The odd one out - Orthographic oddball processing in children with poor versus typical reading skills in a fast periodic visual stimulation EEG paradigm

The specialization of left ventral occipitotemporal brain regions to automatically process word forms develops with reading acquisition and is diminished in children with poor reading skills (PR). Using a fast periodic visual oddball stimulation (FPVS) design during electroencephalography (EEG), we examined the level of sensitivity and familiarity to word form processing in ninety-two children in 2nd and 3rd grade with varying reading skills (n = 35 for PR, n = 40 for typical reading skills; TR). To test children's level of "sensitivity", false font (FF) and consonant string (CS) oddballs were embedded in base presentations of word (W) stimuli. "Familiarity" was examined by presenting letter string oddballs with increasing familiarity (CS, pseudoword - PW, W) in FF base stimuli. Overall, our results revealed stronger left-hemispheric coarse sensitivity effects ("FF in W" > "CS in W") in TR than in PR in both topographic and oddball frequency analyses. Further, children distinguished between orthographically legal and illegal ("W/PW in FF" > "CS in FF") but not yet between lexical and non-lexical ("W in FF" vs "PW in FF") word forms. Although both TR and PR exhibit visual sensitivity and can distinguish between orthographically legal and illegal letter strings, they still struggle with nuanced lexical distinctions. Moreover, the strength of sensitivity is linked to reading proficiency. Our work adds to established knowledge in the field to characterize the relationship between print tuning and reading skills and suggests differences in the developmental progress to automatically process word forms

Prevalence, determinants, and effects of violence during pregnancy: A maternity-based cross-sectional study in Luanda, Angola

Nimi T, Fraga S, Costa D, Campos P, Barros H. Prevalence, determinants, and effects of violence during pregnancy: A maternity-based cross-sectional study in Luanda, Angola. Journal of Public Health in Africa. 2019;10(2).Information on the extent of violence against women is scarce in Angola. This study aims to estimate the prevalence of violence against pregnant women in Angola and to identify its sociodemographic determinants and effects on pregnancy outcomes. A cross-sectional study was conducted between December 2012 and February 2013, involving 995 women who delivered at a Maternity in Luanda, Angola. Information was collected through questionnaires administered by interviewers. The prevalence of violence during pregnancy was 13.0%. Exclusively physical, psychological or sexual violence was reported by 4.3%, 7.7% and 0.2% of the women, respectively. After adjustment, the occurrence of physical violence decreased with increasing age and education, and was more common among women who consumed alcohol during pregnancy, while psychological violence was significantly more frequent among women aged 20 to 24 years and those who had their first sexual intercourse before the age of 15, and less frequent among those who were married or in cohabitation. This first study describing violence against pregnant Angolan women showed that violence is a frequent event, supporting that violence assessment should be considered in antenatal care.</jats:p

Association of neighbourhood disadvantage and individual socioeconomic position with all-cause mortality : a longitudinal multicohort analysis

Publisher Copyright: Copyright © 2022 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an Open Access article under the CC BY 4.0 license. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.BACKGROUND: Few studies have examined the interactions between individual socioeconomic position and neighbourhood deprivation and the findings so far are heterogeneous. Using a large sample of diverse cohorts, we investigated the interaction effect of neighbourhood socioeconomic deprivation and individual socioeconomic position, assessed using education, on mortality. METHODS: We did a longitudinal multicohort analysis that included six cohort studies participating in the European LIFEPATH consortium: the CoLaus (Lausanne, Switzerland), E3N (France), EPIC-Turin (Turin, Italy), EPIPorto (Porto, Portugal), Melbourne Collaborative Cohort Study (Melbourne, VIC, Australia), and Whitehall II (London, UK) cohorts. All participants with data on mortality, educational attainment, and neighbourhood deprivation were included in the present study. The data sources were the databases of each cohort study. Poisson regression was used to estimate the mortality rates and associations (relative risk, 95% CIs) with neighbourhood deprivation (Q1 being least deprived to Q5 being the most deprived). Baseline educational attainment was used as an indicator of individual socioeconomic position. Estimates were combined using pooled analysis and the relative excess risk due to the interaction was computed to identify additive interactions. FINDINGS: The cohorts comprised a total population of 168 801 individuals. The recruitment dates were 2003-06 for CoLaus, 1989-91 for E3N, 1992-98 for EPIC-Turin, 1999-2003 for EPIPorto, 1990-94 for MCCS, and 1991-94 for Whitehall II. We use baseline data only and mortality data obtained using record linkage. Age-adjusted mortality rates were higher among participants residing in more deprived neighbourhoods than those in the least deprived neighbourhoods (Q1 least deprived neighbourhoods, 369·7 per 100 000 person-years [95% CI 356·4-383·2] vs Q5-most deprived neighbourhoods 445·7 per 100 000 person-years [430·2-461·7]), but the magnitude of the association varied according to educational attainment (relative excess risk due to interaction=0·18, 95% CI 0·08-0·28). The relative risk for Q5 versus Q1 was 1·31 (1·23-1·40) among individuals with primary education or less, but less pronounced among those with secondary education (1·12; 1·04-1·21) and tertiary education (1·16; 1·07-1·27). Associations remained after adjustment for individual-level factors, such as smoking, physical activity, and alcohol intake, among others. INTERPRETATION: Our study suggests that the detrimental health effect of living in disadvantaged neighbourhoods is more pronounced among individuals with low education attainment, amplifying social inequalities in health. This finding is relevant to policies aimed at reducing health inequalities, suggesting that these issues should be addressed at both the individual level and the community level. FUNDING: The European Commission, European Regional Development Fund, the Portugese Foundation for Science and Technology.Peer reviewe

Antennal phenotype of two Cuban species of flavida: Triatoma flavida y Triatoma bruneri (Reduviidae: Triatominae) complex

INTRODUCCIÓN: el fenotipo antenal ha mostrado ser una herramienta útil para la comparación taxonómica entre especies de Triatominae. OBJETIVO: estudiar el fenotipo antenal en adultos de T. flavida y T. bruneri para clarificar el estado taxonómico de estas especies así como conocer la adaptación específica de cada una a su hábitat. Métodos: fueron contadas y analizadas 4 tipos de sensilla: bristles (BR), tricoide de pared fina (TPF), tricoide de pared gruesa (TPG) y basicónica (BA). RESULTADOS: el pedicelo de T. flavida mostró solamente 2 tipos de receptores mientras que T. bruneri tuvo un mayor número de quimiorreceptores de 3 tipos diferentes. Entre las hembras de T. flavida y T. bruneri fueron observadas diferencias en los BR y BA, para los machos las diferencias fueron observadas en los receptores TPF, TPG y BA sobre el pedicelo y en los BR, TPG y BA en el flagelo 1. El análisis discriminante permitió la separación de las 2 especies, sin embargo, en el análisis de acuerdo con el sexo no se observaron diferencias. CONCLUSIONES: como consecuencia de la adaptación de cada especie a su hábitat se observaron modificaciones morfológicas en el fenotipo antenal. Futuros estudios a los niveles ecológico, morfométrico y molecular son necesarios para clarificar el estado taxonómico de estas especies.INTRODUCTION: the antennal phenotype has proven to be a useful tool for the taxonomic comparison between Triatominae species. OBJECTIVE: to study the antennal phenotype in adults of T. flavida and T. bruneri adults to clarify the taxonomic status of these species as well as to learn about the specific adaptation of each of them to its habitat. METHODS: four types of sensilla were counted and analyzed: Bristles (BR), thin walled trichoidea (TH), thick walled trichoidea (TK) and basiconic (BA). RESULTS: the pedicel of T. flavida showed only two different types of receptors whereas T. bruneri males had a greater number of chemoreceptors of three different types. Among T. flavida and T. bruneri females, there were differences in BR and BA; differences in males were found in the receptors TH, TK and BA on the pedicel and BR, TK and BA in the flagellum 1. Discriminatory analysis allowed the separation of the two species; however, the analysis by sex did not show any difference. CONCLUSIONS: as a consequence of the adaptation of each species to its habitat, morphological changes of the antennal phenotype occurred. So, further studies at ecological, morphometric and molecular levels are needed to make their present taxonomic status clear.Fil: Rodríguez Rodríguez, Jinnay. Instituto de Medicina Tropical "Pedro Kourí"; CubaFil: Catala, Silvia Susana. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Regional de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia Tecnológica de La Rioja. - Universidad Nacional de La Rioja. Centro Regional de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia Tecnológica de La Rioja. - Universidad Nacional de Catamarca. Centro Regional de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia Tecnológica de La Rioja. - Secretaría de Industria y Minería. Servicio Geológico Minero Argentino. Centro Regional de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia Tecnológica de La Rioja. - Provincia de La Rioja. Centro Regional de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia Tecnológica de La Rioja; ArgentinaFil: Fuentes González, Omar. Instituto de Medicina Tropical "Pedro Kourí"; CubaFil: Fraga Nodarse, Jorge. Instituto de Medicina Tropical "Pedro Kourí"; Cub

Bananas para vender e histórias para contar: cultura alimentar local e identidades territoriais a partir de mercados orgânicos e agroecológicos

This article addresses the dispute involving the different meanings of the banana in the city of Rio de Janeiro, especially in the Pedra Branca Massif — an area that in the past was part of the city's Rural Zone. More recently, the banana from this location received the Gastronomic Wonders of Rio de Janeiro Award, however, this same banana is accused by environmentalists of being an exotic plant and its producers accused of invading environmental protection areas. From another perspective, the banana for its producers is a market-oriented culture. However, it is also the market (organic/agroecological) that, by making the local banana tree known, also projects the banana tree, the memory of the place and the local food culture. Based on the analysis of discursive bodies — oral and written — about the banana tree, we try to build a context (set of texts) that reveals the social tensions of this territory.O presente artigo trata da disputa de sentidos a respeito da banana na cidade do Rio de Janeiro — especificamente no Maciço da Pedra Branca — área que no passado fazia parte da Zona Rural da cidade. Recentemente, a banana desta localidade ganhou o prêmio Maravilhas Gastronômicas do Rio de Janeiro. Essa mesma banana, no entanto, é acusada por ambientalistas de ser uma planta exótica e seus produtores acusados de invasores de áreas de proteção ambiental. Sob outra perspectiva, a banana para seus produtores é um cultivo orientado ao mercado. Contudo, é também o mercado (orgânico/agroecológico) que ao conferir crescente notoriedade à banana específica, projeta também o bananeiro, a memória do lugar e a cultura alimentar local. Com base na análise de corpos discursivos — orais e escritos — a respeito da banana, buscamos construir um contexto (conjunto de textos) que revela as tensões sociais deste território

Help-Seeking Behavior in Victims of Elder Abuse: A Systematic Review

Elder abuse has become increasingly relevant for intervention and study in the context of an aging population. One of the major barriers to progress in the field is underreporting of elder abuse by victims. This systematic literature review aimed to synthesize the available findings regarding victims’ help-seeking behavior to inform practice, understand the limits of the evidence, and identify research gaps. A comprehensive search of published and unpublished literature was undertaken, and studies were included if they addressed help-seeking behavior from the perspective of elder abuse victims aged 60 and older. A total of 19 studies met inclusion criteria for review. Findings are presented as a narrative synthesis organized according to help-seeking barriers, facilitators, sources of help, the responses of others, and the characteristics of victims more likely to seek help. Although barriers and sources of help received detailed attention across all studies, findings regarding victim characteristics and facilitators for and responses to help-seeking were limited. The results suggest that there are many barriers to help-seeking and that some victims only seek help when the abuse is perceived as unbearable or they fear for their safety. Results are discussed in relation to implications for intervention, including suggestions to enhance help-seeking behavior. Future research should identify facilitators of help-seeking among victims of elder abuse and victim characteristics associated with early disclosure. Research efforts should frame help-seeking as a continuing process and study ways in which the responses of others may impact future help-seeking or service engagement

Developmental Trajectories of Letter and Speech Sound Integration During Reading Acquisition

Reading acquisition in alphabetic languages starts with learning the associations between speech sounds and letters. This learning process is related to crucial developmental changes of brain regions that serve visual, auditory, multisensory integration, and higher cognitive processes. Here, we studied the development of audiovisual processing and integration of letter-speech sound pairs with an audiovisual target detection functional MRI paradigm. Using a longitudinal approach, we tested children with varying reading outcomes before the start of reading acquisition (T1, 6.5 yo), in first grade (T2, 7.5 yo), and in second grade (T3, 8.5 yo). Early audiovisual integration effects were characterized by higher activation for incongruent than congruent letter-speech sound pairs in the inferior frontal gyrus and ventral occipitotemporal cortex. Audiovisual processing in the left superior temporal gyrus significantly increased from the prereading (T1) to early reading stages (T2, T3). Region of interest analyses revealed that activation in left superior temporal gyrus (STG), inferior frontal gyrus and ventral occipitotemporal cortex increased in children with typical reading fluency skills, while poor readers did not show the same development in these regions. The incongruency effect bilaterally in parts of the STG and insular cortex at T1 was significantly associated with reading fluency skills at T3. These findings provide new insights into the development of the brain circuitry involved in audiovisual processing of letters, the building blocks of words, and reveal early markers of audiovisual integration that may be predictive of reading outcomes

INDIVIDUALIZED DRUG RESPONSE RELATED TO GENETIC VARIATIONS OF CYTOCHROME P450 ISOFORMS AND OTHER ENZYMES

Abstract Gene polymorphism and single nucleotide polymorphism (SNPs) called &quot;snips&quot; might play a pivotal role in the future of the clinical therapy. Although not much is known about the distribution of SNPs in population and about the gene polymorphism of the drugmetabolizing enzymes, their investigation could represent an important tool in order to determine the precise therapy for maximum efficacy. SNPs represent a DNA sequence variation of a single nucleotide, variation that could determine and alter the genome sequence. If just one nucleotide (A -adenine, C -citosine, G -guanine, T -thymine) is changed this will definitely bring a change in the DNA sequence. In order to improve public health, since the map of the genome was created, scientists thought about new SNPs maps, which will bring a new vision in diagnosis, biological markers, drug therapy, and human response to disease. This review brings some insights in the knowledge of gene polymorphism regarding their impact on drug therapy and disease. Rezumat Polimorfismul genelor şi polimorfismul unui singur nucleotid (SNPs) ar putea juca un rol central în viitorul terapiei. Deşi distribuţia SNPs în populaţie şi polimorfismul genelor enzimelor cu rol în metabolismul medicamentelor nu sunt foarte cunoscute, investigarea acestora ar putea reprezenta un instrument important pentru determinarea tratamentului adecvat pentru o maximă eficacitate. SNPs reprezintă variaţia unei secvenţe de ADN a unui singur nucleotid, variaţie care ar putea determina şi modifica secvenţa genomului. În cazul în care doar unul dintre nucleotide (A -adenină, C -citozină, Gguanină, T -timină) este schimbat aceasta va duce cu siguranţă la o schimbare în secvenţa ADN-ului. În scopul îmbunătăţirii sănătăţii publice, harta genomului fiind deja creată, oamenii de ştiinţă s-au gândit la hărţi noi, ale SNPs-urilor, care vor aduce o nouă viziune în privinţa diagnosticelor, markerilor biologici, tratamentului medicamentos, şi în general a reacţiilor omului la boli. Acest articol abordează unele aspecte legate de nivelul actual al cunoştiinţelor privind polimorfismul genelor şi a impactului lor asupra tratamentului medicamentos şi a bolilor în general

Neighbourhood socioeconomic deprivation and allostatic load : a multi-cohort study

Living in deprived neighbourhoods may have biological consequences, but few studies have assessed this empirically. We examined the association between neighbourhood deprivation and allostatic load, a biological marker of wear and tear, taking into account individual's socioeconomic position. We analysed data from three cohort studies (CoLaus-Switzerland; EPIPorto-Portugal; Whitehall II-UK) comprising 16,364 participants. We defined allostatic load using ten biomarkers of dysregulated metabolic, cardiovascular, and inflammatory systems (body mass index; waist circumference; total, high and low density lipoprotein cholesterol; trig lycerides; glucose; systolic and diastolic blood pressure; C-reactive protein). Mixed Poisson regression models were fitted to examine associations with neighbourhood deprivation (in quintiles, Q1-least deprived as reference). After adjustment for confounding variables, participants living in the most deprived quintile had 1.13 times higher allostatic load than those living in the least deprived quintile (Relative Risk, RR, for Q2 RR = 1.06, 95%CI 1.03-1.09; Q3 = 1.06, 1.03-1.10; Q4 = 1.09, 1.06-1.12; Q5 = 1.13, 1.09-1.16). This association was partially modified by individual's socioeconomic position, such that the relative risk was higher in participants with low socioeconomic position (Q5 vs Q11.16, 1.11-1.22) than those with high socioeconomic position (Q5 vs Q1 1.07, 1.11-1.13). Neighbourhood deprivation is associated with biological wear and tear, suggesting that neighbourhood-level interventions may yield health gains.Peer reviewe