Introduction: Liver chemistry abnormalities are a frequent manifestation of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) but are usually transient and resolve with disease resolution. Methods: We describe the clinical course and histologic features of 3 adults who developed prolonged and severe cholestasis during recovery from critical cardiopulmonary COVID-19. Results: These patients had clinical and histologic features similar to secondary sclerosing cholangitis of the critically ill patient, but with unique histologic features including severe cholangiocyte injury and intrahepatic microangiopathy suggestive of direct hepatic injury from COVID-19. DISCUSSION: We believe that these cases constitute a novel severe post–COVID-19 cholangiopathy with potential for long-term hepatic morbidity.

Despite the growing popularity of eSports, the poor representation of women players points to a need to understand the experiences of female players during competitive gaming online. The present study focuses on female gamers’ experiences with positive and negative feedback and sexual harassment in the male-dominated space of eSports. In Study 1, gender differences were analyzed in online gamers’ experience with feedback from other players and spectators during online play. In Study 2, gender differences were analyzed in observations of real gameplay that focused on the types of comments spectators directed toward female and male gamers on Twitch (a popular video game streaming website). The findings suggest a mixed experience for women that includes more sexual harassment in online gaming compared with men.

Sleep spindles are rhythmic patterns of neuronal activity generated within the thalamocortical circuit. Although spindles have been hypothesized to protect sleep by reducing the influence of external stimuli, it remains to be confirmed experimentally whether there is a direct relationship between sleep spindles and the stability of sleep. We have addressed this issue by using in vivo photostimulation of the thalamic reticular nucleus of mice to generate spindle oscillations that are structurally and functionally similar to spontaneous sleep spindles. Such optogenetic generation of sleep spindles increased the duration of non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep. Furthermore, the density of sleep spindles was correlated with the amount of NREM sleep. These findings establish a causal relationship between sleep spindles and the stability of NREM sleep, strongly supporting a role for the thalamocortical circuit in sleep regulation.sleep rhythms | sleep protection S leep spindles are characteristic EEG rhythms observed during non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep. It is characterized by periodic waxing and waning and 7-to 15-Hz oscillations with durations ranging from 0.5 to 3 s (1-3), and is often used as an EEG marker of NREM sleep. Sleep spindles are hypothesized to originate from the thalamic reticular nucleus (TRN) (4, 5), where the rhythmic burst activity of TRN neurons could initiate spindle oscillations within the whole thalamocortical circuit. When it has been initiated, this oscillation is self-maintained by the reciprocal interactions among cortical, thalamocortical (TC), and TRN neurons during NREM sleep (4, 6, 7). Sleep spindles are of particular interest because they are known to be involved in several sleep-dependent physiological and cognitive processes, such as memory consolidation and neuronal plasticity (7-10). Moreover, a growing amount of evidence suggests that sleep spindles serve a sleep-protecting function by modulating the degree of sensory transmission through the thalamus (11). Patients with hypersomnia show increased spindle density (SD) compared with control (12), and KO mice whose sleep spindles are reduced as a result of impaired thalamocortical oscillations experience sleep disturbances during NREM sleep (13-16). Further, individuals with a higher spindle rate are more tolerant to noise that occurs during sleep (17). Despite considerable evidence hinting at the sleepprotecting function of sleep spindles, no experimental studies have yet demonstrated a direct causal relationship between sleep spindles and the stability of sleep. A recent study found that optogenetic stimulation of TRN induced burst firing in TC neurons, which were hypothesized to underlie the occurrence of neocortical sleep spindles (18). However, because sleep spindles also occur spontaneously, it was not clear whether sleep spindles were driven by optogenetic stimulation of the TRN.To experimentally examine the sleep-protecting function of sleep spindles, we used Channelrhodopsin2 (ChR2) transgenic (tg) mice to bilaterally ...

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SUMMARY Ingestion of water and food are major hypo- and hyperosmotic challenges. To protect the body from osmotic stress, posterior pituitary-projecting, vasopressin-secreting neurons (VPpp neurons) counter osmotic perturbations by altering their release of vasopressin, which controls renal water excretion. Vasopressin levels begin to fall within minutes of water consumption, even prior to changes in blood osmolality. To ascertain the precise temporal dynamics by which water or food ingestion affect VPpp neuron activity, we directly recorded the spiking and calcium activity of genetically defined VPpp neurons. In states of elevated osmolality, water availability rapidly decreased VPpp neuron activity within seconds, beginning prior to water ingestion, upon presentation of water-predicting cues. In contrast, food availability following food restriction rapidly increased VPpp neuron activity within seconds, but only following feeding onset. These rapid and distinct changes in activity during drinking and feeding suggest diverse neural mechanisms underlying anticipatory regulation of VPpp neurons.

There is strong evidence that clients are substantially more likely to receive their HIV test results with rapid testing than with conventional tests or other alternatives. Therefore, to increase knowledge of HIV status, rapid testing is preferable in settings with low rates of return for test results.

Exploratory drive is one of the most fundamental emotions, of all organisms, that are evoked by novelty stimulation. Exploratory behavior plays a fundamental role in motivation, learning, and well-being of organisms. Diverse exploratory behaviors have been described, although their heterogeneity is not certain because of the lack of solid experimental evidence for their distinction. Here we present results demonstrating that different neural mechanisms underlie different exploratory behaviors. Localized Ca v 3.1 knockdown in the medial septum (MS) selectively enhanced object exploration, whereas the null mutant (KO) mice showed enhancedobject exploration as well as open-field exploration. In MS knockdown mice, only type 2 hippocampal theta rhythm was enhanced, whereas both type 1 and type 2 theta rhythm were enhanced in KO mice. This selective effect was accompanied by markedly increased excitability of septo-hippocampal GABAergic projection neurons in the MS lacking T-type Ca 2+ channels. Furthermore, optogenetic activation of the septo-hippocampal GABAergic pathway in WT mice also selectively enhanced object exploration behavior and type 2 theta rhythm, whereas inhibition of the same pathway decreased the behavior and the rhythm. These findings define object exploration distinguished from open-field exploration and reveal a critical role of T-type Ca 2+ channels in the medial septal GABAergic projection neurons in this behavior. Ca v 3.1 T-type Ca2+ channel | exploratory behaviors | hippocampal theta rhythm | medial septum | septo-hippocampal GABAergic neurons

<b><i>Introduction:</i></b> The novel severe-acute-respiratory-syndrome-coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) virus has led to the ongoing Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) disease pandemic. There are increasing reports of extrapulmonary clinical features of COVID-19, either as initial presentations or sequelae of disease. We report a patient diagnosed with subacute thyroiditis precipitated by COVID-19 infection, as well as review the literature of similar cases. <b><i>Case Presentation:</i></b> A 41-year-old female with no significant personal or family history of endocrinologic disorders presented with clinical features of thyroiditis that began after COVID-19 infection. Clinical, laboratory, and radiologic findings were indicative of subacute thyroiditis. Workup for potential triggers other than SARS-CoV-2 was negative. <b><i>Discussion/Conclusion:</i></b> We compared the clinical and diagnostic findings of our patient with other well-documented cases of subacute thyroiditis presumed to be triggered by SARS-CoV-2 viral infection. We also reviewed the literature related to the potential mechanisms leading to thyroiditis. Clinicians must be aware of the possibility of thyroid dysfunction after COVID-19 infection. Early recognition and timely anti-inflammatory therapy help in successful management.