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International Forum of Allergy &... Oct 2023Olfactory dysfunction has been reported to be involved in Parkinson's disease (PD) pathogenesis. However, gustatory dysfunction in PD has not been evaluated as in-depth... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
BACKGROUND
Olfactory dysfunction has been reported to be involved in Parkinson's disease (PD) pathogenesis. However, gustatory dysfunction in PD has not been evaluated as in-depth as olfactory dysfunction. We reviewed the previously published studies regarding gustatory function in PD patients and suggested the possibility that gustatory dysfunction may also be associated with PD.
METHODS
MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, Embase, and PubMed databases were searched for studies evaluating gustatory function in PD patients. We used the standardized mean difference and a 95% confidence interval (CI) as the effect analysis index regarding the taste strip test. The relative risk and 95% CI were used as the effect analysis index for the questionnaires and propylthiouracil (PTU)/phenylthiocarbamide (PTC) perception test. Statistical heterogeneity was assessed using forest plots, Cochran's Q, and the I statistic; heterogeneity was considered high when I was over 75%. Publication bias was assessed by funnel plots and the Egger bias test.
RESULTS
We identified 19 articles that reported the results of gustatory function tests in PD patients and healthy controls. Most of these studies used various gustatory tests, including taste strips, questionnaires, taste solutions, PTU/PTC perception tests, and electrogustometry, and reported significantly lower gustatory function in PD patients than in the controls. However, several articles reported contradictory results.
CONCLUSIONS
Based on these studies, gustatory dysfunction is closely related to PD. However, the number of studies and enrolled subjects was small, and a unified gustatory function test was lacking. Therefore, further studies with larger populations and normalized gustatory function tests are needed.
Topics: Humans; Parkinson Disease; Taste Disorders; Smell; Taste Perception; Phenylthiourea; Olfaction Disorders
PubMed: 36934313
DOI: 10.1002/alr.23158 -
Journal of Vision Oct 2023When an observer moves in space, the retinal projection of a stationary object either expands if the motion is toward the object or shifts horizontally if the motion...
When an observer moves in space, the retinal projection of a stationary object either expands if the motion is toward the object or shifts horizontally if the motion contains a lateral component. This study examined the impact of expansive optic flow and lateral motion parallax on the accuracy of depth perception for observers with normal or artificially reduced acuity and asked whether any benefit is due to the continuous motion or to the discrete object image displacement. Stationary participants viewed a virtual room on a computer screen. They used an on-screen slider to estimate the depth of a target object relative to a reference object after seeing 2-second videos simulating five conditions: static viewing, expansive optic flow, and lateral motion parallax in either continuous motion or image displacement. Ten participants viewed the stimuli with normal acuity in Experiment 1 and 11 with three levels of artificially reduced acuity in Experiment 2. Linear regression models represented the relationship between the depth estimates of participants and the ground truth. Lateral motion parallax produced more accurate depth estimates than expansive optic flow and static viewing. Depth perception with continuous motion was more accurate than that with displacement under mild and moderate, but not severe, acuity reduction. For observers with both normal and artificially reduced acuity, lateral motion parallax was more helpful for object depth estimation than expansive optic flow, and continuous motion parallax was more helpful than object image displacement.
Topics: Humans; Depth Perception; Optic Flow; Motion Perception; Motion; Retina
PubMed: 37801321
DOI: 10.1167/jov.23.12.3 -
PloS One 2023Investigating the factors underlying perceived speed and risk is crucial to ensure safe driving. However, existing studies on this topic usually measure speed and risk...
Investigating the factors underlying perceived speed and risk is crucial to ensure safe driving. However, existing studies on this topic usually measure speed and risk perception indirectly after a driving session, which makes it difficult to trace dynamic effects and time points of potential misestimates. To address this problem, we developed and validated a novel continuous method for dynamically measuring risk and speed perceptions. To study the factors affecting risk and speed perception, we presented participants with videos captured on the same racing track from the same point of view but with different drivers who varied in their speed and risk profiles. During the experiment, participants used a joystick to continuously rate the subjectively perceived risk of driving in the first block and the perceived speed in the second block. Our analysis of these dynamic ratings indicates that risk and speed estimates were decoupled, with curves resulting in decreased speeds but increased risk ratings. However, a close distance to the car in front increased both speed and risk. Based on actual and estimated speed data, we found that overtaking cars on curves resulted in participants overestimating their own speed, whereas an increase in the distance to the car in front on a straight course led to underestimations of their own speed. Our results showcase the usefulness of dynamic rating profiles for in-depth investigations into situations that could result in drivers misjudging speed or risk and will thus help the development of more intelligent, human-centered driving assistance systems.
Topics: Humans; Automobiles; Communications Media; Intelligence; Spectrum Analysis, Raman; Perception
PubMed: 37656718
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0291043 -
IEEE Transactions on Image Processing :... 20243D perception tasks, such as 3D object detection and Bird's-Eye-View (BEV) segmentation using multi-camera images, have drawn significant attention recently. Despite the...
3D perception tasks, such as 3D object detection and Bird's-Eye-View (BEV) segmentation using multi-camera images, have drawn significant attention recently. Despite the fact that accurately estimating both semantic and 3D scene layouts are crucial for this task, existing techniques often neglect the synergistic effects of semantic and depth cues, leading to the occurrence of classification and position estimation errors. Additionally, the input-independent nature of initial queries also limits the learning capacity of Transformer-based models. To tackle these challenges, we propose an input-aware Transformer framework that leverages Semantics and Depth as priors (named SDTR). Our approach involves the use of an S-D Encoder that explicitly models semantic and depth priors, thereby disentangling the learning process of object categorization and position estimation. Moreover, we introduce a Prior-guided Query Builder that incorporates the semantic prior into the initial queries of the Transformer, resulting in more effective input-aware queries. Extensive experiments on the nuScenes and Lyft benchmarks demonstrate the state-of-the-art performance of our method in both 3D object detection and BEV segmentation tasks.
PubMed: 38236678
DOI: 10.1109/TIP.2024.3352808 -
Qualitative Health Research Jan 2024This qualitative study consisted of in-depth, retrospective interviews with participants over the age of 18 who experienced child sexual abuse. Through narrative...
This qualitative study consisted of in-depth, retrospective interviews with participants over the age of 18 who experienced child sexual abuse. Through narrative analysis, study findings shed light on three overall findings: the perception of memories, the perception of grooming, and the perception of the lived lives of child sexual abuse survivors. Findings suggest that the narratives elicited from the participants included current views but also past experiences and anticipation about the future, including individual and societal levels of meaning. These narratives are furthermore entangled and inexorably linked - temporally, culturally, generationally, materially, and emotionally - and the results are thus presented from a holistic perspective. Study findings help explain the complex dimensions concerning the lived experiences of child sexual abuse. As such, this research speaks to the field of social and health care practitioners working with children and families facing the complex phenomenon of child sexual abuse.
PubMed: 38227892
DOI: 10.1177/10497323231218828 -
Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics Aug 2023Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) causes a substantial proportion of acute lower respiratory tract infections (LRTI) among infants. In low- and middle-income countries,...
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) causes a substantial proportion of acute lower respiratory tract infections (LRTI) among infants. In low- and middle-income countries, RSV may be responsible for approximately 40% of all hospital admissions of infants less than one year. A safe and immunogenic RSV vaccine, given to pregnant persons, is imminent. In this qualitative study, we sought to understand factors that could inform maternal vaccine decision-making to inform future demand generation strategies in Kenya. We conducted in-depth interviews with 24 pregnant and lactating persons from two counties, with two communities in each county. Four key themes emerged, including terms used for RSV, awareness of and risk perception related to RSV, causes of RSV, and questions about future maternal RSV vaccines. Regarding terms, no participant used the term RSV to describe the disease. Most participants associated RSV with cold things such as cold weather and cold food/drink. Most participants believed that RSV was caused by the cold or an unclean environment. Finally, key questions related to a maternal RSV vaccine were related to vaccine safety, and more specifically side effects. Questions arose related to vaccine effectiveness as well as timing of administration and dosing. A maternal RSV vaccine is on the horizon. However, vaccines do not save lives; vaccination does. As such, it is critical to develop and implement demand generation approaches to ensure that once a maternal RSV vaccine is available, communities are sensitized and willing to accept it.
Topics: Infant; Pregnancy; Humans; Female; Respiratory Syncytial Virus Vaccines; Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infections; Kenya; Lactation; Respiratory Syncytial Virus, Human; Perception
PubMed: 37807864
DOI: 10.1080/21645515.2023.2258580 -
Frontiers in Psychology 2023Parkinson's disorder (PD) is a common neurodegenerative disorder affecting approximately 1-3% of the population aged 60 years and older. In addition to motor...
Parkinson's disorder (PD) is a common neurodegenerative disorder affecting approximately 1-3% of the population aged 60 years and older. In addition to motor difficulties, PD is also marked by visual disturbances, including depth perception, abnormalities in basal ganglia functioning, and dopamine deficiency. Reduced ability to perceive depth has been linked to an increased risk of falling in this population. The purpose of this paper was to determine whether disturbances in PD patients' visual processing manifest through atypical performance on visual illusion (VI) tasks. This insight will advance understanding of high-level perception in PD, as well as indicate the role of dopamine deficiency and basal ganglia pathophysiology in VIs susceptibility. Groups of 28 PD patients ( = 63.46, = 7.55) and 28 neurotypical controls ( = 63.18, = 9.39) matched on age, general cognitive abilities (memory, numeracy, attention, language), and mood responded to Ebbinghaus, Ponzo, and Müller-Lyer illusions in a computer-based task. Our results revealed no reliable differences in VI susceptibility between PD and neurotypical groups. In the early- to mid-stage of PD, abnormalities of the basal ganglia and dopamine deficiency are unlikely to be involved in top-down processing or depth perception, which are both thought to be related to VI susceptibility. Furthermore, depth-related issues experienced by PD patients (e.g., increased risk for falling) may not be subserved by the same cognitive mechanisms as VIs. Further research is needed to investigate if more explicit presentations of illusory depth are affected in PD, which might help to understand the depth processing deficits in PD.
PubMed: 38259525
DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1289160 -
Neuropsychologia Nov 2023We report five experiments to test the influence of pictorial depth on reaching. Our core method is to project a wide-field background of linear perspective and/or...
We report five experiments to test the influence of pictorial depth on reaching. Our core method is to project a wide-field background of linear perspective and/or texture gradient onto a tabletop, and to measure the amplitude of reaches made to targets within it. In 63 healthy participants performing immediate open-loop reaches across Experiments 1-4, we observed a clear effect of pictorial depth. This effect was driven specifically by the convergence of the background pattern at the target position: for each additional degree of pictorial convergence, reaching distance increased by half a millimetre. In the individual experiments, we applied manipulations that might be expected to modify the influence of pictorial depth. We found no evidence that the effect was modified with monocular viewing, or when participants responded with the left hand, or if a memory delay was inserted before the response. Nor did participants become less susceptible to pictorial depth when visual feedback of terminal reaching errors was provided, although visual feedback during the reach did mitigate the influence of pictorial depth. Finally, the visual form agnosic patient DF showed an entirely normal effect of pictorial depth cues, which leads us to question the idea that this effect emanates from visual analyses of size and shape in the ventral stream, rather than from the dorsal stream, or from earlier stages of visual processing.
Topics: Humans; Depth Perception; Cues; Visual Perception; Feedback, Sensory
PubMed: 37820755
DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2023.108701 -
Acupuncture in Medicine : Journal of... Aug 2023The objective of the study was to investigate and compare the effects of manual acupuncture (MA) and electroacupuncture (EA) on current perception thresholds (CPTs)...
OBJECTIVE
The objective of the study was to investigate and compare the effects of manual acupuncture (MA) and electroacupuncture (EA) on current perception thresholds (CPTs) using quantitative methods.
METHODS
Twenty-nine healthy volunteers participated in this prospective crossover trial, in which three acupuncture methods were compared: control, MA, and EA. Acupuncture needles were inserted to a depth of 15 mm at LI4 and LI11 on the left side and retained for 30 min with or without electrical stimulation at a frequency of 2 Hz (EA and MA, respectively). The needles were removed and participants rested for 30 min. CPT in the left mental region was measured at 2000, 250, and 5 Hz, corresponding to the activation of Aβ, Aδ, and C-fibers, respectively, at four time points: baseline, T; 15 min after needle application, T; immediately after needle removal, T; and 30 min after needle removal, T. In the control session, only a sensory test was performed (without acupuncture).
RESULTS
Significant effects of time course on CPT were observed ( < 0.001). CPT values increased significantly at T, T, and T, compared with those at T, at all stimulation frequencies during MA and EA. Changes in CPT values with EA were not significantly greater than those with MA.
CONCLUSIONS
Both MA and EA increased the sensory thresholds of Aβ, Aδ, and C-fibers in the mental region for ⩾30 min after needle removal. Additional of electrical stimulation may not confer additional benefits over needling alone.
TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER
UMIN000017983 (University Hospital Medical Information Network Clinical Trials Registry).
Topics: Humans; Electroacupuncture; Cross-Over Studies; Prospective Studies; Acupuncture Points; Acupuncture Therapy; Perception
PubMed: 36655623
DOI: 10.1177/09645284221131339 -
Neural Networks : the Official Journal... Nov 2023Many low-level vision tasks, including guided depth super-resolution (GDSR), struggle with the issue of insufficient paired training data. Self-supervised learning is a...
Many low-level vision tasks, including guided depth super-resolution (GDSR), struggle with the issue of insufficient paired training data. Self-supervised learning is a promising solution, but it remains challenging to upsample depth maps without the explicit supervision of high-resolution target images. To alleviate this problem, we propose a self-supervised depth super-resolution method with contrastive multiview pre-training. Unlike existing contrastive learning methods for classification or segmentation tasks, our strategy can be applied to regression tasks even when trained on a small-scale dataset and can reduce information redundancy by extracting unique features from the guide. Furthermore, we propose a novel mutual modulation scheme that can effectively compute the local spatial correlation between cross-modal features. Exhaustive experiments demonstrate that our method attains superior performance with respect to state-of-the-art GDSR methods and exhibits good generalization to other modalities.
Topics: Neural Networks, Computer
PubMed: 37769459
DOI: 10.1016/j.neunet.2023.09.023