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Biomedical subjects

M Prior

Publications and source records attributed to M Prior.

125 records · Page 7Linked to original sources
PubMed1978

Evidence for language recoding in autistic, retarded and normal children: a re-examination.

In a replication and extension of earlier studies by Hermelin & O'Connor, language recoding abilities in autistic, retarded and normal children matched for mental age and digit span, were compared in a verbal recall task. Random word lists, sentences, and anomalous sentences, eight or 12 items in length (for high and low memory span subgroups) were presented and the number of words recalled from each type of input was scored. All low span children recalled sentences better than random lists with normal children superior to retarded and autistic children and the latter group poorer than the retarded group. Autistic children showed a recency effect with both types of input. There were no group differences amongst high span children and sentences were again better recalled than random lists. In Expt II sentences were better recalled than anomalous sentences, with autistic and retarded children equivalent in performance and poorer than normal children. Although low span autistic children were clearly deficient in recall of sentence material when compared with the two control groups, the effect of conditions showed that they were able to use structure to improve recall. Since high span autistic children did not perform differently from controls it is suggested that results from this kind of study may not be generalizable, and that claims for a specific coding deficit in autistic children need further substantiation.

Autistic Disorder↗
PubMed1976

Iron and blood donation. Evaluation of a kit method for routine use in a blood transfusion service.

Manifest iron-deficiency anaemia is preceded by a latent stage in which normal haemoglobin levels coexist with low serum iron levels. Regular blood donation involves the removal of significant amounts of iron, and in susceptible donors, may aggravate iron deficiency. It is important for a blood transfusion service to be able to identify these susceptible donors. A commercial kit for the determination of serum iron levels was evaluated and found suitable for introduction as a routine screening test for a transfusion service. A survey of serum iron levels of 200 blood donors showed that 12 1/2% had levels below the normal reference range.

Anemia, Hypochromic↗
PubMed1975

Kanner's syndrome or early-onset psychosis: a taxonomic analysis of 142 cases.

Case history data on 142 psychotic children were obtained using the Rimland Diagnostic Check List. A particular variety of the method known as numerical taxonomy was used to classify the children into subgroups on the basis of responses on the Check List. A comparison was made between a classification of Kanner's syndrome vs. "no Kanner's syndrome" and a classification using random classes as starting points. The "best" classification of the data was one in which 2 classes were obtained, one containing all the Kanner's syndrome children plus other early-onset, nonrelating psychotic children and the other containing children with later onset and more varied symptoms. Those attributes which significantly differentiated between the classes both in the "best" classification and in the Kanner's syndrome classification were extracted. A distinction between Kanner children and other similar children was found only for 3 specific behaviors: obsessive desire for sameness, islets of special ability, and skillful manipulation of small objects.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1975

Survey of antibiotic residues in Canadian slaughter animals.

Kidneys and urine of cattle, swine, sheep and chickens were tested for bacterial growth inhibitors using Bacillus subtilis and Sarcina lutea as test organisms. Results were as follows: 211 beef kidneys four positive, 611 swine kidneys five positive, 27 sheep and 120 chicken kidneys all negative, 2108 beef urine 76 positive, 2409 swine urine 186 positive, 176 sheep urine 17 positive. Strongest reactions were obtained with B. subtilis on phosphate buffered pH 6.0 plates. Larger zones were produced by urine from injected animals than by tissue samples.

Abattoirs↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Depression and suicide in young children.

Despite the dramatic increase of depression and suicidal behavior in children, research within this field is limited. Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in children aged 1 through 14 years. For each child who completes the act of suicide, there are at least 50 more who attempt it. It is difficult to collect statistics on suicide in children owing to the lack of standard criteria for determining suicide in this age group and the myths that surround childhood suicide deaths. Children of all ages, including infants, can experience depression, but it will be manifested differently across each age group, especially from the infant to the school-aged child. Factors that identify children at risk for suicide include family history, loss of a loved one before the age of 12, violence, decreased family ties, and increased family pressures. Prevention strategies need to be accessible to the child both at home and in school. A variety of community-based suicide prevention programs are available for children and adults to assist children in overcoming suicidal feelings.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Premorbid emotional and behavioural adjustment in children with mild head injuries.

This study investigated the hypothesis that children sustaining a mild closed head injury have a higher prevalence of premorbid behavioural problems than children in the general community. The prevalence of emotional and behavioural problems among children with a mild closed head injury was compared with the prevalence of problems in children with a severe closed head injury, children in the general community, and children referred to a psychiatric outpatient clinic. The results showed that the children with a mild head injury did not have significantly more premorbid emotional and behavioural problems than other children in the community. The children with a mild head injury also had significantly fewer emotional and behavioural problems than children referred to a psychiatric outpatient clinic. The results suggest that the common assumption that children with a mild closed head injury have a higher prevalence of premorbid emotional and behavioural problems than other children in the general community may not be correct.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Clinical and circulatory effects of Iloprost either administered for 1 week or 4 weeks in patients with peripheral obstructive arterial disease at Leriche-Fontaine stage III.

BACKGROUND: Iloprost therapy for severe peripheral obstructive arterial disease (POAD) has demonstrated to be effective in reducing the need for amputation. However the feasibility of a 28-day infusion regimen in less severe stages of the disease is poor due to the length in hospital stay. A randomized, controlled, parallel-group pilot study was carried out with the aim to evaluate clinical and circulatory effects of Iloprost, a stable prostacyclin analogue, administered with two different infusion schedules to patients with POAD at Leriche Fontaine stage III. METHODS: Twenty patients 16 males and 4 females, mean age 66 +/- 6 years) with objective signs of POAD, rest pain for at least two weeks and posterior tibial artery pressure > 50 mmHg, were randomized to either Iloprost i.v. infusion up to 2 ng/Kg/min for 6/h/day for 28 days (Group A) or to Iloprost i.v. infusion up to 1.5 ng/Kg/min for 16/h/day for 7 days (Group B). At baseline (before starting first infusion) after 7 days (for group B only, end of therapy) and after 28 days (end of therapy for Group A, end of study for Group B) the following parameters were evaluated: walking distance, rest pain and analgesic consumption, plethysmographyc parameters (first flow, peak flow and peak flow time) and laser Doppler parameters (rest flow, post ischemic flow). RESULTS: After 28 days, both Iloprost infusion schedules increased walking capacity (maximum walking distance/pain free walking distance +119/+84% +199/+85% respectively, for Group A and B respectively) reduced ischemic pain (-45% and -48% respectively for Group A and B) and analgesic consumption and improved plethysmographyc and laser Doppler parameters. Tolerability seemed to be better in Group B, suggesting that the lower dose and the shorter duration of the therapy period might result in reduced incidence of headache thus, in principle, increasing patient acceptability. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this pilot study, if confirmed by larger trials, could have important positive implications in terms of costs, patient comfort and management.

Aged↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Endothelial function and the microcirculation in diabetes mellitus].

The role of endothelial dysfunction in the pathogenesis of diabetic microangiopathy is reviewed. Reversible alterations in microcirculation, consisting of increased capillary pressure, blood flow and endothelial permeability, can be detected at an early stage in diabetes mellitus. Irreversible structural modifications of the vascular wall, such as thickening of the basal membrane due to the extracellular accumulation of proteins, take place at later stages. Atherosclerosis further affects microcirculation in diabetes mellitus by decreasing autoregulatory capacity and blood flow reserve. Endothelial dysfunction has been observed to precede the onset of microvascular lesions, as demonstrated by reduction in the vasodilatory response to vasoactive agents and by alterations in the antithrombotic properties of the endothelium. Experimental data available so far suggest that endothelial dysfunction may be directly related to hyperglycemia. Abnormalities in lipoprotein metabolism, generation of glycation end products, and increased oxidative stress may also be responsible for the endothelial dysfunction in diabetes mellitus. Insulin resistance appears to be related to endothelial dysfunction in non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus through a reduction in the biological activity of endothelial-derived nitric oxide.

Animals↗