Kinematic differentiation of prosodic categories in normal and disordered language development.

Prosody is complex and hierarchically organized but is realized as rhythmic movement sequences. Thus, observations of the development of rhythmic aspects of movement can provide insight into links between motor and language processes, specifically whether prosodic distinctions (e.g., feet and prosodic words) are instantiated in rhythmic movement output. This experiment examined 4-7-year-old children's (both normally developing and specifically language impaired) and adults' productions of prosodic sequences that were controlled for phonetic content but differed in morphosyntactic structure (i.e., content vs. function words). Primary analyses included kinematic measures of rhythmic structure (i.e., amplitude and duration of movements in weak vs. strong syllables) across content and function contexts. Findings showed that at the level of articulatory movement, adults produced distinct rhythmic categories across content and function word contexts, whereas children did not. Children with specific language impairment differed from normally developing peers only in their ability to produce well-organized and stable rhythmic movements, not in the differentiation of prosodic categories.     

Children's use of motor vehicle restraints: maternal psychological distress, maternal motor vehicle restraint practices, and sociodemographics.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the relative contribution of maternal psychological distress, maternal restraint use, and sociodemographic characteristics to the likelihood that a child would not be restrained in a motor vehicle. METHODS: We examined data on 6251 children aged 0-17 years from the 1998 National Health Interview Survey. The level of children's motor vehicle restraint use (low vs high) was examined by maternal psychological distress and motor vehicle restraint use. Multivariate regression analyses were used to model the odds of children's low use of motor vehicle restraints, controlling for potential confounders. RESULTS: According to maternal reports, more than 10% of children and nearly 13% of mothers reported low use of motor vehicle restraints. Multivariate analyses revealed that maternal use of restraints and psychological distress were both independently related to children's use of restraints, with maternal low use as the stronger correlate. Older children were more likely than younger children to be low users of motor vehicle restraints if the mother reported that she was a low user of restraints. Families with male children, black and Hispanic mothers, and 4 or more members reported lower use of restraints for their children. CONCLUSIONS: Children's low use of motor vehicle restraints was associated with low levels of maternal motor vehicle restraint use and maternal psychological distress. Moreover, maternal motor vehicle restraint practices become increasingly important as children age. Health care providers should consider maternal motor vehicle restraint use, maternal psychological distress, and child age in addition to sociodemographics when assessing children's motor vehicle safety.     

Treatment in the pediatric emergency department is evidence based: a retrospective analysis

Background  

Our goal was to quantify the evidence that is available to the physicians of a pediatric emergency department (PED) in making treatment decisions. Further, we wished to ascertain what percentage of evidence for treatment provided in the PED comes from pediatric studies.     

The role of caspases in cell death and differentiation.

The complexity, redundancy and interdependence of the biological systems involved in tumour response to different treatments hamper progress towards developing specific and effective therapies. In addition, the many and even contradictory roles played by certain key proteins can significantly amend our view on tumourigenesis. The role of caspases in the modulation of cell death and differentiation is a prominent example of such a complexity. Here we focus on the role of caspases in apoptotic cell death, mainly in haematological malignancies, tumourigenesis, sepsis, T-cell proliferation and cell differentiation.     

Voice Hearing in Borderline Personality Disorder Across Perceptual,Subjective, and Neural Dimensions

BackgroundAuditory verbal hallucinations (AVH) commonly occur in the context of borderline personality disorder (BPD) yet remain poorly understood. AVH are often perceived by patients with BPD as originating from inside the head and hence viewed clinically as “pseudohallucinations,” but they nevertheless have a detrimental impact on well-being.MethodsThe current study characterized perceptual, subjective, and neural expressions of AVH by using an auditory detection task, experience sampling and questionnaires, and functional neuroimaging, respectively.ResultsPerceptually, reported AVH correlated with a bias for reporting the presence of a voice in white noise. Subjectively, questionnaire measures indicated that AVH were significantly distressing and persecutory. In addition, AVH intensity, but not perceived origin (i.e., inside vs outside the head), was associated with greater concurrent anxiety. Neurally, fMRI of BPD participants demonstrated that, relative to imagining or listening to voices, periods of reported AVH induced greater blood oxygenation level–dependent activity in anterior cingulate and bilateral temporal cortices (regional substrates for language processing). AVH symptom severity was associated with weaker functional connectivity between anterior cingulate and bilateral insular cortices.ConclusionIn summary, our results indicate that AVH in participants with BPD are (1) underpinned by aberrant perceptual-cognitive mechanisms for signal detection, (2) experienced subjectively as persecutory and distressing, and (3) associated with distinct patterns of neural activity that inform proximal mechanistic understanding. Our findings are like analogous observations in patients with schizophrenia and validate the clinical significance of the AVH experience in BPD, often dismissed as “pseudohallucinations.” These highlight a need to reconsider this experience as a treatment priority.     

A Longitudinal Cohort Study of Youth Mental Health and Substance use Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Ontario,Canada: An Exploratory Analysis

BackgroundYouth mental health appears to have been negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The impact on substance use is less clear, as is the impact on subgroups of youth, including those with pre-existing mental health or substance use challenges.ObjectiveThis hypothesis-generating study examines the longitudinal evolution of youth mental health and substance use from before the COVID-19 pandemic to over one year into the pandemic among youth with pre-existing mental health or substance use challenges.MethodA total of 168 youth aged 14–24 participated. Participants provided sociodemographic data, as well as internalizing disorder, externalizing disorder, and substance use data prior to the pandemic’s onset, then every two months between April 2020–2021. Linear mixed models and Generalized Estimating Equations were used to analyze the effect of time on mental health and substance use. Exploratory analyses were conducted to examine interactions with sociodemographic and clinical characteristics.ResultsThere was no change in internalizing or externalizing disorder scores from prior to the pandemic to any point throughout the first year of the pandemic. Substance use scores during the pandemic declined compared to pre-pandemic scores. Exploratory analyses suggest that students appear to have experienced more mental health repercussions than non-students; other sociodemographic and clinical characteristics did not appear to be associated with mental health or substance use trajectories.ConclusionsWhile mental health remained stable and substance use declined from before the COVID-19 pandemic to during the pandemic among youth with pre-existing mental health challenges, some youth experienced greater challenges than others. Longitudinal monitoring among various population subgroups is crucial to identifying higher risk populations. This information is needed to provide empirical evidence to inform future research directions.