Role of Affective Factors and Concreteness on the Processing of Idioms.

In this study, we asked how the emotional status, i.e., valence and arousal, and concreteness of idioms contribute to their processing. Additionally, we asked whether the contribution of emotional factors and concreteness is modulated by other linguistic constraints, specifically idiom familiarity and decomposability, that has been shown to impact idiom processing. Participants read short idiomatic phrases (e.g., he kicked the bucket), word-by-word and for comprehension while their reaction time was recorded. The results showed that the emotional status of idioms contribute to their processing and this contribution is modulated by familiarity and decomposability levels of idioms in different ways. In particular, the impact of valence (i.e., the degree an idiom is pleasant/unpleasant) was modulated by familiarity, and the impact of arousal was modulated by decomposability. We did not find strong evidence for the contribution of concreteness for idiom processing. Our findings are aligned with theories of semantic representation, which suggest that besides linguistic information, sensory-motor and affective information are fundamental in representing meaning.

Language athletes: Dual-language code-switchers exhibit inhibitory control advantages.

Recent studies have begun to examine bilingual cognition from more nuanced, experienced-based perspectives. The present study adds to this body of work by investigating the potential impact of code-switching on bilinguals' inhibitory control abilities. Crucially, our bilingual participants originated from a predominantly dual-language environment, the interactional context which is believed to require (and therefore, potentially train) cognitive control processes related to goal-monitoring and inhibition. As such, 266 French Canadian bilinguals completed an online experiment wherein they were asked to complete a domain-general (Flanker) and a language-specific (bilingual Stroop) inhibitory control task, as well as extensive demographic and language background questionnaires. Stepwise multiple regressions (including various potential demographic and linguistic predictors) were conducted on the participants' Flanker and Stroop effects. The results indicated that the bilinguals' propensity to code-switch consistently yielded significant positive (but unidirectional) inhibitory control effects: dual-language bilinguals who reported more habitual French-to-English switching exhibited better goal-monitoring and inhibition abilities. For the language-specific task, the analysis also revealed that frequent unintentional code-switching may mitigate these inhibition skills. As such, the findings demonstrate that dual-language code-switchers may experience inhibitory control benefits, but only when their switching is self-reportedly deliberate. We conclude that the bilinguals' interactional context is thus of primary importance, as the dual-language context is more conducive to intentional code-switching. Overall, the current study highlights the importance of considering individualistic language experience when it comes to examining potential bilingual executive functioning advantages.

Who Is at Risk of Death after Renal Trauma? An Analysis of Thirty-Day Mortality after 1,799 Cases of Renal Trauma.

INTRODUCTION: The aim of the study was to report the 30-day mortality (30DM) after renal trauma and identify the risk factors associated with death. METHODS: The TRAUMAFUF project was a retrospective multi-institutional study including all patients with renal trauma admitted to 17 French hospitals between 2005 and 2015. The included population focused on patients of all age groups who underwent renal trauma during the study period. The primary outcome was death within 30 days following trauma. The multivariate logistic regression model with a stepwise backward elimination was used to identify predictive factors of 30DM. RESULTS: Data on 1,799 renal trauma were recorded over the 10-year period. There were 59 deaths within 30 days of renal trauma, conferring a 30DM rate of 3.27%. Renal trauma was directly involved in 5 deaths (8.5% of all deaths, 0.3% of all renal trauma). Multivariate stepwise logistic regression analysis revealed that age >40 years (odds ratio [OR] 2.18; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.20-3.99; p = 0.01), hemodynamic instability (OR 4.67; 95% CI: 2.49-9; p < 0.001), anemia (OR 3.89; 95% CI: 1.94-8.37; p < 0.001), bilateral renal trauma (OR 6.77; 95% CI: 2.83-15.61; p < 0.001), arterial contrast extravasation (OR 2.09; 95% CI: 1.09-3.96; p = 0.02), and concomitant visceral and bone injuries (OR 6.57; 95% CI: 2.41-23.14; p < 0.001) were independent predictors of 30DM. CONCLUSION: Our large multi-institutional study supports that the 30DM of 3.27% after renal trauma is due to the high degree of associated injuries and was rarely a consequence of renal trauma alone. Age >40 years, hemodynamic instability, anemia, bilateral renal trauma, arterial contrast extravasation, and concomitant visceral and bone lesions were predictors of death. These results can help clinicians to identify high-risk patients.

Impact of Hospital Volume on the Outcomes of Renal Trauma Management.

BACKGROUND: Some health care systems have set up referral trauma centers to centralize expertise to improve trauma management. There is scant and controversial evidence regarding the impact of provider's volume on the outcomes of trauma management. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the impact of hospital volume on the outcomes of renal trauma management in a European health care system. DESIGN SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: A retrospective multicenter study, including all patients admitted for renal trauma in 17 French hospitals between 2005 and 2015, was conducted. INTERVENTION: Nephrectomy, angioembolization, or nonoperative management. OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS AND STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: Four quartiles according to the caseload per year: low volume (eight or fewer per year), moderate volume (nine to 13 per year), high volume (14-25/yr), and very high volume (≥26/yr). The primary endpoint was failure of nonoperative management defined as any interventional radiology or surgical procedure needed within the first 30 d after admission. RESULTS AND LIMITATIONS: Of 1771 patients with renal trauma, 1704 were included. Nonoperative management was more prevalent in the very-high- and low-volume centers (p = 0.02). In a univariate analysis, very high hospital volume was associated with a lower risk of nonoperative management failure than low (odds ratio [OR] = 0.54; p = 0.05) and moderate (OR = 0.48; p = 0.02) hospital volume. There were fewer nephrectomies in the high- and very-high-volume groups (p = 0.003). In a multivariate analysis, very high volume remained associated with a lower risk of nonoperative management failure than low (OR = 0.48; p = 0.04) and moderate (OR = 0.42; p = 0.01) volume. Study limitations include all the shortcomings inherent to its retrospective multicenter design. CONCLUSIONS: In this multicenter study, management of renal trauma varied according to hospital volume. There were lower rates of nephrectomy and failure of nonoperative management in very-high-volume centers. These results raise the question of centralizing the management of renal trauma, which is currently not the case in our health care system. PATIENT SUMMARY: In this study, management of renal trauma varied according to hospital volume. Very-high-volume centers had lower rates of nephrectomy and failure of nonoperative management.

Factors Predictive of Selective Angioembolization Failure for Moderate- to High-grade Renal Trauma: A French Multi-institutional Study.

BACKGROUND: Angiography with selective angioembolization (SAE) is safe and effective in addressing bleeding in patients with renal trauma. However, there are no validated criteria to predict SAE efficacy. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate factors predictive of SAE failure after moderate- to high-grade renal trauma. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: TRAUMAFUF was a retrospective multi-institutional study including all patients who underwent upfront SAE for renal trauma in 17 French hospitals between 2005 and 2015. OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS AND STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: The primary outcome was SAE efficacy, defined as the absence of repeat SAE, salvage nephrectomy, and/or death for each patient. RESULTS AND LIMITATIONS: Out of 1770 consecutive patients with renal trauma, 170 (9.6%) with moderate- to high-grade renal trauma underwent SAE. Overall upfront SAE was successful in 131 patients (77%) and failed in 39 patients: six patients died after the embolization, ten underwent repeat SAE, 22 underwent open nephrectomy, and one underwent open surgical exploration. In multivariate logistic regression analysis, gross hematuria (odds ratio [OR] 3.16, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.29-8.49; p=0.015), hemodynamic instability (OR 3.29, 95% CI 1.37-8.22; p=0.009), grade V trauma (OR 2.86, 95% CI 1.06-7.72; p=0.036), and urinary extravasation (OR 3.49, 95% CI 1.42-8.83; p=0.007) were predictors of SAE failure. The success rate was 64.7% (22/34) for patients with grade V trauma and 59.6% (31/52) for those with hemodynamic instability. The study was limited by its retrospective design and the lack of a control group managed with either surgery or surveillance. CONCLUSIONS: We found that gross hematuria, hemodynamic instability, grade V trauma, and urinary extravasation were significant predictors of SAE failure. However, success rates in these subgroups remained relatively high, suggesting that SAE might be appropriate for those patients as well. PATIENT SUMMARY: Selective angioembolization (SAE) is a useful alternative to nephrectomy to address bleeding in patients with renal trauma. Currently, there are no validated criteria to predict SAE efficacy. We found that gross hematuria, hemodynamic instability, grade V trauma, and urinary extravasation were significant predictors of SAE failure.

Lexical-semantic processing costs are not inherent to intra-sentential code-switching: The role of switching habits.

A bank of past electrophysiological research suggests that code-switching (i.e., the use of multiple languages during a single conversational event) is characterized by increased processing costs. However, the majority of these studies tested bilinguals who did not necessarily code-switch on a regular basis. In order to investigate the impact of switching habits on language processing, two groups of French-English bilinguals (habitual code-switchers and non-habitual code-switchers) read sentences containing unilingual and switched determiner phrases while their EEG was recorded. The findings indicate important processing differences between the groups. Notably, switched trials (particularly those with a French determiner) generated an increased negativity from 300 to 500 ms for non-habitual code-switchers, but not for habitual code-switchers. The veritable impact of switching habits were also supported by a correlation analysis. This finding suggests that code-switching is not inherently effortful to process, but rather, that comprehension costs are related to idiosyncratic factors, such as the extent of prior exposure to code-switched input. An LPC was also observed from 500 to 900 for habitual code-switchers; for non-habitual switchers, this effect may have been attenuated by the long-lasting N400 effect. We advance several possible interpretations for the late positivity. Altogether, the results from the current study support the claim that the code-switching cost observed in previous literature may be linked to the bilingual samples tested in those studies: habitual code-switchers may not find switches effortful to process, but not all bilinguals code-switch. We highlight the importance of experience and individual differences in the study of bilingual cognition.

Capturing the multi-determined nature of idiom processing using ERPs.

The multi-determined model (Titone & Libben, The Mental Lexicon, 2014, 9, 473) suggests that processing of idioms depends on multiple linguistic factors (e.g., familiarity, literal plausibility, decomposability). According to this model, these sources of information modulate the comprehension of idioms at different time courses. In the current study, we investigated whether these linguistics factors modulate the neurophysiological underpinnings associated with processing of different types of idioms. Adult native speakers of English read sentences that contained idioms with high and low level of familiarity and literal plausibility while their electroencephalography (EEG) was recorded. Event-related potentials data showed that idioms with low level of familiarity elicited larger negativity starting from 300 ms post stimulus onset and lasted for about 200 ms. A similar negativity, but which started later (at around 400 ms post stimulus onset) was also observed for idioms with a low level of literal plausibility. These results are consistent with the multi-determined model of idiom processing indicating the role of these linguistics factors over different time courses. Finally, the observed negativity for low familiar and low literally plausible idioms was greater over the right hemisphere. Accordingly, the possible role of the right hemisphere in processing idioms will be discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Observation vs. early drainage for grade IV blunt renal trauma: a multicenter study.

INTRODUCTION: The aim of this study was to compare observation and early drainage by ureteral stenting in patients with blunt renal trauma and urinary extravasation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective national multicenter study was performed including all patients admitted for renal trauma at 17 hospitals between 2005 and 2015. Patients presenting with a urinary extravasation on initial imaging were considered for inclusion. Patients were divided in two groups according to the initial approach: observation vs. early drainage by ureteral stent (within 48 h after admission). The primary endpoint was the persistence of urinary extravasation on follow-up imaging. RESULTS: Out of 1799 patients with renal trauma, 238 were included in the analysis (57 in the early drainage and 181 in the observation group). In the early drainage group, 29 patients had persistent urinary extravasation vs. 77 in the observation group (50.9% vs. 42.5%; p value = 0.27). The rates of secondary upper urinary tract drainage did not differ significantly between the early drainage group (26.4%) and the observation group (16%) (p = 0.14). There were no statistically significant differences between the two groups in terms of secondary nephrectomy (0% vs. 2.8%; p = 0.34), and death from trauma (0% vs. 1.8%; p = 0.99). In multivariate analysis, early drainage remained not statistically associated with persistence of urinary extravasation on follow-up imaging (OR = 1.35; p = 0.36) CONCLUSION: In this multicenter cohort, observation was not different from early drainage in terms of persistent urinary extravasation after grade IV blunt renal trauma. Further randomized controlled prospective trials are needed to confirm these findings.

Examining Bilingual Language Control Using the Stroop Task.

The Stroop task in its many variations has been used in fields such as psychology, linguistics, and neuroscience to examine questions regarding the automaticity of reading, language processing, and cognitive control, among others. When looking at bilingual individuals, this task can be used to obtain measures of language interference and control in both a bilingual's first language (L1) and second language (L2), as well as for testing the bilingual advantage hypothesis. The Stroop task presents participants with color terms written in congruent colors (e.g., the word RED written in red font), incongruent colors (e.g., the word RED written in green font), in addition to noncolor terms for control (e.g., the word TREE presented in any color), and uses the reaction times from the different conditions to assess the degree of interference and facilitation. In the covert version of the Stroop bilingual task (i.e., participants respond by pressing a button rather than naming aloud), stimuli in the L1 and the L2 are typically presented in separate blocks. While this allows for a simple, yet effective assessment of processing and cognitive control in each language, it fails to capture any potential differences in processing and control within bilingual young adult groups. The present task combines single-language blocks with a novel mixed-language block to increase the level of difficulty of the task, thus making it suitable for testing cognitive control in young adults. Representative results showing differences between performance in the single-language vs. mixed-language blocks are presented, and the benefits of a mixed-language block are discussed.

Early discharge in selected patients with low-grade renal trauma.

INTRODUCTION: The aim of this study was to assess whether early discharge could be non-inferior to inpatient management in selected patients with low-grade renal trauma (AAST grades 1-3). MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective national multicenter study was conducted including all patients who presented with renal trauma at 17 hospitals between 2005 and 2015. Exclusion criteria were iatrogenic and AAST grades 4 and 5 trauma, non-conservative initial management, Hb < 10 g/dl or transfusion within the first 24 h, and patients with concomitant injuries. Patients were divided into two groups according to the length of hospital stay: ≤ 48 h (early discharge), and > 48 h (inpatient). The primary outcome was "Intervention" defined as any interventional procedure needed within the first 30 days. A Stabilized Inverse Probability of Treatment Weighting (SIPTW) propensity score based binary response model was used to estimate risk difference. RESULTS: Out of 1764 patients with renal trauma, 311 were included in the analysis (44 in the early discharge and 267 in the inpatient group). In the early discharge group, only one patient required an intervention within the first 30 days vs. 10 in the inpatient group (3.7% vs. 5.2%; p = 0.99). Adjusted analysis using SIPTW propensity score showed a risk difference of - 2.8% [- 9.3% to + 3.7%] of "interventions" between the two groups meeting the non-inferiority criteria. CONCLUSION: In a highly selected cohort, early discharge management of low-grade renal trauma was not associated with an increased risk of early "intervention" compared to inpatient management. Further prospective randomized controlled trials are needed to confirm these findings.

Reviewing the bilingual cognitive control literature: Can a brain-based approach resolve the debate?

The prevalence of bilingualism has prompted considerable interest in the effects of speaking 2 languages on the mind and brain, and although it is now well-established that both languages are simultaneously active in the bilingual mind, whether this has any effect on general cognition remains a matter of intense debate. In this review, we examine some of the theoretical underpinnings and hypotheses of bilingual benefits, as well as experimental evidence in favor of and against the bilingual advantage claim. Given the complicated results of behavioral studies, we support a more holistic, brain-based approach to exploring the effects of bilingualism on cognitive control, and review 2 recent theories that outline neurobiological mechanisms by which the ability to control 2 languages affects general cognitive processes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

Individual Comparison of Cholesterol Metabolism in Normal and Tumour Areas in Radical Prostatectomy Specimens from Patients with Prostate Cancer: Results of the CHOMECAP Study.

BACKGROUND: Deregulation of cholesterol metabolism represents a hallmark of prostate cancer (PCa) and promotes its development. OBJECTIVE: To compare cholesterol metabolism on individual paired normal and tumour prostate tissues obtained from patients with PCa. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: Between 2008 and 2012, normal and tumour paired tissue samples were collected from radical prostatectomy specimens from a cohort of 69 patients treated for localised PCa. OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS AND STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: Tumour and normal tissues were subjected to gene analysis, sterol measurement, and immunohistochemistry. The Wilcoxon paired test and Spearman test were applied for comparison and correlation analyses, respectively. Principal component analysis was also carried out to investigate relationships between quantitative variables. RESULTS AND LIMITATIONS: Overall, cholesterol concentrations were not significantly different between tissue pairs. However, tumour samples were significantly associated with downregulated de novo cholesterol synthesis, but exhibited 54.7% overexpression of SCARB1 that could increase high-density lipoprotein uptake in PCa. Tumour tissues showed different trafficking of available cholesterol, with significantly lower ACAT1, and an altered efflux via APOE. Furthermore, cholesterol metabolism in tumour tissues was characterised by higher accumulation of 7α-hydroxycholesterol (OHC), 7ßOHC, and 7-ketosterol, and a lower level of 27OHC. CONCLUSIONS: Focusing on individually paired prostate tissues, our results highlighted several differences between normal and tumour samples linked to a metabolic shift in cholesterol flux. PCa samples exhibited a specific tissue signature characterised by higher SCARB1 expression, higher accumulation of OHC species, and clear downregulation of de novo cholesterol synthesis. PATIENT SUMMARY: Comparing normal and tumour tissues from the same prostates, our study identified a set of alterations in prostate cancer samples in terms of their use of cholesterol. These included higher cholesterol uptake, accumulation of oxidised cholesterol derivatives, and autonomous cellular production of cholesterol. Together, these data provide promising clinical targets to fight prostate cancer.

The sentence wrap-up dogma.

Current sentence processing research has focused on early effects of the on-line incremental processes that are performed at each word or constituent during processing. However, less attention has been devoted to what happens at the end of the clause or sentence. More specifically, over the last decade and a half, a lot of effort has been put into avoiding measuring event-related brain potentials (ERPs) at the final word of a sentence, because of the possible effects of sentence wrap-up. This article reviews the evidence on how and when sentence wrap-up impacts behavioral and ERP results. Even though the end of the sentence is associated with a positive-going ERP wave, thus far this effect has not been associated with any factors hypothesized to affect wrap-up. In addition, ERP responses to violations have not been affected by this positivity. "Sentence-final" negativities reported in the literature are not unique to sentence final positions, nor do they obscure or distort ERP effects associated with linguistic manipulations. Finally, the empirical evidence used to argue that sentence-final ERPs are different from those recorded at sentence-medial positions is weak at most. Measuring ERPs at sentence-final positions is therefore certainly not to be avoided at all costs, especially not in cases where the structure of the language under investigation requires it. More importantly, researchers should follow rigorous method in their experimental design, avoid decision tasks which may induce ERP confounds, and ensure all other possible explanations for results are considered. Although this article is directed at a particular dogma from a particular literature, this review shows that it is important to reassess what is regarded as "general knowledge" from time to time.

Comparing behavioral discrimination and learning abilities in monolinguals, bilinguals and multilinguals.

The aim of the experiment was to determine whether language learning experience contributes to the development of enhanced speech perception abilities. Monolinguals, bilinguals and multilinguals were compared in their ability to discriminate a non-native contrast behaviorally using an AX task. The experiment was based on a "pre-test-training-post-test" design and performance was tested before and after receiving training on the voiceless aspirated dental/retroflex stop contrast. At post-test, participants were also tested on their ability to transfer training to a similar contrast (i.e., voiceless unaspirated dental/retroflex stop contrast). While no group differences were found at pre-test, analyses of the trained-on contrast at post-test revealed that multilinguals were more accurate than monolinguals and that both the multilingual and bilingual groups were more accurate than a control group that received no training. The results of the experiment not only suggest that multilinguals and bilinguals have enhanced speech perception abilities compared to monolinguals, but they also indicate that bi-/multilingualism helps develop superior learning abilities. This provides support for the idea that learning more than one language has positive effects on the cognitive development of an individual (e.g., Bialystok et al., 2004).

Memory effects in syntactic ERP tasks.

The study presented here investigated the role of memory in normal sentence processing by looking at ERP effects to normal sentences and sentences containing grammatical violations. Sentences where the critical word was in the middle of the sentence were compared to sentences where the critical word always occurred in sentence-final position. Grammaticality judgments were required at the end of the sentence. While the violations in both conditions result in the expected increase in the P600 component (reflecting the fact that the syntactic violation is being processed), the sentences with the sentence-medial critical word also result in a late frontal negativity effect. It is hypothesized that this effect is due to greater memory requirements that are needed to keep the violation in mind until a response can be made at the end of the sentence. The maintenance of the decision that a sentence is ungrammatical must be kept in memory longer for sentence-medial violations as opposed to when the violation occurs at the end of the sentence (immediately preceding the moment at which the judgment can be made).