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Background: Structural income inequality – the uneven income distribution across regions or countries – could affect brain structure and function, beyond individual differences. However, the impact of structural income inequality on the brain dynamics and the roles of demographics and cognition in these associations remains unexplored. Methods: Here, we assessed the impact of structural income inequality, as measured by the Gini coefficient on multiple EEG metrics, while considering the subject‐level effects of demographic (age, sex, education) and cognitive factors. Resting‐state EEG signals were collected from a diverse sample (countries = 10; healthy individuals = 1394 from Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Chile, Cuba, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Turkey and United Kingdom). Complexity (fractal dimension, permutation entropy, Wiener entropy, spectral structure variability), power spectral and aperiodic components (1/f slope, knee, offset), as well as graph‐theoretic measures were analysed. Findings: Despite variability in samples, data collection methods, and EEG acquisition parameters, structural inequality systematically predicted electrophysiological brain dynamics, proving to be a more crucial determinant of brain dynamics than individual‐level factors. Complexity and aperiodic activity metrics captured better the effects of structural inequality on brain function. Following inequality, age and cognition emerged as the most influential predictors. The overall results provided convergent multimodal metrics of biologic embedding of structural income inequality characterised by less complex signals, increased random asynchronous neural activity, and reduced alpha and beta power, particularly over temporoposterior regions. Conclusion: These findings might challenge conventional neuroscience approaches that tend to overemphasise the influence of individual‐level factors, while neglecting structural factors. Results pave the way for neuroscience‐informed public policies aimed at tackling structural inequalities in diverse populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

INTRODUCTION: Alzheimer's disease (AD) and behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD) lack mechanistic biophysical modeling in diverse, underrepresented populations. Electroencephalography (EEG) is a high temporal resolution, cost‐effective technique for studying dementia globally, but lacks mechanistic models and produces non‐replicable results. METHODS: We developed a generative whole‐brain model that combines EEG source‐level metaconnectivity, anatomical priors, and a perturbational approach. This model was applied to Global South participants (AD, bvFTD, and healthy controls). RESULTS: Metaconnectivity outperformed pairwise connectivity and revealed more viscous dynamics in patients, with altered metaconnectivity patterns associated with multimodal disease presentation. The biophysical model showed that connectome disintegration and hypoexcitability triggered altered metaconnectivity dynamics and identified critical regions for brain stimulation. We replicated the main results in a second subset of participants for validation with unharmonized, heterogeneous recording settings. DISCUSSION: The results provide a novel agenda for developing mechanistic model‐inspired characterization and therapies in clinical, translational, and computational neuroscience settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Glutathione S‐transferase theta 1 (GSTT1) is an enzyme involved in phase II biotransformation processes and a member of a multigene family of detoxifying and clearing reactive oxygen species. GSTT1 is polymorphic like other biotransforming enzymes, allowing variability in hepatic conjugation processes. Immunological recognition of the GSTT1 alloantigen, as evidenced by donor‐specific antibodies formation, has previously been observed in recipients lacking GSTT1 protein (called GSTT1−, GSTT*0, null phenotype or homozygous for the GSTT1 deletion) who receive liver or kidney transplants from GSTT1+ donors and is a risk factor for the development of de novo hepatitis following liver transplants from a GSTT1 expressing donor. Antibodies against GSTT1 are demonstrated in patients who are GSTT1 null and received a transplant from a GSTT1+ donor. Understanding the local population frequency of the GSTT1 deletion is of value in understanding the potential clinical risk of developing post‐transplant complications, which can be attributed to the nonexpression of GSTT1. A population of 173 healthy donors of the Murcia Region in Southeast Spain was evaluated for a null allele of GSTT1 (n = 173). DNA was extracted, and GSTT‐1 null allele detection was performed by real‐time polymerase chain reaction. The frequency of the null GSTT1 genotype (nonexpression or deletion of the homozygous polymorphism of the GSTT1 protein) was 17.9% (n = 31 null allele GSTT1/173 total individuals). Our data suggest that the frequency of null GSTT1 mutations in our population in Southeast Spain is 17.9%, lower than in other Caucasoid populations. This would convert our recipient population into more susceptible to nonlocal potential organ donors and less susceptible to local donors. All recipients bearing this GSTT1 deletion homozygous would be without the protein and triggering an alloantigen in the case of transplantation with a donor without deletion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent research has stated that early oral language acquisition difficulties are related to reading and writing difficulties. Children with developmental language disorder (DLD) experience difficulties with several dimensions of language. In this study we focus on the specific difficulties of children with DLD in spelling. We examine the impact of lexicality and length in written production of Spanish‐speaking children with DLD. A total of 18 children with language difficulties (Mage = 8;4) were compared with age‐matched children (Mage = 8;2). Participants completed a spelling‐to‐dictation task of words and pseudo‐words, where length was manipulated. A digital tablet was used to collect data and obtain measures of accuracy, latencies and total writing durations. Results showed that children with DLD produced more errors, longer latencies and longer writing durations than age‐matched children. Regarding accuracy, analysis of the errors shows that children in the control group produce few errors, most being substitutions, while children with DLD made more errors and of more varied categories. Moreover, they were more affected by length on writing accuracy than the control group. WHAT THIS PAPER ADDS: What is already known on this subject: Children with language difficulties are more likely to present reading difficulties. There are fewer studies analysing the impact of oral language difficulties in writing skills. What this paper adds to existing knowledge: The study suggests that children with oral language difficulties also have impairments in spelling, impacting on accuracy, duration and reaction time, possibly related to poor phonological working memory. What are the potential or actual clinical implications of this work?: This study highlights the need to emphasize early oral intervention and language‐related processing skills to help prevent written language difficulties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Social cognition dysfunction in neurodegenerative diseases such as the behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD) and Alzheimer's Disease (AD) is typically ascribed to the underlying pathophysiological processes spanning specific atrophy and connectivity alterations. However, social cognition performance might be modulated by a set of more heterogenous, non‐specific factors, including demographics (sex, age, education, socioeconomic status), general cognitive and executive abilities, and behavior inside the scanner (i.e., movements), but their relative contribution is poorly understood. Here, we develop a machine learning approach to characterize multimodal factors that explain the inter‐individual heterogeneity of social cognition in a diverse multicentric sample. Method: A total of 998 individuals > 50 years from international research networks in high‐ and middle‐income countries participated in this study: 102 with bvFTD, 339 with AD, 96 with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and 461 with preserved cognition (with and without cognitive complaints). Social cognition was assessed with the Mini Social Cognition and Emotional Assessment (MiniSEA) battery, which includes tests of facial emotion recognition and theory of mind. After data harmonization, we implemented support vector regressions combined with bootstrapping to predict social cognition outcomes from multimodal features, including diagnosis, demographics, cognitive and executive functions, grey matter volume, fMRI resting‐state network connectivity, and movement artifacts, and assessed their relative contribution to performance (Figure 1). Models were assessed with the coefficient of determination R², Fisher's F test, Cohen's F², 95% confidence intervals, and p‐values. Result: General cognitive and executive functions and years of education consistently emerged among the top predictive features of social cognition performance and explained more variance than diagnosis. Other features making significant contributions were: sex, the gray matter volume of relevant regions, and in‐scanner movements. Age and resting‐state network connectivity did not make any significant contribution to performance heterogeneity (Figure 2). Conclusion: Social cognition performance was more strongly predicted by a set of heterogenous individual differences than by neurodegenerative diagnoses and associated brain signatures. Diagnoses might relate to complex profiles. Results highlight a critical modulator role of heterogeneity on social cognition, with implications for the neuropsychological assessment in brain health and disease across diverse, multi‐setting populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To investigate the survival and mechanical properties of 3‐unit interim fixed dental prostheses (FDPs) made with additive manufacturing (AM) technology compared to milled and conventional manual fabrication. Materials and methods: Sixty 3‐unit interim FDPs replacing the first left mandibular molar were divided in 6 groups (n = 10): manual (Man) (Protemp 4), milled (Mil) (Telio‐CAD Multi), and 4 additive manufacturing (AM) groups were subdivided into 4 AM technology subgroups: direct light positioning (DLP) (Rapidshape P30 [RS]), and stereolitography (SLA) (Formlabs 2 [FL]) and the type of printed interim polymer (P Pro C&B [St] and SHERAprint‐cb [Sh]) (RS‐St, RS‐Sh, FL‐St, and FL‐Sh). Survival and complications were assessed after thermomechanical aging. The surviving samples were tested for fracture resistance. Kaplan‐Meier test followed by log‐rank test to show differences between groups was used to calculate the survival and complication rates. For fracture strength, one‐way ANOVA and Tukey‐b post hoc test were used to compare groups. Descriptive statistics was used for failure modes and Pearson chi‐square to compare groups (α = 0.05). Results: Survival rates among groups varied from 100% (Man, Mil and FL‐Sh), 70% (FL‐St), 50% (RS‐Sh), and 20% (RS‐Sh) (p < 0.001), respectively. Additional events were observed in 50% to 80% in FL‐St, RS‐St, and RS‐Sh groups (p < 0.001). Man, FL‐St, and RS‐S showed lower mean static load resistance (p < 0.001). Fracture through the connector between tooth 35 and the pontic was the most prevalent type of failure. Conclusion: The manufacturing method, type of resin, and the printing mode had a significant influence on the mechanical properties of AM interim 3‐unit FDPs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hypertensive disease (HTD), a prominent risk factor for cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, is characterized by elevated stress‐proneness. Since stress levels are underpinned by both cardiac and neural factors, multidimensional insights are required to robustly understand their disruption in HTD. Yet, despite their crucial relevance, heart rate variability (HRV) and multimodal neurocognitive markers of stress in HTD remain controversial and unexplored respectively. To bridge this gap, we studied cardiodynamic as well as electrophysiological and neuroanatomical measures of stress in HTD patients and healthy controls. Both groups performed the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST), a validated stress‐inducing task comprising a baseline and a mental stress period. During both stages, we assessed a sensitive HRV parameter (the low frequency/high frequency [LF/HF ratio]) and an online neurophysiological measure (the heartbeat‐evoked potential [HEP]). Also, we obtained neuroanatomical data via voxel‐based morphometry (VBM) for correlation with online markers. Relative to controls, HTD patients exhibited increased LF/HF ratio and greater HEP modulations during baseline, reduced changes between baseline and stress periods, and lack of significant stress‐related HRV modulations associated with the grey matter volume of putative frontrostriatal regions. Briefly, HTD patients presented signs of stress‐related autonomic imbalance, reflected in a potential basal stress overload and a lack of responsiveness to acute psychosocial stress, accompanied by neurophysiological and neuroanatomical alterations. These multimodal insights underscore the relevance of neurocognitive data for developing innovations in the characterization, prognosis and treatment of HTD and other conditions with autonomic imbalance. More generally, these findings may offer new insights into heart–brain interactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Previous research has consistently evidenced that children with speech and language difficulties suffer more bullying victimisation during middle school years, whereas other educative stages remain less explored. Moreover, there are divergent results in previous evidence about the types of victimisation (physical, verbal, relational) youths may experience. Aims: To examine the retrospective developmental trajectories of bullying victimisation in adults with and without self‐reported oral language difficulties across seven educational stages (preschool to university). Special attention was given to the prevalence and types of victimisation. Methods & Procedures: A total of 336 participants (ages between 18 and 65, M = 30.3) from a sample of 2259 participants that fully answered an online survey were classified as having experienced oral language difficulties (LD) not associated with a biomedical condition. A comparable control group (n = 336; ages between 18 and 72, M = 30.0) was randomly selected for statistical between‐groups contrasts. Responses to the California Bullying Victimization Scale–Retrospective (CBVS‐R) were analysed by generalised estimating equations (GEE) including language groups, types of bullying, and educational stages as explanatory variables. Specific language group comparisons in terms of percentages were conducted using chi‐square tests. Outcomes & Results: GEE results suggested that experiencing LD was associated with an overall increase in the likelihood of bullying victimisation, Wald's χ2 (1) = 8.41, p < 0.005 for the main effect of the LD group, along almost all educational stages, Wald's χ2 (6) = 3.13, p = 0.69 for the LD group × educational stage interaction. Finally, a higher proportion of participants in the LD group reported having suffered teasing behaviours at the second cycle of elementary, the first cycle of secondary, and baccalaureate. They also reported with a higher proportion being physically hurt at preschool and having received sexual comments at the second cycle of elementary, Wald's χ2 (93) = 259.87, p < 0.001 for the LD group × educational stage × type of bullying interaction. Conclusions & Implications: People with oral language difficulties experience more bullying victimisation behaviours than their typically developing peers. Heightened bullying prevalence in children with language difficulties seems to emerge as early as 6–9 years old and persists along the rest of schooling. Not all victimisation forms seem to show differential increased rates in people with speech/language difficulties, evidencing important implications for bullying assessment. Results highlight the need to provide particular support to individuals with language difficulties against bullying during the entire schooling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To investigate the accuracy of additive manufacturing (AM) by means of internal fit of fixed dental prostheses (FDPs) fabricated with two AM technologies using different resins and printing modes (validated vs nonvalidated) compared to milling and direct manual methods. Material and methods: Sixty 3‐unit interim FDPs replacing the first mandibular molar were divided into 6 groups (n = 10): manual (Protemp 4), milled (Telio‐CAD), and AM groups were subdivided based on AM technology (direct light processing (Rapidshape P30 [RS]) and stereolithography (FormLabs 2 [FL])) and the polymer type (P‐Pro‐C&B [St] and SHERAprint‐cb [Sh]) (RS‐St, RS‐Sh, FL‐St, FL‐Sh). Validated (RS‐Sh and RS‐St) or nonvalidated (FL‐St and FL‐Sh) modes were adopted for AM. The specimens were scanned to 3D align (GOM inspect) according to the triple scan method. The internal space between the FDPs and preparation surfaces in four sites (marginal, axial, occlusal, and total) was measured using equidistant surface points (GOM Inspect). Statistical analysis was done using Kruskal Wallis and Dunn post‐hoc tests. (α = 0.05). Results: One AM group (FL‐Sh) and milling exhibited better adaptation compared to manual and RS‐St at molar site (p < 0.05). FDPs with St resin (FL‐St and RS‐St) displayed bigger marginal space than milled, FL‐Sh, and RS‐Sh. The nonvalidated printing mode showed better mean space results (p < 0.05) with higher predictability and repeatability (p < 0.001). Conclusions: The AM interim FDPs tested provided valid alternatives to the milled ones in regard to their accuracy results. The printing mode, resin, and the AM technology used significantly influenced the manufacturing accuracy of interim FDPs, particularly at the marginal area. The nonvalidated printing mode with lower‐cost 3D printers is a promising solution for clinical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Neuroimaging biomarkers are intensively investigated in Alzheimer disease (AD) and the behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD). However, advanced ND biomarkers (i.e., PET and plasma) are expensive or not widely available/validated in underrepresented regions. EEG emerges as a promising alternative, due to its low‐cost, non‐invasiveness, portability, and wide availability in clinical research, although they lack mechanistic explications and robust modeling approaches. The aim of our work was to characterize the functional alterations in AD and bvFTD by combining EEG source‐level metaconnectivity (that captures high‐order interactions), anatomical priors, whole‐brain modeling, and a perturbational approach. Method: Demographic‐matched data were collected via the Dementia Latin American Consortium (ReDLat; AD = 31, bvFTD = 18, Control = 46). From EEG source level recordings and using machine learning classifiers, we compared the pairwise functional connectivity with high‐order correlations captured by metaconnectivity. Then, neural mass modeling was used to propose biophysical mechanisms specifically ascribed to AD and bvFTD. Finally, a perturbational approach was employed to characterize the brain trajectories involved in the healthy and pathological states. Results: Using metaconnectivity, we found specific subnetworks of brain regions compromised in AD and bvFTD, yielding an excellent accuracy in classifying each group of patients. Brain dynamics turned more "viscous" (uncoordinated) in patients and were associated with multimodal disease progression (years of disease, cognitive impairment, atrophy). Then a whole‐brain Jansen & Rit model simulated the functional disturbances in AD and bvFTD. The DTI connectome disintegration (reduced structural integration) and hypoexcitability (altered excitation/inhibition balance) triggered the metaconnectivity dynamics observed in AD and bvFTD. Finally, in‐silico stimulation identified key regions involved in the transition from disease (AD and bvFTD models) to a healthy brain dynamics. Conclusion: Our work suggests new possible EEG markers for characterizing AD and bvFTD, linking the functional disturbances in patients to alterations in the connectome and E/I balance, and evidencing possible anatomical targets to restore the normal brain function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to assess the differences in psychosocial health and cardiometabolic risk during adulthood in women based on previously organised sport (OS) participation during adolescence and current activity levels, with emphasis on participation in aesthetic sports. The study included 1947 women aged 18–55 years who were categorised into four groups: 355 aesthetic athletes during adolescence, 494 non- aesthetic athletes during adolescence, 791 non-athletes during adolescence with similar current levels of physical activity (PA) to OS groups and 307 currently inactive non-athletes during adolescence. Participants answered questionnaires regarding sport participation, psychosocial health and cardiometabolic risk. The results show that non-athletes during adolescence who are currently inactive reported significantly lower psychosocial health and higher cardiometabolic risk scores. Women with currently homogenous PA levels (χ² = 0.514) reported similar physical quality of life (QoL), exercise addiction, anxiety and depression symptoms regardless of participation in OS during adolescence (P >.05), except aesthetic athletes who reported the worst sleep and mental QoL. Very high training volumes in aesthetic athletes did not influence psychological outcomes and cardiometabolic risk in adulthood compared to lower training volumes. In conclusion, the effects of PA during adulthood appear to be powerful enough to induce beneficial adaptations in health outcomes that match those observed in women who participate in OS during adolescence, except for aesthetic sports participants, who show a high risk of lower quality of sleep in adulthood. PA should be promoted in adults and especially women who have not participated in OS during adolescence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/Objectives: Several studies have reported that non‐alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is more frequent in patients with psoriasis, but few have reviewed the presence of liver fibrosis in those patients. Methods: Cross‐sectional cohort, single‐centre study, continuously selecting all patients with moderate–severe psoriasis seen at the Psoriasis Unit of a Tertiary Hospital. The grade of liver steatosis was assessed using liver ultrasound, and the quantity of liver fibrosis was graded using a transitional vibration‐controlled elastography (Fibroscan®). Results: A total of 71 patients (66.2% male) were included, with an average age of 46.6 years old. The maximum historical PASI average was 14.4 while the baseline PASI average at the time of the study was 2. A third (36%) of patients met the criteria for metabolic syndrome 52% of patients had steatosis; being male, having metabolic syndrome comorbidities, elevated AST/ALT enzymes, dyslipidemia and high initial PASI were significantly related. 14% of patients had moderate liver fibrosis (≥7.6 KPa). In 30% of them, no ultrasound liver steatosis was observed. Conclusions: Elastography may be a useful tool along with ultrasound to evaluate liver disease in patients with psoriasis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Since 2009, an increasing number of published cases of allergic contact dermatitis (ACD) from isothiazolinones in Europe was observed, amounting to an epidemic. However, only few studies have assessed the current situation after changes in European regulation. Objectives: To analyze the incidence of isothiazolinone‐related ACD in our area in the last decade. Methods: A retrospective study analyzed all patients patch tested in the allergy unit in a tertiary hospital in Spain between January 2010 and June 2019. Positive patch‐test reactions to methylchloroisothiazolinone (MCI)/methylisothiazolinone (MI) and/or MI alone were recorded. Results: A total of 243 patients (9.55%) with positive patch‐test reactions to MCI/MI and/or MI alone among 2544 consecutively patch‐tested patients were recorded. An initial increase in the prevalence of MCI/MI allergy was observed, from 4.5% in 2010 reaching a peak in 2015, which was followed by a significant decrease until July 2019 with 3.1% prevalence in 2019. Conclusions: As shown in our data, regulatory interventions have resulted in a dramatic decrease in the prevalence of MCI and MI ACD, reaching a pre‐epidemic level of 3.1% in 2019. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chlorpromazine is known to produce both systemic phototoxic and photoallergic reactions. However, it may also cause photoallergic contact dermatitis and, albeit exceptionally, allergic contact dermatitis (ACD). We present a series of photoallergic contact dermatitis and ACD to chlorpromazine diagnosed at a tertiary centre cutaneous allergy unit between 1980 and 2019. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sonic hedgehog pathway inhibitor Vismodegib is the first systemic treatment to be approved for metastatic or locally advanced basal cell carcinoma non‐subsidiary of surgical treatment, and appears to be a promising treatment option for patients with nevoid basal cell carcinoma syndrome. In these patients, where repeated or prolonged treatment may be necessary, the psychological exhaustion caused by the chronicity of less severe adverse effects appears as the main limiting factor in the persistence of the drug in the long term and in the willingness of patients to take the drug again after its suspension. We report our experience with three cases where a drug holiday approach was effective in decreasing the intensity of adverse effects or improving the patient's subjective tolerance to the drug while maintaining clinical response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dupilumab, a biologic drug approved for the treatment of moderate‐to‐severe atopic dermatitis, has been associated with resolution or improvement in pre‐existing alopecia areata. We report a case of significant improvement of AA after Dupilumab‐onset treatment for atopic dermatitis and review the literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory dermatosis affecting 2% of the world's population.[1] Though recognised for its expression on the skin, it is accompanied by chronic systemic inflammation. Relative expression levels of each biomarker are shown in Fig.. Statistical analysis showed significant differences between the biomarkers' relative expressions ( I P i < I i 0.001). None of the biomarkers correlated with BMI; however, relative expression of IL12p40 was higher among patients categorised as overweight or obese ( I P i = I i 0.039). [Extracted from the article]

Multiple sclerosis (MS) patients present several alterations related to sensing of bodily signals. However, no specific neurocognitive impairment has yet been proposed as a core deficit underlying such symptoms. We aimed to determine whether MS patients present changes in interoception—that is, the monitoring of autonomic bodily information—a process that might be related to various bodily dysfunctions. We performed two studies in 34 relapsing–remitting, early‐stage MS patients and 46 controls matched for gender, age, and education. In Study 1, we evaluated the heartbeat‐evoked potential (HEP), a cortical signature of interoception, via a 128‐channel EEG system during a heartbeat detection task including an exteroceptive and an interoceptive condition. Then, we obtained whole‐brain MRI recordings. In Study 2, participants underwent fMRI recordings during two resting‐state conditions: mind wandering and interoception. In Study 1, controls exhibited greater HEP modulation during the interoceptive condition than the exteroceptive one, but no systematic differences between conditions emerged in MS patients. Patients presented atrophy in the left insula, the posterior part of the right insula, and the right anterior cingulate cortex, with abnormal associations between neurophysiological and neuroanatomical patterns. In Study 2, controls showed higher functional connectivity and degree for the interoceptive state compared with mind wandering; however, this pattern was absent in patients, who nonetheless presented greater connectivity and degree than controls during mind wandering. MS patients were characterized by atypical multimodal brain signatures of interoception. This finding opens a new agenda to examine the role of inner‐signal monitoring in the body symptomatology of MS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Interoception, the sensing of visceral body signals, involves an interplay between neural and autonomic mechanisms. Clinical studies into this domain have focused on patients with neurological and psychiatric disorders, showing that damage to relevant brain mechanisms can variously alter interoceptive functions. However, the association between peripheral cardiac‐system alterations and neurocognitive markers of interoception remains poorly understood. To bridge this gap, we examined multidimensional neural markers of interoception in patients with early stage of hypertensive disease (HTD) and healthy controls. Strategically, we recruited only HTD patients without cognitive impairment (as shown by neuropsychological tests), brain atrophy (as assessed with voxel‐based morphometry), or white matter abnormalities (as evidenced by diffusion tensor imaging analysis). Interoceptive domains were assessed through (a) a behavioral heartbeat detection task; (b) measures of the heart‐evoked potential (HEP), an electrophysiological cortical signature of attention to cardiac signals; and (c) neuroimaging recordings (MRI and fMRI) to evaluate anatomical and functional connectivity properties of key interoceptive regions (namely, the insula and the anterior cingulate cortex). Relative to controls, patients exhibited poorer interoceptive performance and reduced HEP modulations, alongside an abnormal association between interoceptive performance and both the volume and functional connectivity of the above regions. Such results suggest that peripheral cardiac‐system impairments can be associated with abnormal behavioral and neurocognitive signatures of interoception. More generally, our findings indicate that interoceptive processes entail bidirectional influences between the cardiovascular and the central nervous systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Regulation of essential macronutrients acquisition by plants in response to their availability is a key process for plant adaptation to changing environments. Here we show in tomato and Arabidopsis plants that when they are subjected to NO3−, PO43− and SO42− deprivation, low-affinity K+ uptake and K+ translocation to the shoot are reduced. In parallel, these nutritional deficiencies produce reductions in the messenger levels of the genes encoding the main systems for low-affinity K+ uptake and K+ translocation, i.e. AKT1 and SKOR in Arabidopsis and LKT1 and the tomato homolog of SKOR, SlSKOR in tomato, respectively. The results suggest that the shortage of one nutrient produces a general downregulation of the acquisition of other nutrients. In the case of K+ nutrient, one of the mechanisms for such a response resides in the transcriptional repression of the genes encoding the systems for K+ uptake and translocation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory disease affecting up to 2-3% of the population worldwide.[1] Genital psoriasis (GenPs) is a frequent, debilitating, stigmatizing and difficult-to-treat manifestation of plaque psoriasis. Response to treatment was assessed using Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI), Body Surface Area (BSA), static Physician's Global Assessment (sPGA), Static Physician's Global assessment of Genitalia (sPGA-G)[5] and Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) scores before and 16 weeks into therapy. Patients showed significant improvement in these clinical scores as evidenced by their PASI, BSA, sPGA and sPGA-G scores at week 16, which were 1.1, 1, 0.83 and 0.5, respectively. [Extracted from the article]

The article presents a case study of a 38-year-old woman with stage IV clear cell carcinoma of renal origin, presenting at diagnosis with multiple retroperitoneal lymph node involvement and metastases to liver and bones, started on sunitinib. It discusses the diagnosis of nonthrombocytopenic, noninflammatory simplex purpura during sunitinib therapy.

The article presents a case study of a 50-year-old woman who consulted for painful erythematous swelling to the emergency department after a spider bite. She was diagnosed with cellulitis vs. suspected cutaneous loxoscelism (CL) and admitted for non-steroidal anti-inflammatory therapy and intravenous antibiotic. Additional analyses showed increased neutrophilia, leukocytosis and elevated lactate dehydrogenase.

ABSTRACT Immunological molecules are implicated in inflammatory disorders, including inflammatory bowel disease (IBD; Crohn disease [CD] and ulcerative colitis [UC]). Killer cell immunoglobulin-like receptors (KIRs) are also genetically variable proteins involved in immune function. They are expressed by NK cells and certain T lymphocytes, regulate specificity and function by interaction with HLA Class I molecules, may be either inhibitory or activating and are polymorphic both in terms of alleles and haplotype gene content. Genetic associations between activating KIRs and certain autoimmune and inflammatory diseases have been reported; however, a possible association between KIR and IBD remains unclear. The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between KIR repertoire and IBD pathologies in a Spanish cohort. KIR variability was analyzed using PCR-sequence specific oligonucleotide probes (SSOP). Inhibitory KIR2DL5 was found more frequently in UC and IBD patient groups than in healthy controls ( P = 0.028 and P = 0.01, respectively), as was activating KIR2DS1 ( P = 0.02, Pc > 0.05, UC vs. Controls; P = 0.001, Pc = 0.01, IBD vs Controls; P = 0.01, Pc > 0.05, Controls vs CR), KIR2DS5 ( P = 0.0028, Pc = 0.04, Controls vs UC; P = 0.0001, Pc = 0.0017, Controls vs IBD; P = 0.01, Pc > 0.05, Controls vs CD) and KIR3DS1 ( P = 0.012, Pc > 0.05, Controls vs IBD). Our data suggest that imbalance between activating and inhibitory KIR may partially explain the different pathogeneses of these IBDs and that there is a hypothetical role for the telomeric B region (which contains both KIR2DS5 and KIR2DS1) in these diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Children with a diagnosis of specific language impairment (SLI) present impaired oral comprehension. According to the simple view of reading, general amodal linguistic capacity accounts for both oral and reading comprehension. Considering this, we should expect SLI children to display a reading comprehension deficit. However, previous research regarding the association between reading disorders and SLI has yielded inconsistent results. Aims: To study the influence of prior oral comprehension competence over reading comprehension during the first years of reading acquisition of bilingual Catalan-Spanish children with SLI (ages 7-8). Methods & Procedures: We assessed groups of bilingual Catalan-Spanish SLI and matched control children at ages 7 and 8 with standardized reading comprehension tasks including grammatical structures, sentence and text comprehension. Early oral competence and prior non-verbal intelligence were also measured and introduced into regression analyses with the participants' reading results in order to state the relation between the comprehension of oral and written material. Outcomes & Results: Although we found no significant differences between the scores of our two participant groups in the reading tasks, data regarding their early oral competence, but not non-verbal intelligence measures, significantly influence their reading outcome. Conclusions & Implications: The results extend our knowledge regarding the course of literacy acquisition of children with SLI and provide evidence in support of the theories that assume common linguistic processes to be responsible for both oral and reading comprehension. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Alcoholic cirrhosis ( AC) is a common cause of death among individuals abusing alcohol. In the last resort, liver transplantation ( LT) is considered the only solution to save the patient's life, generating socioeconomic and public health problems. Clinical and sociodemographic characteristics, rejection frequency, and short- and long-term graft survival are not well known in end-term AC patients undergoing LT. The aim was to determine the sociodemographic and clinical characteristics, their incidence in LT, main pre- and posttransplant complications, and short- and long-term post-transplant graft survival in AC patients in southeastern Spain. Methods The medical records of 1,026 patients who underwent LT over the last 23 years were retrospectively reviewed, and demographic data and posttransplant survivals were analyzed and compared. Biochemical characteristics, major pre- and posttransplant complications and short- and long-term survivals were analyzed in a total of 398 male patients with AC undergoing LT. Results AC and viral cirrhosis are the main indications for LT in our study. Mostly represented in our study are AC men without associated viral infections with a mean age of 53.06 years. Main pretransplant complications in AC patients are ascites (78.3%) and encephalopathy (43.5%), while acute graft rejection is the most common liver posttransplant complication (26.6%), nevertheless with low graft loss frequency (1.1%). AC and autoimmune cirrhosis show the best posttransplant survival in both the short and long term. Patients with AC included on the waiting list for LT were Child- Pugh class B (52.1%) and Model for End-Stage Liver Disease score of 10 to 19 (71.2%). The highest percentage of AC patient survival was observed at 1 year posttransplant (81.2%) and progressively decreased over time up to 10 years posttransplant (69.6%). Pretransplant complications such as ascites and encephalopathy did not have an influence on the percentage of posttransplant survivals, although better survival rates were observed in nonviral AC patients. Conclusions AC without viral infections is the main indication for LT in southeastern Spain although its frequency has decreased in last decade. AC is a good indication for LT for its high survival rate and few posttransplant complications. Despite having a high percentage of pretransplant complications (ascites and encephalopathy) but does not appear to influence survivals being observed posttransplant survival rates above those expected. Conversely, viral infections in the patient with AC decrease patient survivals. The main future goals are design new strategies to detect, treat, and reduce AC frequency in our population and know alcoholic recidivism rate posttransplant in our population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND Lathyrus species as legumes represent an alternative protein source for human and animal nutrition. Heavy consumption of these species can lead to lathyrism, caused by the non-protein amino acid β-N-oxalyl- l- α, β-diaminopropionic acid ( β-ODAP). Currently, there is no well-defined level below which β-ODAP is considered non-toxic. In this work, the β-ODAP content was determined in L. sativus and L. cicera samples to assess their potential toxicity. Homoarginine is another non-protein amino acid found in Lathyrus spp. with interesting implications for human and animal nutrition. RESULTS The level of β-ODAP found in these two species ranged from 0.79 to 5.05 mg g−1. The homoarginine content of the samples ranged from 7.49 to 12.44 mg g−1. CONCLUSION This paper describes an accurate, fast and sensitive method of simultaneous detection and quantification of β-ODAP and homoarginine by capillary zone electrophoresis in L. cicera and L. sativus seeds. Moreover, several methods of extraction were compared to determine the highest performance. © 2014 Society of Chemical Industry [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Citrus fruits play an important part in the Spanish agricultural sector. These orchards could play an important role as a terrestrial C sink and contribute to C fixation. We proposed quantifying the net primary production in different-aged citrus trees through the measurement of annual increases in the C content of the biomass of trees of different ages completely excavated. The measured net primary production in mature citrus was 27 kg C tree-1 (1143 g C m-2 yr-1; 11.4 Mg C ha-1 yr-1) with a similar behavior to that of different forests. Moreover, in this experiment, allometric equations for the estimation of annual net primary production in citrus orchards based on the relationship between net primary production and biometric variables were established. These equations could be a useful tool to calculate the potential C fixation in citrus areas. Canopy volume was the best variable for predicting above- and belowground biomass. Leaf area index and trunk diameter could also be selected as reliable and easily measurable variables to estimate net primary production in the whole tree. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT 'La Salada de Chiprana' (NE Spain) is a permanent athalassic saline lake, and as such unique in Western Europe. More than 20 years ago, it was recognized that this lake should be protected; particularly, because it supported extensive microbial mat communities built by the cyanobacterium Coleofasciculus (Microcoleus) chthonoplastes and submerged aquatic vegetation of an endemic form of the foxtail stonewort ( Lamprothamnium papulosum var. papulosum f. aragonense)., For centuries, the lake hydrology, salinity and water levels have been driven by the combined effects of anthropogenic activities (e.g. irrigation in the watershed) and climatic factors., In the early 1990s, the water level increased and salinity dropped as a consequence of excessive freshwater inputs from direct overflow via irrigation canals. As a result, the microbial mats and aquatic vegetation perished and water column turbidity increased. Based on these observations, since 1994 management measures were introduced aimed at reducing the freshwater input by stopping the direct overflow from irrigation canals. This resulted in a rapid recovery of the hypersaline features of the lake, particularly of the microbial mat communities and the aquatic vegetation., Since 2000, there has been a persistent trend of decreasing lake level and increasing salinity. The population of the endemic foxtail stonewort collapsed in 2006 and the area occupied by C. chthonoplastes mats has drastically decreased. This raises the important question on how to manage athalassic saline lakes in their agrocultural context and calls for a review of the management option taken in the early 1990s. While it could be argued that the current situation is closer to natural hydrological functioning than 20 years ago, we propose that management should seek to conserve the original microbial and aquatic vegetation communities., Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cardiac electrical-mechanical delay ( cEMD), left ventricular ( LV) function, and cardiac troponin I ( cTnI) were assessed after 40 km cycle time trials completed at high ( HIGH) and moderate ( MOD) intensities in 12 cyclists. Echocardiograms and blood samples were collected before, 10, and 60 min after cycling. cEMD as assessed by time from QRS onset to peak systolic ( S') tissue velocity was lengthened after both bouts of cycling but was not mediated by cycling intensity ( HIGH: 174 ± 52 vs 198 ± 26 ms; MOD: 151 ± 40 vs 178 ± 52 ms, P < 0.05). Global LV systolic function was unaltered by exercise. cEMD from QRS to peak early ( E') diastolic tissue velocity was also increased post-exercise ( HIGH: 524 ± 95 vs 664 ± 68 ms; MOD: 495 ± 62 vs 604 ± 91 ms, P < 0.05). Indices of LV diastolic function was reduced after cycling but were not mediated by exercise intensity. cTnI was elevated in two participants after HIGH trial (0.06 ug/ L; 0.04 ug/ L) and one participant after MOD trial (0.02 ug/ L). While cEMD is lengthened and LV diastolic function was reduced post-cycling, altering time-trial intensity had little impact upon cEMD, LV function, and cTnI release. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This study investigated verb argument structure effects in children with specific language impairment (SLI). Aims: A picture-naming paradigm was used to compare the response times and naming accuracy for nouns and verbs with differing argument structure between Spanish-speaking children with and without language impairment. Methods & Procedures: Twenty-four children with SLI (ages 5;3-8;2 [years;months]), 24 age-matched controls (ages 5;3-8;2), 24 MLU-w controls (ages 3;3-7;1 years), and 31 adults participated in a picture-naming study. Outcomes & Results: The results show all groups produced more correct responses and were faster for nouns than all verbs together. As regards verb type accuracy, there were no differences between groups in naming one-argument verbs. However, for both two- and three-argument verbs, children with SLI were less accurate than adults and age-matched controls, but similar to the MLU-matched controls. For verb type latency, children with SLI were slower than both the age-matched controls and adults for one- and two-argument verbs, while no differences were found in three-argument verbs. No differences were found between children with SLI and MLU-matched controls for any verb type. Conclusions & Implications: It has been shown that the naming of verbs is delayed in Spanish children with SLI. It is suggested that children with SLI may have problems encoding semantic representations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study describes a method for determining cinnamyl alcohol dehydrogenase activity in sugarcane stems using reverse phase (RP) high-performance liquid chromatography to elucidate their possible lignin origin. Activity is assayed using the reverse mode, the oxidation of hydroxycinnamyl alcohols into hydroxycinnamyl aldehydes. Appearance of the reaction products, coniferaldehyde and sinapaldehyde is determined by measuring absorbance at 340 and 345 nm, respectively. Disappearance of substrates, coniferyl alcohol and sinapyl alcohol is measured at 263 and 273 nm, respectively. Isocratic elution with acetonitrile:acetic acid through an RP Mediterranea sea C18 column is performed. As case examples, we have examined two different cultivars of sugarcane; My 5514 is resistant to smut, whereas B 42231 is susceptible to the pathogen. Inoculation of sugarcane stems elicits lignification and produces significant increases of coniferyl alcohol dehydrogenase (CAD) and sinapyl alcohol dehydrogenase (SAD). Production of lignin increases about 29% in the resistant cultivar and only 13% in the susceptible cultivar after inoculation compared to uninoculated plants. Our results show that the resistance of My 5514 to smut is likely derived, at least in part, to a marked increase of lignin concentration by the activation of CAD and SAD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of two rootstocks on tree growth, fruit set and development, yield, CO2 assimilation, 13C-photoassimilates transport, and carbohydrate distribution were investigated. Cleopatra mandarin (CM) (Citrus reshni hort. ex Tanaka) and Forner-Alcaide 13 (FA-13) [Citrus reshni hort. ex Tanaka × Poncirus trifoliata (L.) Raf.] rootstocks were used for this study. The first experiment was performed with 2-yr-old plants grown under greenhouse conditions. The results showed that leaves from navel orange [Citrus sinensis (L.) Osbeck] grafted onto FA-13 rootstock (navel onto FA-13) had higher net CO2 assimilation (Aco2) rates than those from navel orange grafted onto CM rootstock (navel onto CM). Also, FA-13 rootstock induced an increase in leaf transpiration rate with respect to CM rootstock resulting in similar water use efficiency (WUE) values. The higher of photosynthetic activity in navel onto FA-13 plants resulted in higher photoassimilate transport (13C- labeled) from leaves to roots compared to navel onto CM plants, causing higher sucrose and starch accumulation in FA-13 roots. The second experiment was performed under field conditions using 7-yr-old trees. Navel orange grafted onto FA-13, which had the highest Aco2 values, displayed higher photoassimilate transport (13C-labeled) from leaves to developing fruits than those on CM. navel onto FA-13 leaf sucrose content decreased compared to navel onto CM and leaf concentrations of this sugar were inversely correlated with Aco2 values. On the other hand, sucrose and starch concentrations in root bark appeared to be related with fruit sink strength. In conclusion, FA-13 rootstock enhances photosynthetic rate in navel orange leaves compared to CM and differences in this parameter affected growth and increased yield. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary The objectives of this study were: (i) to compare the sleep quality at home of patients with fibromyalgia with that of healthy controls; and (ii) to examine the factors associated with sleep quality in patients with fibromyalgia. In addition to anthropometric measures, 75 women with fibromyalgia and 48 healthy controls completed standardized questionnaires that assessed sleep quality, functional impairment (Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire), depression, anxiety and physical activity level. Comparisons between groups, correlation coefficients and a series of hierarchical multiple regressions were performed. The global Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index scores were worse in patients with fibromyalgia than in the controls. This result was partly explained by the Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire score. For the patients with fibromyalgia, the results of the first model that tested the importance of demographic factors were not statistically significant. In the disease-related model, the duration of symptoms and symptom severity contributed to poor sleep quality. A measurement of physical activity participation and the sum of the skinfold thickness were added to the demographic factors. In the psychological model, the level of anxiety contributed to poor sleep quality. When all variables were entered simultaneously, the level of physical activity, duration of symptoms and symptom severity remained significant determinants of sleep quality. In conclusion, our results showed that the symptoms associated with fibromyalgia contributed to poor overall sleep quality in patients compared with healthy subjects. The findings also suggest that the duration of symptoms, symptom severity and especially a sedentary lifestyle contributed to decreased sleep quality in patients with fibromyalgia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is devoted to the study of a class of high-order iterative methods for nonlinear equations on Banach spaces. An analysis of the convergence under Kantorovich-type conditions is proposed. Some numerical experiments, where the analyzed methods present better behavior than some classical schemes, are presented. These applications include the approximation of some quadratic and integral equations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We studied the effect of salicylic acid (SA) treatment on the response of pea plants to salinity. Sodium chloride (NaCl)-induced damage to leaves was increased by SA, which was correlated with a reduction in plant growth. The content of reduced ascorbate and glutathione in leaves of salt-treated plants increased in response to SA, although accumulation of the respective oxidised forms occurred. An increase in hydrogen peroxide also occurred in leaves of salt-exposed plants treated with SA. In the absence of NaCl, SA increased ascorbate peroxidase (APX; 100 μ m) and glutathione-S transferase (GST; 50 μ m) activities and increased catalase (CAT) activity in a concentration-dependent manner. Salinity decreased glutathione reductase (GR) activity, but increased GST and CAT activity. In salt-stressed plants, SA also produced changes in antioxidative enzymes: 100 μ m SA decreased APX but increased GST. Finally, a concentration-dependent increase in superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity was induced by SA treatment in salt-stressed plants. Induction of PR-1b was observed in NaCl-stressed plants treated with SA. The treatment with SA, as well as the interaction between salinity and SA treatment, had a significant effect on PsMAPK3 expression. The expression of PsMAPK3 was not altered by 70 m m NaCl, but was statistically higher in the absence than in the presence of SA. Overall, the results show that SA treatment negatively affected the response of pea plants to NaCl, and this response correlated with an imbalance in antioxidant metabolism. The data also show that SA treatment could enhance the resistance of salt-stressed plants to possible opportunistic pathogen attack, as suggested by increased PR-1b gene expression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Numerous studies have observed cardiac biomarker release with prolonged exercise. Despite this, we are unsure as to the constituent aspects of any given exercise bout that may be important in promoting cardiac biomarker release. This study examined the influence of exercise duration and intensity on the appearance of cardiac biomarkers. Twenty-one subjects ran for 45, 90 and 180 min at 85% and 95% of their individual anaerobic threshold on six different days randomized. Cardiac troponin I (cTnI) and N-terminal pro-brain natiuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) were assayed from blood samples collected before, 30 min and 3 h post-exercise. NT-proBNP was elevated after all exercise trials (range before: 21-32; range post: 38-67 ng/L). Peak post-exercise concentrations of NT-proBNP were associated with exercise duration ( P=0.049), but not exercise intensity ( P=0.451). cTnI was elevated after all exercise trials (range before: 0.007-0.011; range post: 0.008-0.021 μg/L). Peak post-exercise concentrations of cTnI were associated with exercise duration ( P=0.003) and intensity ( P=0.037). Data suggest that while both cTnI and NT-proBNP increased after all exercise trials, the mediating effect of duration influenced both NT-proBNP and cTnI while intensity influenced only cTnI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Leptogium corniculatum, a cyanolichen containing Nostoc as photobiont, produces and secretes arginase to culture medium containing arginine. This secreted arginase was pre-purified by affinity chromatography on beads of activated agarose to which a polygalactosylated urease, purified from Evernia prunastri, was attached. Arginase was eluted from the beads with 50 m mα- d-galactose. The eluted arginase binds preferentially to the cell surface of Nostoc isolated from this lichen thallus, although it is also able to bind, to some extent, to the cell surface of the chlorobiont isolated from E. prunastri. Previous studies in chlorolichens have shown that a fungal lectin that develops subsidiary arginase activity can be a factor in recognition of compatible algal cells through binding to a polygalactosylated urease, which acts as a lectin ligand in the algal cell wall. Our experiments demonstrate that this model can now be extended to cyanolichens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]