The perceived casual relations between sensory reactivity differences and anxiety symptoms in autistic adults

Rates of anxiety are inordinately high in autistic adults. Sensory reactivity differences, such as hyperreactivity (e.g., strong reactions to sound), hyporeactivity (e.g., no, or slower reactions to pain), and seeking (e.g., fascination with spinning objects) are a diagnostic criterion of autism and have been linked with anxiety. Understanding how individuals perceive these to be causally related can impact assessment and treatment of anxiety. Therefore, we examined the perceived causal relations between sensory reactivity differences and anxiety in autistic adults.246 autistic adults aged 18 – 76 years took part in an online study. They completed self-report assessments of sensory reactivity differences, and anxiety, followed by the perceived causal relations scale; indicating if they perceived their sensory reactivity differences to be more of a cause or an effect of their anxiety symptoms.Sensory reactivity differences were found to be significantly related to anxiety. Furthermore, total sensory hyperreactivity and visual, auditory, and olfactory hyperreactivity was perceived to be more of a cause of anxiety, whilst total sensory seeking and tactile and vestibular seeking was perceived to be more of an effect of anxiety. Therefore, sensory hyperreactivity and sensory seeking may be important to consider in anxiety treatments for autistic individuals.

DIFFUSE IDIOPATHIC SKELETAL HYPEROSTOSIS OF THE CERVICAL SPINE - DIAGNOSIS, TREATMENT

Диффузный идиопатический скелетный гиперостоз - системное состояние, характеризующееся наличием по меньшей мере трех костных мостиков в переднебоковом отделе позвоночника. Распространенность заболевания составляет 2,9% - 42,0%. Важным компонентом для диагностики гиперостоза было наличие костного нароста в передней части смежных позвонков. Дебют диффузного идиопатического скелетного гиперостоза протекает бессимптомно, в результате чего заболевание обнаруживается как случайное открытие во время рентгенологического обследования других заболеваний. Клинически значимым симптомом гиперостоза в шейном отделе является дисфагия и обструкция дыхательных путей. В результате костного нароста, расположенного кпереди от тел позвонков в шейном отделе позвоночника, трахея и пищевод смещаются, что приводит к дисфагии и обструкции дыхательных путей, что является главным диагностическим критерием и показанием к оперативному лечению. Diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis is a systemic condition characterized by the presence of at least three bone bridges in the anterolateral spine. The prevalence of the disease is 2.9% - 42.0%. An important component for the diagnosis of hyperostosis was the presence of a bone growth in the anterior part of the adjacent vertebrae. The onset of diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis is asymptomatic, as a result of which the disease is detected as an accidental discovery during X-ray examination of other diseases. A clinically significant symptom of cervical hyperostosis is dysphagia and airway obstruction. As a result of the bone growth located anteriorly from the vertebral bodies in the cervical spine, the trachea and esophagus are displaced, which leads to dysphagia and airway obstruction, which is the main diagnostic criterion and indication for surgical treatment.

The role of cardiovascular autonomic failure in the differential diagnosis of α-synucleinopathies

The α-synucleinopathies comprise a group of adult-onset neurodegenerative disorders including Parkinson’s disease (PD), multiple system atrophy (MSA), dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB,) and — as a restricted non-motor form — pure autonomic failure (PAF). Neuropathologically, the α-synucleinopathies are characterized by aggregates of misfolded α-synuclein in the central and peripheral nervous system. Cardiovascular autonomic failure is a common non-motor symptom in people with PD, a key diagnostic criterion in MSA, a supportive feature for the diagnosis of DLB and disease-defining in PAF. The site of autonomic nervous system lesion differs between the α-synucleinopathies, with a predominantly central lesion pattern in MSA versus a peripheral one in PD, DLB, and PAF. In clinical practice, overlapping autonomic features often challenge the differential diagnosis among the α-synucleinopathies, but also distinguish them from related disorders, such as the tauopathies or other neurodegenerative ataxias. In this review, we discuss the differential diagnostic yield of cardiovascular autonomic failure in individuals presenting with isolated autonomic failure, parkinsonism, cognitive impairment, or cerebellar ataxia.

Parameters of heart rate variability associated with high sports performance in athletes

Introduction. The problem of developing clear criteria for assessing athletes’ functional fitness, which would reflect their readiness for competitions, remains under-researched in the theory of sports. Football places high demands on athletes’ functional fitness, including the vegetative component. However, attempts to improve results in football often focus on techniques and tactics to the detriment of the functional component. It should also be noted that the intensity of exercises varies depending on the playing position during matches, and, therefore, an accurate diagnostic criterion is required to assess the players’ of different positions functional readiness for competitions. The article attempts to identify the parameters of heart rate variability which could be used as markers of athletes’ playing game sports high functional performance. The aim of this research is to identify the parameters of heart rate variability as a diagnostic criterion for assessing football players’ functional readiness for competitions. Materials and Methods. In order to assess the heart rate variability, the software for the “Polyspectrum” electrocardiograph was used with an additional function of obtaining data on heart rate variability. Results. The research findings suggest that football players with high athletic performance demonstrate higher vagal and lower sympathetic modulation of the heart rhythm, which indicates their higher fitness, adaptability to loads and functional readiness for competitions. On the contrary, the athletes of the second group demonstrated signs of strain of adaptation systems and over-training. Conclusions. Monitoring heart rate variability in athletes (in particular, heart rhythm wave structure indicators, expressed as the area of the triangle formed by the spectral density of all three waves) can be used as an effective tool in the dynamic control of training, in identifying athletes’ fitness, as well as for predicting sports results.

Comparative analysis of bacteriuria results on routine urinalysis and urine culture: a retrospective study

Bacterial urinary tract infections (UTI) are among the most frequent infectious diseases of small animals. Although antimicrobial therapy is recommended for treating bacterial UTIs, the current consensus is that treatment may not be necessary for asymptomatic animals. The aim of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic ability of urinalysis to detect bacteriuria and to compare it with urine culture (gold standard method) to assess the risk of false-positive results. A retrospective study was conducted from January 2016 to July 2019 and urine samples of 119 dogs were analyzed. Diagnostic validation was performed for urinalysis, based on the morphological classification and intensity of bacteriuria. Agreement between the results was assessed using the kappa (k) index. When the presence of cocci was used as a diagnostic criterion to suggest bacteriuria, it was observed that the agreement (k = -0.006) was lower than that expected by chance. However, a poor agreement (k = 0.22) was also found for bacilli during urinalysis (k = 0.23). A significant degree of agreement was observed in cases with high intensity of bacteriuria. Therefore, urine culture must be performed for conclusive evidence of bacteriuria to avoid false-positive results during urinalysis.