This study was designed to determine whether hypnosis can modulate color perception. Such evidence would provide insight into the nature of hypnosis and its underlying mechanisms.
Eight highly ...hypnotizable subjects were asked to see a color pattern in color, a similar gray-scale pattern in color, the color pattern as gray scale, and the gray-scale pattern as gray scale during positron emission tomography scanning by means of (15)OCO(2). The classic color area in the fusiform or lingual region of the brain was first identified by analyzing the results when subjects were asked to perceive color as color versus when they were asked to perceive gray scale as gray scale.
When subjects were hypnotized, color areas of the left and right hemispheres were activated when they were asked to perceive color, whether they were actually shown the color or the gray-scale stimulus. These brain regions had decreased activation when subjects were told to see gray scale, whether they were actually shown the color or gray-scale stimuli. These results were obtained only during hypnosis in the left hemisphere, whereas blood flow changes reflected instructions to perceive color versus gray scale in the right hemisphere, whether or not subjects had been hypnotized.
Among highly hypnotizable subjects, observed changes in subjective experience achieved during hypnosis were reflected by changes in brain function similar to those that occur in perception. These findings support the claim that hypnosis is a psychological state with distinct neural correlates and is not just the result of adopting a role.
Summary
Erythema annulare centrifugum (EAC) is a clinical reaction pattern that includes lupus erythematosus, spongiotic dermatitis (particularly pityriasis rosea), pseudolymphoma and cutaneous ...B‐cell lymphoma. However, it can be the result of cutaneous metastasis by an internal carcinoma. We present the case of a 38‐year‐old woman with bilateral inflammatory breast cancer following multimodal therapy. After chemotherapy, the patient developed EAC on her back, clinically suspect of subacute cutaneous lupus erythematosus. A skin biopsy of annular lesion revealed dermal lymphatic infiltration by inflammatory breast carcinoma. Immunohistochemically, HER2 overexpression and negativity for hormone receptor are the hallmarks of this disease. Cutaneous metastasis by inflammatory breast carcinoma mimicking EAC is rare, and it has not been described in extramammary locations. Its recognition by the dermatologist is important because it can be a clinical manifestation of locally recurrent cancer.
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To understand the complex behaviour of the NiTi shape memory alloys, the use of advanced characterization techniques as Synchrotron X-ray diffraction, becomes more and more necessary. In this paper, ...this technique was performed in heat-treated, thermally cycled at zero stress and two-way memory trained NiTi wires to evaluate through microstrain and retained martensite which is the predominant micro-mechanism that cause the Two Way Shape Memory Effect. The microstructural effects in the structure of the Austenite by thermal and training methods were quantified separately for each NiTi sample, allowing us to calculate how much of the accumulated microstrain in the Austenite phase is due to the increment in density of dislocations and how much is consequence of the decrease in crystallite size. To achieve this, two different methodologies were used. The mean microstrain and shift index were calculated by analysing the whole diffractogram with the Rietveld method and the Double-Voigt Approach. The individual peak shift and the peak broadening of the Austenite phase were evaluated by the modified Williamson-Hall plot. The results show that as higher is the increase in microstrain by thermal and training procedures, higher is the two-way memory strain of the NiTi sample. The micromechanical results pointed out that there is a certain formation of retained martensite during two-way memory training, but is not the main cause of the two-way shape memory effect. What is more, it seems that an early formation of retained martensite during training may decrease the generation of two-way shape memory effect. Pre-training thermal procedures that minimize the formation of retained martensite and maximize the increase in microstrain are fundamental to improve the generation of the NiTi two-way memory strain by subsequent training.
•First time that SXRD experiments were performed in two-way memory NiTi wires.•We calculate separately the dislocation density and the crystallite size.•The increase in microstrain is the main cause of the TWSME in NiTi SMA.•The formation of retained martensite may stop the growth of the TWSME.•Pre-training thermal cycling increases microstrain and reduces the retained martensite.
This paper analyses the influence of thermal cycling at zero stress on the thermomechanical response of NiTi shape memory alloy (SMA) wire in the martensitic, R-phase and austenitic transformation ...ranges. An in depth study compares the mechanical properties of a sample thermally cycled at zero stress and a sample without thermal or mechanical cycling. The critical stress–temperature diagram for each sample is presented taking into account the R-phase transformation zone. The results show that thermal cycling has considerable impact on the transformation behaviour of the alloy and on the mechanical properties of the R-phase: the values of the apparent modulus and the critical transformation stresses are higher. The parameters that describe the SMA macromechanical behaviour, then, undergo a considerable change due to thermal cycling, suggesting that if an SMA has to be used throughout the R-phase range, the material should be thermally cycled to obtain better mechanical properties.
The reaction of kraft lignin in an alkaline medium was studied using a microreactor set. Chemical changes in reacted kraft lignins that include ash content, Klason lignin, acid-soluble lignin and ...sugars were studied. Structural characteristics of these lignins were also determined in terms of phenolic-hydroxyl, aliphatic-hydroxyl, methoxyl, M
w, M
n and polydispersity. The techniques employed were HPLC, UV spectroscopy, FTIR spectroscopy, proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and organic gel permeation chromatography (GPC).
The effects of temperature and reaction time on lignin properties were studied using response surface methodology. The reaction temperature ranged from 116 to 180 °C and the reaction time ranged from 18 to 103 min. The obtained response surfaces show that both factors affected lignin properties within these ranges. The phenolic and aliphatic-hydroxyl content and the number of active sites increased when the treatment severity was increased. Weight-average molecular weight (M
w), number-average molecular weight (M
n) and solid-yield percentage decreased when the treatment severity was increased.
► We studied the chemical and structural changes of Kraft lignin during its reaction in alkaline medium. ► The phenolic and aliphatic hydroxyl content and the number of active sites increased when the treatment severity was increased. ► Weight-average MW, number-average MW and solid-yield percentage decreased when the treatment severity was increased.
Inherited bleeding coagulation disorders (IBCDs) have a powerful diagnostic tool in next generation sequencing (NGS) that not only offers confirmation of diagnosis but also aids in genetic ...counselling, prenatal diagnosis and helps to predict the clinical course and follow-up of a disease. In our group, targeted-NGS using a Custom SureSelect QXT Panel (Agilent Technologies, Inc., Santa Clara, CA, USA) was designed to screen for causal variants in 40 genes related with the coagulation cascade. In this work, we used NGS for screening all the coding and intronic boundary regions of
F5
gene in two patients affected by factor V (FV) deficiency (parahemophilia). Two new mutations were found: c.4745A>G (p.Tyr1582Cys, NM_000130.4) and c.1999_2002dupAATT (p.Ser668ter; NM_000130.4), both located in exon 13 of the
F5
gene. We designated them Valencia-1 and Valencia-2 respectively. Valencia-1 could provoke loss of the fifth cupredoxin domain of the FV, and would be responsible for its defective activity. Valencia-2 prematurely stops the translation of mRNA, resulting in a truncated FV protein which lacks completely the B domain and the light chain. NGS has permitted to describe an increasing number of FV deficiency-causing mutations and a better understanding of FV’s structure and function. The description of deficiency-causing mutations will continue to increase our knowledge of the functional residues of FV, as well as those which are involved in the correct folding of the protein. In this sense, NGS is a useful tool for studying IBCDs, as permits studying the whole coagulation cascade at once and gives a global view of the patient’s genetic background.
Objective
To compare the efficacy of infliximab (IFX) versus adalimumab (ADA) as a first‐line biologic drug over 1 year of treatment in a large series of patients with refractory uveitis due to ...Behçet's disease (BD).
Methods
We conducted an open‐label multicenter study of IFX versus ADA for BD‐related uveitis refractory to conventional nonbiologic treatment. IFX or ADA was chosen as the first‐line biologic agent based on physician and patient agreement. Patients received 3–5 mg/kg intravenous IFX at 0, 2, and 6 weeks and every 4–8 weeks thereafter, or 40 mg subcutaneous ADA every other week without a loading dose. Ocular parameters were compared between the 2 groups.
Results
The study included 177 patients (316 affected eyes), of whom 103 received IFX and 74 received ADA. There were no significant baseline differences between treatment groups in main demographic features, previous therapy, or ocular sign severity. After 1 year of therapy, we observed an improvement in all ocular parameters in both groups. However, patients receiving ADA had significantly better outcomes in some parameters, including improvement in anterior chamber inflammation (92.31% versus 78.18% for IFX; P = 0.06), improvement in vitritis (93.33% versus 78.95% for IFX; P = 0.04), and best‐corrected visual acuity (mean ± SD 0.81 ± 0.26 versus 0.67 ± 0.34 for IFX; P = 0.001). A nonsignificant difference was seen for macular thickness (mean ± SD 250.62 ± 36.85 for ADA versus 264.89 ± 59.74 for IFX; P = 0.15), and improvement in retinal vasculitis was similar between the 2 groups (95% for ADA versus 97% for IFX; P = 0.28). The drug retention rate was higher in the ADA group (95.24% versus 84.95% for IFX; P = 0.042).
Conclusion
Although both IFX and ADA are efficacious in refractory BD‐related uveitis, ADA appears to be associated with better outcomes than IFX after 1 year of follow‐up.
This paper studies how the R-phase developed by thermal cycling at zero stress influences two different training procedures for developing the two-way shape memory effect (TWSME) in NiTi shape memory ...alloys (SMAs). The two training procedures are thermal cycling under constant load and isothermal tensile deformation under martensite state. This paper studies how R-phase developed by thermal cycling at zero stress influences these training procedures and their training parameters, the two-way memory strain obtained and the transformation temperatures. The results show first, that the presence of the R-phase did not prevent substantial two-way memory strain from being obtained in any instance of training and thermal treatment; and second, that thermal cycling at zero stress prior to training has a considerable impact depending on the training method used. Finally, to obtain the best results (that is, a substantial two-way memory strain together with a minimum of final plastic strain and easy TWSME activation temperatures), the NiTi wire should be thermally cycled at zero stress prior to training until the R-phase is totally developed and trained by thermal cycling under constant load.
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