Correction: Genetic association study of dyslexia and ADHD candidate genes in a Spanish cohort: Implications of comorbid samples.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0206431.].

Genetic association study of dyslexia and ADHD candidate genes in a Spanish cohort: Implications of comorbid samples.

Dyslexia and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are two complex neuro-behaviorally disorders that co-occur more often than expected, so that reading disability has been linked to inattention symptoms. We examined 4 SNPs located on genes previously associated to dyslexia (KIAA0319, DCDC2, DYX1C1 and FOXP2) and 3 SNPs within genes related to ADHD (COMT, MAOA and DBH) in a cohort of Spanish children (N = 2078) that met the criteria of having one, both or none of these disorders (dyslexia and ADHD). We used a case-control approach comparing different groups of samples based on each individual diagnosis. In addition, we also performed a quantitative trait analysis with psychometric measures on the general population (N = 3357). The results indicated that the significance values for some markers change depending on the phenotypic groups compared and/or when considering pair-wise marker interactions. Furthermore, our quantitative trait study showed significant genetic associations with specific cognitive processes. These outcomes advocate the importance of establishing rigorous and homogeneous criteria for the diagnosis of cognitive disorders, as well as the relevance of considering cognitive endophenotypes.

Effectiveness of a positive psychology intervention combined with cognitive behavioral therapy in university students / Eficacia de una intervención en psicología positiva combinada con terapia cognitivo conductual en estudiantes universitarios

The aim of this study was to design and implement a positive intervention combined with cognitive-behavioral therapy to enhance subjective and psychological well-being and other positive functioning constructs in a convenience sample. Participants analysed were 48 university students (mean age 22.25), 25 assigned nonrandomized to intervention condition and 23 to no-treatment waiting-list control condition. All participants were assessed pre- and post-intervention to test the treatment program effectiveness. Repeated-measures ANCOVAs, controlling baseline differences between the two groups, indicated that the intervention group reported greater social support after the intervention period than the waiting-list control group. Within-group differences were found for happiness, selfacceptance, positive relations with others, optimism, and self-esteem in the intervention group; these differences did not appear in the waiting-list control group. These findings suggest the limited capacity of this intervention program for improving well-being through positive activities combined with cognitive-behavioral therapy. Future research should analyse what kind of activities could be more effective in promoting well-being depending on the characteristics of participants

El objetivo de este estudio fue diseñar e implementar una intervención positiva combinada con técnicas de terapia cognitivo-conductual para mejorar el bienestar subjetivo y psicológico, así como otras variables de funcionamiento positivo en una muestra de conveniencia. Los participantes analizados fueron 48 estudiantes universitarios (media 22.25 años). Se llevó a cabo una asignación no aleatorizada de los participantes a la condición de intervención (n = 25) y a la condición de control en lista de espera sin tratamiento (n = 23). Todos los participantes fueron evaluados antes y después de la intervención para probar la efectividad del programa de tratamiento. Los ANCOVAs de medidas repetidas, controlando las diferencias de la línea base entre los dos grupos, indicaron que el grupo de intervención mostraba mayor apoyo social después del período de intervención que en el grupo control en lista de espera. Se encontraron diferencias intragrupo en felicidad, auto-aceptación, relaciones positivas con los otros, optimismo y autoestima para el grupo de intervención, mientras que estas diferencias no aparecían en el grupo de control en lista de espera. Estos hallazgos sugieren la capacidad limitada de este programa de intervención para mejorar el bienestar a través de actividades positivas combinado con terapia cognitivo-conductual. Las investigaciones futuras deberían analizar qué tipo de actividades podrían ser más eficaces en la promoción del bienestar en función de las características de los participantes

Electrophysiological responses to affective stimuli in neglectful mothers.

Results illustrating an atypical neural processing in the early and late differentiation of infant faces have been obtained with neglectful mothers. The present study explores whether a different pattern of response is observed when using non-infant affective pictures. We examined the event-related evoked potentials and induced delta, theta and alpha activity in 14 neglectful mothers and 14 control mothers elicited while categorizing positive, negative and neutral pictures from the International Affective Picture System. Self-reports of anhedonia and empathy were also recorded. Early posterior negativity, P200 and late positive potential components were modulated by the emotional content of pictures in both groups. However, the LPP waveform had a more delayed and more attenuated maximum in neglectful mothers than in control mothers. Oscillatory responses indicated lower power increases for neglectful mothers than for control mothers in delta (1-4 Hz), theta (4-8 Hz) and lower alpha (8-10 Hz) bands at frontal sites, and a more consistent increase for neglectful mothers in theta and lower alpha bands at occipital sites, especially for negative pictures. These findings help us to better understand the limits of emotional insensitivity in neglectful mothers.

The inhibitory advantage in bilingual children revisited: myth or reality?

In recent decades several authors have suggested that bilinguals exhibit enhanced cognitive control as compared to monolinguals and some proposals suggest that this main difference between monolinguals and bilinguals is related to bilinguals' enhanced capacity of inhibiting irrelevant information. This has led to the proposal of the so-called bilingual advantage in inhibitory skills. However, recent studies have cast some doubt on the locus and generality of the alleged bilingual advantage in inhibitory skills. In the current study we investigated inhibitory skills in a large sample of 252 monolingual and 252 bilingual children who were carefully matched on a large number of indices. We tested their performance in a verbal Stroop task and in a nonverbal version of the same task (the number size-congruency task). Results were unequivocal and showed that bilingual and monolingual participants performed equally in these two tasks across all the indices or markers of inhibitory skills explored. Furthermore, the lack of differences between monolingual and bilingual children extended to all the age ranges tested and was not modulated by any of the independent factors investigated. In light of these results, we conclude that bilingual children do not exhibit any specific advantage in simple inhibitory tasks as compared to monolinguals.

Calidad de vida en la enfermedad de Alzheimer. Cuestionario de Salud SF-36 / Quality of life in Alzheimer’s disease. SF-36 health survey

Objetivo. Evaluar la calidad de vida de pacientes con enfermedad de Alzheimer y relacionarla con el estado cognitivo y funcional. Método y pacientes. Se realizó la encuesta de calidad de vida SF-36, Versión Española 1.4, calculando la suma cruda de los resultados transformados en una escala 0-100 en las ocho dimensiones del test. Los pacientes fueron remitidos por neurólogos que trabajan de forma preferente en demencias en el área metropolitana de Valencia y poblaciones adyacentes, con diagnóstico de enfermedad de Alzheimer probable según los criterios del NINCDSADRDA. Se recogieron datos desde el punto de vista demográfico y social. Se realizó la escala de deterioro global, el Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) y la fluencia verbal (FV). El estudio estadístico se realizó mediante la regresión lineal simple. Resultados. Se entrevistó a 111 pacientes, 35 hombres y 76 mujeres; la media de edad fue de 76 años. La media del MMSE fue de 12 puntos, y se relacionó con las dimensiones de función física, rol físico y el sumatorio de la salud física. La media de la FV fue de 5,1 animales, y se relacionó de forma significativa con las mismas dimensiones, la función social, el sumatorio de salud física y el sumatorio de salud mental. La media de la escala de deterioro global fue de 5 puntos y se relacionó con las mismas dimensiones que en la FV. Conclusiones. El deterioro cognitivo y la función en los pacientes con enfermedad de Alzheimer se relacionan con la mayoría de los aspectos de su calidad de vida (AU)

Objective. To evaluate quality of life in Alzheimer disease patients and its relationship with cognitive and functional status. Patients and methods. SF-36 health survey was perform to evaluate the quality of life in a sample of Alzheimer’s disease diagnosed cases, according to criteria established by the National Institute of Neurologic, Communicative Disorders and Stroke-Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorders Association. Crude items summation were calculated from 0 to 100 in 8 tests dimensions. Demographic and social aspects were collect. The status of the global deterioration scale, a verbal fluency test and the Folstein Minimental test were determinated. Statistical analysis were conducted by means of simple lineal regression study. Results. 111 cases were analysed, 35 man and 76 women, the mean age was 76 years. The MMSE scale mean were 12 points, correlated with physic function, physic roll and physic health summary. Verbal fluency test mean was 5.1 animals, correlated with the same dimensions general health and mental health summary. And the general deterioration scale mean was 5, correlated with the same dimensions than Verbal Fluency test. Conclusions. Cognitive impairment and global deterioration function are correlated with some aspects of quality of life scales (AU)

Differential sensitivity of letters, numbers, and symbols to character transpositions.

This study was designed to explore whether the human visual system has different degrees of tolerance to character position changes for letter strings, digit strings, and symbol strings. An explicit perceptual matching task was used (same-different judgment), and participants' electrophysiological activity was recorded. Materials included trials in which the referent stimulus and the target stimulus were identical or differed either by two character replacements or by transposing two characters. Behavioral results showed clear differences in the magnitude of the transposed-character effect for letters as compared with digit and symbol strings. Electrophysiological data confirmed this observation, showing an N2 character transposition effect that was only present for letter strings. An earlier N1 transposition effect was also found for letters but was absent for symbols and digits, whereas a later P3 effect was found for all types of string. These results provide evidence for a position coding mechanism that is specific to letter strings, that was most prominent in an epoch between 200 and 325 msec, and that operates in addition to more general-purpose position coding mechanisms.

Morbilidad y mortalidad en la Unidad de Cuidados Intensivos No 3 del Hospital General Docente Abel Santamaría, 2010 / Morbidity and Mortality rates at No-3 Intensive Care Unit of Abel Santamaria Cuadrado General University Hospital, 2010

Se realiza un estudio retrospectivo, longitudinal y descriptivo, para describir el comportamiento de la morbilidad y mortalidad en la Unidad de Cuidados Intensivos No 3 del Hospital Provincial Docente Abel Santamaría Cuadrado de Pinar del Río, en el 2010. El universo estuvo constituido por todos los pacientes que ingresaron en la propia Unidad de Cuidados Intensivos y que totalizaron 402. Los datos fueron obtenidos de los expedientes clínicos de los pacientes, así como de los departamentos de estadísticas y de anatomía patológica del hospital. Se confeccionó una base de datos utilizando la hoja de cálculo Microsoft Excel y se aplicaron medidas de resumen. Se realizaron los cálculos estadísticos utilizando para ello el Sistema Systat, prueba de ji cuadrado. Se calcularon la mortalidad bruta y neta según fórmulas estandarizadas. En los resultados se determinó un ligero predominio del sexo femenino respecto al masculino en todos los grupos de edades; el grupo de mayores de 60 años fue el de mayor número. El traumatismo craneoencefálico, la sepsis abdominal y el infarto agudo del miocardio resultaron ser las principales causas de admisión en la Unidad de Cuidados Intensivos. Los casos provinieron fundamentalmente del servicio de urgencias, medicina interna y recuperación quirúrgica. El shock séptico, el tromboembolismo pulmonar y la neumonía grave asociada al uso de ventilación mecánica fueron las principales causas de muerte. Las tasas de mortalidad bruta y neta se encontraron dentro de los parámetros esperados para este tipo de servicio...(AU)

A retrospective, longitudinal and descriptive study was carried to describe morbidity and mortality behavior at No 3 Intensive Care Unit (ICU), Abel Santamaria Cuadrado University Hospital, Pinar del Rio during 2010. The target group was comprised of all patients (402) that were admitted in the ICU already mentioned in the period under study. Data were recorded from the clinical charts, from the departments of statistics and pathology service in the hospital. A database of Microsoft Excel System was created by means of summary measures. The statistical calculations were performed using Systat System and chi square test. Gross and net mortality rates were calculated following the standardized formulas. Results showed a slight prevalence of female sex in all age brackets; older than 60 years old presented the highest number. Cranio-encephalic trauma, abdominal sepsis and acute myocardial infarction were the main causes of admissions in the Intensive Care Units. Most of the cases were referred from the emergency service, internal medicine wards and surgical recovery. Septic shock, pulmonary thromboembolism and severe pneumonia associated with mechanical ventilation were the main causes of death. Gross and net mortality rates were among the expected parameters in this modality of medical service...(AU)

Morbilidad y mortalidad en la Unidad de Cuidados Intensivos No. 3 del Hospital General Docente «Abel Santamaría¼, 2010 / Morbidity and Mortality rates at No-3 Intensive Care Unit of «Abel Santamaria Cuadrado¼ General University Hospital, 2010

Se realiza un estudio retrospectivo, longitudinal y descriptivo, para describir el comportamiento de la morbilidad y mortalidad en la Unidad de Cuidados Intensivos No. 3 del Hospital Provincial Docente "Abel Santamaría Cuadrado" de Pinar del Río, en el 2010. El universo estuvo constituido por todos los pacientes que ingresaron en la propia Unidad de Cuidados Intensivos y que totalizaron 402. Los datos fueron obtenidos de los expedientes clínicos de los pacientes, así como de los departamentos de estadísticas y de anatomía patológica del hospital. Se confeccionó una base de datos utilizando la hoja de cálculo Microsoft Excel y se aplicaron medidas de resumen. Se realizaron los cálculos estadísticos utilizando para ello el Sistema Systat, prueba de ji cuadrado. Se calcularon la mortalidad bruta y neta según fórmulas estandarizadas. En los resultados se determinó un ligero predominio del sexo femenino respecto al masculino en todos los grupos de edades; el grupo de mayores de 60 años fue el de mayor número. El traumatismo craneoencefálico, la sepsis abdominal y el infarto agudo del miocardio resultaron ser las principales causas de admisión en la Unidad de Cuidados Intensivos. Los casos provinieron fundamentalmente del servicio de urgencias, medicina interna y recuperación quirúrgica. El shock séptico, el tromboembolismo pulmonar y la neumonía grave asociada al uso de ventilación mecánica fueron las principales causas de muerte. Las tasas de mortalidad bruta y neta se encontraron dentro de los parámetros esperados para este tipo de servicio.

A retrospective, longitudinal and descriptive study was carried to describe morbidity and mortality behavior at No-3 Intensive Care Unit (ICU), "Abel Santamaria Cuadrado" University Hospital, Pinar del Rio during 2010. The target group was comprised of all patients (402) that were admitted in the ICU already mentioned in the period under study. Data were recorded from the clinical charts, from the departments of statistics and pathology service in the hospital. A database of Microsoft Excel System was created by means of summary measures. The statistical calculations were performed using Systat System and chi square test. Gross and net mortality rates were calculated following the standardized formulas. Results showed a slight prevalence of female sex in all age brackets; older than 60 years old presented the highest number. Cranio-encephalic trauma, abdominal sepsis and acute myocardial infarction were the main causes of admissions in the Intensive Care Units. Most of the cases were referred from the emergency service, internal medicine wards and surgical recovery. Septic shock, pulmonary thromboembolism and severe pneumonia associated with mechanical ventilation were the main causes of death. Gross and net mortality rates were among the expected parameters in this modality of medical service.

Efficacy of long-term continuous subcutaneous apomorphine infusion in advanced Parkinson's disease with motor fluctuations: a multicenter study.

Continuous subcutaneous apomorphine infusion (CSAI) is, at present, an alternative option for advanced Parkinson's disease (PD) with motor fluctuations. We studied the evolution of patients with PD and severe motor fluctuations long-term treated with CSAI. We reviewed data from 82 patients with PD (mean age, 67 +/- 11.07; disease duration, 14.39 +/- 5.7 years) and severe motor fluctuations referred to 35 tertiary hospitals in Spain. These patients were long-term treated (for at least 3 months) with CSAI and tolerated the procedure without serious side effects. We compared the baseline data of these 82 patients (before CSAI) with those obtained from the last follow-up visit of each patient. The mean follow-up of CSAI was 19.93 +/- 16.3 months. Mean daily dose of CSAI was 72.00 +/- 21.38 mg run over 14.05 +/- 1.81 hours. We found a statistically significant reduction in off-hours, according to self-scoring diaries (6.64 +/- 3.09 vs. 1.36 +/- 1.42 hours/day, P < 0.0001), total and motor UPDRS scores (P < 0.0001), dyskinesia severity (P < 0.0006), and equivalent dose of antiparkinsonian therapy (1,405 +/- 536.7 vs. 800.1 +/- 472.9 mg of levodopa equivalent units P < 0.0001). CSAI is an effective option for patients with PD and severe fluctuations, poorly controlled by conventional oral drug treatment.

Tumor de Krukenberg. A propósito de un caso / s. t

Presentamos un caso de Tumor de Krukenberg en una embarazada de 21 semanas de gestación. Ingresó en el Hospital Universitario “Abel Santamaría Cuadrado” por manifestaciones de abdomen agudo quirúrgico que obligaron a operar de urgencia. Se encontró plastrón ginecológico por absceso tubárico roto y pelvis - peritonitis. Secuencialmente se apreció un estado grave secundario a sepsis y las complicaciones dadas por: Expulsión de feto muerto y cuatro reintervenciones quirúrgicas. Histológicamente se detectó un tumor metastásico bilateral de ovario dado por numerosas células en anillo de sello y vacuolas citoplasmáticas que confirmaron el diagnóstico de Tumor de Krukenberg. Como tumor primario se encontró un adenocarcinoma de recto. Durante los 46 días de estadía en la unidad de cuidados intensivos presentó complicaciones como: Soporte ventilatorio prolongado, neumonía por estafilococo, micosis profunda y desnutrición proteica-calórica. Logra la supervivencia después de egresada de 6 meses(AU)

Morbimortalidad por trauma craneo-encefálico en la Unidad de Cuidados Intensivos durante 1998-1999 / Mortality and Morbidity rate due to brain-encephalic trauma in the INC between 1998 - 1999

El estudio estuvo dirigido a conocer las morbi mortalidad por trauma cráneo encefálico (TCE) en la UCI del Hospital Abel Santamaría Cuadrado de enero de 1998 a diciembre de 1999. Se revisaron las historias clínicas de 40 pacientes vivos y 48 fallecidos (54 por ciento de mortalidad). Las variables seleccionadas: Edad, sexo, Glasgow, localización del trauma, estudio radiológico, diagnóstico operatorio, complicaciones, hallazgos necrópsicos. Para el procesamiento estadístico utilizamos paquete estadístico Systac versión para Windows 95 con ajuste de µ = 0,05. Se demostró predominio del trauma cráneo encefálico en el sexo masculino, edades entre 15 30 años, Glasgow inferior a 8 puntos. El diagnóstico fue clínico y la lesión encefálica temporal, predominando el daño axonal difuso y la fractura. Las complicaciones fueron: sépticas (sepsis respiratorias y por catéter), neuroquirúrgicas (hipertensión endocraneana, hemorragia, hemorragia subaracnoidea post–traumática, hematomas tardíos), hemodinámicas (hipotensión, hipertensión, anemia, trastornos hidroeléctricos). Los hallazgos necrópsicos: enclavamiento amigdalino, destrucción de centros nerviosos superiores, hematomas, contusión cerebral, fracturas...(AU)