Current Issue : April-June Volume : 2026 Issue Number : 2 Articles : 5 Articles
Brain–computer interfaces (BCIs) can be used to monitor and provide real-time feedback on brain signals, directly inuencing external systems, such as virtual environments (VE), to support self-regulation. We piloted a novel immersive, rst-person shooting BCI-VE during which the avatars’ movement speed was directly inuenced by neural activity in the supplementary motor area (SMA). Previous analyses revealed behavioral and localized neural eects for active versus reduced contingency neurofeedback in a randomized controlled trial design. However, the modeling of neural dynamics during such complex tasks challenges traditional event-related approaches. To overcome this limitation, we employed a data-driven framework utilizing group-level independent networks derived from BOLD-specic components of the multi-echo fMRI data obtained during the BCI regulation. Individual responses were estimated through dual regression. The spatial independent components corresponded to established cognitive networks and task-specic networks related to gaming actions. Compared to reduced contingency neurofeedback, active regulation induced signicantly elevated fractional amplitude of low-frequency uctuations (fALFF) in a frontoparietal control network, and spatial reweighting of a salience/ventral aention network, with stronger expression in SMA, prefrontal cortex, inferior parietal lobule, and occipital regions. These ndings underscore the distributed network engagement of BCI regulation during a behavioral task in an immersive virtual environment....
Background/Objectives: Lower iodine concentration may mitigate nephrotoxicity by decreasing osmolality and viscosity. With modern multidetector CT (MDCT) and hybrid iterative reconstruction, reducing total iodine load without compromising image quality is feasible. We evaluated whether hepatic multiphase CT using low-concentration iodine contrast (LCIC, 270 mg I/mL) provides non-inferior image quality and lesion detectability compared with high-concentration iodine contrast (HCIC, 350 mg I/mL), and we identified iodine dose thresholds for acceptable image quality. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 179 HCIC and 190 LCIC multiphase CT examinations. Arterial-phase imaging used 100 or 120 kVp; the portal-venous phase used automated tube-voltage modulation. We prespecified a non-inferiority margin of −0.5 for the mean image-quality score. Image quality and diagnostic performance were compared, and iodine dose thresholds for acceptable quality were determined using AUC analysis. Results: Arterial-phase image-quality scores were 4.450 ± 0.462 (HCIC) versus 4.439 ± 0.477 (LCIC) (difference, −0.010; 95% CI, −0.107 to 0.086). Portal-venous scores were 4.430 ± 0.443 and 4.337 ± 0.371, respectively (difference, −0.093; 95% CI, −0.177 to −0.010). Both met non-inferiority. Per-patient diagnostic performance was comparable (0.931 versus 0.947; p = 0.38). Per-lesion detectability was also similar (0.862 versus 0.909; p = 0.18), whereas per-lesion diagnostic performance differed (0.669 versus 0.781; p = 0.02). Optimal iodine dose thresholds were 501.691 mg I/kg at 100 kVp and 599.145 mg I/kg at 120 kVp for the arterial phase, and 517.650 mg I/kg for the portal-venous phase. Conclusions: LCIC hepatic multiphase CT provided non-inferior image quality and diagnostic performance compared with HCIC on contemporary MDCT with hybrid iterative reconstruction. The iodine dose required to preserve image quality varied by tube voltage, supporting tailored protocols....
This case report describes a fetus with achondrogenesis type II, a severe and lethal type II collagen disorder, presenting with micrognathia and hydrops. Prenatal evaluation with 2D/3D ultrasound, followed by postmortem imaging and pathological examination, confirmed the diagnosis. Genetic testing revealed a heterozygous COL2A1 mutation (1703G>A; Gly516Ser, exon 24). The significance of this study lies in the identification of a missense mutation in COL2A1 associated with achondrogenesis type II. This report highlights that the condition may present with hydrops and craniofacial anomalies, establishing this variant as a pathogenic mutation associated with the disorder....
Background: Analyzing the human bone marrow microenvironment requires an in vivo model that reflects the human bone marrow microenvironment. Introducing a human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) line into decellularized cancellous bone (DCB) is a first step in forming such a bone marrow model. Our goal with this research is identifying factors that promote the penetration of MSCs into DCBs in an ex vivo setting. Methods: We introduced the CRISPR Knock Out (GeCKO v2) library to identify candidate genes in UE7T- 9 cell line (MSC line) for DCB penetration. We established a candidate gene-knockout UE7T- 9 cell for validation and evaluated its penetration into DCB (measured distance of randomly selected 100 cells), proliferation (MTS assay), migration (scratch assay), and ancorageindependent growth (soft agar assay). RNA sequencing was performed to analyze changes in gene expression comprehensively. Results: We identified Serine/Arginine Repetitive Matrix 4 (SRRM4) knockout (KO) in the UE7T-9 cell as a candidate factor for bone penetration. SRRM4 KO promoted DCB penetration (3.1–7.1 times deeper, each p ≤ 1.91 × 10−24), cell migration (p = 0.039), and ancorage-independent growth (2.5 times in colony count, 7.1 times in colony size, each p = 0.001) but retained stem cell characteristics. Conclusions: SRRM4 KO is a newly defined factor of UE7T-9 cell penetrating into DCB. SRRM4 KO UE7T-9 cells may be used to analyze hematological diseases such as myelodysplastic neoplasms....
The efficacy of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is influenced by the brain’s real-time activity state. This study aimed to investigate the correlation between cortical excitability states and EEG features, specifically the phase and power of the sensorimotor μ rhythm. We developed a high-precision real-time phase prediction algorithm based on a Long Short- Term Memory (LSTM) network and constructed a closed-loop TMS system dependent on EEG phase and power. Thirty healthy subjects were recruited for single-pulse TMS experiments. Motor evoked potentials (MEPs) and TMS-evoked potentials (TEPs) were recorded simultaneously to assess cortical excitability states triggered in real time based on different EEG phase and power features. The results demonstrated no significant correlation between the μ rhythm phase and the amplitudes of MEPs or most TEP components. In contrast, pre-stimulus μ rhythm power showed a significant positive correlation with MEP amplitude. Under high-power conditions, the amplitude of the late P180 component in the sensorimotor cortex was significantly enhanced. The early-to-mid components (N15-N100) of the global mean field potential (GMFP) also exhibited significantly increased amplitudes. This study found that, compared to phase, EEG μ rhythm power exhibits a more significant correlation with TMS-assessed cortical excitability states. This finding provides a key basis for developing EEG power-dependent closed-loop TMS methods to enhance the efficacy of TMS modulation....
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