Examination of speech processing in noise reveals cognitive deficits in early Huntington's disease.

Processing speech amongst noise requires sensory and cognitive abilities that are often affected by Huntington's Disease. However, their impact on daily communication remains unclear. We examined the effects of Huntington's Disease on speech-in-noise processing using everyday sentences and words in noise contexts and conditions that mimic different daily life scenarios.

Change in liver fat content in patients following pancreatic resections.

Objectives: Metabolic sequelae of pancreatic resections, especially hepatic steatosis, has seldom been studied in detail. This study aims to examine the change in liver fat content following pancreatic resections, specifically pancreaticoduodenectomy, distal pancreatectomy and to identify potential predictors of post-pancreatectomy hepatic steatosis.

Methods: This prospective observational study was conducted from December 2022 to July 2024 and included patients who underwent pancreatic resections at a single tertiary care centre in southern India.

Temporal response patterns of Layer 4 rat barrel cortex neurons across various naturalistic whisker motions.

A central topic in neuroscience is the neural coding problem which aims to decipher how the brain signals sensory information through neural activity. Despite significant advancements in this area, the characterisation of information encoding through the precise timing of spikes in the somatosensory cortex is limited. Here, we utilised a comprehensive dataset from previous studies to identify and characterise temporal response patterns of Layer 4 neurons of the rat barrel cortex to five distinct stimuli with varying complexities: Basic, Contact, Whisking, Rough, and Smooth.

Role of Pancreatic Attenuation Index in Assessing Pancreatic Fat Content and Postpancreatectomy Outcomes.

 High fat content of pancreas can contribute to its soft texture, which is a strong predictor for postoperative pancreatic fistula (POPF). We propose to assess the relationship of pancreatic computed tomography (CT) attenuation index (PAI) with histopathological fat content of pancreas and postpancreatectomy outcomes.  Data was collected prospectively from patients who underwent pancreatic resections from February 2021 to January 2023.

Normative Data for Single-Letter Controlled Oral Word Association Test in Older White Australians and Americans, African-Americans, and Hispanic/Latinos.

Background: The Controlled Oral Word Association Test (COWAT) is a commonly used measure of verbal fluency. While a normal decline in verbal fluency occurs in late adulthood, significant impairments may indicate brain injury or diseases such as Alzheimer's disease. Normative data is essential to identify when test performance falls below expected levels based on age, gender, and education level.

Discriminating spatialised speech in complex environments in multiple sclerosis.

People with multiple sclerosis (pwMS) frequently present with deficits in binaural processing used for sound localization. This study examined spatial release from speech-on-speech masking in pwMS, which involves binaural processing and additional higher level mechanisms underlying streaming, such as spatial attention. 26 pwMS with mild severity (Expanded Disability Status Scale score <3) and 20 age-matched controls listened via headphones to pre-recorded sentences from a standard list presented simultaneously with eight-talker babble.

Fibrovascular Polyp of the Cervical Esophagus: A Rare Neoplasm.

Fibrovascular polyps are rare benign epithelial neoplasia of the cervical esophagus. Usually they are large and frequently require a thoracotomy/thoracoscopy. This is a case report of an elderly lady with a large Fibrovascular polyp who had anemia and weight loss due to dysphagia, managed by rendezvous technique.

Can Empirical Segmental Angioembolization of Splenic Artery Salvage Pancreatic Intraluminal Bleed?

 Postpancreatectomy hemorrhage (PPH) and Hemosuccus Pancreaticus (HP) may present with slow but significant intraluminal bleed which may not be evident on imaging. We evaluated the efficacy of empirical segmental-angioembolization of splenic artery in intraluminal PPH and HP.  This is a cross-sectional study done by analyzing all consecutive patients with PPH and HP who underwent empirical coil embolization of splenic artery.

Temporal activity patterns of layer II and IV rat barrel cortex neurons in healthy and injured conditions.

Neurons are known to encode information not just by how frequently they fire, but also at what times they fire. However, characterizations of temporal encoding in sensory cortices under conditions of health and injury are limited. Here we characterized and compared the stimulus-evoked activity of 1210 online-sorted units in layers II and IV of rat barrel cortex under healthy and diffuse traumatic brain injury (TBI) (caused by a weight-drop model) conditions across three timepoints post-injury: four days, two weeks, and eight weeks.

Sensing and processing whisker deflections in rodents.

The classical view of sensory information mainly flowing into barrel cortex at layer IV, moving up for complex feature processing and lateral interactions in layers II and III, then down to layers V and VI for output and corticothalamic feedback is becoming increasingly undermined by new evidence. We review the neurophysiology of sensing and processing whisker deflections, emphasizing the general processing and organisational principles present along the entire sensory pathway-from the site of physical deflection at the whiskers to the encoding of deflections in the barrel cortex. Many of these principles support the classical view.

Speech Discrimination Tasks: A Sensitive Sensory and Cognitive Measure in Early and Mild Multiple Sclerosis.

There is a need for reliable and objective measures of early and mild symptomology in multiple sclerosis (MS), as deficits can be subtle and difficult to quantify objectively in patients without overt physical deficits. We hypothesized that a speech-in-noise (SiN) task would be sensitive to demyelinating effects on precise neural timing and diffuse higher-level networks required for speech intelligibility, and therefore be a useful tool for monitoring sensory and cognitive changes in early MS. The objective of this study was to develop a SiN task for clinical use that sensitively monitors disease activity in early (<5 years) and late (>10 years) stages of MS subjects with mild severity [Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) score < 3].

Speech discrimination performance in multiple sclerosis dataset.

The most complex interactions between human beings occur through speech, and often in the presence of background noise. Understanding speech in noisy environments requires the integrity of highly integrated and widespread auditory networks likely to be impacted by multiple sclerosis (MS) related neurogenic injury. Despite the impact auditory communication has on a person's ability to navigate the world, build relationships, and maintain employability; studies of speech-in-noise (SiN) perception in people with MS (pwMS) have been minimal to date.

Speech discrimination impairments as a marker of disease severity in multiple sclerosis.

Background: Multiple Sclerosis (MS) pathology is likely to disrupt central auditory pathways, thereby affecting an individual's ability to discriminate speech from noise. Despite the importance of speech discrimination in daily communication, it's characterization in the context of MS remains limited. This cross-sectional study evaluated speech discrimination in MS under "real world" conditions where sentences were presented in ecologically valid multi-talker speech or broadband noise at several signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs).

Is a difficult gallbladder worth removing in its entirety? - Outcomes of subtotal cholecystectomy.

Background: Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy one of the commonest procedures performed worldwide isn't spared from the risks of disastrous iatrogenic complications. In patients with obscured anatomy, the idea of performing a safe total cholecystectomy can be hindered with a high risk of biliovascular injuries. In such a situation STC (subtotal cholecystectomy) comes to the rescue, where the diseased organ can be tackled fairly, without any further damage.

Voluntary perioperative colorectal cancer registry from Kerala-An initial overview.

Background: Although colorectal cancer (CRC) may not be uncommon in India, accurate data regarding its demographics and surgical outcomes is sparse.

Methods: With an aim to assess demographics and perioperative outcomes of CRC in Kerala, all members of Association of Surgical Gastroenterologists of Kerala (ASGK) were invited to participate in a registry. Data of operated cases of CRC were entered on a web-based questionnaire by participating members from January 2016.

Imaging lipophilic regions in rodent brain tissue with halogenated BODIPY probes.

The effect of halogen substitution in fluorescent BODIPY species was evaluated in the context of staining lipids in situ within brain tissue sections. Herein we demonstrate that the halogenated species maintain their known in vitro affinity when applied to detect lipids in situ in brain tissue sections. Interestingly, the chlorine substituted compound revealed the highest specificify for white matter lipids.

A Review of Elemental Mapping Methods to Directly Image Changes in the Homeostasis of Diffusible Ions (Na, K, Mg, Ca, Cl) Within Brain Tissue.

Diffusible ions (Na, K, Mg, Ca, Cl) are vital for healthy function of all cells, especially brain cells. Unfortunately, the diffusible nature of these ions renders them difficult to study with traditional microscopy within brain tissue sections. This mini-review examines the recent progress in the field, using direct elemental mapping techniques to study ion homeostasis during normal brain physiology and pathophysiology, through measurement of ion distribution and concentration in brain tissue sections.

Characterization of Ionic and Lipid Gradients within Corpus Callosum White Matter after Diffuse Traumatic Brain Injury in the Rat.

There is increased recognition of the effects of diffuse traumatic brain injury (dTBI), which can initiate yet unknown biochemical cascades, resulting in delayed secondary brain degeneration and long-term neurological sequela. There is limited availability of therapies that minimize the effect of secondary brain damage on the quality of life of people who have suffered TBI, many of which were otherwise healthy adults. Understanding the cascade of biochemical events initiated in specific brain regions in the acute phase of dTBI and how this spreads into adjacent brain structures may provide the necessary insight into drive development of improved therapies.

A Mathematical Approach to Correlating Objective Spectro-Temporal Features of Non-linguistic Sounds With Their Subjective Perceptions in Humans.

Non-linguistic sounds (NLSs) are a core feature of our everyday life and many evoke powerful cognitive and emotional outcomes. The subjective perception of NLSs by humans has occasionally been defined for single percepts, e.g.

Sensitivity to Vocalization Pitch in the Caudal Auditory Cortex of the Marmoset: Comparison of Core and Belt Areas.

Based on anatomical connectivity and basic response characteristics, primate auditory cortex is divided into a central core surrounded by belt and parabelt regions. The encoding of pitch, a prototypical element of sound identity, has been studied in primary auditory cortex (A1) but little is known about how it is encoded and represented beyond A1. The caudal auditory belt and parabelt cortical fields process spatial information but also contain information on non-spatial aspects of sounds.

Distributed representation of vocalization pitch in marmoset primary auditory cortex.

The pitch of vocalizations is a key communication feature aiding recognition of individuals and separating sound sources in complex acoustic environments. The neural representation of the pitch of periodic sounds is well defined. However, many natural sounds, like complex vocalizations, contain rich, aperiodic or not strictly periodic frequency content and/or include high-frequency components, but still evoke a strong sense of pitch.

Immediate and Medium-term Changes in Cortical and Hippocampal Inhibitory Neuronal Populations after Diffuse TBI.

Changes in inhibition following traumatic brain injury (TBI) appear to be one of the major factors that contribute to excitation:inhibition imbalance. Neuron pathology, interneurons in particular evolves from minutes to weeks post injury and follows a complex time course. Previously, we showed that in the long-term in diffuse TBI (dTBI), there was select reduction of specific dendrite-targeting neurons in sensory cortex and hippocampus while in motor cortex there was up-regulation of specific dendrite-targeting neurons.