-
Dental Research Journal 2024The COVID-19 pandemic which is caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has created a major global health crisis in recent years....
BACKGROUND
The COVID-19 pandemic which is caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has created a major global health crisis in recent years. Despite this, there have been few studies that have utilized reliable methods to assess changes in taste and smell perception. Therefore, our study aims at the number of fungiform papillae and objective measures of taste perception relationship among COVID-19 patients with olfactory and gustatory disorders.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
This was a cross-sectional analytical study in which 57 COVID-19 patients were recruited who confirmed the dysfunction of taste and smell. Objective assessment of the sense of taste was evaluated using four different standardized solution preparations, and the scores were given according to the patient's statements. Digitalized quantification of fungiform papillae was counted. The data were analyzed with the Pearson's correlation coefficient using the SPSS version. 23 [Licensed JSSAHER, Mysuru, Karnataka, India], and the level of significance was set at <0.001.
RESULTS
In terms of altered or reduced taste and smell, male patients exhibited a higher incidence compared to females. Compared to the sour taste, a substantial number of COVID-19 patients have displayed a notable decrease in their ability to taste sweet, salty, and bitter flavors. However, a statistically significant positive correlation was observed between taste scores and fungiform papillae density ( = 0.518, < 0.001).
CONCLUSION
Our Study demonstrated that the quantitative evaluation of taste perception and the count of fungiform papillae can serve as important indicators of SARS-CoV-2 infection, and could potentially help in the early detection and treatment of COVID-19 patients, as reduced taste function is a significant marker of the disease.
PubMed: 38476719
DOI: No ID Found -
Cell Death Discovery Mar 2024Pancreatic cancer is a malignant tumor of the digestive system. It is highly aggressive, easily metastasizes, and extremely difficult to treat. This study aimed to...
Pancreatic cancer is a malignant tumor of the digestive system. It is highly aggressive, easily metastasizes, and extremely difficult to treat. This study aimed to analyze the genes that might regulate pancreatic cancer migration to provide an essential basis for the prognostic assessment of pancreatic cancer and individualized treatment. A CRISPR knockout library directed against 915 murine genes was transfected into TB 32047 cell line to screen which gene loss promoted cell migration. Next-generation sequencing and PinAPL.py- analysis was performed to identify candidate genes. We then assessed the effect of serine/threonine kinase 11 (STK11) knockout on pancreatic cancer by wound-healing assay, chick agnosia (CAM) assay, and orthotopic mouse pancreatic cancer model. We performed RNA sequence and Western blotting for mechanistic studies to identify and verify the pathways. After accelerated Transwell migration screening, STK11 was identified as one of the top candidate genes. Further experiments showed that targeted knockout of STK11 promoted the cell migration and increased liver metastasis in mice. Mechanistic analyses revealed that STK11 knockout influences blood vessel morphogenesis and is closely associated with the enhanced expression of phosphodiesterases (PDEs), especially PDE4D, PDE4B, and PDE10A. PDE4 inhibitor Roflumilast inhibited STK11-KO cell migration and tumor size, further demonstrating that PDEs are essential for STK11-deficient cell migration. Our findings support the adoption of therapeutic strategies, including Roflumilast, for patients with STK11-mutated pancreatic cancer in order to improve treatment efficacy and ultimately prolong survival.
PubMed: 38461159
DOI: 10.1038/s41420-024-01890-y -
Cortex; a Journal Devoted To the Study... Apr 2024Developmental prosopagnosia (DP) is characterised by difficulties recognising face identities and is associated with diverse co-occurring object recognition...
Developmental prosopagnosia (DP) is characterised by difficulties recognising face identities and is associated with diverse co-occurring object recognition difficulties. The high co-occurrence rate and heterogeneity of associated difficulties in DP is an intrinsic feature of developmental conditions, where co-occurrence of difficulties is the rule, rather than the exception. However, despite its name, cognitive and neural theories of DP rarely consider the developmental context in which these difficulties occur. This leaves a large gap in our understanding of how DP emerges in light of the developmental trajectory of face recognition. Here, we argue that progress in the field requires re-considering the developmental origins of differences in face recognition abilities, rather than studying the end-state alone. In practice, considering development in DP necessitates a re-evaluation of current approaches in recruitment, design, and analyses.
Topics: Humans; Prosopagnosia; Facial Recognition; Visual Perception; Pattern Recognition, Visual
PubMed: 38460488
DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2024.02.006 -
Internal Medicine (Tokyo, Japan) Feb 2024A 73-year-old woman with posterior cortical atrophy (PCA) presented with progressive apperceptive visual agnosia, alexia, agraphia, ventral simultanagnosia,...
A 73-year-old woman with posterior cortical atrophy (PCA) presented with progressive apperceptive visual agnosia, alexia, agraphia, ventral simultanagnosia, prosopagnosia, and allocentric (stimulus-centered) left-sided hemispatial neglect. All of these symptoms were attributed to damage to the bilateral occipito-temporal cortices, consistent with ventral variant PCA. While the Pittsburgh compound B uptake was extensively distributed throughout the occipito-parietal (dorsal) and occipito-temporal (ventral) areas, the THK5351 (ligand binding to tau aggregates/astrocyte gliosis) accumulation was limited to the ventral area. These findings suggest that local accumulation of tau proteins and/or astrocyte gliosis over the occipito-temporal cortices can result in ventral variant PCA.
PubMed: 38369357
DOI: 10.2169/internalmedicine.2844-23 -
The American Journal of Occupational... Mar 2024Unilateral spatial neglect (neglect) poststroke is disabling. It is critical that people with neglect are identified so that treatment can be provided to maximize...
IMPORTANCE
Unilateral spatial neglect (neglect) poststroke is disabling. It is critical that people with neglect are identified so that treatment can be provided to maximize independence. However, there is some evidence to suggest that existing assessments may not adequately measure neglect. It is unclear whether assessments also fail to identify people with neglect entirely.
OBJECTIVE
To determine whether there are stroke survivors who self-report neglect symptoms that are not detected by therapist-rated assessments and to compare self-report and therapist-ratings.
DESIGN
Cross-sectional study.
SETTING
U.S. university research center.
PARTICIPANTS
Unilateral stroke survivors (N = 133).
INTERVENTION
Not applicable.
OUTCOMES AND MEASURES
The Catherine Bergego Scale (CBS) was administered to participants and scored by a trained occupational therapist. The parallel self-evaluation anosognosia form was also administered to participants to self-report and rate neglect symptoms.
RESULTS
Forty-eight participants (36.1%) were classified as without neglect on the basis of therapist-rated total CBS scores, yet 30 (62.5%) of these 48 participants reported symptoms of neglect on the CBS self-evaluation anosognosia form. There was a significant difference (p < .001) between therapist-rated and self-rated total CBS scores.
CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE
Our results indicate that many stroke survivors report some level of disability associated with neglect yet do not meet the criteria to be classified as having neglect according to a commonly used therapist-rated performance-based measure. Plain-Language Summary: The findings of this study contribute to the evidence that existing assessments used by occupational therapists to measure performance-based neglect may not always detect neglect symptoms comprehensively in people poststroke. The finding also suggest that we may be missing neglect symptoms entirely. Occupational therapists should consider using various methods to assess for neglect, including patient self-report and comprehensive occupational profiles. Clinicians should also thoroughly screen all clients with stroke for neglect, regardless of lesion location.
Topics: Humans; Cross-Sectional Studies; Perceptual Disorders; Agnosia; Stroke; Stroke Rehabilitation
PubMed: 38350038
DOI: 10.5014/ajot.2024.050497 -
Cortex; a Journal Devoted To the Study... Mar 2024Despite severe everyday problems recognising faces, some individuals with developmental prosopagnosia (DP) can achieve typical accuracy scores on laboratory face...
Despite severe everyday problems recognising faces, some individuals with developmental prosopagnosia (DP) can achieve typical accuracy scores on laboratory face recognition tests. To address this, studies sometimes also examine response times (RTs), which tend to be longer in DPs relative to control participants. In the present study, 24 potential (according to self-report) DPs and 110 age-matched controls completed the Cambridge Face and Bicycle Memory Tests, old new faces task, and a famous faces test. We used accuracy and the Balanced Integration Score (BIS), a measure that adjusts accuracy for RTs, to classify our sample at the group and individual levels. Subjective face recognition ability was assessed using the PI20 questionnaire and semi structured interviews. Fifteen DPs showed a major impairment using BIS compared with only five using accuracy alone. Logistic regression showed that a model incorporating the BIS measures was the most sensitive for classifying DP and showed highest area under the curve (AUC). Furthermore, larger between-group effect sizes were observed for a derived global (averaged) memory measure calculated using BIS versus accuracy alone. BIS is thus an extremely sensitive novel measure for attenuating speed-accuracy trade-offs that can otherwise mask impairment measured only by accuracy in DP.
Topics: Humans; Prosopagnosia; Facial Recognition; Self Report; Surveys and Questionnaires; Reaction Time; Pattern Recognition, Visual
PubMed: 38330779
DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2023.12.011 -
Journal of Orthopaedic Surgery and... Feb 2024The reconstruction of medium-sized soft tissue defects of the fingertip remains a challenge for hand surgeons. The aim of this study was to compare the outcomes of...
Comparison treatment of medium-sized volar fingertips defects with modified triangular neurovascular unilateral advancement flap versus digital artery dorsal perforator flap.
PURPOSE
The reconstruction of medium-sized soft tissue defects of the fingertip remains a challenge for hand surgeons. The aim of this study was to compare the outcomes of modified triangular neurovascular unilateral advancement flap and digital artery dorsal perforator flap in the treatment of this injury.
METHODS
From May 2018 to May 2022, 70 patients with medium-sized volar soft tissue defects were enrolled. The patients were divided into two groups based on the flap type: modified triangular neurovascular unilateral advancement flap (Group A) and digital artery dorsal perforator flap (Group B). The debridement times, defect size, operation time, and flap survival rate were recorded. At follow-up, hand function, aesthetics, and complications were evaluated. Function was evaluated using the TAM score. The aesthetics of the reconstructed and donor sites were assessed using the vancouver scar scale (VSS). The static two-point discrimination of the finger pulp served as a measure of tactile agnosia.
RESULTS
A total of 10 patients were lost to follow-up for various reasons, resulting in 30 cases remaining in each group. The general information of the two groups showed no significant differences in age, sex, injury side, cause of injury, time from injury to surgery, and operation time (P > 0.05). Additionally, the debridement times and size of the defect were similar between the groups (P > 0.05). However, the operation time was significantly shorter in Group A compared to Group B (P = 0.001). With regard to complications, there was no significant difference between them. At one-month follow-up, TAM scores indicated that Group B performed significantly better than Group A. However, at the final follow-up period, there was no significant difference in TAM scores between the two groups. When considering the VSS, significant differences were observed between the two groups in both the reconstructed site and donor site.
CONCLUSION
Both flaps can effectively repair medium-sized fingertip defects. Furthermore, the modified triangular neurovascular unilateral advancement flap offers anatomical reconstruction possibilities, ensuring satisfactory sensation and cosmetic contour.
Topics: Humans; Perforator Flap; Plastic Surgery Procedures; Skin Transplantation; Finger Injuries; Soft Tissue Injuries; Arteries; Treatment Outcome
PubMed: 38310285
DOI: 10.1186/s13018-024-04608-z -
Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews Mar 2024Face-selective regions in the human ventral occipito-temporal cortex (VOTC) have been defined for decades mainly with functional magnetic resonance imaging. This... (Review)
Review
Face-selective regions in the human ventral occipito-temporal cortex (VOTC) have been defined for decades mainly with functional magnetic resonance imaging. This face-selective VOTC network is traditionally divided in a posterior 'core' system thought to subtend face perception, and regions of the anterior temporal lobe as a semantic memory component of an extended general system. In between these two putative systems lies the anterior fusiform gyrus and surrounding sulci, affected by magnetic susceptibility artifacts. Here we suggest that this methodological gap overlaps with and contributes to a conceptual gap between (visual) perception and semantic memory for faces. Filling this gap with intracerebral recordings and direct electrical stimulation reveals robust face-selectivity in the anterior fusiform gyrus and a crucial role of this region, especially in the right hemisphere, in identity recognition for both familiar and unfamiliar faces. Based on these observations, we propose an integrated theoretical framework for human face (identity) recognition according to which face-selective regions in the anterior fusiform gyrus join the dots between posterior and anterior cortical face memories.
Topics: Humans; Prosopagnosia; Temporal Lobe; Facial Recognition; Recognition, Psychology; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Pattern Recognition, Visual; Brain Mapping; Photic Stimulation
PubMed: 38191080
DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2024.105535 -
Frontiers in Psychiatry 2023Fahr's disease (FD) is a rare disorder, characterized by basal ganglia calcification and presenting with movement disorders, speech impairment, cognitive deficits, and...
Fahr's disease (FD) is a rare disorder, characterized by basal ganglia calcification and presenting with movement disorders, speech impairment, cognitive deficits, and neuropsychiatric symptoms. Psychotic disorders related to FD are barely described in the literature, and knowledge is missing concerning pathophysiology, course, and management. Here, we report on the long-term follow-up of a patient who had three acute episodes of FD-psychosis characterized by bizarre delusions and behavioral disorganization, without hallucinations. Genetic and metabolic causes of FD were ruled out. In all three episodes, olanzapine monotherapy rapidly and completely resolved psychosis, without inducing metabolic syndrome and extrapyramidal symptoms. In addition to the acute decompensations, the patient presented a tame, introverted, industrious, and perfectionistic personality, which we could interpret as the "" described for many other basal ganglia disorders. Moreover, bizarre appearance, reduced affectivity, abulia, concrete speech, and stiff motricity in the context of a mild asymmetric extrapyramidal syndrome characterized the mental status. The cognitive profile was initially marked by executive difficulties and partial agnosia, with an IQ of 86. In the course of 10 years, the patient suffered from an ischemic stroke in the left superior temporal gyrus, which provoked a decline in memory and executive functions, without any impact on the psychiatric picture. Antiphospholipid antibody syndrome emerged as the underlying cause; thus, for the first time in the literature, an overlap of FD and antiphospholipid antibody syndrome is described here. This case report stresses once more the need for better integration of psychiatry and neurology and for the investigation of secondary causes of late-onset psychosis.
PubMed: 38016060
DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1268982 -
Cortex; a Journal Devoted To the Study... Feb 2024Self-unawareness concerning current symptoms remains a clinical challenge in Alzheimer's disease. Reduced self-awareness likely depends on complex biopsychosocial... (Review)
Review
Self-unawareness concerning current symptoms remains a clinical challenge in Alzheimer's disease. Reduced self-awareness likely depends on complex biopsychosocial mechanisms that comprise multiple cognitive processes, regulated by personal goals and values. We specifically reviewed the cognitive processes impaired in unaware participants with AD by emphasizing the related impaired brain activity observed during task-based fMRI. Unawareness can be explained by a failure in functioning of or in connection between brain regions that intervene in access, retrieval and updating of (present or extended) self-information (posterior midline, medial temporal, inferior parietal cortices), or in its monitoring, evaluation, or control (medial and lateral prefrontal cortices). Although one must be cautious when relating function to brain regions, impaired processes were tentatively related to the Cognitive Awareness Model. Although brain function depends on neural networks, impaired brain activity during cognitive processes was discussed according to previous studies reporting correlations between brain regions and scores of anosognosia. The review provides a framework to help clinicians considering processes that can explain unawareness in dementia. In patients at early stages of AD, different levels of awareness of cognitive or social clinical changes might be described as impairment in the interaction between specific cognitive processes and contents.
Topics: Humans; Alzheimer Disease; Awareness; Neuropsychological Tests; Brain; Prefrontal Cortex; Agnosia; Cognitive Dysfunction
PubMed: 37977109
DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2023.10.009