The early emergence of social communication challenges and their impact on language in infants later diagnosed with autism has sparked many early intervention programs that target social communication skills. While research has consistently shown lower scores on social communication assessments in the first year of life, there is limited research at 12-months exploring associations between different dimensions of social communication and later language. Understanding associations between early social communication skills and language would enhance our ability to choose high priority intervention goals that will impact downstream language skills. The current study used a standardized assessment to profile social communication skills across 516 infants with a high (HL) or low likelihood (LL-Neg) for autism (84% White, 60% Male), based on the presence of a sibling with autism in the family. The primary aim of the study was to profile social communication skill development in the second year of life and to evaluate associations between social communication skills and later language. HL infants who met criteria for autism (HL-ASD, N = 81) demonstrated widespread reductions in social communication skills at 12-months compared to HL infants who did not meet criteria for autism (HL-Neg, N = 277) and LL-Neg (N = 158) infants. Across all infants in the study, those with better social communication skills at 12-months had better language at 24-months. However, within group analyses indicated that infants who met criteria for autism did not show this developmental coupling until 24-months-of-age at which point social communication was positively associated with downstream language skills. The cascading pattern of reduced social communication skills as well as overall significant positive associations with later language provide further evidence for the need to support developing social communication skills prior to formal autism diagnosis, a goal that could possibly be reached through pre-emptive interventions.

Background: Refractive error occurs when the parallel rays of light coming from infinity are focused either in front or behind the retina, in one or both the meridians resulting in blurred image. The purpose of this study is to assess the level of awareness and perception of contact lens usage and refractive surgery among first year undergraduate medical students.Methods: A cross sectional, observational questionnaire-based study was done on students studying in Saveetha medical college near Sriperumbudur between February 2021 to April 2021 to assess student’s awareness and perception of contact lens usage and refractive surgery.Results: Totally 250 students were studied, of which 39.76% were under 20 years, 61.85% are not contact lens users, 51.41% think that appropriate time of wearing contact lens was 8 hours per day, 64.66% think that soft contact lens should be used, 70.28% think that contact lens should be renewed every 3 months, 38.96%  are not aware of refractive surgery, 54.62% think that dry eye is the complication of long term usage of contact lens, 44.18% think that contact lens are required even after surgery, 38.55% think that there will be complications even after refractive error surgery. Conclusions: The awareness of knowledge, attitude and practice regarding contact lenses usage and refractive surgery was evaluated among the participants to identify the points of weakness and construct a proper health education among the students.

and the IBIS Network () Corrigendum: Are early social communication skills a harbinger for language development in infants later diagnosed autistic?-A longitudinal study using a standardized social communication assessment.

Review question / Objective: The objective of the proposed study is to determine the relative efficacy of microneedling and combination of it and other agents for androgenetic alopecia (AGA)—a condition that is also referred to as pattern hair loss. Rationale: Pattern hair loss is one of the most common forms of hair loss in men and women; the condition is associated with decreased quality of life. Oral finasteride and topical minoxidil are treatments currently approved, by the United States Food and Drug Administration, for AGA. However, finasteride has been associated with significant side effects in men, and is not appropriate for women of childbearing potential. Furthermore, topical minoxidil requires daily prolonged use which is time-consuming for patients and requires high compliance to maintain efficacy. Due to these drawbacks, new treatments, such as microneedling, have been investigated. Microneedling involves the creation of small wounds on the scalp that prompt growth factor release and neovascularization—which, in turn, may promote hair growth. Microneedling has been used as a monotherapy—or in combination with other standard therapies—for the treatment of AGA. Further investigation through meta-analysis is salient as this quantitative technique can estimate the relative success of mono- and poly-therapy with microneedling; therefore, findings from a systematic review and meta-analysis on the comparative effectiveness can enable clinicians, patients, and researchers to make more informed decisions.