A Preliminary Investigation of the Spence Children’s Anxiety Parent Scale as a Screening Tool for Anxiety in Young People with Autism Spectrum Disorders

Despite high rates of clinically elevated anxiety difficulties in children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs), very few studies have systematically examined the usefulness of commonly used caregiver report anxiety screening tools with this population. This study investigated the use of the Spence Children’s Anxiety Scale-Parent version (SCAS-P) as a screening tool for anxiety disorders when compared to a standardized DSM-IV-TR-based clinical interview, the Kiddie-Schedule for Schizophrenia and Affective Disorders-Present and Lifetime version (K-SADS-PL). Thirty-two caregivers of youth with a clinical diagnosis of ASD (mean age 10.3 years) attending a specialist autism school participated in this study. They first completed the SCAS-P, a measure of adaptive functioning and a checklist of other emotional and behavioral difficulties. They were then interviewed with the K-SADS-PL. Internal consistency for the SCAS Total score was .88, but Cronbach’s alphas were <.70 in three of the six SCAS-P subscales. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV) of the SCAS-P against K-SADS diagnosis were .75, .71, .27, and .95, respectively. All values were >.70, except for the PPV. Evidence of convergent validity between the SCAS-P, K-SADS-PL and DBC anxiety subscale was also found. The high false positive rates notwithstanding, the preliminary data of acceptable to excellent sensitivity, specificity and NPV values tentatively suggest that the SCAS-P may be useful for screening non-help seeking young people with ASD for elevated anxiety symptoms. Further replication in larger studies is needed and ways in which the SCAS-P could be further developed and investigated for use with youth with ASD are discussed.     

Detection and characterization of a bacteriocin,putadicin T01, produced by Pseudomonas putida isolated from hot spring water

Pseudomonas strains isolated from hot spring water were tested for bacteriocin‐like substance (BLS) production using a target panel of closely related microorganisms and other Gram‐positive and Gram‐negative bacteria. Molecular identification was carried out through specific PCR and 16S RNA sequence analysis. Isolates were identified as Brevundimonas diminuta and Pseudomonas putida, the latter exhibited antimicrobial activity. Pseudomonas putida strains produce an inhibitory substance against other Pseudomonas strains and other species including food‐borne pathogens. The BLS was sensitive to the proteolytic action of proteinase K, pronase E and trypsin but resistant to α‐amylase, RNase and lipase C, reflecting its proteinaceous nature. The BLS was stable at 100 °C and also after thermal treatment at 121 °C for 15 min. Additionally, it was stable within a wide range of pH (2–10). The substance from P. putida T01 strain was bactericidal to Escherichia coli. SDS‐PAGE analysis of the partial purified supernatant of strain T01 revealed a BLS with an approximate molecular mass of 8 kDa. Therefore, the results of this study show that P. putida strain T01 produces a BLS with a higher activity spectrum, which may find application in human medicine and in minimally processed food preservation.     

Venous Congestion and Endothelial Cell Activation in Acute Decompensated Heart Failure

Despite accumulating clinical evidence supporting a key role for venous congestion in the development of acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF), there remain several gaps in our knowledge of the pathophysiology of ADHF. Specifically, the biomechanically driven effects of venous congestion on the vascular endothelium (the largest endocrine/paracrine organ of the body), on neurohormonal activation, and on renal and cardiac dysfunction remain largely unexplored. We propose that venous congestion is a fundamental, hemodynamic stimulus for vascular inflammation, which plays a key role in the development and possibly the resolution of ADHF through vascular, humoral, renal, and cardiac mechanisms. A better understanding of the role of venous congestion and endothelial activation in the pathophysiology of ADHF may provide a strong rationale for near-future testing of treatment strategies that target biomechanically driven inflammation. Targeting vascular and systemic inflammation before symptoms arise may prevent progression to overt clinical decompensation in the ADHF syndrome.     

Moderate ischemic mitral regurgitation: Is there a case for early intervention?

Ischemic mitral regurgitation (IMR) results from left ventricular remodelling after myocardial infarction and severely affects cardiovascular mortality and morbidity. Ischemic mitral valve regurgitation also represents a negative prognostic factor for long-term survival in patients undergoing surgical myocardial revascularization. While severe mitral regurgitation should always be corrected during a coronary artery bypass operation, the decision making is more difficult in patients with a moderate degree of regurgitation. In this review, we wish to highlight the negative impact of IMR on long-term survival and discuss the available evidence for surgical correction of IMR at the time of coronary revascularization.