Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to M L Cuccaro.
A 7-session-group intervention with four successfully adapting children and two with emerging behavior problems was conducted. Pre-posttest data showed reductions in teachers' ratings of externalizing behavior for each of the target children.
The William S. Hall Psychiatric Institute Psychological Trauma and Psychological Resources Scales is a preliminary measure for the assessment of psychological trauma and psychological health from a developmental perspective. This three-part article (1) discusses the various rationales leading to the development of the scales, (2) provides a factor-analysis of responses of 336 college students, and (3) addresses current (N = 37) and planned efforts to establish reliability and validity of a more refined version.
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Selective mutism is a rare disorder with poor treatment outcome. The current study describes the successful treatment of selective mutism in a preschool-age girl, using a comprehensive multifaceted therapeutic approach. The components of this intervention reflect a conceptualization of selective mutism that emphasizes anxiety as a core feature but also focuses on associated factors such as oppositional behaviors.
OBJECTIVE: Most children and adolescents with mental illness remain untreated. Evidence suggests that race is a factor in the referral of children for treatment. This study examines race and gender differences in treatment of adolescent psychiatric disorders. METHOD: During a two-stage, school-based, epidemiological study of depression, data were collected on 478 adolescents. Instruments included the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School-Age Children and the Children's Global Assessment Scale. RESULTS: Twenty-two percent of the sample had contact with professionals during the prior year, including 56% of adolescents with a psychiatric diagnosis. Significant odds ratios (ORs) were found between all diagnoses and treatment. Trends for undertreatment of females and African-Americans were evident in univariable and multivariable models. The OR (0.34) for African-American females was significant in the multivariable model. African-Americans were significantly more likely to receive only one or two treatment contacts. CONCLUSION: Data suggest race and gender differences in the treatment of adolescent psychiatric disorders. Possible explanations include referral bias, low cultural competence of mental health professionals, and cultural differences in the expression and tolerance of symptoms and help-seeking behaviors. Further study of factors influencing treatment decisions is needed.
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This guided bibliography of 122 articles on selective mutism covers nearly all of the English language publications on the topic. Index Medicus and Psychological Abstracts were the major source documents for the citations.
The relationship between cognitive-intellectual abilities and whole-blood serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine; 5-HT) in 18 autistic probands and their first-degree relatives (n = 21 parents, n = 13 siblings) was investigated. Whole-blood 5-HT was significantly negatively associated with verbal-expressive/symbolic abilities for the entire sample. The proportion of variance in cognitive-intellectual performances attributable to whole-blood 5-HT was substantial in the context of variance attributable to familial classification. The relationship between verbal-expressive abilities and whole-blood 5-HT, adjusted for race and familial classification, was noteworthy. Simple correlations between 5-HT and cognitive-intellectual performances were conducted. However, bias related to covariance attributable to race seriously limits such findings. The issue of bias and its relevance to previous research is discussed further.
Behavior problems in 20 preschool children (13 boys, 7 girls) referred to a diagnostic nursery were assessed using parents' ratings. The patterns of behavior problems reported in 4- and 5-yr.-olds parallel those noted for older clinic-referred children (i.e., internalizing difficulties in girls, externalizing difficulties in boys). The most salient behavior problems for 3-yr.-olds involved aggression. Correlations between children's behavior problems and an index of parents' experienced stress were moderate (.44 to .64).
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The distribution of calcium in isolated bovine pituitary secretory granules was studied by atomic absorption. The total granule calcium (in 26 preparations) averaged 14.5 nmol/mg protein, or 21.2 +/- 1.6% of the total pituitary homogenate calcium. Incubation of granules with KCl resulted in calcium release (78% at 15 mM and 100% at 50 mM, for example). Calcium release was also pH dependent, with greater release at acidic pH values; it was not influenced by either 500 microM strontium or 500 microM lanthanum. Release was augmented by reduced glutathione (GSH), with significant release observable at thiol levels as low as 10 microM. In addition to GSH, cysteine also stimulated release; mercaptoethanol and dithiothreitol were less potent. Interestingly, the disulfides cystine and oxidized glutathione also stimulated calcium release. Since the latter compounds are known to inhibit hormone release from granules, calcium and protein release appear to be regulated independently. A number of dihydropyridines were tested as potential blockers of calcium release from granules. Nimodipine inhibited basal calcium release at high concentrations and potently inhibited GSH-stimulated calcium release, with an apparent Ki in the 10-20 nM range; it also inhibited K(+)-stimulated release but to a lesser extent. Nimodipine, however, did not significantly influence protein or hormone release. GSH-stimulated calcium release was also inhibited by nifedipine, and this inhibition was qualitatively and quantitatively similar to that by nimodipine. Nisoldipine and nitrendipine, however, displayed no significant inhibition. In summary, it appears that the release of secretory granule calcium in vitro is independent of protein release. Thiols and some disulfides stimulate calcium release, and its inhibition by dihydropyridines suggests that granule membranes may contain specific ion channels. The role of granule calcium in the cell remains to be defined.