins by measuring differences in ear damage and larval infestations between isogenic pairs of non-Bt and Bt hybrids over three years. This approach can monitor susceptibility changes and regional differences in other ear-feeding lepidopteran pests. Temporal changes in the field efficacy of each toxin were evidenced by comparing our current results with earlier published studies, including baseline data for each Bt trait when first commercialized. Changes in amount of ear damage showed significant increases in H. zea resistance to Cry toxins and possibly lower susceptibility to Vip3a. Our findings demonstrate that the sentinel plot approach as an in-field screen can effectively monitor phenotypic resistance and document field-evolved resistance in target pest populations, improving resistance monitoring for Bt crops.

Source origin of a 50-msec latency auditory evoked field component in young schizophrenic men

We recorded auditory evoked magnetic fields in response to 128 15-msec duration 1-KHz tone pips from both hemispheres of 6 young schizophrenic men. Auditory evoked potentials were recorded conventionally from a vertex lead. The approximately 50-msec latency component was identified in both the magnetic (M50) and electroencephalographic (EEG) (P50) recordings. Isofield topographical contour maps were used to estimate M50 source location and depth. Magnetic resonance imaging was used to identify the neuroanatomical structure(s) present at the estimated source location. M50 sources appeared to reside in the planum temporale in both left and right hemispheres in all subjects. Normal inter-hemispheric asymmetry (with respect to external bony landmarks) of the M50 source was not found in this patient group. Additionally, left (but not right) hemisphere source anatomy differed in several respects from data previously reported in normals.

The pharmacokinetics and pharmaco-dynamics of Procysteine in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

In 13 subjects with ALS, we studied the safety and pharmacokinetic properties of Procysteine, a cysteine prodrug that increases levels of intracellular glutathione. We found that oral administration of Procysteine was safe. Procysteine enters CSF after both IV and oral dosing and accumulates to significant levels in CSF. We also observed that CSF levels of glutathione fall dramatically with aging.

Nutrition and nonmelanoma skin cancers

The incidence of nonmelanoma skin cancer is increasing every year. Basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma are the two major types of nonmelanoma skin cancer. Among other factors, understanding the potential role of nutrients in the development, progression, and treatment of nonmelanoma skin cancer is critical. This contribution provides a review of the nutrients that have been more extensively investigated in the literature with regard to nonmelanoma skin cancer, including dietary fats, retinol, carotenoids, vitamin C, vitamin D, vitamin E, selenium, copper, iron, zinc, green tea, and black tea.

Cisplatin-based combination chemotherapy in the treatment of advanced-stage testicular cancer: cost-benefit analysis

A cost-benefit analysis of the impact of cisplatin-based combination chemotherapy for treatment of disseminated testicular cancer showed that the annual estimated economic value of this treatment innovation in the United States is approximately $150 million. The estimate was based on the human capital approach, which conservatively values a human life in terms of economic productivity. Because testicular cancer predominantly strikes young adult males, the savings reported were due to the future earning potential of the survivors. A comparison of relevant National Cancer Institute (NCI) costs for drug development and clinical trials versus annual savings realized indicated that the total costs over a 17-year period are recovered in less than 1 year. This report is an example of health care cost savings resulting from NCI support of biomedical research.

Surgical Release of the Adductor Longus With or Without Sports Hernia Repair Is a Useful Treatment for Recalcitrant Groin Strains in the Elite Athlete

Background

Chronic strain and/or tendinopathy of the adductor longus tendon can be a cause of long-standing groin pain in the elite athlete, resulting in significant time lost from competition. Accurate diagnosis and treatment can expedite return to play.

Purpose/Hypothesis

To evaluate return to sport and performance in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I football players and National Football League (NFL) players following adductor longus release with or without sports hernia repair. We hypothesized that adductor release will be an effective method of treatment for recalcitrant groin/adductor pain in these athletes.

Study Design

Case series; Level of evidence, 4.

Methods

A cohort study was performed of all NFL players and NCAA Division I college athletes who had undergone an adductor longus tendon release with or without sports hernia repair by 1 of 2 fellowship-trained orthopaedic surgeons between May 1999 and January 2013. All patients reported groin pain below the inguinal ligament and localized to their adductor longus. Symptoms lasted longer than 10 weeks and limited their ability to effectively perform during sport, as assessed by their coach and self-assessment. Questionnaires were given to all 26 patients to assess long-term surgical outcomes. A subgroup analysis was performed for NFL players, in which "performance scores" were calculated according to individual player statistics while playing. Scores obtained before the diagnosis of chronic adductor longus tendinopathy or strain were compared with those after surgery. Patients with prior abdominal or pelvic surgery, radiographic evidence of degenerative joint disease of the hip, labral tears or femoral acetabular impingement, prostatic or urinary tract disease, or nerve entrapment of the ilioinguinal, genitofemoral, or lateral femoral cutaneous nerves were excluded from the study.

Results

A total of 32 athletes underwent an adductor longus tenotomy during the study period. Of these patients, 28 were college- or professional-level athletes who underwent an adductor longus tenotomy, with a mean ± SD follow-up time of 6.2 ± 4.2 years (range, 12-178 months). Of the 32 patients, 20 had a concomitant sports hernia repair in addition to an adductor longus tenotomy. Thirty-one patients (97%) were able to return to their previous sport, and 30 (94%) were able to return at their previous level of play. Thirty patients (94%) reported that they were satisfied with their decision to have surgery. No player complained of weakness or a decrease in running speed or power. Mean return to play was 12 weeks from date of surgery. In the subgroup analysis of 16 NFL players, there were no statistically significant differences for the pre- versus postoperative comparisons of the athlete performance scores (P = .74) and the percentage of the games started versus played (P = .46). After separation of players who had a concomitant hernia repair from players who did not, there was no statistically significant difference in performance scores or percentages of games started.

Conclusion

In this study of elite athletes, adductor longus tenotomy with or without a concomitant sports hernia repair provided overall acceptable and excellent results. Athletes were able to return to their previous level of athletic competition and performance with consistent relief of groin pain. Return to play in an NFL game averaged 12 weeks following surgery.

Stage hypnosis and public lecture effects on attitudes and beliefs regarding hypnosis

Stage hypnosis shows, designed to entertain and amaze, and public lectures, designed to explain and educate, provide dramatically different introductions to hypnosis. This study examined how audience members' attitudes and beliefs regarding hypnosis are affected by these two different experiences. Two hundred and five college students completed pretest measures before either watching a stage hypnosis show, or attending a lecture on hypnosis, or participating in a control group. Subjects completed posttest measures between one to three weeks later. Both the stage hypnosis show and the lecture increased attendees' motivation to use hypnosis in treatment and decreased their belief that hypnotizability reflects lower intelligence. Moreover, the lecture also increased beliefs that hypnotizability reflects creativity and inner strength. Finally, while the lecture reduced the belief that a hypnotized person is robotlike and automatically acts on all suggestions, the stage hypnosis show increased this attitude among its audience members.

Human skeletal muscle cells in ex vivo gene therapy to deliver bone morphogenetic protein-2

We have examined whether primary human muscle-derived cells can be used in ex vivo gene therapy to deliver BMP-2 and to produce bone in vivo. Two in vitro experiments and one in vivo experiment were used to determine the osteocompetence and BMP-2 secretion capacity of cells isolated from human skeletal muscle.

We isolated five different populations of primary muscle cells from human skeletal muscle in three patients. In the first in vitro experiment, production of alkaline phosphatase by the cells in response to stimulation by rhBMP-2 was measured and used as an indicator of cellular osteocompetence. In the second, secretion of BMP-2 was measured after the cell populations had been transduced by an adenovirus encoding for BMP-2. In the in vivo experiment, the cells were cotransduced with a retrovirus encoding for a nuclear localised β-galactosidase gene and an adenovirus encoding for BMP-2. The cotransduced cells were then injected into the hind limbs of severe combined immune-deficient (SCID) mice and analysed radiographically and histologically. The nuclear localised β-galactosidase gene allowed identification of the injected cells in histological specimens. In the first in vitro experiment, the five different cell populations all responded to in vitro stimulation of rhBMP-2 by producing higher levels of alkaline phosphatase when compared with non-stimulated cells. In the second, the five different cell populations were all successfully transduced by an adenovirus to express and secrete BMP-2. The cells secreted between 444 and 2551 ng of BMP-2 over three days. In the in vivo experiment, injection of the transduced cells into the hind-limb musculature of SCID mice resulted in the formation of ectopic bone at 1, 2, 3 and 4 weeks after injection. Retroviral labelling of the cell nuclei showed labelled human muscle-derived cells occupying locations of osteoblasts in the ectopic bone, further supporting their osteocompetence.

Cells from human skeletal muscle, because of their availability to orthopaedic surgeons, their osteocompetence, and their ability to express BMP-2 after genetic engineering, are an attractive cell population for use in BMP-2 gene therapy approaches.

The alliance for cellular signaling plasmid collection: a flexible resource for protein localization studies and signaling pathway analysis

Cellular responses to inputs that vary both temporally and spatially are determined by complex relationships between the components of cell signaling networks. Analysis of these relationships requires access to a wide range of experimental reagents and techniques, including the ability to express the protein components of the model cells in a variety of contexts. As part of the Alliance for Cellular Signaling, we developed a robust method for cloning large numbers of signaling ORFs into Gateway entry vectors, and we created a wide range of compatible expression platforms for proteomics applications. To date, we have generated over 3000 plasmids that are available to the scientific community via the American Type Culture Collection. We have established a website at www.signaling-gateway.org/data/plasmid/ that allows users to browse, search, and blast Alliance for Cellular Signaling plasmids. The collection primarily contains murine signaling ORFs with an emphasis on kinases and G protein signaling genes. Here we describe the cloning, databasing, and application of this proteomics resource for large scale subcellular localization screens in mammalian cell lines.

Monitoring hemostasis

As our understanding of the normal mechanisms of coagulation grows, so does our ability to monitor hemostasis. Evaluation of hemostasis will become more specific and accurate and instrumentation techniques will become simpler and more efficient as technology progress, facilitating the monitoring of hemostasis in the perioperative setting.

A deep look into thin melanomas: What's new for the clinician and the impact on the patient

Melanoma incidence and mortality are on the rise and although most new cases of melanoma are thin, a significant percentage of these patients still experience disease progression. The American Joint Committee on Cancer publishes staging criteria for melanoma, which were recently updated to the 8^th edition. The most significant revision from the 7^th edition affects the T1b classification, which now includes melanomas with a Breslow depth of 0.8 mm to 1.0 mm. The second major revision eliminates mitoses as a criterion to upstage a thin melanoma to T1b. Although mitotic figures have been established as an independent prognostic factor, they do not have a significant correlation with sentinel lymph node (SLN) biopsy positivity. SLN status remains the most important independent prognostic factor in thin melanomas. Nonetheless, the identification of patients who are at the highest risk for having a positive SLN test result remains difficult. Importantly, a positive SLN test result has high positive predictive value, but a negative one has very low negative predictive value. Since there is no proven survival benefit in performing an SLN biopsy in T1 disease, dermatologists need to have a personalized discussion with patients with thin melanomas to review expected risks and benefits before undertaking this procedure.