Shorter Latency Time Research Articles

Association of sleep timing, sleep duration, and sleep latency with metabolic syndrome in middle-aged adults in Korea: A cross-sectional and longitudinal study

ObjectiveSleep is a potential risk factor for metabolic syndrome. We investigated the associations of various sleep characteristics with the status and incidence of metabolic syndrome in middle-aged Koreans. MethodsUsing data from a community-based Korean Medicine Daejeon Citizen Cohort study on participants aged 30-50years, cross-sectional (n = 1984) and longitudinal (n = 1216, median follow-up: 2.1years) analyses were performed. To study the association of metabolic syndrome and five components with various sleep characteristics, measured using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, we used Poisson and logistic regression and Cox proportional hazard regression analyses, adjusting for covariates. ResultsOf 1984 participants, 66%, 19%, and 15% belonged to the non-metabolic syndrome, pre-metabolic syndrome, and metabolic syndrome groups, respectively. After covariate adjustments, the pre-metabolic syndrome group was associated with late mid-sleep time (≥5:00; prevalence ratios 1.61, 95% confidence interval 1.01-2.54) and late bedtime (≥2:00; prevalence ratios 1.55, 95% confidence interval 1.03-2.34), and the metabolic syndrome group was associated with long sleep latency (prevalence ratios 1.33, 95% confidence interval 1.03-1.73), poor sleep quality (prevalence ratios 1.38, 95% confidence interval 1.07-1.78), and early wake time (<6:00; prevalence ratios 1.29, 95% confidence interval 1.01-1.63). Longitudinal analysis of participants without metabolic syndrome at baseline indicated a significant increase in metabolic syndrome risk associated with very short sleep duration (<6 hours; hazard ratio 1.72, 95% confidence interval 1.06-2.79), long sleep latency (>30 minutes; hazard ratio 1.86, 95% confidence interval 1.1-3.12), and early wake time (<6:00 o’clock; hazard ratio 1.73, 95% confidence interval 1.01-2.97). ConclusionSleep characteristics, such as short duration, long latency, and early wake time, were associated with an increased risk of metabolic syndrome in middle-aged adults.

AMPA Receptors Endocytosis Inhibition Attenuates Cognition Deficit Via c-Fos/BDNF Signaling in Amyloid β Neurotoxicity

ABSTRACT Glutamatergic imbalance, particularly downregulation of α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4- isoxazole propionic acid receptor (AMPARs) endocytosis, has been addressed as a possible reason for cognitive dysfunctions in Alzheimer’s disease (AD). We hypothesized that inhibition of AMPAR endocytosis may ameliorate memory impairment in AD model of rats. To approach this, twenty-four adults male Wistar rats were divided into three groups: saline + saline (control group), Aβ + saline, and Aβ + Tat-GluR23Y (AMPA endocytosis inhibitor). Animals received an intracerebroventricular (i.c.v) injection of Aβ (1–42) to induce neuro-toxicity, followed by chronic administration of GluR23Y, and further behavioral assessments by MWM. Afterward, the hippocampal level of Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) and c-Fos was measured via Western blotting. The results of our study revealed that chronic administration of GluR23Y improved both working and reference memories evidenced by shorter latency time and longer total time spent in the target zone in MWM. Additionally, this improvement was paralleled by an increase in BDNF, but a decrease in c-Fos. In conclusion, GluR23Y improves spatial memory impairment at least partly via elevating neuroprotective factor of BDNF and reducing apoptotic protein of c-Fos.

Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia Mortality trend in the Federal District, Brazil, 2000-2020

Objective: To identify the trend and spatial distribution of deaths from ALL from 2000 to 2020 in the Federal District, Brazil. Method: This is ecological time series study in which data were obtained from Brazil's Mortality Information System. The population was obtained through death certificates and investigation forms of the underlying cause of death classified by code C91.0 for Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia in the International Classification of Diseases from 2000 to 2020 in the Federal District, Brazil. Statistical analysis was performed using Prais-Winsten linear regression. Results: The deaths from ALL predominantly occurred in male (51.70%), single (60.41%), and white (52.16%) subjects, as well as in those with four to seven years of schooling (27.37%). During the last 20 years, ALL mortality increased among subjects aged 0-4 and 50-59 years, with increment rates of 9.0% and 8.7% respectively. In children, ALL generally has a short latency time, progressing more quickly and invasively. Conclusions: Knowledge regarding mortality patterns for ALL in the Federal District will allow optimizing the allocation of federal and local resources, as well as understanding gaps in diagnosis and specific therapies that still need attention on the part of public policy makers.

Characteristics and outcomes of secondary acute lymphoblastic leukemia (sALL) after multiple myeloma (MM): SEER data analysis in a single-center institution

BackgroundSecondary acute lymphoblastic leukemia (sALL) is rare in patients diagnosed with antecedent multiple myeloma (MM). This study aimed to elucidate the clinical features and outcomes of patients with sALL after MM. MethodsWe conducted this population-based study using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database and retrospectively reviewed patients with sALL following MM treatment at our institution. Cox regression analysis was performed to investigate the prognostic factors for survival in patients with sALL. ResultsWe identified 64,629 cases of MM (including 18 sALL from the SEER Plus 9 database, and three sALL from our institution). Younger patients with MM and those who received chemotherapy were at a higher risk of developing sALL. The novel agent era witnessed an increased incidence of sALL (post-novel agent era vs. pre-novel agent era: 0.31% [10/32,640] vs. 0.25% [8/31,989]) and shorter latency time (post-novel agent era vs. pre-novel agent era [median]: 51.5 vs. 74.5 months, P = 0.516), though the difference was not significant. The median age at sALL onset was 65 (range: 47–78) years. Significant cytopenia and absence of BCR/ABL fusion genes were common features in this patient population. The treatment of sALL is complicated by old age and poor performance status. The median survival of patients with sALL is 18 months, whereas those who received chemotherapy had significantly prolonged survival. ConclusionsPatients with sALL combined with an antecedent MM, especially those with long-term exposure to immunomodulatory agents such as thalidomide or lenalidomide, should be cautiously evaluated and managed with a comprehensive approach.

Reliablity and Security for Fog Computing Systems

Fog computing (FC) is a distributed architecture in which computing resources and services are placed on edge devices closer to data sources. This enables more efficient data processing, shorter latency times, and better performance. Fog computing was shown to be a promising solution for addressing the new computing requirements. However, there are still many challenges to overcome to utilize this new computing paradigm, in particular, reliability and security. Following this need, a systematic literature review was conducted to create a list of requirements. As a result, the following four key requirements were formulated: (1) low latency and response times; (2) scalability and resource management; (3) fault tolerance and redundancy; and (4) privacy and security. Low delay and response can be achieved through edge caching, edge real-time analyses and decision making, and mobile edge computing. Scalability and resource management can be enabled by edge federation, virtualization and containerization, and edge resource discovery and orchestration. Fault tolerance and redundancy can be enabled by backup and recovery mechanisms, data replication strategies, and disaster recovery plans, with a residual number system (RNS) being a promising solution. Data security and data privacy are manifested in strong authentication and authorization mechanisms, access control and authorization management, with fully homomorphic encryption (FHE) and the secret sharing system (SSS) being of particular interest.

Association between kidney stones and poor sleep factors in U.S. adults.

The purpose of our study is to examine the correlation between sleep factors and the prevalence of kidney stones in US adults. A total of 34,679 participants from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2007 to 2018 were included in the analyses. Sleep data collection included: presleep factors (difficulty falling asleep, sleep onset latency), intra-sleep factors (risk index of obstructive sleep apnea, restless leg syndrome, difficulty maintaining sleep), post-sleep factors (daytime sleepiness, non-restorative sleep), sleep schedule and duration, and sleep quality. Logistic regression models were used to analyze the correlation between sleep factors and the prevalence of kidney stones. Among the 34,679 participants, the overall incidence of kidney stones was 9.3%. The presence of presleep factors (difficulty falling asleep [odds ratios [OR], 1.680; 95% CI, 1.310-2.150], prolonged sleep onset latency [OR, 1.320; 95% CI, 1.020-1.700]), intra-sleep factors (higher risk index of obstructive sleep apnea [OR, 1.750; 95% CI, 1.500-2.050], restless leg syndrome [OR, 1.520; 95% CI, 1.150-1.990], difficulty maintaining sleep [OR, 1.430; 95% CI, 1.130-1.810]), post-sleep factors (daytime sleepiness [OR, 1.430; 95% CI, 1.220-1.680], non-restorative sleep [OR, 1.400; 95% CI, 1.110-1.760]), short sleep duration (OR, 1.190; 95% CI, 1.080-1.310), mediate sleep quality (OR, 1.140; 95% CI, 1.020-1.290), and poor sleep quality (OR, 1.500; 95% CI, 1.310-1.720) are linked to the occurrence of kidney stones. However, short sleep onset latency, bedtime and wake-up time were not significantly associated with the prevalence of kidney stones. These findings showed positive associations between higher kidney stone prevalence and poor sleep factors.

The post-diapause vibrational behavior, motility, and survival of the brown marmorated stink bug Halyomorpha halys (Stål) adults at different temperatures

Substrate-borne vibrational communication is common in pentatomids. Although several works exist on the vibrational communication of Halyomorpha halys, its vibrational behavior post diapause has not been investigated. In this study, we recorded H. halys overwintered adults using laser doppler vibrometers at three temperatures: 10 °C (inactivity), 18 °C (breaking of diapause), and 25 °C (peak of mating activity). The aim was to assess the effect of temperature on the signaling, motility, and survival of H. halys. The insects were sexed into different cages and recorded separately or joined with a cage of the opposite sex. We calculated the total time spent on signaling and walking per replica. The males predominantly emitted male signal 1 (MS1) throughout the four months of recordings. The females exclusively emitted female signal 2 (FS2) when joined with the opposite sex cage the first two months of recordings. Interestingly, they also started FS2 signaling when recorded separately, after two months. No signaling was recorded at 10 °C. At 25 °C, the signaling latency time before vibrational signaling was 24 h compared to 23 days at 18 °C. The short latency time at 25 °C correlated with a higher death rate in early stages of recording. Male walking activity was significantly higher in joined cages at 18 °C and 25 °C, suggesting the increased searching behavior near the opposite sex. Overwintered H. halys could adapt to different conditions whereas low temperatures maintain the diapause which is characterized by no signaling activity. Our results provide a foundation for bioclimatic modeling of climate change effects on H. halys and insights into the use of vibrational playbacks for mass trapping and monitoring as control techniques.

Evaluation of antinociceptive effect and pharmacological mechanisms of thiocyanoacetamide in rats.

Acute pain is the most common type of pain. The aim of the present work was carried out to study the antinociceptive effect and pharmacological mechanisms of thiocyanoacetamide (Thm) in rats exposed to thermal pain stimulus. The anti-nociceptive effect of the newly synthesized compound, Thm was studied in comparison to that of paracetamol (Para), dexamethasone (Dex), and morphine (Morph) at different doses using a hot plate test at a constant temperature of 48.0 ± 0.5°C. During this test, the latency time (LT) was measured when rats express pain behavior. Then, the pharmacological mechanisms were determined using receptor-antagonist drugs. Firstly, the obtained result showed pain modulation of the pretreated rats with Thm at 10 mg/kg dose proved by the delay of latency time during the thermal test. This significant antinociceptive activity of the thiocyanoacetamide was more effective than that of paracetamol or dexamethasone and less than that of morphine. Second, the pretreatment with acebutolol or risperidone antagonist drugs of, respectively, adrenergic and serotonin receptors demonstrated the elimination of pain modulation with Thm 10 mg/kg dose proved by a short latency time of rat's response in hot plate test. In this case, the pharmacological mechanism of Thm was characterized by the involvement of adrenergic and serotoninergic systems. It may be concluded that Thm constitutes a promising antinociceptive drug including beta-adrenergic and serotoninergic targets. The present study warrants further investigation to determine the side effects of this compound.

Sleep patterns of infants and young children and their association with breastfeeding: a study based on K-means clustering

To investigate the sleep patterns and characteristics of infants and young children and the association between sleep patterns and breastfeeding. A general information questionnaire, Brief Infant Sleep Questionnaire (BISQ), and a questionnaire on feeding were used to investigate the sleep quality and feeding patterns of 1 148 infants and young children aged 7-35 months. The K-means clustering method was used to identify sleep patterns and characteristics. A multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to investigate the association between sleep patterns and breastfeeding. Three typical sleep patterns were identified for the 1 148 infants and young children aged 7-35 months: early bedtime and long sleep time; short sleep latency and moderate sleep time; late bedtime, prolonged sleep latency, and insufficient sleep time. The third pattern showed sleep disorders. The multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that compared with formula feeding, exclusive breastfeeding within 6 months after birth reduced the risk of sleep disorder patterns by 69% (OR=0.31, 95%CI: 0.11-0.81). The risk of sleep disorder patterns was reduced by 40% (OR=0.60, 95%CI: 0.38-0.96) in the infants receiving breastfeeding for 4-6 months compared with those receiving breastfeeding for 1-3 months. There are different sleep patterns in infants and young children, and breastfeeding can reduce the development of sleep disorder patterns.

Afraid of the Dark? The Influence of Natural and Artificial Light at Night on the Behavioral Activity of a Nocturnal Gecko

Both natural and artificial light at night can strongly influence animal behavior. Nocturnal animals often alter activity dependent on lunar light levels, to increase prey capture, minimize detection by predators, or both. Trade-offs among these ecological effects are likely to have a strong influence on behavior and fitness. Here, we examined the influence of light at night on nocturnal geckos that are both predators and prey, and use both natural and anthropogenic habitats. We tested the influence of illumination on the relative abundance and behavioral activity of native geckos in natural woodlands and under laboratory conditions. We hypothesized that Australian native house geckos (Gehyra dubia) would avoid activity on nights with high moon brightness, to minimize exposure to predators, consistent with the predation risk hypothesis. Counter to our prediction, we found a positive relationship between house gecko activity and moon brightness, i.e., house geckos were more active on bright nights. This behavior may allow house geckos to better see their prey while also increasing the visibility of approaching predators. In the laboratory, house geckos had shorter latency times to emerge from a shelter under low light conditions compared to darkness equivalent to a new moon, a trend consistent with higher activity under brighter conditions in the field. Light at night, from both natural and artificial sources, clearly influences the behavior and activity of geckos, but perhaps not in the ways we expect. Reducing the risk of attack from predators in darkness, and increasing prey capture success using vision, may increase the benefits of activity in lit conditions, compared to total darkness.

Kisspeptin-13 prevented the electrophysiological alterations induced by amyloid-beta pathology in rat: Possible involvement of stromal interaction molecules and pCREB

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive neurological disease that slowly causing memory impairments with no effective treatment. We have recently reported that kisspeptin-13 (KP-13) ameliorates Aβ toxicity-induced memory deficit in rats. Here, the possible cellular impact of kisspeptin receptor activation in a rat model of the early stage AD was assessed using whole-cell patch-clamp recording from CA1 pyramidal neurons and molecular approaches. Compared to neurons from the control group, cells from the Aβ-treated group displayed spontaneous and evoked hyperexcitability with lower spike frequency adaptation. These cells had also a lower sag ratio in response to hyperpolarizing prepulse current delivered before a depolarizing current injection. Neurons from the Aβ-treated group exhibited short spike onset latency, lower rheobase and short utilization time compared with those in the control group. Furthermore, phase plot analysis of action potential showed that Aβ treatment affected the action potential features. These electrophysiological changes induced by Aβ were associated with increased expression of stromal interaction molecules (STIMs), particularly (STIM2) and decreased pCREB/CREB ratio. Treatment with KP-13 following Aβ injection into the entorhinal cortex, however, prevented the excitatory effect of Aβ on spontaneous and evoked neuronal activity, increased the latency of onset, enhanced the sag ratio, increased the rheobase and utilization time, and prevented the changes induced Aβ on spike parameters. In addition, the KP-13 application after Aβ treatment reduced the expression of STIMs and increased the pCREB/CREB ratio compared to those receiving Aβ treatment alone. In summary, these results provide evidence that activation of kisspeptin receptor may be effective against pathology of Aβ.

A novel method for quantitative evaluation of motor evoked potential monitoring during cerebrovascular surgeries

Transcranial motor evoked potential (MEP) monitoring, intended to assess cerebral cortical ischemia, may produce false negative results when the stimulation inadvertently activates the deep, subcortical motor pathways. This study examined hand MEP onset latency as a potential means to differentiate superficial versus deep stimulus penetration in surgical patients monitored for cerebral ischemia.Intraoperative MEP data were prospectively collected from 40 patients treated for intracranial aneurysm or carotid stenosis. Onset latencies of hand MEP responses were measured over a range of stimulation intensities from both the contralateral and ipsilateral hand (crossover responses). At the threshold for superficial, cortical stimulation of the contralateral hand, the MEP latency was 26.9 ± 0.4 ms. MEP onset latencies measurements became shorter as stimulation intensities were increased. At the maximum intensity (when crossover response was usually generated), the contralateral hand MEP latency of 22.5 ± 0.3 ms was significantly shorter than at threshold stimulation (p < 0.001). Latency-stimulus intensity plots best fit a 3 parameter hyperbolic decay function (r2 = 0.85 ± 0.02) and revealed a narrow window of acceptable MEP stimuli to obtain superficial cortical activation. Our analysis refutes the utility of the crossover response in reliably gauging depth of activation. Additionally, we found that differentiation between long and short MEP onset latency times may serve as a dependable marker for depth of stimulation. Attention to hand MEP onset latency may reduce inadvertent stimulation of the deep corticospinal tract pathways and avoid false negative MEP recordings during cerebrovascular surgeries.

Artificial reproduction of Caspian roach, Rutilus caspicus following stimulating ovulation with Ovaprim, Ovopel, and their combinations under controlled conditions

The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficiency of different hormonal agents and their combinations for spawning induction of females Caspian roach, Rutilus caspicus. Five groups of fish were injected intraperitoneally as follows: two injections of Ovaprim (T1), two injections of Ovopel (T2), a priming dose of Ovopel with a resolving dose of Ovaprim (T3), a priming dose of Ovaprim with a resolving dose of Ovopel (T4), and two injections of sterile 0.9% NaCl solution as a control group. The results showed that no fish ovulated in the control group. In hormone-treated groups, no differences were observed in ovulation success (P > 0.05). The shortest latency time and highest working and relative fecundities were observed in fish stimulated with two injections of Ovaprim (T1 group). The mean values of fertilization success in treated fish were in the range of 87.9–93.1% and the highest values were observed in T3 and T1 groups (P < 0.05). The best results in terms of ovulation index (92.1%), hatching rate (93.7%), and survival up to the eyed egg stage (89.4%) were achieved after administering two injections of Ovaprim (T1 group). There were no significant differences in the incubation time and embryos survival rates up to absorbing the yolk sac among different groups (P > 0.05). Overall, the best results of controlled reproduction of Caspian roach were obtained after using two injections of Ovaprim. Consequently, the Ovaprim is more suitable for restocking and aquaculture purposes of endangered populations of Caspian roach.

Effects of Sowing Depth and Seed Orientation on the Germination and Seedling Growth in Shea Tree ( Vitellaria paradoxa C.F. Gaertn.) for Rootstock Production in Nursery

The study aims to determine the effects of sowing depth and seed orientation on the germination and seedling morphological variability in nursery. The seeds used were collected from an elite shea tree coded P14 located at Boundiali. The two factors that are sowing depth (5 cm, 10 cm and 15 cm) and seed orientation (VH, VB, HH, HB and HL) were tested in a Fisher block design with three replications. Germination parameters and vegetative growing traits of the juvenile shea plants were evaluated in nursery. The results showed that the seeding depth of 5 cm got better final germination rate (84.6 %), a shorter latency time (51.3 days) and a lower median germination time (110 days). Vegetative vigour of shea seedlings was better for the horizontal seed orientation with hilum sidewards (HL). After 12 months in the nursery, the proportions of plants suitable for grafting varied from 20 % (vertical seed orientation with the apical end upwards) to 32.50 % (horizontal seed orientation with hilum sidewards). It appears that sowing the seeds at a depth of 5 cm in the horizontal orientation with hilum sidewards leads to good germination and better vegetative development of shea seedlings in the nursery.

Neurological Instability in Ischemic Stroke: Relation with Outcome, Latency Time, and Molecular Markers

The National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) is commonly used to evaluate stroke neurological deficits and to predict the patient’s outcome. Neurological instability (NI), defined as the variation of the NIHSS in the first 48 h, is a simple clinical metric that reflects dynamic changes in the area of the brain affected by the ischemia. We hypothesize that NI may represent areas of cerebral instability known as penumbra, which could expand or reduce brain injury and its associated neurological sequels. In this work, our aim was to analyze the association of NI with the functional outcome at 3 months and to study clinical biomarkers associated to NI as surrogate biomarkers of ischemic and inflammatory penumbrae in ischemic stroke (IS) patients. We included 663 IS patients in a retrospective observational study. Neutral NI was defined as a variation in the NI scale between − 5 and 5% (37.1%). Positive NI is attributed to patients with an improvement of > 5% NI after 48 h (48.9%), while negative NI is assigned to patients values lower than − 5% (14.0%). Poor outcome was assigned to patients with mRS ≥ 3 at 3 months. We observed an inverse association of poor outcome with positive NI (OR, 0.35; 95%CI, 0.18–0.67; p = 0.002) and a direct association with negative NI (OR, 6.30; 95%CI, 2.12–18.65; p = 0.001). Negative NI showed a higher association with poor outcome than most clinical markers. Regarding good functional outcome, positive NI was the marker with the higher association (19.31; CI 95%, 9.03–41.28; p < 0.0001) and with the highest percentage of identified patients with good functional outcome (17.6%). Patients with negative NI have higher glutamate levels compared with patients with neutral and positive NI (p < 0.0001). IL6 levels are significantly lower in patients with positive NI compared with neutral NI (p < 0.0001), while patients with negative NI showed the highest IL6 values (p < 0.0001). High glutamate levels were associated with negative NI at short latency times, decreasing at higher latency times. An opposite trend was observed for inflammation, and IL6 levels were similar in patients with positive and negative NI in the first 6 h and then higher in patients with negative NI. These results support NI as a prognosis factor in IS and the hypothesis of the existence of a delayed inflammatory penumbra, opening up the possibility of extending the therapeutic window for IS.

Longitudinal MRI study after carbon ion and photon irradiation: shorter latency time for myelopathy is not associated with differential morphological changes

BackgroundRadiation-induced myelopathy is a severe and irreversible complication that occurs after a long symptom-free latency time if the spinal cord was exposed to a significant irradiation dose during tumor treatment. As carbon ions are increasingly investigated for tumor treatment in clinical trials, their effect on normal tissue needs further investigation to assure safety of patient treatments. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-visible morphological alterations could serve as predictive markers for medicinal interventions to avoid severe side effects. Thus, MRI-visible morphological alterations in the rat spinal cord after high dose photon and carbon ion irradiation and their latency times were investigated.MethodsRats whose spinal cords were irradiated with iso-effective high photon (n = 8) or carbon ion (n = 8) doses as well as sham-treated control animals (n = 6) underwent frequent MRI measurements until they developed radiation-induced myelopathy (paresis II). MR images were analyzed for morphological alterations and animals were regularly tested for neurological deficits. In addition, histological analysis was performed of animals suffering from paresis II compared to controls.ResultsFor both beam modalities, first morphological alterations occurred outside the spinal cord (bone marrow conversion, contrast agent accumulation in the musculature ventral and dorsal to the spinal cord) followed by morphological alterations inside the spinal cord (edema, syrinx, contrast agent accumulation) and eventually neurological alterations (paresis I and II). Latency times were significantly shorter after carbon ions as compared to photon irradiation.ConclusionsIrradiation of the rat spinal cord with photon or carbon ion doses that lead to 100% myelopathy induced a comparable fixed sequence of MRI-visible morphological alterations and neurological distortions. However, at least in the animal model used in this study, the observed MRI-visible morphological alterations in the spinal cord are not suited as predictive markers to identify animals that will develop myelopathy as the time between MRI-visible alterations and the occurrence of myelopathy is too short to intervene with protective or mitigative drugs.

Widespread Decoding of Tactile Input Patterns Among Thalamic Neurons.

Whereas, there is data to support that cuneothalamic projections predominantly reach a topographically confined volume of the rat thalamus, the ventroposterior lateral (VPL) nucleus, recent findings show that cortical neurons that process tactile inputs are widely distributed across the neocortex. Since cortical neurons project back to the thalamus, the latter observation would suggest that thalamic neurons could contain information about tactile inputs, in principle regardless of where in the thalamus they are located. Here we use a previously introduced electrotactile interface for producing sets of highly reproducible tactile afferent spatiotemporal activation patterns from the tip of digit 2 and record neurons throughout widespread parts of the thalamus of the anesthetized rat. We find that a majority of thalamic neurons, regardless of location, respond to single pulse tactile inputs and generate spike responses to such tactile stimulation patterns that can be used to identify which of the inputs that was provided, at above-chance decoding performance levels. Thalamic neurons with short response latency times, compatible with a direct tactile afferent input via the cuneate nucleus, were typically among the best decoders. Thalamic neurons with longer response latency times as a rule were also found to be able to decode the digit 2 inputs, though typically at a lower decoding performance than the thalamic neurons with presumed direct cuneate inputs. These findings provide support for that tactile information arising from any specific skin area is widely available in the thalamocortical circuitry.

Photonic chirp rates estimator for piecewise linear frequency modulated waveforms based on photonic self-fractional Fourier transform

This paper reports a photonic chirp rates estimator for the piecewise linear frequency modulated waveforms (PLFMWs). The estimator is based on the photonic self-fractional Fourier transform (FrFT) by utilizing the input PLFMW as the transform kernel. In this way, the self-FrFT operation can be finished with short latency time and the chirp rates of all LFM sub-pulses can be retrieved according to their fractional frequencies. In experiment, the chirp rates estimation of a four-stage PLFMW is performed. The measurement range from -964.47 GHz/µs to 50.76 GHz/µs with resolution of 0.0518 GHz/µs is demonstrated for the experimental system. And the absolute measurement error within ±0.06 GHz/µs and the relative measurement error less than 2% is also obtained.

P-02-14 Intra-Urethral Alprostadil Gel Usage in Male Sexual Dysfunction Restores Not Only Erectile Performances but Improves Also the Conjunct Premature Ejaculation

To assess the extensive satisfaction of the intra-urethral utilization of Alprostadil gel in men having both erectile dysfunction (ED) and premature ejaculation (PE). A cohort of 67 men with ED and PE (Gr. A), taking Alprostadil gel by intra-urethral way admission, as a frequency of 3-4/week, before each intimate encounter, was assessed at the recruitment (V1) and after 4 follow-up weeks (V2). They were compared to a 50 men control group, taking Sildenafil 100mg/tb. (Gr. B). Instruments: ED = IIEF-5, ≤ 20 points; PE (short Intravaginal Ejaculation Latency Time - IELT) ≤ 3 minutes (ISSM, 2014); Overall Satisfaction (OS) = EF domain from the IIEF. Global Assessment Question (GAQ): % of “yes” (Giuliano et al., 2008). IIEF-5 at V1: Gr. A = 12.72 ± 3.8, Gr. B = 11.96 ± 4.07 vs. V2: Gr. A = 19.56 ± 2.18, Gr. B = 20.21 ± 1.67; P = 0.5; IELT at V1: Gr. A = 2.47 (2 min. and 28 sec.), Gr. B = 2.15 ± (2 min. and 17 sec.) vs. V2: Gr. A = 6.78 (6 min. and 47 sec.) ± 2.33, Gr. B = 3.33 (3 min. and 20 sec.); P < 0.001. OS at V1 Gr. A = 6.81 ± 1.18, Gr. B = 6.62 ± 0.87 vs. V2: Gr. A = 12.33 ± 3.11, Gr. B = 8.22; P < 0.05. GAQ at V1: Gr. A = 14 subjects (20.89%), Gr. B = 12 subjects (24%) vs. V2: Gr. A = 54 subjects (80.6%); Gr. B = 24 subjects (48%); P(V2) < 0.005.

Neuromonitored Thyroid Surgery: Optimal Stimulation Based on Intraoperative EMG Response Features.

To evaluate/compare normative electrophysiologic electromyography (EMG) response characteristics of recurrent laryngeal, vagus, and external branch of superior laryngeal nerve evoked with different stimulators used in neuromonitored thyroid surgery. Prospective crossover study METHODS: EMG responses obtained via endotracheal tube surface electrodes in 11 patients undergoing thyroid surgery were recorded when stimulated with four stimulators: two monopolar (Prass standard and ball tip), one bipolar, and one dissecting instrument. Normative mean EMG results including latency, amplitude, threshold, saturation currents, and distance-sensitivity were compared. The Prass standard stimulator had shorter latency time when nerve was not covered with fascia (P = .04). The bipolar, dissecting instrument, and ball tip demonstrated similar latency times with and without nerve fascia. Pooled mean latency increased significantly from 1.86 ms to 2.16 ms when comparing nerves without fascia and nerves with fascia (P < .05). The Prass standard monopolar stimulator had the lowest mean threshold at 0.40 mA, with the dissecting instrument having the highest threshold at 0.89 mA for dissected nerve. Pooled mean threshold and saturation increased from 0.6 mA to 1.7 mA (P < .0001) and 1.57 mA to 4.15 mA (P < .001) with fascia covering nerve, respectively. The mean depolarization rate was 100% for monopolar and bipolar electrodes and 81% for dissecting instrument at 1 mA. Only 9% of monopolar electrodes generated an EMG response when stimulated from 2 mm away. Monopolar stimulators are more sensitive for neural mapping, whereas bipolar instruments are more specific, thus reducing false positive stimulation. Dissecting instruments share many features of monopolar stimulators while being more specific, and thus are a viable alternative. 2b Laryngoscope, 2020.