Relationship between musical and linguistic abilities in patients with aphasia

This retrospective study aimed to investigate the relationship between musical and linguistic abilities in patients with aphasia. We reviewed the clinical records of 32 stroke patients with aphasia admitted to subacute rehabilitation units between May 2014 and August 2018. We analyzed the results of melody and rhythm reproduction tests and subtests of auditory comprehension and speech sections in the Standard Language Test of Aphasia （SLTA） collected upon admission and discharge. The Spearman rank correlation coefficient （rs） was used to analyze the correlation between 1）the increase in melody reproduction test scores and SLTA auditory comprehension subtest scores, 2）the increase in melody reproduction test scores and SLTA speech subtest scores, 3）the increase in rhythm reproduction test scores and SLTA auditory comprehension subtest scores, and 4）the increase in rhythm reproduction test scores and SLTA speech subtest scores. There were significant positive correlations between melody reproduction and auditory comprehension subtest scores on the SLTA: “word comprehension” （n＝14, rs＝0.57, p＜0.05） and “following verbal instructions” （n＝31, rs＝0.42, p＜0.05）. An SLTA speech subtest score—action naming—was positively correlated with rhythm reproduction （n＝31, rs＝0.44, p＜0.05）. This study implies that melody reproduction ability is related to auditory comprehension and that rhythm reproduction ability is related to speech production in patients with aphasia after experiencing a stroke

Screening for congenital cytomegalovirus infection using newborn urine samples collected on filter paper: feasibility and outcomes from a multicentre study

PublisherBackground As congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection causes significant clinical consequences not only at birth but also later as neurological sequelae, it is critical to establish a strategy for screening congenitally infected newborns. Previous studies have identified an insufficient sensitivity in screening methods based on the use of dried blood spots (DBSs). Objectives To evaluate the feasibility of the authors' recently developed method for large-scale screening for congenital CMV infection and to identify risk factors for congenital infection. Methods More than 21 000 newborns were enrolled at 25 sites in six geographically separate areas of Japan. Urine was collected onto filter cards placed in the diapers, which were then analysed by quantitative PCR using the filter disc directly as a template. Clinical and physical findings of the newborns were extracted from their medical records. CMV strains from the cases and their siblings were genetically compared. Viral loads in DBSs obtained from some of the cases were compared with those in the urine filters. Results Congenital CMV infection was identified in 0.31% (95% CI 0.24% to 0.39%) of the newborns, and 30% of the cases (20/66) had typical clinical manifestations and/or showed abnormalities in brain images at birth. Although the positive predictive value of our screening was 94%, the lack of any comparison with a gold standard assay prevented calculation of the negative predictive value. Almost two-thirds of the cases had siblings, a significantly higher frequency than for uninfected newborns. Most of the cases (21/25) excreted CMV strains identical to those of their siblings. CMV DNA was undetectable in three out of 12 retrievable DBS specimens. Conclusions Implementation of an effective large-scale screening programme for congenital CMV infection is feasible. Siblings are the major risk factor for congenital CMV infection, which emphasises the need for education of mothers-to-be as well as vaccine development

Enabling Secured Traceability of Fishery Products Using 2D Code and Digital Encryption

Technologies that enable traceability for fishery products are increasing their demands. Recently proposed technologies are mainly based on disposal RF(IC) tags which are able to record information directly onto them. However, the current systems based on RF tags have problems of expensive price of tags, and weakness of reading information if applied onto surface of products containing much water, which prevents to construct practically feasible systems using the RF tags. To provide a traceability system that uses much inexpensive media and that assures as high security as the RF tags, we propose a system based on a combination of printed 2D codes and internet connection, with security control similar to on-line electronic transactions. The proposed system identifies a fishery product by giving it a unique serial ID, which is issued by a database server, and printed in 2D code onto a paper or a plastic plate, which is directly put on the product. All the trace information sent from client (producer, transporters, and retailer) via internet is associated to the ID and stored to the server. Since 2D code is able to be read by such as mobile phones with built-in camera, a consumer is able to get history of the product with a single scanning operation. For the weakness of printed codes against duplication by copying, we propose a method to identify its validity by digital encryption, along with identification by weight information. The system is assured its usability by a series of experiments conducted for the distribution of cultured flounder in Hakodate, Japan.Keywords: Mobile Phone, Fisheries Economics, Falsification, Brand Fish, 2D Code, Fish Processing, Marketing, And Consumption, TraceabilityKeywords: Mobile Phone, Fisheries Economics, Falsification, Brand Fish, 2D Code, Fish Processing, Marketing, And Consumption, Traceabilit