Event-related electric microstates of the brain differ between words with visual and abstract meaning

The present study shows that different neural activity during mental imagery and abstract mentation can be assigned to well-defined steps of the brain's information-processing. During randomized visual presentation of single, imagery-type and abstract-type words, 27 channel event-related potential (ERP) field maps were obtained from 25 subjects (sequence-divided into a first and second group for statistics). The brain field map series showed a sequence of typical map configurations that were quasi-stable for brief time periods (microstates). The microstates were concatenated by rapid map changes. As different map configurations must result from different spatial patterns of neural activity, each microstate represents different active neural networks. Accordingly, microstates are assumed to correspond to discrete steps of information-processing. Comparing microstate topographies (using centroids) between imagery- and abstract-type words, significantly different microstates were found in both subject groups at 286–354 ms where imagery-type words were more right-lateralized than abstract-type words, and at 550–606 ms and 606–666 ms where anterior-posterior differences occurred. We conclude that language-processing consists of several, well-defined steps and that the brain-states incorporating those steps are altered by the stimuli's capacities to generate mental imagery or abstract mentation in a state-dependent manner.

Reading on LCD vs e-Ink displays: effects on fatigue and visual strain

Purpose:  Most recently light and mobile reading devices with high display resolutions have become popular and they may open new possibilities for reading applications in education, business and the private sector. The ability to adapt font size may also open new reading opportunities for people with impaired or low vision. Based on their display technology two major groups of reading devices can be distinguished. One type, predominantly found in dedicated e-book readers, uses electronic paper also known as e-Ink. Other devices, mostly multifunction tablet-PCs, are equipped with backlit LCD displays. While it has long been accepted that reading on electronic displays is slow and associated with visual fatigue, this new generation is explicitly promoted for reading. Since research has shown that, compared to reading on electronic displays, reading on paper is faster and requires fewer fixations per line, one would expect differential effects when comparing reading behaviour on e-Ink and LCD. In the present study we therefore compared experimentally how these two display types are suited for reading over an extended period of time. Methods:  Participants read for several hours on either e-Ink or LCD, and different measures of reading behaviour and visual strain were regularly recorded. These dependent measures included subjective (visual) fatigue, a letter search task, reading speed, oculomotor behaviour and the pupillary light reflex. Results:  Results suggested that reading on the two display types is very similar in terms of both subjective and objective measures. Conclusions:  It is not the technology itself, but rather the image quality that seems crucial for reading. Compared to the visual display units used in the previous few decades, these more recent electronic displays allow for good and comfortable reading, even for extended periods of time.

Visual perception in Parkinson disease dementia and dementia with Lewy bodies

OBJECTIVE To quantify visual discrimination, space-motion, and object-form perception in patients with Parkinson disease dementia (PDD), dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB), and Alzheimer disease (AD). METHODS The authors used a cross-sectional study to compare three demented groups matched for overall dementia severity (PDD: n = 24; DLB: n = 20; AD: n = 23) and two age-, sex-, and education-matched control groups (PD: n = 24, normal controls [NC]: n = 25). RESULTS Visual perception was globally more impaired in PDD than in nondemented controls (NC, PD), but was not different from DLB. Compared to AD, PDD patients tended to perform worse in all perceptual scores. Visual perception of patients with PDD/DLB and visual hallucinations was significantly worse than in patients without hallucinations. CONCLUSIONS Parkinson disease dementia (PDD) is associated with profound visuoperceptual impairments similar to dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) but different from Alzheimer disease. These findings are consistent with previous neuroimaging studies reporting hypoactivity in cortical areas involved in visual processing in PDD and DLB.

WHEN DOES THE TROUBLE START? OBESITY, DIABETES RISKS AND METABOLIC DISTURBANCES IN YOUNG PEOPLE WITH PSYCHOSIS

People with psychotic disorders have higher mortality rates compared to the general population. Most deaths are due to cardiovascular (CV) disease, reflecting high rates of CV risk factors such as obesity and diabetes. Treatment with antipsychotic drugs is associated with weight gain in clinical trials. However, there is little information about how these drugs affect children and young people, and how early in the course of treatment the elevation in CV risk factors begins. This information is essential in understanding the costs and benefits of these treatments in young people, and establishing preventive and early intervention services to address physical health comorbidities. This symposium reports both prospective and naturalistic data from children and adolescents treated with antipsychotic drugs. These studies demonstrate that adverse effects on cardiometabolic measures, notably BMI and insulin resistance, become apparent very soon after treatment is initiated. Further, children and adolescents appear to be even more sensitive to these effects than adults. Population-wide studies are also informative. Danish data showing that young people exposed to antipsychotics have a higher risk of diabetes, compared with young people who had a psychiatric diagnosis but were not exposed to antipsychotic drugs, will be presented. In addition, an Australian comparison between a large, nationally representative sample of people with psychosis and a general population sample shows that higher rates of obesity and other cardiometabolic abnormalities are already evident in people with psychosis by the age of 25 years. Young people living with psychosis are already disadvantaged by the demands of living with mental illness, stigma, and social factors such as unemployment and low income. The addition of obesity, diabetes and other comorbidities adds a further burden. The data presented highlights the need for careful selection of antipsychotic drugs, regular monitoring of physical health and early intervention when weight gain, glucose dysregulation, or other cardiometabolic abnormalities are detected.

Is Living With Psychosis Demoralizing? Insight, Self-stigma, and Clinical Outcome Among People With Schizophrenia Across 1 Year

Lack of insight is a major target in the treatment of schizophrenia. However, insight may have undesirable effects on self-concept and motivation that can hinder recovery. This study aimed to examine the link between insight, self-stigma, and demoralization as predictors of symptoms and functioning. Insight, self-stigma, depressive and psychotic symptoms, and functioning were assessed among 133 outpatients with schizophrenia at baseline and 12 months later. The data were analyzed by hierarchical multiple linear regressions. More insight at baseline and an increase in self-stigma over 12 months predicted more demoralization at follow-up. Insight at baseline was not associated with any outcome variable, but self-stigma at baseline was related to poorer functioning and more positive symptoms at follow-up. More demoralization at baseline predicted poorer functioning 12 months later. Demoralization did not mediate the relationship between self-stigma at baseline and functioning after 1 year. Given the decisive role of self-stigma regarding recovery from schizophrenia, dysfunctional beliefs related to illness and the self should be addressed in treatment. Different psychotherapeutical approaches are discussed.

Strain typing and antimicrobial susceptibility of methicillin-resistant coagulase-positive staphylococcal species in dogs and people associated with dogs in Thailand

AIMS This study was to investigate and to characterize methicillin-resistant coagulase-positive staphylococci (MRCoPS) harboring in dogs and people associated with dogs in Thailand. METHODS AND RESULTS Staphylococci were collected from 100 dogs, 100 dog owners, 200 small animal veterinarians and 100 people without pet association. Species of MRCoPS were identified phenotypically and genotypically. Molecular characteristics were determined by multilocus sequence typing (MLST), pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and SCCmec typing, and antimicrobial susceptibility was assayed by broth microdilution and by microarray analysis for resistance genes. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus pseudintermedius (MRSP), methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus schleiferi subsp. coagulans (MRSSc) and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) were isolated from dogs (45, 17 and 1%, respectively), veterinarians (8, 2 and 1·5%, respectively) and dog owners (3, 2 and 0%, respectively). Seventeen sequence types (STs) were identified among 83 MRSP isolates which specifically carried SCCmec V, II-III, ΨSCCmec57395 and three uncharacterized SCCmec types. MRSP ST 45, 68 and novel STs including 169, 178, 181 and 183 were shared among canine and human isolates. Most of MRSA ST398 and MRSSc carried SCCmec type V. The MRCoPS commonly displayed multiple resistances to tested antimicrobials and carried various resistance genes. CONCLUSION Variety of MRCoPS, especially new MRSP clones, distributed in dogs and people in Thailand. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY The existence of MRCoPS circulating between dogs and humans in Thailand provides indirect evidence of interspecies transmission and represents a potential public health hazard.

Visual Acuity and Experience with Magnification Devices in Swiss Dental Practices

OBJECTIVES The aims of the present study in Swiss dental practices were 1) to provide an update on the prevalence of different magnification devices, 2) to examine the relationship between self-assessed and objectively measured visual acuity, and 3) to evaluate the visual performance of dentists in the individually optimized clinical situation of their respective practices. METHODS AND MATERIALS Sixty-nine dentists from 40 randomly selected private practices (n=20, <40 years; n=49, ≥40 years) participated in the study. A questionnaire was provided to evaluate the self-assessed near visual acuity and the experience with magnification devices. The objective near visual acuity was measured under standardized conditions on a negatoscope. The clinical situation, including the use of habitual optical aids, was evaluated with visual tests on a phantom head. RESULTS A total of 64% of the dentists owned a dental loupe: 45% Galilean loupes, 16% Keplerian loupes, and 3% single lens loupes. In total, 19% of the questioned dentists owned a microscope in addition to the loupes. The correlation between the self-assessed and the objective visual performance of the dentists was weak (Spearman rank correlation coefficient=0.25). In the habitual clinical situation, magnification devices (p=0.03) and the dentist's age (p=0.0012) had a significant influence on the visual performance. CONCLUSIONS Many dentists were not aware of their visual handicaps. Optical aids such as loupes or microscopes should be used early enough to compensate for individual or age-related visual deficiencies.

The impact of traditional psychiatric services and case management services on the functioning of people with schizophrenia: A cross-national study in Nova Scotia and Texas

The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of traditional psychiatric services with case management services on the functioning of people with schizophrenia. Traditional services were defined as routine clinic services consisting of medication follow-along, psychotherapy, and support services. Case management consisted of activities involved in linking, planning, and monitoring services for the outpatient client who has schizophrenia. The target population was adult schizophrenics who had been receiving outpatient clinic services for a minimum of six months. Structured interviews were conducted using standardized scales (e.g., Quality of Life, Self-Efficacy, and Brief Symptom Inventory) with 78 outpatient client volunteers from two sites: Nova Scotia (Canada) and Texas (USA). The researcher tested for differences in psychiatric symptomatology, recidivism, and quality of life for persons with schizophrenia receiving traditional psychiatric services in Nova Scotia and traditional plus case management services in Texas. Data were collected from the structured interviews and medical records review forms. Types of services were blocked into low and high levels of Intensity (frequency x minutes) and compared to determine the relative contribution of each. Finally, the role of clients' self-efficacy was tested as an intervening variable. Although the findings did not support the hypotheses in the direction anticipated, there were some interesting and useful results. From the Nova Scotia site, clients who received low levels of services were hospitalized less compared to the Texas site. The more psychotic a patient was the higher their involvement in medication follow-along and the more monitoring they received. The more psychotherapy received, the lower the reported satisfaction with social relationships. Of particular interest is the role that self-efficacy played in improved client outcomes. Although self-efficacy scores were related to improved functioning, the mechanism for this still needs to be clarified through subsequent research. ^

Servicios bibliotecarios accesibles para personas con discapacidad visual en la Universidad Nacional de La Plata, Argentina

El trabajo, de tipo descriptivo exploratorio, pretende conocer cuál es el estado en que se encuentran algunas de las bibliotecas universitarias de la UNLP para ofrecer un servicio accesible a personas con discapacidad visual. Se analiza qué servicios de este tipo poseen actualmente, con qué barreras se enfrentan los usuarios y qué soluciones se han implementado. A tal fin se indagará, por un lado, cómo están diseñados los sitios web de las bibliotecas elegidas, y por otro, cómo integran estas bibliotecas en sus servicios y productos documentales a estas personas, esto es, si cuentan con material bibliográfico y servicios accesibles. Por último, se esbozan algunas propuestas para superar la situación actual en estas bibliotecas universitarias

Servicios bibliotecarios accesibles para personas con discapacidad visual en la Universidad Nacional de La Plata, Argentina

El trabajo, de tipo descriptivo exploratorio, pretende conocer cuál es el estado en que se encuentran algunas de las bibliotecas universitarias de la UNLP para ofrecer un servicio accesible a personas con discapacidad visual. Se analiza qué servicios de este tipo poseen actualmente, con qué barreras se enfrentan los usuarios y qué soluciones se han implementado. A tal fin se indagará, por un lado, cómo están diseñados los sitios web de las bibliotecas elegidas, y por otro, cómo integran estas bibliotecas en sus servicios y productos documentales a estas personas, esto es, si cuentan con material bibliográfico y servicios accesibles. Por último, se esbozan algunas propuestas para superar la situación actual en estas bibliotecas universitarias

Using cloud technologies for engaging people with cultural heritage

Cultural heritage is an important asset of Europe which is largely underexplored. One of the main reasons is that the general public do not really incorporate cultural activities in their life style. Currently, curators and professionals in the heritage sector face the toughest challenges on how to attract, engage and retain visitors of heritage institutions (libraries, museums, archives and historical societies). TAG CLOUD FP7 European project seeks to overcome this situation and promote lifelong engagement with culture by personalising the visitors? cultural experiences through cloud technologies.

Non-pharmacological interventions to reduce the risk of diabetes in people with impaired glucose regulation : a systematic review and economic evaluation

Peer reviewed

Rapid restoration of visual pigment and function with oral retinoid in a mouse model of childhood blindness

Mutations in the retinal pigment epithelium gene encoding RPE65 are a cause of the incurable early-onset recessive human retinal degenerations known as Leber congenital amaurosis. Rpe65-deficient mice, a model of Leber congenital amaurosis, have no rod photopigment and severely impaired rod physiology. We analyzed retinoid flow in this model and then intervened by using oral 9-cis-retinal, attempting to bypass the biochemical block caused by the genetic abnormality. Within 48 h, there was formation of rod photopigment and dramatic improvement in rod physiology, thus demonstrating that mechanism-based pharmacological intervention has the potential to restore vision in otherwise incurable genetic retinal degenerations.