Autism as a disorder of prediction

A rich collection of empirical findings accumulated over the past three decades attests to the diversity of traits that constitute the autism phenotypes. It is unclear whether subsets of these traits share any underlying causality. This lack of a cohesive conceptualization of the disorder has complicated the search for broadly effective therapies, diagnostic markers, and neural/genetic correlates. In this paper, we describe how theoretical considerations and a review of empirical data lead to the hypothesis that some salient aspects of the autism phenotype may be manifestations of an underlying impairment in predictive abilities. With compromised prediction skills, an individual with autism inhabits a seemingly “magical” world wherein events occur unexpectedly and without cause. Immersion in such a capricious environment can prove overwhelming and compromise one’s ability to effectively interact with it. If validated, this hypothesis has the potential of providing unifying insights into multiple aspects of autism, with attendant benefits for improving diagnosis and therapy.     

Encoded Exposure and Social Norms in Entertainment-Education

Entertainment-education is an effective health communication strategy that combines or embeds educational messages into entertainment programs to bring about social and behavior change. For years, scholars have considered how entertainment-education works. Some contemporary theories posit that entertainment-education does not engender behavior change directly but does so through mediating variables. This study adds to the literature on this topic by exploring the direct relationship between exposure and social norms instead of their relationship through behavior as a mediator. Novel to this study is the use of encoded exposure, a continuous and recognition-based measure of exposure that includes ever watching, recall, involvement, and dose in its operationalization. Using cross-sectional data from Kyunki … Jeena Issi Ka Naam Hai, an entertainment-education program in India, this exploratory analysis indicates a positive and significant relationship between encoded exposure and social norms. How can this finding be applied to future programs? Questions remain, and replication is needed, but if it is not essential to go through behavior in order to change social norms, then implications emerge for the theory and practice of entertainment-education.     

Effect of deltamethrin and fluoride co-exposure on the brain antioxidant status and cholinesterase activity in Wistar rats

The study evaluated the effect of commercial preparation of deltamethrin, Butox^®, and fluoride (F^?) co-exposure on the brain antioxidant status and cholinesterase activity in rats. Group A was untreated. Group B was gavaged Butox^®, providing deltamethrin at the dose rate of 1.28?mg per kg body weight per day. Group C was administered F^?, as NaF, in drinking water providing 20?ppm F^?. Group D received both deltamethrin and F^? at the same dosages as groups B and C, respectively. Although, glutathione S-transferase activity was induced only in Butox^® alone treated group, the activities of superoxide dismutase and catalase were inhibited in all treatment groups when compared to the control group. Elevated lipid peroxidation was observed in the groups exposed to F^?. The activity of erythrocyte acetylcholinesterase (AChE) was inhibited in Butox^® treated groups, whereas brain AChE activity was inhibited in all treatment groups. In conclusion, both deltamethrin (given as Butox^®) and F^? inhibit AChE activity and produce oxidative stress in brain with F^? producing more oxidative damage. However, compared to the individual exposures, the co-exposure of these chemicals does not produce any exacerbated alteration in these biochemical parameters.     

Hepatic dysfunction in patients with extrahepatic portal venous obstruction

Background: Extrahepatic portal venous obstruction (EHPVO) developing due to thrombotic occlusion of the portal vein in children is generally considered a benign disease. Whether hepatic dysfunction develops in these patients in the absence of a gastrointestinal bleed has not been well studied. Materials and methods: Forty‐three patients with EHPVO who had not bled in the last 3 months were studied. Patients were divided into those with (group I) or without ascites (group II). Matched cirrhotic patients with ascites (group III) served as controls. Clinical, biochemical, ultrasonographic, and histopathological evaluation was carried out. Portal biliopathy was assessed in five patients in group I and in 12 patients in group II by cholangiography. Results: Of 43 EHPVO patients, ascites was seen in nine (21%) patients (group I). Thirty‐four patients had no ascites (group II). Serum ALT (54±24 vs. 34±10 IU/l, P<0.01), albumin (3.2±0.3 vs. 3.7±0.4 g/dl, P<0.01), and prothrombin time difference (9.0±4.5 vs. 2.4±1.9 s, P<0.05) were deranged in patients in group I compared with group II. Patients in group I were 4 years older, and the duration of portal hypertension was longer than in group II (11.5 vs. 5.6 year, P<0.05). Portal biliopathy changes were significantly more severe in group I than in group II patients. Ascites was high gradient in all the patients in group I and the serum‐ascitic albumin gradient was comparable between groups I and III. None of the EHPVO patients, but four cirrhotic patients, developed spontaneous bacterial peritonitis during a follow‐up of 11±4 months. Conclusions: Hepatic dysfunction in the form of ascites and deranged liver functions is not uncommon in patients with EHPVO, more so in patients with prolonged portal hypertension. Based on our data it would be worthwhile to study whether prolonged portal vein thrombosis in EHPVO patients could lead to progressive liver disease.