L2 LEARNERS� VOCABULARY DEVELOPMENT IN INCIDENTAL/INTENTIONAL LEARNING CONDITIONS: ROLE OF PERSONALITY TYPES

This study investigated the effect of incidental/intentional learning and the effect of personality types on participants� vocabulary learning. The sample involved 69 L2 learners. After completing a vocabulary test, they were placed into 2 groups. Both groups had to read 3 texts, with only the intentional group being informed about an upcoming posttest. Some vocabulary activities were provided for the intentional participants, drawing their attention to word meanings. The incidental group, however, was required to answer some comprehension questions. The posttest and Myers-Briggs Type Indicator were administered after the treatment. Results revealed that the intentional group outperformed the incidental one. The only personality dimension found to influence vocabulary learning was extroversion/introversion. It can be suggested that the intention to learn can encourage L2 learners to attend to the meanings of the words. Moreover, the introverts were believed to have higher concentration and problem-solving ability. Results can help L2 teachers reach a better understanding of vocabulary learning. Also, an awareness of L2 learners� individual differences can help teachers adjust their classes and adopt their materials accordingly.Keywords: incidental vocabulary learning; intentional vocabulary learning; personality types.

Presenting Features in 269 Patients With Clinically Nonfunctioning Pituitary Adenomas Enrolled in a Prospective Study

Context Clinically nonfunctioning pituitary adenomas (CNFPAs) typically remain undetected until mass effect symptoms develop. However, currently, head imaging is performed commonly for many other indications, which may increase incidental discovery of CNFPAs. Since current presentation and outcome data are based on older, retrospective series, a prospective characterization of a contemporary CNFPA cohort was needed. Objective To determine the prevalence of incidental presentation and hypopituitarism and its predictors in a CNFPA cohort that spanned 6 to 9 mm micro- to macroadenoma included observational and surgical therapy. Methods At enrollment in a prospective, observational study, 269 patients with CNFPAs were studied by history, examination, blood sampling, and pituitary imaging analysis and categorized into incidental or symptoms presentation groups that were compared. Results Presentation was incidental in 48.7% of patients and due to tumor symptoms in 51.3%. In the symptoms and incidental groups, 58.7% and 27.4% of patients had hypopituitarism, respectively, and 25% of patients with microadenomas had hypopituitarism. Many had unappreciated signs and symptoms of pituitary disease. Most tumors were macroadenomas (87%) and were larger in the symptoms than incidental and hypopituitary groups than in the eupituitary groups. The patients in the incidental group were older, and males were older and had larger tumors in both the incidental and symptoms groups. Conclusions Patients with CNFPAs commonly present incidentally and with previously unrecognized hypopituitarism and symptoms that could have prompted earlier diagnosis. Our data support screening all large micro and macro-CNFPAs for hypopituitarism. Most patients with CNFPAs still have mass effect signs at presentation, suggesting the need for more awareness of pituitary disease. Our ongoing, prospective observation of this cohort will assess outcomes of these CNFPA groups.

Symptomatic and Incidental Meckel’s Diverticulum in Children: Our Experience and Lesson

Introduction: The management of incidentally detected Meckel’s Diverticulum (MD) at laparotomy or laparoscopy has been debatable. In asymptomatic cases, the surgical management is associated with complication of around 1% but the complication rates are variable in other conditions like peritonitis. Aim: To assess the management and outcome of incidentally diagnosed MD. Materials and Methods: A retrospective study was conducted from January 2012 to December 2019 using the case records of the patient. The study included all the patients who were diagnosed with cases of MD in the Department. The patients were divided into two groups: Symptomatic Group and Incidental Group. The case records of all the patients were reviewed and data were collected for the demographic details, mode of presentation, the basis of diagnosis, treatment, outcome and follow-up. Results: Total 132 patients were included in the study, 74 (56.06%) subjects were in symptomatic group and 58 (43.9%) were in incidental group. The mean age of symptomatic patients was 3.1±1.1 years and the incidental group was 6.5±2.4 years. It was significantly less in the symptomatic group (p≤0.001). All the patients in the symptomatic group were managed by laparotomy with diverticulectomy in 8 (10.8%), Wedge resection in 10 (13.5%) cases, segmental bowel resection in 44 (59.4%) and ileostomy in 12 (16.2%) cases. In the incidental group 9 (15.5%) patients underwent laparoscopic diverticulectomy and in rest 49 (66.2%) cases, only the primary procedure was performed. Six (10.3%) patients of incidental group without any intervention presented with complication in follow-up. Conclusion: The laparoscopic diverticulectomy of MD should be performed in incidentally diagnosed cases of younger age group.

The Characteristic Clinical and Pathological Features of Incidental and Non-Incidental Papillary Microcarcinoma of the Thyroid

Abstract- The incidence of papillary microcarcinoma (PMC) keeps raising due to fine needle aspiration (FNA) biopsies and the pathologic evaluation of thyroid specimens of cases operated for benign thyroid disorders. The files of 78 patients who underwent surgery between January 2006 and May 2013 in our department and were diagnosed with PMC were analyzed, retrospectively.Cases were grouped as incidental and non-incidental depending on the preoperative diagnosis. The diameter of the nodules in the preoperativeultrasonographic examination, pathological parameters such as tumor size, bilaterality, multifocality,and capsular invasion were found significantly high in non-incidental group(P<0.05). No significant difference was detected between the two groups’ age, sex, and vascular invasion.Preoperative radiologic examination by experienced radiologists and FNA performed for suspicious nodules may increase the rate of early and correct diagnosis. In our opinion, determining the most useful criteria for malignancy will help to detect incidental PMC in cases followed up for multinodular goiter

Diagnostic Value of Contrast-Enhanced Magnetic Resonance Vessel Wall Imaging on the Onset Type of Vertebral Artery Dissection

Background: Circumferential enhancement along the aneurysm wall (CEAW) by magnetic resonance (MR) vessel wall imaging has been reported to be a useful indicator for the biological activity of intracranial aneurysms such as growth and rupture. However, the significance of CEAW in vertebral artery dissection (VAD) has not been examined in detail. We quantitatively analyzed CEAW on VAD focusing on the differences in the clinical onset type. Methods: The subjects were 37 patients diagnosed with VAD who were evaluated by MR imaging in the acute phase of onset between January 2014 and May 2019. The clinical onset of VAD was categorized into 3 subtypes: (1) incidentally detected (incidental group), (2) sudden headache without cerebral ischemia and/or intracranial hemorrhage (headache group), and (3) hemorrhagic onset (hemorrhage group). Three-dimensional T1-weighted fast spin echo sequences were obtained before and after contrast material injection, and the contrast ratio (CR) of the aneurysm wall against the pituitary stalk was calculated as the indicator of CEAW. Results: The CR values of VAD in the hemorrhage group were significantly higher than those in the headache group (0.95 vs. 0.65, p < 0.05), and the headache group had significantly higher CR values than the incidental group (0.65 vs. 0.56, p < 0.05). On receiver operating characteristic curve analysis, the optimal cutoff value of CR to distinguish the hemorrhage group from the headache group was 0.83 and that to distinguish the headache group from the incidental group was 0.61. Conclusion: The extent of CEAW precisely reflected the deleterious impact of VAD in the acute stage, including hemorrhagic presentation. The predictive value of CEAW for the prognosis of unruptured VAD should be evaluated in future studies.

Risk stratification of 282 differentiated thyroid cancers found incidentally in 1369 total thyroidectomies according to the 2015 ATA guidelines; implications for management and treatment

Introduction The purpose of this study was to evaluate the incidence of incidental differentiated thyroid carcinoma in thyroid operations for a benign preoperative diagnosis, to identify the risk factors involved and to risk stratify the cancer patients according to the 2015 American Thyroid Association (ATA) guidelines. Materials and methods The study was a retrospective review of all thyroidectomy operations performed in a single institution (January 2004 to January 2009). We excluded patients with a preoperative diagnosis of thyroid malignancy. Results Incidental differentiated thyroid carcinoma was diagnosed in 282/1369 patients (21%). The incidental group had a significantly higher number of males (19% vs 14%, P = 0.033) and a higher number of patients with histopathological evidence of thyroiditis (35% vs 25%, P = 0.004). There was a higher number of lymph nodes present in the incidental group but numbers did not reach statistical significance (17% vs 13%, P = 0.079). There were 270 cases in the ATA low-risk group (96%) and 12 cases in the ATA intermediate-risk group (4%). Patients with an ATA intermediate risk had a statistically higher number of capsule invasion, extrathyroidal extension and angioinvasion (P < 0.001, P < 0.001 and P < 0.001, respectively). Overall, 22% of patients with an incidental differentiated thyroid carcinoma should be considered for radioactive iodine 131I treatment. 29 of the 191 patients in American Joint Committee on Cancer stage I should be considered for radioactive iodine treatment (15%). Conclusions Males and patients with thyroiditis are at a higher risk for an incidental differentiated thyroid carcinoma. One of every five of patients diagnosed with cancer will need radioactive iodine treatment, even some patients with stage I disease.

Incidence, complications and management of Meckel’s diverticulum

Background: The incidence of complications of Meckel’s diverticulum is decreasing over years. Whether symptomatic or asymptomatic, it is often diagnosed intraoperatively. Controversy exists as regards the method of its operative removal and more so the safety and efficacy of its removal if found incidentally.Methods: A three years prospective and three years retrospective study was undertaken in 125 diverticula found by 3726 laparotomies. Intraoperative findings, type of operation, postoperative management, histopathology and complications in both complicated and asymptomatic diverticula were analyzed.Results: Male to female ratio was 3:2. Found in 3.4% of surgical population, 23 (18.4%) were defined to have complications and 102 were incidental. Complications decreased as the age advanced falling to zero after age 60. Meckel’s diverticulitis, peptic ulcer and umbilical sinus were common in childhood and intestinal obstruction was common in adults. Patients with ectopic mucosa mostly gastric had more complications. 42.2% of incidental cases underwent surgery due to early age, narrow and long diverticula. In both the groups, segmental resection was preferred to simple diverticulectomy. Ectopic tissue could not be substantiated by feeling the induration or thickening of wall. Mortality and morbidity in symptomatic group was 8.7% each and in incidental group 0% and 4.6% respectively.Conclusions: Intestinal obstruction and inflammatory pathology are common complications, gastric mucosa being common association. Narrow and long diverticula in young should be excised prophylactically with zero mortality and acceptable morbidity to prevent further complications.

VARIABILITY IN SECOND LANGUAGE LEARNING

Second language learning outcomes are highly variable, due to a variety of factors, including individual differences, exposure conditions, and linguistic complexity. However, exactly how these factors interact to influence language learning is unknown. This article examines the relationship between these three variables in language learners.Native English speakers were exposed to an artificial language containing three sentence patterns of varying linguistic complexity. They were randomly assigned to two groups—incidental and instructed—designed to promote the acquisition of implicit and explicit knowledge, respectively. Learning was assessed with a grammaticality judgment task, and subjective measures of awareness were used to measure whether exposure had resulted in implicit or explicit knowledge. Participants also completed cognitive tests.Awareness measures demonstrated that learners in the incidental group relied more on implicit knowledge, whereas learners in the instructed group relied more on explicit knowledge. Overall, exposure condition was the most significant predictor of performance on the grammaticality judgment task, with learners in the instructed group outperforming those in the incidental group. Performance on a procedural learning task accounted for additional variance. When outcomes were analyzed according to linguistic complexity, exposure condition was the most significant predictor for two syntactic patterns, but it was not a predictor for the most complex sentence group; instead, procedural learning ability was.

Endoscopic resection of incidental colloid cysts

Object Incidental colloid cysts are frequently managed with surveillance imaging rather than surgical excision. This approach is born out of their purported indolent growth pattern and the surgical morbidity associated with microsurgical removal. The advent of endoscopic colloid cyst removal may offer renewed assessment of these patients who carry a risk of acute neurological deterioration. An evidence-based recommendation should weigh the risks of operative treatment. Thus far, there has been no concentrated assessment of cyst removal in patients with incidental colloid cysts. The major objective in this study was to define the risks associated with the endoscopic surgical removal of incidentally diagnosed colloid cysts Methods A retrospective review of the medical records was performed to search for patients evaluated for a colloid cyst between the years 1996 and 2012. Eighty-seven patients underwent colloid cyst resection, and 34 were managed with nonoperative surveillance imaging. Microsurgical resections, endoscopic resections of residual or recurrent colloid cysts, and cases with unknown preoperative symptomatic status were excluded from further analysis. Seventy-seven cases of primary endoscopic resections were identified. Twenty resections were performed in patients with an incidental diagnosis and 57 in symptomatic individuals. Presenting characteristics and surgical outcomes were compared between the incidental and symptomatic groups. Results The mean age at surgery was 39.65 years for the incidental and 43.31 years for the symptomatic group (p = 0.36). The median maximal cyst diameter was 9.7 mm (range 3–31 mm) for the incidental and 12 mm (range 5–34 mm) for the symptomatic group. The mean frontal and occipital horn ratio was 0.3928 for the incidental and 0.4445 for the symptomatic group (p = 0.002). Total resection was achieved in 90% of the incidental and 82.3% of the symptomatic cases (p = 0.49). The median hospital stay was 1 day for incidental and 2 days for symptomatic cases (p = 0.006). There were no deaths. There was one case of aseptic meningitis in the incidental group. In the symptomatic group there were 3 complications: one patient with subjective memory impairment, one with transient short-term memory deterioration, and another with a superficial wound infection treated with operative debridement. Two patients from the symptomatic group needed a CSF diversion procedure, and no shunting was needed in the incidental group. There were two recurrences in the symptomatic group (78 and 133 months postoperatively) and none in the incidental group (p = 1). Conclusions Age and cyst diameter were not correlated with the absence or presence of symptoms in patients with a colloid cyst of the third ventricle. Operative results were highly favorable in both groups and did not reveal a higher risk of morbidity in the patient presenting with an incidental lesion. The results support endoscopic resection as a legitimate therapeutic option for patients with incidental colloid cysts. Generalization of the operative results should be cautiously made, since this is a limited series and the results may depend on the degree of neuroendoscopic experience.