Infant head growth in male siblings of children with and without autism spectrum disorders

Previous research has indicated that children with autism exhibit accelerated head growth (HG) in infancy, although the timing of acceleration varies between studies. We examined infant HG trajectory as a candidate autism endophenotype by studying sibling pairs. We retrospectively obtained serial head orbitofrontal circumference measurements of: a) 48 sibling pairs in which one (n = 28) or both (n = 20) sibs were affected by an autism spectrum disorder (ASD); and b) 85 control male sibling pairs. Rate of HG of ASD subjects was slightly accelerated compared to controls, but the magnitude of difference was below the limit of reliability of standard measurement methods. Sibling intra class correlation for rate of HG was highly statistically significant; the magnitude was significantly stronger among autism-affected families (ICC = .63) than among controls (ICC = .26), p < .01. Infant HG trajectory appears familial—possibly endophenotypic—but was not a reliable marker of autism risk among siblings of ASD probands in this sample

Mitochondria dysfunction is associated with long-term cognitive impairment in an animal sepsis mode

Background: Several different mechanisms have been proposed to explain long-term cognitive impairment in sepsis survivors. The role of persisting mitochondrial dysfunction is not known. We thus sought to determine whether stimulation of mitochondrial dynamics improves mitochondrial function and long-term cognitive impairment in an experimental model of sepsis. Methods: Sepsis was induced in adult Wistar rats by cecal ligation and perforation (CLP). Animals received intracerebroventricular injections of either rosiglitazone (biogenesis activator), rilmenidine, rapamycin (autophagy activators), or n-saline (sham control) once a day on days 7–9 after the septic insult. Cognitive impairment was assessed by inhibitory avoidance and object recognition tests. Animals were killed 24 h, 3 and 10 days after sepsis with the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex removed to determine mitochondrial function. Results: Sepsis was associated with both acute (24 h) and late (10 days) brain mitochondrial dysfunction. Markers of mitochondrial biogenesis, autophagy and mitophagy were not up-regulated during these time points. Activation of biogenesis (rosiglitazone) or autophagy (rapamycin and rilmenidine) improved brain ATP levels and ex vivo oxygen consumption and the long-term cognitive impairment observed in sepsis survivors. Conclusion: Long-term impairment of brain function is temporally related to mitochondrial dysfunction. Activators of autophagy and mitochondrial biogenesis could rescue animals from cognitive impairment

Cost-utility of a visiting service for older widowed individuals: Randomised trial

Background. Despite a growing understanding of the effectiveness of bereavement interventions and the groups that benefit most from them, we know little about the cost-effectiveness of bereavement interventions. Methods. We conducted a cost-utility analysis alongside a randomized clinical trial on a visiting service for older widowed individuals (n = 110) versus care as usual (CAU; n = 106). The visiting service is a selective bereavement intervention that offers social support to lonely widows and widowers by a trained volunteer. Participants were contacted 6-9 months post-loss. Eleven percent of all contacted persons responded and eight percent participated in the trial. The primary outcome measure was quality adjusted life years (QALYs) gained (assessed with the EQ-5D), which is a generic measure of health status. Costs were calculated from a societal perspective excluding costs arising from productivity losses. Using the bootstrap method, we obtained the incremental cost utility ratio (ICUR), projected these on a cost-utility plane and presented as an acceptability curve. Results. Overall, the experimental group demonstrated slightly better results against slightly higher costs. Whether the visiting service is acceptable depends on the willingness to pay: at a willingness to pay equal to zero per QALY gained, the visiting service has a probability of 31% of being acceptable; beyond €20,000, the visiting service has a probability of 70% of being more acceptable than CAU. Conclusion. Selective bereavement interventions like the visiting service will not produce large benefits from the health economic point of view, when targeted towards the entire population of all widowed individuals. We recommend that in depth analyses are conducted to identify who benefits most from this kind of interventions, and in what subgroups the incremental cost-utility is best. In the future bereavement interventions are then best directed to these groups. Trial registration. Controlled trials ISRCTN17508307. © 2008 Onrust et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd

Relato de caso: a importância da atuação multiprofissional na laringectomia supracricóide

Esse estudo tem como tema a atuação multiprofissional na laringectomia supracricóide. A terapia fonoaudiológica no hospital foi realizada duas vezes por dia, após 14 sessões, a consistência pastosa foi liberada. O paciente retornou ao ambulatório de disfagia do hospital, uma vez por semana durante dois meses e atualmente retorna uma vez ao mês. A terapia nutricional por sonda nasoentérica (SNE) possibilitou a ingestão calórica necessária e hidratação e, com a liberação da consistência via oral pelo Fonoaudiólogo, o Nutricionista ampliou as opções de alimentos que o paciente poderia ingerir, favorecendo o ganho de peso e retirada da via alternativa de alimentação. A intervenção multiprofissional possibilitou que o grau de disfagia orofaríngea mecânica evoluísse de grave para disfagia orofaríngea leve apenas para líquidos, sendo a evolução da terapia constatada por meio da ingestão oral do paciente, a qual evoluiu da FOIS 1 para FOIS 3 e atualmente encontra-se na FOIS 6. A realização da terapia nutricional enteral possibilitou que o paciente recuperasse o seu peso usual, no período de três meses, haja vista que com a cirurgia, o mesmo perdeu 11 Kg. Verificou-se que por meio do acompanhamento multiprofissional, foi possível evoluir de uma nutrição enteral exclusiva para dieta por via oral, o que favoreceu a evolução do estado nutricional, com a recuperação do peso corpóreo, além de proporcionar melhora na qualidade de vida deste sujeito

Social interaction style of children and adolescents with high-functioning autism spectrum disorder

Qualitative differences in social interaction style exist within the autism spectrum. In this study we examined whether these differences are associated with (1) the severity of autistic symptoms and comorbid disruptive behavior problems, (2) the child's psycho-social health, and (3) executive functioning and perspective taking skills. The social interaction style of 156 children and adolescents (6-19 years) with high-functioning autism spectrum disorder (HFASD) was determined with the Wing Subgroups Questionnaire. An active-but-odd social interaction style was positively associated with symptoms of autism, attention deficit and hyperactivity. Furthermore, an active-but-odd social interaction style was negatively associated with children's psycho-social health and positively with executive functioning problems. Social interaction style explains part of the heterogeneity among children with HFASD

Low Doses of Ionizing Radiation Promote Tumor Growth and Metastasis by Enhancing Angiogenesis

Radiotherapy is a widely used treatment option in cancer. However, recent evidence suggests that doses of ionizing radiation (IR) delivered inside the tumor target volume, during fractionated radiotherapy, can promote tumor invasion and metastasis. Furthermore, the tissues that surround the tumor area are also exposed to low doses of IR that are lower than those delivered inside the tumor mass, because external radiotherapy is delivered to the tumor through multiple radiation beams, in order to prevent damage of organs at risk. The biological effects of these low doses of IR on the healthy tissue surrounding the tumor area, and in particular on the vasculature remain largely to be determined. We found that doses of IR lower or equal to 0.8 Gy enhance endothelial cell migration without impinging on cell proliferation or survival. Moreover, we show that low-dose IR induces a rapid phosphorylation of several endothelial cell proteins, including the Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) Receptor-2 and induces VEGF production in hypoxia mimicking conditions. By activating the VEGF Receptor-2, low-dose IR enhances endothelial cell migration and prevents endothelial cell death promoted by an anti-angiogenic drug, bevacizumab. In addition, we observed that low-dose IR accelerates embryonic angiogenic sprouting during zebrafish development and promotes adult angiogenesis during zebrafish fin regeneration and in the murine Matrigel assay. Using murine experimental models of leukemia and orthotopic breast cancer, we show that low-dose IR promotes tumor growth and metastasis and that these effects were prevented by the administration of a VEGF receptor-tyrosine kinase inhibitor immediately before IR exposure. These findings demonstrate a new mechanism to the understanding of the potential pro-metastatic effect of IR and may provide a new rationale basis to the improvement of current radiotherapy protocols

Community-based management induces rapid recovery of a high-value tropical freshwater fishery

Tropical wetlands are highly threatened socio-ecological systems, where local communities rely heavily on aquatic animal protein, such as fish, to meet food security. Here, we quantify how a ‘win-win’ community-based resource management program induced stock recovery of the world’s largest scaled freshwater fish (Arapaima gigas), providing both food and income. We analyzed stock assessment data over eight years and examined the effects of protected areas, community-based management, and landscape and limnological variables across 83 oxbow lakes monitored along a ~500-km section of the Juruá River of Western Brazilian Amazonia. Patterns of community management explained 71.8% of the variation in arapaima population sizes. Annual population counts showed that protected lakes on average contained 304.8 (±332.5) arapaimas, compared to only 9.2 (±9.8) in open-access lakes. Protected lakes have become analogous to a high-interest savings account, ensuring an average annual revenue of US$10,601 per community and US$1046.6 per household, greatly improving socioeconomic welfare. Arapaima management is a superb window of opportunity in harmonizing the co-delivery of sustainable resource management and poverty alleviation. We show that arapaima management deserves greater attention from policy makers across Amazonian countries, and highlight the need to include local stakeholders in conservation planning of Amazonian floodplains

Relationships between psychosocial outcomes in adolescents who are obese and their parents during a multi-disciplinary family-based healthy lifestyle intervention: One-year follow-up of a waitlist controlled trial (Curtin University's Activity, Food and Attitudes Program)

Background: Limited studies have investigated relationships in psychosocial outcomes between adolescents who are obese and their parents and how psychosocial outcomes change during participation in a physical activity and healthy eating intervention. This study examined both adolescent and parent psychosocial outcomes while participating in a one - year multi-disciplinary family-based intervention: Curtin University’s Activity, Food, and Attitudes Program (CAFAP). Methods: Following a waitlist control period, the intervention was delivered to adolescent (n = 56, ages 11–16) and parent participants over 8 weeks, with one-year maintenance follow-up. Adolescent depression and quality of life, family functioning, and parent depression, anxiety, and stress were assessed at six time points: baseline and prior to intervention (e.g., waitlist control period), immediately following intervention, and at 3, 6, and 12 months post-intervention. Relationships between adolescent and parent psychosocial outcomes were assessed using Spearman correlations and changes in both adolescent and parent outcomes were assessed using linear mixed models. Changes in adolescent psychosocial outcomes were compared to changes in behavioural (physical activity and healthy eating) and physical (weight) outcomes using independent samples t-tests.Results: The majority of psychosocial outcomes were significantly correlated between adolescents and parents across the one-year follow-up. Adolescent depression, psychosocial and physical quality of life outcomes significantly improved before or following intervention and were maintained at 6-months or one-year follow-up. Parent symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress were reduced during waitlist and primarily remained improved. Changes in adolescent psychosocial outcomes were shown to be partially associated with behavioural changes and independent of physical changes. Conclusions: Adolescents in CAFAP improved psychosocial and physical quality of life and reversed the typical trajectory of depressive symptoms in adolescents who are obese during a one-year maintenance period. CAFAP was also effective at maintaining reductions in parent symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress demonstrated during the waitlist period. Trial Registration: The trial was registered with the Australian and New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (No. 12611001187932)

Behavioral, Ecological, and Evolutionary Aspects of Meat-Eating by Sumatran Orangutans (Pongo abelii)

Meat-eating is an important aspect of human evolution, but how meat became a substantial component of the human diet is still poorly understood. Meat-eating in our closest relatives, the great apes, may provide insight into the emergence of this trait, but most existing data are for chimpanzees. We report 3 rare cases of meat-eating of slow lorises, Nycticebus coucang, by 1 Sumatran orangutan mother–infant dyad in Ketambe, Indonesia, to examine how orangutans find slow lorises and share meat. We combine these 3 cases with 2 previous ones to test the hypothesis that slow loris captures by orangutans are seasonal and dependent on fruit availability. We also provide the first (to our knowledge) quantitative data and high-definition video recordings of meat chewing rates by great apes, which we use to estimate the minimum time necessary for a female Australopithecus africanus to reach its daily energy requirements when feeding partially on raw meat. Captures seemed to be opportunistic but orangutans may have used olfactory cues to detect the prey. The mother often rejected meat sharing requests and only the infant initiated meat sharing. Slow loris captures occurred only during low ripe fruit availability, suggesting that meat may represent a filler fallback food for orangutans. Orangutans ate meat more than twice as slowly as chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes), suggesting that group living may function as a meat intake accelerator in hominoids. Using orangutan data as a model, time spent chewing per day would not require an excessive amount of time for our social ancestors (australopithecines and hominids), as long as meat represented no more than a quarter of their diet

Measuring Reciprocity in High Functioning Children and Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorders

Few instruments have been developed that measure impairments in reciprocity, a defining feature of autism. We introduce a new test assessing the quality of reciprocal behaviour: the interactive drawing test (IDT). Children and adolescents (n = 49) with and without high functioning autism spectrum disorders (HFASD) were invited to collaborate with an experimenter in making a joint drawing. Within both groups the performance on collaborative reciprocity improved with age. However, compared to the control group, HFASD participants showed less collaborative and more basic reciprocal behaviour and preferred to draw their own objects. They were less tolerant of the experimenter’s input as well. Performance on the IDT was independent of estimated verbal IQ. Reciprocal behaviour in self-initiated objects corresponded with more parental reported autistic traits, while reciprocal behaviour in other-initiated objects corresponded with less autistic traits. The findings of this study suggest that IDT is a promising instrument to assess reciprocity