Mild Intellectual Disability at the Postsecondary Level: Results of a Survey of Disability Service Offices

Disability Service Staff at colleges and universities in Ontario, Canada were sur-veyed regarding the number of students arriving at their offices with the label of mild intellectual disability. Information was obtained regarding criteria used in association with this label, documentation required to support the classification, and accommodations provided, as well as the types of programs in which these students enroll and their success in those programs. Results demonstrate little consistency across institutions regarding the criteria employed when making this identification, and the accommodations and supports provided. Even with sup-ports and accommodations, respondents estimated that fewer than 25% of such students are able to succeed at the postsecondary level, although a larger per-centage appear to benefit from specialized college programs. Best practice guidelines are needed with respect to assessment and diagnosis of this condition, and specialized programs may be required to address success and retention at the postsecondary level

Medically confirmed functional impairment as proof of accommodation need in postsecondary education: Are Ontario’s campuses the bellwether of an inequitable decision-making paradigm?

Historically, students with disabilities in Canada provided comprehensive and objective documentation of their diagnosis and related functional impairments to access appropriate accommodations at the postsecondary level. Recently, some Canadian provinces have adopted an approach whereby students with mental health disabilities need not reveal their diagnosis; a healthcare professional may simply verify that a disability exists, enumerate the functional impairments, and detail the accommodations to be provided.   Without transparent documentation, Disability Services Offices frequently rely upon physicians for this information. We completed a census of all medical training programs in Ontario to evaluate the extent to which medical professionals receive training in determining functional impairments in postsecondary students with mental health conditions. Our findings demonstrated that the vast majority of medical residents receive no such training. Two programs report offering limited training in subjective methods such as self-report or the wishes of the client. Implications and recommended best practice are discussed

Theory of mind and behaviour disorder in children with specific language impairment / by Alana M. Holmes.

The assertion that children with Specific Language Impairment (SLI) do not experience delays in the development of a theory of mind (ToM) has been made by numerous researchers (Eisenmajer & Prior, 1991; Leslie & Frith, 1988; Pemer, Frith, Leslie, & Leekam, 1989; Peterson & Siegal, 1997). Such claims are premised solely upon the results of two studies (Leslie & Frith, 1988; Pemer et al., 1989), both of which suffer from design weaknesses. The present study redressed the weaknesses of past research by administering a broad battery of ToM tasks to appropriately aged children and a measure of language ability beyond that of simple vocabulary. The study extended past research and examined the role of working memory and siblings on the ToM performance of SLI children. The relationship between ToM ability and language ability as a means to understanding the elevated incidence rate of behavioural disorder in SLI children was also explored. Forty nine normally developing and 43 SLI children ranging in age from 4- to 7-years completed first- and second-order ToM tasks, the Information subtest from the Wechsler Intelligence Scale, and the Linguistic Concepts subtest from the Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals test. Subjects’ parents completed the Child Behaviour Checklist. Results clearly indicated a delay in SLI children’s acquisition of ToM. Their performance deficit extended a the nonverbal ToM task and suggests that language has a role to play both in the conceptualization and expression of ToM understanding. Working memory predicted ToM performance for SLI children but not that of their peers while number of siblings was not correlated with any ToM measure. Behavioural symptomology as rated by parents clustered around the normative mean and did not differentiate groups. The importance of language ability and processing capacity are discussed in relation to children’s ability to understand other minds

Discovery of mating in the major African livestock pathogen Trypanosoma congolense

The protozoan parasite, Trypanosoma congolense, is one of the most economically important pathogens of livestock in Africa and, through its impact on cattle health and productivity, has a significant effect on human health and well being. Despite the importance of this parasite our knowledge of some of the fundamental biological processes is limited. For example, it is unknown whether mating takes place. In this paper we have taken a population genetics based approach to address this question. The availability of genome sequence of the parasite allowed us to identify polymorphic microsatellite markers, which were used to genotype T. congolense isolates from livestock in a discrete geographical area of The Gambia. The data showed a high level of diversity with a large number of distinct genotypes, but a deficit in heterozygotes. Further analysis identified cryptic genetic subdivision into four sub-populations. In one of these, parasite genotypic diversity could only be explained by the occurrence of frequent mating in T. congolense. These data are completely inconsistent with previous suggestions that the parasite expands asexually in the absence of mating. The discovery of mating in this species of trypanosome has significant consequences for the spread of critical traits, such as drug resistance, as well as for fundamental aspects of the biology and epidemiology of this neglected but economically important pathogen

Vertebral Tortuosity Is Associated With Increased Rate of Cardiovascular Events in Vascular Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome

Background Arterial tortuosity is associated with adverse events in Marfan and Loeys-Dietz syndromes but remains understudied in Vascular Ehlers-Danlos syndrome. Methods and Results Subjects with a pathogeni

Inflation convergence in Central and Eastern Europe vs. the Eurozone: Non-linearities and long memory

In this paper, we consider inflation rate differentials between seven Central and Eastern European Countries (CEECs) and the Eurozone. We test for convergence in the inflation rate differentials, incorporating non-linearities in the autoregressive parameters, fractional integration with endogenous structural changes, and also consider club convergence analysis for the CEECs over the period 1997 to 2015 based on monthly data. Our empirical findings suggest that the majority of countries experience non-linearities in the inflation rate differential; however, there is only evidence of a persistent difference in some countries. Complementary to this analysis we apply the Phillips and Sul (2007) test for club convergence and find that there is evidence that most of the CEECs converge to a common steady state

Population genomics of cardiometabolic traits: design of the University College London-London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine-Edinburgh-Bristol (UCLEB) Consortium.

Substantial advances have been made in identifying common genetic variants influencing cardiometabolic traits and disease outcomes through genome wide association studies. Nevertheless, gaps in knowledge remain and new questions have arisen regarding the population relevance, mechanisms, and applications for healthcare. Using a new high-resolution custom single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) array (Metabochip) incorporating dense coverage of genomic regions linked to cardiometabolic disease, the University College-London School-Edinburgh-Bristol (UCLEB) consortium of highly-phenotyped population-based prospective studies, aims to: (1) fine map functionally relevant SNPs; (2) precisely estimate individual absolute and population attributable risks based on individual SNPs and their combination; (3) investigate mechanisms leading to altered risk factor profiles and CVD events; and (4) use Mendelian randomisation to undertake studies of the causal role in CVD of a range of cardiovascular biomarkers to inform public health policy and help develop new preventative therapies

Association between alcohol and cardiovascular disease: Mendelian randomisation analysis based on individual participant data.

OBJECTIVE: To use the rs1229984 variant in the alcohol dehydrogenase 1B gene (ADH1B) as an instrument to investigate the causal role of alcohol in cardiovascular disease. DESIGN: Mendelian randomisation meta-analysis of 56 epidemiological studies. PARTICIPANTS: 261 991 individuals of European descent, including 20 259 coronary heart disease cases and 10 164 stroke events. Data were available on ADH1B rs1229984 variant, alcohol phenotypes, and cardiovascular biomarkers. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Odds ratio for coronary heart disease and stroke associated with the ADH1B variant in all individuals and by categories of alcohol consumption. RESULTS: Carriers of the A-allele of ADH1B rs1229984 consumed 17.2% fewer units of alcohol per week (95% confidence interval 15.6% to 18.9%), had a lower prevalence of binge drinking (odds ratio 0.78 (95% CI 0.73 to 0.84)), and had higher abstention (odds ratio 1.27 (1.21 to 1.34)) than non-carriers. Rs1229984 A-allele carriers had lower systolic blood pressure (-0.88 (-1.19 to -0.56) mm Hg), interleukin-6 levels (-5.2% (-7.8 to -2.4%)), waist circumference (-0.3 (-0.6 to -0.1) cm), and body mass index (-0.17 (-0.24 to -0.10) kg/m(2)). Rs1229984 A-allele carriers had lower odds of coronary heart disease (odds ratio 0.90 (0.84 to 0.96)). The protective association of the ADH1B rs1229984 A-allele variant remained the same across all categories of alcohol consumption (P=0.83 for heterogeneity). Although no association of rs1229984 was identified with the combined subtypes of stroke, carriers of the A-allele had lower odds of ischaemic stroke (odds ratio 0.83 (0.72 to 0.95)). CONCLUSIONS: Individuals with a genetic variant associated with non-drinking and lower alcohol consumption had a more favourable cardiovascular profile and a reduced risk of coronary heart disease than those without the genetic variant. This suggests that reduction of alcohol consumption, even for light to moderate drinkers, is beneficial for cardiovascular health