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Remitted major depression is related to increased functional coupling between ventral striatum and cortical regions in resting state fMRI
- G. Pail, C. Scharinger, K. Kalcher, W. Huf, R. Boubela, B. Hartinger, C. Windischberger, P. Filzmoser, E. Moser, S. Kasper, L. Pezawas
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- Journal:
- European Psychiatry / Volume 26 / Issue S2 / March 2011
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 16 April 2020, p. 948
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Introduction
Dysfunction in the basal ganglia has been related to impaired reward processing and anhedonia, a core symptom of Major Depressive Disorder (MDD). In particular, the ventral striatum including the nucleus accumbens is increasingly implicated in the pathophysiology of MDD, but evidence for a specific role during episodes of full remission is lacking so far.
ObjectivesTo investigate functional connectivity patterns of resting-state activity in patients in the remitted phase of MDD (rMDD).
AimsTo determine whether rMDD is related to disruptions of functional coupling between the ventral striatum and cortical regions.
MethodsForty-three remitted depressed patients and thirty-five healthy controls were recruited at Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria, and performed a six minute resting-state fMRI scan. Seed time series were extracted from the preprocessed data using individual masks for ventral striatum and correlated with all nodes in a surface based analysis using FreeSurfer, AFNI and SUMA. The resulting correlation coefficients were then Fishertransformed, group results were determined by comparing group mean smoothed z-scores with a two-sample ttest.
ResultsIncreased resting-state functional connectivity was revealed between ventral striatum (seed region) and anterior cingulate cortex as well as orbitofrontal cortex in the rMDD group compared to healthy controls.
ConclusionsOur preliminary data is in accordance with the idea that increased functional coupling between the ventral striatum and two major emotion processing regions, the anterior cingulate cortex and the orbitofrontal cortex, may represent a neural mechanism contributing to the maintenance of full remission of MDD.
Increased functional coupling between basalganglia and cingulate and prefrontal cortex during resting state conditions in remitted major depressive disorder
- R. Boubela, K. Kalcher, G. Pail, W. Huf, C. Scharinger, B. Hartinger, C. Windischberger, P. Filzmoser, E. Moser, S. Kasper, L. Pezawas
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- Journal:
- European Psychiatry / Volume 26 / Issue S2 / March 2011
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 16 April 2020, p. 915
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Introduction
Converging evidence suggests alterations of neural activation in the basal ganglia to represent neural correlates of Major Depressive Disorder (MDD). While a previous study reported increases of functional connectivity in resting state activity between the caudate nuclei and the posterior cingulate cortex in acutely depressed patients, it remains unclear whether this finding persists during full remission once antidepressant treatment has been discontinued.
ObjectivesTo investigate patterns of functional coupling between the basal ganglia and cortical regions during resting-state conditions.
AimsTo determine whether increases of functional connectivity between caudate nuclei, putamen, and pallidum with cortical regions, in particular the cingulate cortex, pertain during remission of MDD.
MethodsForty-three remitted depressed (rMDD) patients and thirty-five healthy controls were recruited at Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria, and performed a six minute resting-state fMRI scan. Seed time series were extracted from the preprocessed data using individual masks for the basal ganglia and correlated with all nodes in a surface based analysis using FreeSurfer, AFNI and SUMA. The resulting correlation coefficients were then Fisher-transformed, group results were determined by comparing group mean smoothed z-scores with a two-sample t-test.
ResultsIncreased resting-state functional connectivity was revealed between basal ganglia and cingulate as well as prefrontal cortex in the rMDD group compared to healthy controls.
ConclusionsOur preliminary results revealed increased functional coupling between the basal ganglia and wide parts of the cingulate and prefrontal cortex to possibly represent a specific neural pattern during remission of MDD.
Increased coupling of resting state activity between amygdala and cortical emotion processing regions in remitted major depressive disorder
- K. Kalcher, G. Pail, W. Huf, C. Scharinger, R. Boubela, B. Hartinger, C. Windischberger, P. Filzmoser, E. Moser, S. Kasper, L. Pezawas
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- European Psychiatry / Volume 26 / Issue S2 / March 2011
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 16 April 2020, p. 931
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Introduction
While most neuroimaging studies have investigated acutely depressed patients, neural mechanisms underlying stable remission are rarely examined. Furthermore, the majority of previous functional MRI (fMRI) studies have focused on task-induced neural activity, while resting-state activity may be more reproducible across study centers.
ObjectivesTo clarify patterns of functional coupling between subcortical structures and cortical resting state activity.
AimsTo determine whether alterations of functional coupling between the amygdala and cortical emotion processing regions characterize patients in the remitted phase of Major Depressive Disorder (rMDD).
MethodsForty-three remitted depressed patients and thirty-five healthy controls were recruited at Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria, and performed a six minute resting-state fMRI scan. The scans were corrected for slice timing and motion, as well as for mean white matter, mean CSF, and median gray matter signals. Seed time series were extracted using individual amygdala masks and correlated with all nodes in a surface based analysis using FreeSurfer, AFNI and SUMA. The resulting correlation coefficients were then Fisher-transformed, group results were determined by comparing group mean smoothed (to 8 mm FWHM) z-scores with a two-sample t-test.
ResultsIncreased resting-state functional connectivity was revealed between amygdala (seed region) and posterior cingulate cortex as well as orbitofrontal cortex in the rMDD group compared to healthy controls.
ConclusionsOur preliminary results suggest altered functional coupling between amygdala and cortical emotion processing areas during resting state conditions, possibly representing a neural mechanism contributing to the maintenance of stable remission of MDD.
Biological alterations during remission of major depressive disorder
- B. Hartinger, C. Scharinger, K. Diers, C. Kasess, W. Huf, K. Kalcher, R. Boubela, G. Pail, B. Brocke, S. Kasper, E. Moser, L. Pezawas
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- European Psychiatry / Volume 26 / Issue S2 / March 2011
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 16 April 2020, p. 633
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Introduction
The natural course of Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) encompasses the occurrence of alternating intervals of major depressive episodes and remission. While several abnormalities in neural circuits related to acute MDD have been identified, the neural mechanisms underlying stable remission remain obscure.
ObjectivesAcute MDD is characterized by increased amygdala and subgenual anterior cingulate cortex (sACC) activation and decreased connectivity between the amygdala and the sACC. Consequently, we expect those regions to be affected during remission.
AimsTo determine whether active counter-regulatory mechanisms are implicated in the maintenance of full remission once antidepressant treatment has been discontinued.
MethodsFunctional and structural magnetic resonance imaging was used to measure brain activation and volume of the amygdala and the sACC. Images were obtained from 38 healthy subjects without any psychiatric life-time diagnosis and 38 gender-matched drug-free remitted MDD patients. Furthermore, correlation analyses were performed with clinical variables.
ResultsPatients with rMDD exhibited lower activation in the amygdala and the sACC and increased functional coupling between the amygdala and sACC compared to controls. This connectivity was particularly pronounced in patients characterized by a long cumulated time of depressive episodes. Similarly, structural connectivity results showed increased association between the amygdala and sACC volume in rMDD patients compared to controls.
ConclusionsRemitted MDD is related to neural alterations within a neural circuit encompassing the amygdala and the sACC compared to controls. These findings suggest active counter-regulatory mechanisms likely contributing to the maintenance of remission once treatment has been discontinued.
Decision Making Under Ambiguity and Under Risk in Depressed Suicide Attempters, Depressed Non-Attempters and Healthy Controls
- E.A. Deisenhammer, S.K. Schmid, G. Kemmler, B. Moser, M. Delazer
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- European Psychiatry / Volume 41 / Issue S1 / April 2017
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 23 March 2020, pp. S291-S292
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Introduction
Study results on decision-making (DM) abilities in suicidal individuals are conflicting. Most studies have focused on DM under ambiguity and included patients with a lifetime history of suicide attempts.
ObjectiveTo assess DM abilities with two different instruments in recent suicide attempters.
MethodsThe study sample consisted of three groups. Group 1 (SA) were currently depressed inpatients having attempted suicide within the previous six months. Group 2 (NSA) consisted of depressed inpatients without a lifetime history of suicide attempts. Group 3 (CG) was a healthy control group. Besides depression severity, impulsiveness and suicidal intent (SA group only) DM was assessed using the Iowa gambling task (IGT) for DM under ambiguity and the game of dice task (GDT) for DM under risk.
ResultsA total of 78 participants (SA group, n = 21; NSA group, n = 31; CG, n = 26) were included into the study. Significant between group differences were found regarding marital status, current partnership, smoking status, depression score, impulsiveness score and family history of psychiatric disorders (all discriminating controls from patients but not between SA and NSA groups). The three groups did not differ with regard to IGT scores. Concerning GDT, the SA group showed significantly lower scores compared to the two other groups, implying a readiness for more risky decisions in suicide attempters versus non-attempters and controls.
ConclusionSuicide attempters appear to make more risky decisions compared to depressed non-attempters as well as healthy controls even if the DM under ambiguity patterns do not differ.
Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.
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- By Mitchell Aboulafia, Frederick Adams, Marilyn McCord Adams, Robert M. Adams, Laird Addis, James W. Allard, David Allison, William P. Alston, Karl Ameriks, C. Anthony Anderson, David Leech Anderson, Lanier Anderson, Roger Ariew, David Armstrong, Denis G. Arnold, E. J. Ashworth, Margaret Atherton, Robin Attfield, Bruce Aune, Edward Wilson Averill, Jody Azzouni, Kent Bach, Andrew Bailey, Lynne Rudder Baker, Thomas R. Baldwin, Jon Barwise, George Bealer, William Bechtel, Lawrence C. Becker, Mark A. Bedau, Ernst Behler, José A. Benardete, Ermanno Bencivenga, Jan Berg, Michael Bergmann, Robert L. Bernasconi, Sven Bernecker, Bernard Berofsky, Rod Bertolet, Charles J. Beyer, Christian Beyer, Joseph Bien, Joseph Bien, Peg Birmingham, Ivan Boh, James Bohman, Daniel Bonevac, Laurence BonJour, William J. Bouwsma, Raymond D. Bradley, Myles Brand, Richard B. Brandt, Michael E. Bratman, Stephen E. Braude, Daniel Breazeale, Angela Breitenbach, Jason Bridges, David O. Brink, Gordon G. Brittan, Justin Broackes, Dan W. Brock, Aaron Bronfman, Jeffrey E. Brower, Bartosz Brozek, Anthony Brueckner, Jeffrey Bub, Lara Buchak, Otavio Bueno, Ann E. Bumpus, Robert W. Burch, John Burgess, Arthur W. Burks, Panayot Butchvarov, Robert E. Butts, Marina Bykova, Patrick Byrne, David Carr, Noël Carroll, Edward S. Casey, Victor Caston, Victor Caston, Albert Casullo, Robert L. Causey, Alan K. L. Chan, Ruth Chang, Deen K. Chatterjee, Andrew Chignell, Roderick M. Chisholm, Kelly J. Clark, E. J. Coffman, Robin Collins, Brian P. Copenhaver, John Corcoran, John Cottingham, Roger Crisp, Frederick J. Crosson, Antonio S. Cua, Phillip D. Cummins, Martin Curd, Adam Cureton, Andrew Cutrofello, Stephen Darwall, Paul Sheldon Davies, Wayne A. Davis, Timothy Joseph Day, Claudio de Almeida, Mario De Caro, Mario De Caro, John Deigh, C. F. Delaney, Daniel C. Dennett, Michael R. DePaul, Michael Detlefsen, Daniel Trent Devereux, Philip E. Devine, John M. Dillon, Martin C. Dillon, Robert DiSalle, Mary Domski, Alan Donagan, Paul Draper, Fred Dretske, Mircea Dumitru, Wilhelm Dupré, Gerald Dworkin, John Earman, Ellery Eells, Catherine Z. Elgin, Berent Enç, Ronald P. Endicott, Edward Erwin, John Etchemendy, C. Stephen Evans, Susan L. Feagin, Solomon Feferman, Richard Feldman, Arthur Fine, Maurice A. Finocchiaro, William FitzPatrick, Richard E. Flathman, Gvozden Flego, Richard Foley, Graeme Forbes, Rainer Forst, Malcolm R. Forster, Daniel Fouke, Patrick Francken, Samuel Freeman, Elizabeth Fricker, Miranda Fricker, Michael Friedman, Michael Fuerstein, Richard A. Fumerton, Alan Gabbey, Pieranna Garavaso, Daniel Garber, Jorge L. A. Garcia, Robert K. Garcia, Don Garrett, Philip Gasper, Gerald Gaus, Berys Gaut, Bernard Gert, Roger F. Gibson, Cody Gilmore, Carl Ginet, Alan H. Goldman, Alvin I. Goldman, Alfonso Gömez-Lobo, Lenn E. Goodman, Robert M. Gordon, Stefan Gosepath, Jorge J. E. Gracia, Daniel W. Graham, George A. Graham, Peter J. Graham, Richard E. Grandy, I. Grattan-Guinness, John Greco, Philip T. Grier, Nicholas Griffin, Nicholas Griffin, David A. Griffiths, Paul J. Griffiths, Stephen R. Grimm, Charles L. Griswold, Charles B. Guignon, Pete A. Y. Gunter, Dimitri Gutas, Gary Gutting, Paul Guyer, Kwame Gyekye, Oscar A. Haac, Raul Hakli, Raul Hakli, Michael Hallett, Edward C. Halper, Jean Hampton, R. James Hankinson, K. R. Hanley, Russell Hardin, Robert M. Harnish, William Harper, David Harrah, Kevin Hart, Ali Hasan, William Hasker, John Haugeland, Roger Hausheer, William Heald, Peter Heath, Richard Heck, John F. Heil, Vincent F. Hendricks, Stephen Hetherington, Francis Heylighen, Kathleen Marie Higgins, Risto Hilpinen, Harold T. Hodes, Joshua Hoffman, Alan Holland, Robert L. Holmes, Richard Holton, Brad W. Hooker, Terence E. Horgan, Tamara Horowitz, Paul Horwich, Vittorio Hösle, Paul Hoβfeld, Daniel Howard-Snyder, Frances Howard-Snyder, Anne Hudson, Deal W. Hudson, Carl A. Huffman, David L. Hull, Patricia Huntington, Thomas Hurka, Paul Hurley, Rosalind Hursthouse, Guillermo Hurtado, Ronald E. Hustwit, Sarah Hutton, Jonathan Jenkins Ichikawa, Harry A. Ide, David Ingram, Philip J. Ivanhoe, Alfred L. Ivry, Frank Jackson, Dale Jacquette, Joseph Jedwab, Richard Jeffrey, David Alan Johnson, Edward Johnson, Mark D. Jordan, Richard Joyce, Hwa Yol Jung, Robert Hillary Kane, Tomis Kapitan, Jacquelyn Ann K. Kegley, James A. Keller, Ralph Kennedy, Sergei Khoruzhii, Jaegwon Kim, Yersu Kim, Nathan L. King, Patricia Kitcher, Peter D. Klein, E. D. Klemke, Virginia Klenk, George L. Kline, Christian Klotz, Simo Knuuttila, Joseph J. Kockelmans, Konstantin Kolenda, Sebastian Tomasz Kołodziejczyk, Isaac Kramnick, Richard Kraut, Fred Kroon, Manfred Kuehn, Steven T. Kuhn, Henry E. Kyburg, John Lachs, Jennifer Lackey, Stephen E. Lahey, Andrea Lavazza, Thomas H. Leahey, Joo Heung Lee, Keith Lehrer, Dorothy Leland, Noah M. Lemos, Ernest LePore, Sarah-Jane Leslie, Isaac Levi, Andrew Levine, Alan E. Lewis, Daniel E. Little, Shu-hsien Liu, Shu-hsien Liu, Alan K. L. Chan, Brian Loar, Lawrence B. Lombard, John Longeway, Dominic McIver Lopes, Michael J. Loux, E. J. Lowe, Steven Luper, Eugene C. Luschei, William G. Lycan, David Lyons, David Macarthur, Danielle Macbeth, Scott MacDonald, Jacob L. Mackey, Louis H. Mackey, Penelope Mackie, Edward H. Madden, Penelope Maddy, G. B. Madison, Bernd Magnus, Pekka Mäkelä, Rudolf A. Makkreel, David Manley, William E. Mann (W.E.M.), Vladimir Marchenkov, Peter Markie, Jean-Pierre Marquis, Ausonio Marras, Mike W. Martin, A. P. Martinich, William L. McBride, David McCabe, Storrs McCall, Hugh J. McCann, Robert N. McCauley, John J. McDermott, Sarah McGrath, Ralph McInerny, Daniel J. McKaughan, Thomas McKay, Michael McKinsey, Brian P. McLaughlin, Ernan McMullin, Anthonie Meijers, Jack W. Meiland, William Jason Melanson, Alfred R. Mele, Joseph R. Mendola, Christopher Menzel, Michael J. Meyer, Christian B. Miller, David W. Miller, Peter Millican, Robert N. Minor, Phillip Mitsis, James A. Montmarquet, Michael S. Moore, Tim Moore, Benjamin Morison, Donald R. Morrison, Stephen J. Morse, Paul K. Moser, Alexander P. D. Mourelatos, Ian Mueller, James Bernard Murphy, Mark C. Murphy, Steven Nadler, Jan Narveson, Alan Nelson, Jerome Neu, Samuel Newlands, Kai Nielsen, Ilkka Niiniluoto, Carlos G. Noreña, Calvin G. Normore, David Fate Norton, Nikolaj Nottelmann, Donald Nute, David S. Oderberg, Steve Odin, Michael O’Rourke, Willard G. Oxtoby, Heinz Paetzold, George S. Pappas, Anthony J. Parel, Lydia Patton, R. P. Peerenboom, Francis Jeffry Pelletier, Adriaan T. Peperzak, Derk Pereboom, Jaroslav Peregrin, Glen Pettigrove, Philip Pettit, Edmund L. Pincoffs, Andrew Pinsent, Robert B. Pippin, Alvin Plantinga, Louis P. Pojman, Richard H. Popkin, John F. Post, Carl J. Posy, William J. Prior, Richard Purtill, Michael Quante, Philip L. 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Sherburne, Christopher Shields, Roger A. Shiner, Sydney Shoemaker, Robert K. Shope, Kwong-loi Shun, Wilfried Sieg, A. John Simmons, Robert L. Simon, Marcus G. Singer, Georgette Sinkler, Walter Sinnott-Armstrong, Matti T. Sintonen, Lawrence Sklar, Brian Skyrms, Robert C. Sleigh, Michael Anthony Slote, Hans Sluga, Barry Smith, Michael Smith, Robin Smith, Robert Sokolowski, Robert C. Solomon, Marta Soniewicka, Philip Soper, Ernest Sosa, Nicholas Southwood, Paul Vincent Spade, T. L. S. Sprigge, Eric O. Springsted, George J. Stack, Rebecca Stangl, Jason Stanley, Florian Steinberger, Sören Stenlund, Christopher Stephens, James P. Sterba, Josef Stern, Matthias Steup, M. A. Stewart, Leopold Stubenberg, Edith Dudley Sulla, Frederick Suppe, Jere Paul Surber, David George Sussman, Sigrún Svavarsdóttir, Zeno G. Swijtink, Richard Swinburne, Charles C. Taliaferro, Robert B. Talisse, John Tasioulas, Paul Teller, Larry S. Temkin, Mark Textor, H. S. Thayer, Peter Thielke, Alan Thomas, Amie L. Thomasson, Katherine Thomson-Jones, Joshua C. Thurow, Vzalerie Tiberius, Terrence N. Tice, Paul Tidman, Mark C. Timmons, William Tolhurst, James E. Tomberlin, Rosemarie Tong, Lawrence Torcello, Kelly Trogdon, J. D. Trout, Robert E. Tully, Raimo Tuomela, John Turri, Martin M. Tweedale, Thomas Uebel, Jennifer Uleman, James Van Cleve, Harry van der Linden, Peter van Inwagen, Bryan W. Van Norden, René van Woudenberg, Donald Phillip Verene, Samantha Vice, Thomas Vinci, Donald Wayne Viney, Barbara Von Eckardt, Peter B. M. Vranas, Steven J. Wagner, William J. Wainwright, Paul E. Walker, Robert E. Wall, Craig Walton, Douglas Walton, Eric Watkins, Richard A. Watson, Michael V. Wedin, Rudolph H. Weingartner, Paul Weirich, Paul J. Weithman, Carl Wellman, Howard Wettstein, Samuel C. Wheeler, Stephen A. White, Jennifer Whiting, Edward R. Wierenga, Michael Williams, Fred Wilson, W. Kent Wilson, Kenneth P. Winkler, John F. Wippel, Jan Woleński, Allan B. Wolter, Nicholas P. Wolterstorff, Rega Wood, W. Jay Wood, Paul Woodruff, Alison Wylie, Gideon Yaffe, Takashi Yagisawa, Yutaka Yamamoto, Keith E. Yandell, Xiaomei Yang, Dean Zimmerman, Günter Zoller, Catherine Zuckert, Michael Zuckert, Jack A. Zupko (J.A.Z.)
- Edited by Robert Audi, University of Notre Dame, Indiana
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- The Cambridge Dictionary of Philosophy
- Published online:
- 05 August 2015
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- 27 April 2015, pp ix-xxx
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The infrared K-band identification of the DSO/G2 source from VLT and Keck data
- A. Eckart, M. Horrobin, S. Britzen, M. Zamaninasab, K. Mužić, N. Sabha, B. Shahzamanian, S. Yazici, L. Moser, M. García-Marin, M. Valencia-S., A. Borkar, M. Bursa, G. Karssen, V. Karas, M. Zajaček, L. Bronfman, R. Finger, B. Jalali, M. Vitale, C. Rauch, D. Kunneriath, J. Moultaka, C. Straubmeier, Y. E. Rashed, K. Markakis, A. Zensus
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- Journal:
- Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union / Volume 9 / Issue S303 / October 2013
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 22 May 2014, pp. 269-273
- Print publication:
- October 2013
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A fast moving infrared excess source (G2) which is widely interpreted as a core-less gas and dust cloud approaches Sagittarius A* (Sgr A*) on a presumably elliptical orbit. VLT Ks-band and Keck K′-band data result in clear continuum identifications and proper motions of this ∼19m Dusty S-cluster Object (DSO). In 2002-2007 it is confused with the star S63, but free of confusion again since 2007. Its near-infrared (NIR) colors and a comparison to other sources in the field speak in favor of the DSO being an IR excess star with photospheric continuum emission at 2 microns than a core-less gas and dust cloud. We also find very compact L′-band emission (<0.1″) contrasted by the reported extended (0.03″ up to ∼0.2″ for the tail) Brγ emission. The presence of a star will change the expected accretion phenomena, since a stellar Roche lobe may retain a fraction of the material during and after the peri-bothron passage.
Effect on hearing of ganciclovir therapy for asymptomatic congenital cytomegalovirus infection: four to 10 year follow up
- A Lackner, A Acham, T Alborno, M Moser, H Engele, R B Raggam, G Halwachs-Baumann, M Kapitan, C Walch
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- Journal:
- The Journal of Laryngology & Otology / Volume 123 / Issue 4 / April 2009
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 30 June 2008, pp. 391-396
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- April 2009
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Background:
Congenital cytomegalovirus infection is the leading identified nongenetic cause of congenital sensorineural hearing loss. Most of the infections are asymptomatic but may be detected from umbilical cord vein and/or newborn serum positivity for human cytomegalovirus immunoglobulin M, and from urine positivity (on polymerase chain reaction) for human cytomegalovirus deoxyribonucleic acid in the newborn period. Children infected by cytomegalovirus may later develop sensorineural hearing loss. In symptomatically infected infants, ganciclovir therapy administered in the neonatal period prevents hearing deterioration. However, preventative therapy of asymptomatic congenital cytomegalovirus disease with ganciclovir is controversial, as side effects such as severe neutropenia may occur during treatment.
Methods:The study population consisted of 23 asymptomatic children with congenital cytomegalovirus infection. Twelve children were treated just after diagnosis of cytomegalovirus infection in the newborn period, with ganciclovir 10 mg/kg bodyweight for 21 days. The other 11 children were observed without therapy. Over a four to 10 year follow-up period, we evaluated all the children's hearing status using pure tone audiometry.
Results:All 23 children had normal sensorineural hearing at one year follow up. Five of the 23 children (21.7 per cent) were lost to follow up over the four to 11 year follow-up period. Of the remaining 18 children, sensorineural hearing loss occurred in two (11.1 per cent). Neither child had been treated with ganciclovir in the newborn period. An eight-year-old boy showed bilateral high frequency loss and a 10-year-old girl showed severe unilateral sensorineural hearing loss. In the ganciclovir-treated group (nine children), none showed sensorineural hearing loss. During ganciclovir therapy, moderate neutropenia occurred as a side effect in two out of 12 (16.6 per cent) treated children. Speech and general development were normal in all children.
Conclusion:Asymptomatic congenital cytomegalovirus infection is likely to be a leading cause of sensorineural hearing loss in young children. Intravenous ganciclovir therapy seems to offer a medical option to prevent subsequent sensorineural hearing loss. Further studies including a greater number of children are needed. Cytomegalovirus screening models are mandatory if medical therapy is to be implemented in time.
Thermal Reliability of Pt/Ti/Pt/Au Schottky Contact on InP with a GalnP Schottky Barrier Enhancement Layer
- H. C. Kuo, C. H. Lin, B. G. Moser, H. Hsia, Z. Tang, H. Chen, M. Feng, G. E. Stillman
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- MRS Online Proceedings Library Archive / Volume 535 / 1998
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 10 February 2011, 231
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- 1998
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We present the studies of the thermal stability of various metal including Au, Ti, Pt, Pd and Pt/Ti/Pt/Au Schottky contacts on strained Ga0.2In0.8P/InP semiconductors. Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) analysis and cross-sectional TEM of the thermally annealed Schottky diode were performed to investigate the failure mechanism. For Pt/Ti/Pt/Au schottky contacts on strained GalnP/InP, no significant change was found for samples annealed up to 350°C. However, a drastic degradation of the barrier height and the ideality factor was observed in samples annealed at 400°C, which may be caused by the interdiffusion and penetration of metals into the semiconductor. Finally InGaAs/InP doped channel heterojunction FET's (DC-HFET's) with a GaInP Schottky barrier enhancement layer (SBEL) were grown and fabricated. The 0.25 μm gate-length devices showed excellent DC and RF performance, with anfi of 117 GHz and an fmax of 168 GHz.