Association Between Duration of Transient Neurological Events and Diffusion-Weighted Brain Lesions.

Background The relationship between duration of transient neurological events and presence of diffusion-weighted lesions by symptom type is unclear. Methods and Results This was a substudy of SpecTRA (Spectrometry for Transient Ischemic Attack Rapid Assessment), a multicenter prospective cohort of patients with minor ischemic cerebrovascular events or stroke mimics at academic emergency departments in Canada. For this study we included patients with resolved symptoms and determined the presence of diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) lesion on magnetic resonance imaging within 7 days.

White Matter Hyperintensity Volume Influences Symptoms in Patients Presenting With Minor Neurological Deficits.

Background and Purpose- Acute minor neurological deficits are a common complaint in the emergency department and differentiation of transient ischemic attack/minor stroke from a stroke mimic is difficult. We sought to assess the ability of white matter hyperintensity (WMH) volume to aid the diagnosis in such patients. Methods- This is a post hoc analysis of the previously published SpecTRA study (Spectrometry in TIA Rapid Assessment) of adult patients that presented to the emergency department with acute minor neurological deficits between December 2013 and March 2017.

Systolic blood pressure as a predictor of transient ischemic attack/minor stroke in emergency department patients under age 80: a prospective cohort study.

Background: Elevated blood pressure (BP) at emergency department (ED) presentation and advancing age have been associated with risk of ischemic stroke; however, the relationship between BP, age, and transient ischemic attack/minor stroke (TIA/MS) is not clear.

Methods: A multi-site, prospective, observational study of 1084 ED patients screened for suspected TIA/MS (symptom onset < 24 h, NIHSS< 4) between December 2013 and April 2016. Systolic and diastolic BP measurements (SBP, DBP) were taken at ED presentation.

Sex Differences in Presentation and Outcome After an Acute Transient or Minor Neurologic Event.

Importance: Sex differences have been described in the presentation, care, and outcomes among people with acute ischemic strokes, but these differences are less understood for minor ischemic cerebrovascular events. The present study hypothesized that, compared with men, women are more likely to report nonfocal symptoms and to receive a stroke mimic diagnosis.

Objective: To evaluate sex differences in the symptoms, diagnoses, and outcomes of patients with acute transient or minor neurologic events.

Retrospective evaluation of a clinical decision support tool for effective computed tomography angiography utilization in urgent brain imaging of suspected TIA/minor stroke in the emergency department.

Objectives: The Canadian Stroke Best Practice Recommendations suggests that patients suspected of transient ischemic attack (TIA)/minor stroke receive urgent brain imaging, preferably computed tomography angiography (CTA). Yet, high requisition rates for non-cerebrovascular patients overburden limited radiological resources, putting patients at risk. We hypothesize that our clinical decision support tool (CDST) developed for risk stratification of TIA in the emergency department (ED), and which incorporates Canadian guidelines, could improve CTA utilization.

Validation of a proteomic biomarker panel to diagnose minor-stroke and transient ischaemic attack: phase 2 of SpecTRA, a large scale translational study.

Objective: To validate our previously developed 16 plasma-protein biomarker panel to differentiate between transient ischaemic attack (TIA) and non-cerebrovascular emergency department (ED) patients.

Method: Two consecutive cohorts of ED patients prospectively enrolled at two urban medical centers into the second phase of SpecTRA study (training, cohort 2A, n = 575; test, cohort 2B, n = 528). Plasma samples were analyzed using liquid chromatography/multiple reaction monitoring-mass spectrometry.

Reducing time-to-unit among patients referred to an outpatient stroke assessment unit with a novel triage process: a prospective cohort study.

Background: To evaluate the performance of a novel triage system for Transient Ischemic Attack (TIA) units built upon an existent clinical prediction rule (CPR) to reduce time to unit arrival, relative to the time of symptom onset, for true TIA and minor stroke patients. Differentiating between true and false TIA/minor stroke cases (mimics) is necessary for effective triage as medical intervention for true TIA/minor stroke is time-sensitive and TIA unit spots are a finite resource.

Methods: Prospective cohort study design utilizing patient referral data and TIA unit arrival times from a regional fast-track TIA unit on Vancouver Island, Canada, accepting referrals from emergency departments (ED) and general practice (GP).

Verification of a proteomic biomarker panel to diagnose minor stroke and transient ischaemic attack: phase 1 of SpecTRA, a large scale translational study.

Objective: To derive a plasma biomarker protein panel from a list of 141 candidate proteins which can differentiate transient ischaemic attack (TIA)/minor stroke from non-cerebrovascular (mimic) conditions in emergency department (ED) settings.

Design: Prospective clinical study (#NCT03050099) with up to three timed blood draws no more than 36 h following symptom onset. Plasma samples analysed by multiple reaction monitoring-mass spectrometry (MRM-MS).

Validation of a multivariate clinical prediction model for the diagnosis of mild stroke/transient ischemic attack in physician first-contact patient settings.

We validate our previously developed (DOI: 10.1101/089227) clinical prediction rule for diagnosing transient ischemic attack on the basis of presenting clinical symptoms and compare its performance with the ABCD2 score in first-contact patient settings. Two independent and prospectively collected patient validation cohorts were used: (a) referral cohort-prospectively referred emergency department and general practitioner patients ( = 877); and (b) SpecTRA cohort-participants recruited as part of the SpecTRA biomarker project ( = 545).

Knowing minds, controlling actions: the developmental relations between theory of mind and executive function from 2 to 4 years of age.

This longitudinal study examined the concurrent and predictive relations between executive function (EF) and theory of mind (ToM) in 82 preschoolers who were assessed when they were 2, 3, and 4 years old. The results showed that the concurrent relation between EF and ToM, after controlling for age, verbal ability, and sex, was significant at 3 and 4 years of age but not at 2 years of age. Hierarchical regression analyses showed that EF at age 2 significantly predicted ToM at age 3 and that EF at age 3 significantly predicted ToM at age 4, over and above the effects of age, verbal ability, and prior performance on ToM tasks.

The effects of parental scaffolding on preschoolers' executive function.

The present study explores the effects of parental scaffolding of children's problem solving on the development of executive function (EF). Eighty-two children were assessed at 2, 3, and 4 years of age on a variety of EF tasks and, at ages 2 and 3, on a problem-solving puzzle with which parents offered structured assistance (i.e.

Relation Between Maternal Contingent Responsiveness and Infant Social Expectations.

This study investigated the relation between maternal contingent responsiveness and 4- and 5-month-old infants' (N = 64) social expectation behavior in a still-face procedure. Mothers were asked to interact with their infants for 2 min (interactive phase), remain still-faced for 1 min (still-face phase), and resume interaction for 2 min. Mother and infant behavior was assessed for the frequency of infant and mother smiles, mother smiles that were contingent to infant smiles and infant smiles were contingent to mother smiles during the interactive phase, and infant social bids to mother during the still-face phase.

Parental scaffolding and the development of executive function.

Research has demonstrated that differential parental scaffolding utterances influence children's development of executive function. Traditional conceptualizations of scaffolding, though, have difficulty in explaining how such differential effects influence children's cognitive development; they do not account for the timing of parental utterances with respect to children's currently occurring activities. We present a study examining the relationship between the timing of different parental scaffolding utterances and children's attention-switching EF abilities.