Atypical Functional Connectivity During Unfamiliar Music Listening in Children With Autism.

Background: Atypical processing of unfamiliar, but less so familiar, stimuli has been described in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), in particular in relation to face processing. We examined the construct of familiarity in ASD using familiar and unfamiliar songs, to investigate the link between familiarity and autism symptoms, such as repetitive behavior. Methods: Forty-eight children, 24 with ASD (21 males, mean age = 9.96 years ± 1.54) and 24 typically developing (TD) controls (21 males, mean age = 10.17 ± 1.90) completed a music familiarity task using individually identified familiar compared to unfamiliar songs, while magnetoencephalography (MEG) was recorded. Each song was presented for 30 s. We used both amplitude envelope correlation (AEC) and the weighted phase lag index (wPLI) to assess functional connectivity between specific regions of interest (ROI) and non-ROI parcels, as well as at the whole brain level, to understand what is preserved and what is impaired in familiar music listening in this population. Results: Increased wPLI synchronization for familiar vs. unfamiliar music was found for typically developing children in the gamma frequency. There were no significant differences within the ASD group for this comparison. During the processing of unfamiliar music, we demonstrated left lateralized increased theta and beta band connectivity in children with ASD compared to controls. An interaction effect found greater alpha band connectivity in the TD group compared to ASD to unfamiliar music only, anchored in the left insula. Conclusion: Our results revealed atypical processing of unfamiliar songs in children with ASD, consistent with previous studies in other modalities reporting that processing novelty is a challenge for ASD. Relatively typical processing of familiar stimuli may represent a strength and may be of interest to strength-based intervention planning.

Music therapy for adolescents with psychiatric disorders: An overview.

BACKGROUND: Although it is true that adolescence is a stage of evolutionary development in which there are innumerable windows of opportunity, it is also the peak age at which some psychiatric disorders may appear. On the other hand, music is an auditory stimulus that interests and motivates youngsters, as it is used for identity, social connection, and emotional regulation. METHODS: We conducted a strategic search by consulting scientific databases. The following search terms were employed: Music Therapy AND Psychology AND Psychiatry AND Adolescents. The following international electronic databases were searched: Medline, Ovid, and Cochrane Library. RESULTS: A total of 142 sources were identified from which 9 papers on music therapy published exclusively in scientific journals specialized in psychology or child psychiatry were selected. The total number of participants was 651. The studies reported that music therapy interventions have the potential to improve self-esteem, social engagement, decrease social isolation, and depressive and anxiety symptoms in psychiatric adolescents (both in inpatient and outpatient settings). CONCLUSION: Given the heterogeneity and methodological quality of the few studies included, it is complex to extrapolate and generalize results. More quality research is needed to expand music therapy interventions on youth mental health.

Complex auditory musical hallucinations with ambivalent feelings.

A 78-year-old woman with hypertension, diabetes mellitus type 2 and bilateral sensorineural hearing loss was referenced to geriatric psychiatry consultation. She presented cognitive dysfunction, erotomanic delusion and complex musical hallucinations (MH), described as hearing her neighbour singing a familiar church song along with bells in the background, making comments and talking to her. A computed tomography (CT) of the brain detected small right nucleocapsular and bilateral external capsules hypodensities of presumed vascular aetiology during hospitalisation. MH are a rare phenomenon with heterogeneous aetiology. Most frequently, the cause is hearing impairment; other causes include social isolation, cognitive dysfunction, vascular risk factors and medication. Studies suggest that some brain areas related to musical memory circuitry might be related and not fully mapped. Auditory verbal hallucinations with a voice that either comments, talks or sings to the patient have never been described in the literature, making this clinical case attractive.

Immune response in acute respiratory syndrome induced by the new coronavirus / Resposta imunológica na síndrome respiratória aguda induzida pelo novo coronavírus

Coronaviruses (CoVs) belong to the family Coronaviridae, which are enveloped and have a single-stranded RNA genome. The new coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) is the seventh known coronavirus that can infect humans and cause serious illness, such as acute respiratory syndrome. The coronaviruses already identified have contributed to the understanding of the clinical manifestations caused by SARSCoV-2, as well as their associations with the immune system. The aim of the present study was to carry out a narrative review of the literature on the host's immune response to infection by the new coronavirus. The review contains basic and summarized information on the main mechanisms involved in the immune response to SARS-CoV-2. The characteristics of the infection were considered according to the following: from the initial contact with the host through binding to angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE-2); the recognition of the pathogen by innate immunity cells; its containment mechanisms, including the production of effector cytokines and chemokines important in the development of the inflammatory process; and the participation of the complement system until the activation of the adaptive immune response. The probable occurrence of a host dysfunctional immune response and the escape mechanisms of the virus were also addressed. Despite numerous studies on the pathogenesis of SARS-CoV-2 infection, knowledge about the host's immune response in COVID-19 is not fully understood. The present work established the relationship between the new coronavirus and the immune system, but further studies are needed for all the mechanisms of the process to be elucidated.

Os coronavírus (CoVs) pertencem à família Coronaviridae, são envelopados com genoma de RNA (Ácido Ribonucleico) de fita simples e de sentido positivo. O novo coronavírus (SARS-CoV-2) é o sétimo coronavírus conhecido com capacidade de infectar seres humanos e pode provocar doença grave, como a síndrome respiratória aguda. Os coronavírus já identificados contribuíram para o entendimento das manifestações clínicas causadas pelo SARS-CoV-2, bem como suas correlações com o sistema imune. O presente trabalho teve o propósito de realizar uma revisão narrativa de literatura sobre a resposta imune do hospedeiro à infecção pelo novo coronavírus. A revisão contém informações básicas e resumidas dos principais mecanismos envolvidos na resposta imune ao SARS-CoV-2. Foram consideradas as características da infecção desde o contato inicial com o hospedeiro, por meio da ligação da Enzima Conversora de Angiotensina 2 (ECA2), o reconhecimento do patógeno pelas células da imunidade inata, seus mecanismos de contenção, incluindo a produção de citocinas efetoras e quimiocinas importantes no desenvolvimento do processo inflamatório, a participação do sistema complemento até a ativação da resposta imune adaptativa. Foram abordados também a provável ocorrência de uma resposta imune disfuncional do hospedeiro e os mecanismos de escape do vírus. Apesar dos inúmeros trabalhos sobre a patogenia da infecção pelo SARS-CoV-2, o conhecimento sobre a resposta imune do hospedeiro na COVID-19 não está totalmente esclarecido. O presente trabalho estabeleceu as relações do novo coronavírus com o sistema imunológico, entretanto, mais estudos ainda são necessários para que todos os mecanismos do processo sejam elucidados.

Cortical Gyrification Morphology in Individuals with ASD and ADHD across the Lifespan: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are common neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) that may impact brain maturation. A number of studies have examined cortical gyrification morphology in both NDDs. Here we review and when possible pool their results to better understand the shared and potentially disorder-specific gyrification features. We searched MEDLINE, PsycINFO, and EMBASE databases, and 24 and 10 studies met the criteria to be included in the systematic review and meta-analysis portions, respectively. Meta-analysis of local Gyrification Index (lGI) findings across ASD studies was conducted with SDM software adapted for surface-based morphometry studies. Meta-regressions were used to explore effects of age, sex, and sample size on gyrification differences. There were no significant differences in gyrification across groups. Qualitative synthesis of remaining ASD studies highlighted heterogeneity in findings. Large-scale ADHD studies reported no differences in gyrification between cases and controls suggesting that, similar to ASD, there is currently no evidence of differences in gyrification morphology compared with controls. Larger, longitudinal studies are needed to further clarify the effects of age, sex, and IQ on cortical gyrification in these NDDs.

Neural Correlates of Familiarity in Music Listening: A Systematic Review and a Neuroimaging Meta-Analysis.

Familiarity in music has been reported as an important factor modulating emotional and hedonic responses in the brain. Familiarity and repetition may increase the liking of a piece of music, thus inducing positive emotions. Neuroimaging studies have focused on identifying the brain regions involved in the processing of familiar and unfamiliar musical stimuli. However, the use of different modalities and experimental designs has led to discrepant results and it is not clear which areas of the brain are most reliably engaged when listening to familiar and unfamiliar musical excerpts. In the present study, we conducted a systematic review from three databases (Medline, PsychoINFO, and Embase) using the keywords (recognition OR familiar OR familiarity OR exposure effect OR repetition) AND (music OR song) AND (brain OR brains OR neuroimaging OR functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging OR Position Emission Tomography OR Electroencephalography OR Event Related Potential OR Magnetoencephalography). Of the 704 titles identified, 23 neuroimaging studies met our inclusion criteria for the systematic review. After removing studies providing insufficient information or contrasts, 11 studies (involving 212 participants) qualified for the meta-analysis using the activation likelihood estimation (ALE) approach. Our results did not find significant peak activations consistently across included studies. Using a less conservative approach (p < 0.001, uncorrected for multiple comparisons) we found that the left superior frontal gyrus, the ventral lateral (VL) nucleus of the left thalamus, and the left medial surface of the superior frontal gyrus had the highest likelihood of being activated by familiar music. On the other hand, the left insula, and the right anterior cingulate cortex had the highest likelihood of being activated by unfamiliar music. We had expected limbic structures as top clusters when listening to familiar music. But, instead, music familiarity had a motor pattern of activation. This could reflect an audio-motor synchronization to the rhythm which is more engaging for familiar tunes, and/or a sing-along response in one's mind, anticipating melodic, harmonic progressions, rhythms, timbres, and lyric events in the familiar songs. These data provide evidence for the need for larger neuroimaging studies to understand the neural correlates of music familiarity.

Avaliação eletromiográfica de músculos da cintura escapular e braço durante exercícios com carga axial e rotacional / Electromyographic assessment of the shoulder girdle and arm muscles during exercises with axial and rotational loads

O conhecimento da atividade eletromiográfica produzida durante a realização de exercícios para o ombro pode auxiliar na determinação de sua aplicabilidade clínica. O objetivo desta pesquisa foi avaliar a influência da direção da carga e condição da extremidade na atividade elétrica de músculos da cintura escapular e membro superior durante a realização de exercícios com a extremidade distal fixa e carga externa axial (EFCA) e extremidade livre com carga externa rotacional (ELCR). Foram selecionadas 20 voluntárias (23,2 anos ± 0,9) sedentárias. Foram avaliados os mm. tríceps do braço, bíceps do braço, peitoral maior, trapézio e deltóide. Foi realizado o registro eletromiográfico de superfície, durante a realização de dois exercícios com EFCA e dois com ELCR, utilizando 100 por cento da resistência máxima previamente estabelecida. Os valores de RMS normalizados pela contração voluntária máxima foram comparados por meio de um modelo de efeitos mistos com nível de significância de 5 por cento. Nessas condições experimentais, os resultados do presente estudo mostraram que exercícios semelhantes, classificados pela condição da extremidade e a direção da carga aplicada ao membro superior, promovem níveis semelhantes de atividade eletromiográfica em apenas parte dos músculos estudados. Esses achados questionam a capacidade do sistema de classificação utilizado neste estudo de predizer o tipo de resposta muscular esperada na realização de diferentes tarefas de mesma classificação.

The knowledge of the electromyographic activity produced during shoulder exercises can help in determining its clinical applicability. The purpose of this study was to assess the influence of the load direction and the extremity condition on the electrical activity of the shoulder girdle and upper limb muscles during exercises with fixed distal extremity and external axial load (FEAL) and mobile extremity with rotational external load (MERL). Twenty 23.2 ± 0.9 years old female sedentary volunteers were selected. The triceps brachii, biceps brachii, major pectoral, trapezium and deltoid muscles were assessed. The surface electromyography was recorded during two FEAL and two MERL exercises using 100 percent of the previously established maximal resistance. The RMS values normalized by the maximal voluntary contraction were compared by a mixed effect model with 5 percent significance level. In these experimental conditions, the results found in the present study have shown that similar exercises classified by extremity condition and load direction applied on the upper limbs promote similar levels of the electromyographic activity only in part of the assessed muscles. These findings discuss the ability of the classification system used in this study to predict the type of the muscular response expected during different tasks with the same classification.

El conocimiento de la actividad electromiográfica producida durante los ejercicios para el hombro puede ayudar en la determinación de la pertinencia clínica. El objetivo de esta investigación era evaluar sus influencias de la dirección de la carga y condición de la extremidad en la actividad eléctrica de músculos de la cintura escapular y miembro superior durante ejercicios con la extremidad distal fija y carga externa axial (EFCA) y extremidad libre con la carga rotacional externa (ELCR). Se seleccionaron 20 voluntarias (23,2 años ± 0,9) sedentarias. Ellos estimaron el grosor en mm. de los tríceps del brazo, los bíceps del brazo, pectoral mayor, trapecio y deltoides. El registro electromiográfico de superficie se hizo, durante la realización de los ejercicios con EFCA y de los con ELCR, usando 100 por ciento de la resistencia máxima establecidos previamente. Se compararon los valores de RMS normalizados por la reducción máxima voluntaria a través de modelo de efectos mixtos con un nivel de significancia de 5 por ciento. En estas condiciones experimentales, los resultados del estudio presente mostraron que ejercicios similares, clasificados por la condición de la extremidad y la dirección de la carga aplicada al miembro superior, promoven niveles similares de electromiografía con actividad en sólo parte de los músculos estudiados. Estos descubrimientos cuestionan la capacidad del sistema de la clasificación usada en este estudio para predecir el tipo de respuesta muscular esperada en el logro de tareas diferentes de misma clasificación.

Profilaxia e controle das infecçöes hospitalares na unidade de internaçäo, pela higienizaçäo correta das mäos / Prophilaxis and control of hospital infections in nursing unit

Maior importância deverá ser atribuida à higienizaçäo das mäos na Unidade de Internaçäo, orientando-se toda a equipe hospitalar, principalmente a médica e de enfermagem na técnica correta. O uso de toalha de tecido felpudo e sabonete em barra säo veículos de contaminaçäo comprovados pelas culturas bacteriológicas em pesquisas de laboratório. O uso de sabäo líquido e papel higiênico reduzem em 100

a contaminaçäo por Diplococcus Gram negativos, Streptococcus Pyogenes,Diplococcus Gram-positivos e Staphylococcus Pyogenes e em cerca de 30

a contaminaçäo por fungos, Gaffkya tetragena, Bacilus subtilis, Staphylococcus epidermides e Staphylococcus aureus.