Implicit and Explicit Sequence Learning in Adults With Developmental Language Disorder.

PURPOSE: Developmental language disorder (DLD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that impacts approximately 7% of the population and is characterized by unexplained deficits in expressive and/or receptive components of language. A common procedural learning task, serial reaction time (SRT), has been used to develop models of the basis of DLD. However, paradigms involve differing levels of implicit and explicit learning during this task, muddying interpretations of the data. Here, we tested adults with DLD on implicit and explicit SRT tasks to better understand implicit and explicit procedural learning in this population. We hypothesized that adults with DLD would demonstrate reduced learning on only the implicit SRT task, as alternate explicit neural mechanisms could lead to equivalent performance on the explicit task. METHOD: Fifty participants (25 with DLD and 25 with typical language) completed implicit and explicit SRT tasks, measuring their ability to learn visually presented 10-element sequences. Group differences were evaluated on sequence learning, error rates, and explicit recall of the sequence after learning. RESULTS: Sequence learning was the same between the groups on both tasks. However, individuals with DLD showed increased errors and significantly worse recall of the explicitly learned sequence. CONCLUSIONS: Results suggest that sequence learning may be intact in this population, while aspects of explicit learning and motoric responses are impaired. Results are interpreted in light of a neurobiological model of DLD. SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIAL: https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.26210651.

Clinical characteristics and outcomes of COVID-19 patients in a tertiary hospital in Baguio City, Philippines.

OBJECTIVE: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), primarily targets the respiratory system. This study describes the characteristics associated with mortality among patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 at a single hospital in Baguio City, Philippines. METHODS: We reviewed medical records (including history, laboratory results and treatment regimen) of 280 confirmed COVID-19 patients admitted to a single hospital during March-October 2020. Clinical characteristics and outcomes (frequency and type of complication, recovery rate and mortality) were evaluated. Multiple logistic regression was used to analyse factors associated with mortality. RESULTS: The mean age of COVID-19 patients was 48.4 years and the female-to-male ratio was 1.8:1. Hypertension, cardiovascular disease (CVD) and diabetes were the most frequent comorbidities reported. Common presenting symptoms were respiratory and constitutional, with 41% of patients not reporting symptoms on admission. Patients with moderate, severe and critical disease comprised 45%, 8% and 4%, respectively. A total of 15% had complications, health care-associated pneumonia being the most frequent complication. The recovery rate was 95%; 5% of patients died, with multiorgan failure being the most common cause. The presence of CVD, chronic kidney disease, prolonged prothrombin time and elevated lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) were associated with mortality. DISCUSSION: Most COVID-19 patients in our population had asymptomatic to moderate disease on admission. Mortality from COVID-19 was associated with having CVD, chronic kidney disease, elevated LDH and prolonged prothrombin time. Based on these results, we emphasize that people should take all necessary precautions to avoid infection with SARS-CoV-2.

Bilateral adrenal histoplasmosis presenting as adrenal insufficiency in an immunocompetent host in the Philippines.

Disseminated histoplasmosis, with the adrenal glands as being the only site of demonstrable disease in an immunocompetent adult, is a rare infection leading to adrenal insufficiency. This disease carries high mortality when unrecognised. We describe the first reported case of adrenal histoplasmosis in the Philippines in a 72-year-old immunocompetent, Filipino man who presented with a 3-month history of intermittent flank pain, weight loss and generalised weakness. His imaging demonstrated bilateral adrenal masses on ultrasonography and contrast-enhanced CT scan. The initial impression was adrenal cancer, however, fine-needle aspiration cytology revealed the presence of yeast cells and blood culture grew Histoplasma capsulatum The diagnosis of the case represents a diagnostic challenge in immunocompetent individuals because they manifest with non-specific symptoms. A heightened suspicion is therefore needed to prevent significant morbidity and mortality.