Caspian Journal of Neurological Sciences
Volume:7 Issue: 27, Oct 2021

Knowing the development pattern of children’s language is applicable in developmental psychology. Network models of language are helpful for the identification of these patterns. 

We examined the small-world properties of featured semantic networks of developing children.

In this longitudinal study, the featured semantic networks of children aged 18-30 months were obtained using R software version 3.5.2 and the igraph software package. The data of 2000 English (British)-speaking children, half boy and half girls, were gathered from existing databases of MCDI (between 2000 and 2007) and McRae feature norms. The growth pattern of these networks was illustrated by graph measures. Comparing these measures with those of the reference random networks, the small-world structure can be examined.

To have a comparison between path length and clustering coefficient of featured semantic networks with those of random networks, we computed the Q quotient. The results showed that the values of the Q quotient at 18, 22, 26, and 30 months of age were all more than 1, which confirms the small-world characteristic of the networks.

Featured semantic networks of children exhibited a small-world structure, in which there was a local structure in the form of clusters of words. For global access, some words act as bridges connecting semantically distant clusters. These networks possess small-world property from the early months of age. The small-world structure cannot be seen in the less dense networks built with a higher cut-off threshold.

Aortic artery stenosis leads to Ischemia-Reperfusion (I-R) injury, which can cause certain clinical expressions, such as paraplegia.

To appraise the effect of Catechin Hydrate (CH) against spinal cord I-R injury.

A total of 35 male rats (250-300 g) were divided randomly into five groups:  intact, sham surgery, dimethyl sulfoxide (I-R+DMSO), low-dose CH (I-R+10 mg/kg CH), and high-dose CH (I-R+20 mg/kg CH). Abdominal aorta clamping was done for 60 min. Seventy-two hours after I-R, animals were evaluated for neurologic function, biochemical analysis, and histology. The data analysis was conducted by SPSS v. 16 using ANOVA and Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney U tests.

The mean Motor Deficit Index (MDI) score and white matter damage in the CH (20 mg/kg) group were lower than in the DMSO group (P=0.032). The mean plasma levels of malondialdehyde (MDA) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) in the CH groups were lower than that of the DMSO group (P<0.05). The plasma level of Total Antioxidant Capacity (TAC) in the CH (20 mg/kg) group was higher than in the DMSO group (P=0.032). In addition, the plasma level of catalase in the CH (20 mg/kg) group was higher than in the DMSO and CH (10 mg/kg) groups (P<0.001). The average number of normal motor neurons in the experimental groups was lower than in the sham surgery group (P<0.001). 

These results showed that CH may be effective in reducing spinal cord I-R injury.

Spinal Anesthesia (SA) as a safe, reliable, and cost-effective method is widely used for Cesarean Section (CS). However, it is sometimes complicated by Post-Dural Puncture Headache (PDPH).

We investigated the frequency of PDPH in CS under SA and related risk factors in an academic referral hospital in the north of Iran.

This descriptive cross-sectional prospective study was conducted at Alzahra hospital as an academic referral center affiliated with the Guilan University of Medical Sciences on 147 eligible cases During from May 2019 to October 2019. Then questionnaires containing questions about patients’ demographic data and some PDPH-related factors were filled out via face-to-face interviews. The collected data were analyzed by SPSS v. 21 using Chi-squared and and Fisher’s exact test.

The incidence of PDPH was 6.1%. Early ambulation, the number of attempts, and having a history of headache were significantly associated with a higher incidence of PDPH (P=0.001), while body mass index (P=0.106), age (P=0.093), and residents’ experience (P=0.384) had no significant association. None of our cases experienced a severe or persistent headache. 

The main predisposing factors for PDPH were found to be the history of HA, early ambulation, and the number of dura punctures. Women at risk for PDPH should be objectively screened before CS under SA.

The Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory-Child Version (OCI-CV) is an approved self-report assessment tool that includes various domains of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD).

This study was done to evaluate the psychometric properties of the OCI-CV in a sample of youth with OCD.

This was a descriptive-analytic study. The subjects were 107 children and adolescents, 7 to 17 years old admitted to the Shafa hospital and Gill psychiatric center in the north of Iran in 2017-2018. The subjects with the diagnosis of OCD based on a diagnostic interview by a youth psychiatrist based on the DSM-5 were included in the study. They were assessed by the OCI-CV, Revised Children’s Manifest Anxiety Scale (RCMAS), and children depression inventory (CDI). Data were analyzed by SPSS v. 22, using Cronbach alpha, Pearson correlation coefficient, and exploratory factor analysis.

Youth with the Mean±SD age 11.18±3.1 years participated in the study. Results showed that 51% of the samples were girls. The internal consistency assessed by the Cronbach alpha for the total scale was 0.75, indicating good reliability. The Pearson correlation coefficient between OCI-CV and RCMAS was 0.584 (P=0.01), and between OCI-CV and CDI was 0.232 (P=0.05), showing an excellent concurrent validity. Construct validity showed that all subscales had a high correlation with the total score of the questionnaire and the correlation coefficient was significant (P<0.05).

The Persian version of the OCI-CV has good psychometric characteristics in the clinical sample of youth with OCD.

Autism disorder in children is characterized by problems in social functioning, communication, and the existence of repetitive and stereotyped behaviors. The pervasive and severe disabilities of children with autism are a difficult experience for their parents and families and are often accompanied by a range of challenges for caregivers. Therefore, designing appropriate programs to improve distress tolerance and reduce alexithymia is needed as a priority in health care plans. Mindfulness training is an effective way to teach a variety of skills to mothers of children with autism. 

The aim of this study was to determine the effect of mindfulness training on distress tolerance and alexithymia in mothers with autistic children. 

In this quasi-experimental study, the study population included all mothers of children with autism in Rasht city who referred to Negah-e No Psychological Counseling Center in Guilan Province, Iran, in 2019. From this statistical population, 30 people were selected by convenience sampling and were randomly assigned to the experimental and control groups. The research instruments were Simmons and Gauher Confusion Tolerance Questionnaire (2005) and Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS) (1994). Data were analyzed using multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) by IBM SPSS v. 24. 

There was a significant difference between the groups in terms of distress tolerance (P<0.001, F=59.45) and alexithymia (P<0.001, F=20.52). 

Mindfulness training increased distress tolerance and decreased alexithymia in mothers with autistic children.

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is one of the most common diseases of the Central Nervous System (CNS). Numerous studies have reported Fear of Falling (FOF) among MS patients. FOF is a factor limiting physical activity. Regular physical activity is very important for maintaining good health and preventing the complications of MS patients and can make these people more active and reduce FOF.

The aim of the present study was to do a meta-analyze about the effect of exercise programs on FOF among MS patients

Primary sources were obtained from 9 databases including, PubMed, EMBASE, SCOPUS, LILACS, CINAHL, CENTRAL, Web of Science, PEDro, and Google Scholar, from inception until April 2021. Data analysis was carried out using Comprehensive Meta-Analysis ver. 2.

Nine studies with 350 participants were included in the review. The results of the meta-analysis showed the effect of exercise programs on the FOF among MS patients. The Hedges’ adjusted Effect Size (ES) regarding the effects of exercise programs on FOF among MS patients was -0.15 (95%CI: -0.52 - 0.22). The results of the meta-analysis showed no significant difference between the effect of exercise programs on FOF among MS patients (p=0.44).

It was found that all exercise programs have a significant effect on FOF among MS patients. There was no statistically significant difference between exercise programs regarding which exercise programs led to a higher reduction in FOF among these patients; however, Pilates and virtual reality exercises were more effective than other exercise programs.

Gonadal dysgenesis, the most common cause of primary amenorrhea, is characterized by absent or underdeveloped ovaries. Although the coexistence of gonadal dysgenesis and Mayer-Rokitansky-Küster-Hauser (MRKH) has been reported, it is still quite infrequent. To the extent that authors searched, just one study reported the association between Rokitansky sequence and Dandy-Walker malformation. 

We aimed to report a case with gonadal dysgenesis, MRKH, and the Dandy-Walker variant. In this care report, the authors reported a 15-year-old girl with primary amenorrhea and underdeveloped secondary sexual properties. Her karyotype was 46, XX. The abdominopelvic MRI without contrast demonstrated bilateral ovarian agenesis and no uterus or cervix. Vagina was normal in length. Brain MRI was consistent with the Dandy-Walker variant. 

Although some affected chromosomal regions have been identified, further genetic analyses should be performed to elucidate the probable association between these anomalies.