Corrigendum: Effects of intelligence and approximate number system on the non-symbolic division ability in preschoolers.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.961140.].

Effects of intelligence and approximate number system on the non-symbolic division ability in preschoolers.

Recently, it has become evident that cognitive abilities such as the approximate number system (ANS), number knowledge, and intelligence affect individuals' fundamental mathematical ability. However, it is unclear which of these cognitive abilities have the greatest impact on the non-symbolic division ability in preschoolers. Therefore, in the present study, we included 4- to 6-year-old Korean preschoolers without prior formal education of division in order to test their ability to solve non-symbolic division problems, ANS acuity, and intelligence, and to determine the interrelationships among those functions (N = 38). We used the Panamath Dot Comparison Paradigm to measure the ANS acuity, employed non-symbolic division tasks to measure the ability to solve non-symbolic division problems, and measured the intelligence using the Korean version of the WPPSI-IV (Wechsler Preschool Primary Scale of Intelligence-IV). Our results showed that, in all conditions of the non-symbolic division tasks, the 4- to 6-years old children were able to perform better than chance level. Additionally, in a relatively easy condition, the children's performance showed a significant positive correlation with full-scale intelligence quotient (FSIQ) and ANS acuity; however, in a more complex condition, only FSIQ was significantly correlated with their performance. Overall, we found significant relationships between the children's performance in the non-symbolic division tasks and verbal comprehension, fluid reasoning, and processing speed index. Taken together, our findings demonstrate that preschoolers without formal education on the arithmetic problem solving can solve non-symbolic division problems. Moreover, we suggest that both FSIQ and ANS ability play essential roles in children's ability to solve non-symbolic division problems, highlighting the significance of intelligence on children's fundamental mathematical ability.

Adverse postnatal developmental effects in offspring from humidifier disinfectant biocide inhaled pregnant rats.

Inhalation exposure to polyhexamethylene guanidine phosphate (PHMG-P), one of the primary biocides used in humidifier disinfectants, caused a fatal pulmonary disease in Korea. Pregnant women were also exposed to PHMG-P, and subsequent studies showed that PHMG-P inhalation during pregnancy adversely affects their health and embryo-fetal development. However, the postnatal developmental effects after birth on prenatally PHMG-P-exposed offspring have not yet been investigated. Therefore, in this study, we aimed to examine the postnatal development of prenatally PHMG-P-exposed offspring. Pregnant rats (22 or 24 females per group) were exposed to PHMG-P during pregnancy in a whole-body inhalation chamber at the target concentrations of 0, 0.14, 1.60, and 3.20 mg/m3. After parturition, the prenatally exposed offspring were transferred to non-exposed surrogate mothers to minimize the secondary effects of severe maternal toxicities. Postnatal development of offspring was then examined with a modified extended one-generation reproductive toxicity study design. At 3.20 mg/m3 PHMG-P, increased perinatal death rates and decreased viability index (postnatal survival of offspring between birth and postnatal day 4) were observed. In addition, F1 offspring had lower body weight at birth that persisted throughout the study. PHMG-P-exposed pregnant rats also had severe systemic toxicities and increased gestation period. At 1.60 mg/m3 PHMG-P, a decreased viability index was also observed with systemic toxicities of PHMG-P-exposed pregnant rats. These results indicate that prenatal PHMG-P exposure adversely affects the offspring's future health and could be used for human risk assessment.

Dual Inhibition of P-gp and BCRP Improves Oral Topotecan Bioavailability in Rodents.

P-glycoprotein (P-gp) inhibition has been studied to overcome multidrug resistance in cancer chemotherapy but failed in clinical trials due to low/toxic effects. Recently, a dual modulation of transporters and natural derivatives have been examined to surmount this limitation. We examined breast cancer resistance protein (BCRP) inhibition in vitro and in vivo by P-gp inhibitors derived from natural compounds in previous studies. P-gp inhibitors increased the accumulation of the anticancer drug, topotecan (TPT)-a substrate of P-gp and BCRP, albeit with higher affinity for BCRP-in BCRP-overexpressing cells, resulting in cell death. These dual inhibitors, when orally co-administered with TPT, enhanced TPT bioavailability with slightly reduced total oral clearance (Clt/F) in rats. In xenograft mice, they strengthened oral TPT-induced tumor reduction with no alterations in body weight. Moreover, we investigated the effects of an oral drug formulation (Cremophor® EL, Tween® 80, and polyethylene glycol 400) on the transporters function. The excipients increased TPT accumulation in P-gp- or BCRP-overexpressing cells. Oral TPT bioavailability was higher with the formulation than with a control, as shown by the increases in the maximum plasma concentration (Cmax) and the area under the plasma concentration-time curve from zero to infinity (AUCINF) (p< 0.01). Therefore, oral TPT bioavailability was enhanced by P-gp/BCRP dual inhibition, which resulted in a formulation-mediated increase in absorption and decrease in elimination, and a dual inhibitor-mediated decrease in elimination. These results suggest that the combination of dual inhibition by a natural derivative and the drug formulation can be a useful clinical approach.

Anticalcification effect of a combination of decellularization, organic solvents and amino acid detoxification on glutaraldehyde-fixed xenopericardial heart valves in a large-animal long-term circulatory model.

OBJECTIVES: We aimed to investigate the effect of a combination of anticalcification treatments, which were effective for preventing calcification in a small animal experiment, on glutaraldehyde-fixed xenopericardial valves using a large-animal long-term circulatory model. METHODS: Valved conduits were made of porcine pericardium as a leaflet and bovine pericardium as a conduit and were implanted into the right ventricular outflow tract of goats under cardiopulmonary bypass. The goats were divided into study (glutaraldehyde + combined anticalcification treatment, n = 6) and control (glutaraldehyde alone, n = 9) groups. Upon euthanization at 1 year, echocardiography and cardiac catheterization were performed. Explanted tissues were microscopically examined and analysed for measuring the calcium content. RESULTS: Haemodynamic data were obtained from 3 and 2 goats in the study and control groups, respectively. All valves, except 1, which was limited in motion, were functioning well on echocardiography; pressure gradients across the right ventricular outflow tract were lower in the study group on cardiac catheterization. On gross inspection, all leaflets remained mobile without calcific deposits in the study group, while most leaflets were heavily calcified in the control group. The calcium content in the leaflets remained low (≤4 µg/mg) in the study group. Among the leaflets explanted from goats that survived longer (>3 months), the calcium concentration was higher in the control group than in the study group [15.1 µg/mg (n = 5) vs 2.7 µg/mg (n = 5), respectively; P = 0.008). CONCLUSIONS: Porcine pericardial leaflets treated with our anticalcification protocol showed better function and less calcification than those treated with glutaraldehyde alone in the pulmonary position.