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Faces and words are both associated and dissociated as evidenced by visual problems in dyslexia
(2021-11-26) Sigurðardóttir, Heiða María; Arnardóttir, Alexandra; Halldórsdóttir, Eydís Þuríður; Faculty of Psychology
Faces and words are traditionally assumed to be independently processed. Dyslexia is also traditionally thought to be a non-visual deficit. Counter to both ideas, face perception deficits in dyslexia have been reported. Others report no such deficits. We sought to resolve this discrepancy. 60 adults participated in the study (24 dyslexic, 36 typical readers). Feature-based processing and configural or global form processing of faces was measured with a face matching task. Opposite laterality effects in these tasks, dependent on left–right orientation of faces, supported that they tapped into separable visual mechanisms. Dyslexic readers tended to be poorer than typical readers at feature-based face matching while no differences were found for global form face matching. We conclude that word and face perception are associated when the latter requires the processing of visual features of a face, while processing the global form of faces apparently shares minimal—if any—resources with visual word processing. The current results indicate that visual word and face processing are both associated and dissociated—but this depends on what visual mechanisms are task-relevant. We suggest that reading deficits could stem from multiple factors, and that one such factor is a problem with feature-based processing of visual objects.
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Exploring the potential of icelandic seaweeds extracts produced by aqueous pulsed electric fields-assisted extraction for cosmetic applications
(2021-11-25) Castejón, Natalia; Þórarinsdóttir, Kristín Anna; Einarsdóttir, Ragnhildur; Kristbergsson, Kristberg; Marteinsdóttir, Guðrún; Faculty of Food Science and Nutrition; Engineering and Natural Sciences
A growing concern for overall health is driving a global market of natural ingredients not only in the food industry but also in the cosmetic field. In this study, a screening on potential cosmetic applications of aqueous extracts from three Icelandic seaweeds produced by pulsed electric fields (PEF) was performed. Produced extracts by PEF from Ulva lactuca, Alaria esculenta and Palmaria palmata were compared with the traditional hot water extraction in terms of polyphenol, flavonoid and carbohydrate content. Moreover, antioxidant properties and enzymatic inhibitory activities were evaluated by using in vitro assays. PEF exhibited similar results to the traditional method, showing several advantages such as its non-thermal nature and shorter extraction time. Amongst the three Icelandic species, Alaria esculenta showed the highest content of phenolic (mean value 8869.7 µg GAE/g dw) and flavonoid (mean value 12,098.7 µg QE/g dw) compounds, also exhibiting the highest antioxidant capacities. Moreover, Alaria esculenta extracts exhibited excellent anti-enzymatic activities (76.9, 72.8, 93.0 and 100% for collagenase, elastase, tyrosinase and hyaluronidase, respectively) for their use in skin whitening and anti-aging products. Thus, our preliminary study suggests that Icelandic Alaria esculenta-based extracts produced by PEF could be used as potential ingredients for natural cosmetic and cosmeceutical formulations.
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Monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance and COVID-19 : a population-based cohort study
(2021-12-01) Rögnvaldsson, Sæmundur; Eythorsson, Elias; Thorsteinsdottir, Sigrun; Vidarsson, Brynjar; Önundarson, Páll Torfi; Agnarsson, Bjarni Agnar; Sigurdardottir, Margret; Thorsteinsdóttir, Ingunn; Ólafsson, Ísleifur; Runólfsdóttir, Hrafnhildur L.; Helgason, Dadi; Emilsdóttir, Arna Rut; Ágústsson, Arnar Snær; Björnsson, Aron Hjalti; Kristjánsdóttir, Gudrún; Thordardottir, Asdis Rosa; Indridason, Olafur Skuli; Jónsson, Ásbjörn; Gislason, Gauti Kjartan; Olafsson, Andri; Steingrímsdóttir, Hlíf; Kampanis, Petros; Hultcrantz, Malin; Durie, Brian G.M.; Harding, Stephen; Landgren, Ola; Palsson, Runolfur; Love, Thorvarður Jon; Kristinsson, Sigurdur Yngvi; Faculty of Medicine; Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery
Multiple myeloma (MM) patients have increased risk of severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) when infected by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS), the precursor of MM has been associated with immune dysfunction which may lead to severe COVID-19. No systematic data have been published on COVID-19 in individuals with MGUS. We conducted a large population-based cohort study evaluating the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection and severe COVID-19 among individuals with MGUS. We included 75,422 Icelanders born before 1976, who had been screened for MGUS in the Iceland Screens Treats or Prevents Multiple Myeloma study (iStopMM). Data on SARS-CoV-2 testing and COVID-19 severity were acquired from the Icelandic COVID-19 Study Group. Using a test-negative study design, we included 32,047 iStopMM participants who had been tested for SARS-CoV-2, of whom 1754 had MGUS. Among these participants, 1100 participants, tested positive, 65 of whom had MGUS. Severe COVID-19 developed in 230 participants, including 16 with MGUS. MGUS was not associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection (Odds ratio (OR): 1.05; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.81–1.36; p = 0.72) or severe COVID-19 (OR: 0.99; 95%CI: 0.52–1.91; p = 0.99). These findings indicate that MGUS does not affect the susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 or the severity of COVID-19.
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Comorbidities in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Across the Lifespan : A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
(2021-11-11) Sharma, Eesha; Sharma, Lavanya P.; Balachander, Srinivas; Lin, Boyee; Manohar, Harshini; Khanna, Puneet; Lu, Cynthia; Garg, Kabir; Thomas, Tony Lazar; Au, Anthony Chun Lam; Selles, Robert R.; Højgaard, Davíð R.M.A.; Skarphéðinsson, Gudmundur Ágúst; Stewart, S. Evelyn; Faculty of Psychology
Comorbidities are seen with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) across the lifespan. Neurodevelopmental comorbidities are common in young children, followed by mood, anxiety, and obsessive-compulsive related disorders (OCRDs) in children, adolescents and adults, and neurological and degenerative disorders in the elderly. Understanding comorbidity prevalence and patterns has clinical and research implications. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis on comorbidities in OCD across the lifespan, with the objective to, first, estimate age-wise pattern and prevalence of comorbidities with OCD and, second, to examine associations of demographic (age at assessment, gender distribution) and clinical characteristics (age of onset, illness severity) with comorbidities. Four electronic databases (PubMed, EMBASE, SCOPUS, and PsycINFO) were searched using predefined search terms for articles published between 1979 and 2020. Eligible studies, across age, reported original findings on comorbidities and had an OCD sample size of ≥100. We excluded studies that did not use standardised diagnostic assessments, or that excluded patients on the basis of comorbidity. We adhered to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. The review protocol has been registered on the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews. A comorbidity rate of 69% was found in a pooled sample of more than 15,000 individuals. Mood disorders (major depressive disorder), anxiety disorders (generalised anxiety disorder), neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) and OCRDs were the commonest comorbidities. Anxiety disorders prevailed in children, mood disorders in adults, whereas NDDs were similarly prevalent. Higher comorbidity with any psychiatric illness, NDDs, and severe mental disorders was seen in males, vs. females. Illness severity was inversely associated with rates for panic disorder, tic disorders, OCRDs, obsessive compulsive personality disorder, and anorexia nervosa. This systematic review and meta-analysis provides base rates for comorbidities in OCD across the lifespan. This has implications for comprehensive clinical evaluation and management planning. The high variability in comorbidity rates suggests the need for quality, multi-centric, large studies, using prospective designs. Systematic Review Registration: Unique Identifier: CRD42020215904.
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Children’s english consonant acquisition in the united states : A review
(2020-11) Crowe, Kathryn; McLeod, Sharynne; Faculty of Medicine
Purpose: Speech-language pathologists’ clinical decision making and consideration of eligibility for services rely on quality evidence, including information about consonant acquisition (developmental norms). The purpose of this review article is to describe the typical age and pattern of acquisition of English consonants by children in the United States. Method: Data were identified from published journal articles and assessments reporting English consonant acquisition by typically developing children living in the United States. Sources were identified through searching 11 electronic databases, review articles, the Buros database, and contacting experts. Data describing studies, participants, methodology, and age of consonant acquisition were extracted. Results: Fifteen studies (six articles and nine assessments) were included, reporting consonant acquisition of 18,907 children acquiring English in the United States. These crosssectional studies primarily used single-word elicitation. Most consonants were acquired by 5;0 (years;months). The consonants /b, n, m, p, h, w, d/ were acquired by 2;0–2;11; /ɡ, k,f,t,ŋ, j/ were acquired by 3;0–3;11; /v, ʤ, s,ʧ, l,ʃ, z/ were acquired by 4;0–4;11; /ɹ, ð,ʒ/ were acquired by 5;0– 5;11; and /θ/ was acquired by 6;0–6;11 (ordered by mean age of acquisition, 90% criterion). Variation was evident across studies resulting from different assessments, criteria, and cohorts of children. Conclusions: These findings echo the cross-linguistic findings of McLeod and Crowe (2018) across 27 languages that children had acquired most consonants by 5;0. On average, all plosives, nasals, and glides were acquired by 3;11; all affricates were acquired by 4;11; all liquids were acquired by 5;11; and all fricatives were acquired by 6;11 (90% criterion). As speech-language pathologists apply this information to clinical decision making and eligibility decisions, synthesis of knowledge from multiple sources is recommended.