Are restricted and repetitive behaviours in two- and six-year-olds associated with emotional and behavioural difficulties?

Background: Restricted and repetitive patterns of behaviour (RRBs) serve an adaptive role in development. Elevated levels of RRBs beyond the early years, however, are associated with poorer outcome in language, cognition, and wellbeing, and are seen across a range of neurodevelopmental conditions. This study aimed to characterize the association of distinct RRB subtypes at two and six years of age, with internalising and externalising difficulties in a community sample of children.

Educational spaces: The relation between school infrastructure and learning outcomes.

This article examines the relationship between school infrastructure and academic performance in Ecuador. The objective of this research is to identify which types of infrastructure are associated with better student outcomes in elementary schools. The study employs data from the 2019 UNESCO standardized test, ERCE-2019, for Ecuadorian primary schools.

A summary of the main themes and findings presented at the ASM Intermountain Branch meeting (2024).

The annual meeting for the Intermountain Branch was held in April 2024 on the campus of Brigham Young University. There were 127 branch members from Utah, Idaho, and Nevada who attended the meeting and were composed of undergraduate students, graduate or medical students, and faculty. This report highlights the diversity of, and the emerging trends in, the research conducted by American Society for Microbiology members in the Intermountain Branch.

Measuring self and informant perspectives of Restricted and Repetitive Behaviours (RRBs): psychometric evaluation of the Repetitive Behaviours Questionnaire-3 (RBQ-3) in adult clinical practice and research settgs.

Background: Brief questionnaires that comprehensively capture key restricted and repetitive behaviours (RRBs) across different informants have potential to support autism diagnostic services. We tested the psychometric properties of the 20-item Repetitive Behaviours Questionnaire-3 (RBQ-3), a questionnaire that includes self-report and informant-report versions enabling use across the lifespan.

Method: In Study 1, adults referred to a specialised adult autism diagnostic service (N = 110) completed the RBQ-3 self-report version, and a relative or long-term friend completed the RBQ-3 informant-report version.

Maternal mortality and COVID-19: A nationwide ecological analysis from Ecuador.

Background: During the COVID-19 pandemic, distinct population subsets, including pregnant women, have been differentially affected. While over 90% of COVID-19-infected pregnant women experience a benign course, a subset demonstrates marked clinical exacerbation. Symptomatic pregnant individuals, in particular, present a heightened risk of severe disease in comparison to their non-pregnant counterparts.

Transcriptomics analysis of the bovine endometrium during the perioestrus period.

During the oestrous cycle, the bovine endometrium undergoes morphological and functional changes, which are regulated by alterations in the levels of oestrogen and progesterone and consequent changes in gene expression. To clarify these changes before and after oestrus, RNA-seq was used to profile the transcriptome of oestrus-synchronized beef heifers. Endometrial samples were collected from 29 animals, which were slaughtered in six groups beginning 12 h after the withdrawal of intravaginal progesterone releasing devices until seven days post-oestrus onset (luteal phase).

A nationwide epidemiological and geodemographic analysis of lymphatic filariasis in Ecuador: a neglected and often forgotten disease in Ecuador.

Introduction: Lymphatic filariasis (LF) is a neglected parasitic disease transmitted by mosquitoes and affecting the lymphatic system. The aim of this study was to analyze the epidemiological and sociodemographic characteristics of patients with LF during the last 11 years of available data in Ecuador.

Methods: A 11-year nationwide analysis of hospital admission and in-hospital mortality based on the National Institute of Statistics and Census (INEC) data was conducted in Ecuador from 2011 to 2021.

Air-polishing technology is an effective alternative chairside method for cleaning dentures.

Aims: To investigate the efficiency and abrasiveness of air-polishing on different types of denture base acrylic resins and whether air-polishing can be an effective technique to clean dentures chairside.

Materials And Methods: A total of 60 specimens were prepared (n = 20/group); heat-polymerized polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) (G1), subtractive manufacturing (SM) (G2) and additive manufacturing (AM) denture base resins (G3). Equal number of specimens in each group were stained with permanent marker or nail polish and pumice mixture to mimic calcified biofilm.

Job Satisfaction and Self-Perceptions Among Ecuadorian Medical Doctors During Their Compulsory Rural Community Social Service: A Countrywide Cross-Sectional Analysis.

Introduction: Job satisfaction has been shown to have important effects at the organizational level. In various corners of the world, physicians are obliged to perform a period of social service, generally at the first level of care in rural or remote areas.

Objective: To describe the level of job satisfaction and perceptions of Ecuadorian rural physicians regarding compulsory social service.

Caregivers' Assessment of the Sensory Processing Patterns Exhibited by Children with Autism in the Gulf Region.

This study explored the nature, prevalence, and developmental profiles of sensory processing disorders among children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The participants comprised 119 children with ASD and 30 typically developing children and their parents. The Child Sensory Profile-2 was used to assess the children's sensory processing characteristics.

Reliability of the Commonly Used and Newly-Developed Autism Measures.

Purpose: The aim of the present study was to compare scale and conditional reliability derived from item response theory analyses among the most commonly used, as well as several newly developed, observation, interview, and parent-report autism instruments.

Methods: When available, data sets were combined to facilitate large sample evaluation. Scale reliability (internal consistency, average corrected item-total correlations, and model reliability) and conditional reliability estimates were computed for total scores and for measure subscales.

Ethnodemographic characterization of stroke incidence and burden of disease in hospital discharge records in Ecuador.

Introduction: Stroke is the second most common cause of death and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) globally. However, the incidence and impact of stroke by ethnicity and gender is frequently distinct. This is particularly the case in Ecuador where geographic and economic marginalization are often correlated with ethnic marginalization and the extent to which females lack the same opportunities as their male counterparts.

Comparative analysis of long-term self-reported COVID-19 symptoms among pregnant women.

Background: The negative effects of COVID-19 infections during pregnancy have been amply described, however, the persistent sequels of this infection have not been explored so far.

Objective: The aim of this study was to describe persisting symptoms after COVID-19 infection in pregnant and non-pregnant women in Ecuador.

Methods: A cross-sectional analysis based on an online, self-reporting questionnaire was conducted in Ecuador from April to July 2022.

How much do Latin American medical students know about radiology? Latin-American multicenter cross-sectional study.

Background: Radiology is a useful tool for diagnosis and intervention in medical practice, and all the components within the teaching-learning process of this subject during undergraduate studies influence successful knowledge application.

Objective: This study aimed to describe the level of knowledge in radiology of students in the last two years of medical school and curricular characteristics of their courses in seven Latin American countries.

Methods: A multicenter cross-sectional study was carried out on medical students of 7 Latin American countries (Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Paraguay, and Peru) in their final two years of medical school, using an online questionnaire validated by experts and adapted for each country that assessed knowledge and curricular characteristics in radiology subject.

Contemporary Nurse-Midwifery Care in Colorado: A Survey of Certified Nurse-Midwife Practices in Hospital and Community Settings.

Lack of access to birth facilities and maternity care providers has contributed to rising US maternal mortality and morbidity rates, especially among women in rural areas. Evidence supports the increased use of midwives as a potential solution for access-to-care issues. This observational survey was conducted to identify the practice environment for Certified Nurse-Midwives® in Colorado for the purpose of informing future workforce expansion.

Backward mapping from outcomes: Using a realist evaluation lens to evaluate an international aid program.

In this paper, a backward mapping approach to realist evaluation is used to evaluate the efficacy of an international inclusive education short course program in transforming inclusive perspectives and practices of educators from Nepal who were considered leaders in inclusive education. The program, an Australia Awards South and West Asia (AASWA) short course, delivered by an Australian university, was designed to build on the existing capacity of the participants to lead the implementation of inclusive education reforms and system enhancements within the school system in Nepal. Data collected before, during and after the program provide insights into the ways in which participants responded to the program.

Long COVID at Different Altitudes: A Countrywide Epidemiological Analysis.

Background: Several reports from around the world have reported that some patients who have recovered from COVID-19 have experienced a range of persistent or new clinical symptoms after a SARS-CoV-2 infection. These symptoms can last from weeks to months, impacting everyday functioning to a significant number of patients.

Methods: A cross-sectional analysis based on an online, self-reporting questionnaire was conducted in Ecuador from April to July 2022.

A Cross-Sectional Analysis of Self-Medication Patterns during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Ecuador.

Background and Objectives: Drug consumption is a widely developed practice around the world. However, sometimes medicines are acquired with or without prescription, a practice termed self-medication, which can have negative impacts on the health of the population. It has been observed that with the arrival of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, self-medicated drug consumption figures increased in several countries.

Student Interviews Exploring the Influence of the Coronavirus Pandemic on Graduate Nursing Education.

Introduction: Advanced practice nurses are needed to fill the primary healthcare gap in the United States. Advanced practice/graduate nursing students were profoundly affected by the coronavirus pandemic in ways that may impact their educational experience.

Objective: The objective of this study was to explore the influence of the coronavirus pandemic on the educational experience of graduate nursing students.

Subdomains of restricted and repetitive behaviors within autism: Exploratory structural equation modeling using the diagnostic interview for social and communication disorders.

The current study aimed to explore the factor structure of a broad range of restricted and repetitive behaviors (RRB) within the autism spectrum. Exploratory structural equation modeling was conducted using individual item-level data from the Diagnostic Interview for Social and Communication Disorders (DISCO). DISCO is a comprehensive semi-structured interview used by clinicians to elicit information from caregivers about the individual's profile of development and behavior.

Mucin Purification and Printing Natural Mucin Microarrays.

Mucin glycosylation is the key facilitator of microbial attachment and nutrition and it varies according to biological location, health and disease status, microbiome composition, infection, and multiple other factors. Mucin glycans have also been reported to attenuate pathogen virulence and mediate biofilm dispersal. With the labor intensive and time-consuming purification required for natural mucins and their low quantitative yield from biological sources, natural mucin microarrays provide a convenient and multiplexed platform to study mucin glycosylation and interactions.

Regulation and functional consequences of mGlu RNA editing.

Metabotropic glutamate receptor 4 (mGlu) is one of eight mGlu receptors within the Class C G protein-coupled receptor superfamily. mGlu is primarily localized to the presynaptic membrane of neurons where it functions as an auto and heteroreceptor controlling synaptic release of neurotransmitter. mGlu is implicated in numerous disorders and is a promising drug target; however, more remains to be understood about its regulation and pharmacology.