Humans ; Functional Laterality ; Forensic Medicine ; Autopsy ; Asphyxia/etiology*

Objective: To determine the relationship of the surgeon handedness and operative site laterality on operative duration and hearing improvement in otologic surgery, and to further explore whether this relationship may be related to surgeon experience. Methods: Design: Retrospective Cohort Setting: Tertiary Private Teaching Hospital Participants: Seventy-three (73) patients aged 18 to 65 years old who underwent primary ear surgery under general anesthesia between January 2016 and December 2019 were retrospectively divided into two groups: 39 contralateral and 34 ipsilateral. The operative durations and hearing improvements were compared using independent t-tests, with consideration of surgeon experience in years further stratifying patients. Results: There was no significant difference in operative duration, t(71) = 1.14, p = .26, between the contralateral (M = 281.95 minutes, SD = 71.82) and ipsilateral (M = 261.15, SD = 79.26) groups. This same pattern was more pronounced among surgeons with 10+ years of experience although there was also no significant difference in operative time, t(33) = 1.31, p = .19 for both ipsilateral and contralateral surgeries There was no statistically significant difference, t(36) = -0.72, p = .47, in overall mean hearing gain among patients in the contralateral (M = +2.22 dB, SD = 10.54) and ipsilateral (M = +5.12 dB, SD = 14.26) groups. Although the difference was also not statistically significant, t(16) = -1.94, p = .07 for contralateral (M = 0.00, SD = 5.43) and ipsilateral (M = +7.95 dB, SD = 11.52) procedures performed by surgeons with experience of 10 years or more, a mean hearing gain of +7 dB in the ipsilateral group compared to 0 dB in the contralateral group was notable. Conclusion: This study did not prove that regardless of surgeon experience, right-handed surgeons operating on the right ear and left-handed surgeons operating on the left ear have better ear surgery outcomes of operative duration and hearing improvement compared to right- handed surgeons operating on the left ear and left-handed surgeons operating on the right ear. Future studies on larger samples with more complete data may yet demonstrate this effect.
Functional Laterality ; otologic surgical procedures ; hearing ; operative time

Anatomic Variation ; Catheterization ; Female ; Functional Laterality ; Hand ; Health Personnel ; Humans ; Jordan ; Lighting ; Male ; Upper Extremity ; Veins

To investigate the behavioral and biomolecular similarity between neuralgia and depression, a trigeminal neuralgia (TN) mouse model was established by constriction of the infraorbital nerve (CION) to mimic clinical trigeminal neuropathic pain. A mouse learned helplessness (LH) model was developed to investigate inescapable foot-shock-induced psychiatric disorders like depression in humans. Mass spectrometry was used to assess changes in the biomolecules and signaling pathways in the hippocampus from TN or LH mice. TN mice developed not only significant mechanical allodynia but also depressive-like behaviors (mainly behavioral despair) at 2 weeks after CION, similar to LH mice. MS analysis demonstrated common and distinctive protein changes in the hippocampus between groups. Many protein function families (such as cell-to-cell signaling and interaction, and cell assembly and organization,) and signaling pathways (e.g., the Huntington's disease pathway) were involved in chronic neuralgia and depression. Together, these results demonstrated that the LH and TN models both develop depressive-like behaviors, and revealed the involvement of many psychiatric disorder-related biomolecules/pathways in the pathogenesis of TN and LH.
Animals ; Avoidance Learning ; physiology ; Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor ; metabolism ; Depression ; etiology ; pathology ; Disease Models, Animal ; Electroshock ; adverse effects ; Functional Laterality ; Helplessness, Learned ; Hindlimb Suspension ; psychology ; Hippocampus ; metabolism ; Male ; Mass Spectrometry ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Orbit ; innervation ; Pain Measurement ; Proteomics ; methods ; Reaction Time ; physiology ; Signal Transduction ; physiology ; Trigeminal Neuralgia ; etiology ; pathology

The ZNF804A variant rs1344706 has consistently been associated with schizophrenia and plays a role in hippocampal-prefrontal functional connectivity during working memory. Whether the effect exists in the resting state and in patients with schizophrenia remains unclear. In this study, we investigated the ZNF804A polymorphism at rs1344706 in 92 schizophrenic patients and 99 healthy controls of Han Chinese descent, and used resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging to explore the functional connectivity in the participants. We found a significant main effect of genotype on the resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) between the hippocampus and the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) in both schizophrenic patients and healthy controls. The homozygous ZNF804A rs1344706 genotype (AA) conferred a high risk of schizophrenia, and also exhibited significantly decreased resting functional coupling between the left hippocampus and right DLPFC (F(2,165) = 13.43, P < 0.001). The RSFC strength was also correlated with cognitive performance and the severity of psychosis in schizophrenia. The current findings identified the neural impact of the ZNF804A rs1344706 on hippocampal-prefrontal RSFC associated with schizophrenia.
Adult ; Analysis of Variance ; Female ; Functional Laterality ; genetics ; Genotype ; Hippocampus ; diagnostic imaging ; Humans ; Image Processing, Computer-Assisted ; Kruppel-Like Transcription Factors ; genetics ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Male ; Neural Pathways ; diagnostic imaging ; Neuropsychological Tests ; Oxygen ; blood ; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide ; genetics ; Prefrontal Cortex ; diagnostic imaging ; Psychiatric Status Rating Scales ; Schizophrenia ; diagnostic imaging ; genetics ; physiopathology ; Severity of Illness Index ; Young Adult

Previous studies have shown that electroacupuncture (EA) promotes recovery of motor function in Parkinson's disease (PD). However the mechanisms are not completely understood. Clinically, the subthalamic nucleus (STN) is a critical target for deep brain stimulation treatment of PD, and vesicular glutamate transporter 1 (VGluT1) plays an important role in the modulation of glutamate in the STN derived from the cortex. In this study, a 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA)-lesioned rat model of PD was treated with 100 Hz EA for 4 weeks. Immunohistochemical analysis of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) showed that EA treatment had no effect on TH expression in the ipsilateral striatum or substantia nigra pars compacta, though it alleviated several of the parkinsonian motor symptoms. Compared with the hemi-parkinsonian rats without EA treatment, the 100 Hz EA treatment significantly decreased apomorphine-induced rotation and increased the latency in the Rotarod test. Notably, the EA treatment reversed the 6-OHDA-induced down-regulation of VGluT1 in the STN. The results demonstrated that EA alleviated motor symptoms and up-regulated VGluT1 in the ipsilateral STN of hemi-parkinsonian rats, suggesting that up-regulation of VGluT1 in the STN may be related to the effects of EA on parkinsonian motor symptoms via restoration of function in the cortico-STN pathway.
Adrenergic Agents ; toxicity ; Animals ; Apomorphine ; pharmacology ; Disease Models, Animal ; Dopamine Agonists ; pharmacology ; Electroacupuncture ; methods ; Functional Laterality ; drug effects ; Male ; Medial Forebrain Bundle ; injuries ; Motor Activity ; drug effects ; physiology ; Neurons ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Oxidopamine ; toxicity ; Parkinson Disease, Secondary ; chemically induced ; physiopathology ; therapy ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Subthalamic Nucleus ; drug effects ; metabolism ; pathology ; Tyrosine 3-Monooxygenase ; metabolism ; Up-Regulation ; drug effects ; physiology ; Vesicular Glutamate Transport Protein 1 ; metabolism

Behavioral adjustment plays an important role in the treatment and relapse of drug addiction. Nonetheless, few studies have examined behavioral adjustment and its plasticity following error commission in methamphetamine (METH) dependence, which is detrimental to human health. Thus, we investigated the behavioral adjustment performance following error commission in long-term METH addicts and how it varied with the application of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) of the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). Twenty-nine male long-term METH addicts (for > 3 years) were randomly assigned to high-frequency (10 Hz, n = 15) or sham (n = 14) rTMS of the left DLPFC during a two-choice oddball task. Twenty-six age-matched, healthy male adults participated in the two-choice oddball task pretest to establish normal performance for comparison. The results showed that 10 Hz rTMS over the left DLPFC significantly decreased the post-error slowing effect in response times of METH addicts. In addition, the 10 Hz rTMS intervention remarkably reduced the reaction times during post-error trials but not post-correct trials. While the 10 Hz rTMS group showed a more pronounced post-error slowing effect than the healthy participants during the pretest, the post-error slowing effect in the posttest of this sample was similar to that in the healthy participants. These results suggest that high-frequency rTMS over the left DLPFC is a useful protocol for the improvement of behavioral adjustment after error commission in long-term METH addicts.
Adjustment Disorders ; etiology ; therapy ; Adult ; Amphetamine-Related Disorders ; complications ; therapy ; Case-Control Studies ; Central Nervous System Stimulants ; adverse effects ; Choice Behavior ; physiology ; Functional Laterality ; Humans ; Male ; Methamphetamine ; adverse effects ; Middle Aged ; Prefrontal Cortex ; physiology ; Reaction Time ; physiology ; Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation ; methods ; Young Adult

In the present study we explored the different patterns of volumetric atrophy in hippocampal subregions of patients with left and right mesial temporal lobe epilepsy with hippocampal sclerosis (TLE-HS). Meanwhile, the memory impairment patterns in Chinese-speaking TLE-HS patients and potential influencing factors were also determined. TLE-HS patients (21 left and 17 right) and 21 healthy controls were recruited to complete T2-weighted imaging and verbal/nonverbal memory assessment. The results showed that both left and right TLE-HS patients had overall reduced hippocampal subregion volumes on the sclerotic side, and cornu ammonis sectors (CA1) exhibited maximum atrophy. The verbal memory of left TLE-HS patients was significantly impaired (P < 0.001) and was not associated with the volumes of the left hippocampal subregions. Verbal or nonverbal memory impairment was not found in the patients with right TLE-HS. These results suggested that the atrophy of hippocampal subregion volumes cannot account for the verbal memory impairment, which might be related to the functional network.
Adult ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Atrophy ; pathology ; Epilepsy, Temporal Lobe ; complications ; pathology ; Female ; Functional Laterality ; Hippocampus ; pathology ; Humans ; Male ; Memory Disorders ; etiology ; pathology ; Sclerosis ; pathology ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVE: To obtain reference values, to suggest optimal recording and stimulation site for radial motor nerve conduction study (RmNCS), and to analyze the correlation among RmNCS parameters, demographics and ultrasonography (US) findings. METHODS: A total of 55 volunteers participated in this study. We hypothesized that ‘lateral edge of spiral groove (A)’ was the optimal stimulation site, and the ‘largest cross-sectional area (CSA) of extensor indicis proprius (EIP) muscle (B)’ was the optimal recording site. The surface distance between ‘A’ and the lateral epicondyle of the humerus divided by upper arm length, was named the spiral groove ratio. The surface distance between ‘B’ and the ulnar styloid process divided by forearm length, was named the EIP ratio. Using US, we identified these sites, and further conducted RmNCS. RESULTS: Data was collected from 100 arms of the 55 volunteers. Mean amplitude and latency were 5.7±1.1 mV and 5.7±0.5 ms, respectively, at the spiral groove, and velocity between elbow and spiral groove was 73.7±7.0 m/s. RmNCS parameters correlated significantly with height, weight, arm length, and CSA of the EIP muscle. Spiral groove ratio and EIP ratio were 0.338±0.03 and 0.201±0.03, respectively; both values were almost the same, regardless of age, sex and handedness. CONCLUSION: We established a reference value and standardized method of RmNCS using US. Optimal RmNCS can be conducted by placing the recording electrode 20% (about one-fifth) of forearm length from the ulnar styloid process, and stimulating at 34% (about one-third) of the humeral length from the lateral epicondyle.
Adult* ; Arm ; Demography ; Elbow ; Electrodes ; Electromyography ; Forearm ; Functional Laterality ; Humans ; Humerus ; Methods ; Neural Conduction* ; Radial Nerve ; Reference Values ; Ultrasonography* ; Volunteers

BACKGROUND: A number of conditions can alter a person's fingernail configuration. The ratio between fingernail width and length (W/L) is an important aesthetic criterion, and some underlying diseases can alter the size of the fingernail. Fingernail curvature can be altered by systemic disorders or disorders of the fingernail itself. Although the shape and curvature of the fingernail can provide diagnostic clues for various diseases, few studies have precisely characterized normal fingernail configuration. METHODS: We measured the W/L ratio of the fingernail, transverse fingernail curvature, hand length, hand breadth, and distal interphalangeal joint width in 300 volunteers with healthy fingernails. We also investigated whether age, sex, height, and handedness influenced the fingernail W/L ratio and transverse fingernail curvature. RESULTS: In women, fingernail W/L ratios were similar across all five fingers, and were lower than those in men. The highest value of transverse fingernail curvature was found in the thumb, followed by the index, middle, ring, and little fingers. Handedness and aging influenced transverse fingernail curvature, but not the fingernail W/L ratio. Fingernails were flatter on the dominant hand than on the non-dominant hand. The radius of transverse fingernail curvature increased with age, indicating that fingernails tended to flatten with age. CONCLUSIONS: Our quantitative data on fingernail configuration can be used as a reference range for diagnosing various diseases and deformities of the fingernail, and for performing reconstructive or aesthetic fingernail surgery.
Aging ; Anthropometry ; Congenital Abnormalities ; Female ; Fingers ; Functional Laterality ; Hand ; Humans ; Joints ; Male ; Nail Diseases ; Nails* ; Radius ; Reference Values ; Thumb ; Volunteers