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Biomedical subjects

K Hodges

Publications and source records attributed to K Hodges.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1990

Internal consistency of DSM-III diagnoses using the symptom scales of the Child Assessment Schedule.

Internal consistency of the major diagnostic categories for children was assessed, using the symptom scale scores of the Child Assessment Schedule. Alpha coefficients were calculated for three samples: 116 nonpsychotic psychiatrically disturbed children, 63 children with cystic fibrosis, and 177 children from a community based sample. For the psychiatric sample, a high level of internal consistency was demonstrated for all the symptom scales (i.e., attention deficit, conduct, anxiety, and depression). For the nonpsychiatric samples, the attention deficit and depression scales were reliable, with lower levels of endorsement and more variability observed for the other scales. These results are supportive of the clustering of diagnostic criteria present in DSM-III.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1990

Parent-child agreement on symptoms assessed via a clinical research interview for children: the Child Assessment Schedule (CAS).

This study examined the relationship between symptom type and parent-child agreement, as reflected in symptom scores on a structured diagnostic interview, the Child Assessment Schedule (CAS). Forty-eight psychiatric inpatients (mean age 10 years) were administered the CAS. Their mothers were interviewed independently with the parent form. The average time between interviews was 12 days. High parent-child agreement was found for conduct/behavioral problems and moderate agreement for affective symptoms. Parents reported more conduct-related problems; children reported more anxiety and somatic symptoms and more family problems. The pattern of parent-child differences was the same as observed for other interviews.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1990

Transcranial Doppler pulsatility in vasodilation and stenosis.

Although blood velocity in the major intracranial vessels is readily measured with transcranial Doppler ultrasound (TCD), the interpretation of velocity changes is by no means straightforward. For example, a velocity increase can arise from either a local stenosis or a decrease in downstream resistance, and these mechanisms have contradictory implications for blood flow. To determine whether TCD pulsatility might distinguish these two mechanisms, Doppler ultrasonic readings were taken from an artificial vascular model under conditions of either stenosis or distal dilation. In addition, TCD studies of nine patients with unihemispheric arteriovenous malformations (AVM's) and 16 TCD studies of seven patients with unihemispheric aneurysmal vasospasm were reviewed, and pulsatilities of the AVM's (representing decreased resistance) were compared with those of the vasospastic vessels (representing stenosis). The average percentage drop in pulsatility in the vasodilated configuration of the model/percentage increase in velocity was 0.38 +/- 0.08 (+/- standard error of the mean), while that for stenosis was 0.20 +/- 0.01. Similar comparisons of the patient population yielded 0.67 +/- 0.16 for the AVM group and 0.26 +/- 0.04 for the vasospasm group. These differences were significant (p less than 0.05). The fall in pulsatility associated with a given increase in velocity is significantly greater when the velocity increase arises from diminished downstream resistance than from stenosis.

Cerebrovascular Circulation↗
PubMed1990

Intracarotid hydroxyethyl methacrylate solution causing stroke in dogs.

Hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) has been advocated as a polymerizing solution with which to prevent deflation of detachable balloons in interventional neuroradiology. It is pertinent to know if unpolymerized HEMA would have untoward effects if accidentally released into the carotid artery by balloon rupture or deflation. Seven mongrel dogs underwent transfemoral catheterization of the common carotid artery and subsequent injection of HEMA solution in volumes of 1 cc in five dogs, 2 cc in one, and 4 cc in one. Angiography performed at the time of injection revealed evidence of intravascular thrombosis as well as possible spasm. Three surviving animals were sacrificed at 48 hours; the brains were fixed and examined histopathologically. One brain was normal and one was autolyzed and could not be examined. Five of the seven animals had histopathologically documented cerebral infarctions of varying size. No foreign substance was seen within the blood vessels to suggest intravascular polymerization. The animals injected with 2 or 4 cc HEMA solution did not survive 48 hours. Literature review reveals little documentation of the toxicology of intravascular HEMA. With its increasing popularity as a compound for polymerization in detachable balloons introduced into the brain, further investigations are warranted to understand the physical properties of the compound and potential risks of its use.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

Internal consistency of a diagnostic interview for children: the Child Assessment Schedule.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the internal consistency of the content scales of the Child Assessment Schedule (CAS). A total of 116 psychiatric patients with a mean age of 10 years were administered the interview, and 92 parents were administered the parent version. Coefficient alpha was calculated for each of the 11 content scales. High internal consistency was demonstrated for school, friends, worries, mood, physical complaints, and expression of anger. More moderate but acceptable alphas were observed for the family, fears, and self-image scales. The same general pattern of results was observed for both the child and parent interviews. Additional analyses revealed that the number of items in the CAS could be reduced up to 30% without sacrificing internal consistency. These results indicate that 9 of the scales yield reliable scores.

Child↗
PubMed1989

Meningioma, astrocytoma and germinoma: case presentations of three intracranial tumors.

In this article three intracranial tumors are described including signs, symptoms and radiologic findings. Two of the more common tumor types are discussed--meningioma and astrocytoma, along with one less common type, the germinoma. The germinoma with its less common features provides an interesting comparison. Each tumor is exemplified using case presentations. The neuroscience nurse, in understanding the mechanisms by which these tumors manifest themselves, will be better able to predict treatment, outcome and correlate nursing care as necessary.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Reversible middle cerebral artery embolization in dogs without intracranial surgery.

Using dogs, we developed an intravascular model for reversible middle cerebral artery occlusion that does not involve intracranial surgery or enucleation. Using silicone plastic plugs with a suture embedded within them, we embolized the middle cerebral artery in 19 dogs via the cervical carotid artery. The free end of the suture remained accessible in the neck, and after variable dwell times traction was placed on the suture and the plug was withdrawn. Placement of the plug in the middle cerebral artery produced ischemia in the basal ganglia. The degree and distribution of cortical ischemia were variable as evidence by the pathologically documented scattered nature of infarcts that resulted when the plug was left permanently in the middle cerebral artery and when it was removed after 1 or 2 hours. Angiography demonstrated occlusion of the middle cerebral artery with the plug in place as well as reperfusion when the plug was withdrawn. This modification of a previously described model of middle cerebral artery occlusion provides an opportunity to study structural, physiologic, and biochemical events occurring in acutely hypoperfused cerebral tissue as well as critical changes leading to irreversible injury without the disadvantages of surgical manipulation required by all previous models of reversible cerebral ischemia.

Animals↗
PubMed1986

Platelet MAO and measures of attention and impulsivity in boys with attention deficit disorder and hyperactivity.

Platelet monoamine oxidase (MAO) activity was studied in 22 boys diagnosed as having attention deficit disorder with hyperactivity and 12 healthy control boys admitted to a clinical research center and placed on a diet low in monoamines. The hyperactive boys had lower platelet MAO activity than controls, and MAO activity was related to performance on the Matching Familiar Figures Test (MFF) and the Continuous Performance Test (CPT), which yield scores sensitive to impulsivity and inattention. Furthermore, it was negatively related, in hyperactive boys only, to two tests of reading and spelling achievement. Administration of d-amphetamine and placebo in a double-blind crossover design did not significantly raise MAO levels above baseline and was minimally related to improved performance on the MFF and CPT.

Achievement↗
PubMed1985

Cognitive problem-solving and life event correlates of depressive symptoms in children.

This study examined the relationship between a number of cognitive problem-solving and life event variables and depressive symptoms in a sample of non-referred grade school children. The results indicated that higher levels of depressive symptoms were associated with an external locus of control, increased levels of objective and subjective life stress, and lower performance levels on an impersonal problem-solving task. Level of depressive symptoms was also found to be inversely related to socioeconomic status as measured by father's occupation. Contrary to prediction, no consistent relationship was found between depression and interpersonal problem-solving ability.

Child↗
PubMed1985

Depressive symptoms in children with recurrent abdominal pain and in their families.

Our purpose was to evaluate depression in children with recurrent abdominal pain and in their families. A self-report measure, the Children's Depression Inventory, and a psychiatric structured interview, the Child Assessment Schedule, were administered to 25 children with recurrent abdominal pain (RAP) as well as to 67 behaviorally disordered (BD) and 42 healthy children. Parents of all three groups completed the Beck Depression Inventory. On both measures, scores for RAP children were not significantly different from those of healthy children and were significantly lower than those of BD children. In contrast, the mothers of both the RAP group and the BD group had significantly higher depression scores than the mothers of healthy children. There were no group differences for fathers. The data suggest that although depression is not prevalent in children with RAP, depressive characteristics in the family may play a role in the origin of their abdominal pain.

Abdomen↗
PubMed1984

Life events occurring in families of children with recurrent abdominal pain.

Thirty children with recurrent abdominal pain (RAP) were compared to 67 behaviorally disordered (BD) children and 42 healthy children on number of life events experienced within the last 12 months and on amount of readjustment necessitated by these life events. The parents of these children were also compared on these variables as well as on a subjective rating of stress which they assigned to the life events. The results revealed that the children in the RAP and BD groups had significantly more life events and more stress associated with them than did the healthy children. However, the children in the RAP and BD groups differed in type of life events, with the RAP group more likely to have experienced life events related to illness, hospitalization, and death. There were no significant differences between the parents in the RAP group and the parents of the two comparison groups. Due to methodological limitations of the study, caution should be exercised in drawing conclusions from these findings until such time that future research provides confirmatory data.

Abdomen↗
PubMed1984

Psychoeducational and impulsivity correlates of platelet MAO in normal children.

The authors examined the relationship between the activity of platelet monoamine oxidase (MAO) and a variety of psychoeducational measures, as well as the scores on the Matching Familiar Figures Test (MFF), a psychological test of reflection-impulsivity, in 21 normal children (12 boys, 9 girls) who were admitted to a clinical research center and placed on a low monoamine diet. The children were divided into three equal groups (n = 7) based on their values of platelet MAO. There were no significant differences among the three groups in the psychoeducational measures. However, the high and low MAO groups made significantly more errors and had shorter latency periods on the MFF than the middle MAO group. These findings suggest that normal children with platelet MAO activity values in the high and low ends of the MAO distribution are more impulsive than the children with platelet MAO values in the middle range on the MFF Test of Impulsivity. The findings further suggest that there is no relationship between platelet MAO levels and intellectual abilities or scholastic achievement in normal children.

Achievement↗
PubMed1982

Comparison of various WISC-R summary scores for a psychiatric sample.

Compared two sets of summary scores for the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R). The traditional scores used to summarize information about WISC-R performance (i.e., Verbal IQ (VIQ), Performance IQ (PIQ) and discrepancy between VIQ and PIQ) were compared to scores based on the three factors identified by Kaufman (1975) (i.e., Verbal Comprehension (VC), Perceptual Organization (PO) and Freedom from Distractibility (FD). Ss were 260 psychiatric outpatients who were administered the WISC-R during a 4-year period. The independent variables were sex and DSM II diagnosis. There were significant main effects for diagnosis for the VC and FD scales. There was a significant interaction for VIQ and nonsignificant results for the VIQ-PIQ discrepancy score. The groups did not differ in perceptual organization skills as assessed by PO and PIQ. Delinquents performed particularly poorly on the VC scale; hyperactive children had the highest VC score and relatively low scores on the FD factor; learning disabled children had low VC and FD scores. These findings suggest that the scores based on Kaufman's factors provided important clinical summary information that was not available from the traditional scores.

Adjustment Disorders↗
PubMed1982

The development of a child assessment interview for research and clinical use.

The Child Assessment Schedule (CAS) was developed to address the need for a standardized child interview that could be used for research and clinical purposes. The CAS has several distinguishing characteristics: (1) Questions and responses are standardized, (2) the format was designed to enhance rapport with the child, and (3) information necessary for DSM III childhood diagnoses is explicitly solicited. The CAS was administered to 32 child outpatients, 18 inpatients, and 37 normal controls. Derived scores were obtained for total psychopathology, 11 content areas, and 9 symptom complexes. Interrater reliability for the total CAS score was quite high. The CAS was able to discriminate among the three groups in total score indicating degree of psychopathology, on 9 of the 11 content areas, and on 8 of the 9 symptom complexes. Significant correlations were found between the CAS and maternal report of child behavior and between the CAS and child self-report of internal affects. It was concluded that the CAS has adequate reliability and validity, although further research is indicated.

Adolescent↗