Avaliação da comunicação no espectro autístico: interferência da familiaridade no desempenho de linguagem Assessing communication in the autistic spectrum: interference of familiarity in language performance

OBJETIVO: Analisar a interferência da familiaridade da situação de avaliação na funcionalidade da comunicação de sujeitos com diagnóstico incluído no Espectro Autístico, buscando o melhor procedimento para avaliação da comunicação desta população. MÉTODOS: Participaram da presente pesquisa 18 sujeitos com diagnóstico incluído nos Distúrbios do Espectro Autístico, com idades entre três anos e 11 meses e 17 anos e 11 meses, com média etária de oito anos e nove meses (DP: 3,6 anos). Inicialmente foi realizada a filmagem da interação de cada participante com sua terapeuta em situação rotineira de avaliação (Situação Familiar), semelhante às sessões semanais de atendimento, e nas sessões seguintes foi realizada outra filmagem de cada sujeito em interação com uma fonoaudióloga não-familiar, com materiais lúdicos pré-determinados (Situação Não-Familiar). Os dados de interação foram transcritos e analisados e as variáveis foram selecionadas a partir do protocolo do Perfil Funcional da Comunicação (PFC). RESULTADOS: A comparação entre as situações demonstrou diferença apenas para quatro variáveis (23%), dentre as dezessete analisadas; três dessas mostraram resultado superior na Situação Familiar: atos comunicativos expressados por minuto, número de respostas e porcentagem de utilização da função comunicativa Não-Focalizada, e uma delas se mostrou superior na Situação Não-Familiar: porcentagem de utilização da função comunicativa Jogo. CONCLUSÃO: A interferência da familiaridade da situação comunicativa no desempenho comunicativo de sujeitos autistas é mínima, sendo que o procedimento de avaliação nos mesmos moldes da Situação Familiar mostrou-se ligeiramente melhor para a avaliação da comunicação dessa população.<br>PURPOSE: To identify the best technique to assess the communication of autistic spectrum individuals, analyzing the interference of the familiarity of the situation in communication's functionality. METHODS: Subjects were 18 children and adolescents with diagnosis included within the autistic spectrum, and ages between three years and 11 months and 17 years and 11 months, with an average of eight years and nine months (SD=3,6 years). Initially, an interaction situation between each participant and a familiar speech-language pathologist was filmed during 15 minutes, during a routine evaluation setting that reproduced weekly therapy sessions (Familiar Situation). On the following session, an interaction situation between each subject and a non-familiar speech-language pathologist using pre-determined material (Non-Familiar Situation) was also filmed during 15 minutes. Data were transcribed and analyzed according to the Functional Communicative Profile protocol. RESULTS: The comparison between situations showed differences in only four variables (23%), from the 17 analyzed; three of them presented better results in the Familiar Situation: communicative acts per minute, number of responses, and proportion of use of the Non-Focused communicative function. Only one of the variables had better results in the Non-Familiar Situation: proportion of use of the Play communicative function. CONCLUSION: The interference of the familiarity of the communicative situation in the communicative performance of autistic subjects is very small, and the evaluation procedure along the lines of the Familiar Situation was slightly better for the assessment of this population

Study of defense-related gene expression in grapevine infested by Colomerus vitis (Acari: Eriophyidae)

Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction was used to study the expression of some marker genes involved in the interaction between grape (Vitis vinifera L.) and the erineum mite Colomerus vitis Pagenstecher (Acari: Eriophyidae). Potted vines of cultivars Atabaki (resistant to C. vitis), Ghalati (susceptible to C. vitis) and Muscat Gordo (moderately resistant to C. vitis) were infested at the six-leaf stage. The expression of protease inhibitor (PIN), beta-1,3-glucanase (GLU), polygalacturonase inhibitor (PGIP), Vitis vinifera proline-rich protein 1 (PRP1), stilbene synthase (STS), and lipoxygenase (LOX) genes was assessed on young leaves collected 96, 120 and 144&nbsp;h after mite infestation (hami). As a control, non-infested leaves collected 24&nbsp;h before mite infestations were used. Differences were detected in expression of the selected genes during the C. vitis–grapevine interaction. The resistant cultivar Atabaki increased the expression of LOX, STS, GLU, PGIP and PRP1 genes during the first 120 hami. On the contrary, in the susceptible Ghalati, all selected genes showed an expression level similar or lower than non-infested leaves. Muscat Gordo increased the expression of all selected genes in comparison with non-infested leaves, but it was lower than in Atabaki. Significant transcript accumulation of PIN gene was detected for Muscat Gordo whereas it was slightly up-regulated in Ghalati and Atabaki. LOX, STS, PIN, GLU, PGIP and PRP1 genes were clearly expressed in response to C. vitis infestation. We therefore infer that expression of PGIP, PIN and PRP1 genes could represent a defense strategy against C. vitis infestations in grapevine leaves