Conceptualization of the latent structure of autism: further evidence and discussion of dimensional and hybrid models.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) might be conceptualized as an essentially dimensional, categorical, or hybrid model. Yet, current empirical studies are inconclusive and the latent structure of ASD has explicitly been examined only in a few studies. The aim of our study was to identify and discuss the latent model structure of behavioral symptoms related to ASD and to address the question of whether categories and/or dimensions best represent ASD symptoms.

Systemic and Ophthalmic Manifestations in Different Types of Refractive Errors in Patients with Down Syndrome.

This study aims to investigate the prevalence of systemic and ophthalmic manifestations in different refractive groups in children and young adults with Down syndrome (DS). : The study was a population-based, cross-sectional study that included 141 Caucasian children and young adults with DS. They were classified into the following three groups: myopia DS group (37 subjects, mean age 15.

Dynamics of serum concentrations of antibodies to infliximab: a new approach for predicting secondary loss of response in inflammatory bowel diseases.

Background: Antibodies to infliximab (ATI) in serum are associated with secondary loss of response (LOR) to infliximab (IFX) therapy in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). However, feasible ATI-related predictors of therapy success are lacking and knowledge about individual ATI dynamics is limited. Therefore, this study analyzed whether ATI dynamics are able to predict LOR to IFX therapy and compared their predictive power with known predictors of LOR to IFX.

Differentiation of autism spectrum disorder and mood or anxiety disorder.

Symptoms of mood and anxiety disorders overlap with symptoms of autism spectrum disorder, making the diagnostic process challenging. This study found that a combination of communicational deficits and unusual and/or inappropriate social overtures facilitates differentiation between autism spectrum disorder and mood and anxiety disorders. Furthermore, the results confirm the essential need of a behavioral observation with the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule in combination with a full Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised to support diagnostic decisions.

Diagnostic accuracy of the ADOS and ADOS-2 in clinical practice.

The Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule is a semi-structured, standardized assessment tool for individuals with suspected autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and is deemed to be part of the gold standard for diagnostic evaluation. Good diagnostic accuracy and interpersonal objectivity have been demonstrated for the ADOS in research setting. The question arises whether this is also true for daily clinical practice and whether diagnostic accuracy depends on specialized experience in the diagnostic evaluation.