Demographic Correlates of Autism: How Do Associations Compare Between Diagnosis and a Quantitative Trait Measure?

Prevalence of autism diagnosis has historically differed by demographic factors. Using data from 8224 participants drawn from the Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Program, we examined relationships between demographic factors and parent-reported autism-related traits as captured by the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS; T score > 65) and compared these to relations with parent-reported clinician diagnosis of ASD, in generalized linear mixed effects regression analyses. Results suggested lower odds of autism diagnosis, but not of SRS T > 65, for non-Hispanic Black children (adjusted odds ratio [OR] = 0.

Co-occurring Psychopathology in Children With and Without Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD): Differences by Sex in the ECHO Cohorts.

Purpose: Our goals were to: 1) examine the occurrence of behavioral and emotional symptoms in children on the autism spectrum in a large national sample, stratifying by sex, and 2) evaluate whether children with increased autism-related social communication deficits also experience more behavioral and emotional problems.

Methods:  Participants (n = 7,998) were from 37 cohorts from the Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Program. Cross-sectional information on demographic factors, parent-report of an ASD diagnosis by clinician, Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS) scores, and Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) scores were obtained for children aged 2.

Automated landmark-based cat facial analysis and its applications.

Facial landmarks, widely studied in human affective computing, are beginning to gain interest in the animal domain. Specifically, landmark-based geometric morphometric methods have been used to objectively assess facial expressions in cats, focusing on pain recognition and the impact of breed-specific morphology on facial signaling. These methods employed a 48-landmark scheme grounded in cat facial anatomy.

Scent dogs identify SARS-CoV-2-infections in respiratory samples from experimentally infected ferrets and hamsters-a pilot study.

Rapid and sensitive diagnostic measures are a pre-requisite for the control of SARS-CoV-2 outbreaks. Dogs detect SARS-CoV-2-infected human individuals with high speed due to their extraordinary olfactory acuity. In the post-pandemic phase of SARS-CoV-2 it is difficult to obtain samples from infected humans for scent dog training.

Cerebrospinal fluid-specific oligoclonal bands in dogs with idiopathic epilepsy.

Background: In dogs with idiopathic epilepsy (IE), 33% develop resistance to conventional anti-seizure medication (ASM) despite adequate treatment. In human medicine, an immune-mediated etiology is suspected in a subset of ASM-resistant patients with epilepsy and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)-specific immunoglobulin G (IgG)-type oligoclonal bands (OCBs) have been detected. In dogs, cases of autoimmune encephalitis recently were reported.

Biomechanical Evaluation of a Novel Ceramic Implant for Canine Cranial Cruciate Ligament Rupture Treatment: A Finite Element Analysis Approach.

This research investigates the biomechanical effects of a novel ceramic implant for the treatment of canine cranial cruciate ligament rupture (CCLR) based on the tibial tuberosity advancement (TTA) method using finite element analysis (FEA). A 3D FEA of the tibiofemoral joint simulating the applied forces (44.5% of body weight) during the mid-stance phase (joint angle 135°) of the dog's stride was performed.

Automated video-based pain recognition in cats using facial landmarks.

Affective states are reflected in the facial expressions of all mammals. Facial behaviors linked to pain have attracted most of the attention so far in non-human animals, leading to the development of numerous instruments for evaluating pain through facial expressions for various animal species. Nevertheless, manual facial expression analysis is susceptible to subjectivity and bias, is labor-intensive and often necessitates specialized expertise and training.

Insights from an online survey: Veterinary surgeons' antibiotic practices in ophthalmic surgery in Germany.

Purpose: To investigate antibiotic usage practices in ophthalmic surgeries in Germany.

Materials And Methods: An online questionnaire was sent to veterinary surgeons (general veterinarians and veterinarians with additional qualification in ophthalmology) inquiring about their antibiotic preferences, administration methods, and factors affecting antibiotic usage in ophthalmic surgical procedures.

Results: A total of 417 questionnaires were analyzed.

Canine idiopathic generalized tremor syndrome, immune-mediated?

Idiopathic generalized tremor syndrome is a disorder characterized by an acute onset of full-body tremors, sometimes accompanied by vestibulo-cerebellar signs, that is responsive to treatment with corticosteroids. Although considered to have an overall good outcome, relapsing and persistent mild clinical signs have been described. So far, little is known about the etiopathology of this syndrome, but it is believed to have an immune-mediated origin.

Practical Applications of Large Language Models for Health Care Professionals and Scientists.

With the popularization of large language models (LLMs), strategies for their effective and safe usage in health care and research have become increasingly pertinent. Despite the growing interest and eagerness among health care professionals and scientists to exploit the potential of LLMs, initial attempts may yield suboptimal results due to a lack of user experience, thus complicating the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) tools into workplace routine. Focusing on scientists and health care professionals with limited LLM experience, this viewpoint article highlights and discusses 6 easy-to-implement use cases of practical relevance.

Effector memory-type regulatory T cells display phenotypic and functional instability.

Regulatory T cells (T cells) hold promise for sustainable therapy of immune disorders. Recent advancements in chimeric antigen receptor development and genome editing aim to enhance the specificity and function of T cells. However, impurities and functional instability pose challenges for the development of safe gene-edited T cell products.

Comparative subcutaneous and submuscular implantation of an electroencephalography device for long term electroencephalographic monitoring in dogs.

Background: Implantable electroencephalography (EEG) recording devices have been used for ultra-long-term epilepsy monitoring both in clinical and home settings in people. Objective and accurate seizure detection and recording at home could be of great benefit in diagnosis, management and research in canine idiopathic epilepsy (IE). Continuous EEG monitoring would allow accurate detection of seizure patterns, seizure cycles, and seizure frequency.

Behavioral comorbidities treatment by fecal microbiota transplantation in canine epilepsy: a pilot study of a novel therapeutic approach.

Introduction: Anxiety and cognitive dysfunction are frequent, difficult to treat and burdensome comorbidities in human and canine epilepsy. Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) has been shown to modulate behavior in rodent models by altering the gastrointestinal microbiota (GIM). This study aims to investigate the beneficial effects of FMT on behavioral comorbidities in a canine translational model of epilepsy.

Canine Electroencephalography Electrode Positioning Using a Neuronavigation System.

Studies in people suggest that surface electroencephalography (EEG) electrode positions vary across participants and that the consistency of these positions is electrode-, region-, and examiner-dependent. The aim was to investigate the variability in EEG electrode positions to their underlying cortical regions (CRs) in dogs using a neuronavigation system and evaluate the use of said system in electrode positioning, via a cadaver study with 22 dogs. CT scans and MRI were performed for each dog.