语言认知康复系统在颅脑损伤语言认知康复中的应用

目的观察语言认知康复系统对颅脑损伤患者的语言康复效果。方法采用传统方法与计算机辅助的方法分2组进行对照治疗。结果计算机辅助组患者的认知功能在定向能力、记忆力、注意与计算能力、语言及总分优于对照组(P<0.05)。结论计算机辅助的语言认知康复系统对改善颅脑损伤的语言认知功能障碍优于传统治疗方法。     

早期康复对脑卒中致语言障碍恢复的影响

目的:观察早期康复对脑卒中致语言障碍恢复的影响.方法:将语言障碍患者50例,分为康复组25例,对照组25例,在治疗前后通过改良波士顿诊断性失语症检查法(BDAE)评价患者语言功能,明显好转的为评价结果提高2度者,好转为评价结果提高1度者,并比较治疗后康复组和对照组之间的差异.结果:康复组经4~6周治疗后明显好转18例,好转5例.对照组明显好转2例,好转4例.经过系统治疗的训练康复组言语功能明显高于对照组(P＜0.01).结论:早期积极的主动性康复治疗可以进一步加快脑卒中致语言障碍的恢复.     

Overview of Landau–Kleffner syndrome: early treatment,tailored education and therapy improve outcome

Landau–Kleffner syndrome (LKS) is a rare epilepsy occurring in children usually between the ages of three and nine years, characterised by dramatic loss of language skills in association with epileptiform activity over the language centres during sleep. It may be associated with convulsive seizures and additional difficulties with behaviour, social interaction, motor skills and cognition. Early treatment to suppress the EEG abnormalities can at least partially reverse this regression in 60–70% but usually needs to be continued for some years. Management focuses on restoring communication so that the child continues to engage and learn. Therapy and education support are essential and need to be very flexible as the child's profile can fluctuate dramatically and may include signing when they cannot access language and may require considerable opportunities for consolidation and overlearning. The epileptiform activity usually resolves by puberty, often with continuing recovery in skills for some years that will benefit from ongoing support. Many have persisting deficits as adults which are more severe with earlier age of onset and a longer epileptiform period. It is important to recognise LKS as early multi-disciplinary management may improve outcomes.     

China’s language input system in the digital age affects children’s reading development

Written Chinese as a logographic system was developed over 3,000 y ago. Historically, Chinese children have learned to read by learning to associate the visuo-graphic properties of Chinese characters with lexical meaning, typically through handwriting. In recent years, however, many Chinese children have learned to use electronic communication devices based on the pinyin input method, which associates phonemes and English letters with characters. When children use pinyin to key in letters, their spelling no longer depends on reproducing the visuo-graphic properties of characters that are indispensable to Chinese reading, and, thus, typing in pinyin may conflict with the traditional learning processes for written Chinese. We therefore tested character reading ability and pinyin use by primary school children in three Chinese cites: Beijing (n = 466), Guangzhou (n = 477), and Jining (n = 4,908). Children with severe reading difficulty are defined as those who were normal in nonverbal IQ but two grades (i.e., 2 y) behind in character-reading achievement. We found that the overall incidence rate of severe reading difficulty appears to be much higher than ever reported on Chinese reading. Crucially, we found that children’s reading scores were significantly negatively correlated with their use of the pinyin input method, suggesting that pinyin typing on e-devices hinders Chinese reading development. The Chinese language has survived the technological challenges of the digital era, but the benefits of communicating digitally may come with a cost in proficient learning of written Chinese.     

Altered Th1/Th2 commitment contributes to lung senescence in CXCR3-deficient mice

Aging is an inevitable process associated with immune imbalance, which is characterized by a progressive functional decline in major organs, including lung. However, effects of altered Th1/Th2 commitment on lung senescence are largely unknown. To examine effects of altered Th1/Th2 balance on lung aging, we measured proportions of Th1 and Th2 cells and expression of cytokines, chemokines, collagen deposition and other relevant physiological and pathological parameters in 2- and 20-months-old (mo) CXCR3-deficient (CXCR3^−/−) C57BL/6J mice compared with wild-type (WT) mice. There was a significant weight-loss observed in 20-mo CXCR3^−/− mice compared with the same aged WT group. Although lung function and structure changed with age in both groups, central airway resistance (Rn), tissue elastance (H) and damping (G) were significantly lower in 20-mo CXCR3^−/− mice than those of WT mice. In contrast, the whole lung volume (V_L), the mean linear intercept length of alveolar (L_m), and the total lung collagen content were significantly elevated in 20-mo CXCR3^−/− mice. With aging, the lungs of WT mice had typical Th1-type status (increased population of Th1 cells and concentrations of cytokine IFN-γ and CXCR3 ligands) while CXCR3^−/− mice showed Th2-type polarization (decreased proportion of Th1 cells and concentrations of CXCR3 ligands but increased level of IL-4). Our data suggest that Immunosenescence is associated with lung aging, and that altered Th1/Th2 imbalance favors Th2 predominance in CXCR3^−/− mice, which contributes to the process of accelerated lung aging in this model.