Social Interaction Style of Children and Adolescents with High-Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorder

Qualitative differences in social interaction style exist within the autism spectrum. In this study we examined whether these differences are associated with (1) the severity of autistic symptoms and comorbid disruptive behavior problems, (2) the child’s psycho-social health, and (3) executive functioning and perspective taking skills. The social interaction style of 156 children and adolescents (6–19?years) with high-functioning autism spectrum disorder (HFASD) was determined with the Wing Subgroups Questionnaire. An active-but-odd social interaction style was positively associated with symptoms of autism, attention deficit and hyperactivity. Furthermore, an active-but-odd social interaction style was negatively associated with children’s psycho-social health and positively with executive functioning problems. Social interaction style explains part of the heterogeneity among children with HFASD.     

Visual working memory and perception speed of 3- to 6-year-old children tested with a Matrix Film Battery Test

In this study the visual working memory (VWM) and perception speed of 60 children between the ages of three and six years were tested with an age-based, easy-to-handle Matrix Film Battery Test (reliability R?=?.71). It was thereby affirmed that the VWM is age dependent (correlation coefficient r?=?.66***) as expected. Furthermore, a significant gender effect was found (partial correlation coefficient r_p?=?.42***) indicating that boys generally have a better VWM: they are able to memorise more items and they can process visual information faster. Given that the test was repeated during a period of eight months, strong learning effects could be detected which show that the VWM can be trained and that the test itself is also a good training tool.     

Preoperative localization of hyperfunctioning parathyroid glands with 4D-CT

Primary hyperparathyroidism (pHPT) is almost exclusively the result of a solitary parathyroid adenoma. In most cases, the affected gland can be surgically removed, but precise preoperative imaging is essential for adenoma localization prior to surgical intervention. In this study, we evaluated the diagnostic value of four-dimensional computed tomography (4D-CT) as a preoperative imaging tool in relation to the localization of pathologic parathyroid glands in patients with pHPT and negative sestamibi scans. This study included 43 consecutive patients with pHPT referred for parathyroidectomy at the Department of Head and Neck Surgery of Copenhagen University Hospital Rigshospitalet in 2011 and 2012. All patients had a 4D-CT performed prior to parathyroidectomy. CT localization of the suspected adenoma was correlated to the actual surgical findings and subsequent histological diagnosis was also available as references for the accuracy of this imaging tool. Hyperfunctioning parathyroid glands were found in 40 patients. 4D-CT identified 32 solitary hyperfunctioning parathyroid glands located on the correct side of the neck (PPV 76 %) and 21 located within the correct quadrant (PPV 49 %). Unilateral resection was performed in 72 % of patients due to the localization findings of preoperative imaging. 4D-CT can, therefore, be considered an effective method for the preoperative localization of parathyroid adenomas and is an important tool in surgical intervention for patients referred to parathyroidectomy.     

Coronary flow regulation in mouse heart during hypercapnic acidosis: role of NO and its compensation during eNOS impairment

AIMS: This study addressed the hypotheses that the hypercapnic flow response in wild-type (WT) mouse heart is mainly mediated by nitric oxide (NO) and, thus, severely blunted in endothelial nitric oxide synthase knockout (eNOS-KO) mice and in WT mice after continuous pharmacological block (2 weeks) of NOS enzymes (WT-LN). METHODS AND RESULTS: Step changes of arterial pCO(2) were performed in isolated perfused hearts (n = 105). Contributions of NOS (L-NAME, TRIM), cyclooxygenase (indomethacin), epoxyeicosanotrienes (miconazole), adenosine A2A-receptors (SCH 58261), KV-channels (4-AP), KCa-channels (TEA), and K ATP-channels (glibenclamide) were studied in WT and eNOS-KO mouse hearts. Change of arterial pCO(2) increased coronary flow by 31.3 +/- 4% in WT, a response that was significantly decreased to 9.2 +/- 6% after L-NAME. Additional glibenclamide infusion (n = 5) completely abolished the steady-state flow increase during hypercapnic acidosis (-4.2 +/- 2.3%, P = 0.004 vs. control). Hearts from eNOS-KO mice as well as WT-LN showed a fully preserved flow response insensitive towards NOS-blockade. Whereas indomethacin, miconazole, TEA, and SCH 58261 were ineffective to reduce the flow response, glibenclamide blunted it in eNOS-KO hearts. CONCLUSION: NO-production and K ATP-channel activation together may fully account for the steady-state hypercapnic flow response in mouse heart. However, chronic deletion of eNOS does not result in a reduced hypercapnic flow response. Enhanced activation of K ATP-channels and potentially Kv-channels contributes to the compensatory mechanisms involved in the hypercapnic flow response when eNOS activity is absent.     

Wavelet analysis of cutaneous blood flow in melanocytic skin lesions

Laser Doppler flowmetry (LDF) is frequently used to study the microcirculation. Usually LDF time series are analyzed by conventional linear methods, mainly Fourier analysis. The aim of this study was to observe dynamic blood perfusion of the skin in malignant and benign melanocytic skin lesions. Wavelet transformation was performed on each LDF time series in order to calculate a vasomotion field. First, the differences in vasomotion between healthy and pigmented skin were evaluated visually on six different time scales of the vasomotion field. In order to quantify the findings, vasomotion scale variance (VSV) was calculated for each scale plane of the vasomotion field. These VSV were compared using contrast DeltaVSV to determine the difference between healthy skin and a pigmented skin lesion in the same patient. After the measurements, the skin lesions were excised and examined histologically. We found that wavelet analysis of LDF time series is a specific, sensitive method for the in vivo identification of malignant melanoma. It is a non-invasive procedure and takes minimal time to be carried out.