Down's syndrome and the acquisition of phonology by Cantonese-speaking children

ABSTRACT. The phonological abilities of two groups of 4–9-year-old intellectually impaired Cantonese-speaking children are described. Children with Down's syndrome did not differ from matched non-Down's syndrome controls in terms of a lexical comprehension measure, the size of their phoneme repertoires, the range of sounds affected by articulatory imprecision, or the number of consonants, vowels or tones produced in error. However, the types of errors made by the Down's syndrome children were different from those made by the control subjects. Cantonese-speaking children with Downs syndrome, as compared with controls, made a greater number of inconsistent errors, were more likely to produce non-developmental errors and were better in imitation than in spontaneous production. Despite extensive differences between the phonological structures of Cantonese and English, children with Downs syndrome acquiring these languages show the same characteristic pattern of speech errors. One unexpected finding was that the control group of non-Down's syndrome children failed to present with delayed phonological development typically reported for their English-speaking counterparts. The argument made is that cross-linguistic studies of intellectually impaired children's language acquisition provide evidence concerning language-specific characteristics of impairment, as opposed to those characteristics that, remaining constant across languages, are an integral part of the disorder. The results reported here support the hypothesis that the speech disorder typically associated with Down's syndrome arises from impaired phonological planning, i.e. a cognitive linguistic deficit.     

Prevention of collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) by treatment with polyethylene glycol-conjugated type II collagen; distinct tolerogenic property of the conjugated collagen from the native one

Administration of a soluble protein into animals prior to challenge immunization induces immunological tolerance which is specific for the protein. In addition, chemical modification of proteins with polyethylene glycol (PEG) has been reported to convert the immunogenic proteins to become tolerogenic. However, differences in tolerogenic properties between PEG-modified proteins and the native counterparts have never been analysed. The ability of PEG-conjugated type II collagen (PEG-CII) to attenuate CIA, an animal model for rheumatoid arthritis, was compared with the native unconjugated CII. Groups of DBA/1 J mice were treated weekly with i.p. injections with PEG-CII, native CII, or vehicle alone for 3 weeks, before they were challenged with CII in adjuvants. The induction of tolerance was confirmed in both PEG-CII- and CII-pretreated mice when suppression of lymph node T cell proliferation in response to CII was noted. The degrees of suppression of T cell proliferation were comparable between the two pretreated groups. However, induction of arthritis and production of IgG anti-CII antibody were more markedly suppressed in PEG-CII-pretreated mice than in native CII-pretreated mice, although the severity of arthritis and antibody levels in the latter group were also lower than in control mice. IgG2a and IgG2b antibody levels were equally suppressed in the two pretreated groups, whereas the IgG1 level was significantly lower in the PEG-CII-pretreated group than in the native CII-pretreated group. The results provide the first evidence that attachment of PEG to CII renders the protein more tolerogenic.     

Success of Maternal and Child Health Pipeline Training Programs: Alumni Survey Results

Maternal and Child Health Journal - The Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Pipeline Training Program, promotes development of a diverse health workforce by training undergraduate students from...     

Comparing sulindac with indomethacin for closure of ductus arteriosus in preterm infants

Objectives: A prospective study comparing the efficiacy and side-effects of oral sulindac with intravenous indomethacin in clinically stable preterm infants (<1750 g) requiring non-invasive closure of haemodynamically significant patent ductus arteriosus.
Methodology: As maturity and birthweight are the two major determinants of ductal closure, infants were matched as closely as possible for these parameters. An eligible patient was first assigned to the sulindac group and a subsequent patient with similar gestational age (± 1 week) and birthweight (±100 g) to the previously recruited infant would automatically receive indomethacin. A total of eight infants were enrolled in each group.
Results: The ductus arteriosus was successfully closed in all eight infants receiving indomethacin, and in seven of eight infants receiving sulindac. No significant differences were found with regards to the ductal size between the two groups at diagnosis or on each of the consecutive days of treatment ( P >0.25). More renal adverse effects were encountered in the indomethacin group. Significant differences in changes from baseline value for urine output, plasma sodium, urea and creatinine concentrations were noted at 24, 48 and 72 h after commencement of treatment between the two groups ( P <0.05). All the parameters returned to normal or pre-treatment levels 48 h after stopping therapy. Unexpectedly, severe gastrointestinal complications were encountered in the sulindac group.
Conclusions: Sulindac is capable of promoting ductal constriction in clinically stable preterm infants without compromising the renal function. The spectrum of gastrointestinal complications observed in sulindac treated infants were similar to those described for indomethacin. The use of sulindac for ductal closure in the preterm infant should remain experimental.     

Fatal meningoencephalitis due to Bacillus anthracis

Abstract: We report the first case of fatal anthrax meningoencephalitis in Hong Kong over the past 60 years. A 13 year-old boy presented with right lower quadrant pain, diarrhoea and progressive headache. Lumbar puncture yielded gram positive bacilli initially thought to be Bacillus cereus, a contaminant. He was treated with ampicillin and cefotaxime, but died 3 days after hospitalization. The organism isolated from blood and cerebrospinal fluid was later identified as Bacillus anthracis.     

Effect of a structured asthma education program on hospitalized asthmatic children: A randomized controlled study

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to compare the effectiveness of an intensive asthma education program (group B) with that of a standard asthma education program (group A). METHODS: A prospective randomized single blinded study was conducted in the pediatric department of a public hospital in Hong Kong. Children aged 2-15 years admitted to the pediatric department with an acute attack of asthma were recruited. A standard asthma education program (group A) or an intensive asthma education program (group B) for children were offered. The main outcome measures include the number of visits to the emergency department and the number of hospitalization for asthma during the 3 month follow-up period. RESULTS: A total of 45 children were in group A and 55 in group B. Group B had statistically significant reductions in the number of visits to the emergency department and the number of hospitalizations. Drug compliance was also significantly improved in group B. Parents' satisfaction rate was also higher in group B. CONCLUSION: The intensive asthma education program might be more cost effective than the standard asthma education program in the management of asthmatic children admitted to hospital in Hong Kong.     

Baseline CD4 T Cell Level Predicts Recovery Rate after Initiation of ART in HIV Infected Nigerians

The most characteristic immunologic disorder in HIV infection is the progressive loss of CD4 T lymphocytes, thus, it remains the most important and commonly used marker for monitoring of immune status of HIV-infected individuals. This study monitored CD4 T lymphocyte cell dynamics among HIV patients on ART, and consequently defined an optimal baseline level required for enhanced ARV treatment. Ninety-eight (M = 33; F = 65) out of 106 consenting HIV-infected ARV-naïve patients enrolled and monitored for 24 months were considered in the analysis. The patients were classified into four groups based on baseline CD4 T lymphocyte cell levels, and specific parameters were evaluated at interval. Median CD4 T lymphocyte increased from 114 (Range: 6–330) at baseline to highest 357 (Range: 15–1036) cells/μL at 18 months of therapy. Fifty (51.0%), 58(59.2%), 75(76.5%), 69(70.4%), 63(64.3%), and 69(70.4%) doubled their preceding CD4 levels during the 3^rd, 6^th, 9^th, 12^th, 18^th, and 24^th months of ART, respectively. Maximum 337, 302, 360, and 475 cells/μL of blood were attained by groups commenced on ART with baseline CD4 ≤ 50, 51–100, 101–200, and 201–350 cells/μL of blood, respectively. The results show that higher baseline CD4 T lymphocyte cell level correlates with enhanced restoration and plateau after commencement of ART.     

Hepatitis B virus DNA in patients with HBsAg in south western Nigeria

There are about 400 million people with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection worldwide with a potential of adverse sequelae including hepatocellular carcinoma. Recent data have shown that the level of HBV DNA in serum or plasma of an infected person probably reflects more accurately the replicative activity of the virus and therefore may serve as a better maker for management of the infection. This study was designed to determine the rate of detection of HBV DNA in blood samples of patients with HBsAg positive in Nigeria in comparison with the HBe and anti‐HBe used widely as serological markers of infectivity. Plasma samples from 105 patients with HBsAg positive were tested for the presence of HBeAg and anti‐HBe using a commercial enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay while plasma HBV DNA was quantified using the COBAS Amplicor HBV Monitor assay. Of the 105 HBsAg samples, 17 (16.2%) and 85 (81%) were positive for HBeAg and anti‐HBe, respectively, while 8 (7.6%) were negative for both HBeAg and anti‐HBe. HBV DNA was detected in 86 (81.9%) of the samples, out of which 15 (18.1%) and 67 (80.7%) were positive for HBeAg and anti‐HBe, respectively. HBV DNA was detected in 78.4% of the HBeAg negative samples and in all the eight samples that were negative for both HBeAg and anti‐HBe. The implication of these findings in the management of patients with HBV infection is compelling. J. Med. Virol. 85:214–218, 2013. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.