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Dormant sporangiospores of Syncephalastrum racemosum have a regular pattern of rodlets on their surface. During the spherical growth phase of spore germination these rodlets become displaced and areas free from rodlets appear. At the time of germ tube emergence the rodlets remain on the spherical portion of the spore whilst the germ tube has a smooth surface. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cryosubstitution provides an improved ultrastructural preservation of the two plant pathogens Venturia inaequalis and Erysiphe graminis when compared to conventional preparation methods. Further, freezing the infected whole leaf material on a copper block cooled with liquid helium gave better results than those observed with the propane plunging method. Novel observations concerning the fungal stroma and haustoria were made which showed ribosomes organized into groups that were evenly distributed throughout the cytoplasm of both fungi. Stretches of rough endoplasmic reticulum were present, and microtubules were seen, sometimes associated with mitochondria. A large number of darkly staining vacuoles were observed in both fungi. The polarity of organelles and microtubules along the longitudinal axis of the haustorial body of E. gramnis and along the growing direction of subcuticular stroma and runner hypha of V. inaequalis was evident. In E. graminis filasomes were observed, as were Golgi-like bodies. These new observations, together with the advantages of the cryosubstitution technique, can serve as a basis for further studies in understanding host-parasite interactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Psychedelics have gained increasing interest in scientific research due to their ability to induce profound alterations in perception, emotional processing and self-consciousness. However, the research regarding the functioning of individuals who use psychedelics in naturalistic contexts remains limited., Aims: Here we aim to explore psychological and neurophysiological differences between naturalistic psychedelics users and non-users in terms of processing of self-related thoughts., Methods: We use behavioural testing combined with electroencephalography (EEG) with source localisation. To mitigate potential confounding effects of personality traits and personal history which makes one willing to take psychedelics, we compared users to individuals who did not take psychedelics, but are intending to do so in the future. To ensure robustness of our results, we included two datasets collected at two different laboratories., Results: The results from Dataset I (N = 70) suggest that during self-related thoughts psychedelics users exhibit weaker increases in alpha and beta power in comparison to non-users, primarily in brain regions linked to processing of self-related information and memory (such as posterior cingulate cortex). However, analysis of Dataset II (N = 38) did not replicate the between-group effects, possibly due to the smaller sample size and spatial resolution limitations., Conclusions: While non-replicability restricts interpretation of our findings, our research expands the ongoing discussion on strength and duration of the psychedelic effects, specifically in brain circuits associated with self-related processing, and its relationship to well-being. Our results fit into growing scepticism about the specificity of the role of default-mode network hubs in changes associated with psychedelics experience., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors have nothing to disclose., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Published reports demonstrate that the use of Castor stent-graft is a promising treatment of aortic pathologies with the need to land in zone 2. However, there is a lack of publications on the medium-term results of Castor in the European population. This research evaluates the mid-term results of the Castor stent-graft in several Polish centers for the treatment of aortic pathologies and enriches the current knowledge of Castor stent-grafts., Material and Methods: Twenty-one patients from 5 polish vascular surgery centers in subacute phase of type B aortic dissection (TBAD) with at least 1 classic risk factor of aneurysmatic degeneration, thoracic aortic aneurysms (TAAs) exceeding 5.5 cm, subacute phase of intramural hematomas (IMHs) and penetrating aortic ulcerations (PAUs) with at least 1 indication to endovascular treatment. Structure of the aortic arch and factors of aneurysmal degeneration for TBAD were highlighted. Early complications, long-term complications, and reinterventions after Castor device implantation are reported in the study., Results: Twenty (95.24%) patients survived, of which a technical success involving implantation of the Castor device in the correct location with a patent branch for the left subclavian artery, and no endoleaks were noted in 19 (90.48%) patients. After the procedure, there were 2 (9.52%) cases of type I endoleak (in which technical success was not achieved) and 2 (9.52%) cases of bird beak. In addition, 1 case of access site hematoma, 1 case of pseudoaneurysm, and 1 case of access iliac artery rupture requiring implantation of a Viabahn device were observed. During the follow-up period (mean 14 months; range = 1-40 months), 1 patient required reintervention due to type I endoleak and 1 patient due to left subclavian artery (LSA) branch thrombosis. Two patients required subsequent branched endovascular aortic repair procedure due to unfavorable remodeling and fast aneurysm formation in visceral aorta, regardless of Castor results., Conclusion: The Castor device is an easy-to-use stent-graft with good medium-term results. It is an excellent option in cases requiring LSA revascularization during TEVAR., Clinical Impact: In this study, we investigate the medium-term results of the Castor stent graft in patients with type B aortic dissection, thoracic aortic aneurysm, intramural hematoma and penetrating aortic ulceration. The medium-term results of treatment with the Castor device are not yet well studied. Currently, there are only a small number of publications on the safety, complications and success of Castor device implantation., Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting InterestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Classic psychedelics are able to profoundly alter the state of consciousness and lead to acute experiences of ego dissolution - the blurring of the distinction between representations of self and the external world. However, whether repeated use of psychedelics is associated with more prolonged and permanent modifications to the concept of self remains to be investigated. Therefore, we conducted a preregistered, cross-sectional study in which experienced psychedelics users (15 or more lifetime experiences with psychedelics; N = 56) were compared to nonusers (N = 57) in terms of neural reactivity to a Self-name (i.e., each participant's own name) stimulus, which is known to robustly activate a representation of self. Two control stimuli were additionally used: an Other-name stimulus, as a passive control condition in which no reaction was required, and a Target-name stimulus, to which participants provided a manual response and which thus constituted an active control condition. Analysis of the amplitude of the P300 ERP component evoked by the Self- or Target-names revealed no difference between the psychedelics users and nonusers. However, psychedelic users exhibited increased P300 amplitude during perception of Other-names. In addition, in comparison to nonusers, psychedelics users exhibited a smaller increase in P300 amplitude when processing the task-relevant Target-names (in relation to both Self- and Other-names). Therefore, our data suggests that regular naturalistic use of psychedelics may not be related to long-term changes in the representation of self, but it might potentially affect the allocation of attentional resources to task-relevant stimuli., (© 2024 Society for Psychophysiological Research.)

Reappraisal is a complex emotional control strategy based on cognitive change. To complete the reappraisal task, one is required to deeply elaborate on the affective stimulus to create its new interpretation. The involvement of the prefrontal cortex in this process was examined in the study, where inhibition of the left or right dorsolateral area was carried out using transcranial magnetic stimulation. In a between-subject design, we used an alternative control condition for the reappraisal task. It was intended to better account for overall task activity compared to typical passive conditions. Late positive potential was affected after inhibition of the prefrontal area, suggesting hindered emotional control. This effect was specific to the reappraisal task, which possibly reflects the disturbance of attention allocation to emotional stimuli. We could also observe an increased transfer of information from the visual area during the control task that was based on the elaboration of emotional stimuli but did not involve cognitive change. Our results support the additive impact of several factors on the overall efficiency of emotional control., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors have no conflict of interest to disclose., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: Previous research has suggested that controlled administration of psychedelic substances can modulate emotional reactivity, enhancing positive and diminishing negative emotions. However, it is unclear whether similar effects are associated with using psychedelics in less-controlled naturalistic environments., Aims: This cross-sectional study investigated the neural markers associated with the perception of emotional stimuli in individuals with extensive experience of naturalistic psychedelic use (15 or more lifetime experiences), comparing them to non-users., Methods: Electroencephalography (EEG) signals were recorded from two groups: experienced psychedelics users ( N  = 56) and non-users ( N  = 55). Participants were presented with facial images depicting neutral or emotional expressions (anger, sadness, and happiness). Event-related potential (ERP) components were analyzed as indices of emotional reactivity., Results: Psychedelic users were characterized by significantly lower amplitudes of the N200 component in response to fearful faces, in comparison to non-users. In addition, interaction effects between Group and Emotional expression were observed on N170 and N200 amplitudes, indicating group differences in the processing of fearful faces. However, no significant between-group differences emerged in the analysis of later ERP components associated with attention and cognitive processes (P200 and P300)., Conclusions: The results suggest that naturalistic use of psychedelics may be linked to reduced reactivity to emotionally negative stimuli at the early and automatic processing stages. Our study contributes to a better understanding of the effects related to using psychedelics in naturalistic contexts., Competing Interests: Declaration of conflicting interestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

The contribution of the prefrontal areas to visual awareness is critical for the Global Neuronal Workspace Theory and higher-order theories of consciousness. The goal of the present study was to test the potential engagement of the anterior medial prefrontal cortex (aMPFC) in visual awareness judgements. We aimed to temporarily influence the neuronal dynamics of the left aMPFC via neuroplasticity-like mechanisms. We used different Theta Burst Stimulation (TBS) protocols in combination with a visual identification task and visual awareness ratings. Either continuous TBS (cTBS), intermittent TBS (iTBS), or sham TBS was applied prior to the experimental paradigm in a within-participant design. Compared with sham TBS, we observed an increase in participants' ability to judge their perception adequately (metacognitive efficiency) following cTBS but not iTBS. The effect was accompanied by lower visual awareness ratings in incorrect responses. No significant differences in the identification task performance were observed. We interpret these results as evidence of the involvement of PFC in the brain network that underlies metacognition. Further, we discuss whether the results of TMS studies on perceptual metacognition can be taken as evidence for PFC involvement in awareness itself., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest none, (Copyright © 2023. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

In this study we verified the causal role of the bilateral dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) in emotional regulation using a strategy of reappraisal, which involves intentionally changing the meaning of an affective event to reduce its emotional impact. Healthy participants (n = 26; mean age = 25.4) underwent three sessions of inhibitory continuous theta burst stimulation (cTBS) applied on three different days over the left or right DLPFC, or the vertex. After applying the stimulation protocol participants were presented with neutral and negative pictorial stimuli that had to be either passively watched or reappraised. The efficacy of emotional control was quantified using the Late Positive Potential (LPP), the neural marker of motivated attention and elaborated stimulus processing. The results showed that reappraisal was compromised after inhibitory stimulation of the right DLPFC compared to the vertex. This impairment of affective modulation was reflected in both early (350-750 ms) and late (750-1500 ms) time windows. As no session differences during the passive watching conditions were found, the decrease in reappraisal efficacy due to non-specific changes in basic perceptual processing was considered unlikely. Instead, we suggest that inhibition of the right DLPFC primarily affects the top-down mechanism of attentional deployment. This results in disturbances of attentional processes that are necessary to thoroughly elaborate the content of affective stimuli to enable their new, less negative interpretation., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Background: Psychedelics are able to acutely alter emotional reactivity and self-consciousness. However, whether the regular naturalistic use of psychedelics can be linked to more persistent trait-level changes in these domains remains an open question., Aim: To test the hypotheses that (1) using psychedelics is related to higher positive and lower negative emotional reactivity; and (2) an adaptive pattern of self-consciousness, including diminished public self-consciousness and rumination, and increased reflection and self-awareness; and (3) these relations are mediated by the intensity of past ego-dissolution and mystical experiences., Method: An online survey including questions about the history of psychoactive substance use; questionnaires measuring trait levels of emotional reactivity and self-consciousness; questionnaires for retrospective assessment of ego-dissolution and mystical experiences. Data collected from 2516 participants (1661 psychedelics users) were analyzed using robust linear regression and mediation analysis., Results: A higher number of lifetime uses of psychedelics predicted greater positive and lower negative emotional reactivity; also, in the domain of self-consciousness, it predicted greater reflection and internal state awareness, and reduced rumination tendency and public self-consciousness. Finally, the intensity of past mystical and ego-dissolution experiences mediated almost all the observed relationships between the lifetime number of psychedelics uses and psychological variables., Conclusions: Lifetime psychedelics use predicts an adaptive pattern of trait-level emotional reactivity and self-consciousness. Ego-dissolution and mystical experiences are essential in understanding the long-lasting psychological effects of psychedelics use. Our findings might potentially explain previous observations of increased well-being in psychedelics users.

The length of telomeres (TLs) that protect chromosome ends may reflect the age of cells as well as the degree of genetic material damage caused by external factors. Since leukocyte telomere length is associated with cardiovascular diseases, the aim of this study was to evaluate whether leukocyte TL reflects femoral artery wall telomeres of patients with atherosclerosis and lower limb ischemia. Samples of femoral artery wall and blood were collected from 32 patients qualified to surgical revascularization. The analysis included blood and artery wall telomere length measurement and biochemical parameters. The study indicated that there was a moderate correlation between artery wall TL and leukocyte TL. Leukocyte TL was, on average, two times shorter than artery wall TL and correlated with the number of white blood cells. In turn, artery TL was impacted by total cholesterol level. The results suggest that the length of leukocyte telomeres may reflect artery wall TL and indirectly reflect the processes taking place in the artery wall in patients with atherosclerosis.

Objectives: Little is known how calibre and length of needles affect the stability of sclerosing foam., Methods: Foams were made of 0.5%, 1%, 2% and 3% polidocanol, and 0.2%, 0.5%, 1% and 3% sodium tetradecyl sulfate (STS), which were mixed with air in the proportion of 4:1. These foams were ejected through needles with the length of: 4 mm, 6 mm and 13 mm, and diameter of: 0.26 mm, 0.3 mm and 0.4 mm., Results: Foams made of more concentrated polidocanol were more stable. Regarding STS an opposite relationship was revealed. Foams made of polidocanol were more stable if ejected through a longer needle, while the length of needle did not significantly affect stability of STS foams. Foams ejected through 0.26 mm diameter needles were very unstable. In the case of 0.5% polidocanol, 0.3x6mm needle provided atypically stable foam., Conclusion: In order to inject maximally stable foam, calibre and length of needle should be taken into account.

Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is used to make inferences about relationships between brain areas and their functions because, in contrast to neuroimaging tools, it modulates neuronal activity. The central aim of this article is to critically evaluate to what extent it is possible to draw causal inferences from repetitive TMS (rTMS) data. To that end, we describe the logical limitations of inferences based on rTMS experiments. The presented analysis suggests that rTMS alone does not provide the sort of premises that are sufficient to warrant strong inferences about the direct causal properties of targeted brain structures. Overcoming these limitations demands a close look at the designs of rTMS studies, especially the methodological and theoretical conditions which are necessary for the functional decomposition of the relations between brain areas and cognitive functions. The main points of this article are that TMS-based inferences are limited in that stimulation-related causal effects are not equivalent to structure-related causal effects due to TMS side effects, the electric field distribution, and the sensitivity of neuroimaging and behavioral methods in detecting structure-related effects and disentangling them from confounds. Moreover, the postulated causal effects can be based on indirect (network) effects. A few suggestions on how to manage some of these limitations are presented. We discuss the benefits of combining rTMS with neuroimaging in experimental reasoning and we address the restrictions and requirements of rTMS control conditions. The use of neuroimaging and control conditions allows stronger inferences to be gained, but the strength of the inferences that can be drawn depends on the individual experiment's designs. Moreover, in some cases, TMS might not be an appropriate method of answering causality-related questions or the hypotheses have to account for the limitations of this technique. We hope this summary and formalization of the reasoning behind rTMS research can be of use not only for scientists and clinicians who intend to interpret rTMS results causally but also for philosophers interested in causal inferences based on brain stimulation research., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2021 Hobot, Klincewicz, Sandberg and Wierzchoń.)

Competing Interests: Author Disclosures All authors have reported that they have no relationships relevant to the contents of this paper to disclose.

The influence of non-visual information on visual awareness judgments has recently gained substantial interest. Using single-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), we investigate the potential contribution of evidence from the motor system to judgment of visual awareness. We hypothesized that TMS-induced activity in the primary motor cortex (M1) would increase reported visual awareness as compared to the control condition. Additionally, we investigated whether TMS-induced motor-evoked potential (MEP) could measure accumulated evidence for stimulus perception. Following stimulus presentation and TMS, participants first rated their visual awareness verbally using the Perceptual Awareness Scale (PAS), after which they responded manually to a Gabor orientation identification task. Delivering TMS to M1 resulted in higher average awareness ratings as compared to the control condition, in both correct and incorrect identification task response trials, when the hand with which participants responded was contralateral to the stimulated hemisphere (TMS-response-congruent trials). This effect was accompanied by longer PAS response times (RTs), irrespective of the congruence between TMS and identification response. Moreover, longer identification RTs were observed in TMS-response-congruent trials in the M1 condition as compared to the control condition. Additionally, the amplitudes of MEPs were related to the awareness ratings when response congruence was taken into account. We argue that MEP can serve as an indirect measure of evidence accumulated for stimulus perception and that longer PAS RTs and higher amplitudes of MEPs in the M1 condition reflect integration of additional evidence with visual awareness judgment. In conclusion, we advocate that motor activity influences perceptual awareness judgments., (Copyright © 2020 Hobot, Koculak, Paulewicz, Sandberg and Wierzchoń.)

Despite all efforts, still many end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) patients are dialysed using a central tunnelled catheter (CTC) as vascular access. When the CTC blood flow becomes ineffective, a number of protocols are advised. However, all of them are time- and cost-consuming. The manoeuvre of a non-invasive tunnelled catheter reposition (NTCR) was introduced to restore the CTC function. NTCR was based on gentle movements of the CTC, with or without a simultaneous flushing of the CTC lines, which resulted in a quick reposition of the CTC tip. This study comprises the analysis of a total of 297 NTCRs, which were performed in 114 patients, thus enabling an effective blood flow after 133 procedures (44.7%).Partially effective blood flow followed 123 procedures (41.4%), and it failed altogether in 41 cases (13.9%). Overall, 86% of conducted NTCRs improved the CTC patency to perform a haemodialysis session. The procedure could be successfully repeated, with a similar result after the first and the second attempt. Complications were observed only after 3.4% of all interventions. The novel NTCR manoeuvre was safe and effective in the majority of the CTC dysfunction episodes. It seemed to reduce fibrinolytic usage, allowed an immediate haemodialysis session commencement, therefore, it might save both the costs and the nursing staff time.

Background: Optimal care of patients treated with a central tunneled catheter (CTC) as vascular access for hemodialysis requires a number of procedures. One of them is CTC removal, usually carried out using mostly the cut-down method (CDM) and the traction method (TM). The procedure seems to be simple and safe; however, occasionally, serious complications may occur. To eliminate the risk of such events, we have introduced a modified cut-down method (MCDM)., Methods: The study included the analysis of retrospective results of 143 CTC removal procedures, 76 of which were performed using the standard cut-down method (CDM), and in 67 cases, the modified cut-down method (MCDM) was applied., Results: As minor side effects occurred in patients treated with both methods with comparable frequency, serious complications were observed only in the CDM patients group., Conclusions: In our opinion, the new MCDM procedure is the simplest and safest method of CTC removal., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.