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The Aven de la Boucle (Corconne, Gard, southern France) is a karst shaft used as a collective burial between 3600 and 2800 cal BCE. The site encompasses the skeletal remains of approximately 75 individuals comprising a large majority of adult individuals, represented by scattered and commingled remains. To date, few studies have explored the potential of ancient DNA to tackle the documentation of Neolithic collective burials, and the funerary selection rules within such structures remain largely debated. In this study, we combine genomic analysis of 37 individuals with archaeo-anthropological data and Bayesian modelling of radiocarbon dates. Through this multidisciplinary approach, we aim to characterize the identity of the deceased and their relationships, as well as untangle the genetic diversity and funerary dynamics of this community. Genomic results identify 76% of male Neolithic individuals, suggesting a marked sex-biased selection. Available data emphasize the importance of biological relatedness and a male-mediated transmission of social status, as the affiliation to a specific male-lineage appears as a preponderant selection factor. The genomic results argue in favour of 'continuous' deposits between 3600 and 2800 BCE, carried out by the same community, despite cultural changes reflected by the ceramic material.

Background: Transcatheter edge-to-edge repair (TEER) for the systemic atrioventricular valve has been anecdotally reported as a viable treatment option in symptomatic inoperable adult patients born with congenitally corrected transposition of the great arteries (ccTGA). However, to date, case reports on TEER treatment of both atrioventricular valves are lacking, especially when considering the present availability of specific mitral and tricuspid valve TEER devices., Case Summary: We present the case of an 84-year-old man with recurrent admissions for acute heart failure due to high-grade regurgitation of both atrioventricular valves. The patient was first diagnosed with ccTGA at this advanced age and underwent a thorough multimodality imaging approach, including transthoracic and transoesophageal echocardiography, cardiac magnetic resonance imaging, cardiac computed tomography, and ventriculography of the systemic ventricle. Due to the high symptom burden despite optimal medical therapy and high doses of diuretics, the heart team recommended TEER, first for the systemic tricuspid valve and later on for the non-systemic mitral valve. Both complex procedures were uneventful and led to considerable improvement in quality of life., Discussion: Congenitally corrected transposition of the great arteries mostly manifests itself in adulthood and affects both ventricles and atrioventricular valves. In case of anatomical doubts on transthoracic echocardiography, a thorough multimodality imaging work-up is recommended. Transcatheter treatment of both atrioventricular valves seems to be a safe and effective therapeutic option in these often inoperable patients., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest: None declared., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Society of Cardiology.)

Abstract: The oligometastatic disease state, defined as a cancer with 5 or fewer sites of metastasis, is a therapeutic opportunity to improve oncologic outcomes. Colorectal cancer (CRC) was among the first for which oligometastatic treatment was used in routine clinical practice, and recent studies have shown potential for improved overall survival with metastasis-directed therapies. As CRC is the third most common cause of cancer death in men and women, improving oncologic outcomes in this population is of paramount importance. The relatively recent identification of this treatment paradigm and paucity of high-quality data have led to heterogeneity in clinical practice. This review will explore perspectives of a panel of surgical and radiation oncologists for complex or controversial cases of metastatic CRC., Competing Interests: Conflicts of Interest and Source of Funding: The authors have disclosed that they have no significant relationships with, or financial interest in, any commercial companies pertaining to this article., (Copyright © 2024 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Fragile X syndrome (FXS) is an X-linked disorder that often leads to intellectual disability, anxiety, and sensory hypersensitivity. While sound sensitivity (hyperacusis) is a distressing symptom in FXS, its neural basis is not well understood. It is postulated that hyperacusis may stem from temporal lobe hyperexcitability or dysregulation in top-down modulation. Studying the neural mechanisms underlying sound sensitivity in FXS using scalp electroencephalography (EEG) is challenging because the temporal and frontal regions have overlapping neural projections that are difficult to differentiate. To overcome this challenge, we conducted EEG source analysis on a group of 36 individuals with FXS and 39 matched healthy controls. Our goal was to characterize the spatial and temporal properties of the response to an auditory chirp stimulus. Our results showed that males with FXS exhibit excessive activation in the frontal cortex in response to the stimulus onset, which may reflect changes in top-down modulation of auditory processing. Additionally, during the chirp stimulus, individuals with FXS demonstrated a reduction in typical gamma phase synchrony, along with an increase in asynchronous gamma power, across multiple regions, most strongly in temporal cortex. Consistent with these findings, we observed a decrease in the signal-to-noise ratio, estimated by the ratio of synchronous to asynchronous gamma activity, in individuals with FXS. Furthermore, this ratio was highly correlated with performance in an auditory attention task. Compared to controls, males with FXS demonstrated elevated bidirectional frontotemporal information flow at chirp onset. The evidence indicates that both temporal lobe hyperexcitability and disruptions in top-down regulation play a role in auditory sensitivity disturbances in FXS. These findings have the potential to guide the development of therapeutic targets and back-translation strategies.

Background : Transcatheter edge-to-edge tricuspid valve repair (T-TEER) for tricuspid regurgitation (TR) is always guided by transesophageal echocardiography (TEE). As each patient has unique anatomy and acoustic window, adding transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) and cardiac CT could improve procedural planning and guidance. Objectives : We aimed to assess T-TEER success and outcomes of a personalized guidance approach, based on multimodality imaging (MMI) of patient-tailored four right-sided chamber views (four-right-ch), as depicted by CT, TTE, TEE and fluoroscopy. Methods : Patients were assigned to MMI or classical TEE guidance, depending on TTE acoustic window. In MMI patients, planning included cardiac CT, which determined the fluoroscopic angulations of the specific four-right-ch, while guidance relied heavily on TTE, with minimal intermittent TEE for leaflet grasping and result confirmation. Both TTE and TEE were matched to respective CT and fluoroscopy four-right-ch. TR severity and quality of life (QoL) parameters were assessed from baseline to 12 months. Results : A total of 40 T-TEER patients were included, with 17 procedures guided by MMI and 23 solely by TEE. Baseline characteristics were similar between groups, e.g., age (83.1 ± 4.1 vs. 81 ± 5.3, p = 0.182) or STS-Score (11.1 ± 7.4% vs. 10.6 ± 5.9%, p = 0.813). The primary efficacy endpoint of ≥one-grade TR reduction at 30 days was 94% (16/17) in MMI vs. 91% (21/23) in TEE patients, with two or more TR grade reduction in 65% vs. 52% ( p = 0.793). Device success was overall 100%, with no device-related complications, but three TEE-associated cases of gastrointestinal bleeding in the TEE-only group. By 12 months, all 15 MMI and 19 TEE survivors improved NYHA functional class and QoL, e.g., Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire Score Δ29.6 ± 6.7 vs. 21.9 ± 5.8 ( p = 0.441) pts., 6-min walk distance Δ101.5 ± 36.4 vs. 85.7 ± 32.1 ( p = 0.541) meters. Conclusions : In a subset of patients with good TTE acoustic window, MMI guidance of T-TEER is effective and seems to avoid gastroesophageal injuries caused by TEE probe manipulation. TR reduction, irrespective of guidance method, impacts long-term QoL.

Background: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is currently diagnosed in approximately 1 in 44 children in the United States, based on a wide array of symptoms, including sensory dysfunction and abnormal language development. Boys are diagnosed ~ 3.8 times more frequently than girls. Auditory temporal processing is crucial for speech recognition and language development. Abnormal development of temporal processing may account for ASD language impairments. Sex differences in the development of temporal processing may underlie the differences in language outcomes in male and female children with ASD. To understand mechanisms of potential sex differences in temporal processing requires a preclinical model. However, there are no studies that have addressed sex differences in temporal processing across development in any animal model of ASD., Methods: To fill this major gap, we compared the development of auditory temporal processing in male and female wildtype (WT) and Fmr1 knock-out (KO) mice, a model of Fragile X Syndrome (FXS), a leading genetic cause of ASD-associated behaviors. Using epidural screw electrodes, we recorded auditory event related potentials (ERP) and auditory temporal processing with a gap-in-noise auditory steady state response (ASSR) paradigm at young (postnatal (p)21 and p30) and adult (p60) ages from both auditory and frontal cortices of awake, freely moving mice., Results: The results show that ERP amplitudes were enhanced in both sexes of Fmr1 KO mice across development compared to WT counterparts, with greater enhancement in adult female than adult male KO mice. Gap-ASSR deficits were seen in the frontal, but not auditory, cortex in early development (p21) in female KO mice. Unlike male KO mice, female KO mice show WT-like temporal processing at p30. There were no temporal processing deficits in the adult mice of both sexes., Conclusions: These results show a sex difference in the developmental trajectories of temporal processing and hypersensitive responses in Fmr1 KO mice. Male KO mice show slower maturation of temporal processing than females. Female KO mice show stronger hypersensitive responses than males later in development. The differences in maturation rates of temporal processing and hypersensitive responses during various critical periods of development may lead to sex differences in language function, arousal and anxiety in FXS., (© 2024. The Author(s).)