From pattern classification to stratification: towards conceptualizing the heterogeneity of Autism Spectrum Disorder

Pattern classification and stratification approaches have increasingly been used in research on Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) over the last ten years with the goal of translation towards clinical applicability. Here, we present an extensive scoping literature review on those two approaches. We screened a total of 635 studies, of which 57 pattern classification and 19 stratification studies were included. We observed large variance across pattern classification studies in terms of predictive performance from about 60% to 98% accuracy, which is among other factors likely linked to sampling bias, different validation procedures across studies, the heterogeneity of ASD and differences in data quality. Stratification studies were less prevalent with only two studies reporting replications and just a few showing external validation. While some identified strata based on cognition and intelligence reappear across studies, biology as a stratification marker is clearly underexplored. In summary, mapping biological differences at the level of the individual with ASD is a major challenge for the field now. Conceptualizing those mappings and individual trajectories that lead to the diagnosis of ASD, will become a major challenge in the near future

Silene aristidis

International audienceThis species is endemic to the "Kabylies-Numidia-Kroumiria" plant diversity hotspot (Véla and Benhouhou 2007) in northern Algeria. The extent of occurrence (EOO) is estimated at 2,623 km2 and the area of occupancy (AOO) is 32 km2. The species is assessed as Vulnerable (A3c; B1ab(iii,iv,v)+2ab(iii,iv,v); C2a(i)) because of its natural restricted population and the future predicted decline of the population due to the presence of some active threats such as quarries close to the localities of Bouzegza and Ifri N'ziri, and the shotcrete concrete on the cliffs of Ammal gorges and Bin El Ghedrin gorges. An improvement in biological and ecological knowledge both in situ and ex situ with awareness-raising could be helpful to protect its natural habitat

Salivary expression of soluble HER2 in breast cancer patients with positive and negative HER2 status

Fatna Laidi,1 Amal Bouziane,2 Amina Lakhdar,3 Samira Khabouze,3 Brahim Rhrab,3 Fatima Zaoui1 1Oral Biomechanics and Biotechnology Research Unit, Faculty of Dental Medicine, 2Department of Periodontology, Faculty of Dental Medicine, Biostatistical, Clinical and Epidemiological Research Laboratory, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, 3Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Ibn Sina University Hospital, Rabat, Morocco Background: The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between salivary concentration of the soluble fragment of the HER2 (human epidermal growth factor receptor) protein and its status in mammary tissues. Methods: This case-control study was done in 27 breast cancer patients with no visible metastatic disease treated at the gynecology service, Maternity Souissi Hospital, Rabat, Morocco. Two groups were selected, ie, patients with positive and negative HER2 status in mammary tissue. The salivary HER2 protein concentration was assessed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The salivary HER2 concentration was compared between the HER2-positive and HER2-negative groups using the Mann-Whitney U test. A P-value <0.05 was considered to be statistically significant. Results: No statistically significant difference in salivary HER2 protein expression was found between the case and control groups. There was also no significant difference in clinical characteristics according to positive and negative HER2 status (P>0.05), except for the progesterone hormone receptor which was statistically significant in both the case and control groups (P=0.047). Conclusion: According to our data, salivary expression of the HER2 receptor may not be a reliable alternative to tissue assessment. Keywords: breast cancer, HER2, saliva, diagnosi

Punishing childhoods: contradictions in children’s rights and global governance

The article considers efforts to eradicate corporal punishment as an aspect of the global governance of childhood and raises problems relevant to global governance more broadly. The article analyses contradictions in children’s rights advocacy between its universal human rights norms and implicit relativist development model. Children’s rights research is influenced by social constructivist theories, which highlight the history of childhood and childhood norms. Earlier social constructivist studies identified the concept of childhood underpinning the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) as a Western construction based on Western historical experiences, which excluded the experiences of childhood in developing countries. More recent social constructivist approaches emphasise how childhood norms are constructed and therefore can be reconstructed. The article outlines problems with attempts to globalise childhood norms without globalising material development. The article discusses the softening of discipline norms in Western societies historically. It indicates problems with children’s rights advocacy seeking to eradicate the corporal punishment of children globally without globalising the material conditions, which underpin the post-industrial ideal of childhood embodied in the CRC

Patients with autism spectrum disorders display reproducible functional connectivity alterations

Despite the high clinical burden, little is known about pathophysiology underlying autism spectrum disorder(ASD). Recent resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) studies have found atypical synchro-nization of brain activity in ASD. However, no consensus has been reached on the nature and clinical relevance ofthese alterations. Here, we addressed these questions in four large ASD cohorts. Using rs-fMRI, we identified func-tional connectivity alterations associated with ASD. We tested for associations of these imaging phenotypes withclinical and demographic factors such as age, sex, medication status, and clinical symptom severity. Our resultsshowed reproducible patterns of ASD-associated functional hyper- and hypoconnectivity. Hypoconnectivity wasprimarily restricted to sensory-motor regions, whereas hyperconnectivity hubs were predominately located inprefrontal and parietal cortices. Shifts in cortico-cortical between-network connectivity from outside to withinthe identified regions were shown to be a key driver of these abnormalities. This reproducible pathophysiologicalphenotype was partially associated with core ASD symptoms related to communication and daily living skills andwas not affected by age, sex, or medication status. Although the large effect sizes in standardized cohorts areencouraging with respect to potential application as a treatment and for patient stratification, the moderate linkto clinical symptoms and the large overlap with healthy controls currently limit the usability of identified altera-tions as diagnostic or efficacy readout

Cerebellar parcellation in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder

International audienceObjective: The cerebellum is involved in cognitive processing and emotion control. Cerebellar alterations could explain symptoms of schizophrenia spectrum disorder (SZ) and bipolar disorder (BD). In addition, literature suggests that lithium might influence cerebellar anatomy. Our aim was to study cerebellar anatomy in SZ and BD, and investigate the effect of lithium.Methods: Participants from 7 centers worldwide underwent a 3T MRI. We included 182 patients with SZ, 144 patients with BD, and 322 controls. We automatically segmented the cerebellum using the CERES pipeline. All outputs were visually inspected.Results: Patients with SZ showed a smaller global cerebellar gray matter volume compared to controls, with most of the changes located to the cognitive part of the cerebellum (Crus II and lobule VIIb). This decrease was present in the subgroup of patients with recent-onset SZ. We did not find any alterations in the cerebellum in patients with BD. However, patients medicated with lithium had a larger size of the anterior cerebellum, compared to patients not treated with lithium.Conclusion: Our multicenter study supports a distinct pattern of cerebellar alterations in SZ and BD

Cerebellar parcellation in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder

[EN] Objective: The cerebellum is involved in cognitive processing and emotion control. Cerebellar alterations could explain symptoms of schizophrenia spectrum disorder (SZ) and bipolar disorder (BD). In addition, literature suggests that lithium might influence cerebellar anatomy. Our aim was to study cerebellar anatomy in SZ and BD, and investigate the effect of lithium. Methods: Participants from 7 centers worldwide underwent a 3T MRI. We included 182 patients with SZ, 144 patients with BD, and 322 controls. We automatically segmented the cerebellum using the CERES pipeline. All outputs were visually inspected. Results: Patients with SZ showed a smaller global cerebellar gray matter volume compared to controls, with most of the changes located to the cognitive part of the cerebellum (Crus II and lobule VIIb). This decrease was present in the subgroup of patients with recent-onset SZ. We did not find any alterations in the cerebellum in patients with BD. However, patients medicated with lithium had a larger size of the anterior cerebellum, compared to patients not treated with lithium. Conclusion: Our multicenter study supports a distinct pattern of cerebellar alterations in SZ and BD.This study was supported by public funding from Agence Nationale de la Recherche (ANR-11- IDEX-0004, ANR-11-INBS-006, ANR-14-CE35- 0035, ANR MNP VIP 2008), Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (SFB636/C6 and We3638/3-1), Ministerstvo Zdravotnictv¿ Ceske Republiky (NV16- 32696A and NV16-32791A), National Institute of Mental Health (R01 MH076971) and Regione Veneto Italy (159/03, DGRV n. 4087).Laidi, C.; Hajeck, T.; Spaniel, F.; Kolenic, M.; D'albis, M.; Sarrazin, S.; Mangin, J.... (2019). Cerebellar parcellation in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica. 140(5):468-476. https://doi.org/10.1111/acps.13087468476140