Reliably quantifying the severity of social symptoms in children with autism using ASDSpeech.

Several studies have demonstrated that the severity of social communication problems, a core symptom of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), is correlated with specific speech characteristics of ASD individuals. This suggests that it may be possible to develop speech analysis algorithms that can quantify ASD symptom severity from speech recordings in a direct and objective manner. Here we demonstrate the utility of a new open-source AI algorithm, ASDSpeech, which can analyze speech recordings of ASD children and reliably quantify their social communication difficulties across multiple developmental timepoints.

Diversity and Activity of Bacteria Cultured from a Cup-The Sponge .

Marine sponges are well-known for hosting rich microbial communities. Sponges are the most prolific source of marine bioactive compounds, which are frequently synthesized by their associated microbiota. is an endemic Mediterranean sponge with scarce information regarding its (bioactive) secondary metabolites.

Idiosyncratic pupil regulation in autistic children.

Recent neuroimaging and eye-tracking studies have suggested that children with autism exhibit more variable and idiosyncratic brain responses and eye movements than typically developing (TD) children. Here, we extended this research to pupillometry recordings. We successfully acquired pupillometry recordings from 111 children (74 with autism), 4.

sp. nov., isolated from marine sponge .

A novel bacterium, designated as MI-G, was isolated from marine sponge s . Cells of strain MI-G are Gram-stain-negative, aerobic, and rod or coccoid-ovoid in shape. MI-G is able to grow at 10-40 °C (optimum, 28 °C), with 1.

Automated Analysis of Stereotypical Movements in Videos of Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Importance: Stereotypical motor movements (SMMs) are a form of restricted and repetitive behavior, which is a core symptom of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Current quantification of SMM severity is extremely limited, with studies relying on coarse and subjective caregiver reports or laborious manual annotation of short video recordings.

Objective: To assess the utility of a new open-source AI algorithm that can analyze extensive video recordings of children and automatically identify segments with heterogeneous SMMs, thereby enabling their direct and objective quantification.

Out of the blue: Hyperaccumulation of molybdenum in the Indo-Pacific sponge .

Molybdenum is an essential micronutrient, but because of its toxicity at high concentrations, its accumulation in living organisms has not been widely demonstrated. In this study, we report that the marine sponge accumulates exceptionally high levels of molybdenum (46,793 micrograms per gram of dry weight) in a wide geographic distribution from the northern Red Sea to the reefs of Zanzibar, Indian Ocean. The element is found in various sponge body fractions and correlates to selenium.

Sleep disturbances are associated with greater healthcare utilization in children with autism spectrum disorder.

Background: Sleep disturbances are frequently reported in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and are associated with the severity of co-occurring symptoms. This study's aim was to examine the extent of healthcare utilization and clinical outcomes associated with sleep disturbances in children with ASD.

Study Design: A retrospective, cross-sectional study of 541 children with ASD from the Azrieli National Center for Autism and Neurodevelopment Research (ANCAN) whose parents completed the Children's Sleep Habits Questionnaire (CSHQ).

Idiosyncratic pupil regulation in autistic children.

Recent neuroimaging and eye tracking studies have suggested that children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) may exhibit more variable and idiosyncratic brain responses and eye movements than typically developing (TD) children. Here we extended this research for the first time to pupillometry recordings. We successfully completed pupillometry recordings with 103 children (66 with ASD), 4.

Virucidal effect of mouthwash on acyclovir-resistant herpes simplex virus.

Objectives: The symptoms of herpes simplex viruses type 1 (HSV-1) infections might be severe and persistent in immunocompromised patients in whom they reactivate at a high frequency. The development of Acyclovir (ACV) resistant strains due to long-term treatment with antiviral agents in those patients is not uncommon. The aim of the present study was to assess the virucidal effect of commercially available mouthwashes against ACV-resistant HSV-1 strains.

Adherence to treatment and parents' perspective about effectiveness of melatonin in children with autism spectrum disorder and sleep disturbances.

Objective: Melatonin is considered an effective pharmacological treatment for the sleep disturbances that are reported in > 50% of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, real-life data about the long-term course and effectiveness of melatonin treatment in children with ASD is lacking.

Methods: In this retrospective cohort study, we assessed the adherence to melatonin treatment and parents' perspective of its effect on sleep quality and daytime behavior in children with ASD via a parental phone survey of children in the Azrieli National Center for Autism and Neurodevelopment Research (ANCAN) database.

Who should be screened for carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales and when? A systematic review.

Carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales (CPE) cases increases every year in Denmark and the proportion of CPE-positive cases with a travel history decreases. Several epidemiological links show transmission in Danish healthcare setting indicating infection prevention and control challenges and raising questions about the Danish CPE screening protocol. The aim of this review was to identify additional risk factors to those described in the Danish CPE-screening protocol in order to detect the Danish CPE-positive patients and thereby reduce the risk of transmission and outbreaks.

Sleep disturbances are associated with irritability in ASD children with sensory sensitivities.

Background: Parent reports suggest that 44-84% of children with ASD exhibit sleep disturbances that are of clinical concern. Previous studies have reported that, in children with ASD, the severity of sleep disturbances is associated with the severity of either sensory problems or aberrant behaviors, but none have performed combined analyses with measures of both sensory and aberrant behaviors symptom domains from the same children.

Methods: We examined parent reports of 237 children with ASD, 1.

Seasonal Molecular Difference in Fibrillar Collagen Extracts Derived from the Marine Sponge (Nardo, 1847) and Their Impact on Its Derived Biomaterials.

(Nardo, 1847) is a marine sponge of high biotechnological interest both for its natural compound content and for its peculiar collagen, which is suitable for the production of innovative biomaterials in the form, for instance, of 2D membranes and hydrogels, exploitable in the fields of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. In this study, the molecular and chemical-physical properties of fibrillar collagen extracted from specimens collected in different seasons are studied to evaluate the possible impact of sea temperature on them. Collagen fibrils were extracted from sponges harvested by the Sdot Yam coast (Israel) during winter (sea temperature: 17 °C) and during summer (sea temperature: 27 °C).

Children with autism exhibit similar longitudinal changes in core symptoms when placed in special or mainstream education settings.

Today, children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are placed in mainstream or special education settings somewhat arbitrarily with no clear clinical recommendations. Here, we compared changes in core ASD symptoms, as measured by the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule, 2nd edition (ADOS-2) clinical assessment, across ASD preschool children placed in special or mainstream education. Longitudinal changes in ADOS-2 scores did not differ significantly across settings over a 1- to 2-year period.

The Importance of Language Delays as an Early Indicator of Subsequent ASD Diagnosis in Public Healthcare Settings.

Previous studies have reported that ASD children with more severe symptoms are diagnosed earlier. However, previous studies in community settings have mostly relied on retrospective parental reports without the use of quantitative standardized test scores. Here, we evaluated the association of language, cognitive, and ASD severity standardized scores with the age of diagnosis in 1-6-year-old children diagnosed in a public healthcare setting.

Cytotoxic Alkylynols of the Sponge : Structure, Synthetic Analogs and SAR Studies.

A series of twenty-three linear and branched chain mono acetylene lipids were isolated from the Caribbean Sea sponge . Seventeen of the compounds, , are new, while six, , were previously characterized from the same sponge. Some of the new acetylene-3-hydroxy alkanes , , , , were tested for selective cytotoxicity in non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) cells over WI-38 normal diploid lung fibroblasts.

Theonellamides J and K and 5--Apoa-theopalauamide, Bicyclic Glycopeptides of the Red Sea Sponge .

is a fairly common inhabitant of reefs throughout the Indian and Pacific Oceans. Metabolomic analyses of samples of collected in different depths in the Gulf of Aqaba revealed two chemotypes differing in the profiles of the theonellamides they produce, some of which seem to be unknown. Driven by this finding, we examined a sample of collected more than 40 years ago in the southern part of the Gulf of Aqaba.

On the Path to Thermo-Stable Collagen: Culturing the Versatile Sponge .

The collagen proteins family is sought-after in the pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and food industries for various biotechnological applications. The most abundant sources of collagen are pigs and cows, but due to religious restrictions and possible disease transmission, they became less attractive. An alternative source can be found in marine invertebrates, specifically in sponges.

Lead fixation mechanism impacts outcome of transvenous lead extraction: data from the European Lead Extraction ConTRolled Registry.

Aims: The aims of this study is to characterize the transvenous lead extraction (TLE) population with active (A) compared with passive fixation (PFix) leads and to compare the safety, efficacy, and ease of extracting active fixation (AFix) compared with PFix right atrial (RA) and right ventricular (RV) leads.

Methods And Results: The European Lead Extraction ConTRolled Registry (ELECTRa) was analysed. Patients were divided into three groups; those with only AFix, only PFix, and combined Fix leads.

Early diagnosis of autism in the community is associated with marked improvement in social symptoms within 1-2 years.

It is widely believed that early diagnosis and treatment of autism spectrum disorder is essential for better outcome. This is demonstrated by the American Academy of Pediatrics recommendation to screen all 1.5-2.