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Biomedical subjects

M Sigman

Publications and source records attributed to M Sigman.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources
PubMed1989

Intelligence and behavior problems in 5-year-olds in relation to representational abilities in the second year of life.

Assessments of sensorimotor skill, play, language, and developmental level were administered to 20 preterm and 20 full-term infants during sessions at 13 1/2 and 22 months of age. At 5-year follow-up, children were tested with the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence (WIPPSI) and the Developmental Test of Visual-Motor Integration (VMI). Behavior problems were also assessed. At 5 years, the preterm sample showed slight delays in cognitive functioning. Measures of development and language at 13 1/2 and 22 months and relational play at 22 months were most predictive of cognitive outcome. Children with behavior problems at 5 years differed from those without problems in terms of their play and language skills. These data suggest that measures of development, particularly language development, and of play are predictive of later cognitive and behavioral functioning.

Child Behavior Disorders↗
PubMed1989

Effects of microwaving human milk: changes in IgA content and bacterial count.

On the basis of this study, IgA was best preserved in frozen human milk by thawing either overnight in the refrigerator or under warm running water. If either of those procedures are to be used, it is suggested that bacterial monitoring should be performed. Because current technology does not allow for accurate low internal temperature monitoring of liquids, it is concluded that use of the microwave oven for the treatment of human milk is inappropriate. However, because microwaving is as effective as holder pasteurization in killing bacteria, and because it would be less expensive and is faster, this process should be further investigated.

Bacteria↗
PubMed1989

Parallel process at case conferences.

The author focuses on the parallel process phenomenon as she observed it at hospital case conferences. She proposes hypotheses about the origins of the unconsciously determined repetitions in terms of the dynamics of each of three case illustrations. These origins likely reside equally in the shared experiences and defensive needs of the therapists, staff members, patients, and patients' families. The author suggests that the awareness and exploration of the possibility of parallel process at case conferences may not only benefit case management but may also augment the teaching component of rounds.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Caregiver interactions with autistic children.

Caregiver interactions with young autistic children were contrasted with those involving caregivers and developmentally matched mentally retarded and normal infants. Caregivers of autistic children were similar to other caregivers in their responsiveness to child nonverbal communication bids and in their engagement in mutually sustained play. Caregivers of autistic children were similar to caregivers of mentally retarded children in their greater use of control strategies. However, these two groups of caregivers differed in the particular strategies they used to shape their children's behavior. Caregivers of mentally retarded children pointed to objects while caregivers of autistic children spent more time physically holding their children on task. Individual differences within the autistic sample indicated that caregivers regulated their children's behavior less and showed more mutual play and positive feedback to more communicatively able autistic children. These findings suggest that caregivers respond differentially to the specific deficiencies shown by their children.

Autistic Disorder↗
PubMed1988

Nonverbal communication skills in Down syndrome children.

The goal of this research was to examine the nonverbal communication competence of 18-48-month-old Down syndrome children. The results indicated that Downs children displayed strengths and weaknesses in nonverbal communication skills. Relative to MA matched normal children, they displayed a significant strength in nonverbal social interaction skills. However, they also displayed a significant deficit in nonverbal requests for objects or assistance with objects compared to normals. This pattern of strength and weakness in nonverbal skills appeared to be specific to Down syndrome since this pattern was not displayed by a comparison sample of non-Downs mentally retarded children. Nonverbal object-requesting skill was also significantly associated with a measure of expressive language in the Downs sample. This relation was notable because the Downs children also displayed a deficit in expressive language. Thus, the results of this study suggest that a deficit in expressive language is associated with a deficit in earlier-developing nonverbal requesting skill among Down syndrome children.

Child, Preschool↗
PubMed1987

Nonverbal communication and play correlates of language development in autistic children.

The aim of this study was to determine the social and cognitive correlates of language acquisition in autistic children. Functional and symbolic play skills were shown to be associated with language abilities in a sample of young autistic children (mean CA 54.5 months), thereby replicating previous findings. Certain types of nonverbal communication skills were also shown to be significant correlates of language development in this group of autistic children. These involved the ability to use gestures to coordinate visual attention between social partners with respect to objects or events. The play and nonverbal communication variables were not significantly correlated, suggesting that these variables reflect independent psychological factors associated with language development in young autistic children.

Autistic Disorder↗
PubMed1987

Categorization skills and receptive language development in autistic children.

The category knowledge and receptive language skills of 16 autistic, mentally retarded, and normal children were assessed. The autistic children's knowledge of function, form, and color categories was comparable to that of the mental-age-matched mentally retarded and normal comparison groups. Category knowledge and receptive language were more closely associated for mentally retarded and normal children than for autistic children. The findings indicate that category knowledge is not sufficient for the development of receptive language in autistic children.

Autistic Disorder↗
PubMed1987

Initial experience with extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy in children.

The clinical experience is presented of 4 United States centers at which extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy was used for the treatment of renal calculi in 38 children 12 months to 16 years old. Patient characteristics, treatment specifics and followup data are detailed. Complete fragmentation of calculi was obtained in 97 per cent of those treated, with a 5 per cent complication rate. This experience demonstrates that with proper safeguards, extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy can be performed safely and effectively in the pediatric population.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1987

Medical treatment of idiopathic infertility.

We conclude that, although many therapies have been advocated, no regimen has proved to be consistently effective in the treatment of idiopathic male infertility. Couples in which the husband is identified as having idiopathic infertility should be advised of the inconsistent and often low conception rates obtained with medical therapy. This should be weighed against the possibility of greater success with in vitro fertilization and the likelihood of success with artificial insemination by donor. Matson and colleagues performed in vitro fertilization on 75 couples in which the husband was oligospermic. When the husband was moderately (5.1 to 11.9 million motile sperm per milliliter) or severely (less than or equal to 5 million motile sperm per milliliter) oligospermic, fertilization rates were 56 and 30 per cent, respectively. This is in comparison to a fertilization rate of 72 per cent in normospermic couples. Following embryo transfer, pregnancy rates were similar in all groups. In vitro fertilization, although expensive and often not covered by insurance policies, may yield results in 1 month. Pharmacologic treatment of the male, which is less expensive, requires several months before improvement might be expected. The decision as to which course to recommend should be made after careful consultation with the couple. If empiric therapy is decided upon, the choice of an agent is somewhat arbitrary. Reasonable initial choices for the oligospermic patient are tamoxifen (or clomiphene citrate) or HCG (HCG may also be used in the patient with idiopathic asthenospermia). Testosterone rebound, with its risk of permanent azoospermia, is not an acceptable initial therapy. Similarly, the results of studies of testolactone, GnRH, pentoxifylline, and kallikrein either demonstrate low pregnancy rates or are too preliminary to recommend at this time. Regardless of the choice of therapy, it should be administered for at least 3 months to include the length of one spermatogenic cycle. The performance of randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over studies of present and future treatments will allow more definite conclusions to be drawn.

Chorionic Gonadotropin↗
PubMed1986

Characterization of a monoclonal antibody to a conserved epitope on human seminal vesicle-specific peptides: a novel probe/marker system for semen identification.

A novel sperm-coating antigen from the human seminal vesicles was discovered. We identified a monoclonal antibody MHS-5, recognizing an epitope with characteristics of a forensic semen marker: conservation in all vasectomized or normal semen samples tested (421); absence in all human tissues or biological fluids other than semen; and immunolocalization on the surface of ejaculated sperm. Western blots of ejaculates allowed to liquefy for 5 min demonstrated the MHS-5 epitope to be located on peptides of a wide range of molecular masses from 69 to 8 kDa. After 15 h of semen liquefaction, immunoreaction peptides of higher molecular mass were undetectable in semen, while peptides of lower molecular mass from 8 to 21 kDa retained antigenicity. Three peptides of 10, 11.9, and 13.7 kDa were the most immunoreactive species in semen liquified for 15 h. Using the MHS-5 monoclonal, an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was developed sensitive to 1 ng of seminal protein. This assay showed that the MHS-5 antigen was undetectable in semen of common domestic animals and monkeys but was present in chimpanzee, gorilla, and orangutan semen. ELISA of homogenates from human organs and reproductive tissues demonstrated the antigen only in samples of seminal vesicles. Epididymal sperm obtained at vasovasostomy lacked the MHS-5 epitope, a fact that, together with immunolocalization on ejaculated sperm, demonstrated that the MHS-5 antigen functions as a "sperm-coating antigen." The MHS-5 monoclonal detected semen in sexual-assault evidence obtained six months previously and in mixtures of semen with vaginal or cervical fluid. Assay systems employing the MHS-5 monoclonal may be useful for identification of semen in sexual-assault casework. The MHS-5 epitope resides on novel seminal vesicle-specific peptides whose functions, aside from sperm coating, are uncharacterized.

Antibodies, Monoclonal↗
PubMed1986

Cognitive development in preterm infants: birth to 8 years.

This report summarizes the outcome at age 8 of a group of preterm infants followed intensively from birth. The study was designed primarily to follow the processes of interaction between biological and environmental factors in determining the childhood outcome of infants born preterm rather than to report the incidence of particular types of outcomes for special subgroups of infants. A high percentage of the children were performing within the normal range. Social factors played a major role in determining the outcome regardless of neonatal complications. Functional assessment of newborn visual attention and sleep organization showed a modest relation to outcome. A subgroup of preterm infants from Spanish-speaking families, for cultural and language integration reasons, followed a somewhat different course from infancy to childhood outcome than did the group from English-speaking families. The results suggest that in longitudinal studies of preterm infants, different cultural and language groups should be analyzed separately so that one may understand the developmental processes and outcomes.

Attention↗
PubMed1986

Social interactions of autistic, mentally retarded and normal children and their caregivers.

The social interactions of young autistic children and their caregivers were contrasted to interactions involving normal and mentally retarded controls. The autistic children displayed a much lower frequency of attention sharing behaviors, such as pointing to or showing objects. Alternatively, the autistic children directed as much looking, vocalizing and proximity behaviors toward their caregivers as did the other groups. Thus, although the autistic children did not show a clear lack of responsiveness to their caregivers, they did display a significant deficit in indicating behaviors during child-caregiver interaction.

Attention↗
PubMed1986

Defining the social deficits of autism: the contribution of non-verbal communication measures.

Young autistic children were compared to normal and control samples on measures of non-verbal communication skills and object play skills. Deficits in non-verbal indicating behaviors best discriminated the children diagnosed as autistic from the other groups. Although the autistic children also exhibited deficits in object play behavior, these deficits did not add appreciably to the discriminant function based on the non-verbal communication behaviors. These results suggest that a deficit in the development of non-verbal indicating behaviors is a significant characteristic of young children who receive the diagnosis of autism.

Autistic Disorder↗