Theory of mind and stereotypic behavior promote daily functioning in patients with schizophrenia

Objectives: Functional disruption is a main feature of schizophrenia and still represents a major treatment challenge. A more in-depth identification of functional predictors is crucial for the creation of individualized rehabilitation treatments, which can translate into better functional outcomes. In this study, we aimed at pinpointing specific domains that affect different functional profiles, using a data-driven approach. Methods: We included a comprehensive evaluation of functional predictors, namely demographic, cognitive, sociocognitive and clinical variables, with a focus on constituent subdomains of autistic symptoms that have been associated with functioning in the recent literature. Results: In 123 schizophrenia patients, a two-step cluster analysis identified two groups of patients with different functional profiles (low vs high functioning). A backward stepwise logistic regression analysis showed that the odds of being a member of the high functioning group are significantly higher for individuals with (1) more years of education, (2) better Theory of Mind abilities, (3) higher levels of stereotypies/narrowed interests, (4) lower difficulties in social interaction, (5) lower communication difficulties and with (6) being male. Conclusion: Findings raise the intriguing possibility that stereotypic behaviors may have a beneficial effect on functioning in schizophrenia. While the underlying mechanism is currently unknown, we hypothesize that patients may benefit from contexts in which more predictive relationships between environmental entities can systematically be established. This study underscores the potential utility of routinely assessing autistic symptomatology in schizophrenia, which can be instrumental in identifying novel therapeutic targets that can be utilized to improve daily functioning.

Functional Predictors of Treatment Induced Diabetic Neuropathy (TIND): a Prospective Pilot Study Using Clinical and Neurophysiological Functional Tests

Background: A sudden drop of HbA1c has been linked to TIND. Method: From 60 recruited patients with severe diabetes only 21 patients adhered to the study protocol over one year with autonomic nervous system tests before and after antidiabetic treatment initiation. Results: With a pronounced drop of HbA1c some parameters tended to deteriorate with later improvement. Conclusion: Poor adherence appears as major obstacle in this type of study.Trial registration: Ethic Committee University of Leipzig 439/15-ek. Registered 22 April 2016

A Fuzzy Linear Regression Model With Functional Predictors And Fuzzy Responses

A novel functional regression model was introduced, where the predictor was a curve linked to a scalar fuzzy response variable. An absolute error-based penalized method with SCAD loss function was proposed to evaluate the unknown components of the model. For this purpose, a concept of fuzzy-valued function was developed and discussed. Then, a fuzzy large number notion was proposed to estimate the fuzzyvalued function. Some common goodness-of-fit criteria were also used to examine the performance of the proposed method. Efficiency of the proposed method was then evaluated through two numerical examples, including a simulation study and an applied example in the scope of watershed management. The proposed method was also compared with several common fuzzy regression models in cases where the functional data was converted to scalar ones.

Functional Predictors for Home Discharge after Hip Fracture in Patients Living in Sloped Neighborhoods or Islands: An 8-Year Retrospective Cohort Study

Functional predictors of home discharge after hip fractures have been widely reported; however, no study has considered the geographical features surrounding patients’ homes. This study aimed to identify home discharge predictors and determine the cutoff points required for home discharge of patients living in sloped neighborhoods or islands. A total of 437 postoperative hip fracture patients were included and classified into the flat, slope, and island groups according to their residential area before the fracture. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to identify significant home discharge predictors, and receiver-operating characteristic analysis to calculate cutoff values. In all the groups, the functional independence measure-motor score was a significant home discharge predictor, with cutoff values of 69 for the flat group and 65 points for the slope and island group. In the slope group, the 6-minute walking distance (odds ratio, 1.02; 95% confidence interval, 1.01–1.04) and revised Hasegawa dementia scale score (odds ratio, 1.06; 95% confidence interval, 1.01–1.12) were also identified as predictors, with cutoff values of 150 m and 18 points, respectively. The outcomes required for home discharge after hip fracture differ depending on the neighborhood terrain, especially for patients living in areas with many slopes and stairs.

The Interaction of Functional Predictors and the Mechanical Predictor Perseveration in a Variationist Analysis of Caribbean Spanish Heritage Speaker Subject Pronoun Expression

Subject pronoun expression (SPE) in Spanish has been widely studied across monolingual and bilingual varieties, showing a consistent effect of functional predictors. In recent papers, the role of the mechanical predictor priming, or perseveration, has been the source of debate. Additionally, little is known about the interaction of perseveration and significant functional predictors (e.g., grammatical person). In this paper, we expand on previous research by examining first-person singular (1sg) and third-person singular (3sg) data from sociolinguistic interviews with Spanish–English bilinguals from Florida to explore the possible difference in priming in deictic vs. referential subjects. The results from a mixed-effects variable rule analysis only offered clear evidence of priming in 1sg. We hypothesize that this result could be due to either surprisal (1sg overt pronominal subjects are rarer in the corpus that 3sg overt pronominal subjects) or to 3sg involving reference-tracking and perseveration only being evident in contexts where the subject form does not signal for pragmatic content.