Corrective feedback guides human perceptual decision-making by informing about the world state rather than rewarding its choice.

Corrective feedback received on perceptual decisions is crucial for adjusting decision-making strategies to improve future choices. However, its complex interaction with other decision components, such as previous stimuli and choices, challenges a principled account of how it shapes subsequent decisions. One popular approach, based on animal behavior and extended to human perceptual decision-making, employs "reinforcement learning," a principle proven successful in reward-based decision-making. The core idea behind this approach is that decision-makers, although engaged in a perceptual task, treat corrective feedback as rewards from which they learn choice values. Here, we explore an alternative idea, which is that humans consider corrective feedback on perceptual decisions as evidence of the actual state of the world rather than as rewards for their choices. By implementing these "feedback-as-reward" and "feedback-as-evidence" hypotheses on a shared learning platform, we show that the latter outperforms the former in explaining how corrective feedback adjusts the decision-making strategy along with past stimuli and choices. Our work suggests that humans learn about what has happened in their environment rather than the values of their own choices through corrective feedback during perceptual decision-making.

Assessment of main pancreatic duct cutoff with dilatation, but without visible pancreatic focal lesion on MDCT: a novel diagnostic approach for malignant stricture using a CT-based nomogram.

OBJECTIVES: To identify useful features to predict hidden pancreatic malignancies in patients with main pancreatic duct (MPD) abrupt cutoff and dilatation, but without visible focal pancreatic lesions on CT. METHODS: This retrospective study included 92 patients (mean age, 63.4 ± 10.6 years, 63 men and 29 women) with MPD abrupt cutoff and dilatation, but without visible focal pancreatic lesion on contrast-enhanced CT between 2009 and 2021. Two radiologists independently evaluated the CT imaging features. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed to identify clinical and CT imaging features for hidden pancreatic malignancies. A nomogram was developed based on these results and assessed its performance. RESULTS: Thirty-eight (41.3%) and 54 (58.7%) were classified into the malignant and benign groups, respectively. In the multivariable analysis, CA19-9 elevation (odds ratio [OR] 7.5, p = 0.003), duct cutoff site at the head/neck (OR 7.6, p = 0.006), parenchymal contour abnormality at the duct cutoff site (OR 13.7, p < 0.001), and presence of acute pancreatitis (OR 11.5, p = 0.005) were independent predictors of pancreatic malignancy. A combination of any two significant features showed an accuracy of 77.2%, and a combination of any three features exhibited a specificity of 100%. The CT-based nomogram showed an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.84 (95% confidence interval, 0.77-0.90). CONCLUSIONS: The three CT imaging features and CA19-9 elevation translated into a nomogram permit a reliable estimation of hidden pancreatic malignancies in patients with MPD abrupt cutoff without visible focal pancreatic lesion. It may facilitate determining whether to proceed to further diagnostic tests. KEY POINTS: • Isoattenuating pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma can manifest only as an isolated main pancreatic duct (MPD) dilatation with abrupt cutoff, making it difficult to distinguish from benign strictures. • Along with the serum CA 19-9 elevation, MPD cutoff site at the pancreas head or neck, parenchymal contour abnormality at the duct cutoff site, and associated acute pancreatitis indicated a higher probability of the malignant MPD strictures. • The CT-based nomogram provided excellent diagnostic performance (AUC of 0.84) for hidden pancreatic malignancies in patients with MPD abrupt cutoff and dilatation.

Variable selection for binary spatial regression: Penalized quasi-likelihood approach.

We consider the problem of selecting covariates in a spatial regression model when the response is binary. Penalized likelihood-based approach is proved to be effective for both variable selection and estimation simultaneously. In the context of a spatially dependent binary variable, an uniquely interpretable likelihood is not available, rather a quasi-likelihood might be more suitable. We develop a penalized quasi-likelihood with spatial dependence for simultaneous variable selection and parameter estimation along with an efficient computational algorithm. The theoretical properties including asymptotic normality and consistency are studied under increasing domain asymptotics framework. An extensive simulation study is conducted to validate the methodology. Real data examples are provided for illustration and applicability. Although theoretical justification has not been made, we also investigate empirical performance of the proposed penalized quasi-likelihood approach for spatial count data to explore suitability of this method to a general exponential family of distributions.

Uveodermatologic syndrome concurrent with keratoconjunctivitis sicca in a miniature poodle dog.

A 5-year-old, intact female miniature poodle dog was presented with chronic ophthalmic problems, facial poliosis, nasal depigmentation and multiple areas of alopecia over the trunk. Bilateral uveitis preceded dermatologic signs by 5 months and gradually worsened. The dog was diagnosed as having uveodermatologic syndrome (UDS) concurrent with keratoconjunctivitis sicca (KCS). Treatment with immunosuppressive drugs resolved the dermatologic lesions, but uveitis continued to progress.

Syndrome uvéodermatologique concomitant à une kératoconjonctivite sèche chez un caniche miniature. Une chienne caniche miniature intacte âgée de 5 ans a été présentée avec des problèmes ophtalmiques chroniques, une poliose faciale, une dépigmentation nasale et plusieurs plaques d'alopécie sur le tronc. L'uvéite bilatérale a précédé les signes dermatologiques 5 mois auparavant et elle s'est graduellement aggravée. La chienne a été diagnostiquée comme atteinte du syndrome uvéodermatologique concomitant à une kératoconjonctivite sèche. Le traitement avec des immunodépresseurs a résolu les lésions dermatologiques, mais l'uvéite a continué de progresser.(Traduit par Isabelle Vallières).

SMARCA4-deficient non-small cell lung carcinoma: clinicodemographic, computed tomography, and positron emission tomography-computed tomography features.

Background: SMARCA4-deficient non-small cell lung carcinoma (SD-NSCLC) is a relatively rare tumor, which occurs in 5-10% of NSCLC. Based on World Health Organization thoracic tumor classification system, SMARCA4-deficient undifferentiated tumor (SD-UT) is recognized as a separate entity from SD-NSCLC. Differentiation between SD-NSCLC and SD-UT is often difficult due to shared biological continuum, but often required for choosing appropriate treatment regimen. Therefore, the aim of our study was to identify the clinicopathologic, computed tomography (CT), and positron emission tomography (PET)-CT imaging features of SD-NSCLC. Methods: Nine patients of pathologically confirmed SD-NSCLC were included in our analysis. We reviewed electronic medical records for clinical information, demographic features, CT, and PET-CT imaging features were analyzed. Results: Smoking history and male predominance are observed in all patients with SD-NSCLC (n=9). On CT, SD-NSCLC appeared as relatively well-defined masses with lobulated contour (n=8) and peripheral location (n=7). Invasion of adjacent pleura or chest wall (n=7) were frequently observed, regardless of small tumor size. Four cases showed lymph node metastases. Among nine patients, three patients showed multiple bone metastases, and one patient showed lung-to-lung metastases. Conclusions: In patient with SD-NSCLC, there was tendency for male smokers, peripheral location and invasion of adjacent pleural or chest wall invasion regardless of small tumor size, when compared to SD-UT.

Effect of the sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitor, DWP16001, as an add-on therapy to insulin for diabetic dogs: A pilot study.

BACKGROUND: Sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitors are a novel class of anti-hyperglycaemic agents. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate the safety and the adjuvant glycaemic control effect of an SGLT2 inhibitor, DWP16001, in diabetic dogs receiving insulin treatment. METHODS: Nineteen diabetic dogs receiving insulin treatment (NPH, porcine lente and glargine insulin) were divided into two groups according to dosing frequency: DWP TOD group (n = 10) and DWP SID group (n = 9). In the DWP TOD group, 0.025 mg/kg of DWP16001 was administered once every 3 days, whereas, in the DWP SID group, 0.025 mg/kg of DWP16001 was administered once a day. Food intake was maintained during the trial period. Hypoglycaemia, ketoacidosis or unexpected life-threatening reactions were assessed as adverse effects before and after DWP16001 administration. We compared insulin requirement reduction and blood glucose level control between two groups. RESULTS: No specific adverse effects were observed during the clinical trial, and haematological parameter remained unchanged. Moreover, the fasting glucose levels and daily insulin dose in the DWP TOD group were lower than the pre-administration values, but not significantly different for 8 weeks. Systolic blood pressure, fructosamine and insulin dose decreased significantly in the DWP SID group compared to the DWP TOD group at 8 weeks (p < 0.05) without affecting food consumption. Among these patients, 10 patients were monitored while receiving DWP16001 for 12 months (DWP TOD group n = 5, DWP SID group n = 5). The fasting glucose and fructosamine levels and daily insulin dose were reduced in both groups at 12 months compared with those before receiving DWP16001. CONCLUSION: When DWP16001, an SGLT2 inhibitor, was supplied to dogs with type 1 diabetes, no adverse effects were observed, and it was confirmed that the administered insulin dose can be reduced in controlling blood glucose.

Antioxidant mitoquinone suppresses benign prostatic hyperplasia by regulating the AR-NLRP3 pathway.

Mitoquinone (MitoQ), a mitochondria-targeted antioxidant, has been used to treat several diseases. The present study aimed to investigate the therapeutic effects of MitoQ in benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) models and their underlying molecular mechanisms. In this study, we determined that MitoQ inhibited dihydrotestosterone (DHT)-induced cell proliferation and mitochondrial ROS by inhibiting androgen receptor (AR) and NOD-like receptor family pyrin domain-containing 3 (NLRP3) signaling in prostate epithelial cells. Molecular modeling revealed that DHT may combine with AR and NLRP3, and that MitoQ inhibits both AR and NLRP3. AR and NLRP3 downregulation using siRNA showed the linkage among AR, NLRP3, and MitoQ. MitoQ administration alleviated pathological prostate enlargement and exerted anti-proliferative and antioxidant effects by suppressing the AR and NLRP3 signaling pathways in rats with BPH. Hence, our findings demonstrated that MitoQ is an inhibitor of NLPR3 and AR and a therapeutic agent for BPH treatment.

Estimating the Volume of Nodules and Masses on Serial Chest Radiography Using a Deep-Learning-Based Automatic Detection Algorithm: A Preliminary Study.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to assess the volume of the pulmonary nodules and masses on serial chest X-rays (CXRs) from deep-learning-based automatic detection algorithm (DLAD)-based parameters. METHODS: In a retrospective single-institutional study, 72 patients, who obtained serial CXRs (n = 147) for pulmonary nodules or masses with corresponding chest CT images as the reference standards, were included. A pre-trained DLAD based on a convolutional neural network was developed to detect and localize nodules using 13,710 radiographs and to calculate a localization map and the derived parameters (e.g., the area and mean probability value of pulmonary nodules) for each CXR, including serial follow-ups. For validation, reference 3D CT volumes were measured semi-automatically. Volume prediction models for pulmonary nodules were established through univariable or multivariable, and linear or non-linear regression analyses with the parameters. A polynomial regression analysis was performed as a method of a non-linear regression model. RESULTS: Of the 147 CXRs and 208 nodules of 72 patients, the mean volume of nodules or masses was measured as 9.37 ± 11.69 cm3 (mean ± standard deviation). The area and CT volume demonstrated a linear correlation of moderate strength (i.e., R = 0.58, RMSE: 9449.9 mm3 m3 in a linear regression analysis). The area and mean probability values exhibited a strong linear correlation (R = 0.73). The volume prediction performance based on a multivariable regression model was best with a mean probability and unit-adjusted area (i.e. , RMSE: 7975.6 mm3, the smallest among the other variable parameters). CONCLUSIONS: The prediction model with the area and the mean probability based on the DLAD showed a rather accurate quantitative estimation of pulmonary nodule or mass volume and the change in serial CXRs.

Clinical and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings of idiopathic aplastic pancytopenia in a dog treated with cyclosporine and azathioprine.

A dog was referred for pancytopenia. Bone marrow biopsy showed hypocellular fatty marrow. Magnetic resonance imaging had a high signal on T1-weighted image in the metaphyseal region of the femur. We suggest that MRI could be a valuable supportive diagnostic method and introduce a strategy of treatment with cyclosporine and azathioprine in canine aplastic pancytopenia.

Association of vortical structures and hemodynamic parameters for regional thrombus accumulation in abdominal aortic aneurysms.

The intraluminal thrombus (ILT) has been shown to negatively impact the progression of the abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs). The formation of this thrombus layer has been connected to the local flow environment within AAAs, but the specific mechanisms leading to thrombus formation are still not fully understood. Our study investigated the association between vortical structures, near-wall hemodynamic metrics (e.g., time averaged wall shear stress (TAWSS) and oscillatory shear index (OSI)), and ILT accumulation in a longitudinal cohort of 14 AAAs (53 scans total). Vortices and hemodynamic parameters were estimated using hemodynamic simulations performed to each scan of each patient and compared to local 3D changes of ILT thickness between two consecutive scans (ΔILT). Results showed that vortices formed and remained strong and close to the lumen surface in AAAs without an ILT, while in AAAs with ILTs these detached from the lumen surface and dissipated nearby wall region where an increase in ILT thickness was observed. Although low TAWSS was observed in regions with and without ILT accumulation, an inverse correlation between ∆ILT and TAWSS was observed within the regions that experienced a thrombus growth. Our results support the idea that vortical structures might be playing a role modulating ILT accumulation into specific wall regions. Also, it submits the idea that the low TAWSS will be modulating the growth of thrombus within these preferred ILT accumulated regions.

A Spatiotemporal Analytical Outlook of the Exposure to Air Pollution and COVID-19 Mortality in the USA.

The world is experiencing a pandemic due to Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), also known as COVID-19. The USA is also suffering from a catastrophic death toll from COVID-19. Several studies are providing preliminary evidence that short- and long-term exposure to air pollution might increase the severity of COVID-19 outcomes, including a higher risk of death. In this study, we develop a spatiotemporal model to estimate the association between exposure to fine particulate matter PM2.5 and mortality accounting for several social and environmental factors. More specifically, we implement a Bayesian zero-inflated negative binomial regression model with random effects that vary in time and space. Our goal is to estimate the association between air pollution and mortality accounting for the spatiotemporal variability that remained unexplained by the measured confounders. We applied our model to four regions of the USA with weekly data available for each county within each region. We analyze the data separately for each region because each region shows a different disease spread pattern. We found a positive association between long-term exposure to PM2.5 and the mortality from the COVID-19 disease for all four regions with three of four being statistically significant. Data and code are available at our GitHub repository. Supplementary materials accompanying this paper appear on-line. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13253-022-00487-1.

A robust multivariate structure of interindividual covariation between psychosocial characteristics and arousal responses to visual narratives.

People experience the same event but do not feel the same way. Such individual differences in emotion response are believed to be far greater than those in any other mental functions. Thus, to understand what makes people individuals, it is important to identify the systematic structures of individual differences in emotion response and elucidate how such structures relate to what aspects of psychological characteristics. Reflecting this importance, many studies have attempted to relate emotions to psychological characteristics such as personality traits, psychosocial states, and pathological symptoms across individuals. However, systematic and global structures that govern the across-individual covariation between the domain of emotion responses and that of psychological characteristics have been rarely explored previously, which limits our understanding of the relationship between individual differences in emotion response and psychological characteristics. To overcome this limitation, we acquired high-dimensional data sets in both emotion-response (8 measures) and psychological-characteristic (68 measures) domains from the same pool of individuals (86 undergraduate or graduate students) and carried out the canonical correlation analysis in conjunction with the principal component analysis on those data sets. For each participant, the emotion-response measures were quantified by regressing affective-rating responses to visual narrative stimuli onto the across-participant average responses to those stimuli, while the psychological-characteristic measures were acquired from 19 different psychometric questionnaires grounded in personality, psychosocial-factor, and clinical-problem taxonomies. We found a single robust mode of population covariation, particularly between the 'accuracy' and 'sensitivity' measures of arousal responses in the emotion domain and many 'psychosocial' measures in the psychological-characteristics domain. This mode of covariation suggests that individuals characterized with positive social assets tend to show polarized arousal responses to life events.

¹8F-FDG and ¹¹C-MET positron emission tomography findings of cutaneous mast cell tumor in a dog.

A 12-year-old intact male Maltese dog presented with an inguinal mass. Histopathology revealed a grade III mast cell tumor. Computed tomography demonstrated pulmonary and inguinal nodules and masses. Chemotherapy was performed using a vinblastine/prednisone protocol, and the inguinal mass disappeared 5 weeks later. Use of 2-deoxy-2-[¹8F]fluoro-D-glucose (¹8F-FDG) and (L)-[methyl- ¹¹C]methionine (¹¹C-MET)-positron emission tomography (PET) demonstrated hypermetabolic areas in the lungs and inguinal region one week after initial chemotherapy. The standardized uptake values of ¹8F-FDG were not different between lung and inguinal lesions; however, the inguinal lesion had a higher ¹¹C-MET standardized uptake value than the lung lesions. The hypermetabolic area was still visible on the second ¹8F-FDG-PET scan despite the disappearance of the mass. This is the first report of ¹¹C-MET-PET findings associated with a cutaneous mast cell tumor in a dog.

In vivo cell tracking of canine allogenic mesenchymal stem cells administration via renal arterial catheterization and physiopathological effects on the kidney in two healthy dogs.

Stem cell therapy is being special premise for various renal diseases. However, there is limited literature on localization and pathologic and functional effects of allogenic mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) in healthy dogs. Two healthy dogs were included in this study. Canine MSCs (cMSCs) were cultured from canine bone marrow and incubated with superparamagnetic iron oxide (SPIO) for in vivo cell tracking via MR imaging. The dogs were given the MSC (3 × 10(6) cells) into a renal artery via femoral artery catheterization. Follow-up serial renal assessments included ultrasonography and MRI, serum chemistry, urine analysis, and renal clearance tests. The dogs were euthanized at days 8 and 35 respectively for histopathologic evaluation of kidney. Strong hypointensity in MRI was detected in the treated renal cortex the day after cMSCs infusion. However they disappeared from MR image by the 8th day. Of the serum chemistry tests, serum hepatic enzymes (ALT, AST) were significantly elevated for one week after cMSCs treatment. Histopathological findings also revealed infiltration of SPIO-containing cells into the parenchyma of kidney. On 35th day, histopathology, glomerular atrophy, tubular necrosis, and mineralization were found in the subcapsular cortex, with fibrosis of the interstitial tissues. In vivo MRI studies of stem cells were useful in determining the sequential location of stem cells in the renal parenchyma of healthy dogs. Allogenic stem cells administered via renal artery caused inflammation, tubular necrosis, mineralization, and fibrosis without functional complications.

Successful therapy of coumatetralyl rodenticide induced pericardial effusion with pericardiocentesis in a dog.

A 5-year-old, intact male, golden retriever was presented with an acute onset of lethargy and respiratory distress. The dog was diagnosed as having rodenticide intoxication with pericardial effusion. Pericardiocentesis was successfully performed and was followed with a blood transfusion. This case suggests that rodenticide intoxication might cause pericardial effusion in dogs.

Nasopharyngeal tooth foreign body in a dog.

An 8-year-old Shih-tzu dog was presented with a 2-week history of cough and nasal discharge. Upon presentation, the dog had constant open-mouth breathing with stertor and blood-tinged mucopurulent nasal discharge. Oral examination revealed a missing right mandibular second premolar tooth and severe periodontal disease. Computed tomography showed a radiodense, retropharyngeal foreign body. The foreign body was removed using caudal rhinoscopy. The foreign body was the right mandibular second premolar covered by thick calculus.

Effects of carnitine on peripheral blood mitochondrial DNA copy number and liver function in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Functional and anatomical abnormalities of mitochondria play an important role in developing steatohepatitis. Carnitine is essential for enhanced mitochondrial beta oxidation through the transfer of long-chain fatty acids into the mitochondria. We examined the impact of carnitine complex on liver function and peripheral blood mitochondria copy number in NAFLD patients. METHODS: Forty-five NAFLD patients were enrolled. Patients were categorized into the carnitine complex-administered group and control group. Before and 3 months after drug administration, a liver function test and peripheral blood mitochondrial DNA and 8-oxo-dG quantitive analysis were conducted. RESULTS: In carnitine treatment group, ALT, AST, and total bilirubin were reduced after medication. There was no difference in AST, ALT, and total bilirubin between before and after treatment in control group. In carnitine group, peripheral mitochondrial DNA copy number was significantly increased from 158.8+/-69.5 copy to 241.6+/-180.6 copy (p=0.025). While in control group the mitochondrial copy number was slightly reduced from 205.5+/-142.3 to 150.0+/-109.7. 8-oxo-dG level was also tended to decrease in carnitine group (p=0.23) and tended to increase in control group (p=0.07). CONCLUSIONS: In NAFLD, the carnitine improved liver profile and peripheral blood mitochondrial DNA copy number. This results suggest that carnitine activate the mitochondria, thereby contributing to the improvement of NAFLD.

Correlation between fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography and magnetic resonance imaging findings of non-suppurative meningoencephalitis in 5 dogs.

This study characterized the [(18)F]2-deoxy-2-fluoro-D-glucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) findings of encephalitis in dogs and assessed the role of FDG-PET in the diagnosis of meningoencephalitis. The medical records, magnetic resonance (MR), and FDG-PET images of 3 dogs with necrotizing meningoencephalitis (NME), 1 dog with granulomatous meningoencephalitis (GME), and 1 dog with meningoencephalitis of unknown etiology (MUE) were reviewed. On the FDG-PET, glucose hypometabolism was identified in the dog with NME, whereas hypermetabolism was noted in the dog with GME. The T2-weighted images (WI) and fluid attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) images were characterized by hyperintensity, whereas the signal intensity of the lesions on the T1-WI images was variable. The metabolic changes on the brain FDG-PET corresponded well to the hyper- and hypointense lesions seen on the MR imaging. This type of tomography (FDG-PET) aided in the differentiation of different types of inflammatory meningoencephalitis when the metabolic data was combined with clinical and MR findings.

Cyclosporine treatment of perianal gland adenoma concurrent with benign prostatic hyperplasia in a dog.

A 13-year-old, intact male, mixed-breed dog was evaluated for multiple intradermal nodules around the anus. The nodules were diagnosed as perianal gland adenoma based on histopathologic examination. After therapy with cyclosporin A for 5 wk, the perianal masses were moderately shrunken. The dog's condition has remained stable over 6 mo.

Intraluminal thrombus effect on the progression of abdominal aortic aneurysms by using a multistate continuous-time Markov chain model.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship between the characteristics of intraluminal thrombus (ILT) with abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) expansion. METHODS: This retrospective clinical study applied homogeneous multistate continuous-time Markov chain models to longitudinal computed tomography (CT) data from Korean patients with AAA. Four AAA states were considered (early, mild, severe, fatal) and the maximal thickness of the ILT (maxILT), the fraction of the wall area covered by the ILT (areafrac) and the fraction of ILT volume (volfrac) were used as covariates. RESULTS: The analysis reviewed longitudinal CT images from 26 patients. Based on likelihood-ratio statistics, the areafrac was the most significant biomarker and maxILT was the second most significant. In addition, within AAAs that developed an ILT layer, the analysis found that the AAA expands relatively quickly during the early stage but the rate of expansion reduces once the AAA has reached a larger size. CONCLUSION: The results recommend surgical intervention when a patient has an areafrac more than 60%. Although this recommendation should be considered with caution given the limited sample size, physicians can use the proposed model as a tool to find such recommendations with their own data.