Self-regulation of brain oscillations as a treatment for aberrant brain connections in children with autism.

Autism is a highly varied developmental disorder typically characterized by deficits in reciprocal social interaction, difficulties with verbal and nonverbal communication, and restricted interests and repetitive behaviors. Although a wide range of behavioral, pharmacological, and alternative medicine strategies have been reported to ameliorate specific symptoms for some individuals, there is at present no cure for the condition. Nonetheless, among the many incompatible observations about aspects of the development, anatomy, and functionality of the autistic brain, it is widely agreed that it is characterized by widespread aberrant connectivity. Such disordered connectivity, be it increased, decreased, or otherwise compromised, may complicate healthy synchronization and communication among and within different neural circuits, thereby producing abnormal processing of sensory inputs necessary for normal social life. It is widely accepted that the innate properties of brain electrical activity produce pacemaker elements and linked networks that oscillate synchronously or asynchronously, likely reflecting a type of functional connectivity. Using phase coherence in multiple frequency EEG bands as a measure of functional connectivity, studies have shown evidence for both global hypoconnectivity and local hyperconnectivity in individuals with ASD. However, the nature of the brain's experience-dependent structural plasticity suggests that these abnormal patterns may be reversed with the proper type of treatment. Indeed, neurofeedback (NF) training, an intervention based on operant conditioning that results in self-regulation of brain electrical oscillations, has shown promise in addressing marked abnormalities in functional and structural connectivity. It is hypothesized that neurofeedback produces positive behavioral changes in ASD children by normalizing the aberrant connections within and between neural circuits. NF exploits the brain's plasticity to normalize aberrant connectivity patterns apparent in the autistic brain. By grounding this training in known anatomical (e.g., mirror neuron system) and functional markers (e.g., mu rhythms) of autism, NF training holds promise to support current treatments for this complex disorder. The proposed hypothesis specifically states that neurofeedback-induced alpha mu (8-12Hz) rhythm suppression or desynchronization, a marker of cortical activation, should induce neuroplastic changes and lead to normalization in relevant mirroring networks that have been associated with higher-order social cognition.

[The correlation of results of breath analysers and laboratory blood examinations of blood-ethanol concentration (Czech and Slovak study)]. / Mezirepubliková Cesko-Slovenská studie korelace výsledku dechových analyzátoru a výsledku laboratorní analýzy pri zjistování hladiny alkoholu v krvi.

The target of this study was to compare the results of breath analysers and "lege artis" laboratory blood examinations when determining alcohol levels. This was then used to determine whether any differences exist between the two methods, and how large these differences are. 610 cases from 11 workplaces in the Czech Republic and Slovakia were analysed. The type of breath analyser was not taken into consideration. All cases had to be in the elimination phase. Difference of time between breath test and blood test were rectified through the use of reverse recomputation. It was detected that only 20.8% of the results of respiratory analyser tests correspond to the detected real alcohol level in blood. The maximum difference when a respiratory analyser measured more than a blood test was 1.34 g x kg(-1). and the maximum difference when the analyse measured less was 1.86 g x kg(-1).

Unsuccessful therapy of combined mycotic infection in a severely burned patient: a case study.

Patients with burn trauma are always in danger of contracting an infection. Although invasive mycotic infections are not as frequent as bacterial infections, high mortality and in many cases difficult diagnostics pose a serious threat not only for neutropenic patients. In more extensive burns the status is further complicated by specifically compromised immunity. The most frequent species of micromycetes isolated in burn patients are Candida spp. and Aspergillus spp. Zygomycetes represents a relatively uncommon isolation worldwide (up to 2% of all fungi. We present a case study of a young patient with 82% TBSA (total body surface area) burns, where we isolated simultaneously 3 different types of micromycetes (Aspergillus fumigatus, Fusarium sp., Absidia sp.). Mycotic infection is understood primarily as a complication in neutropenic patients and, after prophylactic antibiotic and antimycotic administration, in extensive burn trauma patients. The case ended with the death of the patient due to severe sepsis caused by the multiresistant strain Pseudomonas aeruginosa.