Conceptual framework for data harmonisation in mental health using the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health: an example with the R2D2-MH consortium.

Introduction: Advancing research and support for neurologically diverse populations requires novel data harmonisation methods that are capable of aligning with contemporary approaches to understanding health and disability.

Objectives: We present the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) as a conceptual framework to support harmonisation of mental health data and present a proof of principle within the Risk and Resilience in Developmental Diversity and Mental Health (R2D2-MH) consortium.

Method: 138 measures from various mental health datasets were linked to the ICF following the WHO's established linking rules.

Gesture Imitation Performance and Visual Exploration in Young Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Most studies in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) support a decrement in imitation performance. Factors related to visual attention and motor execution have been proposed to explain this phenomenon in ASD. However, studies investigated imitation with various methods, leading to inconsistent findings.

Video-audio neural network ensemble for comprehensive screening of autism spectrum disorder in young children.

A timely diagnosis of autism is paramount to allow early therapeutic intervention in preschoolers. Deep Learning tools have been increasingly used to identify specific autistic symptoms. But they also offer opportunities for broad automated detection of autism at an early age.

Examining the Link Between Social Affect and Visual Exploration of Cute Stimuli in Autistic Children.

Baby schema refers to physical features perceived as cute, known to trigger attention, induce positive emotions, and prompt social interactions. Given the reduced visual attention to social stimuli observed in individuals on the autism spectrum, the current study examines whether the sensitivity to baby schema is also affected. We expected that the looking time towards cute-featured stimuli would vary with symptom severity levels and would be associated with social affect.

Phenotyping variability in early socio-communicative skills in young children with autism and its influence on later development.

Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often face challenges in early social communication skills, prompting the need for a detailed exploration of specific behaviors and their impact on cognitive and adaptive functioning. This study aims to address this gap by examining the developmental trajectories of early social communication skills in preschoolers with ASD aged 18-60 months, comparing them to age-matched typically developing (TD) children. Utilizing the early social communication scales (ESCS), the research employs a longitudinal design to capture changes over time.

Effectiveness of a positive psychology and mindfulness-based app on mental health for parents of children with a neurodevelopmental disorder: study protocol of a pragmatic international randomized controlled trial.

Introduction: Parents of children with a neurodevelopmental disorder (NDD) experience more stress than parents of typically developing children. In a cocreation process with experts and parents, a low-threshold application that uses exercises based on the principles of positive psychology and mindfulness was developed. This application, called "Adappt," aims at enhancing the ability to adapt of the parents and caregivers of children with NDDs and at supporting their mental health.

Retrospective Evaluation of Clinical and Clinicopathologic Findings, Case Management, and Outcome for Dogs and Cats Exposed to (Eastern Coral Snake): 92 Cases (2021-2022).

This retrospective, observational study describes the clinical findings, case management trends, and outcomes of 83 dogs and nine cats exposed to eastern coral snakes in a university teaching hospital setting. The medical records of dogs and cats that received antivenom following coral snake exposure were reviewed. Data collected included signalment, time to antivenom administration, physical and laboratory characteristics at presentation, clinical course during hospitalization, length of hospitalization, and survival to discharge.

Early trajectories and moderators of autistic language profiles: A longitudinal study in preschoolers.

Language development can greatly vary among autistic children. Children who struggle with language acquisition often face many challenges and experience lower quality of life. However, little is known about the early language trajectories of autistic preschoolers and their moderators.

Pit Viper Envenomation in Two Pregnant Bitches.

Snake envenomation is relatively common in small animals, particularly in endemic areas. Effects and outcomes of envenomation during pregnancy are poorly described in humans and more so in veterinary patients. Two young pregnant female dogs presented to a university teaching hospital with a history of acute soft tissue swelling and bleeding.

Unraveling the developmental dynamic of visual exploration of social interactions in autism.

Atypical deployment of social gaze is present early on in toddlers with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). Yet, studies characterizing the developmental dynamic behind it are scarce. Here, we used a data-driven method to delineate the developmental change in visual exploration of social interaction over childhood years in autism.

Speech Reception in Young Children with Autism Is Selectively Indexed by a Neural Oscillation Coupling Anomaly.

Communication difficulties are one of the core criteria in diagnosing autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and are often characterized by speech reception difficulties, whose biological underpinnings are not yet identified. This deficit could denote atypical neuronal ensemble activity, as reflected by neural oscillations. Atypical cross-frequency oscillation coupling, in particular, could disrupt the joint tracking and prediction of dynamic acoustic stimuli, a dual process that is essential for speech comprehension.

Prosodic signatures of ASD severity and developmental delay in preschoolers.

Atypical prosody in speech production is a core feature of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) that can impact everyday life communication. Because the ability to modulate prosody develops around the age of speech acquisition, it might be affected by ASD symptoms and developmental delays that emerge at the same period. Here, we investigated the existence of a prosodic signature of developmental level and ASD symptom severity in a sample of 74 autistic preschoolers.

Neurologic and hematologic sequalae following a timber rattlesnake ) envenomation in a dachshund.

A 2-year-old female Dachshund had a witnessed timber rattlesnake envenomation. Although rattlesnake envenomations are a common, potentially life-threatening event in companion animals, timber rattlesnake envenomations in the dog are rarely reported. This dog described in this case report had significant hematologic and neurologic clinical derangements consistent with Types A and B rattlesnake venom and a suspected hypersensitivity reaction to the venom.

A review of 95 pit viper envenomations in Northcentral Florida (2018-2020).

The medical records of 95 pit viper envenomations in client-owned dogs presented to an academic emergency hospital in the Southeastern United States during the period spanning 2018 and 2020 were retrospectively examined. This study's primary objectives were to record the clinical abnormalities and treatment responses associated with envenomation and their relation to outcome. Approximately 80% of the bites involved the head region associated with varying degrees of hemorrhagic lymphedema.

Visual processing of complex social scenes in 22q11.2 deletion syndrome: Relevance for negative symptoms.

Current explanatory models of negative symptoms in schizophrenia have suggested the role of social cognition in symptom formation and maintenance. This study examined a core aspect of social cognition, namely social perception, and its association with clinical manifestations in 22q11.2 deletion syndrome (22q11DS), a genetic model of schizophrenia.

Measuring social orienting in preschoolers with autism spectrum disorder using cartoons stimuli.

Altered social orienting (SO) was proposed as the primary source of socio-communicative difficulties in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Eye-tracking studies generally confirm a decreased SO in ASD population. However, SO has been scarcely investigated using minimally social stimuli such as cartoons.

Evaluation of MRI-based radiomic features in heart morphologic variations as a consequence of autoimmune thyroid disorders.

Radiomics (RC) was initially developed using computed tomography (CT) for oncological imaging. However, it can be applied to various scientific and clinical radiology fields regardless of the modalities involved. The purpose of this survey was to evaluate alterations in magnetic resonance imaging of the heart (CMR) in patients suffering from autoimmune thyroid disorders (AITD) by applying RC tools and mapping features.

Distinct Patterns of Cognitive Outcome in Young Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder Receiving the Early Start Denver Model.

Evidence-based, early intervention significantly improves developmental outcome in young children with autism. Nonetheless, there is high interindividual heterogeneity in developmental trajectories during the therapy. It is established that starting intervention as early as possible results in better developmental outcomes.

Heterozygous variants in CTR9, which encodes a major component of the PAF1 complex, are associated with a neurodevelopmental disorder.

Purpose: CTR9 is a subunit of the PAF1 complex (PAF1C) that plays a crucial role in transcription regulation by binding CTR9 to RNA polymerase II. It is involved in transcription-coupled histone modification through promoting H3K4 and H3K36 methylation. We describe the clinical and molecular studies in 13 probands, harboring likely pathogenic CTR9 missense variants, collected through GeneMatcher.

Trajectories of imitation skills in preschoolers with autism spectrum disorders.

Background: Imitation skills play a crucial role in social cognitive development from early childhood. Many studies have shown a deficit in imitation skills in children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Little is known about the development of imitation behaviors in children with ASD.

Attention to Face as a Predictor of Developmental Change and Treatment Outcome in Young Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

The beneficial effect of early intervention is well described for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Response to early intervention is, however, highly heterogeneous in affected children, and there is currently only scarce information about predictors of response to intervention. Based on the hypothesis that impaired social orienting hinders the subsequent development of social communication and interactions in children with ASD, we sought to examine whether the level of social orienting modulates treatment outcome in young children with ASD.

Early alterations of large-scale brain networks temporal dynamics in young children with autism.

Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are associated with disruption of large-scale brain network. Recently, we found that directed functional connectivity alterations of social brain networks are a core component of atypical brain development at early developmental stages in ASD. Here, we investigated the spatio-temporal dynamics of whole-brain neuronal networks at a subsecond scale in 113 toddlers and preschoolers (66 with ASD) using an EEG microstate approach.