Between bodily action and conventionalized structure: The neural mechanisms of constructed action in sign language comprehension.

Sign languages (SLs) are expressed through different bodily actions, ranging from re-enactment of physical events (constructed action, CA) to sequences of lexical signs with internal structure (plain telling, PT). Despite the prevalence of CA in signed interactions and its significance for SL comprehension, its neural dynamics remain unexplored. We examined the processing of different types of CA (subtle, reduced, and overt) and PT in 35 adult deaf or hearing native signers. The electroencephalographic-based processing of signed sentences with incongruent targets was recorded. Attenuated N300 and early N400 were observed for CA in deaf but not in hearing signers. No differences were found between sentences with CA types in all signers, suggesting a continuum from PT to overt CA. Deaf signers focused more on body movements; hearing signers on faces. We conclude that CA is processed less effortlessly than PT, arguably because of its strong focus on bodily actions.

Attentional modulation of interhemispheric (a)symmetry in children with developmental language disorder.

The nature of auditory processing problems in children with developmental language disorder (DLD) is still poorly understood. Much research has been devoted to determining the extent to which DLD is associated with general auditory versus language-specific dysfunction. However, less emphasis has been given to the role of different task conditions in these dysfunctions. We explored whether children with DLD demonstrate atypical interhemispheric asymmetry during the auditory processing of speech and non-speech sounds and whether this interhemispheric balance is modulated by attention. Magnetoencephalography was used to record auditory evoked fields in 18 children (9 to 10 years old), 9 with DLD and 9 with language typical development, during active or passive listening to speech and non-speech sounds. A linear mixed model analysis revealed a bilateral effect of attention in both groups. Participants with DLD demonstrated atypical interhemispheric asymmetry, specifically in the later (185-600 ms) time window but only during the passive listening condition. During the active task, the DLD group did not differ from the typically developed children in terms of hemispheric balance of activation. Our results support the idea of an altered interhemispheric balance in passive auditory response properties in DLD. We further suggest that an active task condition, or top-down attention, can help to regain leftward lateralization, particularly in a later stage of activation. Our study highlights the highly dynamic and interhemispheric nature of auditory processing, which may contribute to the variability in reports of auditory language processing deficits in DLD.

Physical activity and aerobic fitness show different associations with brain processes underlying anticipatory selective visuospatial attention in adolescents.

Current knowledge about the underlying brain processes of exercise-related benefits on executive functions and the specific contributions of physical activity and aerobic fitness during adolescence is inconclusive. We explored whether and how physical activity and aerobic fitness are associated with the oscillatory dynamics underlying anticipatory spatial attention. We studied whether the link between physical exercise level and cognitive control in adolescents is mediated by task-related oscillatory activity. Magnetoencephalographic alpha oscillations during a modified Posner's cueing paradigm were measured in 59 adolescents (37 females and 22 males, 12-17 years). Accelerometer-measured physical activity and aerobic fitness (20-m shuttle run test) were used to divide the sample into higher- and lower-performing groups. The interhemispheric alpha asymmetry during selective attention was larger in the high than in the low physical activity group, but there was no difference between the high and low aerobic fitness groups. Exploratory mediation analysis suggested that anticipatory interhemispheric asymmetry mediates the association between physical activity status and drift rate in the selective attention task. Higher physical activity was related to increased cue-induced asymmetry, which in turn was associated with less efficient processing of information. Behaviorally, more physically active males showed stronger dependence on the cue, while more fit females showed more efficient processing of information. Our findings suggest that physical activity may be associated with a neural marker of anticipatory attention in adolescents. These findings might help to explain the varying results regarding the association of physical activity and aerobic fitness with attention and inhibition in adolescents.

Online Adaptation to Altered Auditory Feedback Is Predicted by Auditory Acuity and Not by Domain-General Executive Control Resources.

When a speaker's auditory feedback is altered, he adapts for the perturbation by altering his own production, which demonstrates the role of auditory feedback in speech motor control. In the present study, we explored the role of auditory acuity and executive control in this process. Based on the DIVA model and the major cognitive control models, we expected that higher auditory acuity, and better executive control skills would predict larger adaptation to the alteration. Thirty-six Spanish native speakers performed an altered auditory feedback experiment, executive control (numerical Stroop, Simon and Flanker) tasks, and auditory acuity tasks (loudness, pitch, and melody pattern discrimination). In the altered feedback experiment, participants had to produce the pseudoword "pep" (/pep/) while perceiving their auditory feedback in real time through earphones. The auditory feedback was first unaltered and then progressively altered in F1 and F2 dimensions until maximal alteration (F1 -150 Hz; F2 +300 Hz). The normalized distance of maximal adaptation ranged from 4 to 137 Hz (median of 75 ± 36). The different measures of auditory acuity were significant predictors of adaptation, while individual measures of cognitive function skills (obtained from the executive control tasks) were not. Better auditory discriminators adapted more to the alteration. We conclude that adaptation to altered auditory feedback is very well-predicted by general auditory acuity, as suggested by the DIVA model. In line with the framework of motor-control models, no specific claim on the implication of executive resources in speech motor control can be made.

La enfermera intensivista en los cuidados del paciente con mediastinoclisis en la Unidad de Cuidados Intensivos de Cirugía Cardiovascular / The intensivist nurse in them been careful to the patient mediastinoclisis with in the Unit of Looking after Intensive of Surgery Cardiovascular

Se realiza un estudio descriptivo de 27 pacientes atendidos en la Unidad de Cuidados Intensivos del Cardiocentro de Santiago de Cuba en el período desde 1988 a 1994 durante el postoperatorio inmedatoy mediato luego de ser reintervenidos por una mediastinitis que se presentó como complicación de una intervención quirúrgica inicial practicada indistintamente sobre válvulas cardíacas, defecto septalcongénito o revascularización miocárdica, a los cuales en esta segunda intervención se les practicó toilette y drenado de mediastino y colocación de tubos torácicos para lavado continuo del mismo por perfusión de soluciones,método terapéutico que conocemos como mediastinoclisis.Entre las características clínicas y evolutivas de los pacientes se destaca un ligero predominio del sexo masculino y las edades entre 15 y 30 años; el 58,1 por ciento de los pacientes permaneció con el tratamiento de 7 a 14 días y el 66,6 egresaron vivos.Se detallan las técnicas y procedimientos que debe efectuar la enfermera intensivista durante el seguimiento postoperatorio que son fundamentales para el éxito de esta terapéutica; demostrativos además del importante papel que en la atención de estos enfermos desempeña la enfermera

La enfermera intensivista en los cuidados del paciente con mediastinoclisis en la Unidad de Cuidados Intensivos de Cirugía Cardiovascular / The intensivist nurse in them been careful to the patient mediastinoclisis with in the Unit of Looking after Intensive of Surgery Cardiovascular

Se realiza un estudio descriptivo de 27 pacientes atendidos en la Unidad de Cuidados Intensivos del Cardiocentro de Santiago de Cuba en el período desde 1988 a 1994 durante el postoperatorio inmedatoy mediato luego de ser reintervenidos por una mediastinitis que se presentó como complicación de una intervención quirúrgica inicial practicada indistintamente sobre válvulas cardíacas, defecto septalcongénito o revascularización miocárdica, a los cuales en esta segunda intervención se les practicó toilette y drenado de mediastino y colocación de tubos torácicos para lavado continuo del mismo por perfusión de soluciones,método terapéutico que conocemos como mediastinoclisis.Entre las características clínicas y evolutivas de los pacientes se destaca un ligero predominio del sexo masculino y las edades entre 15 y 30 años; el 58,1 por ciento de los pacientes permaneció con el tratamiento de 7 a 14 días y el 66,6 egresaron vivos.Se detallan las técnicas y procedimientos que debe efectuar la enfermera intensivista durante el seguimiento postoperatorio que son fundamentales para el éxito de esta terapéutica; demostrativos además del importante papel que en la atención de estos enfermos desempeña la enfermera

Effects of bekanamycin and dibekacin on the electrical activity of cardiac pacemaker cells

In spontaneously beating sinus venosus of the frog Caudiverbera caudiverbera the effects of bekanamycin and dibekacin, two aminoglycoside antibiotics, on action potentials of cardiac primary pacemaker cells were studied by intracellular recording. Bekanamycin and dibekacin induced a concentration-dependent decrease of the amplitude, overshoot and the rate of rise of the action potential. Both also flattened the slow diastolic depolarization leading to a marked decrease in beat rate. At the highest concentration used (1 x 10 3 M), the aminoglycosides produced a compete inhibition of primary cells action potentials. It was preceded by the appearance of subthreshold oscillations of the membrane potential which were observed for a few minutes until the electrical activity of pacemaker cell ceased. During absence of impulse initiation a stable membrane potential about -40 mV was observed. Aminoglycoside effects, excepting those on SCL, were completely supressed when external calcium was increased to.3.6 mM. The results support the conclusion that bekanamycin and dibekacin depress the electrical activity of pacemaker cells. It is suggested that this effect is induced by amminoglycosides blockade of the slow calcium current involved in both upstroke and slow diastolic depolarization and through modification of potassium outward current. Bekanamycin at a lower concentration than that needed to induce electrophysiological effects potentiated verapamil 1 x 10 8 effects on cardiac pacemaker cells

Hemodiálisis con sodio elevado / Hemodialysis with increased sodium

Durante la hemodiálisis, las complicaciones relacionadas con los cambios hemodinámicos y de la osmolaridad dificultan con frecuencia el proceder dialítico. Para disminuir estas complicaciones se han desarrollado una serie de procedimientos técnicos como son: el empleo de bicarbonato y el aumento de la concentración de sodio en el dializado. Con el fin de explorar este último proceder se estudiaron 30 hemodiálisis, 15 de ellas con sodio estándar (135 mmol/L) y 15 con sodio elevado (150 mmol/L durante la primera mitad de la diálisis: en ambos grupos se valoraron las complicaciones intradialíticas, así como el aumento de peso en el período interdialítico posterior. La hipotensión arterial ocurrió en el 20 por ciento de las hemodiálisis con sodio normal y en ninguna de las de sodio elevada. El aumento de peso promedio en los períodos interdialíticos fue de 1,486 kg +- 0,946 y de 2,526 kg -+ 1,122 para la hemodiálisis con sodio normal y elevado respectivamente. Se considera que el proceder es útil en pacientes hemodinámicamente inestables, siempre que se controle la ganancia de peso, interdialítica.

Atención de enfermería. cuidados intensivos de nefrología / Nursing attention: intensive care in nephrology

Con este trabajo se destaca la labor que desarrolla la enfermera en los diferentes procederes inherentes a la especialidad de Nefrología. En él se exponen cuidados muy especiales y específicos y los tratamientos más complejos del quehacer diario. Todo esto pone de manifiesto que la enfermera es un pilar fundamental en la atención al paciente que necesite tratamiento médico especializado

Atención de enfermería: cuidados intensivos de nefrología / Nursing attention: intensive care in nephrology

Con este trabajo se destaca la labor que desarrolla la enfermera en los diferentes procederes inherentes a la especialidad de Nefrología. En él se exponen cuidados muy especiales y específicos y los tratamientos más complejos del quehacer diario. Todo esto pone de manifiesto que la enfermera es un pilar fundamental en la atención al paciente que necesite tratamiento médico especializado