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In the BBC Radio Four panel game Just a Minute(JaM), players must speak fluently for one minute without hesitation, deviation, or repetition. Other players challenge them and take over the remainder of the minute if successful. What impact do the JaM rules have on players’ spoken output? Study 1 compares twelve unchallenged JaM minutes with twelve sample minutes from an interview by the same speaker, Paul Merton. Although lower, his repetition rate in JaM is still >34%. Study 2 asks why so many repeated words go unchallenged. Analysis of 97 JaM rounds (18,500 words) from 12 complete episodes reveals that word class, word frequency, and the distance between mentions all play a role. The parameters of challenges in the game are modeled and there is consideration of why and how repetition occurs in a language and how the wider priorities of JaM as entertainment shape the linguistic patterns.

Purpose: The neuroimaging research community—which includes a broad range of scientific, medical, statistical, and engineering disciplines—has developed many tools to advance our knowledge of brain structure, function, development, aging, and disease. Past research efforts have clearly shaped clinical practice. However, translation of new methodologies into clinical practice is challenging. Anything that can reduce these barriers has the potential to improve the rate at which research outcomes can contribute to clinical practice. Methods: Karawunlinks analysis workflows created using open-source neuroimaging software, to Brainlab (Brainlab AG, Munich, Germany), a commercially available surgical planning and navigation suite. Karawunachieves this using DICOM standards supporting representation of 3D structures, including tractography streamlines, and thus offers far more than traditional screenshot or color overlay approaches. Results: We show that neurosurgical planning data, created from multimodal imaging data using analysis methods implemented in open-source research software, can be imported into Brainlab. The datasets can be manipulated as if they were created by Brainlab, including 3D visualizations of white matter tracts and other objects. Conclusion: Clinicians can explore and interact with the results of research neuroimaging pipelines using familiar tools within their standard clinical workflow, understand the impact of the new methods on their practice and provide feedback to methods developers. This capability has been important to the translation of advanced analysis techniques into practice at our institution.

•CLL increases the pool of ST-HSCs in the peripheral blood.•Differentiation of CLL-derived peripheral blood HSPCs is skewed toward the myeloid lineage.

ObjectiveVein of Galenaneurysmal malformation (VGAM) is a rare but important congenital malformation presenting to neonatal intensive care units (NICUs), and with a change from surgical to endovascular management, survival for this condition has improved. However, there is little reported about the medical management decisions of infants with this condition and the associated long-term neurodevelopmental outcomes. We aim to report a single centre experience of both acute treatment and long-term outcomes of VGAM for those infants admitted to our NICU soon after birth.DesignRetrospective cohort study over a 15-year period from 2001 to 2015 inclusive.SettingA quaternary NICU at The Royal Children’s Hospital, Melbourne, Australia.Participants24 newborn infants referred for management of VGAM. There were no eligibility criteria set for this study; all presenting infants were included.InterventionsNone.Main outcomes measuresClinical neuroimaging data were gathered. Surviving children were formally assessed with a battery of tests administered by a neuropsychologist and occupational therapist/physiotherapist at various ages across early to middle childhood.ResultsFifteen neonates with VGAM did not survive beyond their NICU admission. 10 of these were not offered endovascular intervention. Of the nine surviving infants, only one had a normal neurodevelopmental outcome.ConclusionsThe mortality of VGAM presenting in the neonatal period was high, and rates of normal neurodevelopmental outcome for survivors were low. These findings contribute to our understanding of which neonates should be treated and highlights the importance of providing clinical neurodevelopmental follow-up to survivors beyond their infant years.

Neuroschistosomiasis is a rare but severe manifestation of Schistosoma infection. Diagnosis is challenging and surgical biopsy is often required to confirm diagnosis and exclude malignancy. We present a pediatric case of presumed pseudotumoral cerebral schistosomiasis secondary to Schistosoma mansoni with an excellent therapeutic response to empirical praziquantel and corticosteroid treatment.

It is proposed that conflict is an almost inevitable outcome, when, as in dementia communication, the delicate relationship between linguistic processing and pragmatics is upset. This relationship has been little researched, even though much is known about the two components in isolation. Making particular use of key observations and claims from the papers in this special issue, a macro-conceptualisation of the dynamics of conflict and aggression in the dementia context is developed. It is proposed that the cognitive and linguistic processing problems experienced by a person with dementia (PWD) can undermine her capacity to manage her spoken output in the way necessary to match the situational pragmatics, resulting in failure to achieve her interactional goals. The mismatch will create internal dissonance that may be expressed as aggression. Importantly, caregivers will also experience dissonance when their communicative agenda is not fulfilled. This may happen when their expectations of the situational pragmatics (e.g., old versus new information) are contradicted by the behaviour of the PWD. Here too, the dissonance may result in aggression or conflict. Modelling the mechanisms of ‘Communicative Impact’ (CI) offers a way to capture the relationship between processing and pragmatics and to examine how speakers attempt to resolve the dissonance. The CI model gives insights into how the risk of conflict in interaction between people with dementia and their caregivers might be minimised.

AbstractObjectives: Generalized Joint Hypermobility [GJH] is a common connective tissue disorder associated with a range of musculoskeletal complaints. An effective screening tool to assess GJH may influence our understanding and choice of management. Diagnosis is clinical, using tools such as the Beighton Hypermobility Score and the Contompasis Scoring System. The comparable reliability of these tools has not been previously reported. The aim of the present study was to compare the intra- and the inter-rater reliability of the Beighton Score to the Contompasis Score to assess GJH.Methods: This was an observational study assessing 36 pain-free participants; 27 females and nine males; aged 18–32 years. Participants were assessed in random order, by two researchers over two sessions to determine intra- and inter-rater analyses. Intraclass Correlation Coefficient [ICC] and weighted Kappa statistics were used to calculate the level of agreement.Results: The intra- [ICC: 0.71–0.82] and the inter- [ICC: 0.72–0.80] rater reliability of the Beighton Score was substantial to almost perfect. The Contompasis Score displayed substantial to almost perfect intra-rater [ICC: 0.73–0.82] reliability and moderate to substantial inter-rater [ICC: 0.58–0.62] reliability.Conclusions: The present study provides an indication of the measurement capabilities of the Beighton and Contompasis Scores. The Beighton score appears to be superior compared with the Contompasis score particularly based on inter-rater reliability.

The authors compared cranial growth across three patterns of fronto-orbital remodeling for metopic synostosis.

Total vault reconstruction addresses all phenotypic aspects of scaphocephaly. The clinical implications of remodeling across open cranial sutures, however, remain unclear. The purpose of this study was to assess patency of unaffected sutures following total vault remodeling for isolated sagittal synostosis.

Recent studies in Europe and the United States report increased incidence of metopic synostosis. Whether a similar trend had occurred in Australia remains unknown. This research aimed to determine changes in incidence and subtypes of craniosynostosis in Victoria and to identify perinatal risk factors. A retrospective audit of patients (n = 522) presenting to the Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne with nonsyndromic craniosynostosis from 1982 to 2008 was undertaken. Perinatal data were sourced from the Victorian Perinatal Data Collection. The changes in incidence of craniosynostosis subtypes were calculated based on Poisson regression, and risk factors for craniosynostosis and subtypes were analyzed by univariate logistic regression analysis. The prevalence of nonsyndromic craniosynostosis was 3.1 in 10,000 live births in Victoria. On average, the incidence of nonsyndromic craniosynostosis increased by 2.5 per year among Victorian live births. Over 25 years, metopic synostosis incidence significantly increased by 7.1 per year in the population of Victoria, outpacing other subtypes. The risk factors for metopic synostosis include being male, multiple births (ie, twins), preterm gestation, low birth weight, high maternal age, and emergency cesarean birth. This study revealed a true increase in incidence of metopic synostosis in Victoria, which could be a result of increased frequency of multiple births, preterm gestation, low birth weight, and high maternal age in the Victorian population from 1982 to 2008. The incidence of other nonsyndromic craniosynostoses, which include sagittal, unicoronal, and multisutural craniosynostoses, however, has remained unchanged.

Multidisciplinary care involving plastic surgery and neurosurgery is generally accepted as optimal to manage craniosynostosis to avoid complications and to identify patients at risk. We conducted a retrospective 30-year review of craniosynostosis surgery at a single major craniofacial institute to establish the rate and predictors of complications. Medical records of 796 consecutive patients who underwent primary surgery for craniosynostosis from 1981 to 2010 at our institute were analyzed for complications. Complications were defined as intraoperative and postoperative adverse events requiring changed management. Reoperation was defined as a repeat transcranial procedure. Multivariate logistic regression was used to identify predictors for complications or revision. Across the years, the procedures evolved from technically simple to complex, which increased complications but better outcomes. Complications occurred in 111 patients (14), and 33 (5.4) needed major revision. Multivariate analysis identified multisuture and syndromic craniosynostosis, more recent surgeries, younger age (<9 months), spring-assisted cranioplasty, longer surgery, and greater transfusion as predictors of complications. Patients with syndromic and multisutural craniosynostosis and those operated on younger than 9 months had increased risk of major revision surgery for regression to phenotype. Our experience over 30 years indicates that pediatric transcranial craniosynostosis surgery can be safely carried out in our tertiary referral center. There were no deaths from primary surgery, and complication and reoperation rates mirror those of other published studies. Syndromic and complex craniosynostosis predicted both complications and need for major revision. Spring cranioplasty was associated with higher complications. Overall results support a recommended age for craniosynostosis surgery between 9 and 12 months.

Abstract

Spring cranioplasty is now a well-established surgical technique in the treatment of sagittal craniosynostosis. It is widely regarded as a less invasive modality compared with operations such as cranial vault remodeling. Indeed, very few complications have been described in the literature in association with spring cranioplasty. We present a case of delayed sagittal sinus tear with hemorrhage following spring cranioplasty in a 4-month-old patient with sagittal craniosynostosis. Likely causes of the injury are discussed highlighting sagittal sinus injury as a potential risk of spring cranioplasty.