The relationship between autism spectrum disorders and anxiety: The moderating effect of communication

Communication skills have been shown to have differing effects on levels of anxiety depending on whether or not a child has an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or is typically developing. This article examined whether or not communication deficits differentially affect children with ASD compared to those without ASD. Ninety-nine children with autistic disorder (n = 33), Pervasive Developmental Disorder – Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS; n = 33), and no diagnosis (n = 33) were examined using the Autism Spectrum Disorders Diagnostic for Children and Comorbidity for Children scales to determine their level of anxiety and degree of communication deficits. Results indicated that anxiety decreased as communication deficits increased for those with autistic disorder compared to those with PDD-NOS or no diagnosis; however, for those with PDD-NOS anxiety increased as communication deficits increased compared to those with no diagnosis. The importance and differential impact of communication deficits on anxiety for different groups is highlighted.     

Bond strength of adhesive resin to three nickel-chromium alloys with varying chromium content

This in vitro study evaluated the influence of chromium content on bond strength and durability between nickel-chromium alloys and an adhesive resin that contained 4-methacryloxyethyl trimellitate anhydride. Three nickel-chromium alloys with different chromium content, as well as pure chromium and pure nickel metals, were bonded and tested for shear strength. After repeated thermocycling, shear bond strength decrease was lower in alloys containing high chromium content. Pure chromium metal demonstrated a 15.2% decrease, whereas pure nickel metal demonstrated the greatest (53.7%) decrease. The results suggest that nickel-chromium alloys with higher chromium content are desirable for 4-methacryloxyethyl trimellitate anhydride resin-bonded restorations.     

Anxiety symptoms across the lifespan in people diagnosed with Autistic Disorder

Symptoms of psychiatric disorders have been found to co-occur at high rates in those diagnosed with Autistic Disorder (AD). However, to date, no study has yet examined the developmental trajectory of comorbid psychiatric symptoms across the lifespan within the AD population. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to conduct a cross-sectional investigation of symptoms of anxiety across the lifespan, using a sample of individuals diagnosed with AD. This study utilizes a sample with an age range from infancy to adulthood. Endorsement rates of overlapping anxiety symptoms from measures that have been found reliable and valid for the specific purpose of examining psychiatric symptoms within the AD population are utilized for this study. Results indicate that there is a significant difference between different age cohorts on symptom endorsements of anxiety. Additionally, a cubic trend was found when examining the pattern of anxiety symptoms across the lifespan in those diagnosed with AD. That is, anxiety rises from toddlerhood to childhood, decreases from childhood to young adulthood, but again increases from young adulthood into older adulthood. Implications of these findings, limitations of this study, and future directions for research are discussed.     

Gender differences in symptoms of Autism Spectrum Disorders in toddlers

Gender differences in symptoms representing the triad of impairments of Autism Spectrum Disorders remain unclear. To date, the majority of research conducted on this topic has utilized samples of older children. Thus, the purpose of the current study was to utilize a sample of toddlers to investigate gender differences in symptom endorsements of ASD. Also, deficits in areas such as cognition have been shown to affect gender in this same population (i.e., gender ratios). Therefore, each toddler's level of developmental ability was accounted for in the current study. In this sample of toddlers, gender differences were only found in regards to the restricted interests and repetitive behavior domain, with females with an average Developmental Quotient having significantly fewer endorsements on items related to restrictive and repetitive behaviors. Implications of the findings are discussed.     

Human-based evidence for the therapeutic potential of arginase inhibitors in cardiovascular diseases

1. Download : Download high-res image (166KB)
2. Download : Download full-size image