Biomedical subjects

S L Willis

Publications and source records attributed to S L Willis.

23 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

PubMed1986

Training the elderly on the ability factors of spatial orientation and inductive reasoning.

We examined the effects of cognitive training with elderly participants from the Seattle Longitudinal Study. Subjects were classified as having remained stable or having declined over the previous 14-year interval on each of two primary abilities, spatial orientation and inductive reasoning. Subjects who had declined on one of these abilities received training on that ability; subjects who had declined on both abilities or who had remained stable on both were randomly assigned to the spatial orientation or inductive reasoning training programs. Training outcomes were examined within an ability-measurement framework with empirically determined factorial structure. Significant training effects, at the level of the latent ability constructs, occurred for both spatial orientation and inductive reasoning. These effects were general, in that no significant interactions with decline status or gender were found. Thus, training interventions were effective both in remediating cognitive decline on the target abilities and in improving the performance of stable subjects.

Aged↗

PubMed1978

Modifiability of fluid intelligence in aging: a short-term longitudinal training approach.

The aim of this study was to examine to what degree fluid intelligence can be modified in aged subjects. The effectiveness of a cognitive training program designed to enhance one primary component of fluid intelligence, Figural Relations, was assessed by comparing the posttraining performances of 15 experimental and 15 control subjects (mean age: 69; age range 59-85) using a transfer paradigm and three posttraining assessments conducted approximately 1 week, 1 mo, and 6 mo following training. The post-training performance of the two groups was compared on three near (fluid intelligence) and one far (crystallized intelligence) transfer measures. A hierarchical pattern was predicted with the magnitude of training effects ordering themselves in descending order from near to far transfer measures. The training program was successful in enhancing performance on the fluid-nearest measure on all three posttests and for the next fluid-near measure on the first posttest. In addition, significant retest effects resulted which, however, were neither task-specific nor hierarchically ordered, but general and therefore indicative of ability-extraneous factors, such as test sophistication. The findings contribute to a position implying that intellectual performance in old age is more modifiable through short-term behavioral intervention than traditionally assumed.

Aged↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Memorability functions in verbal memory: a longitudinal approach.

Middle-aged (N = 252, M = 39.91), young-old (N = 486, M = 60.77), and old-old (N = 137, M = 74.42) participants in the Seattle Longitudinal Study were tested on two occasions on their recall of a 20-item word list. Proportions of participants in each group correctly recalling each word-unit served as the dependent measure. Word-unit scores obtained in 1991 were regressed on those from 1984, yielding linear functions that varied by age group. Each set of word-unit scores (three groups on two occasions) was then regressed on word familiarity, imageability, primacy, and recency. The relative influence of each of these variables on memorability was then compared, both between and within cohorts. Primacy and familiarity were consistently strong predictors. Imageability and recency were predictive of memorability in the middle-aged group, but less so in the young-old, and not at all in the old-old group. Results and possible implications are discussed.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Biotransformation products of 3,4,4'-trichlorocarbanilide in rat, monkey, and man.

3,4,4'-Trichlorocarbanilide (TCC), uniformly labeled with 14C in the monochloro ring, was administered to rats, rhesus monkeys, and humans. Radioactive materials in the plasma and urine of all three species and in the bile of rats and monkeys were separated by high performance liquid chromatography. The chromatography showed great similarity between the monkey and the human. Principal metabolites common to all species were the sulfate and glucuronide conjugates of 2'-, 3'-, and 6-hydroxy-TCC. The rat also produced the glucuronide and sulfate conjugates of 2',6-dihydroxy-TCC. The major urinary excretion products found in humans and monkeys were the N- and N'-TCC glucuronides.

Animals↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Analysis of false results in a series of 835 fine needle aspirates of breast lesions.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze cases of false diagnoses from a large series to help increase the accuracy of fine needle aspiration of palpable breast lesions. STUDY DESIGN: The results of FNA of 835 palpable breast lesions were analyzed to determine the reasons for false positive, false negative and false suspicious diagnoses. RESULTS: Of the 835 aspirates, 174 were reported as positive, 549 as negative and 66 as suspicious or atypical but not diagnostic of malignancy. Forty-six cases were considered unsatisfactory. Tissue was available for comparison in 286 cases. The cytologic diagnoses in these cases were reported as follows: positive, 125 (43.7%); suspicious, 33 (11.5%); atypical, 18 (6.2%); negative, 92 (32%); and unsatisfactory, 18 (6.2%). There was one false positive diagnosis, yielding a false positive rate of 0.8%. This lesion was a case of fibrocystic change with hyperplasia, focal fat necrosis and reparative atypia. There were 14 false negative cases, resulting in a false negative rate of 13.2%. Nearly all these cases were sampling errors and included infiltrating ductal carcinomas (9), ductal carcinomas in situ (2), infiltrating lobular carcinomas (2) and tubular carcinoma (1). Most of the suspicious and atypical lesions proved to be carcinomas (35/50). The remainder were fibroadenomas (6), fibrocystic change (4), gynecomastia (2), adenosis (2) and granulomatous mastitis (1). CONCLUSION: A positive diagnosis of malignancy by FNA is reliable in establishing the diagnosis and planning the treatment of breast cancer. The false-positive rate is very low, with only a single case reported in 835 aspirates. Most false negatives are due to sampling and not to interpretive difficulties. The category "suspicious but not diagnostic of malignancy" serves a useful purpose in management of patients with breast lumps.

Biopsy, Needle↗