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Benjamin H Kaffenberger,1 Thomas M Kaffenberger,2 Henry K Wong1 1College of Medicine, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA; 2German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany Abstract: The treatment of psoriasis has been revolutionized since the introduction of biologic therapies. Prior to their introduction, it was unclear if psoriasis was primarily a keratinocyte signaling dysfunction or an autoimmune T-cell mediated pathway. Nonspecific T-cell targeting treatments had been used with some success, but they were limited by a narrow therapeutic index. The nonspecific nature of these agents was fraught with side effects, and the efficacy of these treatments pales in comparison to current treatments. The initial biologic molecules, alefacept and efalizumab, were not specific for any T-cell driven pathway, and neither are currently available in the USA. The successors to these early therapies have shown high efficacy and low side effects in psoriasis and other autoimmune diseases through the specific targeting of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α). Since the initial use of antitumor necrosis factor agents, a renaissance in our understanding of psoriasis has been underway, leading to the elucidation of the T-helper 17 (Th17) from the Th1 pathway. With each new treatment, the pathogenesis for psoriasis continues to be more defined, allowing for improved targeted therapies and the ability to achieve new milestones in efficacy. Keywords: psoriasis vulgaris, pathophysiology, immunology, T-cell signaling, biologic therapies, psoriasis treatment

Marcus Ang1,2, Jodhbir S Mehta1–4, Arundhati Anshu1,2, Hon Kiat Wong5, Hla M Htoon2, Donald Tan1–31Singapore National Eye Centre, 2Singapore Eye Research Institute, 3Department of Ophthalmology, National University Health Systems, 4Department of Clinical Sciences, Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School, 5Department of Ophthalmology, Tan Tock Seng Hospital, SingaporeBackground: The purpose of this study was to compare endothelial cell counts after Descemet’s stripping automated endothelial keratoplasty (DSAEK) and penetrating keratoplasty in Asian eyes.Methods: This was a retrospective study of patients from our prospective Singapore Corneal Transplant Study cohort who received corneal transplantation in 2006–2008. We compared eyes that underwent DSAEK or penetrating keratoplasty for Fuchs’ endothelial dystrophy or pseudophakic and aphakic bullous keratopathy. Clinical data, and donor and recipient characteristics were recorded. Of 241 patients who met our inclusion criteria, 68 underwent DSAEK and 173 underwent penetrating keratoplasty. The main outcome measure was endothelial cell loss at 1 year. Secondary outcome measures were graft survival and visual outcomes at 1-year follow-up.Results: There were no significant differences in baseline characteristics of patients between the treatment groups. Percent endothelial cell loss at 1-year follow-up was greater in penetrating keratoplasty eyes (40.9% ± 2.9%) compared with DSAEK eyes (22.4% ± 2.3%; P < 0.001). DSAEK-treated eyes had significantly superior uncorrected visual acuity (mean difference = 0.42 ± 0.0059; P < 0.001) and best spectacle-corrected visual acuity (mean difference = 0.14 ± 0.032; P < 0.001) as compared with penetrating keratoplasty-treated eyes. Penetrating keratoplasty-treated eyes had worse astigmatism as compared with DSAEK-treated eyes (-3.0 ± 2.1 versus -1.7 ± 0.8; P < 0.001). Graft survival at 1 year was comparable in both groups, ie, 66/68 (97.0%) DSAEK-treated eyes versus 158/173 (92.0%) of penetrating keratoplasty-treated eyes had clear grafts (P = 0.479).Conclusion: We report lower percent endothelial cell loss comparing DSAEK and penetrating keratoplasty at 1-year follow-up in Asian eyes, with comparable graft survival rates in both groups.Keywords: Descemet’s stripping automated endothelial keratoplasty, endothelial cell count, penetrating keratoplasty

Objective: To evaluate the diagnostic performance of the BACs-on-Beads(™) (BoBs(™)) assay for prenatal detection of chromosomal abnormalities.Design: Retrospective study.Setting: Tertiary prenatal diagnosis centre.Population: Women referred for prenatal diagnosis.Methods: We retrieved 2153 archived DNA samples collected between January 2010 and August 2011 for the BoBs(™) assay. These samples had previously been tested by quantitative fluorescence polymerase chain reaction (QF-PCR) and karyotyping. In the BoBs(™) assay a sample was defined as normal disomic when the ratio of the fluorescence intensities in a chromosome locus lay within the threshold (mean ratio ± 2SD), and as deleted or duplicated when the ratio was below the lower threshold (0.6-0.8) or above the upper threshold (1.3-1.4), respectively. The BoBs(™) results were further validated by microarray and compared in a blinded manner with the original QF-PCR and karyotyping results.Main Outcome Measures: Concordance of any numerical, structural, and submicroscopic chromosomal abnormalities between the methods.Results: BACs-on-Beads(™) was similar to karyotyping and QF-PCR in detecting trisomy 13, trisomy 18, trisomy 21, and sex chromosomal aneuploidies, and superior to QF-PCR in detecting major structural abnormalities (53.3 versus 13.3%) and mosaicism (28.6 versus 0%) involving chromosomal abnormalities other than the common aneuploidies. BoBs(™) detected six microdeletion syndromes missed by karyotyping and QF-PCR; however, BoBs(™) missed two cases of triploidy identified by QF-PCR. Therefore, the sensitivity of BoBs(™) is 96.7% (95% CI 92.6-98.7%), and its specificity is 100% (95% CI 99.8-100%).Conclusions: BACs-on-Beads(™) can replace QF-PCR for triaging in prenatal diagnosis, and gives a better diagnostic yield than current rapid aneuploidy tests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To evaluate the diagnostic performance of the BACs-on-Beads™ (BoBs™) assay for prenatal detection of chromosomal abnormalities. Design Retrospective study. Setting Tertiary prenatal diagnosis centre. Population Women referred for prenatal diagnosis. Methods We retrieved 2153 archived DNA samples collected between January 2010 and August 2011 for the BoBs™ assay. These samples had previously been tested by quantitative fluorescence polymerase chain reaction ( QF- PCR) and karyotyping. In the BoBs™ assay a sample was defined as normal disomic when the ratio of the fluorescence intensities in a chromosome locus lay within the threshold (mean ratio ± 2 SD), and as deleted or duplicated when the ratio was below the lower threshold (0.6-0.8) or above the upper threshold (1.3-1.4), respectively. The BoBs™ results were further validated by microarray and compared in a blinded manner with the original QF- PCR and karyotyping results. Main outcome measures Concordance of any numerical, structural, and submicroscopic chromosomal abnormalities between the methods. Results BACs-on-Beads™ was similar to karyotyping and QF- PCR in detecting trisomy 13, trisomy 18, trisomy 21, and sex chromosomal aneuploidies, and superior to QF- PCR in detecting major structural abnormalities (53.3 versus 13.3%) and mosaicism (28.6 versus 0%) involving chromosomal abnormalities other than the common aneuploidies. BoBs™ detected six microdeletion syndromes missed by karyotyping and QF- PCR; however, BoBs™ missed two cases of triploidy identified by QF- PCR. Therefore, the sensitivity of BoBs™ is 96.7% (95% CI 92.6-98.7%), and its specificity is 100% (95% CI 99.8-100%). Conclusions BACs-on-Beads™ can replace QF- PCR for triaging in prenatal diagnosis, and gives a better diagnostic yield than current rapid aneuploidy tests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVE: The objective of the study was to evaluate the ability of a new prenatal diagnostic platform - prenatal BACs-on-Beads[TM] (BoBs[TM]) in detecting mosaicism by comparison to quantitative fluorescence-polymerase chain reaction (QF-PCR). METHODS: A validation study of prenatal BoBs[TM] was firstly performed using 18 artificially constructing mosaic samples involving various aneuploidies and microdeletion conditions. Additionally, we compared the accuracy between prenatal BoBs[TM] and QF-PCR for 18 archived clinical mosaic cases and nine chromosomally abnormal cell lines with reference to conventional karyotype results. RESULTS: In the validation study, BoBs[TM] allowed the detection of mosaicism at a level of 20-40%. Among the clinical mosaic cases, 14/18 cases were within the detection of BoBs[TM], 8/14 (57.1%) could be identified by BoBs[TM] and 6/9 (66.7%) by QF-PCR, but 6/14 (42.9%) were missed by both tests. Three cases (16.7%) were detected by prenatal BoBs[TM] but missed by QF-PCR, whereas QF-PCR detected one case that was missed by BoBs[TM]. The overall sensitivity of BoBs[TM] in detecting mosaicism is 44.4% (8/18), which is slightly higher than that of QF-PCR (33.3%; 6/18). CONCLUSION: Prenatal BoBs[TM] has a sensitivity of 57.1% in the detection clinical mosaic cases. According to the validation test, mosaicism of 20% or greater is detectable by the BoBs[TM] assay. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Delusional disorders often amaze psychiatrists with their variety of themes. Folie a deux is usually characterised as a shared psychotic or induced delusional disorder between two or more persons in close proximity. It has often been cited in case reports but has not been dealt with in much detail compared with other psychiatric conditions, and folie a trois has had even less attention. Only a small percentage of reported cases involve families and an even smaller fraction of these involve siblings. We hereby describe and discuss a case of folie a famille involving 3 unmarried sisters living together in isolation. This demonstrates how the one sister, who had schizophrenia, induced the other sisters to share the same delusional beliefs. We managed to separate the secondary cases using hospitalisation and medications and achieved improvement and recovery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Eating disorders are affecting an increasing number of high school students in Western and Asian countries. The availability of an effective screening tool is crucial for early detection and prompt intervention. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to examine the validity and reliability of the SCOFF questionnaire for screening eating disorders in Hong Kong high school students. DESIGN: This study adopted a cross-sectional design to examine the psychometric properties of the SCOFF questionnaire. PARTICIPANTS: A panel of 7 experts and 936 students of a high school participated in the study. METHOD: The SCOFF questionnaire was translated into Chinese and back-translated into English to ensure the linguistic equivalence. A panel of 7 experts involved in the content validation of the SCOFF questionnaire. The Eating Disorder Examination-Questionnaire (EDE-Q) was used as the 'reference standard' to assess its concurrent validity in 936 students of a high school. Its reliability was examined by internal consistency and the test-retest method at a 2-week interval and with 38 students. RESULTS: The SCOFF questionnaire achieved an agreement of 86-100% among the experts for the content relevance. Of 812 students (86.8%) who responded to this study, their SCOFF scores correlated significantly with their global scores on the EDE-Q (r=0.5, P<0.01). Students identified as potentially having eating disorders had significantly higher scores in the EDE-Q than those not identified as such by SCOFF. The SCOFF questionnaire demonstrated moderate test-retest reliability (ICC=0.66) and an acceptable internal consistency reliability (Cronbach's alpha=0.44-0.57) in comparing with previous studies. CONCLUSION: The SCOFF questionnaire has acceptable psychometric properties in the Chinese culture. It will be useful for detecting potential eating disorders and assisting health promotion activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Study Design: Cross-sectional Cohort Study., Objective: To determine the cervicothoracic inflection point in an asymptomatic, adult population., Introduction: The cervicothoracic inflection point (CTIP) is an important sagittal marker to understand for patients with cervical deformities. We aimed to identify the CTIP and understand the relationship to other sagittal alignment markers., Methods: 468 adult asymptomatic volunteers (18-80 years) from 5 countries (United States, France, Japan, Singapore, Tunisia). All volunteers underwent standing full body, low dose stereo radiographs. The CTIP was identified by measuring the cervical sagittal angle (CSA) and thoracic kyphosis maximum angle (TK Max ), using the end vertebra concept. The CTIP was defined as the vertebra or disc between the lower end vertebra of the CSA and upper end vertebra of TK Max . A correlation matrix was utilized to identify the relationship between the CTIP and spinopelvic sagittal parameters of interest., Results: The most common CTIP value was the T1 vertebra. CTIPs ranged from C5 to T4, respectively. CTIP showed a weak positive correlation to age (r = 0.10, P = 0.03) and negative correlation to BMI (r = -0.11, P = 0.04). Additionally, CTIP had a minor positive correlation with OC2-CL, C7 slope, T1 slope, T1PA, T1-T12 TK, and T4-T12 TK, all statistically significant. Linear regression demonstrated increased cervical lordosis and increased TK was associated with more caudal CTIP segments., Conclusion: CTIP segments ranged from C5 to T4, with the most common segment being T1. Understanding the relationship of the CTIP to other sagittal variables is critical to patients with CD., 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.

Background: Shoulder pain and disability from rotator cuff tears remain challenging clinical problem despite advancements in surgical techniques and materials. To advance our understanding of injury progression and develop effective therapeutics using tissue engineering and regenerative medicine approaches, it is crucial to develop and utilize animal models that closely resemble the anatomy and display the pathophysiology of the human rotator cuff. Among various animal models, the rabbit shoulder defect model is particularly favored due to its similarity to human rotator cuff pathology. However, a standardized protocol for creating a massive rotator cuff defect in the rabbits is not well defined. Therefore, the objective of our study was to establish a robust and reproducible model of a rotator cuff defect to evaluate the regenerative efficacy of scaffolds., Results: In our study, we successfully developed a rabbit model with a massive supraspinatus tendon defect that closely resembles the common rotator cuff injuries observed in humans. This defect involved a complete transection of the tendon, spanning 10 mm in length and encompassing its full thickness and width. To ensure stable scaffolding, we employed an innovative bridging suture technique that utilized a modified Mason-Allen suture as a structural support. Moreover, to assess the therapeutic effectiveness of the model, we utilized different scaffolds, including a bovine tendon extracellular matrix (ECM) scaffold and a commercial acellular dermal matrix (ADM) scaffold. Throughout the observation period, no scaffold damage was observed. Notably, comprehensive histological analysis demonstrated that the regenerative tissue in the tendon ECM scaffold group exhibited an organized and aligned fiber structure, indicating tendon-like tissue regeneration while the tissue in the ADM group showed comparatively less organization., Conclusions: This study presents a comprehensive description of the implemented procedures for the development of a highly reproducible animal model that induces massive segmental defects in rotator cuff tendons. This protocol can be universally implemented with alternative scaffolds to investigate extensive tendon defects and evaluate the efficacy of regenerative treatments. The application of our animal model offers a standardized and reproducible platform, enabling researchers to systematically evaluate, compare, and optimize scaffold designs. This approach holds significant importance in advancing the development of tissue engineering strategies for effectively repairing extensive tendon defects., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

The study aimed to examine matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) expression in a rat ligamentum flavum (LF) hypertrophy model in vivo, and the effect of elastin-derived peptides (EDPs) on MMP-2 and tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases (TIMPs) in rat LF cells in vitro. Surgical destabilization was performed at the rat spinal L3/4 level to induce increased mechanical stress. Rats were killed at 6- and 12-weeks postsurgery for histological staining, immunohistochemical staining, RT-qPCR and western blot. 100 µg/mL EDPs were applied to isolated normal rat LF cells, with or without pretreatment of elastin receptor complex (ERC) inhibitors, to assess the expression of MMP-2, TIMP-1, and TIMP-2. Spinal destabilization led to LF hypertrophy, observed through increased LF thickness and area, along with histological changes of chondrometaplasia and elastic fiber degradation. LF was also stained positively for Col I and Col II, where elastic fiber has broken down. MMP-2 expression was notably elevated in the hypertrophied LF, accompanied by increased TIMP-2 and TIMP-3 levels. EDPs were found to suppress MMP-2 expression and reduce TIMP-1 and TIMP-2 levels in rat LF cells. Interestingly, exposure to EDPs led to a significant rise in MMP-2/TIMP-1 and MMP-2/TIMP-2 ratios, dependent on the ERC. Collectively, the study suggests that increased MMP-2 activity contributes to elastic fiber degradation in hypertrophied LF, generating EDPs that further enhance the MMP-2/TIMPs ratio in LF cells in an ERC-dependent manner. Further research is essential to delve into the mechanisms of EDPs in LF hypertrophy., (© 2024 The Authors. Journal of Orthopaedic Research® published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of Orthopaedic Research Society.)

Study Design: Multi-Ethnic Alignment Normative Study (MEANS) cohort: prospective, cross-sectional, multicenter., Objective: To analyze the distribution of GAP scores in the MEANS cohort and compare the spinal shape via stratification by GAP alignment category, age, and country., Summary of Background Data: The GAP score has been used to categorize spinal morphology and prognosticate adult spinal deformity surgical outcomes and mechanical complications. We analyzed a large, multiethnic, asymptomatic cohort to assess the distribution of GAP scores., Methods: Four hundred sixty-seven healthy volunteers without spinal disorders were recruited in five countries. Sagittal radiographic parameters were measured via the EOS imaging system. The GAP total and constituent factor scores were calculated for each patient. Kruskal-Wallis rank sum test was performed to compare variables across groups, followed by the post hoc Games-Howell test. Fisher exact test was used to compare categorical variables. The significance level was set to P <0.05., Results: In the MEANS cohort, 13.7% (64/467) of volunteers were ≥60 years old, and 86.3% (403/467) were <60 years old. 76.9% (359/467) was proportioned, 19.5% (91/467) was moderately disproportioned, and 3.6% (17/467) was severely disproportioned. There was no significant difference in the frequency of proportioned, moderately, or severely disproportioned GAP between subjects from different countries ( P =0.060). Those with severely disproportioned GAP alignment were on average 14.5 years older ( P =0.016), had 23.1° lower magnitude lumbar lordosis (LL) ( P <0.001), 14.2° higher pelvic tilt ( P <0.001), 13.3° lower sacral slope ( P <0.001), and 24.1° higher pelvic-incidence (PI)-LL mismatch ( P <0.001), 18.2° higher global tilt ( P <0.001) than those with proportioned GAP; thoracic kyphosis and PI were not significantly different ( P >0.05)., Conclusions: The GAP system applies to a large, multiethnic, asymptomatic cohort. Spinal alignment should be considered on a spectrum, as 19.5% of the asymptomatic volunteers were classified as moderately disproportioned and 3.6% severely disproportioned. Radiographic malalignment does not always indicate symptoms or pathology., Level of Evidence: 3., Competing Interests: The authors report no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

The serotonin 2C receptor (5-HT2CR)-melanocortin pathway plays well-established roles in the regulation of feeding behavior and body weight homeostasis. Dysfunctions in this system, such as loss-of-function mutations in the Htr2c gene, can lead to hyperphagia and obesity. In this study, we aimed to investigate the potential therapeutic strategies for ameliorating hyperphagia, hyperglycemia, and obesity associated with a loss-of-function mutation in the Htr2c gene (Htr2cF327L/Y). We demonstrated that reexpressing functional 5-HT2CR solely in hypothalamic pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC) neurons is sufficient to reduce food intake and body weight in Htr2cF327L/Y mice subjected to a high-fat diet (HFD). In addition, 5-HT2CR expression restores the responsiveness of POMC neurons to lorcaserin, a selective agonist for 5-HT2CR. Similarly, administration of melanotan II, an agonist of the melanocortin receptor 4 (MC4R), effectively suppresses feeding and weight gain in Htr2cF327L/Y mice. Strikingly, promoting wheel-running activity in Htr2cF327L/Y mice results in a decrease in HFD consumption and improved glucose homeostasis. Together, our findings underscore the crucial role of the melanocortin system in alleviating hyperphagia and obesity related to dysfunctions of the 5-HT2CR, and further suggest that MC4R agonists and lifestyle interventions might hold promise in counteracting hyperphagia, hyperglycemia, and obesity in individuals carrying rare variants of the Htr2c gene., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Endocrine Society. All rights reserved. For commercial re-use, please contact reprints@oup.com for reprints and translation rights for reprints. All other permissions can be obtained through our RightsLink service via the Permissions link on the article page on our site—for further information please contact journals.permissions@oup.com. See the journal About page for additional terms.)

Although it is generally assumed that face recognition relies on holistic processing, whether face recognition deficits observed in Developmental Prosopagnosics (DPs) can be explained by impaired holistic processing is currently under debate. The mixed findings from past studies could be the consequence of DP's heterogeneous deficit nature and the use of different measures of holistic processing-the inversion, part-whole, and composite tasks-which showed a poor association among each other. The present study aimed to gain further insight into the role of holistic processing in DPs. Groups of DPs and neurotypicals completed three tests measuring holistic face processing and non-face objects (i.e., Navon task). At a group level, DPs showed (1) diminished, but not absent, inversion and part-whole effects, (2) comparable magnitudes of the composite face effect and (3) global precedence effect in the Navon task. However, single-case analyses showed that these holistic processing deficits in DPs are heterogeneous .

Study Design: Single centre, cross-sectional study., Objectives: The objective is to report the prevalence of spondylolisthesis and retrolisthesis, analyse both conditions in terms of the affected levels and severity, as well as identify their risk factors., Methods: A review of clinical data and radiographic images of consecutive spine patients seen in outpatient clinics over a 1-month period is performed. Images are obtained using the EOS® technology under standardised protocol, and radiographic measurements were performed by 2 independent, blinded spine surgeons. The prevalence of both conditions were shown and categorised based on the spinal level involvement and severity. Associated risk factors were identified., Results: A total of 256 subjects (46.1% males) with 2304 discs from T9/10 to L5/S1 were studied. Their mean age was 52.2(± 18.7) years. The overall prevalence of spondylolisthesis and retrolisthesis was 25.9% and 17.1% respectively. Spondylolisthesis occurs frequently at L4/5(16.3%), and retrolisthesis at L3/4(6.8%). Majority of the patients with spondylolisthesis had a Grade I slip (84.3%), while those with retrolisthesis had a Grade I slip. The presence of spondylolisthesis was found associated with increased age ( P < .001), female gender (OR: 2.310; P = .005), predominantly sitting occupations (OR:2.421; P = .008), higher American Society of Anaesthesiology grades ( P = .001), and lower limb radiculopathy (OR: 2.175; P = .007). Patients with spondylolisthesis had larger Pelvic Incidence ( P < .001), Pelvic Tilt ( P < .001) and Knee alignment angle ( P = .011), but smaller Thoracolumbar junctional angle ( P = .008), Spinocoxa angle ( P = .007). Retrolisthesis was associated with a larger Thoracolumbar junctional angle ( P =.039)., Conclusion: This is the first study that details the prevalence of spondylolisthesis and retrolisthesis simultaneously, using the EOS technology and updated sagittal radiographic parameters. It allows better understanding of both conditions, their mutual relationship, and associated clinical and radiographic risk factors., 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.

Study Design: Prospective, cross-sectional study., Objective: In a geographically diverse population of asymptomatic volunteers, we sought to report the incidence of pelvic obliquity (PO), establish normative values of PO across patient factors, and assess the correlation of PO with radiographic parameters., Summary of Background Data: PO is defined as the misalignment of the pelvis and can be assessed through several anatomic landmarks. Significant PO, whether caused by leg-length discrepancy or not, can lead to coronal malalignment which causes severe pain and disability. Significant emphasis has been placed on achieving appropriate sagittal alignment in recent decades; however, a greater understanding of coronal alignment is needed, and PO is a crucial aspect of evaluating the coronal plane in adult spinal deformity patients., Methods: Asymptomatic adult volunteers, ages 18-80 years, enrolled patients from 5 countries (France, Japan, Singapore, Tunisia, and the United States) in the "multiethnic alignment normative study" cohort (IRB 201812144). The included volunteers had no known spinal disorder(s), no significant neck or back pain (Visual Analog Scale: ≤2; Oswestry Disability Index: ≤20), and no abnormal alignment (Cobb ≤20°). PO was measured in the frontal plane as the distance between the highest points of each acetabulum, calculated along the vertical axis in millimeters (mm). The incidence of PO was defined as PO ≥10 mm. Kruskal-Wallis, Wilcoxon rank-sum, Pearson correlation, and linear regression were used., Results: A total of 467 patients were included, and PO values by age, sex, body mass index, and country were provided. The overall incidence of PO ≥10 mm was 4.3%, and a nonsignificant trend toward increased PO with age was seen ( P = 0.077). No significant differences were seen in PO between sex, ethnicity, or body mass index groups. No significant correlation existed between PO and other commonly used coronal radiographic measurements., Conclusion: PO ≥10 mm occurred in 4.3% of asymptomatic volunteers. Despite the importance of recognizing PO in preventing coronal malalignment, PO did not seem to be associated with other radiographic and demographic information, which underscores the importance of intentionally assessing for any PO before surgery. These results in an asymptomatic population provide a foundation for studying PO in patients with spinal pathology., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

The Cambridge Face Memory Test (CFMT) is one of the most important measures of individual differences in face recognition and for the diagnosis of prosopagnosia. Having two different CFMT versions using a different set of faces seems to improve the reliability of the evaluation. However, at the present time, there is only one Asian version of the test. In this study, we present the Cambridge Face Memory Test - Chinese Malaysian (CFMT-MY), a novel Asian CFMT using Chinese Malaysian faces. In Experiment 1, Chinese Malaysian participants (N = 134) completed two versions of the Asian CFMT and one object recognition test. The CFMT-MY showed a normal distribution, high internal reliability, high consistency and presented convergent and divergent validity. Additionally, in contrast to the original Asian CFMT, the CFMT-MY showed an increasing level of difficulties across stages. In Experiment 2, Caucasian participants (N = 135) completed the two versions of the Asian CFMT and the original Caucasian CFMT. Results showed that the CFMT-MY exhibited the other-race effect. Overall, the CFMT-MY seems to be suitable for the diagnosis of face recognition difficulties and could be used as a measure of face recognition ability by researchers who wish to examine face-related research questions such as individual differences or the other-race effect., (© 2023. The Psychonomic Society, Inc.)

The retrieval of autobiographical memories involves the construction of mental representations of past personal events. Many researchers examining the processes underlying memory retrieval argue that visual imagery plays a fundamental role. Other researchers, however, have argued that working memory is an integral component involved in memory retrieval. The goal of this study was to resolve these conflicting arguments by comparing the relative contributions of visual imagery and working memory during the retrieval of autobiographical memories in a dual-task paradigm. While following a moving dot, viewing a dynamic visual noise (DVN), or viewing a blank screen, 95 participants recalled their memories and subsequently rated them on different memory characteristics. The results suggest that inhibiting visual imagery by having participants view DVN merely delayed memory retrieval but did not affect the phenomenological quality of the memories retrieved. Taxations to the working memory by having participants follow a moving dot, on the contrary, resulted in only longer retrieval latencies and no reductions in the specificity, vividness, or the emotional intensity of the memories retrieved. Whereas the role of visual imagery during retrieval is clear, future studies could further examine the role of working memory during retrieval by administering a task that is less difficult or by recruiting a larger sample than this study. The results of this study seem to suggest that both visual imagery and working memory play a role during the retrieval of autobiographical memory, but more research needs to be conducted to determine their exact roles., 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.