An Investigation of the “Jumping to Conclusions” Data-Gathering Bias and Paranoid Thoughts in Asperger Syndrome

The existence of a data-gathering bias, in the form of jumping to conclusions, and links to paranoid ideation was investigated in Asperger syndrome (AS). People with AS (N = 30) were compared to a neurotypical control group (N = 30) on the Reading the Mind in the Eyes and the Beads tasks, with self-report measures of depression, general anxiety, social anxiety, self-consciousness and paranoid ideation. The AS group performed less well than the control group on the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Task with regard to accuracy but responded more quickly and tended to make decisions on the basis of less evidence on the Beads Task with 50 % demonstrating a clear ‘jumping to conclusions bias’, whereas none of the control group showed such a bias. Depression and general anxiety were associated with paranoid ideation but not data-gathering style, which was contrary to expectation.     

Comparison of different MRI sequences in lesion detection and early response evaluation of diffuse large B‐cell lymphoma – a whole‐body MRI and diffusion‐weighted imaging study

To compare different MRI sequences for the detection of lesions and the evaluation of response to chemotherapy in patients with diffuse large B‐cell lymphoma (DLBCL), 18 patients with histology‐confirmed DLBCL underwent 3‐T MRI scanning prior to and 1 week after chemotherapy. The MRI sequences included T₁‐weighted pre‐ and post‐contrast, T₂‐weighted with and without fat suppression, and a single‐shot echo‐planar diffusion‐weighted imaging (DWI) with two b values (0 and 800 s/mm²). Conventional MRI sequence comparisons were performed using the contrast ratio between tumor and normal vertebral body instead of signal intensity. The apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) of the tumor was measured directly on the parametric ADC map. The tumor volume was used as a reference for the evaluation of chemotherapy response. The mean tumor volume was 374 mL at baseline, and decreased by 65% 1 week after chemotherapy (p < 0.01). The T₂‐weighted image with fat suppression showed a significantly higher contrast ratio compared with images from all other conventional MRI sequences, both before and after treatment (p < 0.01, respectively). The contrast ratio of the T₂‐weighted image with fat suppression decreased significantly (p < 0.01), and that of the T₁‐weighted pre‐contrast image increased significantly (p < 0.01), after treatment. However, there was no correlation between the change in contrast ratio and tumor volume. The mean ADC value was 0.68 × 10^–3 mm²/s at baseline; it increased by 89% after chemotherapy (p < 0.001), and the change in ADC value correlated with the change in tumor volume (r = 0.66, p < 0.01). The baseline ADC value also correlated inversely with the percentage change in ADC after treatment (r = ?0.62, p < 0.01). In conclusion, this study indicates that T₂‐weighted imaging with fat suppression is the best conventional sequence for the detection of lesions and evaluation of the efficacy of chemotherapy in DLBCL. DWI with ADC mapping is an imaging modality with both diagnostic and prognostic value that could complement conventional MRI. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

High salivary secretory IgA antibody levels are associated with less late‐onset wheezing in IgE‐sensitized infants

To cite this article: Sandin A, Björkstén B, Böttcher MF, Englund E, Jenmalm MC, Bråbäck L. High salivary secretory IgA antibody levels are associated with less late‐onset wheezing in IgE‐sensitized infants. Pediatr Allergy Immunol 2011; 22 : 477–481. Low levels of secretory IgA (SIgA) and transient IgA deficiency have been associated with an increased risk for allergy, but data are conflicting. The aim was to assess the relationship between salivary SIgA antibody levels at 1 yr and wheezing at age four in a birth cohort, in particular the possible protective role of salivary SIgA in sensitized children. Saliva samples were obtained from all children (n = 67) with a positive skin prick test (SPT) at 1 yr and 212 children with a negative SPT. In all, 200 of these children responded to questionnaires at 4 yrs and 183 were skin prick tested at that age. The levels of salivary SIgA and salivary IgA antibodies to the most common food allergen egg and inhalant allergen cat were analyzed by ELISA. Serum was analyzed for IgE antibodies to egg and cat. Development of late‐onset wheezing was associated with low SIgA levels in children with positive SPT to at least one allergen both at 1 and 4 yrs of age (p = 0.04), as well as in children with circulating IgE antibodies to egg or cat at 1 yr (p = 0.02). None of nine persistently sensitized children with SIgA levels in the upper quartile developed wheezing, when compared to 10/20 children with lower levels (p = 0.01). Older siblings, more than three infections during infancy, at least one smoking parent, and male gender, were all associated with SIgA in the upper quartile. In conclusion, high levels of SIgA antibodies in sensitized infants were associated with significantly less late‐onset wheezing, supporting a protective role against development of asthmatic symptoms. Recurrent infections and other factors supporting an increased microbial pressure during infancy were associated with high levels of salivary SIgA.