Prefrontal Cortex Responses to Social Video Stimuli in Young Children with and without Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder affecting individuals worldwide and characterized by deficits in social interaction along with the presence of restricted interest and repetitive behaviors. Despite decades of behavioral research, little is known about the brain mechanisms that influence social behaviors among children with ASD. This, in part, is due to limitations of traditional imaging techniques specifically targeting pediatric populations.

A comparison between full-length 16S rRNA Oxford nanopore sequencing and Illumina V3-V4 16S rRNA sequencing in head and neck cancer tissues.

Describing the microbial community within the tumour has been a key aspect in understanding the pathophysiology of the tumour microenvironment. In head and neck cancer (HNC), most studies on tissue samples have only performed 16S rRNA short-read sequencing (SRS) on V3-V5 region. SRS is mostly limited to genus level identification.

Examining shortened versions of the Social Responsiveness Scale for use in autism spectrum disorder prediction and as a quantitative trait measure: Results from a validation study of 3-5 year old children.

Background: The Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS) is a 65-item measure yielding a continuous score capturing autism-related traits. Scores based on SRS item subsets have been analytically examined but administration of shortened versions has not been evaluated prospectively.

Objective: The goal of this study was to compare psychometric properties of two shortened versions of the SRS to the full 65-item SRS, in young children from both a clinical and general population setting.

Customised acoustic therapy delivered through a web-based platform-An innovative approach to tinnitus treatment.

Objectives: Customised acoustic therapy aims to moderate the neural pathways implicated in the pathophysiology of tinnitus. This study aimed to assess the efficacy of customised acoustic therapy administered via a web-based treatment platform.

Design: Clinical trial with prospective recruitment.

FiveQ: A new easy-to-use validated clinical instrument for tinnitus severity.

Objectives: Tinnitus is a complex and debilitating phenomenon with potentially significant implications on quality of life. New presentations can be resource and time intensive for clinicians. Validated comprehensive tinnitus questionnaires may lack practical utility in the high-volume clinical setting.

Pediatric allergic fungal rhinosinusitis: optimizing outcomes.

Purpose Of Review: Allergic fungal rhinosinusitis (AFRS) is a debilitating condition for children. Despite there being several reviews on this topic in the adult population, there is a paucity of reviews of AFRS in the pediatric literature. This article reviews the recent evidence of pediatric AFRS with the aim to optimize outcomes of pediatric patients with this condition.

Using Adaptive Computer-based Instruction to Teach Staff to Implement a Social Skills Intervention.

This study evaluated the effectiveness of an adaptive, computer-based staff training software program called Train-to-Code (TTC) to teach the administration of a social skills intervention. The software program actively trained participants to identify whether video models illustrated each step of the procedure effectively or ineffectively. Multiple exemplars of each step of the social skills task analysis were represented.

Xanthogranuloma of the external auditory canal-an atypical anatomical manifestation.

Juvenile xanthogranuloma is a proliferative cutaneous manifestation encountered in the paediatric population. Adult cases are uncommon, but have been reported. Lesions are prevalent in the head and neck region, but rarely observed in the external auditory canal.

Sexual Health Knowledge, Attitudes, and Perceptions Among Men Who Have Sex With Men During Co-Occurring Sexually Transmitted Infection Epidemics in Toronto, Canada: A Qualitative Study.

Background: Our objective was to explore the sexual health knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions of men who have sex with men (MSM).

Methods: In-depth interviews were conducted with 31 MSM who lived, worked, or socialized in Toronto in June and July 2016. Participants were asked about concepts of risky sex and knowledge of, and attitudes toward, sexually transmitted infections (STIs), especially syphilis, and potential interventions.

'… if U equals U what does the second U mean?': sexual minority men's accounts of HIV undetectability and untransmittable scepticism.

The everyday meaning and use of HIV 'undetectability' raises significant questions about the social and sexual significance of this state of viral suppression. We conducted in-depth, semi-structured interviews with 25 sexual minority men living in Vancouver, Canada, including men living with HIV. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed using grounded theory.

Knowledge and attitudes of syphilis and syphilis pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) among men who have sex with men in Vancouver, Canada: a qualitative study.

Objectives: In British Columbia, Canada, syphilis is at record-high rates, with over 80% of cases in 2017 seen in gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men (GBM). The syphilis epidemic is of particular concern for those living with HIV, since syphilis may lead to more serious complications in this population. We sought to explore syphilis-related knowledge and attitudes around biomedical prevention options for syphilis, with the goal of informing effective strategies to prevent syphilis.

The Social Geography of Partner Selection in Toronto, Canada: A Qualitative Description of "Convection Mixing".

The geographic distribution of sexually transmitted infections reflects the underlying social process of sexual partner selection. This qualitative study explored the social geography of partner selection among sexual minority men and used the results to develop a mid-range theory of STI transmission. In-depth interviews with 31 sexual minority men who lived, worked, or socialized in Toronto, Canada, occurred in June and July 2016.

ESCRT-III-associated proteins and spastin inhibit protrudin-dependent polarised membrane traffic.

Mutations in the gene encoding the microtubule severing ATPase spastin are the most frequent cause of hereditary spastic paraplegia, a genetic condition characterised by length-dependent axonal degeneration. Here, we show that HeLa cells lacking spastin and embryonic fibroblasts from a spastin knock-in mouse model become highly polarised and develop cellular protrusions. In HeLa cells, this phenotype was rescued by wild-type spastin, but not by forms unable to sever microtubules or interact with endosomal ESCRT-III proteins.

Teaching an Adult With Autism Spectrum Disorder to Use an Activity Schedule During a Vocational Beekeeping Task.

Recent federal legislation passed supports investment in sustainable green jobs. Beekeeping is one type of sustainable vocation. Activity schedules have shown effectiveness in increasing the independence of children with autism engaged in various tasks.

Acute peritonsillar swelling: a unique presentation for Kawasaki disease in adolescence.

We report the case of a 14-year-old man with unilateral peritonsillar swelling, airway compromise and fever. On physical examination, the patient was pyrexic with trismus, dysphonia, uvula deviation, exudative unilateral peritonsillar swelling and unilateral cervical lymphadenopathy. Attempts at aspirating the prominent peritonsillar region were unsuccessful.

Conceptualizing Geosexual Archetypes: Mapping the Sexual Travels and Egocentric Sexual Networks of Gay and Bisexual Men in Toronto, Canada.

Background: There are complex, synergistic, and persistent sexually transmitted infection (STI) epidemics affecting gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men (gbMSM) in every major urban centre across North America. We explored the spatial architecture of egocentric sexual networks for gbMSM in Toronto, Canada.

Methods: Our integrative mixed methods study included in-depth interviews with 31 gbMSM between May and July 2016.

The medical home for children with autism spectrum disorder: an essential element whose time has come.

Purpose Of Review: The purpose of this review is to describe the role of the medical home in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). A high-quality medical home is essential, given the increase in prevalence of ASD and the array of services, community partners, specialists, therapists, and healthcare team members needed to care for this population.

Recent Findings: Providing care through the medical home model results in fewer unmet needs.

Expression characterization of the herbicide tolerance gene Aryloxyalkanoate Dioxygenase (aad-1) controlled by seven combinations of regulatory elements.

Background: Availability of well characterized maize regulatory elements for gene expression in a variety of tissues and developmental stages provides effective alternatives for single and multigene transgenic concepts. We studied the expression of the herbicide tolerance gene aryloxyalkanoate dioxygenase (aad-1) driven by seven different regulatory element construct designs including the ubiquitin promoters of maize and rice, the actin promoters of melon and rice, three different versions of the Sugarcane Bacilliform Badnavirus promoters in association with other regulatory elements of gene expression.

Results: Gene expression of aad-1 was characterized at the transcript and protein levels in a collection of maize tissues and developmental stages.

Behavior Skills Training with Voice-Over Video Modeling.

The present study used behavior skills training (BST) to teach three adult participants to implement a video modeling intervention aimed at teaching social skills to adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). During baseline trials, participants were given access to written instructions before role-play with two actors (who simulated a quiet conversation) and one confederate (who played the role of an adult with ASD). During treatment, participants were given a video model with voiceover instruction depicting how to implement the video modeling intervention to teach social skills, repeated roleplay trials, and feedback following their performance.

Saphenovenous Graft Aneurysm: A Rare Complication of CABG.

Saphenovenous graft aneurysm is a rare complication of coronary artery bypass grafts that is likely underdiagnosed. It is typically asymptomatic, slow growing, and often diagnosed incidentally on angiography or following catastrophic rupture. There is no consensus on best management but PCI and surgery appear to have more favourable mortality outcomes relative to conservative management.

Sleep in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

The purposes of this paper are to provide an overview of the state of the science of sleep in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), present hypotheses for the high prevalence of insomnia in children with ASD, and present a practice pathway for promoting optimal sleep. Approximately two thirds of children with ASD have chronic insomnia, and to date, the strongest evidence on promoting sleep is for sleep education, environmental changes, behavioral interventions, and exogenous melatonin. The Sleep Committee of the Autism Treatment Network (ATN) developed a practice pathway, based on expert consensus, to capture best practices for screening, identification, and treatment for sleep problems in ASD in 2012.

Defects in ER-endosome contacts impact lysosome function in hereditary spastic paraplegia.

Contacts between endosomes and the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) promote endosomal tubule fission, but the mechanisms involved and consequences of tubule fission failure are incompletely understood. We found that interaction between the microtubule-severing enzyme spastin and the ESCRT protein IST1 at ER-endosome contacts drives endosomal tubule fission. Failure of fission caused defective sorting of mannose 6-phosphate receptor, with consequently disrupted lysosomal enzyme trafficking and abnormal lysosomal morphology, including in mouse primary neurons and human stem cell-derived neurons.

Obstacles to torture rehabilitation at Guantánamo Bay.

This article sets out the legal duty of the United States of America to provide victims of torture and cruel, inhumane and degrading treatment (CIDT) the right to full rehabilitation under international law, including those still detained at the facility at Guantánamo Bay. After an examination of some of the torture methods used on these detainees, while they were in the custody of the CIA and arguably afterwards, it goes on to indicate the current obstacles to rehabilitation, including on-going incarceration, lack of impunity, classification of medical documents and limited access to non-military staff. Limited options for possible psychological assistance towards the right to rehabilitation are considered.