Neuroimaging Evidence of Major Morpho-Anatomical and Functional Abnormalities in the BTBR T+TF/J Mouse Model of Autism

BTBR T+tf/J (BTBR) mice display prominent behavioural deficits analogous to the defining symptoms of autism, a feature that has prompted a widespread use of the model in preclinical autism research. Because neuro-behavioural traits are described with respect to reference populations, multiple investigators have examined and described the behaviour of BTBR mice against that exhibited by C57BL/6J (B6), a mouse line characterised by high sociability and low self-grooming. In an attempt to probe the translational relevance of this comparison for autism research, we used Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) to map in both strain multiple morpho-anatomical and functional neuroimaging readouts that have been extensively used in patient populations. Diffusion tensor tractography confirmed previous reports of callosal agenesis and lack of hippocampal commissure in BTBR mice, and revealed a concomitant rostro-caudal reorganisation of major cortical white matter bundles. Intact inter-hemispheric tracts were found in the anterior commissure, ventro-medial thalamus, and in a strain-specific white matter formation located above the third ventricle. BTBR also exhibited decreased fronto-cortical, occipital and thalamic gray matter volume and widespread reductions in cortical thickness with respect to control B6 mice. Foci of increased gray matter volume and thickness were observed in the medial prefrontal and insular cortex. Mapping of resting-state brain activity using cerebral blood volume weighted fMRI revealed reduced cortico-thalamic function together with foci of increased activity in the hypothalamus and dorsal hippocampus of BTBR mice. Collectively, our results show pronounced functional and structural abnormalities in the brain of BTBR mice with respect to control B6 mice. The large and widespread white and gray matter abnormalities observed do not appear to be representative of the neuroanatomical alterations typically observed in autistic patients. The presence of reduced fronto-cortical metabolism is of potential translational relevance, as this feature recapitulates previously-reported clinical observations

Compliance and persistence with osteoporosis medications: A critical review of the literature

It is widely acknowledged that compliance and persistence with oral osteoporosis medications, particularly with bisphosphonates, is poor. Several excellent reviews have been written on compliance and persistence with osteoporosis medications and have discussed improvements seen with extended dosing intervals. This review begins with studies on extended dosing intervals to examine the limitations of administrative claims data. It also looks at compliance and persistence across multiple medical conditions, examining the importance of prescription fulfillment, intentional choice, causation and possible interventions

Improving the Deaf community's access to prostate and testicular cancer information: a survey study

BACKGROUND: Members of the Deaf community face communication barriers to accessing health information. To resolve these inequalities, educational programs must be designed in the appropriate format and language to meet their needs. METHODS: Deaf men (102) were surveyed before, immediately following, and two months after viewing a 52-minute prostate and testicular cancer video in American Sign Language (ASL) with open text captioning and voice overlay. To provide the Deaf community with information equivalent to that available to the hearing community, the video addressed two cancer topics in depth. While the inclusion of two cancer topics lengthened the video, it was anticipated to reduce redundancy and encourage men of diverse ages to learn in a supportive, culturally aligned environment while also covering more topics within the partnership's limited budget. Survey data were analyzed to evaluate the video's impact on viewers' pre- and post-intervention understanding of prostate and testicular cancers, as well as respondents' satisfaction with the video, exposure to and use of early detection services, and sources of cancer information. RESULTS: From baseline to immediately post-intervention, participants' overall knowledge increased significantly, and this gain was maintained at the two-month follow-up. Men of diverse ages were successfully recruited, and this worked effectively as a support group. However, combining two complex cancer topics, in depth, in one video appeared to make it more difficult for participants to retain as many relevant details specific to each cancer. Participants related that there was so much information that they would need to watch the video more than once to understand each topic fully. When surveyed about their best sources of health information, participants ranked doctors first and showed a preference for active rather than passive methods of learning. CONCLUSION: After viewing this ASL video, participants showed significant increases in cancer understanding, and the effects remained significant at the two-month follow-up. However, to achieve maximum learning in a single training session, only one topic should be covered in future educational videos

Radiofrequency-based treatment in therapy-related clinical practice – a narrative review. Part I : acute conditions

This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis Group in Physical Therapy Reviews on 24 June 2015, available online at: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1179/1743288X15Y.0000000016Background: Radiofrequency electromagnetic field (RFEMF or simply RF)-based electrophysical agents (EPAs) have been employed in therapy-related clinical practice for several decades. They are used to reduce pain and inflammation and enhance tissue healing. Although these agents have generally become less popular in contemporary therapy practice, surveys have shown that some of these modalities are still reasonably widely used. Objective: To review the evidence for the use of non-invasive low frequency RFs (30 kHz–30 MHz) in therapy-related clinical practice. Major findings: All peer reviewed therapy-related clinical studies published in English and concerning low frequency RF were sought. Identified literature was divided into acute and chronic segments based on their clinical area and analysed to assess the volume and scope of current evidence. The studies on acute conditions were reviewed in detail for this paper. One hundred twenty clinical studies were identified, of which 30 related to acute conditions. The majority of studies employed Pulsed Shortwave Therapy (PSWT). Twenty-two studies out of 30 were related to conditions of pain and inflammation, seven to tissue healing and one to acute pneumothorax. No studies were identified on frequencies other than shortwave. Conclusions: Evidence for and against RF-based therapy is available. There is reasonable evidence in support of PSWT to alleviate postoperative pain and promote postoperative wound healing. Evidence for other acute conditions is sparse and conflicting. A general lack of research emphasis in the non-shortwave RF band is evident, with studies on acute conditions almost non-existent. Further and wider research in this area is warranted.Peer reviewe

Discovery of High-Affinity Protein Binding Ligands – Backwards

BACKGROUND: There is a pressing need for high-affinity protein binding ligands for all proteins in the human and other proteomes. Numerous groups are working to develop protein binding ligands but most approaches develop ligands using the same strategy in which a large library of structured ligands is screened against a protein target to identify a high-affinity ligand for the target. While this methodology generates high-affinity ligands for the target, it is generally an iterative process that can be difficult to adapt for the generation of ligands for large numbers of proteins. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We have developed a class of peptide-based protein ligands, called synbodies, which allow this process to be run backwards--i.e. make a synbody and then screen it against a library of proteins to discover the target. By screening a synbody against an array of 8,000 human proteins, we can identify which protein in the library binds the synbody with high affinity. We used this method to develop a high-affinity synbody that specifically binds AKT1 with a K(d)<5 nM. It was found that the peptides that compose the synbody bind AKT1 with low micromolar affinity, implying that the affinity and specificity is a product of the bivalent interaction of the synbody with AKT1. We developed a synbody for another protein, ABL1 using the same method. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: This method delivered a high-affinity ligand for a target protein in a single discovery step. This is in contrast to other techniques that require subsequent rounds of mutational improvement to yield nanomolar ligands. As this technique is easily scalable, we believe that it could be possible to develop ligands to all the proteins in any proteome using this approach

Re-evaluation of the latent structure of common childhood disorders: is there a general psychopathology factor (P-factor)?

In the field of psychopathology, there is high comorbidity between different disorders. Traditionally, support for two broad correlated dimensions of internalizing and externalizing symptoms has consistently emerged for children and adolescents. To date, oblique 2 and 3 first-order factor models (factors for externalizing and internalizing, and fear, distress, and externalizing) and bi-factor models with the corresponding two and three group factors have been suggested for common internalizing and eternalizing child and adolescent disorders. The present study used confirmatory factor analyses to examine the relative support for these models in adolescents (≥ 12 to 18 years; N = 866) and children (6 to < 12 years; N = 1233) and the reliability and convergent and divergent validities of the psychopathology factor (P-factor) and group factors in the optimum bi-factor model. All participants were from a clinic and underwent Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th Edition clinical diagnosis. The findings showed that the bi-factor model with two group factors (internalizing and externalizing) was the optimum model for both children and adolescents. For both groups, findings showed relatively higher reliability for the P-factor than the group factors, although the externalizing group factor showed substantial reliability in adolescents, and both the externalizing and internalizing group factors also showed substantial reliability in children. The factors of the optimum bi-factor model also showed good convergent and discriminant validities. The implications for theory and clinical and research practice related to psychopathology are discussed

Diseño de un manual de detección de ansiedad social en adolescentes

Curso de Especial InterésEl objetivo de este trabajo de grado ha sido diseñar un manual dirigido a padres y docentes, en el que se establezcan técnicas de detección de ansiedad social en adolescentes; el diseño de este manual permite un aprendizaje significativo de una forma diferente, en un lenguaje claro y preciso, en formato digital para un fácil acceso y portabilidad del material, logrando de esta forma, que la población adolescente sea beneficiada a través de las acciones que se emprenderán por parte de los padres de familia, docentes y profesionales.142 p.RESUMEN 1. JUSTIFICACIÓN 2. OBJETIVOS 3. ESTUDIO DEL MERCADO 4. PRESENTACIÓN DEL PRODUCTO 5. CLIENTES – SEGMENTACIÓN 6. COMPETENCIA 7. CANALES DE DISTRIBUCIÓN 8. RESULTADOS DEL ESTUDIO DE MERCADO 9. DISCUSIÓN DEL ESTUDIO DE MERCADO 10. PRESUPUESTO 11. RESULTADOS 12. CONCLUSIONES REFERENCIAS APÉNDICESPregradoPsicólog

A Psychometric Analysis of the Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scales—Parent Version in a School Sample

The Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale—Parent Version (RCADS-P) is a parent-report questionnaire of youth anxiety and depression with scales corresponding to the DSM diagnoses of separation anxiety disorder, social phobia, generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and major depressive disorder. The RCADS-P was recently developed and has previously demonstrated strong psychometric properties in a clinic-referred sample (Ebesutani et al., Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology 38, 249–260, 2010b). The present study examined the psychometric properties of the RCADS-P in a school-based population. As completed by parents of 967 children and adolescents, the RCADS-P demonstrated high internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and good convergent/divergent validity, supporting the RCADS-P as a measure of internalizing problems specific to depression and five anxiety disorders in school samples. Normative data are also reported to allow for the derivation of T-scores to enhance clinicians’ ability to make classification decisions using RCADS-P subscale scores