Pragmatic performance, its relationship with symptom severity, and early clinical predictors of pragmatics in 5 ~ 6-year-old children with autism spectrum disorder.

Background: Pragmatic language refers to using spoken language to convey messages effectively across diverse social communication contexts. However, minimal longitudinal research has focused on defining early predictors of pragmatic development in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

Methods: In the present study, 71 children with ASD and 38 age- and gender- matched 24- to 30-month-old typically developing (TD) children were enrolled.

Applying contrastive pre-training for depression and anxiety risk prediction in type 2 diabetes patients based on heterogeneous electronic health records: a primary healthcare case study.

Objective: Due to heterogeneity and limited medical data in primary healthcare services (PHS), assessing the psychological risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients in PHS is difficult. Using unsupervised contrastive pre-training, we proposed a deep learning framework named depression and anxiety prediction (DAP) to predict depression and anxiety in T2DM patients.

Materials And Methods: The DAP model consists of two sub-models.

Lesion Volume in Relapsing Multiple Sclerosis is Associated with Perivascular Space Enlargement at the Level of the Basal Ganglia.

Background And Purpose: Perivascular spaces surround the blood vessels of the brain and are involved in neuroimmune functions and clearance of metabolites via the glymphatic system of the brain. Enlarged perivascular spaces could be a marker of dysfunction in these processes and, therefore, are highly relevant to monitoring disease activity in MS. This study aimed to compare the number of enlarged perivascular spaces in people with relapsing MS with MR imaging markers of inflammation and brain atrophy.

Reliability, validity and developmental sensitivity of the Language Use Inventory (LUI) in the Chinese context.

Background: Pragmatics has generally been defined as the ability to use language in social situations, it is commonly regarded as the third major component of language ability. To date, there is no tool for assessing early pragmatic development of Chinese-speaking children.

Aims: To describe the translation of the Language Use Inventory (LUI) from English to Mandarin Chinese and to report findings on the Chinese version's reliability, validity and developmental sensitivity.

Aberrant oligodendroglial LDL receptor orchestrates demyelination in chronic cerebral ischemia.

Oligodendrocytes express low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR) to endocytose cholesterol for the maintenance of adulthood myelination. However, the potential role of LDLR in chronic cerebral ischemia-related demyelination remains unclear. We used bilateral carotid artery stenosis (BCAS) to induce sustained cerebral ischemia in mice.

TNF Inhibitor Pomalidomide Sensitizes Glioblastoma Cells to EGFR Inhibition.

Objective: Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is one of the important targets in cancer treatment. However, EGFR inhibitors are reported to be ineffective in treating glioblastoma (GBM). In this study, we evaluated the potential mechanism of GBM resistance to EGFR inhibition.

COX-2-PGE signaling pathway contributes to hippocampal neuronal injury and cognitive impairment in PTZ-kindled epilepsy mice.

Epilepsy is one of the most common neurological diseases. It adversely affects cognitive function. Neuroinflammation has been widely recognized as an important factor involved in the pathophysiology of epilepsy.

Irregularity of Carotid Plaque Surface Predicts Subsequent Vascular Event: A MRI Study.

Background: The relationship between plaque compositions and irregular plaque surface and its predictive value for vascular events (VEs) are unknown.

Purpose: To investigate the relationship between irregular carotid plaque surface and plaque compositional features and its predictive values for future VEs utilizing magnetic resonance (MR) vessel wall imaging.

Study Type: Prospective study.

MicroRNA-23a contributes to hippocampal neuronal injuries and spatial memory impairment in an experimental model of temporal lobe epilepsy.

Temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) is the most common form of epilepsy characterized by spontaneous recurrent seizures. It has been widely accepted that individuals with TLE tend to have neuronal injuries and memory impairment. However, little is known about the underlying molecular mechanisms.

Alteration of GABAergic signaling is associated with anxiety-like behavior in temporal lobe epilepsy mice.

Temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE), which is one of the most common neurological diseases, is accompanied by a high incidence of psychiatric disorders. Among these psychiatric disorders, anxiety is one of the major psychiatric comorbidities in epilepsy patients. However, anxiety in epilepsy patients often remains unrecognized and untreated.

The SG13S114 polymorphism of the ALOX5AP gene is associated with ischemic stroke in Europeans: a meta-analysis of 8062 subjects.

The association between ALOX5AP SG13S114 polymorphism and ischemic stroke (IS) susceptibility has extensively been investigated, especially in white populations; however, the results were inconclusive. Here, we perform a meta-analysis to clarify the effect of SG13S114 variant on the IS risk in Europeans. The Web of Science, PubMed, EMBASE, and Medline were searched up to August 1st, 2016.

Primary Germinoma Originating from the Insular Lobe: A Case Report and Review of the Literature.

Background: Primary intracranial germinomas occurring in the cerebral hemisphere are extremely rare, with only a few reported cases in the literature. We describe an unusual case of a primary germinoma that developed in the insular lobe, with little involvement in the basal frontal lobe.

Case Description: A 19-year-old man presented with headache and vomiting.

Cognitive impairment in patients with Parkinson's disease: A 30-month follow-up study.

Objective: A longitudinal (30-month) study of the cognitive changes in Parkinson's disease patients and analysis of influencing factors.

Methods: The cognitive function and related symptoms of 102 patients with idiopathic Parkinson's disease were assessed using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), and relevant scales, at baseline and 30-month follow-up. The t-test, nonparametric tests, and regression analyses were used to evaluate cognitive decline and investigate risk factors for cognitive impairment.

Characteristics of Rosai-Dorfman Disease Primarily Involved in the Central Nervous System: 3 Case Reports and Review of Literature.

Objective: This study aimed to summarize the clinical characteristics of Rosai-Dorfman disease primarily involving the central nervous system and to explore diagnosis and treatment.

Methods: We analyzed the clinical, imaging, and pathologic characteristics; treatment; and prognosis in 3 cases of Rosai-Dorfman disease primarily involving the central nervous system. We also performed a literature review.

Two years changes in the development of caudate nucleus are involved in restricted repetitive behaviors in 2-5-year-old children with autism spectrum disorder.

Caudate nucleus volume is enlarged in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and is associated with restricted and repetitive behaviors (RRBs). However, the trajectory of caudate nucleus volume in RRBs of young children remains unclear. Caudate nucleus volume was measured in 36 children with ASD and 18 matched 2-3-year-old subjects with developmentally delayed (DD) at baseline (Time 1) and at 2-year follow-up (Time 2).

Effects of textured insoles on balance in people with Parkinson's disease.

Background: Degradation of the somatosensory system has been implicated in postural instability and increased falls risk for older people and Parkinson's disease (PD) patients. Here we demonstrate that textured insoles provide a passive intervention that is an inexpensive and accessible means to enhance the somatosensory input from the plantar surface of the feet.

Methods: 20 healthy older adults (controls) and 20 participants with PD were recruited for the study.