Pursuing Prosody Interventions.

Pursuing prosody interventions.

Clin Linguist Phon. 2013 Jun 27;
Hargrove PM

Abstract This paper provides an overview of evidence-based prosodic intervention strategies to facilitate clinicians’ inclusion of prosody in their therapeutic planning and to encourage researchers’ interest in prosody as an area of specialization. Four current evidence-based prosodic interventions are reviewed and answers to some important clinical questions are proposed. Additionally, the future direction of prosodic intervention research is discussed in recommendations about issues that are of concern to clinicians. The paper ends with a call for participation in an online collaboration at the Clinical Prosody blog at clinicalprosody.wordpress.com. HubMed – rehab

 

Utility Of The Multivariate Approach In Predicting ?-Thalassemia Intermedia Or ?-Thalassemia Major Types In Iranian Patients.

Hemoglobin. 2013 Jun 27;
Banan M, Bayat H, Namdar-Aligoodarzi P, Azarkeivan A, Kamali K, Daneshmand P, Zaker-Kandjani B, Najmabadi H

Recently, five genetic modifiers [?-globin mutations, coinheritance of ?-thalassemia (?-thal), XmnI polymorphism and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the BCL11A and HBS1L-MYB loci] were used to predict the ?-thal major (?-TM) or ?-thal intermedia (?-TI) types in 106 French patients with 83.2% accuracy. The dichotomous grouping was based on the age when the patient received his/her first transfusion (4 years). Here, a similar study was conducted in a cohort of 306 Iranian ?-thal patients having distinct ?-globin mutations and minor allele frequencies of key SNPs in these loci. Multivariate regression analyses and a simple scoring system were used to predict the ?-TM/?-TI types using three scenarios: 1) when considering only the severe ?-TM and the mild ?-TI cases, 2) using clinical parameters for ?-thal typing, and 3) using age at first transfusion as the basis for classification. Using these scenarios, the ?-thal types could be correctly predicted in 77.6, 75.5 and 68.0% of cases, respectively. HubMed – rehab

 

Enriched environment and masticatory activity rehabilitation recover spatial memory decline in aged mice.

BMC Neurosci. 2013 Jun 28; 14(1): 63
Mendes FD, de Almeida MN, Felício AP, Fadel AC, Silva DD, Borralho TG, da Silva RP, Bento-Torres J, Vasconcelos PF, Perry VH, Ramos EM, Picanço-Diniz CW, Sosthenes MC

To measure the impact of masticatory reduction on learning and memory, previous studies have produced experimental masticatory reduction by modified diet or molar removal. Here we induced spatial learning impairment in mice by reducing masticatory activity and then tested the effect of a combination of environmental enrichment and masticatory rehabilitation in recovering spatial learning at adulthood and in later life. For 6 months (6M) or 18 months (18M), we fed three groups of mice from postnatal day 21 respectively with a hard diet (HD) of pellets; pellets followed by a powdered, soft diet (HD/SD, divided into equal periods); or pellets followed by powder, followed by pellets again (HD/SD/HD, divided into equal periods). To mimic sedentary or active lifestyles, half of the animals from each group were raised from weaning in standard cages (impoverished environment; IE) and the other half in enriched cages (enriched environment; EE). To evaluate spatial learning, we used the Morris water maze.IE6M-HD/SD mice showed lower learning rates compared with control (IE6M-HD) or masticatory rehabilitated (IE6MHD/SD/HD) animals. Similarly, EE-HD/SD mice independent of age showed lower performance than controls (EE-HD) or rehabilitated mice (EE-HD/SD/HD). However, combined rehabilitation and EE in aged mice improved learning rate up to control levels. Learning rates did not correlate with swim speed.Reduction in masticatory activity imposed on mice previously fed a hard diet (HD/SD) impaired spatial learning in the Morris water maze. In adults, masticatory rehabilitation recovered spatial abilities in both sedentary and active mice, and rehabilitation of masticatory activity combined with EE recovered these losses in aged mice. HubMed – rehab