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The (re-)construction of past and future personal experiences, termed mental time travel (MTT), is highly adaptive and contributes to self-related beliefs and attitudes. Mounting evidence suggests that self-efficacy (SE), the belief that one can overcome obstacles on their own account, is functionally related to MTT. In the present study, we used novel methods for the analysis of MTT narratives based on natural language processing (NLP) to investigate the relation between SE and MTT. We demonstrated that self-efficacious participants remembered and imagined experiences which were semantically less similar and contained a wider variety of contents. Additionally, increased SE was related to a positive reappraisal of personal episodes and reports of a more active role within mental scenarios. In conclusion, NLP appears to be a valuable method to quantify changes to the (re-)construction of personal experience that might support cognitive and emotional functioning., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Carbohydrate markers of immature cells during prenatal human development can be aberrantly expressed in cancers and deserve evaluation as immune targets. A candidate target in Ewing sarcoma is the globo-series ganglioside stage-specific embryonic antigen-4 (SSEA-4). We detected SSEA-4 expression on the cell surface of all of 14 EwS cell lines and in 21 of 31 (68%) primary EwS tumor biopsies. Among paired subpopulations of tumor cells with low versus high SSEA-4 expression, SSEA-4 high expression was significantly and consistently associated with functional characteristics of tumor aggressiveness, including higher cell proliferation, colony formation, chemoresistance and propensity to migrate. SSEA-4 low versus SSEA-4 high expression was not related to expression levels of the EWSR1-FLI1 fusion transcript or markers of epithelial/mesenchymal plasticity. SSEA-4 low cells selected from bulk populations regained higher SSEA-4 expression in vitro and during in vivo tumor growth in a murine xenograft model. T cells engineered to express SSEA-4-specific chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) specifically interacted with SSEA-4 positive EwS cells and exerted effective antigen-specific tumor cell lysis in vitro. In conclusion, with its stable expression and functional significance in EwS, SSEA-4 is an attractive therapeutic immune target in this cancer that deserves further evaluation for clinical translation., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Anxiety disorders are characterized by cognitive dysfunctions which contribute to the patient's profound disabilities. The threat of shock paradigm represents a validated psychopathological model of anxiety to measure the impact of anxiety on cognitive processes. We have developed an online version of the threat of scream paradigm (ToSP) to investigate the impact of experimental anxiety on recognition memory. Two animated passive walkthrough videos (either under threat of scream or safety conditions) were shown to healthy participants. Recognition memory, primacy vs. recency effects, and subjective estimations of the length of encoding sessions were assessed. Subjective anxiety, stress, and emotional arousal ratings indicated that experimental anxiety could successfully be induced (Safe-Threat) or reversed (Threat-Safe) between the two passive walkthrough sessions. Participants exposed to distress screams showed impaired retrieval of complex information that has been presented in an animated environment. In the threat condition, participants failed to recognize details related to the persons encountered, their spatial locations, as well as information about the temporal order and sequence of encounters. Participant groups, which received a threat announcement prior to the first walkthrough session (Threat-Threat vs. Safety-Safety and Threat-Safety vs. Safety-Threat) showed poorer recognition memory as compared to the groups that received a safety announcement (P = 0.0468 and P = 0.0426, respectively; Mann-Whitney U test, Cohen's d = 0.5071; effect size r = 0.2458). In conclusion, experimental anxiety induced by the online version of the ToSP leads to compromised recognition memory for complex multi-dimensional information. Our results indicate that cognitive functions of vulnerable populations (with limited mobility) can be evaluated online by means of the ToSP., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Voltage gated calcium channels (VGCCs) regulate neuronal excitability and translate activity into calcium dependent signaling. The α 1 subunit of high voltage activated (HVA) VGCCs associates with α 2 δ accessory subunits, which may affect calcium channel biophysical properties, cell surface expression, localization and transport and are thus important players in calcium-dependent signaling. In vertebrates, the functions of the different combinations of the four α 2 δ and the seven HVA α 1 subunits are incompletely understood, in particular with respect to partially redundant or separate functions in neurons. This study capitalizes on the relatively simpler situation in the Drosophila genetic model containing two neuronal putative α 2 δ subunits, straightjacket and CG4587, and one Ca v 1 and Ca v 2 homolog each, both with well-described functions in different compartments of identified motoneurons. Straightjacket is required for normal Ca v 1 and Ca v 2 current amplitudes and correct Ca v 2 channel function in all neuronal compartments. By contrast, CG4587 does not affect Ca v 1 or Ca v 2 current amplitudes or presynaptic function, but is required for correct Ca v 2 channel allocation to the axonal versus the dendritic domain. We suggest that the two different putative α 2 δ subunits are required in the same neurons to regulate different functions of VGCCs.

Background: Classifications of posture deviations are possible when they can be compared to the standard values for healthy persons. Standard values for healthy male adults aged between 41 and 50 years are currently missing., Methods: 100 healthy volunteers (41-50 years old; 45.37 ± 3.06 years) were included in the study. Their body weight ranged from 68 to 132 kg (88.76 ± 15.93 kg), their heights from 1.64 to 2.0 m (1.81 ± 0.07 m) and the Body Mass Index (BMI) ranged from 19.0 kg/m² to 37.7 kg/m² (26.2 ± 3.96 kg/m²). A three-dimensional back scan was performed to quantify the upper back posture during habitual standing. The upper and lower limit for 95% of the tolerance regions and the left and right limit of the confidence interval were calculated., Results: The upper body posture of the subjects was close to the symmetry, or 0°, axis. There was a moderate ventral upper body inclination with a slight left lateral axial deviation and rotation of the spine to the right. An enhanced kyphotic posture was observed in the sagittal plane in the area of the thoracic spine. The shoulder and pelvis areas were almost balanced., Conclusion: Healthy males between 41 and 50 years were found to have an almost balanced posture with minimal ventral body inclination and a marginal scoliotic deviation. These values allow a comparison with other studies for control and patient data and may serve as basis in both clinical practice and scientific studies.