Infant Attentional Behaviors Are Associated with ADHD Symptomatology and Executive Function in Early Childhood

Objective: We explored associations between infant attentional behaviors as measured by the First Year Inventory (FYIv2.0) and dimensional ratings of ADHD symptomatology and executive function (EF) in early childhood. Methods: This study included parents (N = 229) who filled out the FYIv2.0 when their children were 12 months of age. When children were approximately 54 months (4.5 years) of age, parents completed reports of children’s ADHD symptomatology and EF abilities. Correlation and regression analyses were conducted among measures. Results: We found significant associations among the variables of interest, both cross-sectionally and longitudinally, as well as gender differences. Notably, non-social sensory attention (NSA) was significantly related to 54-month ADHD symptom severity. All three 12-month attention variables were significantly related to 54-month EF. Conclusion: Results suggest that infant attentional behaviors predict later ADHD-related behaviors in early childhood. Future research should explore associations using laboratory-based measures and could inform early intervention efforts

Supplemental Iodide for Preterm Infants and Developmental Outcomes at 2 Years:an RCT

Background The recommendation for enteral iodide intake for preterm infants is 30–40 μg/kg/day and 1μg/kg/day for parenteral intake. Preterm infants are vulnerable to iodide insufficiency and thyroid dysfunction. The hypothesis tested whether, compared to placebo, iodide supplementation of preterm infants improves neurodevelopment. Methods A randomized controlled trial of iodide supplementation versus placebo in infants <31 weeks’ gestation. Trial solutions (sodium iodide or sodium chloride; dose 30μg/kg/day) were given within 42 hours of birth to the equivalent of 34 weeks’ gestation. The only exclusion criterion was maternal iodide exposure during pregnancy or delivery. Whole blood levels of thyroxine, thyrotropin and thyroid binding globulin were measured on four specific postnatal days. The primary outcome was neurodevelopmental status at two years’ of age, measured using the Bayley-III scales. The primary analyses are by intention-to-treat and data are presented also for survivors. Results 1,273 infants (637 intervention, 636 placebo) were recruited from 21 UK neonatal units. 131 infants died, and neurodevelopmental assessments were undertaken in 498 iodide and 499 placebo supplemented infants. There were no significant differences between the intervention and placebo groups in the primary outcome: mean difference Cognitive score, -0.34, 95% confidence interval (CI) -2.57 to 1.89; Motor composite score, 0.21, 95% CI -2.23 to 2.65; Language composite score, -0.05, 95%CI -2.48 to 2.39. There was evidence of weak interaction between iodide supplementation and hypothyroxinemic status in the Language composite score and one subtest score. Conclusions Overall iodide supplementation provided no benefit to neurodevelopment measured at 2 years of age

Antiprothrombin antibodies induce platelet activation : a possible explanation for anti‐FXa therapy failure in patients with antiphospholipid syndrome?

Background Arterial and venous thrombosis are both common in antiphospholipid syndrome (APS). Recent studies have shown that anti-factor Xa (FXa) therapy in APS patients leads to a greater number of patients with arterial thrombosis than with warfarin. We hypothesize that this may be due to the lowering of prothrombin levels by warfarin. Objectives To investigate whether antiprothrombin antibodies induce platelet aggregation and to identify the platelet receptors involved. A second aim was to investigate the effect of reduced prothrombin levels on antiprothrombin antibody-induced platelet aggregation. Methods Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays were performed to measure binding of antiprothrombin antibodies to prothrombin fragment 1+2 and prothrombin. Platelet aggregation assays in washed platelets were performed. Fc gamma RIIA was immunoprecipitated and tyrosine-phosphorylated Fc gamma RIIA was measured by western blot. Results The antiprothrombin antibodies 28F4 and 3B1 had lupus anticoagulant (LAC) activity and caused platelet aggregation in the presence of Ca2+ and prothrombin. Antiprothrombin antibodies without LAC activity did not activate platelets. Inhibition of Syk and Src kinases and Fc gamma RIIA blocked platelet aggregation. Fab and F(ab')(2) fragments of 28F4 were unable to induce platelet aggregation. Immunoprecipitations showed that whole 28F4 immunoglobulin G induced tyrosine phosphorylation of Fc gamma RIIA. Platelet aggregation was significantly reduced when prothrombin levels were reduced from 1 mu M to 0.2 mu M. Conclusions Antiprothrombin antibodies with LAC activity are able to activate platelets via Fc gamma RIIA. Decreased prothrombin levels resulted in less antiprothrombin antibody-mediated platelet aggregation. This may explain the lower incidence of arterial thrombosis in patients treated with warfarin than with anti-FXa therapy

Transverse spin dynamics in a spin-polarized Fermi liquid

The linear equations for transverse spin dynamics in weakly polarised degenerate Fermi liquid with arbitrary relationship between temperature and polarization are derived from Landau-Silin phenomenological kinetic equation with general form of two-particle collision integral. The temperature and polarization dependence of the spin current relaxation time is established. It is found in particular that at finite polarization transverse spin wave damping has a finite value at T=0. The analogy between temperature dependences of spin waves attenuation and ultrasound absorption in degenerate Fermi liquid at arbitrary temperature is presented. We also discuss spin-polarized Fermi liquid in the general context of the Fermi-liquid theory and compare it with "Fermi liquid" with spontaneous magnetization.Comment: 10 page

On the Behavior of the Effective QCD Coupling alpha_tau(s) at Low Scales

The hadronic decays of the tau lepton can be used to determine the effective charge alpha_tau(m^2_tau') for a hypothetical tau-lepton with mass in the range 0 < m_tau' < m_tau. This definition provides a fundamental definition of the QCD coupling at low mass scales. We study the behavior of alpha_tau at low mass scales directly from first principles and without any renormalization-scheme dependence by looking at the experimental data from the OPAL Collaboration. The results are consistent with the freezing of the physical coupling at mass scales s = m^2_tau' of order 1 GeV^2 with a magnitude alpha_tau ~ 0.9 +/- 0.1.Comment: 15 pages, 4 figures, submitted to Physical Review D, added references, some text added, no results nor figures change

Breed, age and gender distribution of dogs with chronic hepatitis in the United Kingdom

AbstractStandardised histological criteria are now available for the diagnosis of canine chronic hepatitis (CH). CH is common in dogs, but no studies have reported breed, age and gender distributions in the United Kingdom (UK). The objective of this study was to determine which breeds had an increased risk for developing CH in the UK and to report the age and gender distribution for those breeds. The databases of six veterinary histopathology laboratories were searched for cases with a histological diagnosis of CH according to standardised criteria. The breed, age and gender of dogs was recorded and compared to a control population to calculate the odds ratio and 95% confidence intervals for developing CH.A total of 551 cases of CH were identified, consisting of 61 breeds. Nineteen breeds were represented by five or more cases. Breeds with an increased risk for developing CH included the American cocker spaniel, Cairn terrier, Dalmatian, Dobermann pinscher, English cocker spaniel, English springer spaniel, Great Dane, Labrador retriever and Samoyed. The median age at diagnosis for all breeds with CH was 8years (range 7months to 16years). Dalmatians, Dobermann pinschers and English springer spaniels with CH were significantly younger than Cairn terriers, English cocker spaniels and Labrador retrievers with CH. Females were over-represented when all cases were examined together. In conclusion, several breeds in the UK have an increased risk of CH, some of which have not been previously reported

Subcortical Brain and Behavior Phenotypes Differentiate Infants With Autism Versus Language Delay

Background Younger siblings of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are themselves at increased risk for ASD and other developmental concerns. It is unclear if infants who display developmental concerns, but are unaffected by ASD, share similar or dissimilar behavioral and brain phenotypes to infants with ASD. Most individuals with ASD exhibit heterogeneous difficulties with language, and their receptive-expressive language profiles are often atypical. Yet, little is known about the neurobiology that contributes to these language difficulties. Methods In this study, we used behavioral assessments and structural magnetic resonance imaging to investigate early brain structures and associations with later language skills. High-risk infants who were later diagnosed with ASD (n = 86) were compared with high-risk infants who showed signs of early language delay (n = 41) as well as with high- and low-risk infants who did not have ASD or language delay (n = 255 and 143, respectively). Results Results indicated that diminished language skills were evident at 12 months in infants with ASD and infants with early language delay. At 24 months of age, only the infants with ASD displayed atypical receptive-expressive language profiles. Associations between 12-month subcortical volumes and 24-month language skills were moderated by group status, indicating disordinal brain-behavior associations among infants with ASD and infants with language delay. Conclusions These results suggest that there are different brain mechanisms influencing language development in infants with ASD and infants with language delay, and that the two groups likely experience unique sets of genetic and environmental risk factors

Regulation of vascular smooth muscle cell calcification by syndecan-4/FGF-2/PKCα signaling and cross-talk with TGFβ

Aims: Vascular calcification is a major cause of morbidity and mortality. Fibroblast growth factor-2 (FGF-2) plays an instructive role in osteogenesis and bone development, but its role in vascular calcification was unknown. Therefore, we investigated the involvement of FGF-2 in vascular calcification and determined the mechanism by which it regulates this process. Methods and Results: We demonstrate that FGF-2 expression is increased in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) induced to deposit a mineralized matrix by incubation with β-glycerophosphate. FGF-2 is also localized to sites of calcification within human atherosclerotic plaques. The expression of syndecan-4, a heparan sulfate proteoglycan which regulates FGF-2 signaling, is also increased in mineralizing VSMCs and co-localizes with FGF-2 in human calcified atherosclerotic plaques. Exogenous FGF-2 inhibits VSMC mineralization, and this inhibition is reduced when syndecan-4 expression is knocked-down using siRNA. Biochemical inhibition of FGFR signaling using a pan FGFR inhibitor (BGJ398) or knocking-down syndecan-4 expression in VSMCs using siRNA increases VSMC mineralization. These increases are prevented by inhibiting transforming growth factor-β (TGFβ) signaling with SB431542, suggesting cross-talk between FGF-2 and TGFβ signaling is crucial for the regulation of VSMC mineralization. Syndecan-4 can also regulate FGF-2 signaling directly via protein kinase Cα (PKCα) activation. Biochemical inhibition of PKCα activity using Gö6976, or siRNA-mediated suppression of PKCα expression increases VSMC mineralization; this increase is also prevented with SB431542. Finally, the ability of FGF-2 to inhibit VSMC mineralization is reduced when PKCα expression is knocked-down. Conclusion: This is the first demonstration that syndecan-4 promotes FGF-2 signaling, and in turn, suppresses VSMC mineralization by down-regulating TGFβ signaling. Our discoveries that FGF-2 and syndecan-4 expression is increased in mineralizing VSMCs and that PKCα regulates FGF-2 and TGFβ signaling in VSMCs suggests that the syndecan-4/FGF-2/TGFβ signaling axis could represent a new therapeutic target for vascular calcification

Complex relationships among personality traits, job characteristics, and work behaviors

The aim of the study was to investigate the additive, mediating, and moderating effects of personality traits and job characteristics on work behaviors. Job applicants (N = 161) completed personality questionnaires measuring extraversion, neuroticism, achievement motivation, and experience seeking. One and a half years later, supervisors rated the applicants' job performance, and the job incumbents completed questionnaires about skill variety, autonomy, and feedback, work stress, job satisfaction, work self-efficacy, and propensity to leave. LISREL was used to test 15 hypotheses. Perceived feedback mediated the relationship between achievement motivation and job performance. Extraversion predicted work self-efficacy and job satisfaction. Work stress mediated the relationship between neuroticism and job satisfaction. Job satisfaction and experience seeking were related to propensity to leave. Autonomy, skill variety, and feedback were related to job satisfaction