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Biomedical subjects

S Phillips

Publications and source records attributed to S Phillips.

At least 199 records · Page 11Linked to original sources
PubMed1986

Hemispheric specialization and the language abilities of autistic children.

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the relationship between patterns of hemispheric specialization for speech processing and language ability in autistic children. 17 male autistic children, 6-18 years of age, and 17 normal children, matched for chronological age and gender, were tested. Measures of hemispheric asymmetry were differences in the averaged cortical evoked responses taken from right and left hemisphere scalp locations to linguistic and nonlinguistic auditory stimuli. A comprehensive battery of language tests was administered to autistic subjects. Autistic children's direction of hemispheric asymmetry in response to linguistic stimuli differed significantly from that of normal subjects. The majority of autistic subjects showed reversed (right hemisphere dominant), but not necessarily reduced, patterns of hemispheric asymmetry. Autistic children with more advanced language abilities were more likely to exhibit a normal direction of hemispheric asymmetry. The possibility that a shift from right to left hemisphere processing of speech occurs as the autistic child acquires spoken language is discussed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1985

Natural loss of Purkinje cells during development and increased loss with alcohol.

In untreated rats, degenerating Purkinje cells (P cells) were present from the 20th day of embryonic life (E20) to post-natal day 14 (PN14), but none was present on E17 or PN15. Ethanol increased the loss of P cells both before birth and up to PN6 or 8, but from PN10 no increased loss was seen. Most degenerating P cells were located below the P cell line. On PN3 ethanol killed some P cells in 12 h, and the first ultrastructural change was a dilatation of the nuclear double membrane after 8 h. Among the surviving P cells, natural cell death continued. Pentothal anesthesia on PN3 did not damage P cells. Exposure to ethanol from E12 to PN5 resulted in a large loss of P cells and retarded the foliation of the cerebellum.

Animals↗
PubMed1985

NOR activity and centromere suppression related in a de novo fusion tdic(9;13)(p22;p13) chromosome in a child with del(9p) syndrome.

A female infant with del(9p) syndrome was found to have the karyotype 45,XX,tdic(9;13)(p22;p13) de novo. In the translocation chromosome, various combinations of AgNOR activity and inactivity were found with suppression of either the 9 or neither centromere. These phenomena of discontinuous centromeric suppression and variation in NOR activity in the one chromosome were scored on AgNOR, GTG, and a combination of AgNOR- and GTG-banded preparations. With AgNOR staining, 15.8% tdic chromosomes were AgNOR-positive, and this coincided (in preparations with GTG banding only) with 16% tdic chromosomes with a nonstaining gap present at the NOR site. This suggested that when the NOR-nonstaining gap was present the AgNOR staining would be positive; this was confirmed by the absence of gaps in combination AgNOR-GTG-banded preparations. In cells with tdic-NOR-negative chromosomes, equal proportions of cells with the 13 or both centromeres constricted were observed, but in cells with tdic-AgNOR-positive chromosomes there was only half the proportion of tdic chromosomes with both centromeres constricted; ie, there was a (significant) tendency towards inactivity of the NOR when both centromeres were constricted in the tdic chromosome. Therefore, the 2 phenomena, variation in NOR activity and centromeric suppression, are interrelated in this case.

Centromere↗
PubMed1985

Head injuries: a prospective, computerized study.

A prospective study of 3000 consecutive patients with head injury admitted to hospital showed a marked seasonal, daily and hourly variation and an overall male-to-female ratio of 2.19:1. The majority of patients were in the second, third and fourth decades of life with a peak in the early part of the second decade. The incidence was highest in unemployed and welfare recipients. Traffic accidents were the leading cause followed by fights and falls. Drug or alcohol use, or both, was evident in 45.6% of cases. The number of head injuries caused by intoxicated individuals is not known. Most patients had a concussion only. There was no evidence that the patients with concussion who returned to full activity immediately had any more adverse effects than those advised to "take it easy" for about 1 week.

Accidents, Traffic↗
PubMed1985

The impact of training in behavioral pediatrics: a study of 24 residency programs.

Three groups of residency programs were compared: 11 externally funded to provide mandatory behavioral training, seven not externally funded but providing mandatory training, and six controls not requiring training. At the beginning and end of 1980-1981, 569 residents (70%) completed questionnaires assessing attitudes regarding behavioral disorders, physical disorders, and "mixed" disorders (with physical and behavioral aspects). Behavioral knowledge was tested by 60 multiple-choice questions. Virtually all significant effects of program type occurred in the PL-2 year. For three attitudinal measures, "competence in management," "ability to advise parents," and "future relevance," only Funded residents demonstrated higher change scores for both behavioral and mixed disorders, relative to physical disorders; Funded and Not Funded residents were superior to Controls regarding behavioral disorders. For "knowledge of resources" and "facility interest," Not Funded change was superior to Control. Given higher Funded ratings initially, Not Funded ratings approximated Funded ratings by the end of the year. Regarding knowledge, Funded and Not Funded residents showed greater improvement than Controls. These data suggest that: changes in attitudes and knowledge are related to mandatory training; Funded programs generate the most consistent changes in both behavioral and "mixed" disorders; and the impact of training is most evident in the PL-2 year.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗
PubMed1985

Parent interview findings regarding the impact of cystic fibrosis on families.

An assessment of the impact of cystic fibrosis (CF) was conducted with 43 families. Semistructured parental interviews on family functioning, parent-child interactions, sibling and peer relationships, and medical issues were coded by two independent raters to identify "major," "minor", or "no" problems. Of the 62 questions presented, only 8 were viewed by more than 10% of parents as "major problems." The impact of hospitalization upon parents was the most prevalent "major problem." Parental communication was a "major problem" for 28% of the mothers but for only one father. Ten to 15% of the parents described "major problems" related to: their marital relationship, accepting the illness, feeling they should do more for their child with CF, feeling their other children had been deprived or complained about inattention, or their relationship with the ill child's grandparents. While most families were generally coping successfully, health care professionals should be alert to specific areas of potential problems.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1985

Residents' knowledge of behavioral pediatrics.

Four groups of residency programs (4433 residents) were compared regarding performance on the In-Training Exam of the American Board of Pediatrics and a 30-item addendum assessing behavioral knowledge: 10 programs funded to provide mandatory training, 6 not funded but requiring training, 4 control programs not requiring training but participating in an evaluation of behavioral training, and all other programs (221) whose residents took the exam. Three measures were calculated for each resident: percent correct on "organic" items; percent correct on "behavioral" items; and a ratio (behavioral to organic). Moderate positive correlations were found between organic and behavioral scores. There were no significant differences in organic performance related to program type. Ratio scores were higher for PL-1-funded residents than for any other PL-1 group. For PL-2s, Funded, Not Funded, and Control residents performed better than the All Other group. By the 3rd year, Funded residents performed better than All Other residents; Not Funded and Control scores fell in between. These data suggest that: (1) behavioral knowledge is only moderately related to organic knowledge; (2) requiring behavioral training increases behavioral knowledge but does not decrease the level of organic knowledge; and (3) funded programs attract residents more knowledgeable about behavior who, during their training, remain more knowledgeable than residents in programs not participating in an evaluation of behavioral training.

Child Behavior↗
PubMed1984

Constitutive fragile sites 1p31, 3p14, 6q26, and 16q23 and their use as controls for false-negative results with the fragile(X).

Fragile(X) estimations in fragile(X)-mental retardation hemizygotes or heterozygotes can become falsely negative in stored blood (lymphocytes). This was shown in blood stored (before culture) at 4 degrees C, room temperature (25 degrees C), 37 degrees C, and 39 degrees C for 1-4 days. After storage, blood was cultured in Ham's F10-5% FC serum with 0.1 microM FUdR and scored for fra(X) and the constitutive fragile sites at 3p14 and 6q26. It was found that the proportion of cells expressing the fragile(X) and the 3p14 site varied inversely with the temperature and time of storage. In addition, 50 patients and controls were scored for the three latter sites after routine 72-96-hr culture in F10-0.05 or 0.1 microM FUdR. The 3p14 site was detected in every individual tested in a mean +/- S.D. of 11.3 +/- 3.2% of cells (0.1 microM FUdR). It was found that this site was FUdR dose dependent whereas the 6q26 site was not. The 3p14 (but not the 6q26) site is therefore suitable as a control site for the FUdR effect. It is proposed that repeat studies are necessary when less then 4% 3p14 sites are present in specimens from males referred for fra(X) estimation. Other constitutive fragile sites (eg, 1p31 and 16q23) can also be used.

Chromosome Fragile Sites↗
PubMed1984

A search for brain damage in a rat model of alcoholic sleep apnea.

To determine whether or not brain damage is likely to occur in the repeated apneic episodes experienced by some alcoholics during intoxicated sleep, rats were anesthetized with alcohol and subjected to repeated episodes to asphyxia. Each episode lasted 90 s, arterial PO2 was less than 50 mm Hg for 60 s, and 30 episodes of asphyxia occupied 45 min in the first h of anesthesia. In other rats asphyxic episodes occupied more than half of the first 2 or 3 h of anesthesia, or 1 h of asphyxic episodes was repeated on 5 successive days. In none of these rats was there evidence of neuronal damage by electron microscopy, or axonal degeneration by Fink-Heimer staining, or Purkinje cell loss by counting. It was found that even in normal nervous tissue about 3% of mitochondria were in condensed forms suggestive of a degenerative phase in their life cycle.

Alcoholic Intoxication↗
PubMed1983

Does consumption of alcohol in the presence of disulfiram cause brain damage?

After blocking aldehyde dehydrogenase activity with disulfiram in rats, a single injection of ethanol or a single day of inhaling ethanol vapor resulted in neuronal degeneration in the cerebral cortex and elsewhere that was detected by a specific silver stain and by electron microscopy. Treatment of rats with alcohol alone and with disulfiram alone did not cause neuronal degeneration. The minimum blood alcohol levels and disulfiram doses administered to the rats which caused neural degeneration are not distant from those values described in a clinical case of abuse of disulfiram.

Acetaldehyde↗
PubMed1983

Parental characteristics and interactional dysfunction in families with child behavior problems: a preliminary investigation.

Thirty-six families with a preteenage behavior problem child were assessed on measures of marital discord, parental psychopathology, and three parental cognitive factors: knowledge of behavioral principles, tolerance for child deviancy, and expectations regarding their child's behavior. Nine nonproblem families with demographic characteristics similar to the problem families were also assessed. Correlational analyses across all families revealed a strong association between marital discord and the parental index of child behavior problems. While a number of significant associations were discovered between the various measures of marital discord, parental psychopathology, and parental cognitive factors, no other measure besides marital discord was associated with parental perception of child behavior problems. The nonproblem families and 15 of the problem families also participated in home observations obtained through random audio recordings during high interaction periods. These observational data indicated a significant relationship between parental perception of child behavior problems and parental negative behavior toward the child, but no significant relationship between parental perception of child behavior problems and child behavior, even when child behavior was weighted by parents' reactions to that behavior. Through sequential analysis, several contingent relations between parent and child behavior were discovered. Findings are discussed in relation to family systems theory.

Aggression↗
PubMed1983

Health professionals' predictions of teenagers' preferences regarding chaperones during physical examinations.

This study assessed the degree of concurrence between teenagers' stated preferences regarding chaperones and professionals' predictions about teenagers' responses. One hundred and fifty members of the Society for Adolescent Medicine received the Method section of a study investigating teenagers' attitudes about chaperones during examination of the genitalia. These professionals were asked to predict the teenagers' choices. Seventy professionals responded. Male and female professionals made highly similar predictions. Professionals' predictions were generally accurate, with four exceptions. Professionals underestimated some teenagers' desire to have a family member present (the case for females aged 14-16 yr and males 12-13 yr). They also underestimated young boys' and girls' reluctance to have an opposite-sexed nurse present. Regarding teenagers' reluctance to be alone with the physician, professionals did not appreciate the differential importance of age for males versus females. They also underestimated, for females and young males, the additive importance of the physician's sex and familiarity to the patient.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1983

Medical and psychosocial aspects of gonococcal infection in the adolescent patient: epidemiology, diagnosis, and treatment.

Gonorrhea has reached epidemic proportions and poses a significant health problem for teenagers. The attitudes and behavior of adolescents play a major role in the increase of gonococcal infection, interacting with characteristics of the disease and public health issues. Controlling gonorrhea among teenagers thus requires attending to the medical and psychosocial issues. Accurate diagnosis is dependent, in part, on eliciting a valid sexual history. Selection of a laboratory protocol should reflect not only the sensitivity and specificity of a test but its acceptability to teenagers. Similarly, there is no longer a single "drug of choice" for treatment. Patient acceptability, potential for noncompliance, toxicity, cost, jeopardy to other uses, and possible coexistent infection are factors to be considered in addition to efficacy. Finally, medication is only part of the treatment plan, which includes sexual abstinence, therapy for sexual partners, and returning for a test of cure. Compliance with the entire treatment plan can often be enhanced by maximizing communication and rapport with the adolescent.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1983

Effect of physiological manipulations on the chemotherapy of experimentally induced renal infection.

The belief that a favorable physiological milieu in the urinary tract may augment the effectiveness of antimicrobial agents used to treat urinary tract infections was examined by using an experimental model of Escherichia coli-induced renal infection in rats. The effect of manipulating urinary pH and flow on the antimicrobial activities of gentamicin, carbenicillin, ampicillin, nitrofurantoin and co-trimoxazole was assessed. In addition, a potential synergistic effect of the sequential administration of gentamicin and cephalothin in the eradication of renal infection was investigated. Although significant physiological alterations were achieved, these did not affect the efficacy of the antimicrobial agents studied, and therapeutic failures were common.

Ampicillin↗