Sociocultural development and validation of lexicon for Asian-Indian individuals who use augmentative and alternative communication

Purpose. Individuals who temporarily or permanently are not able to communicate through use of gestures/signs, speech, and/or written communication mode benefit from the use of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) systems. Effective communication skills for individuals who use an AAC system depend on appropriate lexicon. This study was designed to develop and validate a socially and culturally appropriate lexicon for Asian-Indians who use AAC.

Method. To this end, 120 individuals from India participated in this study. A composite list of lexical items was identified, using a structured social validation technique involving non-categorical and categorical nominations, and a rating of lexical items from a Picture Communication Symbols (PCS) lexicon.

Results. Data analysis indicated that 88 lexical items from the nomination task were not represented in the PCS lexicon and 247 items were rated as having no value for the Asian-Indian culture.

Conclusions. Findings suggest that while a lexicon from symbol sets developed for one culture might have considerable overlap across cultures, these lexicons may not be appropriate as a source of selecting a lexicon for an AAC user from a culturally and linguistically diverse background. Implications of these findings are discussed for speech-language pathologists and other rehabilitation professionals.     

Factors associated with post-concussion syndrome in high school student-athletes

Objectives

To identify factors associated with post-concussion syndrome (PCS) among a national sample of high school student-athletes from the 2011/12–2013/14 academic years.

Use of immunoblot technique for detection of human IgE and IgG antibodies to individual silk proteins

Allergenic proteins were extracted from one silk batch that was imported to be used as filling material for bed mattresses and rugs. IgE and IgG antibodies to the extracted silk proteins were measured by RAST in sera of nine silk-sensitive persons as well as in sera of healthy control donors. Silk proteins were fractionated by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis into 12 polypeptides of molecular weights between 14 and 70 kilodaltons. By means of the immunoblot technique, IgE and IgG antibodies to the individual silk polypeptides could be detected. Sera of silk-sensitive persons contained high titers of IgE and low titers of IgG antibodies to the separated silk polypeptides. Sera of control donors contained low IgG antibody titers to a limited number of these polypeptides.     

Interpreting SF&-36 summary health measures: A response

In response to questions raised about the “accuracy” of SF-36 physical (PCS) and mental (MCS) component summary scores, particularly extremely high and low scores, we briefly comment on: how they were developed, how they are scored, the factor content of the eight SF-36 subscales, cross-tabulations between item-level responses and extreme summary scores, and published and new tests of their empirical validity. Published cross-tabulations between SF-36 items and PCS and MCS scores, reanalyses of public datasets (N = 5919), and preliminary results from the Medicare Health Outcomes Survey (HOS) (N = 172,314) yielded little or no evidence in support of Taft's hypothesis that extreme scores are an invalid artifact of some negative scoring weights. For example, in the HOS, those (N = 432) with “unexpected” PCS scores worse than 20 (which, according to Taft, indicate better mental health rather than worse physical health) were about 25% more likely to die within two years, in comparison with those scoring in the next highest (21– 30)␣category. In this test and in all other empirical tests, results of predictions supported the validity of extreme PCS and MCS scores. We recommend against the interpretation of average differences smaller than one point in studies that seek to detect “false” measurement and we again repeat our 7-year-old recommendation that results based on summary measures should be thoroughly compared with the SF-36 profile before drawing conclusions. To facilitate such comparisons, scoring utilities and user-friendly graphs for SF-36 profiles and physical and mental summary scores (both orthogonal and oblique scoring algorithms) have been made available on the Internet at www.sf-36.com/test. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Poorer sleep quality among adult patients with pectus excavatum in Taiwan: A pilot study

Objectives

Patients with pectus excavatum have a poorer quality of life than the general population. Sleep quality is a critical component of quality of life. This pilot study compared the sleep quality of adult patients with pectus excavatum with that of the general population in Taiwan.

支架联合PCS在恶性梗阻性黄疸中的应用研究

目的：探讨恶性梗阻性黄疸的内支架植入术后,动脉药盒植入术局部治疗的价值。方法：３６例均已不能或不宜行外科手术治疗的恶性梗阻性黄疸病人,随机分为单纯内支架治疗（ Ｅ Ｍ Ｂ Ｅ）组和 Ｅ Ｍ Ｂ Ｅ 加 Ｐ Ｃ Ｓ治疗组。结果：３６例中３１例胆管引流内支架植入术成功,其中之１３例行 Ｅ Ｍ Ｂ Ｅ,１８例行 Ｅ Ｍ Ｂ Ｅ＋ Ｐ Ｃ Ｓ。随访１～１２个月, Ｅ Ｍ Ｂ Ｅ 组：１～３个月内６例（５０％ ）出现再闭塞。２～６个月内死亡８例,占６１５％ ,１２个月内死亡１１例,占８４６％ 。 Ｅ Ｍ Ｂ Ｅ＋ Ｐ Ｃ Ｓ组４例（２２２％ ）１～３个月后出现再闭塞,２～６个月内死亡６例,占３３３％ ,１２个月内死亡９例,占５００％ 。两组再闭塞率及死亡率相比,经 ｔ检验, Ｐ＜ ００１, Ｅ Ｍ Ｂ Ｅ＋ Ｐ Ｃ Ｓ组与 Ｅ Ｍ Ｂ Ｅ 组有显著差异性。结论：恶性梗阻性黄疸 Ｅ Ｍ Ｂ Ｅ 加 Ｐ Ｃ Ｓ治疗优于单纯 Ｅ Ｍ Ｂ Ｅ,是一种较好的局部治疗方法。