Atypical sensory responsivity is widely reported in autistic individuals and is related to elevated functional difficulties. Dynamically, altered initial responses and/or habituation rates could underlie their atypical averaged responses to repeated sensory stimuli. In this study we aimed to measure the arousal level in response to different types of auditory stimuli and the dynamic change of atypical arousal level using pupillometry in autistic children. In Experiment 1, 43 autistic children and 49 neurotypical (NT) children were asked to passively listen to a mild sound and an aversive sound repeatedly. In Experiment 2, 39 autistic children and 44 NT children who went through Experiment 1 listened to a gradually emerging non-startling sound and a suddenly emerging startling sound in a random order. We found that the autistic group showed hyper-arousal in response to the aversive sound and the startling sound as reflected by their larger change in pupil area. In comparison, these autistic children demonstrated normal arousal in response to the mild sound and the non-startling sound. Dynamically, the autistic group had a larger peak pupil area change than the NT group in the first trial and a normal habituation rate to the aversive sound. In summary, our results suggest hyper-arousal to aversive and startling stimuli and the role of larger initial responses in hyper-arousal in autism. Minimizing aversive and startling sensory stimuli or gradually increasing the volume of aversive auditory stimuli to allow autistic children to adapt using the principle of habituation is recommended to reduce the arousal level and problematic behaviors of autistic children.
Humans ; Male ; Child ; Female ; Acoustic Stimulation ; Autistic Disorder/physiopathology* ; Arousal/physiology* ; Pupil/physiology* ; Habituation, Psychophysiologic/physiology* ; Auditory Perception ; Child, Preschool

Objective To investigate the effect of bear bile powder(BBP)and ursodeoxycholic acid(UDCA)on preneoplastic lesions of hepatocarcinoma,using short-term carcinogenesis bioassay models.Methods Forty 6-week-old male SD rats were divided randomly into control,diethylnitrosamine(DEN),DEN+BBP(200 mg/kg),and DEN+UDCA(30 mg/kg)groups.All rats,except for the control group,were injected intraperitoneally with 100 mg/kg DEN once a week for 3 weeks.Rats in the DEN+BBP and DEN+UDCA groups also received oral BBP 200 mg/kg or UDCA 30 mg/kg suspended solution,respectively,daily from the beginning to the end of the experiment.Results There were no significant differences in body or liver weights between the DEN,DEN+BBP,and DEN+UDCA groups.DEN treatment increased the accumulation of malondialdehyde(MDA),decreased superoxide dismutase(SOD),and reduced glutathione(GSH)activities in liver tissue,while UDCA enhanced SOD and GSH activities and decreased MDA accumulation in liver tissue.In contrast,BBP exerted these antioxidant effects in serum.The number and area of glutathione S-transferase placental(GST-P)type-positive lesions and the Ki-67-positive cell ratio were significantly lower in the DEN+BBP and DEN+UDCA groups than in the DEN group,especially in the DEN+UDCA group.UDCA significantly increased Caspase-9 mRNA expression compared with the model group.Conclusions BBP and UDCA have significant inhibitory effects on preneoplastic lesions of hepatocarcinoma induced by DEN,and both have antioxidant effects on DEN-induced oxidative stress.The antioxidant mechanisms of BBP and UDCA differ,however,and further research is needed to determine the roles of the antioxidant effects in their anticancer mechanisms.

Objective To investigate the effect of bear bile powder(BBP)and ursodeoxycholic acid(UDCA)on preneoplastic lesions of hepatocarcinoma,using short-term carcinogenesis bioassay models.Methods Forty 6-week-old male SD rats were divided randomly into control,diethylnitrosamine(DEN),DEN+BBP(200 mg/kg),and DEN+UDCA(30 mg/kg)groups.All rats,except for the control group,were injected intraperitoneally with 100 mg/kg DEN once a week for 3 weeks.Rats in the DEN+BBP and DEN+UDCA groups also received oral BBP 200 mg/kg or UDCA 30 mg/kg suspended solution,respectively,daily from the beginning to the end of the experiment.Results There were no significant differences in body or liver weights between the DEN,DEN+BBP,and DEN+UDCA groups.DEN treatment increased the accumulation of malondialdehyde(MDA),decreased superoxide dismutase(SOD),and reduced glutathione(GSH)activities in liver tissue,while UDCA enhanced SOD and GSH activities and decreased MDA accumulation in liver tissue.In contrast,BBP exerted these antioxidant effects in serum.The number and area of glutathione S-transferase placental(GST-P)type-positive lesions and the Ki-67-positive cell ratio were significantly lower in the DEN+BBP and DEN+UDCA groups than in the DEN group,especially in the DEN+UDCA group.UDCA significantly increased Caspase-9 mRNA expression compared with the model group.Conclusions BBP and UDCA have significant inhibitory effects on preneoplastic lesions of hepatocarcinoma induced by DEN,and both have antioxidant effects on DEN-induced oxidative stress.The antioxidant mechanisms of BBP and UDCA differ,however,and further research is needed to determine the roles of the antioxidant effects in their anticancer mechanisms.

Objective To compare left ventricular (LV)synchronization of direct His-bundle pacing (DHBP)and right ventricular apical pacing (RVAP)with two-dimensional speckle tracking imaging (2D-STI)and tissue Doppler imaging (TDI),and discuss the diagnostic value of 2D-STI and TDI in evaluation of left ventricular systolic synchronicity.Methods Twenty-four patients implanted with DHBP and RVAP were observed.Conventional echocardiography examination were undergone both at the mode of DHBP or RVAP respectively.The time to peak radial strain of LV 1 8 segments were derived from the parasternal short-axis views by 2D-STI,then calculated the standard deviations (SD ) and the maximal temporal difference of LV 1 8 segments (Trs-SD and Trs-Dif),and the interval of time to peak radial strain between the anteroseptal wall and the posterior wall (Tas-post).The time to peak systolic velocity of LV 12 segments were derived from the apical axis views by TDI.The SD and the maximal temporal difference of 1 2 segments (Ts-SD and Ts-Dif)were calculated as the LV dyssynchrony index.Results All the systolic synchrony parameters derived from 2D-STI and TDI were more significantly shortened in DHBP than in RVAP (all P <0.01).For DHBP,the detection rate of LV synchronization was higher by 2D-STI than by TDI.For RVAP the detection rate of LV dyssynchronization was also higher by 2D-STI than by TDI with RVAP lead (all P <0.05).Conclusions DHBP is more beneficial than RVAP in LV syschronization and LV function,RVAP may induce left ventricular systolic asynchrony.Both 2D-STI and TDI can assess the LV synchronization quantitatively,but 2D-STI may be more superior on the detection rate than TDI.