Using sign language in children with autistic spectrum disorders: special education teachers’ attitudes and experience

Background: There is evidence that sign language can help autistic children communicate more effectively. The present study aimed to assess the attitude and experience of special education school teachers toward sign language use in autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) and to explore the associated variables that influence positive attitudes. Methods: A cross-sectional study includes fifty-three teachers working with special education children. A conventional online survey was distributed to uncover the primary ideals of teachers’ attitudes toward using sign language by ASD children. The scores in the attitude domain were typically distributed and expressed as mean, then were categorized as poor (<50%), fair (50-69%), and good (≥70%). Results: More than 50 percent of the survey respondents have a level of education after graduation and 37% work in special needs education. Seventy-three percent of respondents had experience teaching ASD children, and more than half had less than five years of experience. However, about 73% received training courses in teaching ASD children, and only 37.7% had a good experience using sign language with ASD children. The overall percentage of good attitudes was 53%, which significantly correlates to gender and the number of students in the school. Conclusions: Even though sign language is a widely used form of communication for children with ASD, Sudan’s unique-education teachers still need support and training to instruct autistic students and caregivers how to use it. The teachers’ positive attitudes were significantly related to the teacher’s gender and the number of students per school

Synthesis and Spectral Studies of Co(II),Ni(II),Zn(II) and Cd(II) Complexes with Ligand 2-[4- Carboxy methyl phenyl azo] -4,5-diphenyl imidazole (4CMeI)

A new chelate complexes of Co(II),Ni(II),Zn(II) and Cd(II) were prepared by reacting these ions with the ligand 2-[4- Carboxy methyl phenyl azo]-4,5-diphenyl imidazole (4CMeI) The preparation were conducted after fixing the optimum conditions such as (pH) and concentration .UV- visible spectra of these complex solutions were studied for a range of (pH) and concentration which obey lampert-Beers Law.The structures of complexes were deduced according to mole ratio method which were obtained from the spectroscopic studies of the complex solutions .The ratios of metal: ligand obtained were (1:2) for all complexes..(UV-Vis) absorption spectra and The infrared spectra of the chelating complexes were studied ,this may indicate that coordination between the metal ions and our ligand takes place.The conductivity measurements , elemental analysis ,the percentage of some metal ions and the measurements of magnetic susceptibility of the complexes were determined ,Depending on these results , in addition to, We may conclude that the ligand was bidentate Also the proposed geometrical structures of the complexes of Co(II), Ni(II), Zn(II) and Cd (II) ions are octahedra

Ground and transition properties of 40Ca and 48Ca nuclei

Properties of the ground states and transitions in 40Ca and 48Ca nuclei are studied using the self-consistent Hartree - Fock and random phase approximation calculations with Skyrme-type interactions: KDE0, SLy4, LNS, RAPT and T6. The purpose of the paper is to obtain the best Skyrme-force parameterizations for description of the experimental data. All the calculated values were compared with the available data. The calculated binding energy per nucleon, charge root mean square, ground charge density distribution and transition strength distribution agree very well with the experimental data. The overall behavior of the calculated transition densities demonstrated the reliability of the method

Patterns of antibiotic prescriptions and appropriateness in the emergency room in a major secondary care hospital in Bahrain

Objective: To describe the pattern and appropriateness of antibiotics prescribed in the emergency room in a major secondary care hospital in Bahrain.Methods: Patients aged more than or equal to 14 years old that attended emergency room and was prescribed antibiotics from 1 to 31 July 2014 were included. Data were obtained from patients’ emergency records. Antibiotic treatment was classified to appropriate, inappropriate or unjustified use according to the local or international guidelines. Chi Square was performed to evaluate the variables associated to appropriateness antibiotic treatment.Results: A total of 1313 patients were included (52.6% males), mostly in the age group 14-30 years old (45.3%). The most frequent diseases attended were upper respiratory and urinary tract infections (27.3% and 22.1%,respectively). Cefuroxime was the most prescribed antibiotic (37.5%) followed by ciprofloxacin (20.8%). Percentage of inappropriate antibiotics prescription was 81.9% mostly due to unjustified use. Inappropriate antibiotic treatment was significantly more common in males (87.1%; P-value <0.001), in patients without mentioned diagnosis, then upper respiratory tract infection (100%, 96.9%. P-value <0.001) and prescriptions written by emergency physicians (85.5%; P- value <0.001).Conclusion: The study concludes that high rate of inappropriate antibiotics use mostly among patients treated by emergency doctors

Impact of opioid-free analgesia on pain severity and patient satisfaction after discharge from surgery: multispecialty, prospective cohort study in 25 countries

Background: Balancing opioid stewardship and the need for adequate analgesia following discharge after surgery is challenging. This study aimed to compare the outcomes for patients discharged with opioid versus opioid-free analgesia after common surgical procedures.Methods: This international, multicentre, prospective cohort study collected data from patients undergoing common acute and elective general surgical, urological, gynaecological, and orthopaedic procedures. The primary outcomes were patient-reported time in severe pain measured on a numerical analogue scale from 0 to 100% and patient-reported satisfaction with pain relief during the first week following discharge. Data were collected by in-hospital chart review and patient telephone interview 1 week after discharge.Results: The study recruited 4273 patients from 144 centres in 25 countries; 1311 patients (30.7%) were prescribed opioid analgesia at discharge. Patients reported being in severe pain for 10 (i.q.r. 1-30)% of the first week after discharge and rated satisfaction with analgesia as 90 (i.q.r. 80-100) of 100. After adjustment for confounders, opioid analgesia on discharge was independently associated with increased pain severity (risk ratio 1.52, 95% c.i. 1.31 to 1.76; P < 0.001) and re-presentation to healthcare providers owing to side-effects of medication (OR 2.38, 95% c.i. 1.36 to 4.17; P = 0.004), but not with satisfaction with analgesia (beta coefficient 0.92, 95% c.i. -1.52 to 3.36; P = 0.468) compared with opioid-free analgesia. Although opioid prescribing varied greatly between high-income and low- and middle-income countries, patient-reported outcomes did not.Conclusion: Opioid analgesia prescription on surgical discharge is associated with a higher risk of re-presentation owing to side-effects of medication and increased patient-reported pain, but not with changes in patient-reported satisfaction. Opioid-free discharge analgesia should be adopted routinely

Synthesis and Characterization of Some Transition Metal Complexes with New Schiff Base Ligand Derivative from Isatin.

The New Schiff base ligand [(E)-3-[(Z)-3-(2- Hydroxy phenylimino)-1,5-dimethyl-2-phenyl-2,3-dihydro-1H-pyrazol-4-ylimino]indolin-2-one](2HDMIA) was prepared. The prepared ligand was characterized bymelting point, IR and UV-Vis spectra. All preparation of complexes of the ions Co (II), Ni(II)and Cu(II)were deduced according to the molar ratio depending on the Micro elemental Analysis (C.H.N.). However,the ratio were 1:2 (M: L )for all ions. The prepared complexes were characterized using IR, UV-Visspectra, molar conductivity magnetic susceptibility and melting points measurements. The percentages ofthe metals in the complexes were measured by flame atomic absorption technique. Micro elementalAnalysis (C.H.N.) were also found, the results are in agreement with the Calculated values. All thecomplexes are quite stable and could be Stored for months without any appreciable change. According tothe results obtained by elemental and spectral analysis, an octahedral structure suggested for theprepared complexes of the ions Co (II)and Ni(II) and square planer of the Cu(II) complex.Keywords: Schiff base, Isatin, 4- amino antipyrine

Additional file 1: Table S1. of Inhibitory activities of selected Sudanese medicinal plants on Porphyromonas gingivalis and matrix metalloproteinase-9 and isolation of bioactive compounds from Combretum hartmannianum (Schweinf) bark

IC50values (Οg/ml) of the potent methanolic extracts of Sudanese medicinal plants against glucosyltransferase (GTFs) enzyme. (DOCX 12 kb

A Novel Mutation in a Gene Causes Sclerosteosis in a Family of Mediterranean Origin

Background and Objectives: Sclerostin is an SOST gene product that inhibits osteoblast activity and prevents excessive bone formation by antagonizing the Wnt signaling pathway. Sclerosteosis has been linked to loss of function mutations in the SOST gene. It is a rare autosomal recessive disorder characterized by craniotubular hyperostosis and can lead to fatal cerebellar herniation. Our aim is to describe the clinical and radiological features and the new underlying SOST mutation in a patient with sclerosteosis. Case: A 25-year-old female who was referred to the endocrine clinic for suspected excess growth hormone. The patient complained of headaches, progressive blurred vision, hearing disturbances, increased size of feet, proptosis, and protrusion of the chin. She had normal antenatal history except for syndactyly. Images showed diffuse osseous thickening and high bone mineral density. Biochemical and hormonal tests were normal. Due to progressive compressive optic neuropathy, optic nerve fenestration with decompression hemicraniotomy was performed. Sclerosteosis was suspected due to the predominant craniotubular hyperostosis with syndactyly. Using peripheral leucocyte DNA, genomic sequencing of the SOST gene was performed. This identified a novel deletion homozygous mutation in the SOST gene (c.387delG, p.Asp131ThrfsTer116) which disrupts sclerostin function, causing sclerosteosis. Conclusions: Discovery of the molecular basis of sclerosteosis represents an important advance in the diagnosis and management of this fatal disease