Language Subgroups Research Articles

A Case Series Study Assessing an Equity-Focused Implementation of Self-Monitoring Blood Pressure Programs Using Telehealth.

Self-monitoring blood pressure (SMBP) programs are an evidence-based hypertension management intervention facilitated through telehealth. SMBP programs can provide a continuum of care beyond a clinical setting by facilitating hypertension management at home; however, equitable access to SMBP is a concern. To evaluate the implementation of telehealth SMBP programs using an equity lens in 5 federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) in Massachusetts (MA). A prospective case series study. Five FQHCs. The MA Department of Public Health (MDPH) selected 5 FQHCs to implement SMBP programs using telehealth. FQHCs were selected if their patient population experiences inequities due to social determinants of health and has higher rates of cardiovascular disease. Each of the 5 FQHCs reported data on patients enrolled in their SMBP programs totaling 241 patients examined in this study. SMBP programs implemented through telehealth. Systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure. Approximately 53.5% of SMBP participants experienced a decrease in blood pressure. The average blood pressure decreased from 146/87 to 136/81 mm Hg. Among all patients across the 5 FQHCs, the average blood pressure decreased by 10.06/5.34 mm Hg (P < .001). Blood pressure improved in all racial, ethnic, and language subgroups. Five MA FQHCs successfully implemented equitable telehealth SMBP programs. SMBP participants enrolled in the programs demonstrated notable improvements in their blood pressure at the conclusion of the program. A flexible, pragmatic study design that was adjusted to meet unique patient needs; engaging nonphysician team members, particularly community health workers; adapting health information technology; and partnerships with community-based organizations were critical facilitators to program success.

Sumatran

Abstract: The island of Sumatra and the Barrier Islands lying off its west coast are home to a diverse array of Austronesian languages. For at least a century and a half, a close genetic relationship between many of the non-Malayo-Chamic languages of the region—namely the Batak languages, Simeulue, Nias, Mentawai, and Enggano—has been proposed. Evidence in support of such a group was first thoroughly detailed by Nothofer, who outlined sound correspondences and phonological innovations for a Barrier Island–Batak subgroup. Building upon Nothofer's proposal and recent observations about the languages of Sumatra, this paper proposes a far-reaching language group we call Sumatran, comprising Nothofer's Barrier Island–Batak group as well as Gayo, spoken in northern Sumatra, and Nasal, spoken in southwestern Sumatra. We also provide stronger evidence for the inclusion of Enggano, spoken on the southernmost Barrier Island, which Nothofer only tentatively included. To support this proposal, we outline shared innovations that establish the foundation of what constitutes the Sumatran language subgroup.

Did People Really “Leave It Blank”? A Tale of What Became of the Census Citizenship Question and Allocation Trends Through Time

Abstract The 2020 Decennial Census garnered unprecedented attention due to the proposed reintroduction of the citizenship question by the Trump Administration. The legal imperative to respond to the Census and the sensitive nature of the citizenship question led to tensions and public outrage. This paper discusses the controversy surrounding the addition of the citizenship question and its implications on vulnerable communities, particularly undocumented immigrants and communities of color. Although the citizenship question was ultimately not added to the 2020 Decennial Census, it continued to be asked on the American Community Survey (ACS). We examine how negative public sentiment during this time, in tandem with historical mistrust of government data collection, may have manifested as item non-response within the ACS, specifically on questions relating to citizenship status and, more broadly, the Origin and Language subgroup of questions. The analyses in this paper explore trends in non-response rates from the American Community Survey from 2014 to 2022. Item allocation rates are used as a proxy for non-response to questions relating to citizenship. A variety of data visualization tools, supported by statistical methods, are employed to weave connections between allocation trends and the proposed addition of the citizenship question to the Decennial Census. We aim to bring transparency to this issue to educate and encourage response within vulnerable communities by emphasizing the importance of accurate data collection and positive perceptions of government-issued surveys, which are used to make key legislative decisions and create a more democratic nation.

Frequency and characteristics of echoes and self-repetitions in minimally verbal and verbally fluent autistic individuals.

Nongenerative speech is the rote repetition of words or phrases heard from others or oneself. The most common manifestations of nongenerative speech are immediate and delayed echolalia, which are a well-attested clinical feature and a salient aspect of atypical language use in autism. However, there are no current estimates of the frequency of nongenerative speech, and the individual characteristics associated with nongenerative speech use in individuals across the autistic spectrum are poorly understood. In this study, we aim to measure and characterize spontaneous and nongenerative speech use in minimally verbal and verbally fluent autistic children and adolescents. Participants were 50 minimally verbal and 50 verbally fluent autistic individuals aged 6 to 21 years. Spontaneous and nongenerative speech samples were derived from SALT transcripts of ADOS-2 assessments. Participants' intelligible speech utterances were categorized as spontaneous or nongenerative. Spontaneous versus nongenerative utterances were compared between language subgroups on frequency of use and linguistic structure. Associations between nongenerative speech use and a series of individual characteristics (ADOS-2 subscale scores, nonverbal IQ, receptive vocabulary, and chronological age) were investigated over the whole sample and for each language subgroup independently. Almost all participants produced some nongenerative speech. Minimally verbal individuals produced significantly more nongenerative than spontaneous utterances, and more nongenerative utterances compared to verbally fluent individuals. Verbally fluent individuals produced limited rates of nongenerative utterances, in comparison to their much higher rates of spontaneous utterances. Across the sample, nongenerative utterance rates were associated with nonverbal IQ and receptive vocabulary, but not separately for the two language subgroups. In verbally fluent individuals, only age was significantly inversely associated with nongenerative speech use such that older individuals produced fewer nongenerative utterances. In minimally verbal individuals, there were no associations between any of the individual characteristics and nongenerative speech use. In terms of linguistic structure, the lexical diversity of nongenerative and spontaneous utterances of both language subgroups was comparable. Morphosyntactic complexity was higher for spontaneous compared to nongenerative utterances in verbally fluent individuals, while no differences emerged between the two utterance types in minimally verbal individuals. Nongenerative speech presents differently in minimally verbal and verbally fluent autistic individuals. Although present in verbally fluent individuals, nongenerative speech appears to be a major feature of spoken language in minimally verbal children and adolescents. Our results advocate for more research on the expressive language profiles of autistic children and adolescents who remain minimally verbal and for further investigations of nongenerative speech, which is usually excluded from language samples. Given its prevalence in the spoken language of minimally verbal individuals, nongenerative speech could be used as a way to engage in and maintain communication with this subgroup of autistic individuals.

User's Search for Information: A Multi-Language Cross-Sectional Assessment of Websites about Healthcare-Associated Infections.

Healthcare-associated infections have a significant impact on public health, and many patients and their next-of-kin are seeking information on the internet. The study aimed to assess the quality of online written content about healthcare-associated infections available in English, Romanian, and Hungarian languages. The study sample included 75 websites, 25 for each language subgroup. The assessment involved examining the general characteristics, adherence to established credibility criteria, and the completeness and accuracy of informational content. The evaluation was conducted using a topic-specific, evidence-based benchmark. Two evaluators independently graded completeness and accuracy; scores were recorded on a scale from 0 to 10. A comparative analysis of websites was performed, considering pertinent characteristics, and potential factors influencing information quality were subjected to testing. The statistical significance was set at 0.05. For the overall study sample, the average credibility, completeness, and accuracy scores were 5.1 (SD 1.7), 2.4 (SD 1.5), and 5.9 (SD 1.0), respectively. Pairwise comparison tests revealed that English websites rated significantly higher than Romanian and Hungarian websites on all three quality measures (P<0.05). Website specialization, ownership, and main goal were not associated with credibility or content ratings. However, conventional medicine websites consistently scored higher than alternative medicine and other websites across all three information quality measures (P<0.05). Credibility scores were positively but weakly correlated with completeness (rho=0.273; P=0.0176) and accuracy scores (rho=0.365; P=0.0016). The overall quality ratings of information about healthcare-associated infections on English, Romanian, and Hungarian websites ranged from intermediate to low. The description of information regarding the symptoms and prevention of healthcare-associated infections was notably unsatisfactory. The study identified website characteristics possibly associated with higher-quality online sources about healthcare-associated infections, but additional research is needed to establish robust evidence.

The relationship between English language proficiency and academic performance among English learners: A subgroup analysis by home language background

In U.S. K-12 public education, states' English language proficiency (ELP) standards and assessments have undergone changes in their content to correspond to the language demands of new academic content-area standards (e.g., Common Core State Standards). However, empirical investigations about how English learner (EL) students perform on the new assessments are limited despite the continued use of ELP assessments for making various decisions about students' academic paths. Addressing this gap, this study focused on criterion-related validity evidence by examining the relationship between ELP and content assessment performances of fifth-grade EL students in one state. We examined all EL students and EL home language subgroups. The results suggest that the ELP Reading subdomain was a significant predictor of content assessment scores in English language arts and mathematics; however, the patterns and magnitude of ELP and content relationship differed across different home language groups. Implications for practice, policy, and research are discussed. Educational relevance statementStates' standards-based ELP assessments play a vital role in making decisions about individual EL students' academic paths as well as in school planning for resources and instruction for EL students. The findings of the present study provide important validity evidence to support the intended use of ELP assessments. The study also underscores the importance of investigating within group variations, as the EL group is tremendously heterogenous in terms of their cultural and linguistic backgrounds, socioeconomic status, length of U.S. residence, and formal schooling experience. The results of the study shed light on a more nuanced understanding of the relationship between ELP and the academic performance of EL students from different home language backgrounds.

Lexical data for the historical comparison of Rgyalrongic languages

As one of the most morphologically conservative branches of the Sino-Tibetan language family, most of the Rgyalrongic languages are still understudied and poorly understood, not to mention their vulnerable or endangered status. It is therefore important for available data of these languages to be made accessible. The lexical data sets the authors have assembled provide comparative word lists of 20 modern and medieval Rgyalrongic languages, consisting of word lists from fieldwork carried out by the first author and other colleagues as well as published word lists by other authors. In particular, data of the two Khroskyabs varieties were collected by the first author from 2011 to 2016. Cognate identification is based on the authors' expertise in Rgyalrong historical linguistics through application of the comparative method. We curated the data by conducting phonemic segmentation and partial cognate annotation. The data sets can be used by historical linguists interested in the etymology and the phylogeny of the languages in question, and they can use them to answer questions regarding individual word histories or the subgrouping of languages in this important branch of Sino-Tibetan.

Assessing the Measurement Properties of the Self-Administered Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Functional Rating Scale-Revised (ALSFRS-R): A Rasch Analysis.

The self-administered version of the Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Functional Rating Scale-Revised (ALSFRS-R) is used to monitor function and disease progression in individuals with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). However, the performance of the self-administered ALSFRS-R has not been assessed using Rasch Measurement Theory. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the psychometric properties of the self-administered ALSFRS-R using Rasch analysis. Rasch analysis was performed on self-administered ALSFRS-R data from individuals with ALS across Canada. The following 6 aspects of Rasch analysis were examined using RUMM2030: fit via residuals and chi-square statistics, targeting via person-item threshold maps, dependency via item residual correlations, unidimensionality through principal components analysis of residuals, reliability via person separation index, and stability through differential item functioning analyses for sex, age, and language. Analysis was performed on 122 participants (mean age: 52.9years; 62.8% men). The overall scale demonstrated good fit, reliability, and stability; however, multidimensionality was found. To address this issue, items were divided into 3 subscales (bulbar, motor, and respiratory function), and Rasch analysis was performed for each subscale. The subscales demonstrated good fit, reliability, stability, and unidimensionality. However, there were still issues with item dependency for all subscale and targeting for bulbar and respiratory subscales. The self-administered ALSFRS-R is reliable, internally valid, and stable across sex, age, and language subgroups; however, it is recommended that the ALSFRS-R be scored by subscale. Future studies can look at revising and/or adding items to tackle misfit, redundancy, and ceiling effects. Self-administered measures are simple to administer and inexpensive. The self-administered ALSFRS-R was found to be psychometrically sound and can be used as a tool to monitor disease progression and function in ALS.

Do Teacher Reports of Executive Functions Predict Reading Development? Evidence from a Nationally Representative Sample

AbstractThis study explores whether teacher reports of executive functions predict change in reading performance (i.e., reading development) for elementary‐aged students when controlling for direct assessments of executive functions and for teacher reports of students' literacy skills. Prior research has raised problems with the construct validity of teacher reports of executive functions but has yet to consider that these teacher reports might be related to teachers' perceptions of their students' literacy skills. The current study used Grades 3 through 5 data from nationally representative data (N = 6945) of students collected between 2014 and 2016 to examine the contributions of teacher reports of executive functions to change in reading performance over the course of a year with autoregressive structural equation models. Measures of executive functions tapped attentional focusing (in Grades 3 and 4), working memory (in Grade 3), and inhibitory control (in Grade 4). When controlling for a direct assessment of the same facet of executive function as the teacher report, the teacher report of executive function predicted next year's reading. However, controlling for a teacher report of students' literacy skills reduced the effect of teacher reports of executive functions to nearly 0 across models while not reducing the effect of direct assessments of executive functions. This finding held across student race and home language subgroups in multigroup analyses. Based on these findings, teacher reports of executive functions do not capture information about executive functions that predicts of reading development beyond the teachers' perceptions of their students' literacy skills. Further research is needed to determine how teacher reports of EF could be designed to capture EFs as applied to reading.

Lexical data for the historical comparison of Rgyalrongic languages.

As one of the most morphologically conservative branches of the Sino-Tibetan language family, most of the Rgyalrongic languages are still understudied and poorly understood, not to mention their vulnerable or endangered status. It is therefore important for available data of these languages to be made accessible. The lexical data sets the authors have assembled provide comparative word lists of 20 modern and medieval Rgyalrongic languages, consisting of word lists from fieldwork carried out by the first author and other colleagues as well as published word lists by other authors. In particular, data of the two Khroskyabs varieties were collected by the first author from 2011 to 2016. Cognate identification is based on the authors' expertise in Rgyalrong historical linguistics through application of the comparative method. We curated the data by conducting phonemic segmentation and partial cognate annotation. The data sets can be used by historical linguists interested in the etymology and the phylogeny of the languages in question, and they can use them to answer questions regarding individual word histories or the subgrouping of languages in this important branch of Sino-Tibetan.

Tonal Behavior as of Areal and Typological Concerns: Centering on the Sinitic and Kam-Tai Languages in Lingnan

From the perspective of areal linguistics, this paper examines the similarities in tonal behavior between Sinitic and Kam-Tai, the two most populous language groups in Lingnan. By relying on some frameworks for investigating tone systems, i.e., tone-box theories, which largely involve the evolution of tones, the following duplicating patterns and paths of diffusion of areal features are identified. (1) The secondary tonal split conditioned by vowel length on checked syllables, as well as the secondary tonal split of the upper-register tones conditioned by the laryngeal features of initial consonants, both originated in Kam-Tai languages and have diffused into some neighboring Sinitic languages. (2) The pattern of the secondary tonal split of the lower-register tones conditioned by laryngeal features of the initial consonants originated in northern authoritative Sinitic languages and spread widely among different subgroups of Sinitic languages; its diffusion into the Kam-Tai languages is limited to the lexical category of loanwords. (3) The upper-register tones associated with sonorant initials found in Lingnan Sinitic languages are suggested to be of a Kam-Tai origin trait. Further, their underlying areal typological rules are also summarized, concentrating on different upper limits for the possible secondary tonal split in the Sinitic and Kam-Tai languages, which were determined by the historically distinct laryngeal features of the initial consonants of the two language groups.

On the Semantic Typology of Adjective Derivation in the Tungus-Manchu Languages

The article deals with parameters for the study of adjectival derivation from the point of view of semantic typology. The bases of semantic typology of word formation and classification of derived adjectives are considered. It is shown that the parameters of Eurocentric standard classifications are shifted towards formal-content samples (derivative formant ~ formant value). The Tungus-Manchu languages demonstrate a possible system in which a significant role has the correlation between a (specialized) formant with a general meaning of ʻpropertyʼ and a limited semantic class of derivational bases. Of particular typological interest are the principles of semantic selection of derivational bases. In the Tungus-Manchu languages, there is a peculiar specialization of suffixes on bases with perceptual features (ʻcolorʼ, ʻtasteʼ, ʻsmellʼ, etc.), as well as on other core semantic types of adjectives. The distribution of individual characteristics of the Tungus-Manchu word formation within the language subgroup and against the areal background is traced.

ASSOCIATION BETWEEN LIMITED ENGLISH PROFICIENCY AND MEDICARE ENROLLMENT CHOICE

Abstract Choosing between traditional Medicare and Medicare Advantage (MA) is an important health and financial decision that can be especially complicated for Medicare beneficiaries who have limited proficiency speaking or reading English (LEP). In this study, we used data from the 2016–2018 Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey and ordinary least squares regression to examine the association between LEP and MA enrollment. Among the 19,621 respondents (32,912 person-year observations) who answered LEP questions, 9.2% self-reported having LEP and 38% were enrolled in MA. Limited proficiency reading English was significantly associated with enrollment choice; respondents who reported reading English “not well” or “not at all” were 6.7 percentage points less likely to enroll in MA than respondents who reported reading English “well” or “very well” (SE=0.025; p &amp;lt; 0.01). However, when we stratified respondents by language spoken at home, we discovered considerable variation in this association among language subgroups (English: -6.5 percentage points, SE=0.029, p &amp;lt; 0.05; Spanish: -1.5 percentage points, SE=0.051, p=NS; other: -11.2 percentage points, SE=0.065, p &amp;lt; 0.10). Additionally, respondents with limited proficiency reading English were 8.0 percentage points less likely to positively rate their Medicare knowledge (SE=0.022, p &amp;lt; 0.01) and 6.4 percentage points less likely to review their Medicare options annually (SE=0.023, p &amp;lt; 0.01) than respondents with English reading proficiency. Limited proficiency speaking English was not significantly associated with MA enrollment, Medicare knowledge, or annual options review. These findings suggest that English literacy rather than speaking proficiency may be a crucial determinant of enrollment choices. Language access around health insurance information is critical for equitable Medicare enrollment.

Patient Experience for Hispanic Older Adults Varies by Language Preference.

Hispanic people with Medicare report worse patient experiences than non-Hispanic White counterparts. However, little research examines how these disparities may vary by language preference (English/Spanish). Using Medicare Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS) survey data, assess whether 2014-2018 disparities in patient experiences for Hispanic people with Medicare vary by language preference. We fit a series of linear, case-mix adjusted models predicting Medicare CAHPS measures by race/ethnicity/language preference (Hispanic Spanish-respondents; Hispanic Spanish-preferring English-respondents; Hispanic English-preferring respondents; and non-Hispanic White English-respondents). A total of 1,006,543 Hispanic and non-Hispanic White respondents to the Medicare 2014-2018 CAHPS surveys. There were disparities for all Hispanic groups relative to non-Hispanic White English-respondents. Hispanic Spanish-preferring English-respondents reported worse experience than Hispanic Spanish-respondents for getting care quickly (-8 points), getting needed care (-5 points), doctor communication (-2 points), and customer service (-1 point), but better experiences for flu immunization (+2 points). Similarly, Hispanic Spanish-preferring English-respondents reported worse experience than Hispanic English-preferring respondents for getting care quickly (-4 points) and getting needed care (-2 points). Hispanic English-preferring respondents reported worse experience than Hispanic Spanish-respondents for getting care quickly (-4 points), getting needed care (-3 points), doctor communication and customer service (-2 points each), but better experience for flu immunization (+2 points). Regardless of language preference, Hispanic people with Medicare experience disparities in patient care relative to non-Hispanic White English-preferring counterparts. Hispanic Spanish-preferring English-respondents report the worse experiences, followed by Hispanic English-preferring respondents. Hispanic Spanish-respondents experienced the least disparities of the three Hispanic language subgroups.

The Utility of the Brokamp Area Deprivation Index as a Prescreen for Social Risk in Primary Care

To assess the relationship between an Area Deprivation Index (ADI) and a Social Determinant of Health (SDoH) measure within a diverse sample. A prescreening tool based on routinely collected information could reduce clinical burden by identifying patients impacted by SDoH for comprehensive assessment. In total, 499 consented pediatric patient-families who spoke English, Spanish, or Arabic and had a child ≤12years receiving primary care at a large academic institution were enrolled. Participants completed the Health Leads Social Needs (HLSN) survey. Residential address was extracted from the electronic health record to calculate Brokamp ADI at the census-tract level. The main outcome was the correlations between the total HLSN score and Brokamp ADI, overall and in each language subgroup. ADI distributions were also compared between participants with/without need for each of the 8 HLSN survey SDoH domains, using 2-sample t-tests and Pearson χ2 tests. In total, 54.9% of participants were English-speaking, 30.9% were Spanish-speaking, and 14.2% were Arabic-speaking. Spearman correlations between Brokamp ADI and total HLSN score were overall (rs=0.15; P=.001), English (rs=0.12; P=.04), Spanish (rs=0.03; P=.7), and Arabic (rs=0.24; P=.04). SDoH domain analyses found significant ADI differences between those with/without need in housing instability, childcare, transportation, and health literacy. There were small but statistically significant associations between the Brokamp ADI and total HLSN score and SDoH domains of housing instability, childcare, transportation, and health literacy. These findings support testing the Brokamp ADI as a prescreening tool to help identify patients with social needs in an outpatient clinical setting.

Language Kinship of English, German, and Dutch: A Comparative Historical Linguistic Study

English, German, and Dutch belong to the Indo-European language family and the Germanic language subgroup. So there is an assumption regarding the existence of kinship of these three languages, which also could be seen in the fact that there are some similarities in the form and meaning. This makes the researchers analyze how the relationship between English, German, and Dutch is and how far the level of kinship of the three languages ​​is. This research is a quantitative research using qualitative descriptive method and lexicostatistical technique. Lexicostatistics is a technique in grouping languages ​​that tends to prioritize statistical observation of words (lexicon), and then tries to determine the grouping based on the percentage of similarities and differences between one language and another. By using 200 Swadesh’s basic vocabulary as an analytical material, 4 identical data and 102 similar data were found. The results of lexicostatistical calculations showed that the percentage of kinship of English (BI), German (BJ), and Dutch (BB) is 53%. From this calculation, it is determined that the linguistic status of these three languages is classified as languages ​​of the family.

A new sound change for Guarani(an): glottal prothesis, internal classification, and the explanation of synchronic irregularities

Abstract A so far overlooked sound change in the historical phonology of the Guaranian branch of the Tupi-Guarani language family is discussed in the present paper. The sound change in question, which accounts for certain synchronic morphological irregularities, consists of the insertion of the glottal fricative h in word-initial position any time the next (right-adjacent) syllable has a glottal stop ʔ as its onset consonant. Allomorphy resulting from this change is shown to affect verbal, nominal, and postpositional prefixes, as well as monomorphemic lexemes, thus unifying the treatment of synchronic patterns which are often addressed as an exclusive trait of certain verb forms. The paper ends by discussing the issue of internal classification, pointing a few limitations in past attempts to ground the subgrouping of Tupi-Guarani languages on phonological grounds, and highlighting the status of glottal prothesis as the first known phonological isogloss exclusively shared by the Guaranian varieties.

A phase II feasibility study of electronic patient reported outcomes (ePROs) for oral cancer directed therapies (OCDT).

e13509 Background: Patients receiving oral cancer directed therapy (OCDT) may be at greater risk of toxicity and non-adherence than those on intravenous treatments. Electronic patient reported outcomes (ePROs) have the potential to mitigate those risks by alerting clinicians to patient status between visits, prompting earlier intervention. Best practices for ePROs implementation are not yet defined. We sought to demonstrate the feasibility of ePROs between visits for patients receiving OCDT both without and with asynchronous nursing triage calls for severe symptoms. Methods: In this Phase II feasibility study, patients were prospectively enrolled into two arms. In the first arm, “passive management” (Arm 1) patients were sent weekly ePROs with 15 symptoms, graded 0 (none) to 3 (severe), through the electronic patient portal (ePP). Responses were available for review by clinicians via the electronic medical record (EMR). In the second arm, “active management” (Arm 2) patients received the same weekly ePROs. If a patient responded with a severe symptom, a nurse would call within one business day to triage the concern. The primary outcome was 30-day feasibility, defined as a patient responding to 50% or more of ePROs sent during this period. Secondary outcomes included feasibility at 60- and 90-days, unplanned healthcare utilization (urgent care, ED visit or hospitalization), and nursing calls. At the time the Arm 2 was enrolling, a language-concordant interface for the EMR and ePP became available. The study was amended to include primarily Spanish speaking patients with a language concordant ePROs survey. Results: 100 patients were enrolled, 50 per arm. 10 patients who primarily spoke Spanish were included in Arm 2; the remaining 90 patients were fluent in English. 96 patients were eligible for evaluation of 30-day feasibility, 92 for 60-day, and 86 for 90-day. The 30-day feasibility by arm was 57% in Arm 1 and 45% in Arm 2 (p = 0.26). The 30-day feasibility in the Spanish language subgroup of the Arm 2 was 56%. Nursing calls in the first 30-days were 101 in Arm 1 and 109 in Arm 2. Multivariable regression for predictors of responding to 50% or more of ePROs in days 0-30 did not identify statistically significant correlates of feasibility. Conclusions: ePROs administered via an ePP were feasible the first 30 days on oral cancer directed treatment. Adding nurse triage calls between visits and a language concordant process for primarily Spanish speaking patients were feasible. Larger studies are needed to determine which factors truly impact use of the program and, most importantly, adherence and quality of life.[Table: see text]

Cognitive functions in individuals with spinal cord injury: Do symptoms of autonomic dysreflexia or orthostatic hypotension have an effect?

Aims: This study aimed to compare the cognitive functions of individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI) and age- and education level-matched healthy controls, and to compare the cognitive functions between individuals with T6 or rostral and T6 caudal injuries. Materials and Methods: This prospective and cross sectional study included 50 individuals with SCI and 47 age- and education level-matched healthy controls. The SCI individuals were divided into two groups as those with T6 or rostral (n = 20) and T6 caudal (n = 30) injuries. All participants underwent the Addenbrook Cognitive Examination-Revised (ACE-R) test to assess memory, attention and orientation, language, and verbal fluency. Results: The memory, verbal fluency, and language subgroups of the ACE-R were significantly higher in the control group than in the SCI group. Compared with the control group, memory, verbal fluency, and language subscores were significantly reduced in individuals with T6 or rostral injury, and memory and verbal fluency were in individuals with T6 caudal injury. However, there was no significant difference in any of the ACE-R subscores between individuals with T6 or rostral and T6 caudal injuries. Conclusion: Significant differences in certain parts of cognitive functioning were found in individuals with SCI compared with age- and education level-matched controls. However, no significant differences were noted in any parts of cognitive functioning between individuals with T6 or rostral and T6 caudal injuries. Although cognitive impairment is an important sequelae following SCI, autonomic dysfunctions appear to have no effect on cognitive impairments in this population.

Semantic Nature of the Vocabulary of Modern Turkic Written Languages

The main mechanism for the consolidation of the Turkic peoples into a superethnos is the study of the continuity of modern Turkic languages that grew out of a single common Turkic language, and the features of the formation of patterns inherent in each language in the context of “language and ethnos”, “language and society”, “language and culture”. These issues will contribute to bringing the intercultural relations of the Turkic-speaking peoples to a qualitatively new level, preserving and promoting common Turkic language and cultural values in the context of globalization. In this regard, the development of a theoretical substantiation of the comparatively synchronous lexicology of the modern Kypchak and modern Oghuz languages with linguistic expertise of scientific and theoretical provisions and conclusions related to the vocabulary of the Turkic languages, based on the materials of the Kazakh, Nogai, Bashkir, Tatar, Kumyk, Kyrgyz, Turkish, Azerbaijani, Gagauz, Turkmen languages is of great importance. After all, in the process of combining conceptual scientific knowledge on individual and general issues of lexicology, a single body of theoretical knowledge about the lexical composition of the Turkic languages will be created, and the commonalities and differences at the current level of development of the Turkic languages will be clearly defined. This circumstance leads to a complete study of two, three or more Turkic languages or comparative-historical, comparative-descriptive between language groups and language subgroups. The article reveals the semantic features of the vocabulary of modern Turkic written languages.