The blocked cyclic naming paradigm has been increasingly employed to investigate the mechanisms underlying spoken word production. Semantic homogeneity typically elicits longer naming latencies... Show moreThe blocked cyclic naming paradigm has been increasingly employed to investigate the mechanisms underlying spoken word production. Semantic homogeneity typically elicits longer naming latencies than heterogeneity; however, it is debated whether competitive lexical selection or incremental learning underlies this effect. The current study manipulated both semantic and phonological homogeneity and used behavioural and electrophysiological measurements to provide evidence that can distinguish between the two accounts. Results show that naming latencies are longer in semantically homogeneous blocks, but shorter in phonologically homogeneous blocks, relative to heterogeneity. The semantic factor significantly modulates electrophysiological waveforms from 200 ms and the phonological factor from 350 ms after picture presentation. A positive component was demonstrated in both manipulations, possibly reflecting a task-related top-down bias in performing blocked cyclic naming. These results provide novel insights into the neural correlates of blocked cyclic naming and further contribute to the understanding of spoken word production. Show less
This thesis tapped into the details of speech production in Mandarin Chinese in the framework of current psycholinguistic models of speech production. The findings in this thesis not only... Show moreThis thesis tapped into the details of speech production in Mandarin Chinese in the framework of current psycholinguistic models of speech production. The findings in this thesis not only contribute to the understanding of the underlying neuropsychological mechanisms of speech production in Mandarin Chinese, but also provides insights into the understanding of the accountability of current models of speech production that are mostly based on evidence from West Germanic languages. Show less
The increasing prevalence of rheumatoid arthritis has driven the development of new approaches and technologies for investigating the pathophysiology of this devastating, chronic disease. From the... Show moreThe increasing prevalence of rheumatoid arthritis has driven the development of new approaches and technologies for investigating the pathophysiology of this devastating, chronic disease. From the perspective of systems biology, combining comprehensive personal data such as metabolomics profiling with ultra-weak photon emission (UPE) data may provide key information regarding the complex pathophysiology underlying rheumatoid arthritis. In this article, we integrated UPE with metabolomics-based technologies in order to investigate collagen-induced arthritis, a mouse model of rheumatoid arthritis, at the systems level, and we investigated the biological underpinnings of the complex dataset. Using correlation networks, we found that elevated inflammatory and ROS-mediated plasma metabolites are strongly correlated with a systematic reduction in amine metabolites, which is linked to muscle wasting in rheumatoid arthritis. We also found that increased UPE intensity is strongly linked to metabolic processes (with correlation co-efficiency |r| value >0.7), which may be associated with lipid oxidation that related to inflammatory and/or ROS-mediated processes. Together, these results indicate that UPE is correlated with metabolomics and may serve as a valuable tool for diagnosing chronic disease by integrating inflammatory signals at the systems level. Our correlation network analysis provides important and valuable information regarding the disease process from a system-wide perspective. Show less
He, M.; Harms, A.C.; Wijk, E.P.A. van; Wang, M.; Berger, R.; Koval, V.V.; ... ; Greef, J. van der 2017
Poor performance status at presentation is the strongest indicator of poor short-term survival, whereas low disease load and favorable tumor histology are associated with longer-term survival. (C)... Show morePoor performance status at presentation is the strongest indicator of poor short-term survival, whereas low disease load and favorable tumor histology are associated with longer-term survival. (C) 2016 by American Society of Clinical Oncology Show less
He, M.; Sun, M.; Wijk, E.P.A. van; Wietmarschen, H.A. van; Wijk, R.; Wang, Z.; ... ; Greef, J. van der 2016
To present the possibilities pertaining to linking ultra-weak photon emission (UPE) with Chinese medicine-based diagnostics principles, we conducted a review of Chinese literature regarding UPE... Show moreTo present the possibilities pertaining to linking ultra-weak photon emission (UPE) with Chinese medicine-based diagnostics principles, we conducted a review of Chinese literature regarding UPE with respect to a systems view of diagnostics. Data were summarized from human clinical studies and animal models published from 1979 through 1998. The research fields can be categorized as follows: (1) human physiological states measured using UPE; (2) characteristics of human UPE in relation to various pathological states; and (3) the relationship between diagnosis (e.g., Chinese syndromes) and the dynamics of UPE in animal models. We conclude that UPE has clear potential in terms of understanding the systems view on health and disease as described using Chinese medicine-based diagnostics, particularly from a biochemistry-based regulatory perspective. Linking UPE with metabolomics can further bridge biochemistry-based Western diagnostics with the phenomenology-based Chinese diagnostics, thus opening new avenues for studying systems diagnostics in the early stage of disease, for prevention-based strategies, as well as for systems-based intervention in chronic disease. Show less
Introduction Metastatic spinal cancer is a common condition that may lead to spinal instability, pain and paralysis. In the 1980s, surgery was discouraged because results showed worse neurological... Show moreIntroduction Metastatic spinal cancer is a common condition that may lead to spinal instability, pain and paralysis. In the 1980s, surgery was discouraged because results showed worse neurological outcomes and pain compared with radiotherapy alone. However, with the advent of modern imaging and spinal stabilisation techniques, the role of surgery has regained centre stage, though few studies have assessed quality of life and functional outcomes after surgery. Objective We investigated whether surgery provides sustained improvement in quality of life and pain relief for patients with symptomatic spinal metastases by analysing the largest reported surgical series of patients with epidural spinal metastases. Methods A prospective cohort study of 922 consecutive patients with spinal metastases who underwent surgery, from the Global Spine Tumour Study Group database. Pre- and post-operative EQ-5D quality of life, visual analogue pain score, Karnofsky physical functioning score, complication rates and survival were recorded. Results Quality of life (EQ-5D), VAS pain score and Karnofsky physical functioning score improved rapidly after surgery and these improvements were sustained in those patients who survived up to 2 years after surgery. In specialised spine centres, the technical intra-operative complication rate of surgery was low, however almost a quarter of patients experienced post-operative systemic adverse events. Conclusion Surgical treatment for spinal metastases produces rapid pain relief, maintains ambulation and improves good quality of life. However, as a group, patients with cancer are vulnerable to post-operative systemic complications, hence the importance of appropriate patient selection. Show less
