A randomized, prospective, clinical study was performed investigating the effects of presurgical infant orthopedic treatment (PIO) in children with unilateral cleft lip and palate (UCLP). The influence of PIO on speech intelligibility was evaluated with two groups, each consisting of 10 children with UCLP. One group used PIO during the first year of life, whereas the other group did not use the device. Eight children without cleft served as a second control group. Intelligibility was assessed by lay listeners using two methods: transcription and listener rating. The ratings proved to be reliable and to have sufficient validity, but they did not completely reflect intelligibility defined as the proportion of words understood by the listener. Children in the treatment group were rated as exhibiting greater intelligibility than those in the nontreatment group. However, data obtained by means of transcriptions indicated that, in fact, there were no group differences in actual intelligibility. Only in comparison with their noncleft peers were the children with cleft lip and palate significantly less well understood.

Articulation Disorders↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Sonographic visualization and size determination of the abdominal organs in healthy newborn infants].

The determination of organ size is another important criterium in ultrasound examination. There are only few investigations in the neonatal group. Therefore in a prospective study the abdominal organs of 85 neonates were examined with a 7.5 MHz small part scanner. These organs were measured in standardized sections in order to establish normal values]

Female↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Fetal and neonatal effects of maternal cocaine use.

Marijuana was the drug of the 1960s and heroin the drug of the 1970s. Cocaine was the popular drug of the 1980s, and cocaine's popularity appears to have continued into the 1990s. Cocaine use increased dramatically between 1974 and 1985. This article reviews the trends of cocaine use, fetal and maternal pharmacodynamics of cocaine, intrauterine effects of cocaine on the fetus, and the neonatal manifestations of cocaine exposure.

Cocaine↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Small bowel obstruction secondary to disseminated candidiasis in an immunocompromised patient: radiologic-pathologic correlation.

Immunosuppression for therapeutic reasons (e.g. post transplantation, post chemotherapy), as well as pathologic immunodeficiency due to certain pathologic conditions (e.g. AIDS, leukemia), is increasingly encountered in daily medical practice. As a result, the concomitant risk for opportunistic infections is higher and immunocompromised patients may present with uncommon clinical and radiologic conditions. We report on a case of a 33-year-old immunocompromised woman with a history of recurrent T-cell lymphoblastic lymphoma, which presented with abdominal pain. Computed tomography (CT) images demonstrated significant small bowel dilatation, wall thickening, and high-density intestinal content, with a focal point of transition in the pelvis. Extensive fungal enteritis due to Candida Albicans with partial small bowel obstruction was found on autopsy.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Influence of cold challenge on finger skin temperature during long-term use of beta-adrenoceptor blocking drugs in hypertensive patients.

Because complaints of cold extremities are a frequent side effect of beta-adrenoceptor blocking drugs, we assessed Finger Skin Temperature (FST) during a standardized Finger Cooling Test (FCT) in 51 normals and in 50 hypertensive patients after long term treatment with beta-adrenoceptor blockers. In the 29 hypertensive patients with complaints of cold extremities the recovery of FST after cold challenge was significantly worse as compared to the 21 hypertensive patients without complaints. Hypertensive women who used beta-adrenoceptor blocking agents showed lower FST-values after the cold test in comparison to hypertensive men. No difference in recovery of FST were found between the users of non-selective and selective beta-adrenoceptor blockers. We conclude that the FCT is a suitable method to detect a decreased ability of vasodilate during chronic beta-adrenoceptor blockade in hypertensive patients.

Adolescent↗