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The facilitatory effect shown in native speakers processing idiomatic phrases compared to matched novel phrases may be explained by a dual route model. This postulates that all phrases are processed literally at first, and if a phrase was recognized as familiar during processing, it would then be processed by a faster retrieval-route; if the phrase was not perceived as familiar, it would continue to be processed literally by the slower computation-route. The goals of the current project were to test the dual route model and to decipher the underlying mechanism in retrieval-route activation. English idioms and translated Chinese idioms were presented to both native English speakers and Chinese-English bilinguals in a random order. Participants listened to the idiom up until the last word (e.g., "draw a snake and add"), then saw either the idiom ending (e.g., "feet") or the matched control ending (e.g., "hair"); to which they made lexical decision and reaction times were recorded. We examined the priming effect for idioms compared to controls across the two language groups. The results showed that the two groups processed idioms of different origins differently. Native English speakers' faster responses to English idioms than controls supported a dual route model; however, both native English and bilingual speakers' faster responses to Chinese idioms than controls called for a less straightforward interpretation. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

BackgroundResearch on information processing of older adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is scarce, which is a caveat because findings in children may not apply to (older) autistic adults. This study examines visual local-global processing approaches in older autistic adults.MethodThe Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure Test (RCFT) is a popular measure of visual-constructional ability, organisational strategy and memory. In this matched-control study, we explore if the qualitative and quantitative performance on the RCFT can be used as an operationalisation of central coherence in autistic older adults (n = 36; ages 50−84 years), and whether RCFT performance associates with autism-symptoms. WAIS-IV scores were also obtained to test for local-global differences in performance.ResultsNo evidence was found for deviating processing approaches on the RCFT (both quantitative and qualitative) in the ASD group, although copying the RCFT was significantly slower. The WAIS-IV showed no differences between participant-groups, except for a significantly better performance on Visual Puzzles by autistic participants.ConclusionsUsing visual local-global processing tests common to clinical practice, this study provides no evidence for a weak central coherence but some support for enhanced perceptual functioning in late-diagnosed high functioning older autistic adults. There was no evidence for altered strategic approaches during the completion of a complex visual information processing task (RCFT). Combining a quantitative and a qualitative scoring system of visual information processing tasks (such as RCFT) can elucidate the preferred visual information processing style in autistic individuals.

This study examined whether, and the extent to which, the Incredible Years Teacher Classroom Management program predicted positive development of children’s emotional, behavioral, and social adjustment through changes in the child–teacher relationship. Using data from a longitudinal quasi-experimental intervention trial with a matched control condition, including 1,085 children (49.7% girls, meanage = 4.22 years; SDage = 0.88 years), the potential associations were tested by means of multilevel path modeling. The mediation model demonstrated that (1) children in the intervention condition achieved more favorable changes in the child–teacher relationship than the control condition; (2) changes in the child–teacher relationship were associated with changes in the target outcomes; and (3) the intervention effects were mediated via changes in the child–teacher relationship. © 2020 Tveit, Drugli, Fossum, Handegård, Klöckner and Stenseng. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

Difference-in-differences analysis with a control group that differs considerably from a treated group is vulnerable to bias from historical events that have different effects on the groups. Constructing a more closely matched control group by matching a subset of the overall control group to the treated group may result in less bias. We study this phenomenon in simulation studies. We study the effect of mountaintop removal mining (MRM) on mortality using a difference-in-differences analysis that makes use of the increase in MRM following the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments. For a difference-in-differences analysis of the effect of MRM on mortality, we constructed a more closely matched control group and found a 95\% confidence interval that contains substantial adverse effects along with no effect and small beneficial effects., Accepted to Observational Studies

Objectives Motor difficulties are often reported in individuals with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The aims of this study are to detail the motor profile of children with ADHD and to determine whether the motor impairment present in a large proportion of children with ADHD represents a phenotypic characteristic of ADHD or a co-occurring deficit. Methods Participants with ADHD (N = 51; age 8 to 15 years) and typically developing (TD) motor matched control children (N = 75; age 4 to 11 years) completed the largest battery of assessments of motor function that have been used with this population to date, as well as a measure of inhibition as a behavioural measure of ADHD characteristics. Parents/caregivers also completed questionnaires relating to ADHD symptomology and a retrospective report of their child’s motor milestone achievement. Results A motor deficit was observed in 47% of our ADHD sample. Few relationships were observed between ADHD core characteristics and motor competence. Furthermore, there was an uneven profile of motor performance across different motor tasks, relative to the TD children. Interestingly, it appears that motor milestone achievement is not delayed in ADHD. Conclusions Our findings suggest that the motor deficit observed in ADHD is not inherent to ADHD. The motor deficit observed in some children with ADHD does not represent a simple delay in development and is not observed in infancy with respect to reaching motor milestones.

Background Supermarkets are a major source of food for families, yet greater understanding of how product placement strategies influence the healthfulness of food choice is needed. We assessed the effect of improving the availability and positioning of fruit and vegetables in supermarkets, and removing confectionery from checkouts, on household-level purchases and store-level sales. Methods This study was a natural experiment with a prospective matched cluster design set in a discount supermarket chain in England. The intervention had two components: new fresh fruit and vegetable sections at store entrances (replacing smaller displays at the back), and removal of confectionery from checkouts (replacing with healthier items, such as sugar-free gum, water and non-food items) and end-of-aisle opposite checkouts. Women customers aged 18 to 45 years, with a store loyalty card, who regularly shopped at three intervention and three matched control stores in England were recruited. Data from purchases using loyalty cards and for store sales were collected for the three months before and six months after refurbishment. Individual purchasing data were analysed using a difference-in-difference method, while store sales data were analysed using controlled interrupted time series by store pair, with differences synthesised using random-effects meta-analysis. Results A total of 107 women provided household-level purchasing data. The proportion purchasing fresh fruit and vegetables per week rose in intervention stores at three months (0.2%) compared to a drop in control stores (-3.0%) (P=0.22), and at six months (1.7% vs -3.5%, P=0.05). The proportion purchasing healthier checkout items rose more in intervention stores compared to a drop in control stores at both three (1.0% vs -1.8%, P=0.04) and six (0.6% vs -1.6%, P=0.13) months. There were no differences in the purchases of frozen fruit and vegetables or confectionery. Increases in store-level sales of fresh fruit and vegetables were greater in intervention stores than predicted at three months (1.71SDs (95%CI 0.45, 2.96), P=0.01) and six months (2.42SDs (0.22, 4.62), P=0.03). Decreases in sales of confectionery were greater in intervention stores than predicted at three months (-1.05SDs (-1.98, -0.12), P=0.03) and six months (-1.37SDs (-2.95, 0.22), P=0.09). Sales of frozen fruit and vegetables and healthier checkout items showed no differences. Conclusion This study provides some evidence to suggest that healthier product placement in supermarkets improves the healthfulness of both household-level purchasing and store-level sales. Improving fruit and vegetable placement should be considered by government alongside current plans to limit prominent placement of unhealthy foods.

Non-symbolic number changes produce transient Event Related Potentials over parietal electrodes, while numerosity effects measured with Steady-State Visual Evoked Potentials (SSVEPs) appear to originate in occipital cortex. We hypothesized that the stimulation rates used in previous SSVEP studies may be too rapid to drive parietal numerosity mechanisms. Here we recorded SSVEPs and behavioral reports over a slower range of temporal frequencies than previously used. Isoluminant dot stimuli updated at a consistent “carrier” frequency (3-6 Hz) while periodic changes in numerosity (e.g. 8→5) formed an even slower “oddball” frequency (0.5-1 Hz). Each numerosity oddball condition had a matched control condition where the number of dots did not change. Carrier frequencies induced SSVEPs with midline occipital topographies that did not differentiate the presence or absence of numerosity oddballs. By contrast, SSVEPs at oddball frequencies had parietal topographies and responded more strongly when oddballs were present. Consistent with our hypothesis, numerosity effects were stronger at slower stimulation rates. In a second study, the numerosity change was either supra-threshold (e.g. 8→5 dots) or near the threshold required for detecting numerosity changes (e.g. 8→9 dots). We found robust parietal responses for the supra-threshold case only, indicating anumerical distance effect. A third study replicated the parietal oddball SSVEP effect across four distinct suprathreshold numerosity-change conditions and showed that number change direction does not influence the effect. These findings show that SSVEP oddball paradigms can probe parietal computations of abstract numerosity, and may provide a rapid, portable approach to quantifying number sense within educational settings.

Objective: The purpose of this article was to demonstrate related characteristics of intensive care unit (ICU) admission after an unscheduled revisit by febrile children visiting the emergency department (ED). Method: We performed a retrospective study in a tertiary medical center from 2010 to 2016. Patients whose chief complaint was fever and who were admitted to the ICU following a 72-h return visit to the ED were included, and we selected patients who were discharged from the same emergency department for comparison. Results: During the study period, 54 (0.03%) patients met the inclusion criteria, and 216 patients were selected for the matched control group. Regarding clinical variables on initial ED visit, visiting during the night shift (66.7 vs. 46.8%, p = 0.010), shorter length of 1st ED stay (2.5 ± 2.63 vs. 3.5 ± 3.44 h, p = 0.017), and higher shock index (SI) (1.6 ± 0.07 vs. 1.4 ± 0.02, p = 0.008) were associated with ICU admission following a return visit. On the return ED visit, we found that clinical variables such as elevated heart rate, SI, white blood cell count, and C-reactive protein level were all associated with ICU admission. Furthermore, elevated SI and pediatric age-adjusted (SIPA) values were observed in the study group in both the initial (42.2 vs. 20.1%, OR:2.3 (1.37-4.31), p = 0.002) and return ED visits (29.7 vs. 6.9%, OR: 4.6 (2.42-8.26), p < 0.001). Conclusion: For children who visited the emergency department with a febrile complaint, elevated SIPA values on the initial ED visit were associated with ICU admission following an unscheduled ED revisit within 72 h.

PurposeTo evaluate the outcome of patients with COVID-19 triggered CRS treated with Therapeutic Plasma Exchange (TPE) as compared to propensity score matched (PSM)-controls not receiving TPE.Material and methodsUsing PS 1:1 matching, 90 patients were assigned 2 groups (45 receiving TPE and 45 controls). Forced matching and covariate matching was done to overcome bias between two groups.ResultsMedian age was 60 years (range 32-73 in TPE and 37-75 in non-TPE group), p= 0.325. Median duration of symptoms 7 days (range 3-22 days in TPE and 3-20 days in non-TPE), p=0.266. Disease severity in both groups was 6.6% moderate, 44.4% severe and 49% critical. Twenty-eight-day survival was significantly superior in TPE group (91.1%) as compared to PS-matched controls (61.5%), HR 0.21, 95% CI for HR 0.09-0.53, log rank 0.002. Median duration of hospitalization was significantly reduced in TPE treated group as compared to non-TPE controls 10 days and 15 days respectively (p< 0.01). CRS resolution time was also significantly reduced in TPE treated group (6 days vs. 12 days) (p< 0.001).ConclusionUse of TPE is associated with superior overall survival, early resolution of CRS and time to discharge as compared to standard therapy for COVID-19 triggered CRS.Highlights□Cytokine release syndrome (CRS) plays a pivotal role in pathophysiology and progression to severe and critical disease in patients with COVID-19.□Beyond supportive care, there are currently no proven effective treatment options (including Tocilizumab) for coronavirus disease (COVID-19)□Therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE) may dampen CRS of COVID-19 by removing circulating cytokines and toxins□TPE is the cheapest of all novel treatments available so far to treat severe to critical COVID-19□By intervening early with TPE, mortality and morbidity associated with COVID-19 triggered CRS can be reduced

Emotional experiences create durable memory traces in the brain, especially when these memories are consolidated in the presence of stress hormones such as cortisol. Although some research suggests cortisol elevation can increase long-term memory for emotional relative to neutral content, the impact of stress and cortisol on the consolidation of emotional and neutral aspects of memories when they are part of the same experience remains unknown. Here, after encoding complex scenes consisting of negative or neutral objects placed on neutral backgrounds, participants were exposed to a psychosocial stressor (or matched control condition) in order to examine the impact of stress and cortisol on early consolidation processes. The next day, once cortisol levels had returned to baseline, specific and gist recognition memory were tested separately for objects and backgrounds. Results indicate that while there was a numerical increase in memory for negative objects in the stress group, higher endogenous cortisol concentrations were specifically associated with decreased memory for the neutral backgrounds originally paired with negative objects. Moreover, across all participants, cortisol levels were positively correlated with the magnitude of the emotional memory trade-off effect. Specifically, while memory for negative objects was preserved, elevated cortisol during early consolidation was associated with decreased memory for neutral backgrounds that were initially paired with negative objects. These memory effects were observed in both the stricter specific measure of memory and the less conservative measure of gist memory. Together, these findings suggest that rather than influencing all aspects of an experience similarly, elevated cortisol during early consolidation selectively preserves what is most emotionally salient and adaptive to remember while allowing the loss of memory for less important neutral information over time.

We present our novel software, nanomonsv, for detecting somatic structural variations (SVs) using tumor and matched control long-read sequencing data with a single-base resolution. The current version of nanomonsv includes two detection modules, Canonical SV module, and Single breakend SV module. Using paired long-read sequencing data from three cancer and their matched lymphoblastoid lines, we demonstrate that Canonical SV module can identify somatic SVs that can be captured by short-read technologies with higher precision and recall than existing methods. In addition, we have developed a workflow to classify mobile element insertions while elucidating their in-depth properties, such as 5’ truncations, internal inversions, as well as source sites for 3’ transductions. Furthermore, Single breakend SV module enables the detection of complex SVs that can only be identified by long-reads, such as SVs involving highly-repetitive centromeric sequences, and LINE1- and virus-mediated rearrangements. In summary, our approaches applied to cancer long-read sequencing data can reveal various features of somatic SVs and will lead to a better understanding of mutational processes and functional consequences of somatic SVs.

IntroductionRecent studies have shown a high frequency of abnormal electrocardiograms in patients with schizophrenia. The objective of this study was to associate schizophrenia diagnoses with early repolarization patterns in a sample of hospitalized patients from a single hospital in Japan.MethodsWe conducted a retrospective age, sex and coronary risk factors matched case-control study on 85 patients with schizophrenia and 89 controls from medical checkups. First, we compared the presence of early repolarization patterns in both groups. Secondly, we elucidated an association between the presence of an early repolarization pattern and clinical findings in the patients’ groups. We also evaluated J-point elevation patterns.ResultsAs a result, we found that both early repolarization patterns and J-point elevation patterns observed were significantly higher in the schizophrenic group than in the matched control group (early repolarization pattern 23;6 P < 0.001; J-point elevation pattern 34:12; P = 0.001). After multivariable logistic regression among the patients and controls, schizophrenia was the independent predictor for early repolarization pattern (P = 0.001) and J-point elevation (P < 0.001). Among the patients, the independent predictor for early repolarization pattern was psychiatric family history (P = 0.006), while older age (P = 0.038) and psychiatric family history (P = 0.014) were predictors for J-point elevation patterns.ConclusionThese findings suggest that an association between early repolarization pattern or J-point elevation pattern and schizophrenia in a single Japanese center.

Despite the high incidence of sarcopenia in the orthopaedic community, studies evaluating the influence of sarcopenia following primary total knee arthroplasty (TKA) are limited. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to determine if sarcopenic patients undergoing primary TKA have higher rates of (1) in-hospital lengths of stay (LOS); (2) medical complications; (3) implant-related complications; (4) fall risk; (5) lower extremity fracture risk; and (6) costs of care. Sarcopenia patients were matched to controls in a 1:5 ratio according to age, sex, and medical comorbidities. The query yielded 90,438 patients with (n = 15,073) and without (n = 75,365) sarcopenia undergoing primary TKA. Primary outcomes analyzed included: in-hospital LOS, 90-day medical complications, 2-year implant-related complications, fall risk, lower extremity fracture risk, and costs of care. A p-value of less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Patients with sarcopenia undergoing primary TKA had greater in-hospital LOS (4 vs. 3 days, p

Detection of (1,3)-beta-d-glucan (BDG), a component of the cell wall of many fungi, was studied in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) as a possible aid for the diagnosis of proven/probable invasive pulmonary aspergillosis (IPA). BDG was measured on stored BALF from 13 patients with EORTC/MSGERC defined proven/probable IPA and 26 matched control patients without IPA. The median BALF BDG was 80 pg/mL (range

International audience; Objectives: Severe childhood traumatic brain injury (TBI) leads to long-standing executive function and attention deficits, with negative consequences for participation, academic outcome and independence. This study aimed to assess executive function and attention 7 years after severe childhood TBI in comparison with a matched control group and to investigate associated factors. Methods: Children (< 15 years) with severe accidental TBI consecutively admitted in a single trauma center over 3 years were included in the Traumatisme Grave de l'Enfant (TGE) prospective longitudinal study. Of the 81 children initially included, 65 survived. At 7 years post-TBI, executive functions and attention were assessed in 27 participants (42 % of the 65 survivors) by using a combination of computerized tasks from the Test of Attentional Performance (TAP) and the Behavioral Rating of Executive Functions (BRIEF) questionnaire. Patients were compared to a group of 27 typically developing controls who were matched for sex, age and parental education level. Results: Among the 27 participants, mean (SD) age at injury was 7.7 (4.6) years, and mean length of coma 5.6 (4.6) days. Regarding the TAP, the number of errors was significantly higher (P = 0.003) and reaction time marginally slower (P = 0.08) in the TBI than control group. The BRIEF questionnaire completed by parents indicated significantly more executive difficulties in the TBI than control group (Behavior Regulation Index, P = 0.005; Metacognitive index, P = 0.02; Global Executive Composite, P = 0.012). Correlations between BRIEF and TAP scores did not reach statistical significance. BRIEF total score was correlated moderately with length of coma (r = 0.40, P = 0.037), and TAP scores were correlated with the Full-Scale Intellectual Quotient (total number of errors: r = -0.48; P = 0.01; mean reaction time: r = −0.51; P = 0.009). Conclusions: Executive and attention deficits were evident 7 years after severe childhood TBI. Computerized tasks and questionnaires provide complementary and non-redundant information. Systematic long-term follow-up should be provided until the transition to adulthood, to assess ongoing development and to implement timely tailored interventions.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3126/jcmsn.v15i1.20753 Background: Rapid increase in number of vehicles in Kathmandu valley over past decade and never ending road expansion projects has aggravated air pollution. People involved in transportation jobs for long duration like bus drivers, conductors are more vulnerable to ill effects of air pollutants. The purpose of the present study was to assess lung function of public bus drivers exposed to outdoor air pollution by means of PEFR. Methods: Fifty healthy, non smoking bus drivers were selected randomly from bus parks of Bhaktapur district. Anthropological records were taken. PEFR value was obtained by Mini Wright’s peak flow meter. Their mean PEFR was compared with 50, age matched control group involved in other office works. Results: The PEFR value was significantly lower among bus drivers than the control group (p

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder for which identification of robust biomarkers to complement clinical PD diagnosis would accelerate treatment options and help to stratify disease progression. Here we demonstrate the use of paper spray ionisation coupled with ion mobility mass spectrometry (PSI IM-MS) to determine diagnostic molecular features of PD in sebum. PSI IM-MS was performed directly from skin swabs, collected from 34 people with PD and 30 matched control subjects as a training set and a further 91 samples from 5 different collection sites as a validation set. PSI IM-MS elucidates ~ 4200 features from each individual and we report two classes of lipids (namely phosphatidylcholine and cardiolipin) that differ significantly in the sebum of people with PD. Putative metabolite annotations are obtained using tandem mass spectrometry experiments combined with accurate mass measurements. Sample preparation and PSI IM-MS analysis and diagnosis can be performed ~5 minutes per sample offering a new route to for rapid and inexpensive confirmatory diagnosis of this disease.

Absolute pitch (AP) refers to the ability of identifying the pitch of a given tone without reliance on any reference pitch. The downside of possessing AP may be the experience of disturbance when exposed to out-of-tune tones. Here, we investigated this so-far unexplored phenomenon in AP, which we refer to as auditory aversion. Electroencephalography (EEG) was recorded in a sample of AP possessors and matched control musicians without AP while letting them perform a task underlying a so-called affective priming paradigm: Participants judged valenced pictures preceded by musical primes as quickly and accurately as possible. The primes were bimodal, presented as tones in combination with visual notations that either matched or mismatched the actually presented tone. Regardless of the prime condition, AP possessors performed more poorly in judging pleasant pictures and their EEG revealed later peaks at around 200 ms (P200) after prime onset. Their performance dropped when responding to pleasant pictures preceded by incongruent primes, especially when mistuned by one semitone. This interference was also reflected in an EEG deflection at around 400 ms (N400) after picture onset, preceding the behavior responses. These findings suggest that AP possessors process mistuned musical stimuli and pleasant pictures as affectively unrelated with each other, supporting an aversion towards out-of-tune tones in AP possessors. The longer prime-related P200 latencies exhibited by AP possessors suggest a delay in integrating musical stimuli, underlying an altered affinity towards pitch-label associations.

OBJECTIVE. Exercise-induced laryngeal obstruction (EILO) occurs with paradoxical vocal fold motion or supraglottic collapse during moderate to vigorous exercise. Previously, Gallena et al. (2015) reported lower-than-normal inspiratory (R(i)) and expiratory (R(e)) resistances during resting tidal breathing (RTB) in female teenage athletes with EILO. This study aimed to replicate that unexpected result. METHOD. The Airflow Perturbation Device (APD) measured R(i) and R(e) during three 1-minute trials of RTB in 16 teenage female athletes with EILO and 16 sex-, age- and height-matched controls. Multiple linear regression examined group, age, height, and weight as predictors of R(i) and R(e). RESULTS. R(i) and R(e) tended to be lower in the EILO group than the control group [R(i): F(1,30) = 3.58, p = .068, d = .686; R(e): F(1,30) = 3.28, p = .080, d = .640], but there was no statistically significant difference in the overall effect [F(2,29) = 1.75, p = .192]. After one outlier for R(e) from the EILO group and her matched control were removed, the overall difference was statistically significant, F(2,27) = 3.38, p = .049, with R(e) primarily contributing to the difference [R(i): F(1,28) = 3.66, p = .066, d = .719; R(e): F(1,28) = 5.69, p = .024, d = .899]. CONCLUSION. These results did not replicate the robust differences found previously between R(i) and R(e) during resting tidal breathing in teenage girls with and without EILO, but the results trended in the same direction and met criterion for statistical significance once an outlier was removed from analysis. Overall, the observation that resting respiratory resistances were lower in most teenage girls with EILO suggests that reduced tone of the laryngeal and/or lower airways may predispose young athletes to EILO.

We investigate the effects of private equity on product markets using price and sales data for an extensive number of consumer products. Following a buyout, target firms increase sales 50% more than matched control firms. Price increases—roughly 1% on existing products—do not drive this growth. The launch of new products and geographic expansion do. Competitors lose shelf space and marginally raise prices. Results for public vs. private targets, during and after the financial crisis, and in industries that vary in structure suggest private equity tailors strategies to the environment, eases financial constraints, and provides expertise to manage growth. Institutional subscribers to the NBER working paper series, and residents of developing countries may download this paper without additional charge at www.nber.org.

The current study tested the reliability and generalizability of a narrative act-out false belief task held to reveal Theory of Mind (ToM) competence at 3 years of age, before children pass verbal standard false belief tasks (the "Duplo task"; Rubio-Fernandez & Geurts, 2013, Psychological Science). We conducted the task across two labs with methodologically improved matched control conditions. Further, we administered an analogue intensionality version to assess the scope of ToM competence in the Duplo task. 72 3-year-olds participated in a Duplo change-of-location task, a Duplo intensionality task, and half of them in a matched verbal standard change-of-location task, receiving either false belief or matched true belief scenarios. Children performed at chance in the false belief Duplo location change and intensionality tasks as well as in the standard false belief task. There were no differences to the standard task, and performance correlated across all three false belief tasks, revealing a rather unified competence and no task advantage. In the true belief conditions of both Duplo tasks, children performed at ceiling and significantly different from the false belief conditions, while they were at chance in the true belief condition of the standard task. The latter indicates that a pragmatic advantage of the Duplo task compared to the standard task holds only for the true belief scenarios. Our study shows that the Duplo task measures the same ToM competence as the standard task and rejects a notion of earlier false belief understanding on the group level in 3-year-old children.

Understanding of the epidemiology and healthcare service utilization related to atopic dermatitis is necessary to inform the use of new treatments. This cross-sectional study was based on a group of patients with atopic dermatitis and a matched control group comprised of age- and sex- matched enrolees without atopic dermatitis from a large medical database. Healthcare service utilization usage data were extracted and compared between groups. The study included 116,816 patients with atopic dermatitis and 116,812 controls. Atopic dermatitis was associated with an increased burden of healthcare utilization across the entire spectrum of healthcare services compared with controls. For patients severely affected by atopic dermatitis, the increased burden correlated with disease severity: a high-er frequency of emergency room visits (odd ratio (OR) 1.7; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.6-1.9), dermatology wards hospitalizations (OR 315; 95% CI 0-7,342), and overall hospitalizations (OR 3.6; 95% CI 3.3-3.9). In conclusion, this study demonstrates an increased burden of healthcare utilization in atopic dermatitis.

Objectives To evaluate design, methods, and reporting of impact studies of cardiovascular clinical prediction rules (CPRs). Study Design and Setting We conducted a systematic review. Impact studies of cardiovascular CPRs were identified by forward citation and electronic database searches. We categorized the design of impact studies as appropriate for randomized and nonrandomized experiments, excluding uncontrolled before-after study. For impact studies with appropriate study design, we assessed the quality of methods and reporting. We compared the quality of methods and reporting between impact and matched control studies. Results We found 110 impact studies of cardiovascular CPRs. Of these, 65 (59.1%) used inappropriate designs. Of 45 impact studies with appropriate design, 31 (68.9%) had substantial risk of bias. Mean number of reporting domains that impact studies with appropriate study design adhered to was 10.2 of 21 domains (95% confidence interval, 9.3 and 11.1). The quality of methods and reporting was not clearly different between impact and matched control studies. Conclusion We found most impact studies either used inappropriate study design, had substantial risk of bias, or poorly complied with reporting guidelines. This appears to be a common feature of complex interventions. Users of CPRs should critically evaluate evidence showing the effectiveness of CPRs.

INTRODUCTION Several studies have found the negative impact of alcohol use disorder (AUD), most notably coagulation derangements. We sought to investigate the effects of AUD after primary total knee arthroplasty (TKA) for (1) postoperative complications, (2) lengths of stay, and (3) costs of care. METHODS This was a retrospective database analysis of Medicare patients with AUD undergoing primary TKA performed between 2005 and 2014. Patients with AUD were matched to controls in a 1:5 ratio by age, sex, and medical comorbidities. The query yielded 354,690 TKA patients: 59,126 with AUD and 295,564 without AUD. RESULTS Patients with AUD had significantly greater odds ratio (OR) of medical complications, including venous thromboembolism (VTE) within 90 days (OR: 1.41, P < 0.0001) and at 1 year (OR: 1.51, P < 0.0001) and greater 2-year implant-related complications after primary TKA. Furthermore, patients with AUD had significantly longer lengths of stay (4 versus 3 days, P < 0.0001) and incurred a significantly higher episode of care costs ($15,569.76 versus $13,763.06, P < 0.0001). DISCUSSION The present study demonstrated a significant association between AUD and the development of VTE. We hope this research will aid in risk stratification and tailoring of VTE chemoprophylaxis and postoperative management in this at-risk group after TKA. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE Level III.

Aim of the work: The aim of the present study was to assess the serum vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients with and without antiphospholipid syndrome (APS). Relation of the VEGF to the clinical characteristics and laboratory investigations were well thought out. Patients and methods: The study included 84 female SLE patients; 37 with APS and 47 without as well as 33 matched control. Disease activity was estimated using the Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index (SLEDAI) and damage index evaluated. Serum VEGF level was quantified using ELISA. Results: The mean age of the SLE patients was 29.03 ± 5.4 years with disease duration of 5.2 ± 3.1 years. The VEGF was signficantly higher in the SLE patients (417.1 ± 410.4 pg/ml) compared to the control (76.5 ± 33.01 pg/ml) (p

Background: Hypertension has important effects on left ventricle and its early detection helps to avoid the cardiac complications. LV Twist in systole helps in storing potential energy during diastole; LV untwist releases this energy. Speckle tracking echocardiography (STE) is angle-independent so it allows a more detailed evaluation of myocardial deformation. Objective: This work aimed to assess the left ventricular torsion by speckle tracking in hypertensive patients. Patients and Methods: The study was applied on 40 hypertensive patients and 20 age and sex matched control groups; all had speckle tracking echocardiography of the LV, and the basal and apical rotation were measured to assess the LV torsion. The 18 segments of LV strain were assessed and the net LV global longitudinal strain was calculated and demonstrated as bull's eye figure. Results: Hypertensive patients had higher mean values of both apical rotation and left ventricular twist than control group by a highly significant value (9.76 ± 4.98 vs 4.03 ± 2.15, P value < 0.001) and (15.25 ± 4.10 vs 9.90 ± 1.47, P value < 0.001) respectively. Hypertensive patients had a higher basal rotation than controls but did not reach a significant value (-6.01 ± 3.25 vs -5.52 ± 2.63, P value 0.558). On the contrary, the global LV longitudinal strain was lower in hypertensive patients than control but did not reach a significant value (-18.48 ± 3.94 VS -19.48 ± 3.57, P value 0.341). Conclusion:Hypertension affects myocardial structure and its systolic and diastolic functions; the left ventricular twist is an essential component of the systolic function that increases in hypertension as an early compensation for the systolic impairment. The detection of these changes achieved accurately by 2-D speckle tracking, can help in monitoring the treatment modalities of the patients for a better direction of treatment and thus, prevent further deterioration.

The overall objective of this study was to describe the contact structure and animal movement patterns of porcine epidemic diarrhea (PED) case herds and matched control herds during the initial incursion of PEDV in Canada, and to evaluate possible mechanisms of spread during this period. Possible mechanisms of spread included transmission through a common-source, herd-to-herd transmission, and transmission due to low biosecurity. Three hypotheses were evaluated by assessing: 1) whether feed supplier, semen supplier and/or animal transportation company networks contained a higher proportion of case herds compared to randomly permuted networks, 2) whether the proportion of case herds in the giant weak component differed from randomly permuted networks, and 3) whether external herd biosecurity, defined as the number of mean contacts with other herds in a one-mode network, was different between case and control herds. The study period for recruiting case and control herds was from January 22, 2014 to March 1, 2014, and a 30-day history of each participating site was collected using a questionnaire. The study included swine herds located in central and eastern Canadian provinces. Multiple two-mode networks with swine herds and service suppliers were constructed. This included feed suppliers, animal movement, animal transportation companies, semen suppliers and a complete network with all service providers. The complete network consisted of 145 nodes. There were a total of 765 edges in the complete network and majority were between feed suppliers and primary herds 29.8% (228/765). The proportion of case herds in the largest feed supplier network was higher than what was expected using randomly permuted networks, suggesting that the likely mechanism of spread during this phase was a common-source through the feed network. A single feed supplier (FS1) had the highest out-degree and outgoing contact chain indicating its importance in disease spread throughout the feed and complete networks. Network descriptive measures, as well as the results of the hypotheses testing indicate little significance in the roles of animal movement, animal transportation companies, and semen suppliers during the initial phase of the 2014 Canadian PED outbreak.

Made available in DSpace on 2019-10-06T16:05:48Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2019-01-01 Universidade Estadual Paulista The impact of fresh squeezed orange juice (fresh OJ) and processed orange juice (processed OJ) on blood glucose and insulin was investigated. Prospective food intake and the short-term antioxidant effect were measured. Adult men and women (n = 36), lean and obese, were challenged on three different occasions with a dose of fresh OJ, processed OJ and a control drink (isocaloric sugar/acid-matched control orange-flavored drink). In lean individuals, the blood glucose was 11% lower after fresh OJ and 5% lower after processed OJ, whereas in obese individuals blood glucose fell 13% after 60 min of processed and fresh OJ compared to the control drink. Similarly, intake of both types of OJ decreased prospective food intake, but increased the antioxidant status of the blood. In conclusion, both types of OJ reduced blood glucose and short-term food intake, while increasing antioxidant status; however, lean subjects had better metabolic responses to OJ than obese subjects. Sao Paulo State University (UNESP) School of Pharmaceutical Sciences Food and Nutrition Department, Rodovia Araraquara-Jau km l U.S. Horticultural Research Laboratory Agricultural Research Service U.S. Department of Agriculture, 2001 South Rock Road Sao Paulo State University (UNESP) School of Pharmaceutical Sciences Food and Nutrition Department, Rodovia Araraquara-Jau km l

We investigate the long-run stock return performance of European cross-border merger and acquisition (M&A) bidders for the period 2002–2012. Our analysis shows that, though acquirers underperform their matched control firms over the thirty-six months following deal completion, this underperformance is not ascribed to the acquisition event, but rather explained by differences between acquirers and control firms in seven firm characteristics. Results are obtained by applying the augmented buy-and-hold abnormal return (BHAR) method. We enhance the robustness of our results by introducing the propensity score methodology to the analysis in addition to matching based on size and book-to-market equity.

Left-turn lanes are commonly introduced to provide space to accommodate comfortable deceleration and adequate storage of turning vehicles. Operational shortcomings may arise due to inadequate length, including overflow and blockage of left-turn entrance by queues on an adjacent through lane. This study investigates the potential safety and operational benefits of treating left-turn lanes by extending the length further upstream a signalized intersection. Video data was collected at three treated left-turn lanes as well as three matched control lanes; all in both before and after treatment conditions. Safety parameters consisted of the counts and severities of traffic conflicts occurring on the left-turn lanes and inside the intersection. There was a marked reduction in traffic conflict counts in all treated sites. The overall treatment effect, which accounts for the simultaneous change in control sites, was 63.2% (p 0.05). There was a marked reduction in frequency of traffic conflicts at different severity levels. The mobility benefit of the treatment was demonstrated in terms of the reduction in average travel time for left-turn as well as through vehicles. The count of traffic signal cycles with blocked left-turn entrance was considerably reduced after the treatment. The use of collision data gathered from more sites is suggested as potential future work to further evaluate this treatment.

There are differences concerning reported mortality rates and prognostic factors of bullous pemphigoid (BP) patients in different studies. Our objectives were to evaluate the mortality rates and prognostic factors among Israeli BP patients compared to matched control subjects. Three age- and sex-matched patients without BP (n = 261) who were treated in our clinic were selected and compared to BP patients (n = 87). Mean survival period of the BP group was 4.1 years (95% CI: 3.3-4.8 years) and 5.9 years among the non-BP group (95% CI: 5.6-6.3 years). The 1-year mortality rate was 24.1% for the BP group and 6.5% for the control group. In multivariate analysis, age above 80 was a significant risk factor for mortality [HR 3.22 (95% CI, 1.15-8.96), p = 0.03], while statins intake had a protective role [HR 0.36 (95% CI, 0.15-0.88), p = 0.03]. In univariant analysis, dementia [HR 2.44 (95% CI, 1.02-5.99), p = 0.04] was a risk factor. In conclusion, BP patients' mortality is correlated to increasing age at diagnosis, dementia, and statins use. Statins' protective role is newly discussed in the literature.

Objectives: To evaluate serum vitamin D3, Blood Eosinophils, AbsoluteEosinophils Counts and IgE in the upper respiratory tract allergies (URTA) in Rural PopulationSindh. Study Design: Case control study. Place and Duration: Department of Medicine andBiochemistry, Isra University from January 2014 to October 2015. Subjects & Methods: Asample of 50 diagnosed cases of URTA and 50 age and gender matched control subjects wereselected through non-probability sampling. Blood samples were centrifuged to separate sera.Serum vitamin D3, Blood Eosinophils, Absolute Eosinophils and serum IgE were estimated.Data was analyzed on the SPSS 22.0 software at 95% confidence interval (P≤0.05). Results:Vitamin D3 showed significant decrease in allergic subjects; noted as 26.96±9.75 ng/dlcompared to 32.62±11.75 ng/dl in controls. Blood Eosinophils (%) were raised in the allergicsubjects compared to controls 3.42±1.91 and 1.93±0.65 respectively (p=0.0001). AbsoluteEosinophils counts (AEC) were significantly raised in the allergic cases as shown in Table-I(p=0.0001). Serum IgE in controls and cases was noted as 86.7±17.39 and 400.26±232.8IU/ml respectively (p=0.0001). Conclusion: The present study reports vitamin D3 deficiencyassociated with raised Eosinophils, Absolute Eosinophils counts and serum IgE in upperrespiratory tract allergy.

Aim of the work: To assess the neutrophil–lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and platelet–lymphocyte ratio (PLR) in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients and compare between active cases and those in remission. Patients and methods: The study included 50 RA patients and 20 matched control. Patients were enrolled into 2 equally divided groups; group A (active) with a disease activity score (DAS-28) ≥2.6 and group B (remission)

Martin Černý,1,2 Sheilagh Hodgins,3 Radmila Kučíková,2,4 Ladislav Kážmér,5 Alena Lambertová,1 Alexander Nawka,1 Lucie Nawková,1 Anna Parzelka,1 Jiří Raboch,1 Petr Bob,1 Jan Vevera1,6–8 1Department of Psychiatry, First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University in Prague and General University Hospital in Prague, Prague, Czech Republic; 2Department of Psychiatry, Teaching Hospital Královské Vinohrady, Prague, Czech Republic; 3Institut Universitaire en Santé Mentale de Montréal, Département de Psychiatrie, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Quebec, Canada; 4Psychiatric Hospital Bohnice, Prague, Czech Republic; 5Center for Epidemiological and Clinical Research in Addictions, National Institute of Mental Health, Klecany, Czech Republic; 67th Field Hospital, Czech Armed Forces, Hradec Králové, Czech Republic; 7Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University Hospital in Pilsen, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic; 8Department of Psychiatry, Institute for Postgraduate Medical Education Prague, Prague, Czech Republic Purpose: To prevent violence among persons with psychosis, further knowledge of the correlates and risk factors is needed. These risk factors may vary by nation. Patients and methods: This study examined factors associated with violent assaults in 158 patients with psychosis and in a matched control sample of 158 adults without psychosis in the Czech Republic. Participants completed interviews and questionnaires to confirm diagnoses, report on aggressive behavior, current and past victimization, and substance use. Additional information was collected from collateral informants and clinical files. Multiple regression analyses were conducted to identify factors that were independently associated with committing an assault in past 6 months. Results: The presence of a psychotic disorder was associated with an increased risk of assaults (OR =3.80; 95% CI 2.060–7.014). Additional risk factors in persons with and without psychosis included recent physical victimization (OR =7.09; 95% CI 3.922–12.819), childhood maltreatment (OR =3.15; 95% CI 1.877–5.271), the level of drug use (OR =1.13; 95% CI 1.063–1.197), and the level of alcohol use (OR =1.04; 95% CI 1.000–1.084). Increasing age (OR =0.96; 95% CI 0.942–0.978) and employment (OR =0.30; 95% CI 0.166–0.540) were protective factors. Except for drug use, which appeared to have greater effect on violence in the group without psychosis, there were no major differences between patients and controls in these risk and protective factors. To our knowledge, this is the first published comparison of assault predictors between schizophrenia patients and matched controls. Conclusion: Recent physical victimization was the strongest predictor of assaults. Our findings are consistent with the emerging empirical evidence pointing to the very important role of victimization in eliciting violent behavior by the victims. Some current prediction instruments may underestimate the risk of violent behavior as they take little account of current victimization. Although psychosis per se elevates the risk of violence, other risk and protective factors for violence in persons with psychosis and comparison group are largely similar. Keywords: schizophrenia, psychosis, violence, victimization, risk

Kidney Donor Risk Index (KDRI) introduced in 2009 included hepatitis C serologic but not viremic status of the donors. With nucleic acid amplification testing (NAT) now being mandatory, further evaluation of these donors is possible. We conducted a retrospective matched case-control analysis of adult deceased donor kidney transplants performed between December 5, 2014 to December 31, 2016 with the KDRI score and hepatitis C virus antibody (HCV Ab) and NAT testing status obtained from the United Network for Organ Sharing database. The 205 aviremic HCV Ab+ NAT - kidney transplants were compared to KDRI matched control kidneys that were HCV Ab-NAT-. The aviremic HCV kidneys were recovered from donors who were significantly younger, more likely to be white, and less likely to have hypertension and diabetes. The majority of the recipients of the aviremic HCV kidneys when compared to matched controls were HCV positive: 90.2% vs 4.3%. The recipients were significantly older, were on dialysis for a shorter time, and were transplanted sooner. The graft survival of aviremic HCV kidneys was similar (P .08). If the HCV status of the aviremic kidneys was assumed to be negative, 122 more kidneys could have been allocated to patients with estimated posttransplant survival20. Seven kidneys would no longer have Kidney Donor Profile Index85%. Further policies might consider these findings to appropriately allocate these kidneys.

Objectives: Does the provision of supportive tools improve guideline-oriented recognition and treatment of patients with depression in primary care? Methods: In a nested intervention study, as part of a larger epidemiological study program in German primary care, 46 randomly drawn practices received tools to facilitate identification and treatment decisions. Pre-post effects were compared to 42 matched control practices without intervention. Results: The proportion of correctly identified depression cases was similar in the intervention (47.2 %) and the control group (42.3 %, p = 0.537). Compared to controls, practitioners in the intervention group rated their competence in case identification and treatment at post-intervention more positively (p = 0.016). No effects were observed regarding the usage of the tools, practitioners' attitudes towards national depression guidelines, and depression treatment procedures. Discussion: Since provision of guideline-oriented tools did not improve recognition and quality of treatment, delineation of alternative strategies for enhanced guideline adherence in primary care for depression is warranted.

Background and Purpose: Knee muscle strength deficits have been reported in individuals who have undergone anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR). Isokinetic testing is a valid way to assess muscle strength. Some isokinetic variables, including the range of motion in the phases to attain a specific velocity, load range (sustained specific velocity), time to achieve deceleration, and qualitative analysis of the torque-angle velocity relationship, may contribute to understanding recovery of these individuals after surgery. Thus, the purpose of this study was to compare the load range (LR), time to attain velocity (TTAV), deceleration time (DT) phases, total range of motion (ROM), peak torque/body mass (PT/BM), angle of peak torque (AngPT) during LR and torque-angle-velocity relationships (TAV3D) between post ACLR and matched control subjects.Study design: Case-control. Methods Seven men who underwent ACLR and seven matched controls were evaluated from four to six months after surgery. Testing was performed on a Biodex System 4 isokinetic dynamometer in concentric mode at 60, 120 and 300 °/s, for knee flexion and extension. Results Statistically significant differences were seen for extension ROM at 60 °/s where ROM was greater in the control group. PT/BM for extensors was also significantly greater in controls by 20 % compared to ACLR at 60 and 120 °/s. PT/BM for flexors was significantly greater for controls at 60 °/s (∼15 %). TAV3D showed differences in torque and, specifically, the control group sustained knee flexion torque for a greater range of motion when compared to the ACLR group. Conclusion The ACL group presented with lower ROM and PT/BM, therefore exhibiting worse muscle performance in comparison to the control group.Level of Evidence: 3.

OBJECTIVES An increasing number of medical schools are incorporating point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) into preclinical and clinical curricula. The ultimate effect of this teaching is unclear, and there has been no distinct link between ultrasound (US) learning and existing standardized student assessments. Additionally, neither optimal timing nor methods of POCUS integration have been established. We aimed to demonstrate the effect of US teaching on standardized objective assessments that already exist within the curriculum and, in doing so, discern a route for POCUS curricular integration. METHODS A longitudinal POCUS pilot curriculum was started in 2013, with the class of 2017. We collected basic science course results, standardized objective structured clinical examination scores, and United States Medical Licensing Examination step 1 scores from both the pilot group (n = 34) and matched control participants (n = 34) from the classes of 2017 and 2018. Scores between POCUS students and controls were analyzed by Student t tests. RESULTS Students participating in the longitudinal POCUS program scored significantly higher on the physical examination portion of their clinical skill objective structured clinical examination assessment than the control group (mean score, 89.2 versus 85.7; P

Background:LASIK Xtra is a recently described technique which combines LASIK and accelerated corneal cross-linking(CXL) in the same setting. Its long-term outcome in Asians with high myopia is not well described.Objectives:To compare the efficacy, predictability and safety of LASIK Xtra with LASIK in patients with high myopia.Method:This is a retrospective study comparing 50 consecutive eyes undergoing LASIK Xtra for the correction of high myopia and/or myopic astigmatism (-6.63 to -15.50 D manifest spherical equivalent) with a matched control group of 50 eyes undergoing LASIK alone for correction of high myopia (-6.00 to -12.25 D manifest spherical equivalent). Mean follow-up was 5.7 months (range, 1.5-13.3 months) for LASIK Xtra and 3.6 months (range, 1.7-4.2 months) for LASIK only. Outcome measures included Uncorrected Distance Visual Acuity (UDVA), Corrected Distance Visual Acuity (CDVA), refraction and intraoperative and postoperative complications.Results:At post-operative 3 months, all eyes achieved UDVA of 20/40 or better, and 80.0% of LASIK Xtra eyes achieved UDVA of 20/20 or better, compared to 66.0% of LASIK only eyes (p= 0.115). Efficacy indices were 0.99±0.17 for LASIK Xtra and 0.94±0.17 for LASIK only (p= 0.164). The proportion of eyes within ±0.50 D of attempted correction was 84% in the LASIK only group and 72% in the LASIK Xtra group at post-operative 3 months (p= 0.148). Safety indices were 1.11±0.19 and 1.11±0.18 in the LASIK Xtra and LASIK only groups, respectively (p= 0.735).Conclusion:LASIK Xtra achieved comparable safety, predictability and efficacy as LASIK in patients with high myopia. Good refractive stability was attained at 6-12 months. Further long term studies are required to determine whether simultaneous CXL is able to reduce postoperative LASIK keratectasia in high-risk individuals.

We investigated the association between plasma saturated fatty acids (SFAs) and the risk of metabolic syndrome among ethnic Chinese adults in Taiwan who attended a health check-up center.A case-control study based on 1000 cases of metabolic syndrome and 1:1 matched control participants (mean age, 54.9 ± 10.7 y; 36% females) were recruited. Metabolic syndrome was defined according to the criteria of the International Diabetes Federation. Gas chromatography was used to measure the distribution of fatty acids in plasma (% of total fatty acids).Even-chain SFAs, including 14:0, 16:0, and 18:0, were associated with metabolic syndrome; the adjusted odds ratio [OR] and 95% confidence interval [CI] per standard deviation [SD] difference was 3.32, [1.98-5.59]; however, very-long-chain SFAs, including 20:0, 21:0, 22:0, 23:0, and 24:0, were inversely associated with metabolic syndrome. The adjusted OR [95% CI] per SD difference was 0.67 [0.58-0.78]. The area under the receiver operative characteristic curve increased from 0.814 in the basic model to 0.815 (p = 0.54, compared with the basic model), 0.818 (p 0.0001), and 0.820 (p 0.0001) after adding odd-chain, even-chain, and very-long chain SFAs. A meta-analysis based on 12 studies showed that the summarized OR for type 2 diabetes mellitus was 1.16 [0.96-1.41] for the top versus bottom SFAs.Different carbon numbers of SFAs have been shown to have differential effects on the status of metabolic syndrome, implying that SFAs are not homogenous for the effects.

Risk-aversion and rationality have both been highlighted as core features of decision making in individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). This study tested whether risk-aversion is related to rational decision-making in ASD individuals. ASD and matched control adults completed a decision-making task that discriminated between the use of risk-averse and rational strategies. Results showed that overall, ASD participants were more risk-averse than control participants. Specifically, both groups made similar choices when risk-aversion was the less rational strategy but ASD participants chose more rational options than control participants when risk-aversion was the most rational strategy. This study confirmed that risk-aversion is a core feature of ASD and revealed that ASD individuals can switch their decision-making strategy adaptively to avoid negative consequences.

Objectives: The long-term skeletal effects of Class II treatment in growing individuals using high-pull facebow headgear and fixed edgewise appliances have not been reported. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the long-term skeletal effects of treatment using high-pull headgear followed by fixed orthodontic appliances compared to an untreated control group. Materials and Methods: Changes in anteroposterior and vertical cephalometric measurements of 42 Class II subjects (n = 21, mean age = 10.7 years) before treatment, after headgear correction to Class I molar relationship, after treatment with fixed appliances, and after long-term retention (mean 4.1 years), were compared to similar changes in a matched control group (n = 21, mean age = 10.9 years) by multivariable linear regression models. Results: Compared to control, the study group displayed significant long-term horizontal restriction of A-point (SNA = −1.925°, P < .0001; FH-NA = −3.042°, P < .0001; linear measurement A-point to Vertical Reference = −3.859 mm, P < .0001) and reduction of the ANB angle (−1.767°, P < .0001), with no effect on mandibular horizontal growth or maxillary and mandibular vertical skeletal changes. A-point horizontal restriction and forward mandibular horizontal growth accompanied the study group correction to Class I molar, and these changes were stable long term. Conclusions: One phase treatment for Class II malocclusion with high-pull headgear followed by fixed orthodontic appliances resulted in correction to Class I molar through restriction of horizontal maxillary growth with continued horizontal mandibular growth and vertical skeletal changes unaffected. The anteroposterior molar correction and skeletal effects of this treatment were stable long term.

// Apurva Atak 1 , Samiksha Khurana 1 , Kishore Gollapalli 1 , Panga Jaipal Reddy 1 , Roei Levy 2 , Stav Ben-Salmon 2 , Dror Hollander 2 , Maya Donyo 2 , Anke Heit 3 , Agnes Hotz-Wagenblatt 3 , Hadas Biran 4 , Roded Sharan 4 , Shailendra Rane 5 , Ashutosh Shelar 5 , Gil Ast 2 and Sanjeeva Srivastava 1 1 Proteomics Laboratory, Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Powai, Mumbai 400076, India 2 Department of Human Molecular Genetics and Biochemistry, Sackler Medical School, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel 3 Bioinformatics Group, Genomics and Proteomics Core Facility (GPCF), German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg 69120, Germany 4 Blavatnik School of Computer Science, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel 5 Shimadzu Analytical (India) Pvt. Ltd, 1A/B, Rushabh Chambers, Makwana Road, Marol, Andheri (E), Mumbai 400059, India Correspondence to: Sanjeeva Srivastava, email: sanjeeva@iitb.ac.in Keywords: colon adenocarcinoma; proteomics; biomarkers; tissue; iTRAQ Received: July 14, 2017 Accepted: January 30, 2018 Published: February 05, 2018 ABSTRACT Adenocarcinomas are cancers originating from the gland forming cells of the colon and rectal lining, and are known to be the most common type of colorectal cancers. The current diagnosis strategies for colorectal cancers include biopsy, laboratory tests, and colonoscopy which are time consuming. Identification of protein biomarkers could aid in the detection of colon adenocarcinomas (CACs). In this study, tissue proteome of colon adenocarcinomas ( n = 11) was compared with the matched control specimens ( n = 11) using isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantitation (iTRAQ) based liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) approach. A list of 285 significantly altered proteins was identified in colon adenocarcinomas as compared to its matched controls, which are associated with growth and malignancy of the tumors. Protein interaction analysis revealed the association of altered proteins in colon adenocarcinomas with various transcription factors and their targets. A panel of nine proteins was validated using multiple reaction monitoring (MRM). Additionally, S100A9 was also validated using immunoblotting. The identified panel of proteins may serve as potential biomarkers and thereby aid in the detection of colon adenocarcinomas.

PurposeThis study examined the effectiveness of a formal postdoctoral education program designed to teach skills in clinical and translational science, using scholar publication rates as a measure of research productivity.MethodParticipants included 70 clinical fellows who were admitted to a master’s or certificate training program in clinical and translational science from 1999 to 2015 and 70 matched control peers. The primary outcomes were the number of publications 5 years post-fellowship matriculation and time to publishing 15 peer-reviewed manuscripts post-matriculation.ResultsClinical and translational science program graduates published significantly more peer-reviewed manuscripts at 5 years post-matriculation (median 8 vs 5, p=0.041) and had a faster time to publication of 15 peer-reviewed manuscripts (matched hazard ratio = 2.91, p=0.002). Additionally, program graduates’ publications yielded a significantly higher average H-index (11 vs. 7, p=0.013).ConclusionThese findings support the effectiveness of formal training programs in clinical and translational science by increasing academic productivity.

[Purpose] To evaluate the intra- and inter-session reliability of dynamic postural control in ACL reconstruction and matched control athletes. [Subjects and Methods] By using force plate, the postural controls of both groups (20 ACLR and 20 healthy matched controls) were assessed during the transitional task from DLS to SLS. The outcome variables included COP displacement and area and the mean velocity of COP. [Results] The balance measures had moderate to high correlation for area (ICC=0.64–0.73) and rang of fore-aft (Rfa) (ICC=0.66–0.80) in the ACLR group and Rfa (ICC=0.70–0.86) in the healthy group. High to very high reliability was seen for rang of sideway (Rsw) (ICC=0.76–0.96) and mean velocity (Mv) (ICC=0.81–0.98) in ACLR and area (ICC=0.70–0.98) and Rsw (ICC=0.84–0.98) and Mv (ICC=0.89–0.97) in the healthy group. [Conclusion] Force plate measures of postural control demonstrated moderate to very high reliability in athletes with and without ACLR during the transitional task. The results of the recent study showed that the assessment of transitional task postural control in athletes with ACLR may reliably be incorporated in the evaluation of the physical function.

Aim Women likely attempt suicide more than men and sex hormones or menstrual cycle may be associated with female suicide attempts. There are debates regarding the correlation of premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) and suicidal behaviors. The objective of this study was to examine if PMDD was associated with suicidal attempts as sex hormones are contributed in its pathogenesis. Methods As a case-control study 120 fertile woman with regular menstrual cycles attempting suicide and admitted to a general hospital were compared with a matched control group of 120 women selected among those accompanying other patients in other wards. Psychiatric interview based on DSM-5 criteria was conducted for diagnosing PMDD. Results There was a significantly higher frequency of PMDD in suicide attempters than in the controls (P = 0.001); while no remarkable difference was seen in frequency of premenstrual syndrome (PMS) between the two groups (P = 0.294) and attempting suicide was not related to the menstrual cycle (P = 0.52). Conclusions This study suggests that PMDD may be associated with suicidal attempts, however it is not related to menstrual cycle. No relationship was found between PMS and suicidal acts.

Background Knee stiffness requiring manipulation under anesthesia (MUA) is an undesirable outcome following total knee arthroplasty (TKA), but risk factors for, and optimal timing of, MUA remain unclear. Methods Primary TKAs performed at a single center were retrospectively reviewed. Clinical variables were compared between patients who underwent MUA and those who did not; variables that differed were utilized to identify an appropriately matched control group of non-MUA patients. The MUA group was divided into early (MUA ≤6 weeks from index) and late (>6 weeks) subgroups. Flexion values at multiple time points were compared. Results In total, 1729 TKA patients were reviewed; MUA was performed in 62 patients. Patients undergoing MUA were younger (55.2 vs 65.3 years, P Conclusion TKA patients undergoing MUAs were younger, more likely to be current smokers, and more likely to have undergone prior knee surgery. Even in patients with severe initial postoperative limitations in range of motion, MUA within 6 weeks may allow for final outcomes that are equivalent to those experienced by similar patients not requiring manipulation.

Moran, J, Sandercock, GRH, Ramírez-Campillo, R, Wooller, J-J, Logothetis, S, Schoenmakers, PPJM, and Parry, DA. Maturation-related differences in adaptations to resistance training in young male swimmers. J Strength Cond Res 32(1): 139-149, 2018-This study examined the effects of resistance training on muscular strength and jump performances in young male swimmers. It was hypothesized that adaptations would be of a lower magnitude in less mature (prepeak height velocity [PHV]) than in more mature (post-PHV) subjects. Fourteen pre-PHV (-1.8 ± 1.0 years) and 8 post-PHV (1.6 ± 0.5 years) swimmers undertook a 30 minutes, twice-weekly resistance training program for 8 weeks. They were compared with matched control groups (pre-PHV: -2.0 ± 1.1, n = 15; post-PHV: 1.2 ± 1.0, n = 7). The effects on lower-body isometric strength (LBS), measured with midthigh pull, and vertical jump (VJ) height in the post-PHV group were large (effect size: 1.3 [0.4 to 2.2]) and small (0.4 [-0.4 to 1.2]), respectively. Effects on LBS and VJ height in the pre-PHV group were moderate (0.8 [0.1 to 1.4]) and trivial (0.2 [-0.5 to 0.8]), respectively. Estimates in the post-PHV control group (LBS: 0.7 [-0.2 to 1.6]; VJ: 0.2 [-0.7 to 1.0]) and the pre-PHV control group (LBS: 0.1 [-0.5 to 0.7]; VJ: -0.3 [-0.9 to 0.3]) may indicate the extent to which maturation could contribute to the performance changes seen in the respective training groups. Lower-body isometric strength and VJ are trainable, but to different magnitudes, in pre- and post-PHV swimmers. After appropriate foundational training to establish technical competency, twice-weekly resistance training sessions of 30 minutes duration, comprising 3 sets of 4 exercises can be effective in pre- and post-PHV youth.

Background/aim: The aim of this study was to assess the diagnostic utility of the ultrasonographic ratio of median nerve cross-sectional area (m-CSA) to ulnar nerve cross-sectional area (u-CSA), the m-CSA/u-CSA ratio, in carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). Materials and methods: Fifty patients with positive symptoms and electromyography results of CTS and 50 healthy matched control subjects were evaluated. Ultrasonographic m-CSA and u-CSA measurements of each participant were made at the level of the pisiform bone and the m-CSA/u-CSA ratio was calculated. Results: Using the m-CSA cut-off value of 11.95 mm2 showed a sensitivity of 80% and a specificity of 80% while using a cut-off value 2.95 for the ratio of m-CSA/u-CSA showed a sensitivity of 86% and a specificity of 72% in the diagnosis of CTS. Conclusion: The ratio of m-CSA/u-CSA at the level of the pisiform bone was not detected to be superior to m-CSA in the diagnosis of CTS. © TÜBİTAK.