How OSHA's response to workplace violence will affect health care facilities.
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Chicago↗
Biomedical subjects
D Howard
Publications and source records attributed to D Howard.
Assessment of general practitioners' management of hyperlipidaemia. A study using personal visits and a scenario-based questionnaire.
In summary our study has looked at the current management practices of hyperlipidaemia by general practitioners in an innovative way. Our results suggest that most GPs are managing this condition appropriately. Where their management differs from current guidelines is mainly in introducing medication early. We obtained significantly lower participation rates in the metropolitan as compared with the regional and rural areas, but we found no significant differences in the overall assessment of appropriate management between the different geographical regions of Victoria.
Data Collection↗
Dexamethasone regulates glutamine synthetase expression in rat lung.
Since the lungs play a central role in maintaining glutamine homeostasis in normal and catabolic disease states, we studied the regulation of glutamine synthetase (GS) expression by dexamethasone in rat lung. Adult rats received saline (controls) or dexamethasone (0.5 mg/kg). Lung total RNA was extracted for Northern hybridization and labeled with an alpha-32P rat GS cDNA probe. The mRNA of the constitutively expressed gene beta-actin was the control for RNA loading. GS transcripts were measured by laser densitometry and normalized to actin, and GS specific activity was also determined. Following a single injection of dexamethasone (0.5 mg/kg), lung GS activity increased by 40% at 4 hours and by 75% at 8 hours. The dexamethasone-mediated increase in GS activity was associated with a marked increase in GS mRNA levels, which preceded the increase in enzyme activity by approximately 2 hours. Serial daily dexamethasone administration for 3 and 6 days caused an even greater increase in GS mRNA levels and specific activity. No effect was seen on beta-actin levels, demonstrating that the expression of GS was not part of a global response to steroids. Therefore, glucocorticoids stimulate GS expression in rat lung. This regulation appears to be one mechanism by which lung glutamine release is augmented during critical illness.
Analysis of Variance↗
Children with specific language impairment: linguistic impairment or short-term memory deficit?
This study is concerned with characteristics of short-term memory (STM) in children with specific language impairment (SLI). The linguistic requirements of the test procedure, the characteristics of the test materials, and the development of linguistic representations were considered. Two experimental tasks were used: a verbal-repetition and a picture-pointing procedure. The tasks used auditory presentation and were designed to explore different underlying processes during immediate recall. The linguistic characteristics of the test materials were designed to explore the influence of semantic, lexical, and phonological factors on STM. Six SLI children (aged 6:1 to 9:6) (years:months) were individually matched on comprehension and expression of language to 17 younger children (age 3:4 to 6:5). Both groups were differentially influenced by the materials as a function of the test procedure. In general, both group and individual analyses found no significant difference between the performance of the SLI children and language-age (LA) controls. The implications of the results in relation to previous findings from investigations of STM and the underlying cause of SLI in children are discussed.
Child↗
The 1990-1991 outbreak of melioidosis in the Northern Territory of Australia: clinical aspects.
From November 1990 to June 1991, 33 cases of acute melioidosis were diagnosed in tropical Northern Territory, Australia during an exceptionally wet monsoon. Eighteen (55%) were alcoholic, 16 (48%) diabetic and only 4 (12%, all survivors) had no risk factors. Twenty-seven (82%) were considered recent infection, with an incubation period of 3-21 days (mean 14) documented in eight cases with presumed cutaneous inoculation. Fourteen patients presented with pneumonia (4 septicemic) and of 11 others with septicemia 4 had genitourinary foci. Three of 4 with splenic abscesses required splenectomy. Three had only skin/soft tissue infection. One patient with brainstem encephalitis needed prolonged ventilation. Overall mortality was 36% (12 cases, including three relapses), despite therapy with ceftazidime and intensive care facilities. Pseudomonas pseudomallei is the commonest diagnosed cause of fatal bacteremic pneumonia at Royal Darwin Hospital and emphasis is placed on early appropriate antibiotic therapy and compliance with maintenance therapy for at least three months.
Adult↗
Regional response differences within the human auditory cortex when listening to words.
The relationship between activity within the human auditory cortices and the presentation rate of heard words was investigated by measuring changes in regional cerebral blood flow with positron emission tomography. We demonstrate that in the primary auditory cortices and middle regions of the superior temporal gyri there is a linear relationship between the rate of presentation of heard words and blood flow response. In contrast, the blood flow response in an area of the left posterior superior temporal gyrus (Wernicke's area) is primarily dependent on the occurrence of words irrespective of their rate of presentation. The primary auditory cortices are associated with the early processing of complex acoustic signals whereas Wernicke's area is associated with the comprehension of heard words. This study demonstrates for the first time that time dependent sensory signals (heard words) detected in the primary auditory cortices are transformed into a time invariant output which is channelled to a functionally specialised region--Wernicke's area. Wernicke's area is therefore distinguished from other areas of the auditory cortex by direct observation of signal transformation rather than by association with a specific behavioural task.
Adult↗
Asynchronous synthesis of membrane skeletal proteins during terminal maturation of murine erythroblasts.
To study the changes in the synthesis of the major membrane skeletal proteins, their assembly on the membrane, and their turnover during terminal red blood cell maturation in vivo, we have compared early proerythroblasts and late erythroblasts obtained from the spleens of mice at different times after infection with the anemia-inducing strain of Friend virus (FVA). Metabolic labeling of these cells indicates striking differences between early and late erythroblasts. In early erythroblasts, spectrin and ankyrin are synthesized in large amounts in the cytosol with proportionately high levels of spectrin and ankyrin messenger RNA (mRNA). In contrast, only small amounts of these polypeptides are incorporated into the skeleton, which is markedly unstable. In late erythroblasts, however, the synthesis of spectrin and ankyrin and their mRNA levels are substantially reduced, yet the net amounts of these polypeptides assembled in the membrane skeleton are markedly increased, and the membrane skeleton becomes stable with no detectable protein turnover. The mRNA levels and the synthesis of the band 3 and 4.1 proteins are increased considerably in terminally differentiated normoblasts with a concomitant increase in the net amount and the half-life of the newly assembled spectrin and ankyrin. Thus, the increased accumulation of spectrin and ankyrin at the late erythroblast stage is a consequence of an increased recruitment of these proteins on the membrane and an increase in their stability rather than a transcriptional upregulation. This is in contrast to band 3 and 4.1 proteins, which accumulate in direct proportion to their mRNA levels and rates of synthesis. These results suggest a key role for the band 3 and 4.1 proteins in conferring a long-term stability to the membrane skeleton during terminal red blood cell differentiation.
Anemia↗
Schedule-induced stereotypy.
The phenomena of the induction and entrainment of adjunctive behaviours was investigated in eight people with severe or profound mental retardation who exhibited stereotypic behaviours. The occurrence of collateral behaviours was investigated under extinction and massed reinforcer baselines and a variety of periodic or intermittent schedules of reinforcement for the performance of a simple experimental task. Seven of the eight subjects demonstrated evidence of schedule-induced stereotypic behaviour in the experimental conditions: five of the eight subjects also showed evidence of the entrainment of these behaviours within the first third of the interreinforcement interval. The results are discussed in relation to the analysis and intervention of problem behaviours in people with severe or profound mental retardation.
Adolescent↗
The cortical localization of the lexicons. Positron emission tomography evidence.
Positron emission tomography was used to investigate changes in regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) in neurologically normal subjects during word reading and word repetition. The blood flow in these conditions was compared with control conditions where subjects were presented with stimuli of comparable auditory and visual complexity to real words and said the same word on presentation of each stimulus. The control condition for word repetition (hearing spoken words presented backwards) resulted in bilateral activation of the superior temporal gyrus. Word repetition caused a significant increase in rCBF over this control condition in the left superior and middle temporal gyri. The control condition for word reading (seeing stimuli written in 'false fonts', i.e. non-existent letter-like forms) resulted in significant changes in rCBF bilaterally in the striate and extrastriate cortex. Word reading caused a significant increase in blood flow relative to this control in the posterior part of the left middle temporal gyrus. The implications of these results are discussed, and it is argued that they are consistent with localization of a lexicon for spoken word recognition in the middle part of the left superior and middle temporal gyri, and a lexicon for written word recognition in the posterior part of the left middle temporal gyrus.
Adult↗
Taurine: an essential amino acid to prevent cholestasis in neonates?
OBJECTIVE: To review the evidence that taurine can prevent cholestasis in neonates. DATA SOURCES: MEDLINE and EMBASE searches were conducted to identify both animal and human data regarding taurine's role in bile acid conjugation and liver disease (key terms: taurine, children less than two years old). STUDY SELECTION: Emphasis was placed on human data supplemented by relevant animal data. DATA SYNTHESIS: Taurine appears to more effectively conjugate bile acids than glycine, and the end-products of conjugation are more soluble. Taurine deficiency may increase glyco-conjugates of bile acids and result in cholestasis. Although the cause of neonatal cholestasis probably is multifactorial, there are data indicating that adequate taurine may prevent cholestasis in neonates. CONCLUSIONS: Taurine should be considered an essential amino acid for neonates and should be included in total parenteral nutrition solutions for these patients.
Amino Acids, Essential↗
Frozen phonology thawed: the analysis and remediation of a developmental disorder of real word phonology.
A 5-year-old boy presented with very deviant phonological production, as well as some delay in acquisition of vocabulary for comprehension. Investigations showed that, in contrast to his very limited phonological system in word production and naming, he was able to repeat a variety of non-words with reasonable accuracy using a variety of syllable structures. A period of therapy aimed at improving his phonological segmentation skills resulted in dramatic improvement in real word production to the same level that he showed with non-words. This improvement was specific to the domain of treatment--real word phonology--demonstrating that the effects were a result of the therapy regimen. The reasons for this dissociation between the phonology of real words and non-words are discussed. It is concluded that the child's pattern of performance is incompatible with theories which assume that a single phonological representation is used both for word recognition and for output. His deficit appears to lie in a failure to update the underlying phonological representations used to drive spoken output as his phonological abilities develop--his lexical phonology was 'frozen'.
Child, Preschool↗
Language activation studies with positron emission tomography.
Behavioural tasks produce changes in regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF), the result of increased local neural activity. These changes can be measured with positron emission tomography (PET). Language activation studies by means of PET are being used to relate regional patterns of cerebral activation to information-processing models of speech and reading. Significant activation confined to both superior temporal gyri has been observed when normal subjects hear words played backwards, listen to non-words, and perform category judgements on pairs of heard real words. Prestriate cortex is activated by seeing strings of letter-like symbols, consonant strings, pronounceable non-words and real words, with additional activation in left medial prestriate cortex in response to the non-words and real words. Left posterior superior temporal gyrus (PSTG), left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and supplementary motor area (SMA) are engaged when subjects retrieve verbs from memory to match nouns. Finally, primary sensorimotor cortex is activated during articulation. There is particular interest at present in the precise roles of left PSTG and DLPFC in single-word comprehension and generation, and interpretation of the results depends critically on the design of the single-word tasks used for behavioural activation.
Aphasia↗
Frequency of lupus flare in pregnancy. The Hopkins Lupus Pregnancy Center experience.
To determine whether pregnancy is associated with an increased rate of flare in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), we prospectively studied 40 pregnancies in 37 women with SLE. The women were evaluated on a monthly basis in the Hopkins Lupus Pregnancy Center. Flare was designated using a previously developed quantitative definition, i.e., a change of greater than 1.0 in the physician's global assessment (scale of 0-3) since the preceding visit or during the last 93 days. Flare occurred in 24 (60%) of the pregnancies. Flares presented most commonly as constitutional symptoms, renal involvement, or involvement of skin or joints. Comparison of the rates of flare in the same patients after delivery and in nonpregnant SLE patients showed a significant increase in the rate of flare during pregnancy (P less than 0.001 and P less than 0.0001, respectively). We conclude that flare of lupus during pregnancy is common and occurs significantly more frequently than does flare in nonpregnant SLE patients or in the same patients after pregnancy.
Adult↗
The determination of myeloperoxidase activity in liver.
Myeloperoxidase (MPO) is an enzyme found in granulocytes of neutrophils, but not in mammalian tissues. Previous studies have directly correlated MPO activity with neutrophil accumulation in tissues. This study presents a method for determining MPO activity in liver. Neutrophil accumulation in rat liver was provoked by creating partial ischemia followed by reperfusion. Liver homogenates prepared by a standard procedure showed no MPO activity. The homogenate was applied to Sephadex G100 and DEAE Sepharose CL6B columns which separated MPO activity from inhibitory activity. The inhibitor was identified as catalase based upon its elution from the columns and removal with 3-amino- 1,2,4-triazole (AT), a catalase inhibitor. Based upon these findings, it was determined that full MPO activity can be assayed in unfractionated liver homogenates by first inactivating catalase with AT.
Amitrole↗
Neuropsychological studies of auditory-visual fusion illusions. Four case studies and their implications.
A heard speech sound which is not the same as the synchronized speech sound can sometimes give rise to an illusory phonological percept. Typically, a heard /ba/ combines with a seen /ga/ to give the impression that /da/ has been heard (McGurk, H. and MacDonald, J. Nature Lond. 264, 746-748, 1976). We report the susceptibility to this illusion of four individuals with localized brain lesions affecting perceptual function. We compare their performance to that of ten control subjects and relate these findings to the efficiency of processing seen and heard speech in separate and combined modalities. The pattern of performance strongly suggests LH specialization for the phonological integration of seen and heard speech. The putative site of such integration can be effectively isolated from unilateral and from bilateral inputs and may be driven by either modality.
Adult↗
Periosteal osteosarcoma of the maxilla: a case report and review of literature.
Juxtacortical osteosarcomas, including periosteal and parosteal subtypes, are uncommon neoplasms of the jaws. In long bones, the biologic behavior of the periosteal variant is reported to be more aggressive than the parosteal tumor. Juxtacortical osteosarcoma of the jaws appears to have a slightly more favorable prognosis than in long bones, although a larger series of cases needs to be evaluated before a definitive conclusion concerning the behavior of juxtacortical osteosarcoma of the jaws can be made.
Aged↗
A human minisatellite sequence reveals DNA polymorphism in the equine species.
Southern blot analysis of equine DNA's digested with the restriction endonuclease Hinfl hybridized with a 32 PdCTP labeled human VNTR probe revealed a highly polymorphic pattern of restriction fragments upon autoradiography. The horses were unrelated individuals of the quarter horse breed. This heterologous probe can thus be used in the equine species for individual identification and pedigree analysis.
Animals↗
Regulation to slow ambulatory care growth.
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Ambulatory Care↗