School factors associated with mainstream progress in secondary education for included pupils with Autism Spectrum Disorders

This research examined the factors promoting inclusion of young people with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) in mainstream secondary schools, and noted high levels of behavioral difficulties in these pupils. The size of the secondary school, and the class size, impacted positively on the pupils with Autism, and the number of other pupils with Special Educational Needs (SEN) statements and the number of support staff per pupil were both positive factors in school progress for children with Autism, but not Asperger's Syndrome. Support teachers and assistants helped to reduce emotional and behavioral difficulties, but also reduced improvements in pro-social behavior. Good staff-training promoted the pupils’ social behaviors and their sense of school belonging. In summary, social–emotional behaviors are better facilitated in mainstream secondary schools with larger numbers of other children with SEN statements, individual support, which helps emotional and behavioral difficulties, but does not facilitate social behaviors, good teacher-training, which facilitates social behaviors, and a sense of school belonging.     

Giant Mesenteric Lipoma As an Unusual Cause of Abdominal Pain: A Case Report and a Review of the Literature

We report a rare case of giant mesenteric lipoma presenting with colicky abdominal pain. A 29-yr-old woman underwent laparoscopic resection for a giant mesenteric lipoma causing compression of the ileal loop. The resected ileal segment was encased by a giant fatty tissue, and normal mucosal fold patterns of the resected ileum were effaced by the mass. Microscopically, the mass was characterized by homogenous mature adipose tissue without cellular atypia, which was compatible with the diagnosis of a mesenteric lipoma. Despite the benign nature of this tumor, total excision with or without the affected intestinal loop should be considered if intestinal symptoms such as abdominal pain are present.     

A Comparison of LEDD and Motor Scores Following STN‐DBS Treatment in Patient with Young Onset vs. Late Onset Parkinson's Disease

Introduction: We compared the role of subthalamic nucleus deep brain stimulation (STN‐DBS) in the management of medically refractory idiopathic Parkinson's disease in patients with relatively young onset (<40 years of age) Parkinson's disease (YOPD) and patients with relatively late onset Parkinson's disease (≥56 years of age, rLOPD). Methods: A total of 33 patients with YOPD (18 patients, median age 32.5 years, range, 20–40 years) and rLOPD (15 patients, median age 58.0 years, range, 56.0–67.0 years) underwent STN‐DBS between May 2000 and May 2008. We divided the patients into YOPD and rLOPD as the age of disease onset. The median follow‐up period was 43 months (range, 12–95 months). We assessed Hoehn and Yahr stages, activities of daily living, and Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) motor scales (III) for all patients preoperatively and at six months postoperatively. We measured levodopa equivalent doses (LEDD) and stimulation parameters preoperatively, six months postoperatively, and 12 months postoperatively. Results: There were no significant differences in UPDRS motor scales between two groups at preoperative and six‐month postoperative drug off/stim on, but UPDRS III was lower in rLOPD at six‐month postoperative drug on/stim on state. A significant difference was noted in the improvement of UPDRS III between two groups for preoperative drug off and drug on conditions, but no difference was seen between two groups in a comparison of drug off/stim on vs. drug on/stim on conditions. Stimulation parameters and postoperative LEDD were not different between the two groups. Preoperative dyskinesia was more common in YOPD patients and, psychotic problems were more common in rLOPD patients. Conclusions: Patients with YOPD and rLOPD exhibited comparable UPDRS motor scores and LEDD six months postoperatively. Levodopa could be prescribed at optimum doses following STN‐DBS in patients with YOPD as abnormal movements are better controlled following STN‐DBS implantation. Stimulation parameters were not different between the two groups. Our results suggest the age of onset does not influence response to STN‐DBS Parkinson's disease patients.     

Alzheimer's Therapeutics: Translation of Preclinical Science to Clinical Drug Development

Over the past three decades, significant progress has been made in understanding the neurobiology of Alzheimer''s disease. In recent years, the first attempts to implement novel mechanism-based treatments brought rather disappointing results, with low, if any, drug efficacy and significant side effects. A discrepancy between our expectations based on preclinical models and the results of clinical trials calls for a revision of our theoretical views and questions every stage of translation—from how we model the disease to how we run clinical trials. In the following sections, we will use some specific examples of the therapeutics from acetylcholinesterase inhibitors to recent anti-Aβ immunization and γ-secretase inhibition to discuss whether preclinical studies could predict the limitations in efficacy and side effects that we were so disappointed to observe in recent clinical trials. We discuss ways to improve both the predictive validity of mouse models and the translation of knowledge between preclinical and clinical stages of drug development.     

Exploring the relationships between housing,neighbourhoods and mental wellbeing for residents of deprived areas

Background  

Housing-led regeneration has been shown to have limited effects on mental health. Considering housing and neighbourhoods as a psychosocial environment, regeneration may have greater impact on positive mental wellbeing than mental ill-health. This study examined the relationship between the positive mental wellbeing of residents living in deprived areas and their perceptions of their housing and neighbourhoods.     

Speaker‐specific kinematic properties of alveolar reductions in English and German

A simultaneous EPG/EMA study of tongue gestures of five speakers was conducted to investigate the kinematic events accompanying alveolar stop reductions in the context of a velar plosive /k/ and in the context of a laryngeal fricative /h/ in two languages, English and German. No systematic language differences could be detected. Alveolar productions before a following /h/ showed only a marginal weakening of the formation of complete occlusion, while alveolar productions before a following /k/ showed a wide range of reductions, including instances of a complete deletion of the alveolar gesture. The extension of movement reduction varied between and within subjects. Importantly, while speakers were consistent with themselves, they employed different articulatory patterns with respect to the timing relationship between movement initiation, overall movement duration, peak velocity as well as closure duration. An attempt is made to relate the observed movement patterns to the dynamic factors of the speech mechanism.