The effect of adenotonsillectomy and rapid maxillary expansion on the upper airway in pediatric obstructive sleep apnea: a randomized crossover-controlled trial

Study Objectives We aimed to determine the effects of adenotonsillectomy (AT) and rapid maxillary expansion (RME) on the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) and compare volumetric changes in the upper airway (UA) arising from AT and RME. Methods Thirty-nine children who presented with maxillary constriction and grade III/IV tonsillar hypertrophy were randomized into two groups. One group underwent AT as the first treatment, and the other group underwent RME. Polysomnography (PSG) and cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) were conducted before (T0) and 6 months after the first treatment (T1). In a crossover design, individuals with AHI>1 received the second treatment. Six months later, they underwent PSG and CBCT (T2). The influence of age, sex, tonsil and adenoid hypertrophy, initial AHI severity, initial volume of the UA, first treatment, and maxillary expansion amount was evaluated using linear regression analysis. Intra- and inter-group comparisons for AHI and inter-group comparisons of volumetric changes in each region of the UA were performed using a paired t-test and Wilcoxon test. Results The initial AHI severity and therapeutic sequence in which AT was the first treatment explained for 95.6% of AHI improvement. AT caused significant improvements in the AHI and volumetric increases in the buccopharynx and total UA areas compared to RME. Conclusions The initial AHI severity and AT as the first treatment accounted for most of the AHI improvement. Most reductions in AHI were due to AT, which promoted more volumetric increases in UA areas than RME. RME may have a marginal effect on pediatric obstructive sleep apnea.

The Apraissal of Self-care Agency Scale and its relation to health behaviors and conditions in older adults

The objective of this work was to contribute to the study of the validity of the “Appraisal of Self-care Agency Scale” (ASA scale) in older adults and to analyze its association with health-related behaviors and conditions. A questionnaire was constructed and applied to 165 elderly residents of Michoacán, Mexico. A confirmatory factor analysis of the scale's one-dimensional model was carried out, and also an analysis of internal consistency, as well as an analysis of the relationship with other variables based on group comparisons, exploring the effect of the elimination of inverse items. Overall, the reduced scale performed better although the one-dimensional model maintained a limited fit in the confirmatory factor analysis. Internal consistency was satisfactory in both scales (α coefficient= .806 and .826, respectively). In addition, some important group comparisons were identified with anthropometric measurements. In conclusion, tests were found supporting the validity of the ASA scale in older adults, although more evidence is still needed regarding its construct and criterion validity.

Cultural Consensus Theory as a Method for Evaluating Culturally Shared Beliefs

A central endeavor in the study of culture and psychology is to understand how substantively meaningful cultural variables impact human behavior (e.g., cultural belief systems). Yet, the majority of studies within the field of cultural psychology neglect to do so, instead focusing primarily on group comparisons. One reason for this over-reliance on group comparisons may be the paucity of methods with which to adequately measure cultural variables. In the present paper, I describe a method for evaluating culturally shared phenomena, such as beliefs, based on Cultural Consensus Theory (CCT), and consider the utility of this approach as applied to the study of culture and psychology. Examples as to how this methodology can and has been applied are provided, as are comparisons it to other methods. In doing so, I demonstrate the potential for CCT methods to advance our understanding of cultural beliefs, while acknowledging the limitations inherent in the paradigm.

Shared Patterns of Brain Functional Connectivity for the Comorbidity between Migraine and Insomnia

Migraine is commonly comorbid with insomnia; both disorders are linked to functional disturbance of the default mode network (DMN). Evidence suggests that DMN could be segregated into multiple subnetworks with specific roles that underline different cognitive processes. However, the relative contributions of DMN subnetworks in the comorbidity of migraine and insomnia remain largely unknown. This study sought to identify altered functional connectivity (FC) profiles of DMN subnetworks in the comorbidity of migraine and insomnia. Direct group comparisons with healthy controls, followed by conjunction analyses, were used to identify shared FC alterations of DMN subnetworks. The shared FC changes of the DMN subnetworks in the migraine and insomnia groups were identified in the dorsomedial prefrontal and posteromedial cortex subnetworks. These shared FC changes were primarily associated with motor and somatosensory systems, and consistently found in patients with comorbid migraine and insomnia. Additionally, the magnitude of FC between the posteromedial cortex and postcentral gyrus correlated with insomnia duration in patients with comorbid migraine and insomnia. Our findings point to specific FC alterations of the DMN subnetwork in migraine and insomnia. The shared patterns of FC disturbance may be associated with the underlying mechanisms of the comorbidity of the two disorders.

Cerebrospinal Fluid MicroRNA Changes in Cognitively Normal Veterans With a History of Deployment-Associated Mild Traumatic Brain Injury

A history of traumatic brain injury (TBI) increases the odds of developing Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The long latent period between injury and dementia makes it difficult to study molecular changes initiated by TBI that may increase the risk of developing AD. MicroRNA (miRNA) levels are altered in TBI at acute times post-injury (<4 weeks), and in AD. We hypothesized that miRNA levels in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) following TBI in veterans may be indicative of increased risk for developing AD. Our population of interest is cognitively normal veterans with a history of one or more mild TBI (mTBI) at a chronic time following TBI. We measured miRNA levels in CSF from three groups of participants: (1) community controls with no lifetime history of TBI (ComC); (2) deployed Iraq/Afghanistan veterans with no lifetime history of TBI (DepC), and (3) deployed Iraq/Afghanistan veterans with a history of repetitive blast mTBI (DepTBI). CSF samples were collected at the baseline visit in a longitudinal, multimodal assessment of Gulf War veterans, and represent a heterogenous group of male veterans and community controls. The average time since the last blast mTBI experienced was 4.7 ± 2.2 years [1.5 – 11.5]. Statistical analysis of TaqManTM miRNA array data revealed 18 miRNAs with significant differential expression in the group comparisons: 10 between DepTBI and ComC, 7 between DepC and ComC, and 8 between DepTBI and DepC. We also identified 8 miRNAs with significant differential detection in the group comparisons: 5 in DepTBI vs. ComC, 3 in DepC vs. ComC, and 2 in DepTBI vs. DepC. When we applied our previously developed multivariable dependence analysis, we found 13 miRNAs (6 of which are altered in levels or detection) that show dependencies with participant phenotypes, e.g., ApoE. Target prediction and pathway analysis with miRNAs differentially expressed in DepTBI vs. either DepC or ComC identified canonical pathways highly relevant to TBI including senescence and ephrin receptor signaling, respectively. This study shows that both TBI and deployment result in persistent changes in CSF miRNA levels that are relevant to known miRNA-mediated AD pathology, and which may reflect early events in AD.

The interpreter advantage in executive functions—A systematic review and meta-analysis

Given the heavy cognitive load inherent in language interpreting, interpreters may develop cognitive advantages from managing frequent switching of linguistic codes and working modes. Based on a systematic review of executive functions of inhibiting, shifting and working memory (WM) updating by Nour et al. (2020) and meta-analysis of working memory by Wen and Dong (2019) and Mellinger and Hanson (2019), this research follows the PICOS framework and the PRISMA guideline to synthesize findings from 98 tasks of 29 original studies from International and Chinese databases with a cut-off date of 1st October, 2020. Substantial evidence for an interpreter advantage in shifting was found, but not for inhibition or updating. The meta-analysis showed 1) a moderate to high effect in shifting (g = 0.68, seven WCST effects; g = -0.32, eight switching cost effects); 2) no effect in inhibiting (g = 0.13, six Stroop effects); 3) mixed effects in WM updating. Subgroup analysis on WM updating revealed significant training effects from within-group comparisons (g = 0.58, five 2-back effects; g = 0.71, two L2 listening span effects), but insignificant difference from between-group comparisons (g = -0.03 , five 2-back effects; g = 0.18, five L2 listening span effects ). More reproducible behavioral research with scientific and consistent designs is needed for a clearer understanding of the relationship between interpreting experience and EFs.

A A Survey of the Link Prediction on Static and Temporal Knowledge Graph

Link prediction in knowledge graphs gradually plays an essential role in the field of research and application. Through detecting latent connections, we can refine the knowledge in the graph, discover interesting relationships, answer user questions or make item suggestions. In this paper, we conduct a survey of the methods that are currently achieving good results in link prediction. Specially, we perform surveys on both static and temporal graphs. First, we divide the algorithms into groups based on the characteristic representation of entities and relations. After that, we describe the original idea and analyze the key improvements. In each group, comparisons and investigation on the pros and cons of each method as well as their applications are made. Based on that, the correlation of the two graph types in link prediction is drawn. Finally, from the overview of the link prediction problem, we propose some directions to improve the models for future studies.