Cerebral vasculitis, a diagnostic labyrinth

A diagnosis of cerebral vasculitis is frequently considered in patients with new or progressive neurological symptoms for which there is no other explanation. A clinician considering a diagnosis of cerebral vasculitis should be well aware of alternative diagnoses, since these are generally more common. Several consecutive examinations are required for diagnosing cerebral vasculitis, because there is no diagnostic procedure that is highly sensitive as well as highly specific. The added value of the different procedures may depend on the type of blood vessels involved. Standard MRI examinations are sensitive but not specific. Special MRI techniques now make it also possible to make images of the vessel wall itself. Catheter angiography remains important, especially when noninvasive angiographic techniques do not reveal any abnormalities. Brain biopsy can provide proof of cerebral vasculitis and also serves to exclude mimicking conditions.</p

Haemosiderosis in the placenta does not appear to be related to chronic placental separation or adverse neonatal outcome

Aims: To ascertain the incidence and to review the obstetric and neonatal correlates of placental haemosiderosis. Secondly, to determine if placental haemosiderosis is due to blood contamination during placental handling. Methods:  One hundred consecutive singleton placentas with and 113 consecutive singleton placentas from uncomplicated pregnancies without an indication for pathological examination were stained for iron to detect haemosiderosis in the membranes, chorionic plate and/or basal plate. The obstetric and neonatal data were analysed. In the second part, maternal retroplacental blood was placed on the chorionic plates of 15 placentas for 1, 3, 4 and 5 days prior to sampling and examination for iron deposition. Results: Haemosiderosis was observed in 110 of 213 (51.6%) placentas. Early decelerations during fetal heart rate monitoring (p = 0.0498) and, negatively, maternal thrombophilia (p  = 0.0496) were related to haemosiderosis in the placenta. Preterm delivery, chronic separation of the placenta or procedures performed during pregnancy or delivery were not significantly related to haemosiderosis. Different patterns of iron staining were observed but these were not correlated with any maternal or neonatal factors. In the experimental study, haemosiderin was not found in sections taken at various time intervals from both blood contaminated and blood contamination-free parts of the placentas. Conclusions:  Haemosiderosis in the placenta is not an artefact of placental handling. Haemosiderosis is seen considerably more frequently than previously reported and may be physiological. Haemosiderosis is not a useful indicator for chronic placental abruption and adverse neonatal outcome is not significantly correlated with placental haemosiderosis.T. Y. Khong, T. J. Toering and J. J. H. M. Erwic

Exploring the development of judgement and decision making in ‘competent’ outdoor instructors

Over the last ten years there has been growing interest in the judgement and decision making (JDM) of outdoor professionals, though research to date has focused on the JDM processes of experts. In contrast, this study examined the JDM of less experienced, competent, but fully qualified outdoor instructors (N = 9) and the development of their JDM skills. Using semi-structured interviews and thematic analysis, we identified two overarching themes: Firstly, managing the cognitive load (relating to instructor JDM), and secondly social experiential learning (relating to instructor JDM development). We found these outdoor instructors needed to manage complex situational demands and high cognitive loads, while balancing the safety of their group with the development of their own JDM. We propose that a combination of challenging formative experiences, community of practice interactions, and explicit development of metacognition are essential to outdoor instructors JDM development. Implications for training, and future research are discussed

Shame-Coping in Professional Soccer Players: An Exploratory Interview Analysis

This study explored, using in-depth interviews, ways in which professional soccer players (N = 6, Mage = 25.33, SD = 4.44) experience and cope with shame following performance failures during matches, and while working on their weaknesses during training. Data was analyzed inductively and deductively using direct and conventional content analysis. Results showed that players were particularly likely to experience shame in response to performance failures during matches. They were found to employ specific problem-focused (learning) and emotion-focused coping strategies (“hiding”). At an intra-personal level, how players coped with shame seemed to have an influence on their performance and skill development

Academic performance and self-regulatory skills in elite youth soccer players

Although elite athletes have been reported to be high academic achievers, many elite soccer players struggle with a stereotype of being low academic achievers. The purpose of this study was to compare the academic level (pre-university or prevocational) and self-regulatory skills (planning, self-monitoring, evaluation, reflection, effort, and self-efficacy) of elite youth soccer players aged 12–16 years (n = 128) with those of 164 age-matched controls (typical students). The results demonstrate that the elite youth soccer players are more often enrolled in the pre-university academic system, which means that they are high academic achievers, compared with the typical student. The elite players also report an increased use of self-regulatory skills, in particular self-monitoring, evaluation, reflection, and effort. In addition, control students in the preuniversity system had more highly developed self-regulatory skills than those in the pre-vocational system, whereas no difference was observed within the soccer population. This suggests that the relatively stronger self-regulatory skills reported by the elite youth soccer players may be essential for performance at the highest levels of sport competition and in academia

Self-regulation of learning and performance level of elite youth soccer players

This study examined the relationship between self-regulated learning and performance level of 256 elite youth soccer players aged 12 to 17 years (Mage = 14.2; SD = 1.2). As relative age may affect this relationship through its association with maturation, experience, and performance level, we controlled for relative age. Practice and match experience was equal across groups [international (n = 76) vs. national level (n = 178)]. A logistic regression analysis revealed that players scoring high on reflection and players born in the first half of a selection year were more likely to belong to the international group (OR = 1.69 and 2.18, respectively). Relative age did not affect the relationship between reflection and performance level. We suggest that international players benefit more from practice than national players through reflective thinking. Additionally, given international players’ higher reflection scores irrespective of relative age, reflection may be a cognitive-behavioral marker of talent