Diagnostic and Severity-Tracking Biomarkers for Autism Spectrum Disorder

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder afflicting about one in every 68 children. It is behaviorally diagnosed based on a triad of symptoms, including impairment in communication, impairment in sociability and abnormal and stereotypic behavior. The subjectivity of behavioral diagnosis urges the need for clinical biomarker tests to improve and complement ASD diagnosis and treatment. Over the past two decades, researchers garnered a broad range of biomarkers associated with ASD and often correlating with the severity of ASD, which includes metabolic and genetic biomarkers or neuroimaging abnormalities. Metabolic biomarkers are either involved in key pathways such as a trans-sulfuration pathway or produced due to the derangement of these pathways in the case of oxidative stress. Recent studies reported several genetic abnormalities related to ASD, encompassing various mechanisms, from copy number variations (CNVs) and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) to chromosomal anomalies. However, it is still premature to consider these genetic variants as true biomarkers for ASD, due to their low reproducibility and regional-specific nature. Herein, we comprehensively review state of the art about major biomarkers reported in ASD and the association of some biomarkers with ASD symptoms and severity. It is important to establish those biomarkers to be able to help in the diagnosis and to optimize the treatment of ASD.     

Comparing Agency Leader and Therapist Perspectives on Evidence-Based Practices: Associations with Individual and Organizational Factors in a Mental Health System-Driven Implementation Effort

Agency leaders and therapists are essential stakeholders in implementation of evidence-based practices (EBPs) within publicly-funded mental health services. Little is known about how these stakeholders differ in their perceptions of specific EBPs and which individual and organizational factors differentially influence these perceptions. Within the context of a system-driven implementation of multiple EBPs, survey data from 160 leaders and 720 therapists were examined to assess differences in perceptions of six EBPs. Findings indicated that leaders and therapists have unique perspectives and preferences regarding EBPs that are shaped by distinct sociodemographic and professional characteristics and aspects of organizational functioning.     

Internal patterned injuries in trauma

Patterned bruising of the internal organs is unusual. In these cases a cutaneous pattern of bruising is not observed but the underlying tissue may show unusual injuries that may even be recognizable as a tramline pattern. We report the suicide of a 23-year-old man by jumping off a bridge. At autopsy, an unusual finding was “tramline” bruising of the right liver lobe. The “blunt objects” that inflicted the bruising were determined to be the right ribs which were pushed against the liver capsule as a consequence of the extensive thoracic and vertebral trauma after a fall from a height with intermediate impact.     

Impact of obesity on recovery and pulmonary functions of obese women undergoing major abdominal gynecological surgeries

To determine impact of obesity on recovery parameters and pulmonary functions of women undergoing major abdominal gynecological surgeries. Eighty women undergoing major gynecological surgeries were included in this study. Anesthesia was induced by remifentanil bolus, followed by propofol and cisatracurium to facilitate oro-tracheal intubation and was maintained by balanced anesthesia of remifentanil intravenous infusion and sevoflurane in oxygen and air. Time from discontinuation of maintenance anesthesia to fully awake were recorded at 1-min intervals and time from discontinuation of anesthesia until patient was transferred to post-anesthesia care unit (PACU) and discharged from PACU was also recorded. Pulmonary function tests were performed before surgery and repeated 4 h, days 1, 2 and 3 post-operative for evaluation of forced vital capacity, forced expiratory volume in 1 s and peak expiratory flow rate. Occurrence of post-operative complications, re-admission to ICU, hospital stay and morbidities were also recorded. Induction of anesthesia using remifentanil bolus injection resulted in significant decrease of heart rate and arterial pressures compared to pre-operative and pre-induction values. Recovery times were significantly shorter in obese compared to morbidly obese women. Post-operative pulmonary function tests showed significant deterioration compared to pre-operative measures but showed progressive improvement through first 3 post-operative days. Hospital stay was significantly shorter for obese compared to morbid obese women. Obesity delays recovery from general anesthesia, adversely affects pulmonary functions and increases post-operative complications. Remifentanil infusion and sevoflurane could be appropriate combination for obese and morbidly obese women undergoing major surgeries.     

Quality of Life Among Food Allergic Patients and Their Caregivers

Food allergy is increasing in prevalence worldwide. This review summarizes progress made studying relationships between food allergy and quality of life (QOL), with an emphasis on recent work in the field. Early work examining QOL among food allergy patients established that stress and anxiety associated with continuous allergen avoidance and the looming threat of anaphylaxis were associated with significantly impaired food allergy quality of life (FAQOL) for children with food allergy and their caregivers. Recent clinical studies suggest that undergoing oral food challenge to confirm food allergy and oral immunotherapy to treat food allergy may each improve FAQOL among both patients and their caregivers. Other intervention modalities, such as nurse-facilitated counseling and educational workshops, also hold promise, but additional work is needed. Future work must strive to recruit more representative, population-based samples, including adult patients, in order to improve the generalizability and clinical relevance of findings.     

Taking Telemedicine to the Next Level in Diabetes Population Management: a Review of the Endo ECHO Model

Worldwide increases in diabetes prevalence in the face of limited medical resources have prompted international interest in innovative healthcare delivery models. Project ECHO (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes) is a “telementoring” program which has been shown to increase capacity for complex disease management in medically underserved regions. In contrast to a traditional telemedicine model which might connect a specialist with one patient, the ECHO model allows for multiple patients to benefit simultaneously by building new expertise. We recently applied the ECHO model to improve health outcomes of patients with complex diabetes (Endo ECHO) living in rural New Mexico. We describe the design of the Endo ECHO intervention and a 4-year, prospective program evaluation assessing health outcomes, utilization patterns, and cost-effectiveness. The Endo ECHO evaluation will demonstrate whether and to what extent this intervention improves outcomes for patients with complex diabetes living in rural New Mexico, and will serve as proof-of-concept for academic medical centers wishing to replicate the model in underserved regions around the world.     

The Experience of Counseling Among a Singaporean Elderly Population: A Qualitative Account of What Clients Report as Beneficial

Adjustments that accompany ageing pose a challenge to the mental health of the elderly. Psychologically based counseling has been documented in Western societies as an appropriate intervention for elderly persons with depressive episodes. There is however very little research documenting how Asian elderly populations experience and benefit from counseling. This study addresses this research gap through a qualitative study based on post-counseling interviews with a sample of 41 elderly persons who received counseling at a dedicated organisation catering to the elderly in Singapore. The qualitative data revealed that clients benefitted from counseling through better emotional management – they received emotional support, found emotional healing and learnt to deal with the emotions associated with grief and loss. Clients also reported that counseling assisted them in decision making processes – older persons were able to conceive of alternatives to their predicament, obtained insights to embark on change, were enabled to take the perspective of others and found validation for their decisions. While many elderly clients greatly appreciated and benefitted from this service, citing demonstrable changes, among the very old such changes were uncommon. Cultural explanations for these differential reports and possible directions for much needed future research are provided.