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Sociocultural Theory and Second Language Developmental Education
- Matthew E. Poehner, James P. Lantolf
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- June 2024
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- 30 June 2024
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Sociocultural Theory (SCT), as formulated by Russian psychologist L. S. Vygotsky nearly a century ago, is distinct among traditions in the field of second language (L2) studies in its commitment to praxis. According to this view, theory and research provide the orienting basis for practice, which in turn serves as a testing ground for theory (Vygotsky, 1997). This Element offers a synthesis of foundational concepts and principles of SCT and an overview of two important areas of praxis in L2 education: Concept-Based Language Instruction, which organizes language curricula around linguistic concepts, and Dynamic Assessment, a framework that integrates teaching and diagnosing learner L2 abilities. Leading approaches to L2 teacher education informed by SCT are also discussed. Examples from studies with L2 teachers and learners showcase praxis in action, and emerging questions and directions are considered.
Methylation profiles at birth linked to early childhood obesity
- Delphine Lariviere, Sarah J.C. Craig, Ian M. Paul, Emily E. Hohman, Jennifer S. Savage, Robert O. Wright, Francesca Chiaromonte, Kateryna D. Makova, Matthew L. Reimherr
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- Journal of Developmental Origins of Health and Disease / Volume 15 / 2024
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 25 April 2024, e7
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Childhood obesity represents a significant global health concern and identifying its risk factors is crucial for developing intervention programs. Many “omics” factors associated with the risk of developing obesity have been identified, including genomic, microbiomic, and epigenomic factors. Here, using a sample of 48 infants, we investigated how the methylation profiles in cord blood and placenta at birth were associated with weight outcomes (specifically, conditional weight gain, body mass index, and weight-for-length ratio) at age six months. We characterized genome-wide DNA methylation profiles using the Illumina Infinium MethylationEpic chip, and incorporated information on child and maternal health, and various environmental factors into the analysis. We used regression analysis to identify genes with methylation profiles most predictive of infant weight outcomes, finding a total of 23 relevant genes in cord blood and 10 in placenta. Notably, in cord blood, the methylation profiles of three genes (PLIN4, UBE2F, and PPP1R16B) were associated with all three weight outcomes, which are also associated with weight outcomes in an independent cohort suggesting a strong relationship with weight trajectories in the first six months after birth. Additionally, we developed a Methylation Risk Score (MRS) that could be used to identify children most at risk for developing childhood obesity. While many of the genes identified by our analysis have been associated with weight-related traits (e.g., glucose metabolism, BMI, or hip-to-waist ratio) in previous genome-wide association and variant studies, our analysis implicated several others, whose involvement in the obesity phenotype should be evaluated in future functional investigations.
Associations between multimorbidity and neuropathology in dementia: consideration of functional cognitive disorders, psychiatric illness and dementia mimics
- Calum A. Hamilton, Fiona E. Matthews, Johannes Attems, Paul C. Donaghy, Daniel Erskine, John-Paul Taylor, Alan J. Thomas
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- The British Journal of Psychiatry , FirstView
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 08 April 2024, pp. 1-8
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Background
Multimorbidity, the presence of two or more health conditions, has been identified as a possible risk factor for clinical dementia. It is unclear whether this is due to worsening brain health and underlying neuropathology, or other factors. In some cases, conditions may reflect the same disease process as dementia (e.g. Parkinson's disease, vascular disease), in others, conditions may reflect a prodromal stage of dementia (e.g. depression, anxiety and psychosis).
AimsTo assess whether multimorbidity in later life was associated with more severe dementia-related neuropathology at autopsy.
MethodWe examined ante-mortem and autopsy data from 767 brain tissue donors from the UK, identifying physical multimorbidity in later life and specific brain-related conditions. We assessed associations between these purported risk factors and dementia-related neuropathological changes at autopsy (Alzheimer's-disease related neuropathology, Lewy body pathology, cerebrovascular disease and limbic-predominant age-related TDP-43 encephalopathy) with logistic models.
ResultsPhysical multimorbidity was not associated with greater dementia-related neuropathological changes. In the presence of physical multimorbidity, clinical dementia was less likely to be associated with Alzheimer's disease pathology. Conversely, conditions which may be clinical or prodromal manifestations of dementia-related neuropathology (Parkinson's disease, cerebrovascular disease, depression and other psychiatric conditions) were associated with dementia and neuropathological changes.
ConclusionsPhysical multimorbidity alone is not associated with greater dementia-related neuropathological change; inappropriate inclusion of brain-related conditions in multimorbidity measures and misdiagnosis of neurodegenerative dementia may better explain increased rates of clinical dementia in multimorbidity
Predictors of SARS-CoV-2 transmission in congregate living settings: a multicenter prospective study
- Jerome A. Leis, Christina K. Chan, Charlie Tan, James Callahan, Victoria Serapion, Brigitte Pascual, Wayne Lee, Jaclyn O’Brien, Neethu R. Thomas, Heather Candon, Matthew Crittenden, Alex Kiss, Adrienne K Chan, Marianna Ofner, Jeff E. Powis
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- Journal:
- Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology , First View
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 02 April 2024, pp. 1-6
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Background:
Older adults residing in congregate living settings (CLS) such as nursing homes and independent living facilities remain at increased risk of morbidity and mortality from coronavirus disease 2019. We performed a prospective multicenter study of consecutive severe acute respiratory coronavirus virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) exposures to identify predictors of transmission in this setting.
Methods:Consecutive resident SARS-CoV-2 exposures across 17 CLS were prospectively characterized from 1 September 2022 to 1 March 2023, including factors related to environment, source, and exposed resident. Room size, humidity, and ventilation were measured in locations where exposures occurred. Predictors were incorporated in a generalized estimating equation model adjusting for the correlation within CLS.
Results:Among 670 consecutive exposures to SARS-CoV-2 across 17 CLS, transmission occurred among 328 (49.0%). Increased risk was associated with nursing homes (odds ratio (OR) = 90.8; 95% CI, 7.8–1047.4), Jack and Jill rooms (OR = 2.2; 95% CI, 1.3–3.6), from source who was pre-symptomatic (OR = 11.2; 95% CI, 4.1–30.9), symptomatic (OR = 6.5; 95% CI, 1.4–29.9), or rapid antigen test positive (OR = 35.6; 95% CI, 5.6–225.6), and in the presence of secondary exposure (OR = 6.3; 95% CI, 1.6–24.0). Exposure in dining room was associated with reduced risk (OR = 0.02; 95% CI, 0.005–0.08) as was medium room size (OR = 0.3; 95% CI, 0.2–0.6). Recent vaccination of exposed resident (OR = 0.5; 95% CI, 0.3–1.0) and increased ventilation of room (OR = 0.9; 95% CI, 0.8–1.0) were marginally associated with reduced risk.
Conclusion:Prospective assessment of SARS-CoV-2 exposures in CLS suggests that source characteristics and location of exposure are most predictive of resident transmission. These findings can inform risk assessment and further opportunities to prevent transmission in CLS.
Clay Mineral Diagenesis in Core KM-3 of Searles Lake, California
- R. L. Hay, S. G. Guldman, J. C. Matthews, R. H. Lander, M. E. Duffin, T. K. Kyser
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- Clays and Clay Minerals / Volume 39 / Issue 1 / February 1991
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 02 April 2024, pp. 84-96
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Core KM-3 at Searles Lake, California, comprises 693.4 m of lacustrine sediments deposited over the past 3.2 m.y. The lake water evolved from moderately saline, slightly alkaline, and dominated by Na, Ca, Cl, SO4, and HCO3 + CO3 to a highly alkaline brine dominated by Na and CO, ions. Sediments are chiefly muds and evaporites. Montmorillonite and illite are the principal detrital clay minerals supplied to Searles Lake at present and probably during the late Pliocene and Pleistocene.
The drill core is divided into three diagenetic zones on the basis of clay-mineral reactions. The upper zone (0-291.1 m) contains authigenic Fe-illite, Mg-smectite, K-feldspar, and analcime, which average 60–70% of the <2-μm silicate fraction of mud samples. The principal silicate reactants are detrital montmorillonite and kaolinite, which have been largely consumed. The middle zone (291.1–541.6 m) also contains authigenic Fe-illite, Mg-smectite, K-feldspar, and analcime, but they form only 20 to 30% of the <2-μm silicate fraction, and considerable detrital montmorillonite and kaolinite remain unaltered. In muds of the lower zone (541.6–693.4 m), a small amount of clinoptilolite is the only authigenic silicate mineral identified, although authigenic montmorillonite probably coexists here as well. Vitric ash is the silicate reactant, and detrital clay minerals apparently remain unaltered in the lower zone.
Diagenetic zoning reflects the pore-water chemistry, in which pH may have been the most important parameter. Sediments of the upper zone were deposited in highly alkaline lakes of variable salinity, and sinking brines with a pH of 9.0–10.0 have saturated all sediments. Sediments of the middle zone were deposited in lakes of moderate to high salinity. The pH was overall lower than in the upper zone, although it probably exceeded 9.0, at least locally, during silicate diagenesis. Moderate salinity and a slightly alkaline pH (~ 7.5–8.0) are inferred for both the lake and pore water of the lower zone.
Oxygen-isotope values of authigenic Fe-illite, Mg-smectite, and K-feldspar, and phillipsite in the upper diagenetic zone reflect a high degree of evaporative concentration and presumably of salinity. Equilibrium water values calculated for 22°C from the oxygen-isotopic composition of authigenic phyllosilicates range from −3.5 to +1.9%, averaging −1.2% (SMOW). Higher salinities are suggested for K-feldspar, for which water values range from +1.8 to +4.8%, averaging +3.4‰ The water value for phillipsite is +0.3‰ By comparison, rainfall at Searles Lake has an average δ18O value of about −9.8%, and a brine sample has a value of +4.0‰
Mud samples of the middle and upper diagenetic zones tend to be rich in Fe-illite or Mg-smectite, but not in both, indicating that the two minerals are favored to some extent by different environments. Fe-illite seems to be generally favored by oxidizing conditions and probably by a playa environment, and Mg-smectite seems to be favored by reducing conditions and an open-water environment. One strati-graphic unit of the upper zone does not fit this pattern and contains abundant Fe-illite in sediments of a deep perennial lake.
Impact of age and apolipoprotein E ε4 status on regional white matter hyperintensity volume and cognition in healthy aging
- Emily J. Van Etten, Pradyumna K. Bharadwaj, Matthew D. Grilli, David A. Raichlen, Georg A. Hishaw, Matthew J. Huentelman, Theodore P. Trouard, Gene E. Alexander
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- Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society , First View
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 22 March 2024, pp. 1-11
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Objective:
White matter hyperintensity (WMH) volume is a neuroimaging marker of lesion load related to small vessel disease that has been associated with cognitive aging and Alzheimer’s disease (AD) risk.
Method:The present study sought to examine whether regional WMH volume mediates the relationship between APOE ε4 status, a strong genetic risk factor for AD, and cognition and if this association is moderated by age group differences within a sample of 187 healthy older adults (APOE ε4 status [carrier/non-carrier] = 56/131).
Results:After we controlled for sex, education, and vascular risk factors, ANCOVA analyses revealed significant age group by APOE ε4 status interactions for right parietal and left temporal WMH volumes. Within the young-old group (50-69 years), ε4 carriers had greater right parietal and left temporal WMH volumes than non-carriers. However, in the old-old group (70-89 years), right parietal and left temporal WMH volumes were comparable across APOE ε4 groups. Further, within ε4 non-carriers, old-old adults had greater right parietal and left temporal WMH volumes than young-old adults, but there were no significant differences across age groups in ε4 carriers. Follow-up moderated mediation analyses revealed that, in the young-old, but not the old-old group, there were significant indirect effects of ε4 status on memory and executive functions through left temporal WMH volume.
Conclusions:These findings suggest that, among healthy young-old adults, increased left temporal WMH volume, in the context of the ε4 allele, may represent an early marker of cognitive aging with the potential to lead to greater risk for AD.
Demographic and health characteristics associated with fish and n-3 fatty acid supplement intake during pregnancy: results from pregnancy cohorts in the ECHO programme
- Emily Oken, Rashelle J Musci, Matthew Westlake, Kennedy Gachigi, Judy L Aschner, Kathrine L Barnes, Theresa M Bastain, Claudia Buss, Carlos A Camargo, Jr, Jose F Cordero, Dana Dabelea, Anne L Dunlop, Akhgar Ghassabian, Alison E Hipwell, Christine W Hockett, Margaret R Karagas, Claudia Lugo-Candelas, Amy E Margolis, Thomas G O’Connor, Coral L Shuster, Jennifer K Straughen, Kristen Lyall
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- Journal:
- Public Health Nutrition / Volume 27 / Issue 1 / 2024
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 27 February 2024, e94
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Objective:
n-3 fatty acid consumption during pregnancy is recommended for optimal pregnancy outcomes and offspring health. We examined characteristics associated with self-reported fish or n-3 supplement intake.
Design:Pooled pregnancy cohort studies.
Setting:Cohorts participating in the Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) consortium with births from 1999 to 2020.
Participants:A total of 10 800 pregnant women in twenty-three cohorts with food frequency data on fish consumption; 12 646 from thirty-five cohorts with information on supplement use.
Results:Overall, 24·6 % reported consuming fish never or less than once per month, 40·1 % less than once a week, 22·1 % 1–2 times per week and 13·2 % more than twice per week. The relative risk (RR) of ever (v. never) consuming fish was higher in participants who were older (1·14, 95 % CI 1·10, 1·18 for 35–40 v. <29 years), were other than non-Hispanic White (1·13, 95 % CI 1·08, 1·18 for non-Hispanic Black; 1·05, 95 % CI 1·01, 1·10 for non-Hispanic Asian; 1·06, 95 % CI 1·02, 1·10 for Hispanic) or used tobacco (1·04, 95 % CI 1·01, 1·08). The RR was lower in those with overweight v. healthy weight (0·97, 95 % CI 0·95, 1·0). Only 16·2 % reported n-3 supplement use, which was more common among individuals with a higher age and education, a lower BMI, and fish consumption (RR 1·5, 95 % CI 1·23, 1·82 for twice-weekly v. never).
Conclusions:One-quarter of participants in this large nationwide dataset rarely or never consumed fish during pregnancy, and n-3 supplement use was uncommon, even among those who did not consume fish.
Exploring symptom clusters in mild cognitive impairment and dementia with the NIH Toolbox
- Callie E. Tyner, Aaron J. Boulton, Jerry Slotkin, Matthew L. Cohen, Sandra Weintraub, Richard C. Gershon, David S. Tulsky
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- Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society , First View
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 16 February 2024, pp. 1-12
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Objective:
Symptom clustering research provides a unique opportunity for understanding complex medical conditions. The objective of this study was to apply a variable-centered analytic approach to understand how symptoms may cluster together, within and across domains of functioning in mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia, to better understand these conditions and potential etiological, prevention, and intervention considerations.
Method:Cognitive, motor, sensory, emotional, and social measures from the NIH Toolbox were analyzed using exploratory factor analysis (EFA) from a dataset of 165 individuals with a research diagnosis of either amnestic MCI or dementia of the Alzheimer’s type.
Results:The six-factor EFA solution described here primarily replicated the intended structure of the NIH Toolbox with a few deviations, notably sensory and motor scores loading onto factors with measures of cognition, emotional, and social health. These findings suggest the presence of cross-domain symptom clusters in these populations. In particular, negative affect, stress, loneliness, and pain formed one unique symptom cluster that bridged the NIH Toolbox domains of physical, social, and emotional health. Olfaction and dexterity formed a second unique cluster with measures of executive functioning, working memory, episodic memory, and processing speed. A third novel cluster was detected for mobility, strength, and vision, which was considered to reflect a physical functioning factor. Somewhat unexpectedly, the hearing test included did not load strongly onto any factor.
Conclusion:This research presents a preliminary effort to detect symptom clusters in amnestic MCI and dementia using an existing dataset of outcome measures from the NIH Toolbox.
A comprehensive literature scoping review of infection prevention and control methods for viral-mediated gene therapies
- Jill E. Blind, Sumit Ghosh, Taylor D. Niese, Julia C. Gardner, Stephanie Stack-Simone, Abigail Dean, Matthew Washam
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- Journal:
- Antimicrobial Stewardship & Healthcare Epidemiology / Volume 4 / Issue 1 / 2024
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 31 January 2024, e15
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Objective:
This comprehensive literature scoping review outlines available infection prevention and control (IPC) methods for viral-mediated gene therapies and provides one IPC strategy for the healthcare setting based on a single-center recommendation.
Methods:A team of experts in pharmacy, healthcare epidemiology, and biosafety with experience in viral-mediated gene therapy was assembled within a pediatric hospital to conduct a comprehensive literature scoping review. The comprehensive review included abstracts and full-text articles published since 2009 and utilized prespecified search terms of the five viral vectors of interest: adenovirus (AV), retrovirus (RV), adeno-associated virus (AAV), lentivirus (LV), and herpes simplex virus (HSV). Case reports, randomized controlled trials, and bench research studies were all included, while systematic reviews were excluded.
Results:A total of 4473 case reports, randomized control trials, and benchtop research studies were identified using the defined search criteria. Chlorine compounds were found to inactivate AAV and AV, while alcohol-based disinfectants were ineffective. There was a relative paucity of studies investigating surface-based disinfection for HSV, however, alcohol-based disinfectants were effective in one study. Ultraviolent irradiation was also found to inactivate HSV in numerous studies. No studies investigated disinfection for LV and RV vectors.
Conclusions:The need to define IPC methods is high due to the rapid emergence of viral-mediated gene therapies to treat rare diseases, but published clinical guidance remains scarce. In the absence of these data, our center recommends a 1:10 sodium hypochlorite solution in clinical and academic environments to ensure complete germicidal activity of viral-mediated gene therapies.
Naturalistic assessment of reaction time variability in older adults at risk for Alzheimer’s disease
- Matthew S. Welhaf, Hannah Wilks, Andrew J. Aschenbrenner, David A. Balota, Suzanne E. Schindler, Tammie L.S. Benzinger, Brian A. Gordon, Carlos Cruchaga, Chengjie Xiong, John C. Morris, Jason Hassenstab
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- Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society , First View
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 29 January 2024, pp. 1-11
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Objective:
Maintaining attention underlies many aspects of cognition and becomes compromised early in neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The consistency of maintaining attention can be measured with reaction time (RT) variability. Previous work has focused on measuring such fluctuations during in-clinic testing, but recent developments in remote, smartphone-based cognitive assessments can allow one to test if these fluctuations in attention are evident in naturalistic settings and if they are sensitive to traditional clinical and cognitive markers of AD.
Method:Three hundred and seventy older adults (aged 75.8 +/− 5.8 years) completed a week of remote daily testing on the Ambulatory Research in Cognition (ARC) smartphone platform and also completed clinical, genetic, and conventional in-clinic cognitive assessments. RT variability was assessed in a brief (20-40 seconds) processing speed task using two different measures of variability, the Coefficient of Variation (CoV) and the Root Mean Squared Successive Difference (RMSSD) of RTs on correct trials.
Results:Symptomatic participants showed greater variability compared to cognitively normal participants. When restricted to cognitively normal participants, APOE ε4 carriers exhibited greater variability than noncarriers. Both CoV and RMSSD showed significant, and similar, correlations with several in-clinic cognitive composites. Finally, both RT variability measures significantly mediated the relationship between APOE ε4 status and several in-clinic cognition composites.
Conclusions:Attentional fluctuations over 20–40 seconds assessed in daily life, are sensitive to clinical status and genetic risk for AD. RT variability appears to be an important predictor of cognitive deficits during the preclinical disease stage.
Chapter 13 - Brain Metastases: Molecules to Medicine
- from Section 2 - Clinical Neurosurgical Diseases
- Edited by Farhana Akter, Harvard University, Massachusetts, Nigel Emptage, University of Oxford, Florian Engert, Harvard University, Massachusetts, Mitchel S. Berger, University of California, San Francisco
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- Neuroscience for Neurosurgeons
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- 04 January 2024
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- 25 January 2024, pp 193-213
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Summary
Due to improvements in population health, systemic cancer therapies and screening tools, the incidence of brain cancer metastases has continued to rise. The constituent cells possess unique characteristics that allow them to penetrate the blood–brain barrier, colonize the central nervous system, and co-opt their surroundings to thrive while evading surveillance by the immune system. This presents a unique challenge both to the multidisciplinary teams that care for these patients and the investigators striving to leverage these tumors’ distinctive attributes into novel treatments. In this chapter, we outline the pathways and mechanisms underlying the development and survival of brain metastases, and how they inform current and emerging treatment strategies.
Chapter 19 - Spinal Tumors
- from Section 2 - Clinical Neurosurgical Diseases
- Edited by Farhana Akter, Harvard University, Massachusetts, Nigel Emptage, University of Oxford, Florian Engert, Harvard University, Massachusetts, Mitchel S. Berger, University of California, San Francisco
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- Neuroscience for Neurosurgeons
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- 04 January 2024
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- 25 January 2024, pp 267-277
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Summary
Tumors of the spine are a heterogeneous group of neoplasms involving the spinal column and spinal cord. They can be distinguished based on their location within the spine into three groups: intradural–intramedullary, intradural–extramedullary, and extradural. Another classification seeks to separate out these tumors based on their cell of origin, with primary spine tumors arising from either the spinal cord itself, its surrounding coverings including the leptomeninges, bone, cartilage, and soft tissue, or as secondary tumors arising from spinal involvement of a systemic neoplasm such as myeloma or as a metastasis from a distant site. This chapter seeks to discuss current evidence on the genetic, epigenetic, and cellular underpinnings of spine tumors with emphasis on the pathobiology and mechanisms underlying these neoplasms.
Mapping out a One Health model of antimicrobial resistance in the context of the Swedish food system: a literature scan
- Melanie Cousins, E. Jane Parmley, Amy L. Greer, Elena Neiterman, Irene A. Lambraki, Matthew N. Vanderheyden, Didier Wernli, Peter Søgaard Jorgensen, Carolee A. Carson, Shannon E. Majowicz
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- Journal:
- Research Directions: One Health / Volume 2 / 2024
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 12 January 2024, e2
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Background:
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) causes worsening health, environmental, and financial burdens. Modelling complex issues such as AMR is important, however, how well such models and data cover the broader One Health system is unknown. Our study aimed to identify models of AMR across the One Health system (objective 1), and data to parameterize such models (objective 2) to inform a future model of the AMR in the Swedish One Health system. Based on an expert-derived qualitative description of the system, an extensive literature scan was performed to identify models and data from peer-reviewed and grey literature sources. Models and data were extracted, categorized in an Excel database, and visually represented on the existing qualitative model to illustrate coverage. The articles identidied described 106 models in various parts of the One Health system; 54 were AMR-specific. Few multi-level, multi-sector models, and models within the animal and environmental sectors, were identified. We identified 414 articles containing data to parameterize the models. Data gaps included the environment and broad, ill-defined, or abstract ideas (e.g., human behaviour). In conclusion, no models addressed the entire system, and many data gaps were found. Existing models could be integrated into a mixed-methods model in the interim.
Helium as a Surrogate for Deuterium in LPI Studies
- Matthias Geissel, Adam J. Harvey-Thompson, Matthew R. Weis, Jeffrey R. Fein, David Ampleford, David E. Bliss, Aaron M. Hansen, Christopher Jennings, Mark W. Kimmel, Patrick Rambo, Jonathon E. Shores, Ian C. Smith, C. Shane Speas, John L. Porter, Fabrizio Consoli
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- Journal:
- Laser and Particle Beams / Volume 2023 / 2023
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 01 January 2024, e2
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Helium or neopentane can be used as surrogate gas fill for deuterium (D2) or deuterium-tritium (DT) in laser-plasma interaction studies. Surrogates are convenient to avoid flammability hazards or the integration of cryogenics in an experiment. To test the degree of equivalency between deuterium and helium, experiments were conducted in the Pecos target chamber at Sandia National Laboratories. Observables such as laser propagation and signatures of laser-plasma instabilities (LPI) were recorded for multiple laser and target configurations. It was found that some observables can differ significantly despite the apparent similarity of the gases with respect to molecular charge and weight. While a qualitative behaviour of the interaction may very well be studied by finding a suitable compromise of laser absorption, electron density, and LPI cross sections, a quantitative investigation of expected values for deuterium fills at high laser intensities is not likely to succeed with surrogate gases.
63 A Multimodal Investigation of Attention in Pediatric Concussion
- Anne E Mozel, Meltem Izzetoglu, Christina L Master, Andrew B Leber, Matthew Grady, Brian T Vernau, Charles L Folk
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- Journal:
- Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society / Volume 29 / Issue s1 / November 2023
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 21 December 2023, pp. 168-169
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Objective:
Concussion patients frequently report increased distractibility, with more than half endorsing “concentration difficulty”. Previous studies have demonstrated impairments in maintaining attention and voluntary attentional allocation in concussion patients. However, involuntary attentional allocation (distraction) is not well understood in the context of concussion. The goal of this study was to examine distraction in acute pediatric concussion patients, monitoring frontal lobe activity using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) - a noninvasive measure of local hemodynamic activity - to elucidate whether post-concussion distractibility is associated with the availability of attentional control resources.
Participants and Methods:Participants included concussion patients (cases; n=19) presenting to specialty care within 28 days of injury (M=8.05, SD=5.55) and controls (n=16) presenting for reasons other than concussion. Participants were 13-17 years old (M=14.83, SD=1.10) and 57.1% female. Participants completed a computerized measure of behavioral distraction (the additional singleton paradigm) while frontal lobe activity was recorded using fNIRS 4-channel split sensor. On each trial, an array of shapes (five squares and one circle) was presented, and participants reported the orientation of a line segment inside a target shape (circle). The search array included a distractor (a square that differed in color) on 50% of trials. For each participant, the fNIR signal for epochs of each trial type (distractor present/absent) were averaged and subjected to a linear regression in which the data were fitted to a hemodynamic response function (HRF).
Results:34 participants (19 cases, 15 controls) were included in our behavioral analysis. Reaction time (RT) was significantly slower on distractor present compared to distractor absent trials; F(1,32)=17.151, p<.001. There was no significant effect of group (case/control) on RT (F(1,32)=1.24, p=.273) or interaction between group and trial type (F(1,32)=1.05, p=.313). 29 participants (15 cases, 14 controls) were included in fNIRS analyses. The effect of group and distractor presence/absence on oxygenated hemoglobin (HbO2) was examined for each channel. A significant effect of distractor presence/absence was observed in channel 3; F(1,27)=8.510, p=.007. There were no significant effects of group or interactions between group and distractor presence/absence.
Lastly, a capture index was calculated for each participant by subtracting average RT on distractor absent trials from distractor present trials and correlated with HbO2 (beta weights averaged across trial type) for each group at each channel. No significant correlations were observed. There was a trend towards a negative correlation for case participants, particularly in channel 1, which strengthened when an outlier was removed (r=-.407, p=.149).
Conclusions:Reaction time and frontal lobe activity - which serves as a proxy for attentional control resources - were significantly higher when a distractor was present. Although there were no significant differences in behavioral distraction between groups, concussion patients trended towards higher levels of frontal lobe activity. Likewise, although not statistically significant, there was a trend towards a negative correlation for cases such that more attentional control resources (i.e., higher frontal lobe activity) was associated with less behavioral distraction (i.e., smaller capture index). This suggests that concussion patients may recruit more neural resources to produce comparable behavioral responses to healthy controls.
8 The Dunning-Kruger Effect on a Latinx Population
- Carolina Garza Castaneda, Matthew J. Wright, Raymundo Cervantes, Tara L. Victor, Krissy E. Smith, Chelsea McElwee, Adriana Cuello, Alberto L. Fernandez, Isabel D. C. Munoz, David J. Hardy, Daniel W. Lopez-Hernandez
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- Journal:
- Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society / Volume 29 / Issue s1 / November 2023
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 21 December 2023, pp. 423-424
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Objective:
Individuals tend to overestimate their abilities in areas where they are less competent. This cognitive bias is known as the Dunning-Krueger effect. Research shows that Dunning-Krueger effect occurs in persons with traumatic brain injury and healthy comparison participants. It was suggested by Walker and colleagues (2017) that the deficits in cognitive awareness may be due to brain injury. Confrontational naming tasks (e.g., Boston Naming Test) are used to evaluate language abilities. The Cordoba Naming Test (CNT) is a 30-item confrontational naming task developed to be administered in multiple languages. Hardy and Wright (2018) conditionally validated a measure of perceived mental workload called the NASA Task Load Index (NASA-TLX). They found that workload ratings on the NASA-TLX increased with increased task demands on a cognitive task. The purpose of the present study was to determine whether the Dunning-Kruger effect occurs in a Latinx population and possible factors driving individuals to overestimate their abilities on the CNT. We predicted the low-performance group would report better CNT performance, but underperform on the CNT compared to the high-performance group.
Participants and Methods:The sample consisted of 129 Latinx participants with a mean age of 21.07 (SD = 4.57). Participants were neurologically and psychologically healthy. Our sample was divided into two groups: the low-performance group and the high-performance group. Participants completed the CNT and the NASA-TLX in English. The NASA-TLX examines perceived workload (e.g., performance) and it was used in the present study to evaluate possible factors driving individuals to overestimate their abilities on the CNT. Participants completed the NASA-TLX after completing the CNT. Moreover, the CNT raw scores were averaged to create the following two groups: low-performance (CNT raw score <17) and high-performance (CNT raw score 18+). A series of ANCOVA's, controlling for gender and years of education completed were used to evaluate CNT performance and CNT perceived workloads.
Results:We found the low-performance group reported better performance on the CNT compared to the high-performance, p = .021, np2 = .04. However, the high-performance group outperformed the low-performance group on the CNT, p = .000, np2 = .53. Additionally, results revealed the low-performance group reported higher temporal demand and effort levels on the CNT compared to the high-performance group, p's < .05, nps2 = .05.
Conclusions:As we predicted, the low-performance group overestimated their CNT performance compared to the high-performance group. The current data suggest that the Dunning-Kruger effect occurs in healthy Latinx participants. We also found that temporal demand and effort may be influencing awareness in the low-performance group CNT performance compared to the high-performance group. The present study suggests subjective features on what may be influencing confrontational naming task performance in low-performance individuals more than highperformance individuals on the CNT. Current literature shows that bilingual speakers underperformed on confrontational naming tasks compared to monolingual speakers. Future studies should investigate if the Dunning-Kruger effects Latinx English monolingual speakers compared to Spanish-English bilingual speakers on the CNT.
5 The Association of Neighborhood Socioeconomic Deprivation with Neurocognition in a Diverse Cohort of Middle- and Older-Aged Persons Living with and Without HIV
- Lily Kamalyan, Marta Jankowska, Anya Umlauf, Martha E Perez, Alonzo Mendoza, Lina Scandalis, Donald R Franklin, Matthew Allison, Igor Grant, Mariana Cherner, Maria J Marquine
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- Journal:
- Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society / Volume 29 / Issue s1 / November 2023
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 21 December 2023, pp. 685-687
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Objective:
Due to decades of structural and institutional racism, minoritized individuals in the US are more likely to live in low socioeconomic neighborhoods, which may underlie the observed greater risk for neurocognitive impairment as they age. However, these relationships have not been examined among people aging with HIV. To investigate neurocognitive disparities among middle- and older-aged Latino and non-Latino White people living with HIV (PWH), and whether neighborhood socioeconomic deprivation may partially mediate these relationships.
Participants and Methods:Participants were 372 adults ages 40-85 living in southern California, including 186 Latinos (94 PWH, 92 without HIV) and 186 non-Latino (NL) Whites (94 PWH, 92 without HIV) age-matched to the Latino group (for the overall cohort: Age M=57.0, SD=9.1, Education: M=12.7, SD=3.9, 38% female; for the group of PWH: 66% AIDS, 88% on antiretroviral therapy [ART]; 98% undetectable plasma RNA [among those on ART]). Participants completed psychiatric and neuromedical evaluations and neuropsychological tests of verbal fluency, learning and memory in person or remotely. Neuropsychological results were converted to demographically-unadjusted global scaled scores for our primary outcome. A neighborhood socioeconomic deprivation variable (SESDep) was generated for census tracts in San Diego County using American Community Survey 2013-2017 data. Principal components analysis was used to create one measure using nine variables comprising educational (% with high school diploma), occupational (% unemployed), economic (rent to income ratio, % in poverty, (% female-headed households with dependent children, % with no car, % on public assistance), and housing (% rented housing, % crowded rooms) factors. Census tract SESDep values were averaged for a 1km radius buffer around participants’ home addresses.
Results:Univariable analyses (independent samples t-tests and Chi-square tests) indicated Latinos were more likely to be female and had fewer years of formal education than NL-Whites (ps<.05). Latino PWH had higher nadir CD4 than White PWH (p=.02). Separate multivariable regression models in the overall sample, controlling for demographics and HIV status, showed Latinos had significantly lower global scaled scores than Whites (b=-0.59; 95%CI-1.13, -0.06; p=.03) and lived in more deprived neighborhoods (b=0.62; 95%CI=0.36, 0.88; p<.001). More SES deprivation was significant associated with worse global neurocognition in an unadjusted linear regression (b=-0.55; 95%CI=-0.82, -0.28; p<.001), but similar analyses controlling for demographics and HIV status, showed SESDep was not significantly related to global scaled scores (b=-0.11; 95%CI= -0.36, 0.14; p=.40). Exploratory analyses examined primary language (i.e., English vs Spanish) as a marker of Hispanic heterogeneity and its association with neurocognition and SESDep. Controlling for demographics and HIV status, both English-speaking (b=0.33; 95%CI=0.01. 0.64; p=.04) and Spanish-speaking Latinos (b=0.88; 95%CI=0.58, 1.18; p<.001) lived in significantly greater SESDep neighborhoods than Whites, with SESDep greater for Spanish-speakers than English-speakers (p<.001). However, only English-speaking Latinos had significantly lower neurocognition than Whites (b=-0.91; 95%CI=0-1.57, -0.26; p<.01; Spanish-speakers: b=-0.27; 95%CI=-0.93, 0.38; p=.41).
Conclusions:Among our sample of diverse older adults living with and without HIV, English-speaking Latinos showed worse neurocognition than Whites. Though SES neighborhood deprivation was worse among Latinos (particularly Spanish-speakers) it was not associated with neurocognitive scores after adjusting for demographics. Further studies investigating other neighborhood characteristics and more nuanced markers of Hispanic heterogeneity (e.g., acculturation) are warranted to understand factors underlying aging and HIV-related neurocognitive disparities among diverse older adults.
38 Real-World Goal Setting and Follow Through in Young and Older Adults
- Lauren E Cruz, Christopher X Griffith, Caity Cegavsky, Hannah Burns, Jessica R Andrews-Hanna, Matthew D Grilli
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- Journal:
- Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society / Volume 29 / Issue s1 / November 2023
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 21 December 2023, pp. 348-349
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Objective:
The ability to generate, plan for, and follow through with goals is essential to everyday functioning. Compared to young adults, cognitively normal older adults have more difficulty on a variety of cognitive functions that contribute to goal setting and follow through. However, how these age-related cognitive differences impact real-world goal planning and success remains unclear. In the current study, we aimed to better understand the impact of older age on everyday goal planning and success.
Participants and Methods:Cognitively normal young adults (18-35 years, n= 57) and older adults (60-80 years, n= 49) participated in a 10-day 2-session study. In the first session, participants described 4 real-world goals that they hoped to pursue in the next 10 days. These goals were subjectively rated for personal significance, significance to others, and vividness, and goal descriptions were objectively scored for temporal, spatial, and event specificity, among other measures. Ten days later, participants rated the degree to which they planned for and made progress in their real-world goals since session one. Older adults also completed a battery of neuropsychological tests.
Results:Some key results are as follows. Relative to the young adults, cognitively normal older adults described real-world goals which navigated smaller spaces (p=0.01) and that they perceived as more important to other people (p=0.03). Older adults also planned more during the 10-day window (p<0.001). There was not a statistically significant age group difference, however, in real-world goal progress (p=0.65). Nonetheless, among older participants, goal progress was related to higher mental processing speed as shown by the Trail Making Test Part A (r=0.36, p=0.02) and the creation of goals confined to specific temporal periods (r=0.35, p=0.01). Older participants who scored lower on the Rey Complex Figure Test (RCFT) long delay recall trial reported that their goals were more like ones that they had set in the past (r= -0.34, p=0.02), and higher episodic memory as shown by the RCFT was associated with more spatially specific goals (r=0.32, p=0.02), as well as a greater use of implementation intentions in goal descriptions(r=0.35, p=0.02).
Conclusions:Although older adults tend to show decline in several cognitive domains relevant to goal setting, we found that cognitively normal older adults did not make significantly less progress toward a series of real-world goals over a 10-day window. However, relative to young adults, older adults tended to pursue goals which were more important to others, as well as goals that involved navigating smaller spaces. Older adults also appear to rely on planning more than young adults to make progress toward their goals. These findings reveal age group differences in the quality of goals and individual differences in goal success among older adults. They are also in line with prior research suggesting that cognitive aging effects may be more subtle in real-world contexts.
86 The Examination Between Credible and Non-Credible Groups on Embedded PVT Tests
- Krissy E. Smith, Tara L. Victor, Matthew J. Wright, Kyle B. Boone, Daniel W. Lopez-Hernandez
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- Journal:
- Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society / Volume 29 / Issue s1 / November 2023
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 21 December 2023, pp. 759-760
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Objective:
Performance validity tests (PVTs) are included in neuropsychological testing to ensure examinees are performing to the best of their abilities. There are two types of PVTs: embedded and free standing. Embedded PVTs are tests that are derived from standard neuropsychological tests of various cognitive domains. Freestanding PVTs are tests that are designed with the intention of being a PVT. Research studies show that undergraduate samples do not always performed to the best of their abilities. The purpose of this study was to cross-validate previous research on the topic of performance validity in a college sample. It was predicted that the non-credible group would demonstrate higher failure rates on embedded PVTs compared to the credible group.
Participants and Methods:The sample consisted of 198 neurologically and psychologically healthy undergraduate students with a mean age of 19.69 (SD = 2.11). Participants were broken into two groups: non-credible (i.e., participants that failed two or more PVTs) and credible (i.e., participants that did not failed two or more PVTs). The Rey-Osterrith copy test, Comalli Stroop part A (CSA), B (CSB), and C (CSC), Trail Making Test part A and B, Symbol Digit Modalities Test written (SDMT-W) and oral (SDMT-O) parts, Controlled Oral Word Association Test (COWAT) letter fluency, and Finger Tapping Test were used to evaluate failure rates in our sample. PVT cutoff scores were use from previously validated in the literature. Chi-square analysis was used to evaluate failure rates between the groups.
Results:Chi-square analysis revealed significant failure rate differences between groups on several PVTs. Results revealed that 15% of the non-credible group failed the CSA compared to 1% of the credible group, X2=14.77, p=.000. Meanwhile, 26% of the non-credible group failed the CSB compared to 2% of the credible group, X2=24.72, p=.000. Furthermore, results showed that 11% of the non-credible group failed the CSC compared to 1% of the credible group, X2=13.05, p=.000.Next, 48% of the non-credible group failed the Trail Making Test part A compared to 8% of the credible group, X2=31.61, p=.000. We also found that 15% of the non-credible group failed the SDMT-W part compared to 1% of the credible group,X2=19.18, p=.000. Meanwhile, on the SDMT-O part 19% of the non-credible group failed compared to 1% of the credible group, X2=25.52, p =.000. On the COWAT letter fluency task 74% of the non-credible group failed compared to 19% of the credible group, X2=36.90, p=.000. Finally, results revealed on the Finger Tapping Test 19% of the non-credible group failed compared to 3% of the credible group, X2=10.01, p=.002.
Conclusions:As expected, the non-credible participants demonstrated significantly higher PVT failure rates compared to credible participants. A possible explanation driving higher failure rates in our sample can be due to cultural variables (e.g., bilingualism). It was suggested by researchers that linguistic factors may be impacting higher PVT failure rates and developing a false-positive error. Future research using undergraduate samples need to identify which PVT’s are being impacted by linguist factors.
4 Neuropsychological Functioning in an Active Duty Service Member with Partial Agenesis of the Corpus Callosum and Bilateral Ventriculomegaly.
- Scott C Wollman, Matthew G Hall, Mary E Haines
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- Journal:
- Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society / Volume 29 / Issue s1 / November 2023
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 21 December 2023, p. 7
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Objective:
Partial agenesis of the corpus callosum (PACC) is a rare brain birth defect characterized by incomplete development of the corpus callosum, the primary white matter bundle that connects the right and left hemispheres. PACC can be associated with other congenital abnormalities, including malformation of the brain’s ventricular system, such as colpocephaly or ventriculomegaly, and it is typically considered a pediatric diagnosis. Clinically, this condition may present with a broad continuum of cognitive and socioemotional difficulties ranging from significant day-to-day impairment to relative independence. Newly diagnosed PACC with ventriculomegaly in adults is very rare (0.0200.025%) and little is known about neuropsychological functioning in adults with this condition. The aim of this case study is to add to the literature base for better PACC neuropsychological conceptualization.
Participants and Methods:This case study involves neuropsychological evaluation of cognitive and behavioral health functioning of a 37-year-old active duty service member (ADSM) with recently identified PACC and ventriculomegaly (via incidental imaging finding). The ADSM reported a history of learning difficulty, though she was able to earn rank of sergeant first class in a low density military occupation specialty (i.e., Mortuary Affairs) over an 18.5 year active duty career.
Results:Cognitive testing was notable for consistently low to exceptionally low attention and processing speed scores. Mild executive dysfunction was also noted in the areas of planning and inhibition. Emotionally, she endorsed mild somatic and depression symptoms. Interpersonally, she was shy and avoidant with longstanding characterological traits characterized by worry, insecurity, and general tendency to catastrophize.
Conclusions:This case adds to the broad clinical presentation of PACC with ventriculomegaly, and highlights that even in the context of a significant congenital brain deformity and longstanding cognitive deficits, independent functioning can be achieved.