Formal support and service needs of family caregivers of adults with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities in India

BACKGROUND

Despite the enactment of disability laws/policies in India, research shows that caregivers of adults with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities experience inadequate formal supports/services due to dissemination barriers and lack of awareness about them. To address discrepancy between caregivers' support needs and the professionals' understanding of their needs, the study proposed to conduct a caregiver needs assessment so that culturally-tailored programs are developed.

METHOD

A strengths-based mixed methods needs assessment was conducted with a convenience sample of 100 caregivers in Hyderabad, India. One hundred caregivers completed the survey and 15 caregivers participated in semi-structured interviews.

RESULTS

Caregivers needed more and improved formal supports/services, particularly from the government. Caregivers faced systemic and attitudinal barriers, and personal impediments to accessing them. Needs differed by care recipients' intellectual disability level, gender, and intellectual disability related conditions.

CONCLUSIONS

Researchers, service providers and policymakers need to adopt innovative strategies to improve formal supports/services access.

Factors impacting community living outcomes among former long-term nursing home residents using the interdependence-Human Activity Assistive Technology (i-HAAT) model

Despite an increased application of social theory in assistive technology (AT) outcomes research, there continues to be a gap in integrating AT conceptual models in research design, data analysis, and results interpretation. This paper merged two preexisting AT models, the Human Activity Assistive Technology model (HAAT) and the interdependence frame for AT into a novel framework, the interdependence-HAAT model (i-HAAT). This model was used to examine the outcomes of former long-term nursing home residents using AT. The model was also used as a framework to facilitate quantitative variable identification and categorization, emphasize the interconnectivity between domain variables, and explore the infrastructural supports necessary for the successful community reintegration of deinstitutionalized AT users. Meaningful integration of theory into practice is the essential next step in generating socially responsive research that addresses AT consumer needs and moves the field forward.

COVID-19 and the Americans with Disabilities Act: Implications for employment and higher education

BACKGROUND

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a federal law that protects individuals with disabilities from discrimination in all areas of public life. The ADA contributes to equal opportunity across policy areas, including the interconnected domains of higher education and employment. Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, emerging research has begun to document the disparities in impact on people with disabilities, among other marginalized groups. However, no research to date has reviewed and synthesized literature that addresses disability discrimination related to COVID-19 that has implications for application of the ADA.

OBJECTIVE

This rapid evidence review aims to increase understanding about how COVID-19 has resulted in challenges for people with disabilities in the domains of employment and higher education that may be resolved through application of the ADA.

METHODS

Keyword searches were conducted in five electronic databases. Title, abstract, and full text screening was conducted followed by a thematic analysis of key ADA themes.

RESULTS

Twelve final articles were included in this review, eight categorized within higher education and four within employment. In relation to the ADA and COVID-19, five studies revealed findings related to web accessibility, eight related to effective communication, and four related to reasonable accommodations.

CONCLUSION

The findings provide a broad overview of the current research on how COVID-19 has affected accessibility, communications and accommodations in employment and higher education and identify gaps in the literature within these policy domains.

Supports and barriers that entrepreneurs with disabilities encounter when starting their businesses

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE

Entrepreneurship is increasingly emerging as a viable employment option for many people with disabilities. It provides opportunities to develop interests, skills, and passion for starting a business. We conducted multiple interviews with various stakeholders to identify the perceived supports and barriers that people with disabilities encounter in the process of pursuing entrepreneurship.

RESEARCH METHOD/DESIGN

Individual interviews included 20 entrepreneurs with disabilities, 6 service providers, and 5 school administrators. This qualitative study used a constructivist grounded theory approach to shape the process of data collection, analysis, and theory building.

RESULTS

People with disabilities interested in pursuing entrepreneurship benefit from facilitators such as social support, mentoring, and access to space, equipment, and money. Personal qualities include their desire to be "my own boss," help others, earn money, creativity, persistence, and flexibility. On the other hand, they may face several systemic barriers, such as the lack of infrastructure to set up the business, discrimination, lack of formal support from Vocational Rehabilitation counselors or their school settings, and/or lack of money.

CONCLUSIONS/IMPLICATIONS

The systemic barriers can make it difficult for entrepreneurs to start and/or continue to operate their businesses. We discuss the implications of the findings for the development of entrepreneurship training for youth with disabilities and offer recommendations for future research and practice in the rehabilitation field. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Building, sustaining and growing: disability inclusion in business

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the unique and the complementary aspects of disability inclusion and diversity strategies and to offer insight for organizations to integrate disability within diversity frameworks.

Design/methodology/approach

The research team conducted semi-structured interviews with diversity and inclusion “champions” from large businesses to learn about policies, practices and processes for fostering disability inclusion. The businesses have all received national recognition for supporting employees with disabilities.

Findings

Interviewees described strategies to build, sustain and grow disability inclusion by framing disability similarly to other diversity categories. The champions suggested practices to improve disability inclusion initiatives within their organizations.

Originality/value

There is limited information on what organizations are doing to support disability inclusion in the workplace. This study builds on the existing literature and responds to calls for case information from business personnel to gather data about common and effective practices.

Inclusive Entrepreneurship and Motivation Among People With Intellectual Disability: "Why They Act"

Social entrepreneurship is a growing trend for people with intellectual disability (ID). This trend reflects a shift in contemporary policy towards entrepreneurship and self-employment as a viable employment option for people with disability in general; a strategy which is intended to promote autonomy and reduce dependence on entitlement-based services as well as to reduce employment disparities and stimulate business and job creation. However, it is not well understood what exactly this means for people with ID involved in social entrepreneurial ventures. This research approached the issue by conducting dyadic interviews to explore the motivations of people with ID who are participating and supported in social entrepreneurship-"why they act." In exploring these motivations, this article investigates push-pull factors, the role of the social mission, and how support influences motivation.

Inclusive management for social entrepreneurs with intellectual disabilities: "how they act"

BACKGROUND

Social entrepreneurship is a growing trend that reflects a shift in contemporary policy towards entrepreneurship and self-employment as viable employment option for people with disabilities. Entrepreneurship is intended to promote autonomy and reduce dependence on entitlement-based services as well as reduce employment disparities while stimulating business and job creation.However, it is not well understood what exactly this means for people with intellectual disabilities (ID) involved in social entrepreneurial ventures.

METHODS

Dyadic interviews were conducted with people with ID participating in social entrepreneurship (n = 7) as well as with the person they identified as instrumental in providing support (n = 7). Interviews focused on understanding the management processes used by people with ID, or "how they act" in negotiating between formal and informal systems of services and supports and barriers encountered.

RESULTS

Themes that emerged include the main barriers they experienced, how their businesses are organized; and the use of formal and informal services and supports.

CONCLUSIONS

This research expands upon our understanding of social entrepreneurship and the management processes involved in customized employment for people with ID. It offers new insights and information for practitioners, policymakers, and researchers to inform the expectations we set for entrepreneurship as a sustainable employment option, from the perspective of social entrepreneurs with ID themselves.

Systematic review and Knowledge Translation: A framework for synthesizing heterogeneous research evidence

BACKGROUND

Participatory methodologies in disability and rehabilitation research are used to capture the perspectives of people with disabilities and to recognize the agency of stakeholder groups. Existing resources for conducting systematic reviews seldom provide details about how to integrate stakeholder input into the methodological process.

OBJECTIVES

This article considers how knowledge translation strategies can support and advance systematic reviews that include diverse types of research.

METHODS

Lessons learned from conducting a systematic review of Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) employment research are explained and contextualized within research on barriers and facilitators to successful knowledge translation.

RESULTS

Steps from the research protocol are described to provide a procedural framework for integrating stakeholder feedback into the review process. Descriptive mapping, an analytical technique most commonly used in scoping reviews, was deemed necessary to provide a clearer understanding and overview of the diverse body of research evidence.

CONCLUSIONS

Stakeholder feedback can address barriers to knowledge translation by engaging end-users of research products throughout the review process. Given the growing scholarly recognition of qualitative and mixed-methods techniques as suitable approaches for systematic review, there is further need for consideration on how these approaches can benefit from more participatory research processes.

Enhancing rigor and practice of scoping reviews in social policy research: considerations from a worked example on the Americans with disabilities act

BACKGROUND

There is increasing theoretical consideration about the use of systematic and scoping reviews of evidence in informing disability and rehabilitation research and practice. Indicative of this trend, this journal published a piece by Rumrill, Fitzgerald and Merchant in 2010 explaining the utility and process for conducting reviews of intervention-based research. There is still need to consider how to apply such rigor when conducting more exploratory reviews of heterogeneous research.

OBJECTIVES

This article explores the challenges, benefits, and procedures for conducting rigorous exploratory scoping reviews of diverse evidence.

METHODS

The article expands upon Rumrill, Fitzgerald and Merchant's framework and considers its application to more heterogeneous evidence on the impact of social policy.

RESULTS

A worked example of a scoping review of the Americans with Disabilities Act is provided with a procedural framework for conducting scoping reviews on the effects of a social policy. The need for more nuanced techniques for enhancing rigor became apparent during the review process.

CONCLUSIONS

There are multiple methodological steps that can enhance the utility of exploratory scoping reviews. The potential of systematic consideration during the exploratory review process is shown as a viable method to enhance the rigor in reviewing diverse bodies of evidence.

Platelet Activation and Clopidogrel Effects on ADP-Induced Platelet Activation in Cats with or without the A31P Mutation in MYBPC3

Background

Clopidogrel is commonly prescribed to cats with perceived increased risk of thromboembolic events, but little information exists regarding its antiplatelet effects.

Objective

To determine effects of clopidogrel on platelet responsiveness in cats with or without the A31P mutation in the MYBPC3 gene. A secondary aim was to characterize variability in feline platelet responses to clopidogrel.

Animals

Fourteen healthy cats from a Maine Coon/outbred mixed Domestic cat colony: 8 cats homozygous for A31P mutation in the MYPBC3 gene and 6 wild‐type cats without the A31P mutation.

Methods

Ex vivo study. All cats received clopidogrel (18.75 mg PO q24h) for 14 days. Before and after clopidogrel treatment, adenosine diphosphate (ADP)‐induced P‐selectin expression was evaluated. ADP‐ and thrombin‐induced platelet aggregation was measured by optical aggregometry (OA). Platelet pVASP and ADP receptor response index (ARRI) were measured by Western blot analysis.

Results

Platelet activation from cats with the A31P mutation was significantly (P = .0095) increased [35.55% (18.58–48.55) to 58.90% (24.85–69.90)], in response to ADP. Clopidogrel treatment attenuated ADP‐induced P‐selectin expression and platelet aggregation. ADP‐ and PGE₁‐treated platelets had a similar level of pVASP as PGE₁‐treated platelets after clopidogrel treatment. Clopidogrel administration resulted in significantly lower ARRI [24.13% (12.46–35.50) to 11.30% (−7.383 to 23.27)] (P = .017). Two of 13 cats were nonresponders based on OA and flow cytometry.

Conclusion and Clinical Importance

Clopidogrel is effective at attenuating platelet activation and aggregation in some cats. Cats with A31P mutation had increased platelet activation relative to the variable response seen in wild‐type cats.

Beyond the Law: A Review of Knowledge, Attitudes and Perceptions in ADA Employment Research

<p>The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA, 1990) is the cornerstone of civil rights policy for people with disabilities. Although enforced through the justice system, the legacy of the ADA transcends well beyond its legal ramifications. The policy&rsquo;s framework and the rhetoric of Disability Rights suggest both an embrace of the <em>spirit</em> and the <em>letter</em> of the law, or promulgating both legislative and cultural change to ensure that the rights of people with disabilities are met.&nbsp; In attempting to understand how and if such change has happened, researchers have gathered extensive evidence since 1990.&nbsp; Much of this research evidence, however, remains fragmented, under-utilized, and at times inconclusive.&nbsp; This article presents the results of a rapid evidence review of a sample of such research that is crucial to understand the ADA&rsquo;s progress.&nbsp; The study examines evidence about the ADA&rsquo;s influence on knowledge, attitudes and perceptions about employment of people with disabilities. The research illustrates the importance of moving beyond the law to incorporate changes in knowledge about the law, perceptions of employability, and workplace culture.&nbsp;<strong></strong></p>

Exploring How Knowledge Translation Can Improve Sustainability of Community-based Health Initiatives for People with Intellectual/Developmental Disabilities

Community-based health initiatives (CBHI) play an important role in maintaining the health, function and participation of people with intellectual/developmental disabilities (I/DD) living in the community. However, implementation and long-term sustainability of CBHI is challenging. The Promoting Action on Research Implementation in Health Services (PARiHS) is a knowledge translation (KT) framework that is particularly relevant to intellectual/developmental disabilities research as it identifies the barriers and facilitators of implementation and action plans. This framework provides a foundation for understanding how KT can be used to aid the implementation and sustainability of CBHI for people with intellectual/developmental disabilities. The following study explores how KT - specifically the PARiHS framework - can be used to help sustain CBHI for people with intellectual/developmental disabilities.

Human Rights and Neoliberalism in Australian Welfare to Work Policy: Experiences and Perceptions of People with Disabilities and Disability Stakeholders

<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;"> </span><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 3pt; text-align: justify; line-height: 150%; tab-stops: 6.5in; mso-layout-grid-align: none;"><span>Recent policy approaches in Australia, influenced by neoliberalism, have constrained the implementation of international disability rights at the national level. Within the neoliberal and human rights approaches to social policy, what is the lived experience of people with disabilities? In focus groups with people with disabilities and interviews with disability stakeholders in Australia, participants were asked about their experiences and perspectives of welfare to work programs. We analyzed the data by drawing on the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities as a framework. The analysis revealed tensions between the rights and responsibilities of citizens and the government, and a disconnection between policy discourse and policy practice. The results suggest that disability rights are jeopardized unless governments take responsibility to create the policy environment for rights-based policy to be implemented; including the equalization of opportunities, providing accessible information and communication about employment, and addressing the administration and process practices that employment service providers follow.</span></p><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;"> </span>

Entrepreneurship by any other name: self-sufficiency versus innovation

Entrepreneurship has been promoted as an innovative strategy to address the employment of people with disabilities. Research has predominantly focused on the self-sufficiency aspect without fully integrating entrepreneurship literature in the areas of theory, systems change, and demonstration projects. Subsequently there are gaps in services, policies, and research in this field that, in turn, have limited our understanding of the support needs and barriers or facilitators of entrepreneurs with disabilities. A thorough analysis of the literature in these areas led to the development of two core concepts that need to be addressed in integrating entrepreneurship into disability employment research and policy: clarity in operational definitions and better disability statistics and outcome measures. This article interrogates existing research and policy efforts in this regard to argue for a necessary shift in the field from focusing on entrepreneurship as self-sufficiency to understanding entrepreneurship as innovation.

Scoping Review of the Americans with Disabilities Act: What Research Exists, and Where do we go from Here?

<p><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">A broad range of research on the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) tracks its progress and impact. Much of the research is inconclusive or conflicting, creating a fragmented evidence base about the ADA&rsquo;s effectiveness as a social policy. In response, academic researchers and disability organizations have called for an extensive review of the existing research. To address this fragmentation, the University of Washington&nbsp;has begun a five year project systematically reviewing the ADA research as part of the ADA Knowledge Translation Center at the University of Washington&nbsp;. This article reports results from year one of the project, the scoping review, that will assist in identifying a research plan to inform policy and practice.</span></p><p><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">Keywords:&nbsp;ADA, systematic review, scoping review, policy analysis&nbsp;</span></p>

The potential of social entrepreneurship: conceptual tools for applying citizenship theory to policy and practice

Contemporary policy encourages self-employment and entrepreneurship as a vehicle for empowerment and self-sufficiency among people with disabilities. However, such encouragement raises important citizenship questions concerning the participation of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). As an innovative strategy for addressing pressing social and economic problems, "social entrepreneurship" has become a phrase that is gaining momentum in the IDD community--one that carries with it a very distinct history. Although social entrepreneurship holds the potential to be an empowering source of job creation and social innovation, it also has the potential to be used to further disenfranchise this marginalized population. It is crucial that in moving forward society takes care not to perpetuate existing models of oppression, particularly in regard to the social and economic participation of people with IDD. The conceptual tools addressed in this article can inform the way that researchers, policymakers, and practitioners approach complex issues, such as social entrepreneurship, to improve communication among disciplines while retaining an integral focus on rights and social justice by framing this issue within citizenship theory.

'No Rights without Responsibilities': Disability Rights and Neoliberal Reform under New Labour

<p><em>The New Labour government in the United Kingdom led a series of welfare reforms for people with disabilities from 1997 to 2010. These reforms were heavily influenced by neoliberalism, and emphasized that there were 'no rights without responsibilities, 'making labor market participation essential. Simultaneously, the recognition of disability rights was growing in the United Kingdom, culminating in the ratification of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in 2009. This article explores the tension between neoliberalism and the human rights approach to disability in the context of New Labour&rsquo;s welfare reforms for people with disabilities. The analysis includes the perspectives of people with disabilities and disability stakeholders who participated in focus groups or interviews in an English metropolitan region, and is framed by the principles that underpin the Convention. The article offers policy insights to ensure that the rights of people with disabilities are included in future welfare reforms.</em></p> <p>Key Words:&nbsp; conditionality, employment, welfare-to-work, workfare, United Kingdom</p>

Welfare Reform and Disability in Slovakia: exploring neoliberalism, social justice and employment policy

There is growing concern from disability activists that welfare&ndash;to-work (workfare) policies present substantial barriers to participation in the open labor market for people with disabilities. Perceived success of the U.S. workfare policy in reducing government expenditures, however, sparked the Slovak Republic to adopt similar policy. The article explores how the recently implemented workfare system created because of the Slovak National Action Plan on Social Inclusion (NAPS) affects the open labor market participation of people with disabilities. It draws on Nancy Fraser&rsquo;s theory of social justice to frame injustices in the policies and practices surrounding the Slovak workfare system for people with disabilities. It examines five key areas outlined in the NAPS that directly impact the participation of people with disabilities in the labor market in Slovakia: stigma, accessibility, training, legislation, and supported employment.<p>Keywords: Disability, Slovakia, Workfare, Nancy Fraser, Human Rights</p>

Polyamines decrease Ca(2+) sensitivity of tension and increase rates of activation in skinned cardiac myocytes

Owing in part to their interactions with membrane proteins, polyamines (e.g., spermine, spermidine, and putrescine) have been identified as potential modulators of membrane excitability and Ca(2+) homeostasis in cardiac myocytes. To investigate whether polyamines also affect cardiac myofilament proteins, we assessed the effects of polyamines on contractility using rat myocytes and trabeculae that had been permeabilized with Triton X-100. Spermine, spermidine, and putrescine reversibly increased the [Ca(2+)] required for half-maximal tension (i.e., right-shifted tension pCa curves), with the following order of efficacy: spermine (+4) > spermidine (+3) > putrescine (+2). However, synthetic analogs that differed from spermine in charge distribution were not as effective as spermine in altering isometric tension. None of the polyamines had a significant effect on maximal tension, except at high concentrations. After flash photolysis of DM-Nitrophen (a caged Ca(2+) chelator), spermine accelerated the rate of tension development at low and intermediate but not high [Ca(2+)]. These results indicate that polyamines, especially spermine, interact with myofilament proteins to reduce apparent Ca(2+) binding affinity and speed cross-bridge cycling kinetics at submaximal [Ca(2+)].

A mechanism for branchial acid excretion in marine fish: identification of multiple Na+/H+ antiporter (NHE) isoforms in gills of two seawater teleosts

Both Na+/H+ exchange and the electrogenic extrusion of H+ via an H+-ATPase have been postulated to drive acid excretion across the branchial epithelium of fishes. While the H+-ATPase/Na+ channel system appears to be the predominant mechanism in some freshwater species, it may play a reduced role in seawater and brackish-water animals, where high external Na+ concentrations may thermodynamically favor Na+/H+ exchange driven by a Na+/H+ antiporter (NHE). In this study, we used molecular and immunological methods to assess the role of NHE isoforms in the branchial epithelium of the marine long-horned sculpin (Myoxocephalus octodecimspinosus) and the euryhaline killifish (Fundulus heteroclitus).Northern blot analysis of RNA probed with the human NHE-1 BamHI fragment suggested the presence of homologous gill NHE mRNA in sculpin. RT-PCR on gill RNA isolated from sculpin recovering from metabolic acidosis provided evidence for two distinct NHE isoforms; one with 76 % amino acid homology to mammalian NHE-2, and another 92 % homologous to trout erythrocytic beta-NHE. Killifish also have transcripts with 91 % homology to beta-NHE. Immunological detection using monoclonal antibodies for mammalian NHE-1 revealed a protein antigenically similar to this isoform in the gills of both species. Metabolic acidosis caused an approximately 30-fold decrease in expression of the NHE-1-like protein in sculpin. We speculate that beta-NHE in the gills plays the intracellular ‘housekeeping’ roles described for mammalian NHE-1. During systemic acidosis, apical gill NHE-2 (which is sensitive to external amiloride and low [Na+]) in parallel with a dramatic suppression of basolateral NHE-1 activity enhances net capdelta H+ transfers to the water.

Epithelial localization of a reptilian Na+/H+ exchanger homologous to NHE-1

Basolateral membranes of turtle (Pseudemys scripta) colon epithelial cells exhibit robust Na+/H+ exchange activity that can be activated by cell shrinkage and is blocked by amiloride [M. A. Post and D. C. Dawson. Am. J. Physiol. 262 Cell Physiol. 31):C1089-C1094, 1992]. The colonic epithelium actively absorbs Na+ and secretes K+ and HCO3-, but the role of basolateral Na+/H+ exchange, if any, in transepithelial transport is unknown. The current studies were undertaken to identify the gene product(s) responsible for the observed basolateral Na+/H+ exchange activity and to determine the cellular localization of the reptilian Na+/H+ exchange protein. We cloned and sequenced partial-length cDNAs that are likely to encode a reptilian homologue of the mammalian NHE-1 Na+/H+ exchanger isoform. The partial-length cDNAs were > 80% identical to mammalian NHE-1 homologues at the nucleotide level and recognized a transcript (approximately 5.8-6.0 kb) in RNA isolated from turtle colon, small intestine, stomach, kidney, urinary bladder, heart, and liver. In situ hybridization showed that mRNA encoding the reptile homologue of NHE-1 was expressed predominantly in the epithelial cells of these tissues. Immunofluorescent localization of the reptilian Na+/H+ exchanger protein using an antibody raised against a human NHE-1 fusion protein confirmed that protein expression paralleled abundant mRNA expression in epithelial cells of turtle stomach and colon, as well as in some nephron segments, and showed that the reptile NHE-1 homologue was localized exclusively to the basolateral membranes of these cells. The relatively high level of NHE-1 expression in epithelial cells, particularly those of the colon and stomach, suggests that NHE-1 function is important for the maintenance or regulation of ion transport processes that occur in these cell types.

Antibiotic-resistant Acinetobacter meningitis in neurosurgical patients

Acinetobacter anitratus has emerged as one of the common pathogens responsible for postneurosurgical meningitis at the authors' institution. Seven patients with Acinetobacter meningitis were identified during the 4-year period of this study, five of whom acquired organisms susceptible only to imipenem and amikacin. Acinetobacter bacteremia occurred concomitantly in five patients. Despite late institution of therapy as a result either of organism misidentification on Gram stain or of unexpected acquisition of a highly resistant organism, the patients' outcome was favorable after the initiation of appropriate antibiotic therapy. Imipenem and amikacin, with or without intrathecal aminoglycosides, were effective in patients with resistant strains of Acinetobacter.

Plasma profiles of IL-6-like and TNF-like activities in brain-dead dogs

The progression to somatic death after brain death is poorly understood. The role of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) in this progression is unknown. TNF-like and IL-6-like plasma activities were assayed in a canine model of brain death in the presence and absence of a lipopolysaccharide (LPS) challenge (0.22 micrograms/kg). Bioassays for TNF-like and IL-6-like activities used WEHI and B9 cell lines, respectively. Brain death was induced by elevating and maintaining intracranial pressure above systolic arterial pressure. Anesthesia and the operative procedure did not cause a significant increase of either cytokine. Brain death (n = 8) itself did not cause a significant elevation of either cytokine compared with the sham brain-death control (n = 6) despite a significant decrease in mean arterial pressure (35 +/- 3 vs. 115 +/- 5 mmHg at 5 h). The brain-dead group treated with LPS (n = 6) responded with a significant elevation in IL-6-like and TNF-like activities compared with the vehicle-treated group. The rise of IL-6-like activity in response to LPS was greater in the brain-dead group than in the sham brain-dead group (n = 3); no significant difference was noted for the TNF-like response. We conclude that the progression to somatic death after brain death cannot be explained by increases in circulating TNF-like or IL-6-like activities.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Perception and interpretation of nonverbally expressed emotions by adolescents with learning disabilities

The perception and interpretation by 17 learning disabled and 17 achieving adolescents of a young female's video taped nonverbal expressions of anger, embarrassment, fear, frustration, joy, and love were compared. Learning disabled adolescents misinterpreted the emotions significantly more frequently than achieving controls. Substitution patterns also differed in quality. The number of correct interpretations of emotions correlated significantly and positively with scaled scores on the Block Design and Object Assembly subtests of the WISC or WAIS and converted scores on the Design subtest of the Detroit Tests of Learning Aptitude. It was concluded that adolescents with learning disabilities exhibited quantitative and qualitative reductions in the recognition of affective cues which related to visual-motor organization ability.