Objective We developed demographically-corrected norms for Spanish-speakers from the U.S.-Mexico border regions of California and Arizona on two tests of motor skills - the Grooved Pegboard Test (Pegboard) and Finger Tapping Test (Tapping) - as part of a larger normative effort.Method Participants were native Spanish-speakers from the Neuropsychological Norms for the U.S.-Mexico Border Region in Spanish (NP-NUMBRS) Project (Pegboard N = 254; Tapping N = 183; age 19-60 years; education 0-20 years; 59% women).  https://www.selleckchem.com/products/propionyl-l-carnitine-hydrochloride.html  We examined the association of demographics (age, education and gender) with raw scores. Raw test scores were then converted to demographically-corrected T-scores via fractional polynomial equations. We also examined rates of impairment (T-score  less then  40) based on the current norms and on previously published norms for English-speaking non-Hispanic Whites and Blacks.Results Having more years of education was associated with better raw test score performance on both tests (p  less then  .001), and increased age was associated with worse performance on Pegboard (p  less then  .001). Men outperformed women on Tapping, and older age was associated with lower raw scores in men only on the Tapping non-dominant hand trial (p = .02). The normed T-scores were confirmed to be normally distributed and free from demographic influences, and resulted in expected rates of impairment. Applying existing norms for English-speaking non-Hispanic Whites and Blacks to the raw scores of Spanish-speakers generally yielded lower than expected impairment rates (2-13%), with one exception non-dominant Pegboard, for which non-Hispanic White norms overestimated impairment (23%).Conclusions Present findings underscore the importance of appropriate, population-specific normative data, even for tests of motor ability.A longitudinal study was carried out in Middle atlas, Morocco (locality of Had Oued Ifrane) in a population of 255 dogs from three localities, including two categories of dogs (owned and stray dogs). The dogs were investigated three times over a period ranging from 4 to 8 months between December and August. At each investigation, dogs were treated with arecoline, inducing defecation and allowing feces collection. Dogs were further treated with praziquantel to clear them from Echinococcus granulosus. Microscopic examination of feces was performed to assess the infection status of dogs at each investigation, and positive samples underwent copro-PCR to determine the circulating strain of E. granulosus. A high prevalence of infestation ranging from 23.5% to 38.8% and from 51.3% to 68.5% was, respectively, found in owned and in stray dogs. The PCR results revealed the presence of G1 strain in all positive samples. A logistic regression model was used to determine the incidence of infestation and showed that stray dogs underwent a significantly higher risk of infection (odds ratio = 14; 95% confidence interval 6-30; p  less then  0.001) compared with owned dogs. Only anthelmintic treatment intervals of 2 months efficiently prevented egg shedding in owned and stray dogs. The seasonal effect was also significant, with the highest risk of reinfestation in winter and the lowest risk in summer. This study confirms that stray dogs undergo an increased risk of infestation by E. granulosus and indicate that infective pressure is influenced by season.In this retrospective study, chest CTs of 121 symptomatic patients infected with coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) from four centers in China from January 18, 2020 to February 2, 2020 were reviewed for common CT findings in relationship to the time between symptom onset and the initial CT scan (i.e. early, 0-2 days (36 patients), intermediate 3-5 days (33 patients), late 6-12 days (25 patients)). The hallmarks of COVID-19 infection on imaging were bilateral and peripheral ground-glass and consolidative pulmonary opacities. Notably, 20/36 (56%) of early patients had a normal CT. With a longer time after the onset of symptoms, CT findings were more frequent, including consolidation, bilateral and peripheral disease, greater total lung involvement, linear opacities, "crazy-paving" pattern and the "reverse halo" sign. Bilateral lung involvement was observed in 10/36 early patients (28%), 25/33 intermediate patients (76%), and 22/25 late patients (88%).Aim Siglec-8 is exclusively expressed on mast cells, eosinophils and basophils. Possible association of six siglec-8 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) with susceptibility to allergic asthma in the Azeri population of Iran was investigated in this study. Materials & methods A total of 194 patients and 190 normal subjects were enrolled. PCR single strand conformation polymorphism (PCR-SSCP) was used to determine the genotypes of the studied SNPs. Results The rs36498 showed significant association with allergic asthma (odds ratio [OR] 0.65; p = 0.022) and the T allele was found as a protective allele (OR 0.61; p = 0.008). Also, eosinophil count in the CC genotype was significantly higher than that in the other genotypes (p = 0.026). Conclusion The rs36498 is thought to influence the expression level of siglec-8. Siglec-8 could be a potential therapeutic target for allergic asthma.Background and objective Findings from observational studies indicate that early drug use is a strong predictor of further drug abuse. Because competing explanations abound in cross-sectional studies, causal interpretations from these investigations pose considerable challenge. We evaluated the relationship between early drug use and progression, while estimating modifying influences of adolescents' social contexts. Method We applied a national longitudinal survey of 11,182 adolescents growing into adulthood over a 14-year period. The data provided a natural setting to evaluate the relationship between early drug use and drug use in three subsequent waves. We applied generalized estimating equation models to analyze these relationships. Results Evidence showed over a relatively short period (approximately one year) early drug use was an independent predictor of illicit drugs in adolescence but not adulthood. The adjusted odds ratio for using substances in adulthood were marijuana (aOR, 1.33; 95% CI 1.11-1.60), illicit drugs (aOR, 1.