Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

N Amir

Publications and source records attributed to N Amir.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed1984

Erythrocyte (Ca2+ + Mg2+)-ATPase activity and calcium homeostasis in Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

Because the erythrocyte (RBC) in Duchenne's muscular dystrophy (DMD) is thought to be a suitable experimental paradigm for the sarcolemma, the RBC membrane-bound enzyme (Ca2+ + Mg2+)-ATPase has been investigated as to its relevance to abnormalities of calcium metabolism in DMD muscle. In this study, RBC (Ca2+ + Mg2+)-ATPase activity, intracellular calcium and potassium contents and complete hemogram were examined in 10 DMD patients and 16 age-matched controls. (Ca2+ + Mg2+)-ATPase activity was found elevated in the DMD RBC, consistent with reports from previous studies, but no abnormalities in intracellular calcium, potassium or hemograms were detected. It seems that although the (Ca2+ + Mg2+)-ATPase activity is changed, it bears no relevance to calcium homeostasis in DMD RBC. It is inferred that the increase in intramuscular calcium in DMD muscle, which is also found in other neuromuscular diseases, may be a non-specific finding in the diseased muscle and part of the final common pathway leading toward cellular degeneration and death.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1984

Weaver-Smith syndrome. A case study with long-term follow-up.

We studied a 6-year-old-boy who was followed up from infancy and who had Weaver-Smith syndrome (WSS), a syndrome characterized by excessive growth, dysmorphic facies, psychomotor retardation, and specific radiologic features. The child's height and bone age were far greater than his chronological age and he demonstrated hypothyroidism at the age of 6 years, but had no endocrinologic abnormalities when he was examined at 11 months of age and again at 4 years of age. We compared the clinical and laboratory features of this child with all other reported cases of WSS.

Age Determination by Skeleton↗
PubMed1983

Complex partial status epilepticus.

Two children had complex partial status epilepticus, a rare convulsive disorder. The presumptive clinical diagnosis was based on the complex symptomatology occurring within a fluctuating state of consciousness, and on unsustained responses. The diagnosis was confirmed by the ictal EEG, which demonstrated continuous focal discharge in the left temporal region in one patient, and by constant focal spike-and-wave activity over the right temporal areas, which occasionally became hypersynchronous, in the other. We also discuss the possible anatomical substrate and neurophysiological mechanisms of this entity.

Child, Preschool↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Are schizophrenia and affective disorder related?: the problem of schizoaffective disorder and the discrimination of the psychoses by signs and symptoms.

Schizophrenia and affective disorder are separately classified. Schizoaffective disorder has been considered a variant of these, or representing several diseases. Some hypothesize a psychosis continuum. One test of these contrasting views involves discriminating the psychoses by their classic symptoms. We used discriminant function analyses to assess the ability of systematically recorded psychopathology to distinguish 167 DSM-III schizophrenics from 74 affectives. We divided the schizophrenics into chronic and schizoaffective subgroups. We discriminated chronic schizophrenics from affectives, but schizoaffectives overlapped both groups. Schizoaffective/unipolars were like chronic schizophrenics, and schizoaffective/bipolars were like affectives. However, these discriminations also substantially overlapped, and among non-affective positive features formal thought disorder was best at discrimination. Our findings do not fully support the present classification system, and suggest that its emphasis on hallucinations and delusions is overvalued.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Development of color association in normal and neurologically impaired children.

Color association, defined as the ability to identify the characteristic color of familiar objects, was studied in 2 groups of brain-damaged children with language or nonlanguage impairment and in a group of control patients. The performance of the 16 control children, 3.5-4.5 years of age, was compared with that of 31 patients, 4.5-5.5 years of age; their scores were 52.4 +/- 31.3 (mean +/- SD) and 85.9 +/- 13.1, respectively (p less than 0.005). Seventeen dysphasic, brain-damaged children and 11 age-matched children with neurologic deficits but without language delay were examined. Their scores were 57.7 +/- 11.7 and 70.6 +/- 21.9, respectively (p less than 0.05). Finally, each of the brain-damaged groups was compared with age-matched controls. Although the control children performed far better than the dysphasic children (77.6 +/- 20.9 and 57.5 +/- 11.7, respectively, p less than 0.001), there was no significant difference between controls and neurologically impaired children without language delay (77.6 +/- 20.9 and 70.6 +/- 21.9, respectively). We conclude that color association in normal children is already operative at 3.5 years and approaches maturity by 4.5-5.5 years. This function was preserved in neurologically impaired children without language delay but was significantly distrubed in the dysphasic children; therefore, the use of color should be assessed in the habilitation of children.

Anomia↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Oculomotor apraxia: the presenting sign of Gaucher disease.

Oculomotor apraxia may be idiopathic or a symptom of a variety of diseases. In Gaucher disease, oculomotor deficit is characterized by a failure of volitional horizontal gaze with preservation of vertical movements. We present 2 sisters, 6 1/2 and 5 1/2 years of age, in whom the presenting sign was oculomotor apraxia. Oculomotor apraxia has not been previously reported as the presenting manifestation of Gaucher disease.

Apraxias↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Attention deficit disorder: association with familial-genetic factors.

The etiology of attention deficit disorder and hyperactivity (ADDH) is controversial because both biologic and social factors have been postulated. To study such factors, we undertook a referral study based on an entire cohort (N = 6,950) of children born in Jerusalem in 1976. Of 479 children referred for learning disabilities, hyperactivity, and behavioral problems, 381 were available for study. Information regarding obstetric, developmental, and family histories was obtained by a detailed, structured interview. A DSM-III-based questionnaire for ADDH was completed by parents and teachers. Each child underwent neurologic examination and 133 had IQ testing. Of these children, 145 fulfilled the criteria for ADDH. Our results revealed a number of significant familial-genetic factors: boys outnumbered girls by 3:1, 30% of ADDH children had siblings with learning disabilities (P less than .001); and ADDH children clustered within families of North African descent (P less than .001). The only significant developmental factor was delayed language development. Of numerous pre- and peri-natal factors investigated, only intrauterine growth retardation was significantly associated with ADDH. No correlation was found between ADDH and IQ, parental age, years of education, profession, and language spoken at home. Our study supports the hypothesis that familial-genetic factors are contributory to ADDH.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Suppression of the emotional Stroop effect by increased anxiety in patients with social phobia.

Anxious individuals are slower at color-naming threat-related than nonthreat-related words in the emotional Stroop task. Recently, Mathews and Sebastian (1993, Cognition and Emotion, 7, 527-530) reported that this Stroop interference effect disappears when snake-fearful students are exposed to a snake while performing the color-naming task. In the present experiment, we had patients with social phobia and normal control subjects perform an emotional Stroop task under either low anxiety (i.e. upon entering the laboratory) or high anxiety (i.e. before giving a speech). Results indicated that Stroop interference for socially threatening words in the phobic group was suppressed under high anxiety. These findings may indicate that increased effort enables the subjects to suppress the interference produced in the Stroop task.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Memory bias in generalized social phobia: remembering negative emotional expressions.

In two experiments, the authors examined memory for facial emotional expressions in patients with generalized social phobia (GSP) and in nonanxious control (NAC) participants. Three main questions were addressed. First, do patients with GSP differ from NAC participants in their overall memory for facial expressions? Second, do patients with GSP exhibit a memory bias for negative versus nonnegative expressions? Third, if such a bias exists, is it specific to angry expressions? The results of both experiments indicated that patients with GSP have better memory for all facial expressions than do NAC participants. Results of experiment 2 suggest that patients with GSP exhibit enhanced recognition for negative compared with nonnegative expressions; in contrast, NAC participants did not exhibit such enhancement. Results concerning specificity were equivocal. The importance of examining cognitive biases in patients with GSP via the use of facial expression is discussed.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Inflated perception of responsibility for harm in obsessive-compulsive disorder.

The present study examined the proposition that inflated responsibility is implicated in obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). Compared to non-anxious control participants (NACs), and an anxious control group with generalized social phobia (GSPs), we predicted that individuals with OCD (OCs) would exhibit a greater urge to rectify situations involving potential risk, would report more distress upon leaving such situations unrectified, and would feel more personal responsibility if the unrectified situations resulted in harm. Fifteen OCs, 15 NACs, and 15 GSPs completed the Obsessive Compulsive Responsibility Scale (OCRS), which included low-risk, OC-relevant, and high-risk situations. Compared to NACs and GSPs, OCs reported more urges, distress, and responsibility in low-risk and OC-relevant situations; no group differences were detected on high-risk situations. GSPs and NACs differed only in their responsibility in OC-relevant situations, with GSPs reporting higher responsibility than controls. Our results suggest that compared to OCs, NACs, and GSPs can better differentiate between situations that merit concern and ones that do not.

Adult↗