Intra-word consistency and accuracy in Finnish children aged 3–6 years

This study examined intra-word consistency and accuracy in typically developing Finnish children and their relation to children’s vocabulary size and phonological skills. A total of 80 typically developing Finnish children aged 3;0 to 6;11 were asked to name 20 words three separate times during a single assessment session. Responses were classified into four categories: 1) consistently correct productions, 2) consistently incorrect productions, 3) variable productions with hits (variable productions including at least one matched adult target), and 4) variable productions with no hits. The results revealed that 5- and 6-year-old children produced significantly more often consistently correct responses than younger children. However, even for the 3- and 4-year old children the most frequent response type was consistently correct production. Between these two youngest age groups (3 and 4), the only significant difference was in consistently incorrect responses, which the 3-year-olds produced more often than the older children. There was a significant negative correlation between consistently incorrectly produced words and children’s phonological skills, but no other relationships were found. The results indicate that when assessing children with speech sound disorder (SSD), Finnish clinicians need to take into account the fact that even 3-year-old typically developing children generally produce words correctly, either consistently or inconsistently.     

Pancreatic Morphological Changes in Long-Term Follow-Up after Initial Episode of Acute Alcoholic Pancreatitis

Objective

The long-term morphological changes induced by a single episode of alcoholic pancreatitis are not known. Our aim was to study these morphological changes in secretin-stimulated magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (S-MRCP) after the first episode of alcohol-associated acute pancreatitis and to evaluate the risk factors and possible protective factors potentially associated with later chronic findings. We have previously reported 2-year follow-up results in pancreatic morphology. This study extends the follow-up to 9 years.

Patients and Methods

In this prospective follow-up study, S-MRCP imaging was performed for 44 (41 M, 3 F; mean age, 46 (25–68)?years) patients after their first episode of alcohol-associated pancreatitis. Pancreatic morphology was evaluated at 3 months and at 2, 7, and 9 years after hospitalization. Recurrent attacks of pancreatitis were studied and pancreatic function was monitored by laboratory tests. Patients’ alcohol consumption was evaluated with questionnaires, laboratory markers, and self-estimated alcohol consumption via interview. Smoking and body mass index were annually recorded.

Results

At 3 months, 32 % of the patients had normal findings in S-MRCP, 52 % had acute, and 16 % had chronic changes. At 7 years, S-MRCP was performed on 36 patients with normal findings in 53 %, the rest (47 %) having chronic findings. Pancreatic cyst was present in 36 %, parenchymal changes in 28 %, and atrophy in 28 % of the cases. There were no new changes in the pancreas in the attending patients between 7 and 9 years (18 patients). Of the patients with only acute findings at 3 months, 60 % resolved to normal in 7 years, but the rest (40 %) showed chronic changes later on. The initial attack was mild in 65 %, moderate in 25 %, and severe in 10 % of the patients. Patients with mild first attack had fewer chronic changes at 7 years compared to patients with moderate or moderate and severe together (p?=?0.03, p?=?0.01). Of the patients in the seventh year of S-MRCP, 22 % had suffered a recurrent episode of acute pancreatitis (mean, 22 (2–60)?months) and 11 % had a clinical diagnosis of chronic pancreatitis. At 7 years, 88 % of the patients with recurrences had chronic findings in S-MRCP versus 36 % with nonrecurrent pancreatitis (p?=?0.02). Six (17 %) patients abstained from alcohol throughout follow-up (mean, 8.7 (7–9.1)?years), but even one of these developed pancreatic atrophy. Out of the non-abstinent patients who did not suffer recurrences, 4/22 (18 %) had developed new findings during at follow-up S-MRCP (NS). In univariate analysis, heavy smoking showed no correlation with increased chronic changes compared to nonsmoking.

Conclusions

Morphological pancreatic changes increase with recurrent episodes of acute pancreatitis. Patients with mild first attack have fewer chronic changes in the pancreas in the long term. However, even a single episode of acute alcoholic pancreatitis may induce chronic morphological changes in long-term follow-up.     

Elderly deaths in Ankara,Turkey

According to World Health Organization, the life expectancy at birth is increasing. An increase in life expectancy might result in increased morbidity and mortality in elderly. The increase in the elderly population also leads to an increase in medico-legal problems, as well. Autopsy is of high importance for determination of cause of death in clinical and forensic cases. The purpose of this study was to find out general characteristics elderly deaths by examining forensic autopsy records.     

Suprathel®‐assisted surgical treatment of the hand in a dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa patient

Epidermolysis bullosa (EB) is a progressive familial disorder composed of dermal mucosal blisters, flexion contractures and pseudosyndactylies. Flexion contractures and pseudosyndactyly can be treated with surgery but usually require skin grafting. Because of poor wound healing, skin graft harvesting is a challenge in these patients. In order to prevent donor‐site morbidities due to skin graft harvesting some alloplastic materials were introduced. In this study, we focused on Suprathel^® as a new allograft material for covering the skin defects of a patient with dystrophic EB.     

Measurement of Testosterone in Human Sexuality Research: Methodological Considerations

Testosterone (T) and other androgens are incorporated into an increasingly wide array of human sexuality research, but there are a number of issues that can affect or confound research outcomes. This review addresses various methodological issues relevant to research design in human studies with T; unaddressed, these issues may introduce unwanted noise, error, or conceptual barriers to interpreting results. Topics covered are (1) social and demographic factors (gender and sex; sexual orientations and sexual diversity; social/familial connections and processes; social location variables), (2) biological rhythms (diurnal variation; seasonality; menstrual cycles; aging and menopause), (3) sample collection, handling, and storage (saliva vs. blood; sialogogues, saliva, and tubes; sampling frequency, timing, and context; shipping samples), (4) health, medical issues, and the body (hormonal contraceptives; medications and nicotine; health conditions and stress; body composition, weight, and exercise), and (5) incorporating multiple hormones. Detailing a comprehensive set of important issues and relevant empirical evidence, this review provides a starting point for best practices in human sexuality research with T and other androgens that may be especially useful for those new to hormone research.     

Reliability and Validity Study of Turkish Version of Pediatric Eosinophilic Esophagitis Symptom Scores® (Tr-PEESS v2.0) Led to Development of a New Pediatric Eosinophilic Esophagitis Scale: GaziESAS

BackgroundThere has been no valid and reliable Turkish scale that measures symptoms in children with eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE). The aim of the study is to test the validity and reliability of the Turkish version of Pediatric Eosinophilic Esophagitis Symptom Scores® (Tr-PEESS v2.0).Methods Relevant forms of Tr-PEESS v2.0 were applied to 2-18 years old children with EoE and to their parents. KINDL QoL patient and parent questionnaires and the GaziESAS scale developed in this study were used to test the convergent validity of Tr-PEESS v2.0. Discriminant validity was evaluated among 3 EoE treatment groups: under treatment, off treatment due to remission, and uncompliant with treatment. Reliability was evaluated by internal consistency, test–retest reliability, and item analysis.Results Fifty-two children/teens (mean age 130.2 ± 60.3 months) and 84 parents were interviewed twice one week apart. The mean duration of EoE was 47.2 ± 35.6 months. Tr-PEESS v2.0 reports correlated with GaziESAS (range 0.361-0.855) and KINDL QoL questionnaires (range −0.316 to 0.413). Parent report of Tr-PEESS v2.0 discriminated children uncompliant with treatment from the ones off treatment and undertreatment. Cronbach’s α values and intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) values of Tr-PEESS v2.0 ranged from 0.614-0. 895 and 0.646-0.910, respectively.Conclusion Tr-PEESS v2.0 is a valid and reliable tool to use in Turkish children. GaziESAS is a new parent-proxy pediatric EoE scale with an additional adaptive behavior domain that passed scale developmental stages successfully for Turkish children with EoE.