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Gegenstand der vorliegenden Arbeit ist die Untersuchung des Einflusses der Angstsensitivität auf die Emotionsverarbeitung und selektive Aufmerksamkeitsprozesse. Anhand des Angstsensitivitätsindex-3 (ASI-3) wurden die Probanden in stark und wenig angstsensitiv eingeteilt. Der Selbstbeurteilungsfragebogen ASI-3 erfasst in welchem Maß die betreffende Person auf typische angstauslösende Stimuli mit Symptomen reagiert (Kemper, et al., 2009). Bei 53 gesunden, freiwilligen Probanden wurde, während der Präsentation von Bildern mit positiven, negativen und neutralen Inhalt, ein EEG (Elektroenzephalogramm) abgeleitet. In Anlehnung an das Paradigma von Schupp und Kollegen (Schupp, et al., 2007) wurde jede Bildkategorie jeweils in einem Durchgang als Target- und gleichzeitig die beiden anderen Kategorien als Non-Target-Bedingung dargeboten. Außerdem wurde ein Durchgang mit der Anweisung „alle gleich beachten“ (PB-Bedingung) durchgeführt. Die Angstsensitivität beeinflusst den Verlauf des EPN (early posterior negative potential). Bei hoch angstsensitiven Probanden zeigt sich ein stärker negativer Verlauf der EPN-Amplitude als bei wenig Angstsensitiven. Diese Aussage gilt für die Darbietung von neutralen und positiven Bildern bei der PB-Bedingung. Bei Probanden mit hoher Angstsensitivität verläuft sowohl bei der Target-Bedingung als auch bei der Non-Target-Bedingung das EPN signifikant negativer, als bei denjenigen mit niedriger Angstsensitivität. Ebenfalls zeigte sich das EPN-Potential während der Target- und Non-Target-Bedingung bei positiven und neutralen Bildern für hoch angstsensitive Probanden signifikant negativer als bei wenig angstsensitiven Probanden. Im LPP (late positive potential) zeigte sich kein Einfluss der Angstsensitivität auf den Verlauf des Potentials. Keine geschlechtsspezifischen Unterschiede konnten im LPP und EPN festgestellt werden.
Since the first description of a systematic mis-reaching by Balint in 1909, a reasonable number of patients showing a similar phenomenology, later termed optic ataxia (OA), has been described. However, there is surprising inconsistency regarding the behavioral measures that are used to detect OA in experimental and clinical reports, if the respective measures are reported at all. A typical screening method that was presumably used by most researchers and clinicians, reaching for a target object in the peripheral visual space, has never been evaluated. We developed a set of instructions and evaluation criteria for the scoring of a semi-standardized version of this reaching task. We tested 36 healthy participants, a group of 52 acute and chronic stroke patients, and 24 patients suffering from cerebellar ataxia. We found a high interrater reliability and a moderate test-retest reliability comparable to other clinical instruments in the stroke sample. The calculation of cut-off thresholds based on healthy control and cerebellar patient data showed an unexpected high number of false positives in these samples due to individual outliers that made a considerable number of errors in peripheral reaching. This study provides first empirical data from large control and patient groups for a screening procedure that seems to be widely used but rarely explicitly reported and prepares the grounds for its use as a standard tool for the description of patients who are included in single case or group studies addressing optic ataxia similar to the use of neglect, extinction, or apraxia screening tools.
Molecular Signatures Associated with HCV-Induced Hepatocellular Carcinoma and Liver Metastasis
(2013)
Hepatocellular carcinomas (HCCs) are a heterogeneous group of tumors that differ in risk factors and genetic alterations. In Italy, particularly Southern Italy, chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection represents the main cause of HCC. Using high-density oligoarrays, we identified consistent differences in gene-expression between HCC and normal liver tissue. Expression patterns in HCC were also readily distinguishable from those associated with liver metastases. To characterize molecular events relevant to hepatocarcinogenesis and identify biomarkers for early HCC detection, gene expression profiling of 71 liver biopsies from HCV-related primary HCC and corresponding HCV-positive non-HCC hepatic tissue, as well as gastrointestinal liver metastases paired with the apparently normal peri-tumoral liver tissue, were compared to 6 liver biopsies from healthy individuals. Characteristic gene signatures were identified when normal tissue was compared with HCV-related primary HCC, corresponding HCV-positive non-HCC as well as gastrointestinal liver metastases. Pathway analysis classified the cellular and biological functions of the genes differentially expressed as related to regulation of gene expression and post-translational modification in HCV-related primary HCC; cellular Growth and Proliferation, and Cell-To-Cell Signaling and Interaction in HCV-related non HCC samples; Cellular Growth and Proliferation and Cell Cycle in metastasis. Also characteristic gene signatures were identified of HCV-HCC progression for early HCC diagnosis.
Conclusions: A diagnostic molecular signature complementing conventional pathologic assessment was identified.