Word reading skills in autism spectrum disorder: A systematic review.

A growing body of research suggests that children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are at risk of reading and learning difficulties. However, there is mixed evidence on their weaknesses in different reading components, and little is known about how reading skills characterize in ASD. Thereby, the current study aimed to systematically review the research investigating this function in children with ASD. To this purpose, we reviewed 24 studies that compared (1) children with ASD and children with typical development (TD) in word and nonword reading performance, (2) children with ASD and normative data of word and nonword reading tests, and (3) the results obtained by children with ASD in word and nonword reading tests. Most of the comparisons (62%) contrasting the reading performance of children with ASD and children with TD did not find significant differences between groups in both word and nonword reading. However, all the comparisons that reported standardized results showed that children with ASD had scores that fell within population norms. Regarding the third comparison of interest, about 54% of the studies presented data for both word and nonword reading, but only one study tested the difference between them and showed that children with ASD had higher levels of word than of nonword reading. Despite these results, the heterogeneous and small samples do not allow to draw sound conclusions regarding the strategies that children with ASD use to read words. As consequence, the nature of reading difficulties presented by children with ASD are still unknown, requiring future research conducted with larger and well-characterized samples of ASD and TD, using homogeneous specific tasks designed to assess word reading strategies.

Chemical Composition of the "Galo de Barcelos" (Barcelos Rooster Raw Meat).

Ten roosters produced according to "Barcelos Confraria" rules and ten roosters of autochthonous "Amarela" breed, reared on a similar traditional production system, were analyzed, and the chemical profile of two of the most significant meat portions, breast and drumstick, was determined. The results demonstrated that the "Barcelos" rooster raw meat is rich in proteins (22.3%) and fat (4.31%), particularly in monounsaturated fatty acids (39.1%). Significant differences (p ≤ 0.01) were observed, with the breast having a higher protein content (25.1 vs. 19.7%) and less fat (1.9% vs. 6.7%), compared to the drumstick. The fatty acid profile revealed (SFA 30.0%, MUFA 39.1%, and PUFA 24.6%) a similar composition to the roosters reared in the traditional or organic production systems, such as the "Amarela" autochthonous rooster. The "Barcelos" rooster can be regarded as a highly nutritional meat, with an interesting chemical profile ensuring a high-quality traditional product to consumers.

The relationship between developmental language disorder and dyslexia in European Portuguese school-aged children.

Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) [Also referred to as Specific Language Impairment (SLI)] and dyslexia are neurodevelopmental disorders which show similar behavioral manifestations. In this study, between-group comparisons and frequency analysis were combined to investigate the relationship between DLD and dyslexia. European Portuguese children aged 7-10 years, with DLD (N = 7) or dyslexia (N = 11) were recruited and compared to age-matched typically developing (TD) children (N = 21) on phonological processing, language andf literacy measures. The between-group comparison revealed that for phonological processing, the clinical groups scored significantly below TD children on most tasks, yet the DLD group performed similarly to TD children for RAN speed and digit span. The clinical groups did not statistically differ in their phonological processing abilities. For language abilities, children with dyslexia did not differ from TD children, whilst children with DLD performed significantly below TD children on all measures and significantly below children with dyslexia for vocabulary. Finally, for literacy measures, there were no statistical differences between clinical groups which underperformed on all measures when compared to TD children. The frequency analysis showed that children with DLD exhibited a lower prevalence of RAN difficulties when compared to children with dyslexia, whilst children with DLD tended to show more frequent nonword repetition and phoneme deletion deficits. Additionally, whilst children with DLD consistently showed more prevalent language impairments, both clinical groups demonstrated similar prevalence rates of literacy deficits compared to TD children.These findings lend support to the additional deficit model as children with DLD show more severe and prevalent language impairments than those with dyslexia, despite similar phonological and literacy difficulties.

Influence of the AT1 Receptor Antagonists Telmisartan and Losartan on Reproduction and Offspring After Paternal Exposure to Ionizing Radiation.

This study evaluated the repercussions of paternal exposure to radiation on reproduction and offspring in rats, as well as whether treatment with the angiotensin II type 1 (AT1) receptor antagonists telmisartan and losartan has a mitigating effect. Rats were randomly divided into 6 groups: control, radiation, telmisartan, losartan, radiation + telmisartan, and radiation + losartan. A single 5 Gy dose of radiation was administered directly into the scrotum, followed by treatment with telmisartan (12 mg/kg/d) or losartan (34 mg/kg/2 times per day) for 60 days in the groups receiving these medications. The reproductive ability of the test animals was assessed before and after exposure to radiation via fertility tests. The resulting offspring were analyzed for the presence of external and internal anomalies. Ionizing radiation significantly affected the rates of fertility, pre- and postimplantation losses, and implantation. Telmisartan and losartan did not significantly prevent this radiation-induced damage. The frequency of fetal anomalies was similar in offspring produced before and after paternal radiation exposure. Moreover, irradiated rats that received treatments and were able to generate offspring did not produce fetuses with morphological changes; this may represent a possible radioprotective effect AT1 antagonists have on offspring development, although few fetuses survived and were evaluated for malformations. Although the study findings indicate that these medications have a positive effect, further studies with longer treatment periods (extending beyond 1 rat spermatogenic cycle) are needed to determine whether these drugs significantly improve reproductive rates after paternal exposure to radiation, which may also reflect an increase in the number of viable fetuses.

Relação entre os níveis de escrita, consciência fonológica e conhecimento de letras / Relationship between spelling levels, phonological awareness, and letter knowledge

Resumo Este estudo teve como objetivo investigar a relação entre nível de escrita, consciência fonológica e conhecimento de letras. Participaram 60 crianças do 1º ano do ensino fundamental com média de idade de 6,09 anos, as quais foram submetidas a testes de conhecimento de letras, consciência fonológica e escrita inventada no início e no final do ano escolar e ao Teste Matrizes Progressivas Coloridas de Raven, aplicado apenas no início do ano. Verificaram-se correlações significativas entre consciência fonológica, conhecimento de letras e nível de escrita. A maioria das crianças evoluiu ao longo do ano nos desempenhos observados. Significativamente, aquelas que apresentaram melhor domínio da consciência fonológica e conhecimento do nome das letras desde o início do ano, evoluíram mais na escrita ao final do ano. Nesse sentido, a instrução da consciência fonológica associada ao conhecimento de letras deve ser realizada ainda na pré-escola, a fim de garantir uma boa aprendizagem ulterior em escrita.

Abstract This study aimed to investigate the relationship between spelling levels, phonological awareness, and letter knowledge. Sixty first grade children, mean age 6.09 years, participated in the study. They underwent letter-knowledge, phonological awareness, and spelling tests at the beginning and end of the school year. The Raven's Progressive Matrices test was applied only at the beginning of the school year. Results showed significant correlations between phonological awareness, letter knowledge, and spelling level. Most children progressed remarkably throughout the year. However, those who had better phonological awareness skills and letter-name knowledge at the beginning of the school year significantly improved their spelling skills at the end of the year. Therefore, phonological awareness instruction combined with letter-knowledge should be provided in pre-school to ensure the development of good spelling skills in the subsequent school years.

Effect of sprouting and light cycle on antioxidant activity of Brassica oleracea varieties.

The antioxidant activity of sprouts from four Brassica oleracea varieties was evaluated using "in vitro" methods (total phenolic and flavonoid content; radical scavenging assays: DPPH, hydroxyl and peroxyl; and Ferrous Ion-chelating Ability Assay). Light cycles and sprouting influenced the potential antioxidant activity of sprouts and significant differences were observed between varieties. Generally, antioxidant activity decreased with sprouting and increased in the presence of light, whose discriminant effect was highly significant (P<0.001). Red cabbage sprouts produced under light cycles showed the highest antioxidant activity (57.11 µg mL(-1) Ferrous Ion-chelating Ability, 221.46 µg mL(-1) Hydroxyl radical scavenging, 279.02 µg mL(-1) Peroxyl radical scavenging). Among the traditional Portuguese brassica varieties, Penca cabbage sprouts produced under light presented higher antioxidant capacity, and also higher phenolic and flavonoid content (54.04 mg GAEg(-1) d.w. extract and 21.33 QEg(-1) d.w. extract, respectively) than Galega kale. The phenolic content of Brassica sprouts had a significant contribution to the antioxidant capacity.

Incidência de queixas músculo-esqueléticas em profissionais de enfermagem de unidades de terapia intensiva de Anápolis - Goiás - Brasil / Incidence of muscle-skeletals complaints in professionals of nursing of units of intensive therapy of Anápolis - Goiás - Brazil

Objetivo: Verificar a incidência de queixas músculoesqueléticas em enfermeiras e técnicas de enfermagem que atuam em Unidades de Terapia Intensiva da Santa Casa de Misericórdia de Anápolis. Material e Métodos: Trata-se de um estudo epidemiológico e quantitativo de caráter transversal no qual utilizou-se como instrumento de coleta de dados um questionário composto por questões sociodemográficas, acrescido de perguntas quanto à carga horária, à prática de atividade física e relato de algum trauma/lesão fora do campo de trabalho nos últimos 7 dias precedentes à pesquisa. Resultados: Foram distribuídos 10 questionários em cada uma das três UTIs (Neonatal, Pediátrica e Adulto) de forma aleatória, com um total de 30 questionários respondidos e considerados válidos. Dos 60 enfermeiros contratados, 30 participaram da pesquisa, correspondendo a 50% da população. As regiões de maior incidência nos últimos 12 meses foram pescoço nas UTIs Neonatal (90%) e Pediátrica (80%) e costas superior na UTI Adulto (80%). A região do cotovelo foi a única a apresentar-se com 0% de queixas. Conclusão: Os profissionais de enfermagem intensivistas apresentam sintomas de desconfortos ocupacionais semelhantes aos relatados por outros estudos, o que pode estar relacionado à manutenção de posturas inadequadas e atividades repetitivas durante o plantão, tendo como conseqüências danos biomecânicos e na saúde geral do indivíduo.

Objective: To verify the incidence of complaints muscleskeletals in nurses and techniques of nursing that act in Units of Intensive Therapy of the Santa Casa de Misericordia de Anapolis. Methods: Quantitative epidemiologist and of transversal character is about a study in which a composed questionnaire for sociodemographics questions was usedas instrument of collection of data, increased of questions how much to the horaria load, to practical of physical activity and the story of some trauma/injury is of the of work in last the 7 preceding days to the research. Results: 10 questionnaires in each one of the three UITs (Neonatal, Pediatric and Adult) of random form had been distributed, with a total of 30 answered and considered questionnaires valid. Of the 60 contracted nurses, 30 had participated of the research, corresponding 50% of the population. The regions of bigger incidence in last the 12 months had been neck in the UTIs Neonatal (90%) and Pediatric (80%) and coasts superior in the Adult UIT (80%). The region of the elbow wasthe only one to present itself with 0% of complaints. Conclusion: The intensive professionals of nursing present symptoms of similar occupational discomforts to the told ones for other studies, what she can be related to the maintenance of inadequate positions and repetitive activities during the duty, having as consequences biomechanic damages and in the general health of the individual.