Effects of speech and language disorders on raters' perceptions

Using semantic differential scales with nine trait pairs, 465 students at two universities rated five descriptions, one portraying an individual without a disorder and four depicting communicative disorders. Statistical analyses indicated that the descriptions with no disorder and with a language disorder were rated significantly lower in ambition than those depicting stuttering, voice, or articulation disorders. Other differences emerged when the raters were divided by geographical location and age. Location was a significant factor in the responses for the traits of social adjustment, employability, and ambition. Age of respondent correlated significantly with ratings of tension and employability.

Synthesis and antiinflammatory activity of certain 5,6,7,8-tetrahydroquinolines and related compounds

Modification of some 8-benzylidene-5,6,7,8-tetrahydroquinolines, which have good antiulcer activity, led to three distinct classes of compounds with good in vivo antiinflammatory activity. Initial efforts led to a series of alkenes derived from 5,6,7,8-tetrahydroquinolines substituted at the 8-position. A second approach concentrated on replacing the CH linkage of these 8-benzylidene-substituted compounds with other spacer groups and increasing the size of the cycloalkyl ring from a six- to seven-membered ring, which provided 6,7,8,9-tetrahydro-5H-cyclohepta[b]pyridine analogues. Finally, the substituent was switched from the cycloalkyl ring to the 2-position of the pyridine ring. Variation of the 2-substituent was also examined. Optimal antiinflammatory activity after oral administration was found in both the rat carrageenan paw edema and rat developing adjuvant arthritis models with 2-substituted 6,7,8,9-tetrahydro-5H-cyclohepta[b]pyridines, and of particular interest was 27 (WY-28342).

undulated phenotypes suggest a role of Pax-1 for the development of vertebral and extravertebral structures

undulated extensive mice carry a deletion of at least 28.2 kb, removing the terminal Pax-1 exon including the poly(A) signal. This mutation leads to a drastically reduced amount of Pax-1 transcript. The similarity in phenotype between unex and the point mutation un suggests both to be functionally equivalent. A third mutant, Undulated short tail, harbors a deletion of at least 48.3 kb, eliminating the Pax-1 locus as well as 38 kb of flanking sequences. Phenotypically, this mutant differs from un and unex. The comparative phenotype analysis of all undulated alleles revealed morphological alterations in the vertebral column, the sternum, the scapula, the facial skeleton, and the thymus that correspond to Pax-1 expression domains. The vertebral column phenotype is characterized by the reduction of vertebral components. These reductions can be traced back to the delayed cell accumulation in the embryonic sclerotome while the principal organization of this tissue is maintained. The morphological alterations outside the vertebral column are likewise confined to size reductions. Therefore, Pax-1 may exert similar functions in all of its expression domains.

Middle latency auditory responses in males who stutter

Little research exists that explores subcortical function in people who stutter. One study suggested that auditory middle latency response Wave Pb was prolonged in subjects who stutter as compared to controls. Other studies have suggested that Pb was generated within the thalamic portion of the reticular system. MLRs were recorded from 10 males who stutter and 10 controls using a variety of filter passbands in response to clicks presented binaurally at various rates. The latency of Pb was found to be significantly shorter in the group of subjects who stutter.

Suppression of dyskinesias in advanced Parkinson's disease: moderate daily clozapine doses provide long-term dyskinesia reduction

Dyskinesias commonly appear during L-dihydroxyphenylalanine (L-DOPA) therapy of advanced Parkinson's disease (PD) and can occur in both dose-related and dose-independent patterns. Clozapine exerts a dose-related suppression of L-DOPA-induced dyskinesias by shifting the i.v. L-DOPA dose-response curve for production of dyskinesias without altering relief of parkinsonism. We report our outpatient experience with 13 patients on daily clozapine therapy (maximum dose 400 mg/day), followed for 3-21 months (median 10). Beneficial effects of clozapine, determined from twice-weekly diaries, included increased "on time" and decreased "off time" and time "on with dyskinesia." Improvements were statistically apparent by 75 mg/day and remained so through 200 mg/day. Sedation was a common problem, reflected by increased time "asleep" which was significant by 50 mg/day. Sedation was dose limiting in most patients. Orthostatic hypotension and sialorrhea were variably present. No patients had seizures, bone marrow toxicity, or detectable loss of efficacy of clozapine with chronic use. We conclude that clozapine is an effective agent for suppression of dyskinesias in PD with an effective daily dose for most patients of 100-200 mg/day.

Bronchoscopy-associated Mycobacterium xenopi pseudoinfections

Mycobacterium xenopi typically accounts for less than 0.3% of all clinical mycobacterial isolates. Over a 37-mo period, 21 (35%) of 60 mycobacterial isolates from a Michigan hospital were identified as M. xenopi. Hospital, laboratory, and bronchoscopy records were reviewed to determine case characteristics, develop a case series, and calculate procedure-specific M. xenopi isolation rates. A case-control study was conducted to elucidate aspects of the bronchoscopy procedure associated with M. xenopi isolation. Bronchoscope cleaning procedures were reviewed, and hospital water systems were cultured. Four isolates were from three patients with disease attributable to M. xenopi. Of the other isolates, specimens obtained by bronchoscopy were more likely to yield M. xenopi than were specimens obtained by other routes (relative risk, 9.7; 95% confidence intervals, 3.2, 29.6). Bronchoscopes were disinfected in a 0.13% glutaraldehyde-phenate and tap-water bath and then were rinsed in tap water. Water from the hot water tank supplying this area yielded M. xenopi. Mycobacteria were cultured from bronchoscopes after disinfection. M. xenopi in the tap water appears to have contaminated the bronchoscopes during cleaning. Adequate disinfection of contaminated bronchoscopes and careful collection of specimens to avoid contamination with contaminated water are essential, both for limiting diagnostic confusion caused by mycobacterial pseudoinfections and for reducing risks of disease transmission.

Altered Pax gene expression in murine notochord mutants: the notochord is required to initiate and maintain ventral identity in the somite

We have characterised the patterning capacity of the notochord on the somite using the murine Pax-1 gene as a ventral, and Pax-3 as a dorsal molecular marker. As model systems we chose the four mouse notochord mutants Brachyury curtailed (Tc), Danforth's short tail (Sd), Pintail (Pt) and truncate (tc). Their notochord either is initially absent or progressively degenerates. The use of these mutants enabled us to compare the effect of graded notochord deficiencies. All four mutants show premature termination of the vertebral column. This phenotype can be traced back to an impaired dorsoventral specification of the somites. In tc/tc and Tc/+ embryos the notochord in the affected regions is missing from the beginning. Consequently, Pax-1 is never activated, and Pax-3 remains to be expressed in the entire somite. In contrast, in Sd and Pt embryos the notochord secondarily degenerates. At the end of the prevertebral column Pax-1 expression is lost, while the Pax-3 signal occupies the former Pax-1 expressing zone. The altered pax gene expression in the notochord mutants suggests that the notochord is required for two processes in the dorsoventral patterning of the somite: first the induction of ventral structures, and second the maintenance of the ventral fate.