scholarly journals Quantifying the role of rhythm in infants’ language discrimination abilities: A meta-analysis

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Loretta Gasparini ◽  
Alan Langus ◽  
Sho Tsuji ◽  
Natalie Boll-Avetisyan
Keyword(s):  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Foreign Languages ◽  
First Year ◽  
Data Synthesis ◽  
Language Discrimination ◽  
Language Varieties ◽  
Acoustic Correlates ◽  
First Year Of Life ◽  
Analytic Models

More than 30 years have passed since Mehler and colleagues (1988) discovered that newborns can discriminate between languages that belong to different rhythm classes: stress-, syllable- or mora-timed. Thereupon they developed the hypothesis that babies are sensitive to differences in vowel and consonant interval durations as acoustic correlates of rhythm classes. It remains unknown exactly which durational computations infants use when perceiving speech for the purposes of distinguishing languages. Here, a meta-analysis of studies on babies’ language discrimination skills over the first year of life was conducted, aiming to quantify how language discrimination skills change with age and are modulated by rhythm classes or durational metrics. A systematic literature search identified 42 studies that tested infants’ (birth to 12 months) discrimination or preference of two language varieties, by presenting babies with auditory or audio-visual continuous speech. Quantitative data synthesis was conducted using multivariate random effects meta-analytic models with the factors rhythm class difference, age, stimulus manipulation, method, and metrics operationalising proportions of and variability in vowel and consonant interval durations, to explore which factors best account for language discrimination or preference. Results revealed that smaller differences in vowel interval variability (△V) and larger differences in successive consonantal interval variability (rPVI-C) were associated with more successful language discrimination, and better accounted for discrimination results than the factor rhythm class. There were no effects of age for discrimination, but results on preference studies were affected by age: the older babies get, the more they prefer foreign languages that are rhythmically similar to their native language, but not foreign languages that are rhythmically distinct. These findings can inform theories on language discrimination that have previously focussed on rhythm class, by providing a novel way to operationalise rhythm in language in the extent to which it accounts for infants’ language discrimination abilities.

scholarly journals Quantifying the role of rhythm in infants' language discrimination abilities: A meta-analysis

Cognition ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 104757
Author(s):  
Loretta Gasparini ◽  
Alan Langus ◽  
Sho Tsuji ◽  
Natalie Boll-Avetisyan
Keyword(s):  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Language Discrimination

scholarly journals Acute Bronchiolitis: Is There a Role for Lung Ultrasound?

Diagnostics ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 172 ◽  
Author(s):  
Di Mauro ◽  
Ammirabile ◽  
Quercia ◽  
Panza ◽  
Capozza ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Management ◽  
Lung Ultrasound ◽  
Ultrasound Examination ◽  
Diagnostic Algorithm ◽  
Current Evidence ◽  
Radiographic Examination ◽  
First Year ◽  
Pubmed Database ◽  
First Year Of Life

Introduction: Viral bronchiolitis is a common cause of lower respiratory tract infection in the first year of life, considered a health burden because of its morbidity and costs. Its diagnosis is based on history and physical examination and the role of radiographic examination is limited to atypical cases. Thus far, Lung Ultrasound (LUS) is not considered in the diagnostic algorithm for bronchiolitis. Methods: PubMed database was searched for trials reporting on lung ultrasound examination and involving infants with a diagnosis of bronchiolitis. Results: Eight studies were suitable. Conclusions: This review analyzed the current evidence about the potential usefulness of LUS in the clinical management of bronchiolitis. Literature supports a peculiar role of LUS in the evaluation of the affected children, considering it as a reliable imaging test that could benefit the clinical management of bronchiolitis.

scholarly journals Water Balance and ‘Salt Wasting' in the First Year of Life: The Role of Aldosterone-Signaling Defects

2016 ◽  
Vol 86 (3) ◽  
pp. 143-153 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carla Bizzarri ◽  
Stefania Pedicelli ◽  
Marco Cappa ◽  
Stefano Cianfarani
Keyword(s):  
Water Balance ◽  
First Year ◽  
Salt Wasting ◽  
First Year Of Life

scholarly journals Mediterranean diet adherence during pregnancy and risk of wheeze and eczema in the first year of life: INMA (Spain) and RHEA (Greece) mother–child cohort studies

2013 ◽  
Vol 110 (11) ◽  
pp. 2058-2068 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leda Chatzi ◽  
Raquel Garcia ◽  
Theano Roumeliotaki ◽  
Mikel Basterrechea ◽  
Haizea Begiristain ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mediterranean Diet ◽  
Dairy Products ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Maternal Diet ◽  
First Year ◽  
Processed Meat ◽  
High Intake ◽  
Meat Intake ◽  
First Year Of Life ◽  
The Impact

Maternal diet during pregnancy might influence the development of childhood allergic disorders. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the impact of Mediterranean diet (MD) adherence during pregnancy on wheeze and eczema in the first year of life in two population-based mother–child cohorts in Spain and Greece. We studied 1771 mother–newborn pairs from the Spanish multi-centre ‘INMA’ (INfancia y Medio Ambiente) study (Gipuzkoa, Sabadell and Valencia) and 745 pairs from the ‘RHEA’ study in Crete, Greece. The symptoms of wheeze and eczema were based on the criteria of the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood. Maternal diet during pregnancy was assessed by FFQ and MD adherence was evaluated through an a priori score. Multivariate log-binomial regression models were used to adjust for several confounders in each cohort and summary estimates were obtained by a meta-analysis. MD adherence was not associated with the risk of wheeze and eczema in any cohort, and similar results were identified in the meta-analysis approach. High meat intake (relative risk (RR) 1·22, 95 % CI 1·00, 1·49) and ‘processed’ meat intake (RR 1·18, 95 % CI 1·02, 1·37) during pregnancy were associated with an increased risk of wheeze in the first year of life, while a high intake of dairy products was significantly associated with a decreased risk of infantile wheeze (RR 0·83, 95 % CI 0·72, 0·96). The results of the present study show that high meat intake during pregnancy may increase the risk of wheeze in the first year of life, while a high intake of dairy products may decrease it.

Urinary Tract Infections and the Uncircumcised State: An Update

1993 ◽  
Vol 32 (3) ◽  
pp. 130-134 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas E. Wiswell ◽  
Wayne E. Hachey
Keyword(s):  
Urinary Tract ◽  
Urinary Tract Infections ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Fold Increase ◽  
First Year ◽  
Us Army ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Army Hospitals ◽  
Tract Infections ◽  
First Year Of Life

In a two-part study of the circumcision status of boys with urinary tract infections (UTIs), we reviewed the occurrence of UTIs in 209,399 infants born in US Army hospitals worldwide from 1985 to 1990. During the first year of life, 1,046 (0.5%: 550 girls and 496 boys) were hospitalized for UTIs. Noncircumcised male infants had a 10-fold greater incidence of infection than did circumcised male infants. The frequency rate of circumcision rose significantly, from 70.3% to 80.2%, during the study period. Among uncircumcised boys younger than 3 months with UTIs, 23% had concomitant bacteremia involving the same organism. The second part of the study consisted of a meta-analysis of all nine previous reports on the circumcision status of boys with UTIs. These studies revealed a fivefold to 89-fold increased risk of infection in uncircumcised boys; the combined data yielded a 12-fold increase in UTIs in this population. Parents should be told of the lower risk of UTIs for circumcised boys during informed-consent counseling.

No perceptual reorganization for Limburgian tones? A cross-linguistic investigation with 6- to 12-month-old infants

2017 ◽  
Vol 45 (2) ◽  
pp. 290-318 ◽  
Author(s):  
STEFANIE RAMACHERS ◽  
SUSANNE BROUWER ◽  
PAULA FIKKERT
Keyword(s):  
Language Acquisition ◽  
First Year ◽  
Lexical Tone ◽  
Linguistic Experience ◽  
Tone Languages ◽  
First Year Of Life ◽  
Visual Habituation ◽  
Degree Of Similarity

AbstractDespite the fact that many of the world's languages use lexical tone, the majority of language acquisition studies has focused on non-tone languages. Research on tone languages has typically investigated well-known tone languages such as Mandarin and Cantonese Chinese. The current study looked at a Limburgian dialect of Dutch that uses lexical pitch differences, albeit in a rather restricted way. Using a visual habituation paradigm, 6- to 12-month-old Limburgian and Dutch infants were tested for their ability to discriminate Limburgian tones. The results showed that both Limburgian and Dutch infants discriminate the Limburgian tones throughout their first year of life. The role of linguistic experience, acoustic salience, and the degree of similarity to the native prosodic system are discussed.

scholarly journals Effectiveness of Rotarix® vaccine in Africa in the first decade of progressive introduction, 2009-2019:  systematic review and meta-analysis

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. 187
Author(s):  
Nickson Murunga ◽  
Grieven P. Otieno ◽  
Marta Maia ◽  
Charles N. Agoti
Keyword(s):  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Point Estimate ◽  
First Year ◽  
Full Dose ◽  
Newcastle Ottawa Scale ◽  
Group A ◽  
First Year Of Life

Background: Randomized controlled trials of licensed oral rotavirus group A (RVA) vaccines, indicated lower efficacy in developing countries compared to developed countries. We investigated the pooled effectiveness of Rotarix® in Africa in 2019, a decade since progressive introduction began in 2009. Methods: A systematic search was conducted in PubMed to identify studies that investigated the effectiveness of routine RVA vaccination in an African country between 2009 and 2019. A meta-analysis was undertaken to estimate pooled effectiveness of the full-dose versus partial-dose of Rotarix® (RV1) vaccine and in different age groups. Pooled odds ratios were estimated using random effects model and the risk of bias assessed using Newcastle-Ottawa scale. The quality of the evidence was assessed using GRADE. Results: By December 2019, 39 (72%) countries in Africa had introduced RVA vaccination, of which 34 were using RV1. Thirteen eligible studies from eight countries were included in meta-analysis for vaccine effectiveness (VE) of RVA by vaccine dosage (full or partial) and age categories. Pooled RV1 VE against RVA associated hospitalizations was 44% (95% confidence interval (CI) 28-57%) for partial dose versus 58% (95% CI 50-65%) for full dose. VE was 61% (95% CI 50-69%), 55% (95% CI 32-71%), 56% (95% CI 43-67%), and 61% (95% CI 42-73%) for children aged <12 months, 12-23 months, <24 months and 12-59 months, respectively. Conclusion: RV1 vaccine use has resulted in a significant reduction in severe diarrhoea in African children and its VE is close to the efficacy findings observed in clinical trials. RV1 VE point estimate was higher for children who received full dose than those who received partial dose, and its protection lasted beyond the first year of life.

scholarly journals Neuromuscular and Neuroendocrinological Features Associated With ZC4H2-Related Arthrogryposis Multiplex Congenita in a Sicilian Family: A Case Report

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gianluca Piccolo ◽  
Giuseppe d'Annunzio ◽  
Elisabetta Amadori ◽  
Antonella Riva ◽  
Paola Borgia ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Basis ◽  
First Year ◽  
Arthrogryposis Multiplex Congenita ◽  
Neurodevelopmental Delay ◽  
Pathogenic Variants ◽  
Phenotypic Spectrum ◽  
Distal Muscle ◽  
Neurodevelopmental Impairment ◽  
First Year Of Life

Wieacker-Wolff syndrome (WWS) is an X-linked Arthrogryposis Multiplex Congenita (AMC) disorder associated with broad neurodevelopmental impairment. The genetic basis of WWS lies in hemizygous pathogenic variants in ZC4H2, encoding a C4H2 type zinc-finger nuclear factor abundantly expressed in the developing human brain. The main clinical features described in WWS families carrying ZC4H2 pathogenic variants encompass having a short stature, microcephaly, birth respiratory distress, arthrogryposis, hypotonia, distal muscle weakness, and broad neurodevelopmental delay. We hereby report a Sicilian family with a boy clinically diagnosed with WWS and genetically investigated with exome sequencing (ES), leading to the identification of a c.593G&gt;A (p. R198Q) hemizygous pathogenic variant in the ZC4H2 gene. During the first year of life, the onset of central hypoadrenalism led to recurrent hypoglycemic events, which likely contributed to seizure susceptibility. Also, muscle biopsy studies confirmed a pathology of the muscle tissue and revealed peculiar abnormalities of the neuromuscular junction. In conclusion, we expand the phenotypic spectrum of the WWS-related neurodevelopmental disorders and discuss the role of ZC4H2 in the context of the potential neuroendocrinological and neuromuscular features associated with this condition.

scholarly journals XPC and POLH/XPV Genes Mutated in a Genetic Cluster of Xeroderma Pigmentosum Patients in Northeast Brazil

2022 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ligia Pereira Castro ◽  
Danilo Batista-Vieira ◽  
Tiago Antonio de Souza ◽  
Ana Rafaela de Souza Timoteo ◽  
Jessica Dayanna Landivar Coutinho ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Xeroderma Pigmentosum ◽  
High Throughput Sequencing ◽  
First Year ◽  
Genetic Condition ◽  
Genetic Cluster ◽  
High Incidence ◽  
Comoro Island ◽  
First Year Of Life ◽  
Defective Dna Repair

Xeroderma pigmentosum (XP) is a rare genetic condition in which exposure to sunlight leads to a high tumor incidence due to defective DNA repair machinery. Herein, we investigated seven patients clinically diagnosed with XP living in a small city, Montanhas (Rio Grande do Norte), in the Northeast region of Brazil. We performed high-throughput sequencing and, surprisingly, identified two different mutated genes. Six patients carry a novel homozygote mutation in the POLH/XPV gene, c.672_673insT (p.Leu225Serfs*33), while one patient carries a homozygote mutation in the XPC gene, c.2251-1G&gt;C. This latter mutation was previously described in Southeastern Africa (Comoro Island and Mozambique), Pakistan, and in a high incidence in Brazil. The XP-C patient had the first symptoms before the first year of life with aggressive ophthalmologic tumor progression and a melanoma onset at 7 years of age. The XP-V patients presented a milder phenotype with later onset of the disorder (mean age of 16 years old), and one of the six XP-V patients developed melanoma at 72 years. The photoprotection is minimal among them, mainly for the XP-V patients. The differences in the disease severity between XP-C (more aggressive) and XP-V (milder) patients are obvious and point to the major role of photoprotection in the XPs. We estimate that the incidence of XP patients at Montanhas can be higher, but with no diagnosis, due to poor health assistance. Patients still suffer from the stigmatization of the condition, impairing diagnosis, education for sun protection, and medical care.

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