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Biomedical subjects

L Katz

Publications and source records attributed to L Katz.

211 records · Page 12Linked to original sources

Neurobiological studies of reading and reading disability.

UNLABELLED: Evidence from neuroimaging studies, including our own, suggest that skilled word identification in reading is related to the functional integrity of two consolidated left hemisphere (LH) posterior systems: a dorsal (temporo-parietal) circuit and a ventral (occipito-temporal) circuit. This posterior system appears to be functionally disrupted in developmental dyslexia. Relative to nonimpaired readers, reading-disabled individuals demonstrate heightened reliance on both inferior frontal and right hemisphere posterior regions, presumably in compensation for the LH posterior difficulties. We propose a neurobiological account suggesting that for normally developing readers, the dorsal circuit predominates at first, and in conjunction with premotor systems, is associated with analytic processing necessary for learning to integrate orthographic with phonological and lexical semantic features of printed words. The ventral circuit constitutes a fast, late-developing, word form system, which underlies fluency in word recognition. LEARNING OUTCOMES: As a result of this activity, (1) the participant will learn about a model of lexical processing involving specific cortical regions. (2) The participant will learn about evidence which supports the theory that two dorsal LH systems may be disrupted in developmental dyslexia. (3) The participant will learn that individuals with reading impairment may rely on other regions of the brain to compensate for the disruption of posterior function.

Brain↗

A multinational comparison of aphasia management practices.

The effect of restructuring of healthcare on the quality, quantity, and nature of aphasia management is largely unknown. The current study is the first to examine access, diagnostic, treatment, and discharge patterns of patients with aphasia in Australia, Canada, the UK, the US private sector (US-Private), and the US Veterans Health Administration in the Department of Veterans Affairs (US-VA). The authors developed a 37-item survey to be completed by clinicians working with aphasic patients. The survey focused on eight areas: access to care, evaluation procedures, group treatment, number and duration of treatment sessions, limitations of the number of sessions, termination of treatment, follow-up practices, and resumption of treatment. 394 surveys were distributed and 175 were returned completed (44% return rate). Respondents represented a range of ages, work experiences, and work settings. There was considerable consistency among respondents from our five healthcare systems. Results suggest that patients may be routinely denied treatment in direct contradiction to the research literature. Just as we carefully monitor the progress of patients receiving our treatment, we are obliged to monitor the effects of managed care on our patients, fellow clinicians, and our profession.

Americas↗

Hemolysis associated with water administration using a nipple bottle for human infants in juvenile pygmy goats.

A 4-month-old, 6.8-kg, castrated male pygmy goat was examined for recurrent episodic fever and red urine of 7 days' duration. A second, 3-month-old, 7-kg, intact female pygmy goat was presented for similar clinical signs. The red discoloration of the urine in each case was determined to be due to hemolysis with subsequent hemoglobinuria. In both cases, hemolysis and hemoglobinuria were closely associated with the goats consuming large volumes of water from a human infant's nipple bottle. A diagnosis of water intoxication-induced hemolysis and hemoglobinuria was made. Episodes of hemoglobinuria in the first case were consistently associated with dilute (specific gravity < 1.010) urine. Water intoxication has been associated with bottle-feeding in human infants and is also widely reported in human psychiatric patients. The small erythrocytes in goats appear to be the most sensitive of the domestic species to hypotonicity-induced hemolysis.

Animals↗

Ischemic neurons in rat brains after 6, 8, or 10 minutes of transient hypoxic ischemia.

The incidence and distribution of ischemic (necrotic) neurons in the brains of rats 72 hr after hypoxic ischemia induced via asphyxiation is described and scored. Anesthetized Sprague-Dawley rats (10/group) were endotracheally intubated and had their airways occluded for 6, 8, or 10 min, which resulted, respectively, in approximately 3, 5, or 7 min of pulselessness (MABP < 10 mm Hg). Survival was 10/10, 9/10, and 6/10 in the 6-, 8-, and 10-min groups: deaths occurred within 1 hr after resuscitation. At 72 hr, rats were reanesthetized and their brains were perfusion-fixed with 3% buffered paraformaldehyde. Paraffin-embedded, 5-micron-thick, H&E-stained sections at 5 coronal levels of the brain had shrunken, hypereosinophilic ischemic neurons in 12 anatomic regions. Ischemic neurons were most consistently found in the lateral reticular thalamic nucleus; lateral caudoputamen; CA1 region of the hippocampus; subiculum; and, with longer asphyxia times, among cerebellar Purkinje neurons. Categorical histologic damage scores were assigned to affected regions on the basis of manual counts of ischemic neurons and summed for the whole brain. Brain histologic damage scores were significantly (p < 0.01) different for the 6-, 8-, and 10-min groups (means of 8 +/- 2; 14 +/- 4; and 22 +/- 4). Brain regions where both the number of rats affected and ranked categorical scores for ischemic neurons increased with asphyxia time were the lateral caudoputamen and cerebellar Purkinje neurons.

Animals↗

Geographical and temporal trends of childhood leukemia in relation to the nuclear plant in the Negev, Israel, 1960-1985.

Gardner et al. (Br Med J 1990; 300: 423-429) reported a high relative risk for childhood leukemia among children, aged 0-24 years at time of diagnosis, born to fathers employed at the Sellafield nuclear plant in the U.K. As a result we looked for spatial and temporal trends of childhood and young adult leukemia in the Negev, where a nuclear plant has been in operation since 1960. We divided the Negev into an Eastern part where plant employees are likely to live, and a Western part where this is quite unlikely. Reported leukemia cases were provided by the Israel Cancer Registry for the age group 0-24, and for the period 1960-1985. We checked this file against data obtained from the hospitals in the area. We added 6 more cases in the Eastern Negev, none in the Western Negev, and none of the reported cases was discarded. There was a total of 192 cases, of which 52% were acute lymphatic leukemia. Jewish and Bedouin children were studied separately. Among Jewish children the average annual incidence rate for the Eastern Negev was 2.76/100,000, the Western Negev 3.51. Over time the leukemia rates were consistently higher in the Western Negev among children aged 0-9 years, which holds especially for acute lymphatic leukemia. There was a sudden increase among girls born during the period 1970-1979 in the northern part of the Western Negev, which was not noticed among boys. No excess cases were found in the small towns around the plant.

Adolescent↗

Foster care drift: a risk-assessment matrix.

Category I and II families are qualitatively different from families who can be reunited after a short period of service. This matrix attempts to further our efforts at differential diagnosis and case planning early in service delivery. Parents must not be denied the chance to succeed in reversing problems that put their children at risk. Children must not be made to suffer the effects of foster care drift, however, while their parents continually fail to meet their needs. Front-loading of services and early determination of the parents' willingness and/or ability to change protect children's right to a permanent and stable home.

Child↗

Parental stress and factors for success in older-child adoption.

By examining normal parental needs in child raising, the enormity of the task of adoptive parents taking older children become apparent. Predicting success is as yet unreliable, but it is possible to identify a set of characteristics found in successful adoptors. Although many of these qualities (or the lack thereof) are innate in families, agency philosophy and methods can affirm and enhance those that will best help parents cope. Creative parental survival is our best guarantee of healing and recovery in the children we place.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

Epidemiological review of breast cancer in Israel.

Breast cancer is the most common malignant disease in women in Israel. Approximately 1,000 new cases are diagnosed yearly. The peak incidence in all the population groups and periods observed is after the menopause. A steady increase in female breast cancer indicence was observed over a 17-yr period. The greatest increase occurred in the low-incidence group of Jews born in Asia/Africa.

Adolescent↗

Male breast cancer in Israel: selected epidemiological aspects.

The 17-yr incidence of male breast cancer was analyzed from data of the Israel Cancer Registry for Jews and non-Jews, and for the Jewish subgroups of European/American-born and Asian/African-born. The 187 observed cases among Jewish males in Israel were compared with the 194 cases reported in the U.S. Third National Cancer Survey and with female breast cancer rates for the same period. Results show that the dependence of male breast cancer (MBC) on the female rate seems to exist in both countries. The disputed observation of a higher rate of MBC among Jews is supported by the higher rates of MBC in Israel than in the USA. Data on the laterality and histological features of MBC are presented. The series included eight cases among non-Jews (Arabs). The on going survey of the Israel Cancer Registry revealed four families in which both husband and wife had breast cancer and one family with breast cancer in both father and son.

Adult↗

The early breast cancer detection program of the Israel Cancer Association: a retrospective evaluation.

Between 1 January 1965 and 31 December 1975 82,262 women visited an early breast cancer detection center at least once. Subsequent to the visit 1,295 women were found to have breast cancer. The observed survival of these 1,295 patients (the study group) was compared to that of two control groups: 1) all breast cancer patients diagnosed in Israel in the five years preceding the start of the Early Detection program (2,402), and 2) all breast cancer patients diagnosed while the Early Detection Program was in progress, but who never visited an early detection center (6,315). The stage distribution of the study group showed significantly more early-stage cases than controls. The observed survival of the study group was significantly longer than that of the control groups, irrespective of mode of referral of the former to the Early Detection Program (by invitation, self-referral, or doctor-referral). The observed survival of study patients was longer than that of controls within each stage group, although most differences were not statistically significant and relatively large number of "unknowns" in key variables may have introduced bias into the study results. Future programs of the Israel Cancer Association should have clearly stated and measurable objectives and built-in mechanisms for ongoing evaluation.

Aged↗

Concurrent planning: benefits and pitfalls.

Concurrent planning-working with families toward reunification while developing alternative permanency plans--was designed to fit an out-of-home care population much like that projected for the year 2000 and beyond: very young, chronically neglected children from multiproblem families. As large-scale programs begin to develop nationally, those implementing concurrent planning must be aware of the pitfalls that can undercut its effectiveness, while keeping in mind the benefits it can bring by reducing the trauma experienced by children in placement.

Case Management↗