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At least 343 records · Page 19Linked to original sources
PubMed1995

Repeated testing of normal elderly with the Boston Naming Test.

The Boston Naming Test is commonly viewed as a measure of language ability, particularly, confrontational naming. Its utility in detecting word-retrieval problems in clinical populations is well documented. However, studies which would explore information-processing mechanisms involved in BNT performance are not available. Results of our repeated testing of 122 subjects between the ages of 57 and 85 with the 60-item version of BNT and other measures over three annual probes revealed high stability of the BNT scores over time, which suggests a lack of the practice effect, whereas cross-sectional analysis demonstrated some decline in the BNT scores in subjects over 70 years of age. In spite of the high stability in BNT scores on repeated testing, the pattern of correlations between the BNT and measures tapping different cognitive domains shifted over time. Results suggest predominantly the verbal mode of information processing in BNT performance on the first probe, as opposed to visuo-spatial mode on the third probe in our sample of elderly individuals.

Aged↗
PubMed1998

Characterization of organotin-resistant bacteria from boston harbor sediments

Organotins are widely used in agriculture and industry. They are toxic to a variety of organisms including bacteria, although little is known of their physiology and ecology. Bacteria resistant to six organotins-tributyltin (TBT), dibutyltin (DBT), monobutyltin (MBT), triphenyltin (TPT), diphenyltin (DPT), and monophenyltin (MPT)-were isolated from Boston Harbor sediments, Massachusetts, USA. Bacteria resistant to each of the organotins, except DPT, were isolated directly from estuarine sediments. Viability of the organotin-resistant bacteria on serial transfer in the laboratory ranged from 80 to 91%. Each isolate was screened for resistance to the other organotins. All of 250 isolates were resistant to at least two organotins. No DPT-resistant isolates were found on initial isolation on DPT, although there was DPT resistance among the other organotin-resistant bacteria. Eighty percent of TBT-resistant bacteria were TPT-resistant, suggesting that antifouling paints containing TPT will not be a suitable substitute for TBT in paints designed to inhibit microbial biofilms. Debutylation reduced toxicity in some cases while dephenylation did not. Thus, even though trisubstituted organotins are generally believed to be more toxic than di- or monosubstituted organotins, this may not always be the case, and more than one mechanism of resistance may be involved. All the bacteria were resistant to at least six of eight heavy metals tested, suggesting that resistance to heavy metals may be associated with resistance to organotins.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2002

Interface corrective force measurements in Boston brace treatment.

Brace application has been reported to be effective in treating idiopathic adolescent scoliosis. The exact working mechanism of a thoracolumbo spinal orthosis is a result of different mechanisms and is not completely understood. One of the supposed working mechanisms is a direct compressive force working through the brace upon the body and thereby correcting the scoliotic deformity, achieving optimal fit of the individual orthosis. In this study we measured these direct forces exerted by the pads in a Boston brace in 16 patients with idiopathic adolescent scoliosis, using the electronic PEDAR measuring device (Novel, Munich, Germany). This is designed as an in-shoe measuring system consisting of two shoe insoles (size 8 1/2), wired to a computer, recording static and dynamic pressure distribution under the plantar surface of the foot. After positioning the inserts between the lumbar and thoracic pads and the body, we measured the forces acting upon the body in eight different postures. In all positions the mean corrective force through the lumbar brace pad was larger than the mean corrective force over the thoracic brace pad. Some changes in body posture resulted in statistically significant alterations in the exerted forces. There was no significant correlation between the magnitude of the compressive force over the lumbar and thoracic brace-pad and the degree of correction of the major curve. Comparing the corrective forces in a relatively new (<6 months) and old (>6 months) brace, there was no statistically relevant difference, although the corrective force was slightly larger in the new braces. We think that the use of this pressure measurement device is practicable and of value for studies of the working mechanism of brace treatment, and in the future it might be of help in achieving optimal fit of the individual orthosis.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2006

Results of brace treatment of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis in boys compared with girls: a retrospective study of 102 patients treated with the Boston brace.

The aim of the study was to compare the results of brace treatment of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) in male patients with matched female patients and to assess the effectiveness of bracing of boys in AIS and to discuss the results with published data. Between 1987 and 1995, 51 consecutive male patients with AIS were treated with the Boston brace. The patients were advised to wear the brace 23 h/day. The medical records of all patients were reviewed. Cobb angles and Risser signs were measured before bracing, in brace, at brace discontinuation and at final follow-up. Everyone of 51 male patients was compared with a female patient who was treated by the same method and matched by Risser sign, curve pattern, curve magnitude and duration of treatment and follow-up time. Compliance with brace was noted at every visit. Fourteen boys had worn the brace only during nighttime or occasionally and were considered non-compliant. Only compliant patients with treatment period > 1 year and follow-up > 1 year after treatment were accepted for the analyses of effectiveness of brace treatment and its prognostic factors. Thirty-three boys met these inclusion criteria. Bracing was considered to have a failure if > 5 degrees progression occurred or if surgery was performed. At the final follow-up study progression > 5 degrees was found in 16/51 (31.4%) of male patients. Corresponding figures of female patients were 11/51 (21.6%), respectively. In compliant boys progression > 5 degrees occurred in 6/33 boys compared with 9/33 girls. The association between risk of progression and correction% in brace was statistically significant. The overall results of brace treatment of idiopathic scoliosis in male patients were inferior compared with matched females. One reason for inferior overall results in boys was poor compliance with brace wear. However, brace treatment in AIS may be recommended with the same principles in both genders.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2003

Clinical diagnosis of cerebral amyloid angiopathy: validation of the Boston criteria.

Cerebral amyloid angiopathy is a disorder in which deposition of amyloid within the arterial media and adventitia leads to intracerebral hemorrhage. Diagnosis during life has been hampered by the requirement for post-mortem examination for definitive diagnosis. The Boston Criteria for the diagnosis of cerebral amyloid angiopathy-related hemorrhage were developed in 1995 and 1996 in order to meet the need for a standardized set of diagnostic criteria that can be applied to living patients. Using a combination of clinical, radiologic, and pathologic data, these criteria reliably differentiate lobar intracerebral hemorrhage into categories of possible, probable, or definite based on the likelihood of underlying cerebral amyloid angiopathy. These criteria will be crucial for disease classification for future clinical studies.

Brain↗
PubMed1984

S1-nuclease mapping of the genomic Lepore-Boston DNA demonstrates that the entire large intervening sequence of the fusion gene is of beta-type.

Several reports have suggested but not proven that the large intervening sequence of Lepore delta-beta fusion gene was of beta-type (3-5). A method able to detect rearrangements as small as 4 nucleotide pairs directly into genomic DNA (6) has been applied to the total DNA of a heterozygous Lepore-Boston patient in order to identify accurately the origin of the large intervening sequence of the delta-beta fusion-gene. Hybrid duplexes were formed between genomic Lepore DNA and single-stranded DNA used as probes, then submitted to S1-nuclease treatment. Our data demonstrate that the entire large intervening sequence of the Lepore fusion gene is of beta-type. Moreover, no large modification was detected in any delta- and beta parts of the delta-beta fusion gene.

Base Sequence↗
PubMed1989

Boston Naming Test in Alzheimer's disease.

The 60-item Boston Naming Test (BNT) was administered to 55 subjects: 15 mildly-to-moderately demented patients meeting NINCDS-ADRDA criteria for "probable" Alzheimer's disease (AD), 15 age-equivalent normal control (NC) subjects, and--for purposes of validation--25 additional subjects with other forms of dementia (OD). A cutting score of 51 correctly classified 80% of AD patients and 86% of NC subjects. To facilitate rapid screening of confrontation-naming performance in these populations, three 30-item shortened versions of the BNT were constructed. Even and Odd Versions were equivalent for AD, NC, and OD subjects; high correlations between these two and the 60-item BNT permit easy extrapolation to a total BNT score. A new Empirical Version, derived from performance of our AD and NC reference groups, maintained most of the intergroup discrimination of the full BNT.

Aged↗
PubMed1993

Advances in the understanding and treatment of multiple sclerosis. Boston, Massachusetts, USA, 28-29 October 1992.

Basic and applied research on multiple sclerosis (MS) has become increasingly focused on the development and testing of new therapeutic agents for this devastating disease. After a generation or more of exposing patients to non-specific immunoregulatory and other agents that have been, at best, of minimum benefit and significant potential or actual toxicity, attention has turned to attempts to identify treatment modalities that might be used in a more specific, effective and safe fashion. This trend has not been lost on the emerging biotechnology industry, which tends to view MS as both a disease to be explored on its own and as a disease whose solution may also open doors into other chronic diseases of purported autoimmune etiology, such as rheumatoid arthritis, type I diabetes, and others. These trends toward an increasing biotechnological approach to MS, coupled with an academic and industrial focus on the disease, were the clear motivations behind a recent two-day conference entitled "Advances in the Understanding and Treatment of Multiple Sclerosis" held in Boston and sponsored by a commercial meeting planner, International Business Communications USA Conferences, Inc.

Cytokines↗
PubMed2005

Dementia does not explain correlation between age and scores on Boston Naming Test.

The major purpose of this study was to determine if the correlation between age and performance on the Boston Naming Test that has been reported by some investigators results from inclusion of people in the early stages of dementia in those samples. The correlation between age and naming score was -.36 in 125 carefully evaluated nondemented individuals aged 60-88 years who were enrolled in the control group at an Alzheimer's Disease Research Center between 1985 and 1998. All participants remained undemented for at least 2 years after testing. The magnitude of the correlation between naming scores and age was similar to that found in unscreened samples. Increased confrontation naming difficulty appears to occur with normal aging.

Age Factors↗
PubMed2004

Normative data for the Boston Naming Test in native Dutch-speaking Belgian children and the relation with intelligence.

This paper reports the results of a normative study of the 60-item version of the Boston Naming Test (BNT) in a group of 371 native Dutch-speaking Flemish children between the ages of 6 and 12 years. Analysis of test results revealed that BNT performance was significantly affected by age and gender. The gathered norms were shown to be significantly lower than published norms for comparable North-American children. Error analysis disclosed remarkable similarities with data from elderly subjects, with verbal semantic paraphasias and 'don't know' responses occurring most frequently. Finally, BNT scores were shown to correlate strongly with general intelligence as measured with the Raven Progressive Matrices. The relation between both measures can be of help in the diagnosis of identification naming deficits and impaired word-retrieval capacities.

Belgium↗
PubMed2006

A developmental study of scores of the Boston Qualitative Scoring System.

To elucidate developmental changes of the Summary Scores of the Boston Qualitative Scoring System (BQSS) for the Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure (ROCF). One hundred healthy children aged 6-16 (average 9.7 +/- 2.4; 60 boys, 40 girls). The ROCF was administered and graded based on the BQSS. The subjects were classified in four age-groups: 6- and 7-year-olds; 8- and 9-year-olds; 10- and 11-year-olds; and 12- and 16-year-olds. The differences in Summary Scores were examined among age-groups. All BQSS Summary Scores except Delayed Retention showed clear developmental changes. The Copy Presence Accuracy, the Immediate Presence Accuracy, the Delayed Presence Accuracy, and the Immediate Retention showed continuous development throughout childhood, though some differences were noted in the age ranges during which each score showed the most rapid development. The Organization score showed a somewhat peculiar pattern, with rapid development during the age ranges of 8-9 and 10-11 and with no distinctive development before and after these ranges. Five of the six BQSS Summary Scores showed clear developmental changes with a different developmental pattern in each score. Especially, the Organization score was unique and was supposed to reflect a different underlying process than the other Summary Scores, which might relate to the local and global processing style. BQSS is a promising tool for the evaluation of higher brain functions in childhood.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2004

Dash and Boston questionnaire assessment of carpal tunnel syndrome outcome: what is the responsiveness of an outcome questionnaire?

This prospective study evaluates if the Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand (DASH) questionnaire is an adequately responsive outcome measure in carpal tunnel syndrome by comparing it with the disease-specific Boston questionnaire (BQ). To measure responsiveness (sensitivity to clinical change), 57 patients with a clinical diagnosis of carpal tunnel syndrome completed the DASH and BQ preoperatively and again 3 months after open carpal tunnel decompression. A second group of 31 patients completed the questionnaires in the outpatient clinic and again 2 weeks later to assess test-retest reliability. The time to complete all questionnaires was recorded. Responsiveness of the DASH is comparable with the BQ with standardized response means of 0.66, 1.07 and 0.62 for the DASH, BQ-symptoms and BQ-function, respectively. Test-retest data show both questionnaires are reliable. Mean times to complete questionnaires were 6.8minutes (DASH) and 5.6minutes (BQ). This study concludes that the DASH questionnaire is a reliable, responsive and practical outcome instrument in carpal tunnel syndrome.

Age Factors↗
PubMed2001

Changes in the metal content of surficial sediments of Boston Harbor since the cessation of sludge discharge.

Temporal trends of metals in surficial sediments (1991-1998) at two sites in Boston Harbor were analyzed to evaluate the effect of stopping sludge dumping in December 1991. Metal contents of sediments from the old sludge disposal site were higher than those of a station in the central Harbor. Since 1991, carbon, copper, and lead contents have significantly decreased in sediments from the disposal site. Chromium and Zn have shown smaller decreases while Fe, and Mn, have remained relatively constant. Metal content in the central Harbor station, located in an area of sediment reworking, has been quite variable, but, with the exception of Zn which has shown a large decrease relative to iron, the changes seemed to be well correlated with changes in the organic carbon content at this site due to resuspension. Ratios of metals in the sediments are fairly similar at both sites and similar to those of sewage-derived particles, with the exception of Cr, which appears to be enriched in the sediments.

Carbon↗
PubMed1997

Proceedings of the International Consensus Conference on Cutaneous T-cell Lymphoma (CTCL) Treatment Recommendations. Boston, Massachusetts, Oct. 1 and 2, 1994.

At the International Consensus Conference for Cutaneous T-Cell Lymphoma (CTCL) Treatment Recommendations (held in Boston, Massachusetts, Oct. 1 and 2, 1994), international experts were asked to assess where consensus existed and to identify areas that required clinical research. We review the epidemiology, pathology, and immunology of CTCL, summarize the important areas in which consensus exists, and discuss newer targeted therapies.

Humans↗
PubMed2000

The Boston Diagnostic Aphasia Examination-Spanish version: the influence of demographic variables.

The Boston Diagnostic Aphasia Examination Battery (BDAE) is one of the most widely used aphasia tests worldwide. Information about general population performance, however, is limited. This paper analyzes the effects of gender, age, socioeconomic status (SES), academic achievement, and occupation on the BDAE Spanish version. The BDAE was administered to a randomized sample of 156 occupationally active 19-60-year-old participants (75 male and 81 female) from two SES groups. Gender and age had a significant effect on some reading and writing subtests. Body-part naming and mechanics of writing scores were significantly decreased in the low SES group. Education had a significant impact over most of the BDAE subtests. A stepwise regression model showed that academic achievement was best able to predict the variance in BDAE scores with a low (< 15%) to modest (> 17%) but significant capability (F MANOVA p < .01). A factor analysis disclosed 7 factors that explained 67% of the total variance.

Achievement↗
PubMed1991

Unusual CO bonding geometry in abnormal subunits of hemoglobin M Boston and hemoglobin M Saskatoon.

To clarify the role of the proximal histidine (F8-His), distal His (E7-His), and E11 valine (E11-Val) in ligand binding of hemoglobin (Hb), we have investigated the resonance Raman (RR) spectra of the carbon monoxide adduct of Hbs M (COHb M) in which one of these residues was genetically replaced by another amino acid in either the alpha or beta subunit. In the fully reduced state, all Hbs M gave v3 at approximately 1472 cm-1 and vFe-His at 214-218 cm-1, indicating that they have a pentacoordinate heme and the heme iron is bound to either E7-His or F8-His. The porphyrin skeletal vibrations of the COHb M were essentially unaltered by replacements of E7- or F8-His with tyrosine (Tyr) and of E11-Val by glutamic acid (Glu). The vCO, vFe-CO, and delta Fe-C-O frequencies of COHb M Iwate (alpha F8-His----Tyr), COHb M Hyde Park (beta F8-His----Tyr), and COHb M Milwaukee (beta E11-Val----Glu) were nearly identical with those of COHb A. In contrast, the RR spectra of COHb M Boston (alpha E7-His----Tyr) and COHb M Saskatoon (beta E7-His----Tyr) gave two new Raman bands derived from the abnormal subunits, vFe-CO at 490 cm-1 and vCO at 1972 cm-1, in addition to those from the normal subunits at 505 cm-1 (vFe-CO) and 1952 cm-1 (vCO). The CO adduct of the abnormal subunits exhibited apparently no photodissociation upon illumination of CW laser with a stationary cell under which the normal subunit exhibited complete photodissociation.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Binding Sites↗
PubMed2000

An environmental health survey of residents in Boston Chinatown.

The Asian/Pacific Islander (API) population in the United States is majority immigrant, diverse ethnically, and resides predominately in urban settings. It is possible that urban APIs face health-threatening environmental hazards that differ in form or magnitude from environmental concerns of other definable subpopulations or the overall population in the United States. To date, little or nothing is known about this topic. Spurred by the complaints of one such community, in Boston Chinatown, which is also of low socioeconomic status, we conducted a first-stage survey of randomly chosen residents about environmental health concerns. Despite a small sample size, we were able to document several environmental factors of potential concern that were worthy of further study. These included exhaust and noise from motor vehicle traffic and dust from construction projects, and factors originating inside the home. Pedestrian safety and lack of open/green space emerged as primary community concerns, while residents' knowledge of environmental hazards, such as lead paint, was found to be weak. We conclude that standard surveys of "environmental justice" in communities such as this one require tailoring of methods to specific conditions in order to be effective. For example, our survey preferentially missed working-age men, and about half of all randomly selected persons were not interviewed despite bilingual/bicultural interviewers, support letters from the local health clinic, and in-person attempts at residences.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2004

Adjustment method for mechanical Boston scientific corporation 30 MHz intravascular ultrasound catheters connected to a Clearview console. Mechanical 30 MHz IVUS catheter adjustment.

Intracoronary ultrasound (ICUS) is often used in studies evaluating new interventional techniques. It is important that quantitative measurements performed with various ICUS imaging equipment and materials are comparable. During evaluation of quantitative coronary ultrasound (QCU) software, it appeared that Boston Scientific Corporation (BSC) 30 MHz catheters connected to a Clearview ultrasound console showed smaller dimensions of an in vitro phantom model than expected. In cooperation with the manufacturer the cause of this underestimation was determined, which is described in this paper, and the QCU software was extended with an adjustment. Evaluation was performed by performing in vitro measurements on a phantom model consisting of four highly accurate steel rings (perfect reflectors) with diameters of 2, 3, 4 and 5 mm. Relative differences (unadjusted) of the phantom were respectively: 15.92, 13.01, 10.10 and 12.23%. After applying the adjustment: -0.96, -1.84, -1.35 and -1.43%. In vivo measurements were performed on 24 randomly selected ICUS studies. These showed differences for not adjusted vs. adjusted measurements of lumen-, vessel- and plaque volumes of -10.1 +/- 1.5, -6.7 +/- 0.9 and -4.4 +/- 0.6%. An off-line adjustment formula was derived and applied on previous numerical QCU output data showing relative differences for lumen- and vessel volumes of 0.36 +/- 0.51 and 0.13 +/- 0.31%. 30 MHz BSC catheters connected to a Clearview ultrasound console underestimate vessel dimensions. This can retrospectively be adjusted within QCU software as well as retrospectively on numerical QCU data using a mathematical model.

Cardiac Catheterization↗