Residual /s/ and /r/ distortions: the perspective of the speaker

The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of residual distortions from the perspective of the speaker. Eighty adult speakers of Brazilian Portuguese with a distortion of the alveolar fricative /s/, the alveolar tap /[symbol: see text]/, or both, completed a questionnaire that documented their therapy history, awareness of the speech distortion, and perceived impact of the disorder. Only a small number of the participants reported that they received negative reactions to their speech and only a minority were of the opinion that their speech interfered with work or social life. Yet a considerable number were of the opinion that their speech was different from that of other people and felt insecure in speech situations. The results suggest that there is a high tolerance toward minor speech errors in present day society that may be related to the fact that such disorders are not at all rare.     

Residual /s/ and /r/ distortions: The perspective of the speaker

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of residual distortions from the perspective of the speaker. Eighty adult speakers of Brazilian Portuguese with a distortion of the alveolar fricative /s/, the alveolar tap , or both, completed a questionnaire that documented their therapy history, awareness of the speech distortion, and perceived impact of the disorder. Only a small number of the participants reported that they received negative reactions to their speech and only a minority were of the opinion that their speech interfered with work or social life. Yet a considerable number were of the opinion that their speech was different from that of other people and felt insecure in speech situations. The results suggest that there is a high tolerance toward minor speech errors in present day society that may be related to the fact that such disorders are not at all rare.     

The relationship of vocal tract dimensions and substitution of the palatal approximant /j/ for the alveolar trill /r/

Abstract

Purpose: To investigate the relationship of the vocal tract dimensions and dental arches in participants with substitution of palatal approximant /j/ for the trill variant of /r/.

Method: Cephalograms and dental casts of 60 native speakers of Arabic were used for comparison. The experimental group included 30 participants with substitution of /j/ for the trill variant of /r/ (17 males and 13 females, age ranged between 15–20 years, M = 18.7 years, SD = 1.27). The control group included 30 normal speakers (15 males and 15 females, age ranged between 15–20 years, M = 18.3 years, SD = 1.67). Both groups had class I occlusion.

Result: The experimental group showed significantly shorter maxillary length, p < 0.05, and narrower vocal tract dimensions compared to the control group, p < 0.05. Tongue length (TGL) and height (TGH) and soft palate length (PNSP) and thickness (MPT) were statistically significantly reduced in the experimental group compared to the control group, p < 0.05. The distance between the hyoid bone and retrognathion or C3 was significantly shorter in the experimental group compared to the control group, p < 0.05. Inter-canine widths and dental arch lengths were significantly shorter in the experimental group compared to the control group, p < 0.05.

Conclusion: The substitution of /j/ for the trill variant of /r/ is associated with altered dimensions of the vocal tract. These alterations may explain the residual articulation disorder during the production of the trilled /r/ compared to other sound classes that respond to speech therapy. Orthodontic and Maxillo facial surgery consultation might be needed when providing therapy to individuals with this particular articulation disorder.     

On the Detection of Anti-Lub

Six anti-Lub sera were tested simultaneously by different serologic methods. Papain or bromelin treatment of the Lu(b+) erythrocytes and the antiglobulin test are recommended for detection of anti-Lu^b. The enzyme test is slightly better than the antiglobulin test.     

Diversity of the blaSHV genes

We investigated the diversity of nucleotide sequences of 297 SHV-encoding genes, based on nucleotide synonymous mutations and the presence or absence of the nonsynonymous mutation T92A. The analysis of this diversity allowed us to develop and propose a classification to differentiate the nucleotide sequence variants of the bla_SHV genes.     

Effect of inhibition of the electrogenic Na+/K+ pump on the mechanical activity in the rat uterus

Summary— The effects of ouabain and K⁺-free solution were studied in estrogen-primed rat uterine strips under resting tone or repeatedly stimulated with KCl, acetylcholine or oxytocin applied for 20 minutes at 60 minute intervals. These effects were compared with those of the K⁺ channel opener cromakalim. In preparations under resting tone, ouabain (0.1 mM and 0.3 mM) induced rhythmic contractions which disappeared after 20–30 minutes whereas at a higher concentration (1 mM) it evoked a rapid, phasic response followed by a small tonic contraction. Exposure of the strip to a K⁺-free solution induced either rhythmic waves, which ceased after 8–10 minutes, or a single phasic contraction which was followed by a small and slow increase in the resting tone (54 ± 10 mg after 180 min exposure). Nifedipine (0.3 μM) abolished the rhythmic or phasic component of these responses but failed to modify the late small tonic contraction induced by ouabain 1 mM or by K⁺-free solution. Ouabain (0.1–1 mM) or K⁺-free-evoked responses disappeared after short (4 min) or prolonged (60 min) exposure to a Ca²⁺-free, 3 mM EGTA-containing solution. Cromakalim (10 nM ?0.1 mM) did not induce any variation in the resting tone either in the presence or in the absence of Ca²⁺ in the medium. In strips repeatedly stimulated with acetylcholine (0.1 mM) or oxytocin (1 μM), ouabain (0.3 mM), K⁺-free-solution and cromakalim (10 μM) reduced the amplitude of the initial, phasic response and progressively decreased the oscillatory component of the response to these agonists. Conversely, the successive responses evoked by KCl 60 mM in similar experimental conditions were not affected by ouabain or cromakalim. Ouabain (0.3 mM), K⁺-free solution and cromakalim (10 μM) decreased the Ca²⁺-independent, maintained contractions induced by acetylcholine or oxytocin after prolonged exposure to a Ca²⁺-free, EGTA-containing medium. These inhibitory effects were partially or completely reversed in the presence of the non-selective potassium channel blocker tetraethylammonium (10 mM) or in a Ca²⁺-free solution containing 60 mM K⁺. In conclusion, these results suggest that the response induced by ouabain or K⁺-free solution in estrogen-primed rat myometrium involves Ca²⁺ influx through potential-operated calcium channels but not Ca²⁺ release from intracellular stores. In addition, our results show that prolonged exposure to ouabain or K⁺-free medium decreases membrane receptor-mediated responses in rat uterus. This inhibitory effect seems to be the result, at least in part, of a decrease in the cytosolic level of K⁺, due to the inhibition of the electrogenic Na⁺ pump.     

Studies on the Distribution of the Blood Group Antigen Doa (Dombrock) and the Characteristics of Anti-Doa

An antibody developing in Mrs. Dombrock following transfusion, defines a new blood group system. The antigen Do^a, present in 64 per cent of Caucasians, has a lower frequency in Indians and Negroes. The immune characteristics of this antibody have been demonstrated by reactions in vitro and in vivo. It is to be expected that if Dombrock proves to be a two allele system, the antigen Do^b will occur in 84 per cent of Caucasians.     

Articulatory characteristics of the occlusion phase of /t/ compared to /t/ in adult speech

This study used electropalatography (EPG) to investigate articulatory characteristics of /t/ and /t/ occlusion in order to provide normative data to be used for the diagnosis and treatment of individuals with speech disorders. EPG data from the EUR-ACCOR database were analysed for nonsense VCV sequences containing /t/ and /t/ in nine vowel contexts for seven English speaking adults. The main results of this study are that all speakers had a significantly more posterior placement for /t/ compared to /t/ and that placement was stable during the occlusion phase of both /t/ and /t/. For most speakers, the occlusion phase was longer for /t/ compared to /t/, the occlusion phase generally involved more EPG contact and was slightly more variable in /t/ compared to /t/, but these differences were not statistically significant for all speakers. The implications of the results for diagnosing and treating speech disorders are discussed.     

《2021年AHA/ACC/ASE/CHEST/SAEM/SCCT/SCMR胸痛评估与诊断指南》解读

美国心脏协会等七大协会于2021年10月28日首次联合发布了《2021年AHA/ACC/ASE/CHEST/SAEM/SCCT/SCMR胸痛评估与诊断指南》.此次指南强调了急性胸痛风险分层和诊断流程,考虑了低风险胸痛诊断检查的成本经济效益,并建议与患者共享决策.该指南主要涉及胸痛初始评估、以患者为中心的急性胸痛诊治流程和稳定型胸痛患者的评估.该文通过文献查阅,对指南推荐要点进行详细解读.     

二甲双胍联合西格列汀治疗老年糖尿病的meta分析

目的 通过系统评价的方式评估二甲双胍联合西格列汀治疗老年2型糖尿病(T2DM)的疗效和安全性。方法 通过检索中文数据库如万方、中国知网、维普数据库以及外文数据库如PubMed、Cochrane library等各个数据库,自建库以来至2023年2月1日期间所发表的二甲双胍联合西格列汀治疗老年T2DM的所有RCT研究,对纳入文献进行偏倚风险评价及 Meta 分析。结果 最终纳入10项研究,共927例患者;试验组均使用二甲双胍联合西格列汀,对照组均使用二甲双胍治疗。纳入的10项研究中,有5项研究进行了安全性评价即不良反应情况;发现二甲双胍联合西格列汀治疗具有良好的安全性。Meta分析的研究结果表明,试验组的空腹血糖、餐后血糖、糖化血红蛋白明显低于对照组。结论 西格列汀联合二甲双胍适用于老年糖尿病的治疗,降糖效果好,安全性高。     

Comparative Study of the Metabolism of U-14C-Fructose, U-14C-Sorbitol and U-14C-Xylitol in the Normal and in the Streptozotocin-Diabetic Rat*

Abstract. Young male rats metabolize xylitol, sorbitol and fructose with a half-life of 165 seconds. Within 10 min. after the intravenous injection of a load of these substrates more than 70% of the carbon-14 in plasma is present as ¹⁴C-glucose. The labelling of plasma glucose from these substrates appears to be insulin-independent. A small percentage of labelled xylitol, sorbitol and fructose is retained by the liver as glycogen and total lipids. In the normal rat, this process appears to be insulin-independent. In the chronic streptozotocin-diabetic rat, insulin acutely enhances glycogen synthesis from all three substrates and reduces their incorporation into total lipids. Once these substrates have been converted to glucose the further storage as muscle glycogen and adipose tissue total lipids is entirely dependent on insulin, both in the normal and in the streptozotocin-diabetic rat. Fructose makes an exception since it is metabolized by adipose tissue independently of insulin. In the light of these results in the rat a re-evaluation of the use of various carbohydrates and polyols in parenteral nutrition of normal and diabetic subjects appears desirable.     

Jsb of the Sutter Blood Group System

The serum of a Memphis Negress was found to be incompatible with all donors tested. She had had 11 pregnancies and had received 16 pints of blood between 1955 and 1957. She was found to be strongly Js(a+) and her four living children were all Js(a+). Her serum was tested against the red cells of two sisters believed to be homozygous for Js^a because all their ten children are Js(a+). They were found to be compatible. Thirteen of 1,269 Memphis and Milwaukee Negroes were found to be ccmpatible. Twelve of these were tested with anti-Js^a and all were positive. The probability of selecting 12 consecutive Js(a+) Negroes by chance is only four in a billion. The proportion of 0.0102 non-reactors among the 1,269 Negroes tested agrees well with Giblett's estimate of 0.0106. The antibody has therefore been designated as anti-Js^b. No Js(b–) individuals have been found among 1,005 Caucasians tested.     

Reverse genetics studies of attenuation of the ca A/AA/6/60 influenza virus: the role of the matrix gene.

The matrix (M) gene of influenza virus has been implicated in the attenuation phenotype of the cold adapted (ca) A/AA/6/60 vaccine. Previous studies have evaluated the ca M from A/AA/6/60 in different wild type (wt) virus backgrounds with varying results. In experiments described here, the ca M gene was transfected into the background of its own wt A/AA/6/60 to eliminate the possibility of confounding gene constellation effects. Comparison of the sequence of the wt and the ca A/AA/6/60 revealed one substitution in the nucleotide sequence of M. The molecular techniques of reverse genetics were used to rescue the ca M gene into the virulent wt A/AA/6/60 virus. The selection system used to identify the desired transfectant virus was amantadine resistance, which was introduced into the M2 gene using mutagenesis. The ca A/AA/6/60, the wt A/AA/6/60, a virus which contained wt M and was wt in the remaining seven genes and amantadine resistant (wt/969), a virus which contained the ca M but wt in the other seven genes (ca/969) were all evaluated in mice determine the effect of the ca M. The ca/969 virus was not attenuated in the mouse model when compared to the wt/969 virus, indicating that the ca A/AA/6/60 M does not independently contribute to the attenuation phenotype attributed to the ca A/AA/6/60 vaccine virus.     

Heterogeneity of the blood group Ax allele: genetic recombination of common alleles can result in the Ax phenotype

The A_x phenotype is an important subgroup of the ABO blood group system. Its inheritance does not always follow Mendelian rules and recent studies suggested that different alleles can result in this phenotype. This suggestion has been explored by cloning and sequencing exons 6 and 7 of the ABO gene and the intervening intron from members of six unrelated families expressing the A_x phenotype.
Two families showed the previously described T646A 'A_x' mutation as the only deviation from the consensus A¹ allele. In two other families the A_x phenotype was inherited as two different recombinational gene products. Combination of exon 6 derived from A or B/O² alleles with exon 7 from the O^1v allele created two novel alleles that have four O^1v -characteristic nucleotide substitutions in exon 7, including T646A. Sequencing and analysis of polymorphisms in intron 6 defined the crossing-over zones of these hybrid alleles. Southern blot confirmed the hybrid formation by detecting ABO-related polymorphisms ≈ 1.35 kb downstream from the ABO reading frame.
The remaining two families expressed the A_x phenotype via an allele having A² -specific mutations. Thus, a heterogeneous molecular background leads to the serologically defined A_x phenotype and may well explain the different modes of inheritance observed.     

Further Observations on the Blood Factors RhA, RhB, RhC and RhD

The findings in 18 cases of individuals with Rh_o-positive blood who had antibodies in their serum resembling anti-Rh_o in specificity are briefly summarized. One interesting finding is the relatively high frequency of such individuals among Negroes, especially with the blood type Rh^d_o and Rh^abd_o. The significance of these findings is discussed.     

OPG/RANKL/RANK系统在心血管疾病中的研究进展

骨保护素(OPG)是肿瘤坏死因子超家族成员之一,主要通过与细胞核因子κB受体活化因子配基(RANKL)竞争性结合细胞核因子κB受体活化因子(RANK)而调节破骨细胞的分化、成熟。近年来的研究表明OPG/RANKL/RANK系统除在骨代谢方面发挥重要作用,也参与了心血管系统疾病的发生发展。本文将对OPG/RANKL/RANK系统与心血管疾病的关系及作用机制作一综述。