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Interpersonal Distance (IPD) is defined as the physical distance that individuals maintain between themselves and others during social interactions. While literature has extensively focused on this everyday social behavior, how IPD changes throughout the lifespan remains an open question. In this study, 864 participants, aged 3-89 years, performed the Stop Distance Paradigm in their real-life environments, and we measured the distance they kept from both familiar and unfamiliar others during social interactions. We found that IPD not only differs based on the identity of the other person (familiar versus unfamiliar) but critically declines as a function of age, following two distinct non-linear trends for familiar and unfamiliar others. Moreover, behavioral variability also undergoes a lifetime development, with IPD becoming more stable as age increases. Overall, the present study suggests that IPD is a complex and acquired behavior that changes throughout the lifespan and varies according to individual and situational variables., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Cooperation and competition shape everyday human interactions and impact individuals' chances of success in different domains. Using a virtual Stroop test, classically employed to assess general cognitive interference, we examined the impact of social context (cooperation and competition) and other's ability (higher and lower performers) on performance, perceived stress, and autonomic activity. In Experiment 1, we found that both cooperation with a lower performer and competition with a higher performer led to similar enhancement in performance. However, only competition with a more skilled opponent induced an increase in perceived stress and physiological activity. Experiment 2 further demonstrated that these effects persisted even with prolonged exposure to these contexts. In summary, cooperation can be just as effective as competition in improving individuals' performance. However, cooperation does not carry the same level of stress and physiological burden as the competitive context, representing a healthier and more optimal way to boost individual performance., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2024 The Authors.)

Introduction: Brugada syndrome (BrS) has a dynamic ECG pattern that might be revealed by certain conditions such as fever. We evaluated the incidence and management of ventricular arrhythmias (VAs) related to COVID-19 infection and vaccination among BrS patients carriers of an implantable loop recorder (ILR) or implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) and followed by remote monitoring., Methods: This was a multicenter retrospective study. Patients were carriers of devices with remote monitoring follow-up. We recorded VAs 6 months before COVID-19 infection or vaccination, during infection, at each vaccination, and up to 6-month post-COVID-19 or 1 month after the last vaccination. In ICD carriers, we documented any device intervention., Results: We included 326 patients, 202 with an ICD and 124 with an ILR. One hundred and nine patients (33.4%) had COVID-19, 55% of whom developed fever. Hospitalization rate due to COVID-19 infection was 2.76%. After infection, we recorded only two ventricular tachycardias (VTs). After the first, second, and third vaccines, the incidence of non-sustained ventricular tachycardia (NSVT) was 1.5%, 2%, and 1%, respectively. The incidence of VT was 1% after the second dose. Six-month post-COVID-19 healing or 1 month after the last vaccine, we documented NSVT in 3.4%, VT in 0.5%, and ventricular fibrillation in 0.5% of patients. Overall, one patient received anti-tachycardia pacing and one a shock. ILR carriers had no VAs. No differences were found in VT before and after infection and before and after each vaccination., Conclusions: From this large multicenter study conducted in BrS patients, followed by remote monitoring, the overall incidence of sustained VAs after COVID-19 infection and vaccination is relatively low., (© 2023 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Cerebral autosomal dominant arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leukoencephalopathy (CADASIL) is an autosomal dominant small-vessel disease caused by mutations of the NOTCH3 gene. It typically presents with migraine, recurrent brain ischaemia, and cognitive disorders. Seizures rarely present as the initial manifestation, with non-convulsive status epilepticus being even less frequent. We present a series of 3 related patients with this arteriopathy, 2 of whom presented status epilepticus as a manifestation of the disease., (Copyright © 2020 Sociedad Española de Neurología. Published by Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: Sleep breathing disorders (SBD) especially obstructive hypopnea apnea syndrome (OSA) in patients with stroke are common and can complicate their evolution. The objective was analyzing the different sleep breathing disorders in patients with stroke., Methods: Descriptive, cross-sectional and retrospective study of acute ischemic stroke patients, using nightly polysomnography with oximetry (PSG)., Results: It was a descriptive, cross-sectional, retrospective study during 19 months; 53 patients with stroke were included, with a men age of 67 ±12 years and 62% were men. SBD was evaluated by nocturnal polysomnography with oximetry within 10 days of installing the stroke. The Apnea hypopnea index (AHI) was 24.5±20, of mild grade in 21%, moderate in 31%, severe grade in 34%. The average oxygen saturation time less than 90% was 38 ±51 minutes. The minimum oxygen saturation was marked in infratentorial lesions., Conclusion: We found a high percentage of OSA, which was associated with older patients and a higher body mass index. There was a marked decrease in the minimum oxygen saturation and greater tendency to present central apneas in infratentorial lesion. Early diagnosis and treatment could minimize neuronal damage and improve prognosis., (Universidad Nacional de Córdoba)

Cerebral autosomal dominant arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leukoencephalopathy (CADASIL) is an autosomal dominant small-vessel disease caused by mutations of the NOTCH3 gene. It typically presents with migraine, recurrent brain ischaemia, and cognitive disorders. Seizures rarely present as the initial manifestation, with non-convulsive status epilepticus being even less frequent. We present a series of 3 related patients with this arteriopathy, 2 of whom presented status epilepticus as a manifestation of the disease., (Copyright © 2020 Sociedad Española de Neurología. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.)

The process of medical-healthcare technological revolution represents an advantage for the patient and for the care provider, in terms of costs and distances reduction. The telehomecare approach could be useful for monitoring the swallowing disorder in neurodegenerative diseases, preventing complications. In this study the applicability of telemedicine techniques for the monitoring of swallowing function, in patients affected by Huntington's disease (HD), was evaluated through the acquisition and analysis of the sound of swallowing. Two patients with HD were outpatient screened for dysphagia through the Bedside Swallowing Assessment Scale (BSAS) sensitized with pulse oximetry and cervical auscultation. Subsequently, the swallowing functionality was telemonitored for three months with Skype. The swallowing sounds were acquired with a detection microphone attached to the lateral edge of the trachea during fluid intake. The sounds were instantly processed and graphically represented through the Praat software. The analysis of the acoustic signal acquired remotely has made it possible to identify the situations that required immediate speech therapy intervention, suggesting to the patients further modifications of food consistencies, and saving frequent moving to the hospital even in the absence of critical situations. Remote assistance applied to speech therapy could represent a benefit for patients and their carers and a more efficient use of medical and health resources.

Replication synchrony within a cell population can be demonstrated by pulse-labeling followed by PCR amplification of immunoprecipitated 5-iodo-2'-deoxyuridine (IdUrd)-labeled DNA from cells of otherwise indeterminant kinetic stages. This replication synchrony-PCR approach may be valuable in understanding the dynamics of human normal tissue or solid tumor replication in situ where access for repeated sampling is severely limited. IdUrd labeling provides a sampling-time-independent method for assessing the replicative status of a cell population at the time when the label was presented. Using genes whose time of replication in S phase is already known, the presence of a cell in early or late S phase can be determined and a qualitative measure made of replication synchrony in the population. This approach was evaluated in synchronous and random cultures of Ej cells using the early replicating PGK-1 gene to identify cells in early S phase at the time of labeling and the late replicating factor IX gene to identify cells that were in late S phase. To test the feasibility of clinical application of this technique, human tumor cells from patients with advanced cancers, given IdUrd therapeutically at specified times of the day, were evaluated. In some patients, replication synchrony-PCR provided evidence of parasynchronous DNA replication in tumor cells. This technique could be appended to existing clinical studies in which BrdUrd or IdUrd is being given to patients either diagnostically or therapeutically.

Ciprofloxacin (CIP), a quinolone with a wide spectrum of antibacterial activity, was studied in the isolated perfused rat liver. Three concentrations (1, 5, and 25 mg/liter) were used in the perfusion medium to check whether hepatic transformation and/or biliary elimination of this drug was dose-dependent. Pharmacokinetic parameters of CIP in the perfusion medium were similar when normalized for the dose at all three concentrations. Some dose-dependent changes were observed in biliary excretion of CIP. CIP biliary clearance and the percentage of excreted drug differed at 25 mg/liter and the lower concentrations. In addition, the chromatograms of the bile samples at the highest dose showed a peak that never appeared at the lower concentrations. This evidence, together with the zwitterion characteristics of CIP, reaching a bile/medium area under the concentration-time curve ratio > 10, suggests that an active transport mechanism is involved in the drug's biliary excretion, as has been demonstrated for its renal elimination.

Primary cultures of rat hepatocytes were used to study the effects of the flavonoids diosmin and its main metabolite diosmetin on the cell membrane damage caused by erythromycin estolate (EE) and oxidative stress caused by tert-butylhydroperoxide (TBHP). The damage was evaluated by the leakage of intracellular enzymes lactate dehydrogenase, aspartate-aminotransferase and the residual cell content of a lysosomal marker acid phosphatase (AP). After treating the cells for 40 h with diosmetin EE induced less enzyme leakage. The content of AP was kept higher by diosmetin pretreatment after 6 h exposure to EE. Diosmin at the same concentrations had barely any effect. Diosmetin, but not diosmin, also protected against TBHP toxicity and this was related to lower lipid peroxidation and higher glutathione content caused by pretreatment with the flavonoid. When the cells were treated simultaneously with TBHP and diosmetin after 21 h of culture, the protection by the flavonoid was even higher. In fact the antioxidant activity of diosmetin was considerably greater than that of diosmin. After 40 h exposure to both flavonoids diosmin but not diosmetin was detectable in the cell membrane fraction, suggesting that the latter's protective effect is associated with its metabolites.

Line A of Walker 256 carcinoma implanted in the muscle adjacent to the tibia of young (6 weeks) and adult (9 months) male rats invaded the bone. Osteolysis and reactive growth were greater in the bone of young animals than in adults. Ethane-1-hydroxy-1, 1-bisphosphonate prevented bone lysis and tumor invasion of the cortex both in young and adult animals. This model may be useful for studies of age-related differences in tumor infiltration into the bone and for investigating drug effects on this process.

The activity of the novel anticancer agent diethyl 1-3-(chloroethyl)-3-nitrosoureido ethyl phosphonate (S10036) was investigated on several rodent tumors. S10036 showed a good efficacy, comparable to that of the anticancer agent BCNU, against i.p transplanted P388 and L1210 leukemias. S10036 was very effective against the primary tumor and metastases of i.m transplanted M5076 reticular cell sarcoma of the mouse and against subline A of the Walker carcinoma of the rat. It was inactive against rodent tumors resistant to BCNU such as L1210/BCNU, ICIG-Ci4 murine fibrosarcoma and the Walker carcinoma subline B in the rat.

The specific activity of mouse neuroblastoma choline-O-acetyltransferase (EC 2.3.1.6.) increased 5.7-fold when the rate of cell division was restricted (as compared to cells kept rapidly dividing for 9 days); the specific activity of mouse neuroblastoma thymidylate synthetase increased 2.4-fold when nondividing cells again entered the logarithmic phase of cell growth. The highest specific activities for choline-O-acetyltransferase and lowest specific activities for thymidylate synthetase were obtained from cultures where cell division was restricted; the opposite result was observed when the cells were growing rapidly. Thus, the regulation of these two enzymes is out of phase with respect to each other and is dependent on the rate of cell division. The inverse relationship for the regulation of these two enzymes is discussed in relation to the needs of mitotic versus differentiated neuroblastoma cells.