De Que Research Articles

Experimental evidence of the impact of framing of actors and victims in conservation narratives.

Media narratives play a crucial role in framing marine conservation dilemmas by depicting human actors, such as fish consumers or the fishing industry, as responsible for negative effects of their actions on species and ecosystems. However, there is little evidence documenting how such narratives affect preferences for reducing bycatch. Behavioral science research shows that people can act less prosocially when more actors are responsible for a collective outcome (responsibility diffusion effect) and when more victims need to be helped (compassion fade effect); thus, the media's framing of actors and victims may have a significant effect on preferences. We conducted the first test of responsibility diffusion and compassion fade in a marine context in an online experiment (1548 participants in the United Kingdom). In 9 media narratives, we varied the type of actors responsible for fisheries bycatch (e.g., consumers and industry) and victims (e.g., a single species, multiple species, and ecosystems) in media narratives and determined the effects of the narratives on participants' support for bycatch policies and intentions to alter fish consumption. When responsibility for negative effects was attributed to consumers and industry, the probability of participants reporting support for fisheries policies (e.g., bycatch enforcement or consumer taxes) was ∼30% higher (odds ratio=1.32) than when only consumers were attributed responsibility. These effects were primarily driven by female participants. Narratives had no effect on personal intentions to consume fish. Varying the type of victim had no effect on policy support and intentions. Our results suggest that neither responsibility diffusion nor compassion fade automatically follows from increasing the types of actors and victims in media narratives and that effects can depend on the type of outcome and population subgroup.

Adult children traveling with parents: exploring travel conflict and parents’ subjective well-being

PropositusBasado en el modelo de solidaridad-conflicto, la teoría de inconsistencia de expectativas y la teoría de desbordamiento de abajo hacia arriba, este estudio tiene como objetivo explorar cómo el conflicto intergeneracional está relacionado con el bienestar subjetivo de los padres a través de los efectos mediados de serie de la intimidad familiar y la satisfacción de viaje, la autoeficacia y la satisfacción de viaje.Diseño/método/procedimientoBasado en datos de encuestas de 411 padres mayores que tienen experiencia en viajes familiares, un modelo de ecuación estructural fue utilizado para probar las hipótesis.HallazgosEste estudio demostró el impacto negativo del conflicto intergeneracional en la satisfacción de viaje de los padres y el bienestar subjetivo, y además reveló dos mediadores de serie a nivel individual y nivel familiar (es decir, autoeficacia →satisfacción de viaje; intimidad familiar →satisfacción de viaje).Originalidad/valorEste estudio se centra en el conflicto intergeneracional de los hijos adultos que viajan con sus padres, para examinar empíricamente el impacto negativo del conflicto intergeneracional en el bienestar subjetivo de los padres, revela los aspectos negativos de los viajes familiares, rompe el estereotipo de que los viajes familiares siempre están llenos de alegría, lo que enriquece el estudio de las relaciones intergeneracionales y los viajes familiares.Implicaciones practicesLos hallazgos de este estudio proporciona valiosas implicaciones prácticas para los miembros de la familia y los organizadores de destinos. Los hijos adultos consideran las necesidades de diferentes generacionales para elegir productos de viaje, ayudar a los padres a reducir la tensión y las emociones negativas en entornos inusual y desarrollar la confianza y la. Los organizadores de destinos deben diseñar programas de interacción familiar con sentido de rituales para potenciar la intimidad familiar de los padres.

Modeling total predation to avoid perverse outcomes from cat control in a data-poor island ecosystem.

Data hungry, complex ecosystem models are often used to predict the consequences of threatened species management, including perverse outcomes. Unfortunately, this approach is impractical in many systems, which have insufficient data to parameterize ecosystem interactions or reliably calibrate or validate such models. Here we demonstrate a different approach, using a minimum realistic model to guide decisions in data- and resource-scarce systems. We illustrate our approach with a case-study in an invaded ecosystem from Christmas Island, Australia, where there are concerns that cat eradication to protect native species, including the red-tailed tropicbird, could release meso-predation by invasive rats. We use biophysical constraints (metabolic demand) and observable parameters (e.g. prey preferences) to assess the combined cat and rat abundances which would threaten the tropicbird population. We find that the population of tropicbirds cannot be sustained if predated by 1607 rats (95% credible interval (CI) [103, 5910]) in the absence of cats, or 21 cats (95% CI [2, 82]) in the absence of rats. For every cat removed from the island, the bird's net population growth rate improves, provided that the rats do not increase by more than 77 individuals (95% CI [30, 174]). Thus, in this context, one cat is equivalent to 30-174 rats. Our methods are especially useful for on-the-ground predator control in the absence of knowledge of predator-predator interactions, to assess whether 1) the current abundance of predators threatens the prey population of interest, 2) managing one predator species alone is sufficient to protect the prey species given potential release of another predator, and 3) control of multiple predator species is needed to meet the conservation goal. Our approach demonstrates how to use limited information for maximum value in data-poor systems, by shifting the focus from predicting future trajectories, to identifying conditions which threaten the conservation goal. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

The Two Spanish Subjunctives: The Required and Default Subjunctives

Standard Spanish grammar states that desideratives (querer que), directives (aconsejar que), purpose clauses (para que), causatives (hacer que), emotive-factives (alegrarse de que), negated epistemics (no creer que), dubitatives (dudar que), and modals (ser posible que) embed subjunctive complement clauses. However, in spite of these classifications, some predicates exhibit a certain degree of mood variation. For instance, emotive-factives can take indicative complements (Crespo del Río 2014; Faulkner 2021a). Similar variability between the moods may also come about in negated epistemic (Bolinger 1991), dubitative (Blake 1981), and modal clauses (Deshors and Waltermire 2019). 
 I propose that such variation stems from the Spanish mood system involving a split between two types of subjunctives - one that is required in preference-based contexts, and another that is default and can be replaced by the indicative. I argue that, whereas preference-based expressions (desideratives, directives, purpose clauses, causatives) are inflexibly subjunctive, emotive-factives and verbs of uncertainty (negated epistemics, dubitatives, modals) may accept indicative if the speaker intends to add the affirmative or negated proposition to the common ground; i.e., if the speaker intends to assert the complement in question. I close these arguments by stating that assertion with the indicative is most likely to occur if the proposition (affirmative or negated) is informative (new or unknown to the addressee, important, contrastive, and/or highly probable).

The other side of tropical forest drought: do shallow water table regions of Amazonia act as large-scale hydrological refugia from drought?

Tropical forest function is of global significance to climate change responses, and critically determined by water availability patterns. Groundwater is tightly related to soil water through the water table depth (WT), but historically neglected in ecological studies. Shallow WT forests (WT < 5 m) are underrepresented in forest research networks and absent in eddy flux measurements, although they represent c. 50% of the Amazon and are expected to respond differently to global-change-related droughts. We review WT patterns and consequences for plants, emerging results, and advance a conceptual model integrating environment and trait distributions to predict climate change effects. Shallow WT forests have a distinct species composition, with more resource-acquisitive and hydrologically vulnerable trees, shorter canopies and lower biomass than deep WT forests. During 'normal' climatic years, shallow WT forests have higher mortality and lower productivity than deep WT forests, but during moderate droughts mortality is buffered and productivity increases. However, during severe drought, shallow WT forests may be more sensitive due to shallow roots and drought-intolerant traits. Our evidence supports the hypothesis of neglected shallow WT forests being resilient to moderate drought, challenging the prevailing view of widespread negative effects of climate change on Amazonian forests that ignores WT gradients, but predicts they could collapse under very strong droughts.

Quality appraisal of systematic reviews of interventions for children with cerebral palsy reveals critically low confidence.

To evaluate the methodological quality of recent systematic reviews of interventions for children with cerebral palsy in order to determine the level of confidence in the reviews' conclusions. A comprehensive search of 22 databases identified eligible systematic reviews with and without meta-analysis published worldwide from 2015 to 2019. We independently extracted data and used A Measurement Tool to Assess Systematic Reviews-2 (AMSTAR-2) to appraise methodological quality. Eighty-three systematic reviews met strict eligibility criteria. Most were from Europe and Latin America and reported on rehabilitative interventions. AMSTAR-2 appraisal found critically low confidence in 88% (n=73) because of multiple and varied deficiencies. Only 7% (n=6) had no AMSTAR-2 critical domain deficiency. The number of systematic reviews increased fivefold from 2015 to 2019; however, quality did not improve over time. Most of these systematic reviews are considered unreliable according to AMSTAR-2. Current recommendations for treating children with CP based on these flawed systematic reviews need re-evaluation. Findings are comparable to reports from other areas of medicine, despite the general perception that systematic reviews are high-level evidence. The required use of current widely accepted guidance for conducting and reporting systematic reviews by authors, peer reviewers, and editors is critical to ensure reliable, unbiased, and transparent systematic reviews. What this paper adds Confidence was critically low in the conclusions of 88% of systematic reviews about interventions for children with cerebral palsy (CP). Quality issues in the sample were not limited to systematic reviews of non-randomized trials, or to those about certain populations of CP or interventions. The inclusion of meta-analysis did not improve the level of confidence in these systematic reviews. Numbers of systematic reviews on this topic increased over the 5 search years but their methodological quality did not improve.

Bacteriophage therapy for challenging bacterial infections: achievements, limitations and prospects for future clinical use by veterinary dermatologists.

Bacteriophages were discovered just over 100 years ago and have been used to treat bacterial infections in animals since the 1920s. The antimicrobial resistance crisis has led to a new surge of interest in the use of bacteriophage therapy as an alternative or supplement to antimicrobial therapy in humans and other animals. To describe the nature of bacteriophages and provide a critical review and update on the clinical use of bacteriophages in the treatment of challenging bacterial infections, with an emphasis on companion animal veterinary applications. The scientific literature on the subject was critically evaluated. Findings from the most pertinent papers have been presented in summary form and critiqued. Over the last 20 years there has been a considerable increase in the volume and quality of publications dealing with bacteriophage therapy. Some recent papers build on excellent work published in the 1980s and describe promising veterinary applications. Challenges related particularly to the registration and approval of phage remedies will need to be overcome before phage therapy can become a mainstream tool for use in veterinary settings. Considerably more research, particularly controlled clinical trials, needs to be done. Bacteriophage therapy is one of the most promising approaches to tackling the looming antimicrobial resistance crisis, yet substantial regulatory challenges will need to be overcome before it enters widespread use. Phage therapy also may, in the future, improve the management of challenging bacterial infections that are not necessarily multidrug-resistant.

BEM VIVER:

Resumo: Desde os primórdios da colonização, a América Latina encampa a condição de continente subalternizado à epistemologia ditada pelos países ocidentais. A interculturalidade, a sabedoria mística e as manifestações jurídicas plurais dos povos do Sul, há muito silenciadas, ganharam, porém, novo fôlego a partir dos processos constitucionais do Equador e da Bolívia. Partindo desse cenário, o presente artigo analisa se o constitucionalismo andino tem o condão de fomentar uma outra proposta de desenvolvimento para a América Latina. Lançando mão do método dedutivo e das técnicas bibliográfica e documental, incursiona de forma crítica pelas abordagens do desenvolvimento enquanto crescimento econômico e do desenvolvimento sustentável, e recupera os principais aspectos das Constituições do Equador e da Bolívia. A conclusão é no sentido de que constitucionalização do Bem Viver e a positivação dos direitos da Natureza evidenciam a busca pelo desenvolvimento como liberdade e de harmonia na relação entre ser humano e planeta Terra.

Prescriptively or descriptively speaking?

AbstractIt is generally put forth that Spanish has the subjunctive as the required mood in the complements of emotive-factives (alegrarse de que‘to be happy that’), desire verbs (querer‘to want’), verbs of uncertainty (dudar‘to doubt’), modals (ser posible que‘to be possible that’), causatives (hacer que‘to make that’), and directives (recomendar que‘to recommend that’) (e.g.,Real Academia Española 2011). However, in spite of these traditional rules, it has been observed that some of these environments allow for the indicative (Blake 1981;Crespo del Río 2014;Deshors and Waltermire 2019;Gallego and Alonso-Marks 2014;García and Terrell 1977;Gregory and Lunn 2012;Kowal 2007;Lipski 1978;Silva-Corvalán 1994; Waltermire 2019). The current study explored one such environment; emotive-factive clauses. Results showed that the presuppositions that speakers hold regarding the knowledge that their addressees possess influence the mood that they select. This, thus, demonstrates the important role that pragmatics plays in the occurrence of mood variation.

Evaluating the social and ecological effectiveness of partially protected marine areas.

Marine protected areas (MPAs) are a primary tool for the stewardship, conservation, and restoration of marine ecosystems, yet 69% of global MPAs are only partially protected (i.e., are open to some form of fishing). Although fully protected areas have well‐documented outcomes, including increased fish diversity and biomass, the effectiveness of partially protected areas is contested. Partially protected areas may provide benefits in some contexts and may be warranted for social reasons, yet social outcomes often depend on MPAs achieving their ecological goals to distinguish them from open areas and justify the cost of protection. We assessed the social perceptions and ecological effectiveness of 18 partially protected areas and 19 fully protected areas compared with 19 open areas along 7000 km of coast of southern Australia. We used mixed methods, gathering data via semistructured interviews, site surveys, and Reef Life (underwater visual census) surveys. We analyzed qualitative data in accordance with grounded theory and quantitative data with multivariate and univariate linear mixed‐effects models. We found no social or ecological benefits for partially protected areas relative to open areas in our study. Partially protected areas had no more fish, invertebrates, or algae than open areas; were poorly understood by coastal users; were not more attractive than open areas; and were not perceived to have better marine life than open areas. These findings provide an important counterpoint to some large‐scale meta‐analyses that conclude partially protected areas can be ecologically effective but that draw this conclusion based on narrower measures. We argue that partially protected areas act as red herrings in marine conservation because they create an illusion of protection and consume scarce conservation resources yet provide little or no social or ecological gain over open areas. Fully protected areas, by contrast, have more fish species and biomass and are well understood, supported, and valued by the public. They are perceived to have better marine life and be improving over time in keeping with actual ecological results. Conservation outcomes can be improved by upgrading partially protected areas to higher levels of protection including conversion to fully protected areas.

Early intervention for children with/at risk of developmental coordination disorder: a scoping review.

To summarize current evidence for early identification and motor-based intervention for children aged 5 years and younger of age with/at risk of developmental coordination disorder (DCD). Using scoping review methodology, we independently screened over 11 000 articles and selected those that met inclusion criteria. Of the 103 included articles, 78 articles were related to early identification and are summarized in a companion article. Twenty-two articles focused on early intervention, with an additional three articles covering both early identification and intervention. Most intervention studies were at a low level of evidence, but provide encouraging evidence that early intervention is beneficial for young children with/at risk of DCD. Direct intervention can be provided to whole classes, small groups, or individuals according to a tiers of service delivery model. Educating and building the capacity of parents and early childhood educators are also key elements of early intervention. Evidence for early intervention for children with/at risk of DCD is emerging with promising results. Further studies are needed to determine best practice for early intervention and whether intervening early can prevent the negative developmental trajectory and secondary psychosocial consequences associated with DCD.

Digitally-Delivered Mexican Theatre during the COVID-19 Pandemic of 2020

Digitally-Delivered Mexican Theatre during the COVID-19 Pandemic of 2020 Timothy G. Compton Covid 19’s appearance in March 2020 closed theatre stages all over the world, including those in Mexico. Countless projects shut down, some after long runs, while others were forced to close after months of rehearsals or precious few performances. Only time will tell which projects will revive. However, no project will be the same, and many will simply never see the stage. August 27 marked the re-opening of theaters in Mexico, albeit with severely limited numbers of spectators, and with strict sanitary rules for spectators, actors, and all involved in the return of in-person theatre. One notable early in-person performance venue consisted of a large stage where spectators witnessed plays (as well as concerts and other events) from their cars, in a sort of drive-in arrangement. Despite the impossibility of in-person theatre performances during the lockdown, Covid could not stop the creative juices of Mexico’s teatreros. Some turned to digital delivery of performance art, although this new genre has generated some controversy. Purists say that performing a play without spectators present or seeing a play without being present creates something other than theatre. Others disagree. In a podcast interview, Alberto Lomnitz, who co-authored the “Manifiesto por un Arte Vivo Digital” with María Sánchez Portillo, stated that they purposely avoided the words teatro and teatral. Instead, their manifesto emphasized new possibilities.1 “Las creadoras y creadores de la práctica escénica encontramos en el Arte Vivo Digital un medio más para el desarrollo y ejercicio de nuestra creatividad . . . se abren nuevas posibilidades de interactuar de manera íntima con las y los espectadores . . . somos conscientes de que en la práctica artística todo es efervescencia, mutación, adaptabilidad, vida . . . Queremos construir una puerta de entrada a mundos posibles.”2 This manifesto emphasizes live [End Page 199] digital events, which I will call theatre, despite the controversy. I concede that watching one of these events through a computer screen is clearly different from seeing a play in a theater, but the very best of each seems much superior to the mediocre or poor of the other. Before I survey some of the most compelling digital performances I have seen from June through December 2020, I offer some general observations about the logistics and pros and cons of the genre from my perspective as a spectator. First of all, since theaters were closed or severely limited and international travel was ill-advised during the pandemic, virtual theatre offered a lifeline to those who seek continued access to Mexico’s theatre world, and without the hassles and expenses of travel—no hotel costs, no ubers or subway rides, no air or noise pollution, no security concerns, etc. How miraculous to see live performances by world-class actors directed by some of the cream of Mexico’s directing cream, and from the comfort of my own home! Depending on where spectators live or stay in Mexico City, and the location of the desired theaters, to see in-person plays they can easily spend hours in transportation alone. Clearly, geography limits the reach of traditional plays. By contrast, virtual theatre extends world-wide, internet (and credit card companies) willing. In addition, every spectator has access to the best seat in the house (both in terms of what they see and, literally, in the most comfortable chair in their own house, with all the leg room they please). Furthermore, depending on the delivery platform, spectators can have a more intimate and interactive relationship with virtual plays than with in-person plays. And now for some cons. First of all, virtual spectators miss out on the communitarian experience of traditional theatre. Laughing, gasping, and crying alone, rather than with fellow spectators in the same room, packs less of an impact. Part of the joy of good children’s theatre is to watch the unfiltered reactions of children. Talking with fellow spectators before and after a performance enriches the sense of community, as does overhearing comments during plays. In virtual performances, spectators can sometimes use the chat function in Zoom or Facebook Live...

Dis(missing) Voices: A Persistent Battle against Erasure

Dis(missing) VoicesA Persistent Battle against Erasure Ana Gómez Parga (bio) Es que les falta leer el pensamiento del Sur para entender lo que es la libertad —E. R. Aquello de que tenemos que rescatar nuestras voces me resulta chocante porque implica que estas han estado ausentes cuando es todo lo contrario —Clelia O. Rodríguez We are living in times of survival, of extreme survival, of “surviving survival” as Raquel Salas points out. I am writing this introduction in the middle of a global pandemic, as an untenured professor with an overwhelming schedule full of teaching commitments, full of half-written research projects that I am starting to wonder whether they will ever see the light and full of personal self-care and wellness-related habits that I keep sacrificing for the sake of capitalist productivity. “Es una exageración, estas cosas no pasan en la vida real”—said a man in the room to Sayak Valencia as she was presenting her dissertation. In the last couple of months, my schedule has been filled with requests for unplanned and coerced anti-racism workshops that have landed on my already crammed desk. These requests, of course, have landed on my lap due to my “unique” set of skills, “leadership,” and “expertise” that are needed but not to the point where they will be adequately compensated, or even compensated at all. But guilt is to Catholicism as service is to capitalism, and some of us are here, pushing ourselves to the limit, not because we believe in heaven but because we have seen hell.—“Ahora vienen hacia mí los latigazos”—I hear Clelia O. Rodríguez say. [End Page 33] I am writing this introduction, while I am overwhelmed with responsibilities that include figuring out quarantine protocols for two elderly parents, five funeral arrangements (and counting), accommodations for COVID-positive students, and the stress of having a partner at the frontline of healthcare services who is serving as a midwife for “underprivileged” communities . . . the very communities that are disproportionally affected by COVID and lack appropriate access to any health services. I’m also writing as I am dealing with the occasional hypochondria that arises every time I sneeze and that gets worse whenever someone close to me receives a positive COVID test. The timing for this collection could not have been more appropriate. On the verge of what looks like an Orwellian nightmare and an anti-feminist Huxley-inspired resurgence of Nazism, we are “surviving survival” as citizens of the global South, as womxn of color who are still educating, still writing, still thinking, still theorizing, still rising, and still trying to have our voices heard, one day at a time. In the face of increasing surveillance, policing, and precarity, we are facing the global rise of White supremacy; we are fighting the global fight against patriarchy; and we are trying to protect our planet and our bodies from the devastating effects of an imposed capitalism that sees us as nothing more than disposable labor. Stories of “surviving survival” are not new, but telling them still represents a challenge because one must make sense of unbearable struggle through a language that feels foreign and allows no space for emotion. Our existence and the value of our struggles are not legitimate until they are translated, witnessed, and understood by those who presume rationality and promote a detached, “rational” intelligentsia. Moreover, our observations are not valid if they can’t be located in predesigned categories that were created for our erasure. What kind of sensemaking processes and ways of understanding the world are we elevating when the thing that makes us human is denied and the things that make us unique are invisibilized? The main purpose of this collection is to bring light to the messiness, the rawness, and the realness of our endurance. We refuse to be silenced or to have our stories stolen and retold. Retold by those who feel that we are “too close” to our struggles and retold by those who falsely claim to be us.1 This collection is an effort to amplify voices that would have been silenced by borders, by language barriers, and by...

ADHD Basic Facts: What Every Parent Should Know Before Starting a Child on Medication—ADHD Toolkit

Patient Education| 2021 ADHD Basic Facts: What Every Parent Should Know Before Starting a Child on Medication—ADHD Toolkit Connected Content Translation: Datos básicos sobre el TDAH: Lo que todo padre tiene que saber antes de que su hijo comience a tomar medicamentos—ADHD Toolkit Views Icon Views Article contents Figures & tables Video Audio Supplementary Data Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Cite Icon Cite Search Site Citation ADHD Basic Facts: What Every Parent Should Know Before Starting a Child on Medication—ADHD Toolkit. Pediatric Patient Education 2021; 10.1542/ppe_document155 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Reference Manager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search nav search search input Search input auto suggest search filter All AAP SitesAll PublicationsPediatric Patient Education Search Advanced Search Studies have shown that medication is effective in treating the symptoms of ADHD alone or in combination with behavioral interventions. There are several types of medications, and they are grouped into 2 major categories: stimulants and non-stimulant medications. Most children are initially treated with stimulants, although there are reasons why your doctor may choose to treat your child with a non-stimulant. Deciding which medication is right for your child may take time. Your doctor may try several different doses or switch to different medications to find the best choice. Discuss any family history of heart disease, high blood pressure, or substance use with your doctor. Stimulant medications usually work within 15 to 90 minutes, depending on dose and formulation. Stimulant medications come in short-acting preparations that need to be given 2 or 3 times per day and long-acting preparations that are... © 2020 American Academy of Pediatrics. All rights reserved. You do not currently have access to this content.

Inhibitory control and impulsive responses in neurodevelopmental disorders.

The impairment of inhibitory control is often assumed to be the core deficit of several neurodevelopmental disorders characterized by poor impulse control. However, could the same deficit explain different clinical phenotypes? Evidence from behavioural studies is very mixed. This is partly because inhibition is a highly complex executive function. Thus, the different types of tasks that generically tap into inhibitory control are likely to provide different outcomes. Additionally, sample inhomogeneity in terms of age, comorbidity, and medical treatment are confounding factors. Therefore, to make a reliable assessment of the deficit of inhibitory control in a given disorder, the same task and samples with similar characteristics must be employed. This article reviews and discusses studies on five neurodevelopmental disorders with impaired impulse control where these criteria have been used: Tourette syndrome; obsessive-compulsive disorder; attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder; primary motor stereotypies; and autism spectrum disorder. Overall, they suggest that the mechanisms underlying the inability to control urges are extremely heterogeneous and cannot be ascribed to a general impairment of inhibition. These findings do not support the hypothesis that inhibitory deficits represent a transdiagnostic feature of neurodevelopmental disorders with poor impulse control. WHAT THIS PAPER ADDS: The mechanisms underlying the inability to control urges in neurodevelopmental disorders are heterogeneous. Inhibition impairments cannot generally explain all neurodevelopmental disorders characterized by poor urge control.

School outcomes of adolescents with cerebral palsy in Sweden.

AimTo study school outcomes of adolescents with cerebral palsy (CP) compared with a matched comparison group from the general population, and to observe to what extent sociodemographic and disability‐specific factors are associated with school outcomes.MethodThis was a register study of persons with CP in Sweden, born between 1990 and 1999, with a matched comparison group. Logistic regressions were used to estimate the associations between CP and disability‐specific factors and school outcomes (receiving final grades, grade scores, fulfilling the requirements for progressing to secondary school/university, and attending secondary school).ResultsChildren with CP had substantially lower school achievement compared with a general population sample. Much of the difference can be attributed to intellectual disability; however, CP remained strongly negatively associated with school outcomes. Ability to communicate in an effective manner explained most of the variation in children with CP, whereas motor function played a smaller role.InterpretationThe results suggest that school achievements might be improved if the communication barrier could be reduced, for example by ascertaining access to appropriate communication devices and by educators being aware that communicative difficulties do not necessarily imply intellectual disability. This might enhance the school experience and create an environment where children with CP can reach their full potential.What this study adds There are reduced educational outcomes associated with cerebral palsy.Negative outcomes are mainly driven by reduced communicative and intellectual ability.Gross motor function is associated with outcomes, but plays a smaller part.

An evaluation of the relationship between the degree of entheseal changes and the severity of osteodegenerative processes at fibrocartilaginous entheses.

An enthesis refers to the interface at which a tendon or a ligament integrates into the periosteum. Its morphology can be influenced by intrinsic factors such as sex, age, and extrinsic factors such as levels of activity, which will in turn impact on bone remodeling and lead to morphological changes. In bioarcheology, entheseal changes have had a long tradition of being used for the reconstruction of past activities. The literature has shown that in some cases of osteoarthritis, entheseal changes are associated with osteoarthritic manifestations. This work aims to evaluate the relationship between the degree of entheseal changes and the severity of osteodegenerative processes. The studied materials consisted of 30 humeri and 30 femora from the osteological collection at St George's University of London. Intensities of both entheseal changes and osteodegenerative processes were macroscopically assessed and scored. The difference in scores of entheseal changes between osteoarthritic groups and nonosteoarthritic groups is statistically significant at a confidence level of 95% (α=.05) for both the humeri and femora. Results show a positive correlation between the degree of entheseal changes and the severity of osteodegenerative processes in the femora, suggesting that enthesis may play a role in osteoarthritis. Findings from this work supports the proposed hypothesis that the degree of entheseal changes and the severity of osteoarthritic manifestation are related. This work contributes to current knowledge that osteoarthritis is a disease involving the whole joint; the enthesis could potentially be a target for the diagnosis of osteoarthritis.

Wildlife collection for scientific purposes.

Illegal transfer of wildlife has 2 main purposes: trade and scientific research. Trade is the most common, whereas scientific research is much less common and unprofitable, yet still important. Biopiracy in science is often neglected despite that many researchers encounter it during their careers. The use of illegally acquired specimens is detected in different research fields, from scientists bioprospecting for new pharmacological substances, to taxonomists working on natural history collections, to researchers working in zoos, aquariums, and botanical gardens. The practice can be due to a lack of knowledge about the permit requirements in different countries or, probably most often, to the generally high level of bureaucracy associated with rule compliance. Significant regulatory filters to avoid biopiracy can be provided by different stakeholders. Natural history collection hosts should adopt strict codes of conduct; editors of scientific publications should require authors to declare that all studied specimens were acquired legally and to cite museum catalog numbers as guarantee of best practices. Scientific societies should actively encourage publication in peer-reviewed journals of work in which specimens collected from the wild were used. The International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature could require newly designated types based on recently collected specimens to be accompanied by statements of deposition in recognized scientific or educational institutions. We also propose the creation of an online platform that gathers information about environmental regulations and permits required for scientific activities in different countries and respective responsible governmental agencies and the simplification of the bureaucracy related to regulating scientific activities. This would make regulations more agile and easier to comply with. The global biodiversity crisis means data need to be collected ever faster, but biopiracy is not the answer and undermines the credibility of science and researchers. It is critical to find a modus vivendi that promotes compliance with regulations and scientific progress.

Combination treatments with therapeutic hypothermia for hypoxic‐ischemic neuroprotection

Therapeutic hypothermia is now proven to reduce death or disability in term and near-term born infants with moderate to severe hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy. Nevertheless, many infants still survive with disability, despite treatment with hypothermia. Recent preclinical and clinical studies suggest that current protocols for therapeutic hypothermia are near-optimal. The obvious strategy, in addition to improving early initiation of therapeutic hypothermia after birth, is to combine hypothermia with other neuroprotective agents. We review evidence that the mechanisms of action of many promising agents overlap with the anti-excitotoxic, anti-apoptotic, and anti-inflammatory mechanisms of hypothermia, leading to a lack of benefit from combination treatment. Moreover, even apparently beneficial combinations have failed to translate in clinical trials. These considerations highlight the need for preclinical studies to test clinically realistic protocols of timing and duration of treatment, before committing to large randomized controlled trials.

¿Pensamos en la enfermedad arterial periférica de los miembros inferiores en nuestros pacientes mayores con diabetes antes de que aparezcan las complicaciones?

¿Pensamos en la enfermedad arterial periférica de los miembros inferiores en nuestros pacientes mayores con diabetes antes de que aparezcan las complicaciones?