Boys Town

Background: Physical inactivity is a major modifiable risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Aerobic exercise is widely recommended to improve cardiovascular health; however, comparative adaptations between walking and cycling protocols in sedentary adults remain insufficiently explored. Objective: To compare cardiovascular and autonomic adaptations following an 8-week structured walking versus cycling program in sedentary adults. Methods: Sixty sedentary adults (20–45 years) were randomized into Walking (WG; n = 20), Cycling (CG; n = 20), and Control (CON; n = 20) groups. Exercise groups trained 5 days/week for 8 weeks at 50–65% HRmax with progressive duration (30–45 minutes). Primary outcomes included VO₂max, resting heart rate (RHR), systolic blood pressure (SBP), and diastolic blood pressure (DBP). Secondary outcomes included body mass index (BMI), body fat percentage, and heart rate variability (HRV). A 3 × 2 repeated-measures ANOVA assessed group × time interactions. Results: Significant group × time interactions were observed for VO₂max (η² = .28), SBP (η² = .24), DBP, RHR, and HRV (p < .01). Cycling demonstrated greater improvements in VO₂max (Δ +5.8 mL·kg⁻¹·min⁻¹) compared to walking (Δ +4.1 mL·kg⁻¹·min⁻¹; p = .02). Walking produced slightly greater SBP reduction (−9.2 mmHg) compared to cycling (−7.6 mmHg; p = .04). No significant changes occurred in the control group. Conclusion: Both walking and cycling significantly improve cardiovascular health in sedentary adults. Cycling enhances aerobic capacity more substantially, while walking may provide superior blood pressure reduction. These findings support modality-specific exercise prescription.

High rates of hearing loss are observed for individuals with Down syndrome, and regular hearing assessment is recommended for children and adults. Unknown variability of threshold estimates for repeated auditory assessments for individuals with diverse intellectual abilities, such as individuals with Down syndrome, confounds the ability to determine true threshold changes between assessments. This study evaluated variability of pure-tone thresholds measured within and across test sessions for individuals with Down syndrome. Participants included 27 individuals with Down syndrome, ages 5.1-46.5 years (average = 22.7, SD = 11.8). A group of 11 neurotypical individuals, ages 15.9-48.6 years (average = 24.5, SD = 10.3) was included in intrasession variability assessment. Pure-tone thresholds in quiet were measured at 1, 4, 8, and 11.2 kHz during a single session or during repeated audiograms separated by 2.7-11.2 months (average = 5.8, SD = 2.4) and 3.0-3.9 years (average = 3.4, SD = 0.4). Intrasession variability was ≤ 10 dB for 94.3%-100% of thresholds for participants with Down syndrome, with similar variability observed for neurotypical participants. Threshold differences were ≤ 10 dB for 63.2%-85% of responses from audiograms separated by an average of 5.8 months and 37.5%-62.5% of responses separated by an average of 3.4 years. Intrasession variability for participants with Down syndrome aligns with current clinical standards accepting variability of ≤ 10 dB between repeated threshold estimates. Differences in repeated audiometric thresholds greater than 10 dB likely reflect true changes in hearing sensitivity. https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.30052885.

In this work synthesizes research from 2000 to 2025 to explore how inclusive leadership implemented by secondary school leaders in the UK influences educational equity for students with special educational needs (SEN). Drawing on a qualitative systematic review methodology, the study focuses on transformational leadership as a key theoretical framework. Findings indicate that inclusive leadership advances equity through three interconnected mechanisms: articulating an equity-oriented vision, fostering teacher professional development, and establishing systematic processes for identification, intervention, and evaluation of SEN support. These mechanisms help reshape school culture, strengthen teacher-student relationships, and ensure consistent and sustainable inclusive practices. The study concludes with practical recommendations for school leaders and policymakers, emphasizing the integration of instructional and inclusive competencies, progress monitoring, and evidence-based strategies to enhance educational experiences for students with SEN.

Objectives: Although prior research has found that vocabulary and speed of lexical access in toddlerhood predict language development later in childhood, whether relations are significant appears to depend on differences across studies in task and participant characteristics. The current study expands on these findings by comparing the relative predictive utility of vocabulary and two measures of speed of lexical access to later vocabulary development in simultaneous bilingual children. Methodology: Participants included 32 French-English bilingual children in a longitudinal cohort study tested at 23 months, age three, and age four. At 23 months, children completed a two-alternative forced choice measure of vocabulary from which we coded decontextualized receptive vocabulary, and speed of lexical access operationalized as visual response latency and haptic response latency. At ages three and four, children completed a standardized receptive vocabulary assessment.Data and Analysis: We examined the relation between 23-month predictors and outcomes using correlational and regression analyses.Findings/Conclusions: Decontextualized vocabulary at 23 months predicted vocabulary outcomes at ages three and four. Visual response latency predicted vocabulary at age three, but not age four. Haptic response latency predicted vocabulary at age four, but not age three. Neither vocabulary nor latency was significant when controlling for the effects of the other predictors.Originality: This is the first study to investigate the relation between multiple direct measures of vocabulary and lexical access and language outcomes in bilingual children.Significance/Implications: This study contributes to our understanding of toddler language measures and how demand characteristics interact with participant characteristics to influence the roles of these measures in predicting later outcomes. Limitations: Given the small sample size and limited outcome measures, results should be interpreted with some caution and used to guide future research on early predictors of long-term vocabulary development in bilingual children.

Abstract Background Robotic-assisted spine surgery (RASS) has emerged as a potential advancement in spinal instrumentation, yet its comparative efficacy remains debated. This meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the accuracy, safety, and operative efficiency of RASS versus conventional freehand/navigation techniques, assess the impact of surgeon experience and robotic systems, and analyze secondary outcomes like complications and revision rates. Methods A systematic review and meta-analysis followed PRISMA guidelines, incorporating 13 studies (5 RCTs, 3 prospective trials, 5 retrospective analyses) from PubMed, Embase, and other databases. Eligibility criteria included adult patients undergoing thoracolumbar/cervical pedicle screw placement. Primary outcomes were screw accuracy (Gertzbein-Robbins Grade A) and breach rates (> 2mm); secondary outcomes included neurological injury, infection, revision surgery, and operative time. Data were analyzed using fixed/random-effects models, with subgroup analyses by pathology, robotic system, and surgeon experience. Results RASS demonstrated significantly higher perfect screw accuracy (94.2% vs. 85.1%; OR 2.41, p < 0.001) and lower breach rates (3.8% vs. 11.4%; OR 0.32, p < 0.001). Neurological injuries (1.9% vs. 4.3%; OR 0.45, p = 0.001) and revision surgeries (3.1% vs. 5.2%; OR 0.59, p = 0.02) were reduced, though operative times were longer (+ 12.4 minutes, p = 0.001). SSI rates showed a non-significant trend favouring RASS (2.5% vs. 3.7%; OR 0.67, p = 0.09). Subgroup analyses revealed greater benefits in deformity cases (OR 2.67), with Mazor systems (OR 2.55) and experienced surgeons (OR 4.55 after > 30 cases) achieving the best outcomes. Conclusion RASS significantly improves screw accuracy and reduces complications compared to conventional techniques, particularly in complex cases and with surgeon proficiency. While operative times are marginally longer, the clinical benefits support its adoption, pending cost-effectiveness evaluations and individualized training programs.

Identifying new genes responsible for non-syndromic hearing loss remains a critical goal, as many individuals with hereditary deafness still lack a molecular diagnosis despite comprehensive genetic testing. The tectorial membrane (TM) is a specialized, collagen-rich, acellular matrix of the inner ear, essential for stimulating mechanosensitive hair cell bundles during sound transduction, and its structural integrity is critical for frequency tuning and auditory sensitivity. Although mutations in genes encoding a number of non-collagenous proteins found in the TM (TECTA, CEACAM16, OTOG, OTOGL) have been identified as deafness genes, definitive evidence implicating β-tectorin (TECTB) in human hearing loss has been lacking.Here, we present multiple lines of genetic and experimental evidence linking a missense variant in TECTB (c.674G>A, p.Cys225Tyr) to autosomal dominant, non-syndromic hearing loss in a multigenerational family. The variant alters one of eight highly conserved cysteines present within the zona pellucida (ZP) domain of TECTB and is predicted to disrupt protein folding and matrix assembly. Using a Tectb-C225Y knock-in mouse model, we show that homozygous animals exhibit severe hearing loss and profound disruption of TM morphology, while heterozygote animals display decreased matrix content within the TM and increased susceptibility to noise-induced hearing loss—despite normal auditory thresholds.These findings identify TECTB as a novel human deafness gene, further elucidate its structural role in maintaining TM integrity, and highlight its contribution to resilience against environmental and age-related auditory decline.

Children who are hard-of-hearing (CHH) show greater variability in language and academic outcomes than children with normal hearing (CNH) throughout development, despite early detection and intervention. Nonetheless, our understanding of the neural mechanisms underlying sensory and cognitive processing in CHH remains incomplete. The 40-Hz cortical auditory steady-state response (ASSR) has been widely used as a marker of auditory system integrity and shown to relate to cognition. Thus, the current study sought to determine the impact of mild-to-severe hearing loss on cortical ASSR dynamics. Thirty-seven participants ages 7-15years old heard a broadband click train stimulus presented at 40Hz binaurally during magnetoencephalography (MEG). Peak sources in the bilateral primary auditory cortices were identified, and the power envelope of the 40Hz ASSR was extracted as a function of time and submitted to linear mixed modeling. We found a significant three-way interaction, suggesting that CHH exhibit altered ASSR dynamics between hemispheres compared to CNH. Moreover, hearing aid use was significantly correlated with left hemisphere ASSR power in CHH. These data underscore the importance of consistent auditory access in CHH and provide preliminary evidence that neuroimaging may hold promise in determining the mechanisms underlying behavioral variability in this population.