Relationship of Self-Rated Health with Fatal and Non-Fatal Outcomes in Cardiovascular Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background

People who rate their health as poor experience higher all-cause mortality. Study of disease-specific association with self-rated health might increase understanding of why this association exists.

Objectives

To estimate the strength of association between self-rated health and fatal and non-fatal cardiovascular disease.

Methods

A comprehensive search of PubMed MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, BIOSIS, PsycINFO, DARE, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science was undertaken during June 2013. Two reviewers independently searched databases and selected studies. Inclusion criteria were prospective cohort studies or cohort analyses of randomised trials with baseline measurement of self-rated health with fatal or non-fatal cardiovascular outcomes. 20 studies were pooled quantitatively in different meta-analyses. Study quality was assessed using Newcastle-Ottawa scales.

Results

‘Poor’ relative to ‘excellent’ self-rated health (defined by most extreme categories in each study, most often’ poor’ or ‘very poor’ and ‘excellent’ or ‘good’) was associated over a follow-up of 2.3–23 years with cardiovascular mortality in studies: where varying degrees of adjustments had been made for cardiovascular disease risk (HR 1.79 (95% CI 1.50 to 2.14); 15 studies, I2 = 71.24%), and in studies reporting outcomes in people with pre-existing cardiovascular disease or ischaemic heart disease symptoms (HR 2.42 (95% CI 1.32 to 4.44); 3 studies; I2 = 71.83%). ‘Poor’ relative to ‘excellent’ self rated health was also associated with the combined outcome of fatal and non-fatal cardiovascular events (HR 1.90 (95% CI 1.26 to 2.87); 5 studies; I² = 68.61%), Self-rated health was not significantly associated with non-fatal cardiovascular disease outcomes (HR 1.66 (95% CI 0.96 to 2.87); 5 studies; I2 = 83.60%).

Conclusions

Poor self rated health is associated with cardiovascular mortality in populations with and without prior cardiovascular disease. Those with current poor self-rated health may warrant additional input from health services to identify and address reasons for their low subjective health.     

Silencing of chaperonin 21, that was differentially expressed in inflorescence of seedless and seeded grapes,promoted seed abortion in tobacco and tomato fruits

Vitis vinifera L. cv. ‘Thompson Seedless’ presents a type of stenospermocarpy in grape where fertilization occurs but seeds abort and fail to develop. To unravel the molecular basis for stenospermocarpy in grapes, subtractive hybridization was carried out in order to isolate differentially regulated genes that participate in the seedlessness machinery. Two ‘Thompson’ lines, a seeded and a seedless, were screened during different flower developmental stages. One of the genes, that was differentially expressed between the seeded and seedless lines, was the chloroplast chaperonin 21 (ch-Cpn21). ch-Cpn21 is a 21-kDa co-chaperonin polypeptide formed by two GroES-like domains fused together in tandem. Silencing of ch-Cpn21 in Nicotiana benthamiana plants resulted in leaf stunting, chlorosis, as well as ovary necrogenesis leading to seed abortion. Moreover, organ-specific silencing of ch-Cpn21 only in Lycopersicum esculentum fruits resulted in the development of seedless tomatoes. These results suggest that ch-Cpn21 may play a role in seed abortion in stenospermocarpic grapes.     

Effect of gibberellic acid and uniconazol on embryo abortion in the stenospermocarpic grape cultivars Emperatriz and Perlon

Hypothesizing that seed abortion in stenospermocarpic grapes (Vitis vinifera L.) is caused by high gibberellin levels in the seed during the first stages of its development, we studied the effect of gibberellic acid GA₃ and uniconazol (a GAs biosynthesis inhibitor) on this phenomenon. In vitro germination was analyzed in the seedless cultivars Emperatriz and Perlon, which were treated with 60 and 120 mg.^-l 1 uniconazol (5 and 15 days before bloom) and 100 mg.^-l 1 GA₃ (5 days after bloom). In addition, endogenous levels of free gibberellins in flowers and seeds of Emperatriz and Perlon were compared with their seedeed progenitor Emperador. Clusters were harvested at bloom and 20 days after bloom for gibberellin analysis and at commercial maturity for in vitro culture of the seeds. Considerable gibberellin activity was found in the three cultivars, but only small differences were detected between the seedless and the seeded genotypes. Exogenous applications of GA₃ had a deleterious effect on seed growth and on in vitro germination. Uniconazol also inhibited in vitro germination, though not affecting the total number of germinating embryos plus those rescued from non-germinating seeds. In conclusion, gibberellins do not appear to be directly involved in seed abortion of the stenospermocarpic cultivars Emperatriz and Perlon, although their participation in a more complex scenario should not be rejected, taking into account that in Perlon germination rates are positively correlated with the number of clusters per plant. Treatments with growth regulators also modified berry number per cluster, berry weight and rachis morphology. Finally, the plant source was a determinant affecting germination rates in vitro.     

Multimorbidity Patterns in a National Representative Sample of the Spanish Adult Population

Background

In the context of population aging, multimorbidity has emerged as a growing concern in public health. However, little is known about multimorbidity patterns and other issues surrounding chronic diseases. The aim of our study was to examine multimorbidity patterns, the relationship between physical and mental conditions and the distribution of multimorbidity in the Spanish adult population.

Methods

Data from this cross-sectional study was collected from the COURAGE study. A total of 4,583 participants from Spain were included, 3,625 aged over 50. An exploratory factor analysis was conducted to detect multimorbidity patterns in the population over 50 years of age. Crude and adjusted binary logistic regressions were performed to identify individual associations between physical and mental conditions.

Results

Three multimorbidity patterns rose: ‘cardio-respiratory’ (angina, asthma, chronic lung disease), ‘mental-arthritis’ (arthritis, depression, anxiety) and the ‘aggregated pattern’ (angina, hypertension, stroke, diabetes, cataracts, edentulism, arthritis). After adjusting for covariates, asthma, chronic lung disease, arthritis and the number of physical conditions were associated with depression. Angina and the number of physical conditions were associated with a higher risk of anxiety. With regard to multimorbidity distribution, women over 65 years suffered from the highest rate of multimorbidity (67.3%).

Conclusion

Multimorbidity prevalence occurs in a high percentage of the Spanish population, especially in the elderly. There are specific multimorbidity patterns and individual associations between physical and mental conditions, which bring new insights into the complexity of chronic patients. There is need to implement patient-centered care which involves these interactions rather than merely paying attention to individual diseases.     

Types of Social Capital and Mental Disorder in Deprived Urban Areas: A Multilevel Study of 40 Disadvantaged London Neighbourhoods

Objectives

To examine the extent to which individual and ecological-level cognitive and structural social capital are associated with common mental disorder (CMD), the role played by physical characteristics of the neighbourhood in moderating this association, and the longitudinal change of the association between ecological level cognitive and structural social capital and CMD.

Design

Cross-sectional and longitudinal study of 40 disadvantaged London neighbourhoods. We used a contextual measure of the physical characteristics of each neighbourhood to examine how the neighbourhood moderates the association between types of social capital and mental disorder. We analysed the association between ecological-level measures of social capital and CMD longitudinally.

Participants

4,214 adults aged 16-97 (44.4% men) were randomly selected from 40 disadvantaged London neighbourhoods.

Main Outcome Measures

General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12).

Results

Structural rather than cognitive social capital was significantly associated with CMD after controlling for socio-demographic variables. However, the two measures of structural social capital used, social networks and civic participation, were negatively and positively associated with CMD respectively. ‘Social networks’ was negatively associated with CMD at both the individual and ecological levels. This result was maintained when contextual aspects of the physical environment (neighbourhood incivilities) were introduced into the model, suggesting that ‘social networks’ was independent from characteristics of the physical environment. When ecological-level longitudinal analysis was conducted, ‘social networks’ was not statistically significant after controlling for individual-level social capital at follow up.

Conclusions

If we conceptually distinguish between cognitive and structural components as the quality and quantity of social capital respectively, the conclusion of this study is that the quantity rather than quality of social capital is important in relation to CMD at both the individual and ecological levels in disadvantaged urban areas. Thus, policy should support interventions that create and sustain social networks. One of these is explored in this article.

Trial Registration

Controlled-Trials.com ISRCTN68175121 http://www.controlled-trials.com/ISRCTN68175121     

Association of Common Polymorphisms in TNFA,NFkB1 and NFKBIA with Risk and Prognosis of Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Background

Tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) and nuclear factor of kappa light chain gene enhancer in activated B cells (NF-κB) play critical role in carcinogenesis processes like tumour initiation, proliferation, migration and invasion. Single nucleotide polymorphisms in TNF-α, NF-κB and its inhibitor IκB genes were shown to be associated with susceptibility and prognosis of several cancers; however, their role in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is not well recognised. Therefore, in present study, we aimed to investigate association of common polymorphisms in TNFA, NFkB1 and NFKBIA with risk and prognosis of ESCC in northern Indian population.

Methods

We genotyped 290 ESCC patients (including 162 followed up cases) and 311 mean age, gender and ethnicity matched controls for TNFA -308G>A, NFkB1 -94ATTG ins/del and NFKBIA (-826C>T and 3’UTRA>G) polymorphisms using PCR alone or followed by RFLP and TaqMan assay.

Results

TNFA -308GA genotype was associated with increased risk of ESCC specifically in females and in patients with regional lymph node involvement, while, NFKBIA -826CT+TT genotype conferred decreased risk of ESCC in females. Haplotypes of NFKBIA -826C>T and 3’UTRA>G polymorphisms, C_-826G₃’_UTR and T_-826A₃’_UTR, were associated with reduced risk of ESCC. No independent role of NFkB1 -94ATTG ins/del polymorphism in susceptibility of ESCC was found. Multi-dimensionality reduction analysis showed three factor model TNFA-308, NFKBIA-826, NFKBIA 3’UTR as better predictor for risk of ESCC. Furthermore, combined risk genotype analysis of all studied polymorphisms showed increased risk of ESCC in patients with 1-3 risk genotype compared to ‘0’ risk genotype. Survival analysis did not show any significant prognostic effect of studied polymorphisms. However, in stepwise multivariate analysis, metastasis was found to be independent prognostic predictor of ESCC patients.

Conclusion

TNFA-308 and NFKBIA (-826C>T and 3’UTRA>G) polymorphisms may play role in susceptibility but not in prognosis of ESCC patients in northern Indian population.     

Gibberellic acid impairs fertilization in Clementine mandarin under cross-pollination conditions

We investigated the effect of gibberellic acid (GA₃) in the fertilization of Clementine mandarin cv. ‘Clemenules’ (Citrus clementina Hort. ex Tan.), a parthenocarpic variety that produces seedless fruit due to its self-incompatible nature, but yields seedy fruits when grown under cross-pollination conditions.Experiments were conducted with on-tree ‘Clemenules’ flowers and ‘Fortune’ mandarin pollen (C. clementina Hort. ex Tan. × C. reticulata Blanco), which is sexually compatible with the former. Preanthesis treatment at −2 days after anthesis (−2 DAA) enhanced ovule abortion in both unpollinated and cross-pollinated (at +2 DAA) flowers. In the latter, the number of pollen tubes reaching the ovules was significantly reduced although pollen grains were not treated; thus, fertilization was partially avoided and seed set was reduced. When GA₃ was applied at anthesis (0 DAA) at the time of pollination, ovule abortion was again enhanced, and pollen tube growth was completely arrested; thus, fertilization was prevented and seed set was impeded. When GA₃ was applied 24 h after pollination (+1 DAA in flowers pollinated at anthesis), pollen tube growth was impaired but not arrested and ovule abortion was enhanced; therefore, fertilization was not prevented but impaired.We conclude that, when applied the days around anthesis, GA₃ (10 mg l⁻¹) impairs fertilization by either enhancing ovule abortion or reducing pollen tube growth, in ‘Clemenules’ flowers under cross-pollination conditions. The intensity of the response depends on the physiological flower state at the moment of treatment.     

How Can We Get Close to Zero? The Potential Contribution of Biomedical Prevention and the Investment Framework towards an Effective Response to HIV

Background

In 2011 an Investment Framework was proposed that described how the scale-up of key HIV interventions could dramatically reduce new HIV infections and deaths in low and middle income countries by 2015. This framework included ambitious coverage goals for prevention and treatment services resulting in a reduction of new HIV infections by more than half. However, it also estimated a leveling in the number of new infections at about 1 million annually after 2015.

Methods

We modeled how the response to AIDS can be further expanded by scaling up antiretroviral treatment (ART) within the framework provided by the 2013 WHO treatment guidelines. We further explored the potential contributions of new prevention technologies: ‘Test and Treat’, pre-exposure prophylaxis and an HIV vaccine.

Findings

Immediate aggressive scale up of existing approaches including the 2013 WHO guidelines could reduce new infections by 80%. A ‘Test and Treat’ approach could further reduce new infections. This could be further enhanced by a future highly effective pre-exposure prophylaxis and an HIV vaccine, so that a combination of all four approaches could reduce new infections to as low as 80,000 per year by 2050 and annual AIDS deaths to 260,000.

Interpretation

In a set of ambitious scenarios, we find that immediate implementation of the 2013 WHO antiretroviral therapy guidelines could reduce new HIV infections by 80%. Further reductions may be achieved by moving to a ‘Test and Treat’ approach, and eventually by adding a highly effective pre-exposure prophylaxis and an HIV vaccine, if they become available.     

Delayed Gadolinium-Enhanced MRI of Cartilage (dGEMRIC) Shows No Change in Cartilage Structural Composition after Viscosupplementation in Patients with Early-Stage Knee Osteoarthritis

Introduction

Viscosupplementation with hyaluronic acid (HA) of osteoarthritic (OA) knee joints has a well-established positive effect on clinical symptoms. This effect, however, is only temporary and the working mechanism of HA injections is not clear. It was suggested that HA might have disease modifying properties because of its beneficial effect on cartilage sulphated glycosaminoglycan (sGAG) content. Delayed gadolinium-enhanced MRI of cartilage (dGEMRIC) is a highly reproducible, non-invasive surrogate measure for sGAG content and hence composition of cartilage. The aim of this study was to assess whether improvement in cartilage structural composition is detected using dGEMRIC 14 weeks after 3 weekly injections with HA in patients with early-stage knee OA.

Methods

In 20 early-stage knee OA patients (KLG I-II), 3D dGEMRIC at 3T was acquired before and 14 weeks after 3 weekly injections with HA. To evaluate patient symptoms, the knee injury and osteoarthritis outcome score (KOOS) and a numeric rating scale (NRS) for pain were recorded. To evaluate cartilage composition, six cartilage regions in the knee were analyzed on dGEMRIC. Outcomes of dGEMRIC, KOOS and NRS before and after HA were compared using paired t-testing. Since we performed multiple t-tests, we applied a Bonferroni-Holm correction to determine statistical significance for these analyses.

Results

All KOOS subscales (‘pain’, ‘symptoms’, ‘daily activities’, ‘sports’ and ’quality of life’) and the NRS pain improved significantly 14 weeks after Viscosupplementation with HA. Outcomes of dGEMRIC did not change significantly after HA compared to baseline in any of the cartilage regions analyzed in the knee.

Conclusions

Our results confirm previous findings reported in the literature, showing persisting improvement in symptomatic outcome measures in early-stage knee OA patients 14 weeks after Viscosupplementation. Outcomes of dGEMRIC, however, did not change after Viscosupplementation, indicating no change in cartilage structural composition as an explanation for the improvement of clinical symptoms.     

Biosynthesis and Contents of Gibberellins in Seeded and Seedless Sweet Orange (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Citrus sinensis</Emphasis> L. Osbeck) Cultivars

In this work, we study the capacity to biosynthesize gibberellins (GA) of ovules (either fertilised or unfertilised), developing seeds and pericarp from fruitlets and their relation with fruit set capacity. Experiments were performed in adult, 12-year-old trees of seeded (Pineapple) and seedless parthenocarpic (Washington navel) sweet orange [Citrus sinensis L. Osbeck] cultivars. The activity of GA20-, GA3- and GA2-oxidases and gibberellin levels were measured in the ovules and pericarp of fruitlets in different development states. The results indicate that ovules are the main sites of gibberellin synthesis in fruitlets during the post-anthesis period. The most intense GA₁ synthesis—coincident with the highest expression of GA20ox2, GA3ox1 and GA2ox1—was detected in the ovules of the seeded cultivar, probably induced by fecundation and associated with low early fruitlet abscission rates. By contrast, the low activity detected in the sterile cultivar appears to be rather developmentally or constitutively regulated. As a fruitlet develops, the GA₁ concentration is augmented in the pericarp in comparison to ovules or developing seeds, and levels therein did not exhibit noticeable differences between varieties. Furthermore, developing seeds from pineapple had higher GA₁ content than the unfertilised abortive ovules from Washington navel. Taken together, data suggest a main role for this hormone in the control of fruitlet abscission, and also demonstrate a function in seed development.     

galign: A Tool for Rapid Genome Polymorphism Discovery

Background

Highly parallel sequencing technologies have become important tools in the analysis of sequence polymorphisms on a genomic scale. However, the development of customized software to analyze data produced by these methods has lagged behind.

Methods/Principal Findings

Here I describe a tool, ‘galign’, designed to identify polymorphisms between sequence reads obtained using Illumina/Solexa technology and a reference genome. The ‘galign’ alignment tool does not use Smith-Waterman matrices for sequence comparisons. Instead, a simple algorithm comparing parsed sequence reads to parsed reference genome sequences is used. ‘galign’ output is geared towards immediate user application, displaying polymorphism locations, nucleotide changes, and relevant predicted amino-acid changes for ease of information processing. To do so, ‘galign’ requires several accessory files easily derived from an annotated reference genome. Direct sequencing as well as in silico studies demonstrate that ‘galign’ provides lesion predictions comparable in accuracy to available prediction programs, accompanied by greater processing speed and more user-friendly output. We demonstrate the use of ‘galign’ to identify mutations leading to phenotypic consequences in C. elegans.

Conclusion/Significance

Our studies suggest that ‘galign’ is a useful tool for polymorphism discovery, and is of immediate utility for sequence mining in C. elegans.     

Auxin distribution is differentially affected by nitrate in roots of two rice cultivars differing in responsiveness to nitrogen

Background and Aims

Although ammonium (NH₄⁺) is the preferred form of nitrogen over nitrate (NO₃⁻) for rice (Oryza sativa), lateral root (LR) growth in roots is enhanced by partial NO₃⁻ nutrition (PNN). The roles of auxin distribution and polar transport in LR formation in response to localized NO₃⁻ availability are not known.

Methods

Time-course studies in a split-root experimental system were used to investigate LR development patterns, auxin distribution, polar auxin transport and expression of auxin transporter genes in LR zones in response to localized PNN in ‘Nanguang’ and ‘Elio’ rice cultivars, which show high and low responsiveness to NO₃⁻, respectively. Patterns of auxin distribution and the effects of polar auxin transport inhibitors were also examined in DR5::GUS transgenic plants.

Key Results

Initiation of LRs was enhanced by PNN after 7 d cultivation in ‘Nanguang’ but not in ‘Elio’. Auxin concentration in the roots of ‘Nanguang’ increased by approx. 24 % after 5 d cultivation with PNN compared with NH₄⁺ as the sole nitrogen source, but no difference was observed in ‘Elio’. More auxin flux into the LR zone in ‘Nanguang’ roots was observed in response to NO₃⁻ compared with NH₄⁺ treatment. A greater number of auxin influx and efflux transporter genes showed increased expression in the LR zone in response to PNN in ‘Nanguang’ than in ‘Elio’.

Conclusions

The results indicate that higher NO₃⁻ responsiveness is associated with greater auxin accumulation in the LR zone and is strongly related to a higher rate of LR initiation in the cultivar ‘Nanguang’.     

Molecular characterization of a SCAR marker purportedly linked to seedlessness in grapevine (Vitis)

Molecular markers associated with seedlessness in grapevine (Vitis vinifera) could be used for early trait selection in breeding programs and provide useful tools for elucidating the molecular mechanisms underlying seed abortion. In this study, the sequence fidelity of a previously reported seedlessness-linked Sequence-Characterized Amplified Region (SCAR) marker (GenBank accession #AY327513, Yang et al. in Chinese J Agri Biotech 3:13–17, 2006) was determined by comparative sequence analysis. Using available genomics resources, the SCAR marker was mapped to an overlapping region between exon-1 and intron-1 of a putative histidine triad protein (HIT) gene corresponding to an ORF of 588 bp for a peptide of 195 residues and a gene structure with 8 exons in a 14.7 kbp genomic region. However, PCR and DNA sequence analyses revealed that both seeded and seedless phenotypes of Vitis species contained highly homologous sequences in an EcoRI-delimited region of up to 5 kbp surrounding the SCAR marker. The absence of linkage between the marker and the seedlessness trait does not support a role for the HIT gene in seedlessness development, or the potential for the use of this SCAR marker in the identification/selection of seedless progeny.     

Press Releases Issued by Supplements Industry Organisations and Non-Industry Organisations in Response to Publication of Clinical Research Findings: A Case-Control Study

Background

Dietary supplement use is increasing despite lack of evidence of benefits, or evidence of harm. Press releases issued by the supplements industry might contribute to this situation by using ‘spin’ (strategies to hype or denigrate findings) to distort the results of clinical studies. We assessed press releases issued in response to publication of clinical studies on dietary supplements.

Methods and Findings

We analyzed 47 supplements industry press releases and 91 non-industry press releases and news stories, generated in response to 46 clinical studies of dietary supplements published between 1/1/2005 and 5/31/2013. The primary outcome was ‘spin’ content and direction. We also assessed disposition towards use of dietary supplements, reporting of study information, and dissemination of industry press releases. More supplements industry press releases (100%) contained ‘spin’ than non-industry media documents (55%, P<0.001). Hyping ‘spin’ scores were higher in industry than non-industry media documents for studies reporting benefit of supplements (median ‘spin’ score 3.3, 95% CI 1.0–5.5 vs 0.5, 0–1.0; P<0.001). Denigratory ‘spin’ scores were higher in industry than non-industry media documents for studies reporting no effect (6.0, 5.0–7.0 vs 0, 0–0; P<0.001) or harm (6.0, 5.5–7.5 vs 0, 0–0.5; P<0.001) from a supplement. Industry press releases advocated supplement use in response to >90% of studies that reported no benefit, or harm, of the supplement. Industry press releases less frequently reported study outcomes, sample size, and estimates of effect size than non-industry media documents (all P<0.001), particularly for studies that reported no benefit of supplements. Industry press releases were referenced by 148 news stories on the websites of 6 organizations that inform manufacturers, retailers and consumers of supplements.

Conclusions

Dietary supplements industry press releases issued in response to clinical research findings are characterized by ‘spin’ that hypes results that are favourable to supplement use and denigrates results that are not.     

Responses of dormant heather (Calluna vulgaris) seeds to light, temperature, chemical and advancement treatments

Two seed lots of Calluna vulgaris were obtainedfrom English Nature (seed of Cornish provenance) (EN) and John ChambersWildflower Seeds (JCWS). In laboratory tests, under continuous light untreatedseeds of both seed lots were partially dormant at temperatures between14–35 °C, but JCWS seeds were more deeply dormant thanENseeds. The optimum temperature for germination for both lots was ca 18°C. Germination of EN seeds was much lower in the dark than inthe light at all temperatures; JCWS seeds did not germinate in the dark. In thelight at 22 °C, dormancy of both seed lots was broken whenseeds were incubated in GA_4/7 solution(2×10^–4 M). Dormancy ofJCWSseeds at 22 °C in the light was broken when seeds wereincubated in four different smoke solutions but more so when used incombinationwith GA_4/7. Soaking seeds for 4h insmoke/GA_4/7solutions before sowing improved both the speed andpercentage germination in pot experiments on a mist bench in the glasshouse byat least 10-fold. Soaking with GA_4/7 alone produced a 5-fold increasein germination but seedlings were more etiolated than with thesmoke/GA_4/7 mixtures. A seed advancement treatment modified from thatused commercially on sugar beet seeds also promoted germination in bothlaboratory and glasshouse tests. This entailed soaking seeds in 0.2% thiramsuspension for 4h followed by incubation in excess solution at 22°C for 4 days. This treatment was not as effective as thesmoke/GA_4/7 seed soaks.     

Detection of Progression of Glaucomatous Visual Field Damage Using the Point-Wise Method with the Binomial Test

Purpose

To compare the performance of newly proposed point-wise linear regression (PLR) with the binomial test (binomial PLR) against mean deviation (MD) trend analysis and permutation analyses of PLR (PoPLR), in detecting global visual field (VF) progression in glaucoma.

Methods

15 VFs (Humphrey Field Analyzer, SITA standard, 24-2) were collected from 96 eyes of 59 open angle glaucoma patients (6.0 ± 1.5 [mean ± standard deviation] years). Using the total deviation of each point on the 2^nd to 16^th VFs (VF2-16), linear regression analysis was carried out. The numbers of VF test points with a significant trend at various probability levels (p<0.025, 0.05, 0.075 and 0.1) were investigated with the binomial test (one-side). A VF series was defined as “significant” if the median p-value from the binomial test was <0.025. Similarly, the progression analysis was carried out using only second to sixth VFs (VF2-6). The performance of each method was evaluated using the ‘consistency measures’; proportion both significant (PBS): both VF series (VF2-6 and VF2-16) were “significant”, proportion both were not significant (PBNS): both were “not significant”, proportion inconsistently significant (PIS): VF2-16 was “not significant” but VF2-6 was “significant”. A similar analysis was carried out using VF2-7 and VF2-15 series, and the performance was compared with MD trend analysis and PoPLR.

Results

The PBS of the binomial PLR method (0.14 to 0.86) was significantly higher than MD trend analysis (0.04 to 0.89) and PoPLR (0.09 to 0.93). The PIS of the proposed method (0.0 to 0.17) was significantly lower than the MD approach (0.0 to 0.67) and PoPLR (0.07 to 0.33). The PBNS of the three approaches were not significantly different.

Conclusions

The binomial BLR method gives more consistent results than MD trend analysis and PoPLR, hence it will be helpful as a tool to ‘flag’ possible VF deterioration.     

The Neural Dynamics of Conflict Adaptation within a Look-to-Do Transition

Background

For optimal performance in conflict situations, conflict adaptation (conflict detection and adjustment) is necessary. However, the neural dynamics of conflict adaptation is still unclear.

Methods

In the present study, behavioral and electroencephalography (EEG) data were recorded from seventeen healthy participants during performance of a color-word Stroop task with a novel look-to-do transition. Within this transition, participants looked at the Stroop stimuli but no responses were required in the ‘look’ trials; or made manual responses to the Stroop stimuli in the ‘do’ trials.

Results

In the ‘look’ trials, the amplitude modulation of N450 occurred exclusively in the right-frontal region. Subsequently, the amplitude modulation of sustained potential (SP) emerged in the posterior parietal and right-frontal regions. A significantly positive correlation between the modulation of reconfiguration in the ‘look’ trials and the behavioral conflict adaptation in the ‘do’ trials was observed. Specially, a stronger information flow from right-frontal region to posterior parietal region in the beta band was observed for incongruent condition than for congruent condition. In the ‘do’ trials, the conflict of ‘look’ trials enhanced the amplitude modulations of N450 in the right-frontal and posterior parietal regions, but decreased the amplitude modulations of SP in these regions. Uniquely, a stronger information flow from centro-parietal region to right-frontal region in the theta band was observed for iI condition than for cI condition.

Conclusion

All these findings showed that top-down conflict adaptation is implemented by: (1) enhancing the sensitivity to conflict detection and the adaptation to conflict resolution; (2) modulating the effective connectivity between parietal region and right-frontal region.