Neurocognitive Implications of Tangential Speech in Patients with Focal Brain Damage

There are no studies on the neurocognitive implications of tangential speech (TS). This research aims to take a step forward in the study of narrative processing, by evaluating TS in a sample that helps to detect this deficit when it is neurogenic and recently manifested. The relationship between TS, secondary to focal brain injury, and neuropsychological and neuroanatomical variables was explored. A comprehensive neuropsychological battery was administered to 175 volunteers: 95 alert inpatients, without aphasia, without psychiatric history and without TS history, and 80 healthy participants, without TS. Results: TS (prevalence 16%) was independent of type or site of injury. An adverse effect of TS on global neuropsychological performance was observed. This effect was significantly related to attentional errors along with prolonged processing times but not to correct responses. Reliability and validity indices for the present TS screening scale were provided. Conclusion: Present results support the hypothesis that this neurogenic inability to spontaneously find, organize and communicate verbal information, beyond single words, depends on extended brain networks involving processes such as sustained attention, complex-syntax comprehension, the (implicit) interpretation and spontaneous recall of a narrative, and emotional and behavioral alterations. Early TS detection is advisable for prevention and treatment at any age

Lembrando um nome: Estudos de validade neuropsicológica e uma proposta computadorizada para detecção de anomia

There are contradictory results or lack of validity studies concerning the naming function and brain laterality. Although anomia is a frequent symptom of memory impairment, and the most relevant symptom of aphasia, few studies have been conducted to evaluate its validity for detecting patients with left hemisphere damage (LD) as per the MeSH definition. Objectives: To validate a paper-and-pencil confrontation naming test (CNT) according to side of brain injury. To select a valid and reliable abbreviated CNT wherein the effect of demographic variables is minimized. To use the selected CNT to develop a computer-aided confrontation-naming evaluation (CACNE). Methods: Control data were obtained from 213 healthy participants (HP) aged 15 to 89. A subsample of 106 HP was demographically matched to 39 LD and 40 patients with right hemisphere damage (RD). Anomia definition and CNT cues were considered for CACNE. Results: Test-retest and inter-rater reliability, internal consistency, and validity for detecting LD were demonstrated. A significant age effect was observed in HP. CACNE was developed to detect anomia in interaction with environmental interventions. Conclusion: The inconsistencies observed in CNT studies, were probably due to the presence of anomia in almost 50% of RD.Existem resultados contraditórios ou falta de estudos de validade relativos à função de nomeação e lateralidade cerebral. Embora a anomia seja um sintoma frequente de comprometimento da memória e o sintoma mais relevante da afasia, poucos estudos foram realizados para avaliar sua validade na detecção de pacientes com lesão no hemisfério esquerdo (LHE) conforme definição do MeSH. Objetivo: Validar um teste de nomeação por confrontação (TNC) do tipo papel-e-lápis de acordo com o lado da lesão cerebral. Selecionar um TNC abreviada válida e confiável, na qual o efeito de variáveis demográficas seja minimizado. Usar o TNC selecionado para desenvolver uma avaliação de nomeação por confrontação auxiliada por computador (CACNE). Métodos: Os dados de controle foram obtidos de 213 participantes saudáveis (PS) com idades entre 15 e 89 anos. Uma subamostra de 106 PS foi demograficamente pareada com 39 LHE e 40 pacientes com lesão no hemisfério direito (LHD). A definição de anomia e as pistas do TNC foram consideradas para a CACNE. Resultados: A confiabilidade teste-reteste e interexaminador, consistência interna e validade para a detecção de LHE foram demonstradas. Um efeito significativo da idade foi observado na PS. CACNE foi desenvolvida para detectar anomia em interação com intervenções ambientais. Conclusão: As inconsistências observFil: Vigliecca, Nora Silvana. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Humanidades. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Instituto de Humanidades; ArgentinaFil: Voos, Javier Alfredo. Universidad Tecnológica Nacional. Facultad Regional Córdoba; Argentina. Hospital Privado Centro Médico de Córdoba; Argentin

Open field drink test-multivaried study with undernourished rats and desipramine as an antipanic drug

Los modelos animales de aproximación-evitación son útiles para el estudio inicial de drogas con efecto sobre la ansiedad pero los componentes de la ansiedad valorados por estos modelos continúan pobremente definidos. Los modelos complejos de evaluación permiten inferencias más completas que aquellos que evalúan sólo una conducta. Estudios previos demuestran que el antidepresivo tricíclico desipramina ejerce un selectivo efecto anticonflicto sobre ratas adultas sometidas a un programa de privación proteica en edad perinatal, en parámetros de conducta espontánea (laberinto en cruz elevado) e ingesta condicionada (Geller-Seifter). Dichas ratas hiponutridas muestran alteraciones en la neurotransmisión noradrenérgica que se asemejan a la activación generalizada del sistema noradrenérgico que presentan los pacientes que sufren ataques de pánico. Se evaluó la actividad anticonflicto de la desipramina en una prueba de conflicto etológico: el test de bebida en campo abierto, sin descartar a priori ninguna conducta, bajo un enfoque multivariado. Este enfoque no ha sido considerado en estudios previos de campo abierto y drogas antipánico. Sobre cuatro variables seleccionadas por análisis factorial, la administración de desipramina a una dosis de 10mg/kg por sólo 7 días produjo una significativa interacción dieta × droga, consistente con estudios previos. La interacción fue independiente de los efectos de ambos tratamientos sobre el peso o la ingesta y se expresó, en las ratas hiponutridas, como un decremento en todas las conductas excepto en el tiempo de bebida con respecto a las ratas controles que mostraron, en general, un decremento en todas las conductas excepto en la frecuencia de acicalamiento.Approach-avoidance animal models are useful as initial screens for drugs affecting anxiety, but the components of anxiety assessed by these models remain poorly defined. Complex models of evaluation allow more complete inferences than those which are obtained when only one behavior is evaluated. Previous studies demonstrate that the tricyclic-antidepressant desipramine exerts a selective anticonflict effect on adult rats submitted to a protein deprivation schedule at perinatal age, in parameters of spontaneous behavior (elevated plus-maze) and conditioned intake (Geller Seifter). These deprived rats show alterations in noradrenergic neurotransmission that resembled the generalized activation of noradrenergic system displayed by patients suffering from panic attacks. The desipramine anticonflict activity was evaluated by a test of ethological conflict: the Open Field Drink Test, without discarding any behavior a priori under a multivaried approach. This approach has not been considered in previous studies with the open field and antipanic drugs. Considering the four variables selected by factorial analysis, desipramine (10 mg/kg/day) administered IP during just 7 days produced a significant diet x drug interaction which was consistent with previous studies. That interaction was independent of the effects of both treatments on weight or intake and was expressed, on deprived rats, as a decrease in all the behaviors, except for the time of drinking, with respect to the control rats, which displayed, in general, a decrease in all the behaviors except for the frequency of grooming.Fil: Vigliecca, Nora Silvana. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Medicina. Hospital Córdoba; ArgentinaFil: Molina, Silvia Cristina. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Filosofía y Humanidades. Centro de Investigaciones Maria Saleme Burnichón; ArgentinaFil: Peñalva, Marisa Carola. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Filosofía y Humanidades. Centro de Investigaciones Maria Saleme Burnichón; Argentin

Primeiro relato de Dactylonectria novozelandica causando necrose de raiz e coroa em morangos no Uruguay

Since 2015, a high mortality rate of strawberry plants has been observed in the north of Uruguay related to crown and root diseases caused by a pathogens complex. In 2016, associated with the death of plants, Cylindrocarpon spp. was isolated with a frequency of 42.4 %, ranking third, preceded by Neopestalotiopsis sp. and Fusarium spp. Aiming to increase the knowledge of the pathogens that integrate the complex, three isolates of Cylindrocarpon spp. were characterized by molecular, morphological and pathogenicity analyses in strawberry plants. Dactylonectria novozelandica was identified as causal agent of crown and root necrosis of strawberry in Salto, Uruguay.Desde 2015, se observó una alta mortandad de plantas de frutilla en el norte de Uruguay relacionada con enfermedades de corona y raíz causadas por un complejo de patógenos. En 2016, asociado con la muerte de plantas, Cylindrocarpon spp. se aisló con una frecuencia de 42,4 %, ocupando el tercer lugar, precedido por Neopestalotiopsis sp. y Fusarium spp. Con el objetivo de incrementar el conocimiento de los patógenos que integran el complejo, se caracterizaron tres aislados de Cylindrocarpon spp. mediante análisis moleculares, morfológicos y de patogenicidad en plantas de frutilla. Se identificó Dactylonectria novozelandica como agente causal de necrosis de corona y raíz de frutilla en Salto, Uruguay.A partir do ano 2015 um número significativo de mortes se observou em plantas de morango no norte do Uruguai devido a doenças da coroa e raiz causadas por um complexo de patógenos. Associado à morte, Cylindrocarpon spp foi isolado com uma frequência de 42,4% no 2016, ocupando o terceiro lugar de incidência depois de Neopestalotiopsis sp. e Fusarium spp. O objetivo do trabalho foi caracterizar três isolados de Cylindrocarpon spp por meio de análises moleculares, morfológicas e patogênicas em morangueiro. Dactylonectria novozelandica causou necorsis de cora e raiz em uma plantas de morango em Salto, Uruguai

Brief aphasia evaluation (minimum verbal performance): Psychometric data in healthy participants from Argentina

Aphasia test psychometric studies are necessary, especially for brief instruments in Spanish. A test was designed to quickly detect the basic resources of verbal communication in aphasic patients. In a sample of healthy Spanish-speakers, it was studied: (a) their test performance according to demographic variables; (b) the inter-item-internal consistency; (c) the subtest-factor structure; (d) the test-retest reliability during an extended inter-test interval of 7 to 14 months; (e) the inter-rater reliability. Data were collected from 151 participants living in Cordoba or Buenos Aires, aged 6 to 80, 56% females, with an average 8-year education. Subsamples of 34 and 26 participants were evaluated for test-retest and inter-rater reliability studies. The total score was only affected by age. Age and education had a significant effect on the time required to perform the test. Satisfactory reliability coefficients were observed. An exploratory and unrestricted factor analysis indicated that 68% of the variance was explained by three factors. A one factor solution was also suitable. The test-score proved to be reliable, representative of a verbal homogeneous construct and sensitive to the effect of age. The administration of this test of free-distribution (with 72 items) required on average, between 11 and 17 min.Fil: Vigliecca, Nora Silvana. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Peñalva, Marisa Carola. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Filosofía y Humanidades. Centro de Investigaciones Maria Saleme Burnichón; ArgentinaFil: Castillo, Jorge Antonio. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Filosofía y Humanidades. Centro de Investigaciones Maria Saleme Burnichón; ArgentinaFil: Molina, Silvia Cristina. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Filosofía y Humanidades. Centro de Investigaciones Maria Saleme Burnichón; ArgentinaFil: Voos, Javier. Universidad Tecnológica Nacional. Facultad Regional Córdoba; ArgentinaFil: Ortiz, Maria Marta. Colegio de Fonoaudiólogos de la provincia de Buenos Aires; ArgentinaFil: Ribichich, Marialicia. Consultorio Psicopedagógico Privado; Argentin

Comparing moral judgments of patients with frontotemporal dementia and frontal stroke

Importance Several clinical reports have stated that patients with prefrontal lesions or patients with the behavioral variant of frontotemporal dementia share social cognition impairments. Moral reasoning is impaired in both conditions but there have been few investigations that directly compare this domain in the 2 groups. Observations This work compared the moral judgments of these patient groups using a task designed to disentangle the contributions of intentions and outcomes in moral judgment. For both disorders, patients judged scenarios where the protagonists believed that they would cause harm but did not as being more permissible than the control group. Moreover, patients with frontotemporal dementia judged harmful outcomes in the absence of harmful intentions as less permissible than the control participants. There were no differences between the 2 conditions. Conclusions and Relevance Both disorders involved impairments in integrating intention and outcome information for moral judgment. This study was the first, to our knowledge, to directly compare a social cognition domain in 2 frontal pathologies with different etiology. Our results highlighted the importance of comparing patients with vascular lesions and patients with neurodegenerative diseases

Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) for the detection of dementia in clinically unevaluated people aged 65 and over in community and primary care populations

BACKGROUND: The Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) is a cognitive test that is commonly used as part of the evaluation for possible dementia. OBJECTIVES: To determine the diagnostic accuracy of the Mini‐Mental State Examination (MMSE) at various cut points for dementia in people aged 65 years and over in community and primary care settings who had not undergone prior testing for dementia. SEARCH METHODS: We searched the specialised register of the Cochrane Dementia and Cognitive Improvement Group, MEDLINE (OvidSP), EMBASE (OvidSP), PsycINFO (OvidSP), LILACS (BIREME), ALOIS, BIOSIS previews (Thomson Reuters Web of Science), and Web of Science Core Collection, including the Science Citation Index and the Conference Proceedings Citation Index (Thomson Reuters Web of Science). We also searched specialised sources of diagnostic test accuracy studies and reviews: MEDION (Universities of Maastricht and Leuven, www.mediondatabase.nl), DARE (Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effects, via the Cochrane Library), HTA Database (Health Technology Assessment Database, via the Cochrane Library), and ARIF (University of Birmingham, UK, www.arif.bham.ac.uk). We attempted to locate possibly relevant but unpublished data by contacting researchers in this field. We first performed the searches in November 2012 and then fully updated them in May 2014. We did not apply any language or date restrictions to the electronic searches, and we did not use any methodological filters as a method to restrict the search overall. SELECTION CRITERIA: We included studies that compared the 11‐item (maximum score 30) MMSE test (at any cut point) in people who had not undergone prior testing versus a commonly accepted clinical reference standard for all‐cause dementia and subtypes (Alzheimer disease dementia, Lewy body dementia, vascular dementia, frontotemporal dementia). Clinical diagnosis included all‐cause (unspecified) dementia, as defined by any version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM); International Classification of Diseases (ICD) and the Clinical Dementia Rating. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: At least three authors screened all citations.Two authors handled data extraction and quality assessment. We performed meta‐analysis using the hierarchical summary receiver‐operator curves (HSROC) method and the bivariate method. MAIN RESULTS: We retrieved 24,310 citations after removal of duplicates. We reviewed the full text of 317 full‐text articles and finally included 70 records, referring to 48 studies, in our synthesis. We were able to perform meta‐analysis on 28 studies in the community setting (44 articles) and on 6 studies in primary care (8 articles), but we could not extract usable 2 x 2 data for the remaining 14 community studies, which we did not include in the meta‐analysis. All of the studies in the community were in asymptomatic people, whereas two of the six studies in primary care were conducted in people who had symptoms of possible dementia. We judged two studies to be at high risk of bias in the patient selection domain, three studies to be at high risk of bias in the index test domain and nine studies to be at high risk of bias regarding flow and timing. We assessed most studies as being applicable to the review question though we had concerns about selection of participants in six studies and target condition in one study. The accuracy of the MMSE for diagnosing dementia was reported at 18 cut points in the community (MMSE score 10, 14‐30 inclusive) and 10 cut points in primary care (MMSE score 17‐26 inclusive). The total number of participants in studies included in the meta‐analyses ranged from 37 to 2727, median 314 (interquartile range (IQR) 160 to 647). In the community, the pooled accuracy at a cut point of 24 (15 studies) was sensitivity 0.85 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.74 to 0.92), specificity 0.90 (95% CI 0.82 to 0.95); at a cut point of 25 (10 studies), sensitivity 0.87 (95% CI 0.78 to 0.93), specificity 0.82 (95% CI 0.65 to 0.92); and in seven studies that adjusted accuracy estimates for level of education, sensitivity 0.97 (95% CI 0.83 to 1.00), specificity 0.70 (95% CI 0.50 to 0.85). There was insufficient data to evaluate the accuracy of the MMSE for diagnosing dementia subtypes.We could not estimate summary diagnostic accuracy in primary care due to insufficient data. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: The MMSE contributes to a diagnosis of dementia in low prevalence settings, but should not be used in isolation to confirm or exclude disease. We recommend that future work evaluates the diagnostic accuracy of tests in the context of the diagnostic pathway experienced by the patient and that investigators report how undergoing the MMSE changes patient‐relevant outcomes

L’influence de la tension interfaciale sur la mise en contact de deux phases liquides non miscibles au sein d’une colonne à garnissage

The effects of interfacial tension upon the contacting of two immiscible liquids in a packed column. An initial study considers the influence of the interfacial tension of two liquids upon the velocity of the dispersed phase and upon the pressure drop in a packed column. The paths followed by the drops are observed using Pyrex Raschig rings and a continuous phase of the same refractive index.Dans une étude préliminaire on précise l'influence de la tension interfaciale de deux liquides sur la vitesse de déplacement de celui qui constitue la phase dispersée et sur la chute de pression dans la colonne à garnissage. En utilisant des anneaux Raschig en verre Pyrex et une phase continue de même indice de réfraction, on observe le cheminement des gouttes.Gosse J., Vigliecca L. L’influence de la tension interfaciale sur la mise en contact de deux phases liquides non miscibles au sein d’une colonne à garnissage. In: Bulles et gouttes. La tension superficielle en hydraulique. Compte rendu des septièmes journées de l'hydraulique. Paris, 4, 5 et 6 juin 1962. Tome 1, 1963

Validity and features of spontaneous speech in acute aphasia as evaluated with the Brief Aphasia Evaluation: is fluent aphasia more severe than nonfluent aphasia?

ABSTRACT Purpose To explore the relationship between the two components of spontaneous speech in the Brief Aphasia Evaluation (BAE) and the rest of the scale represented by its three main factors: The Expression, Comprehension, and Complementary factors. Methods BAE has proven validity and reliability. The evaluation of spontaneous speech in this scale comprises two components: Performance Rank (score: 0-3) and Type of Disorder (Fluency [F], Content [C], or Mixed [FC]) when rank < 3. Sixty-seven patients with left brain damage and 30 demographically matched healthy participants (HP) were studied. It was analyzed the correlation between Performance Rank and the three BAE factors and, recoding 3 as 0 and < 3 as 1, the sensitivity/specificity of this component for each factor. The effect of Type of Disorder on the three factors was analyzed. Results 1) Performance Rank: Correlations of 0.84 (Expression), 0.81 (Comprehension), and 0.76 (Complementary) were observed, with a sensitivity and specificity ≥ 78% for any factor; 2) Type of Disorder: The performance significantly decreased from FC to C and from C to F in Expression (FC < C < F), from FC to C and from FC to F also in Comprehension and Complementary, from patients with any type of disorder to HP. Conclusion Performance Rank was a relevant indicator of aphasia by its consistency with valid and comprehensive dimensions of acute language impairments. A degree difference between F and C was observed, being F a milder disorder; i.e., fluency problems were less severe than retrieval or anomia ones

Uma experiência de protagonismo juvenil : a perspectiva de um professor-pesquisador

Este trabalho aborda o contexto do ensino médio brasileiro, problematizando o protagonismo dos estudantes na relação com a escola e o conhecimento. O objetivo é verificar como diferentes estilos de aula de Sociologia contribuem para a produção do protagonismo juvenil, o qual é entendido como um elemento básico para a produção de ensino-aprendizagem. O trabalho realizado com o recurso a diferentes metodologias didáticas, abordando o caso particular de uma turma de estudantes do ensino médio em escola de Porto Alegre. O autor atua como professor e investigador utilizando variados recursos didático-pedagógicos, a partir dos quais relata e analisa modos de interação e participação dos estudantes. As práticas descritas são teoricamente discutidas e articuladas com as noções de poder, conhecimento e linguagem, a fim de reconhecer aspectos relacionais entre aluno, escola e educador. Os resultados mostram que esforços para propiciar o protagonismo dos jovens na escola se mostram produtivos e apontam para a possibilidade de interlocução entre saberes e experiências cotidianas na relação com questionamentos reflexivos a partir de conhecimentos disciplinares e escolares. Ao mesmo tempo, reconhecem-se os limites à participação estudantil, sobretudo pela baixa frequência dos estudantes às aulas