Developmental Differences in Psychological Adjustment and Health-Related Quality of Life in Pediatric Cancer Patients

The aims of this study were to investigate: (a) age differences in psychological adjustment (PA) and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in pediatric cancer patients, and (b) identify predictors of PA and HRQOL. The sample included preschool, school age, and adolescent patients. Data were obtained at 3 (n = 69), 9 (n = 47), and 15 (n = 44) months after diagnosis, using standardized measures completed by the mother. Measures assessed the children's psychological adjustment (PA), health-related quality of life (HRQOL), temperament and maternal psychological adjustment. Age at diagnosis significantly affected both PA and HRQOL. At 3 months post-diagnosis, preschoolers had more externalizing behavior problems than did adolescents. Preschoolers had better HRQOL than adolescents at all 3 assessments. Maternal adjustment and child's temperament scores were the best predictors of PA; age was the best predictor of HRQOL. The results of this study suggest that preschoolers with cancer are at risk for behavior problems and adolescents are at risk for poor HRQOL. The results also highlight the importance of multi-factor models in predicting children's PA and HRQOL.     

Clinical and laboratory features and treatment of visceral leishmaniasis in hospitalized patients in Northwestern Ethiopia.

The clinical and laboratory features, and the response to treatment of visceral leishmaniasis were studied in 18 hospitalized patients. Clinical and laboratory findings were similar to those in patients with kala-azar in the Sudan and East Africa. Fever, heptosplenomegaly, relative lymphocytosis, leukopenia, low platelet counts, and severe anemia were common findings. Pentostam (sodium stibogluconate) was used to treat 17 patients and Neostibosam (ethylstibamine) for one. Three patients died. Four out of the 18 patients had not visited any known endemic area but the significance of this finding has not been fully evaluated.     

Effects of carcinogens and partial hepatectomy upon the hepatic O6-methylguanine repair system in mice

The enhanced repair of O⁶-methylguanine from hepatic DNA inrats is a well established phenomenon that can be induced bypretreatment with a variety of hepatotoxic agents as well asby partial hepatectomy. Attempts to induce a similar hepaticresponse by treatment with single doses of aflatoxin B₁ in C57Blmice, single doses of dimethylnitrosamine (DMN) in C57BI orBALB/C mice or by prolonged pretreatment with DMN by additionto the drinking water of C57Bl mice were uniformly unsuccessful.Furthermore, the intense proliferative response induced by two-thirdspartial hepatectomy in C57Bl mice was also apparently incapableof increasing the activity of this repair function. These experiments,in which repair of O⁶-methylguanine has been determined bothin vivo after administration of [¹⁴C]DMN and in vitro usingcrude tissue extracts and a methylated DNA substrate, indicatethe presence of an intergeneric difference between rats andmice with respect to this repair function.     

Preoperative staging of renal cell carcinoma. Comparison with operative or pathologic finding

Fifty-two cases of renal cell carcinoma (cases with metastatic episode during follow-up period excluded) operated on and whose pathohistological staging had been established at our department clinic during a period of 11 years from January 1973 to December 1983 were studied. Renal arteriography i.e., selective renal arteriography, aortography, was performed on 49 cases, and CT scan and ultrasonic examination were performed on 19 and 15 cases, respectively for analytical comparison of the preoperative staging with the postoperative staging as based on the operative or pathological findings (Robson et al.). Staging was found correct in 33 of the 49 cases (67.3%) by arteriography and 16 of the 19 cases (84.2%) by CT scan. In the current study, ultrasonic assessment was possible only in those cases of venous infiltrations i.e., tumor embolism affecting the renal vein or the vena cava inferior. Most effective in the cases with extracapsular infiltrations or localized lymph node metastases was the CT scan. Correct diagnosis was also possible in 6 of the 8 cases (75%) with venous infiltrations if the arteriograms had been analysed in detail, and both the CT scan and the ultrasonic examination proved effective in this type of cases as well. These findings may suggest that the CT scan alone is sufficient for making a localized staging.     

Cortical heterotopia in Aicardi's syndrome — CT findings

A case of 5-month-old female infant with Aicardi's syndrome is presented. The main clinical features were severe developmental retardation and intractable epileptic seizures. Ophthalmoscopic examination revealed pathognomonic chorioretinopathy. Ultrasonic examination of the brain detected agenesis of the corpus callosum, whereas CT showed a coexisting malformation of the brain, i.e. cortical heterotopia of the gray matter. Agenesis of the corpus callosum is an entity well-recognized by sonography. However ultrasonography is an insufficient modality for the visualization of cortical heterotopia which is common to all cases of Aicardi's syndrome. Therefore, in cases of suspected Aicardi's syndrome CT is recommended, as it enables the diagnosis of cortical heterotopia.     

Detection of Gangliosides as N-Glycolylneuraminic Acid-specific Tumor-associated Hanganutziu-Deicher Antigen in Human Retinoblastoma Cells

Gangliosides were shown to bear the tumor-associated N -glycolylneuraminic acid (NeuGc)-specific Hanganutziu-Deicher (HD) antigen expressed in human retinoblastoma cells. HD antigenie gangliosides were detected by thin-layer chromatography/enzyme-immunostaining using affinity-purified chicken antibody against GM3 containing NeuGc and horseradish peroxidase-conjugated anti-chicken IgG. One to four species of the antigenic gangliosides were detected from all of 4 cell lines, Y79, WERI-Rb1, TOTL1, and YK, as well as freshly cultured retinoblastoma cells and isolated tumor tissue. All cases contained GMS(NeuGc) as an HD antigen. No HD antigenic ganglioside was detected in normal retinal tissues by the same procedure.     

Use of health care services by survivors of childhood and adolescent cancer in Canada

BACKGROUND: The number of survivors of childhood cancer in Canada is growing. The large majority of survivors experience at least 1 adverse late effect of their cancer therapy, which often becomes more severe and clinically apparent with time. The extent of survivors' use of health services in Canada is unknown, although coordinated, continuous, long-term follow-up care has been recommended by numerous investigators. METHODS: Information on reported consultations with healthcare practitioners in the past year was obtained from 2152 survivors of child and adolescent cancer (mean age at diagnosis, 7.3; range, 0-19) and 2432 age- and sex-matched population-based controls through a mailed questionnaire. RESULTS: Similar proportions of survivors (71%) and controls (73%) reported consulting a general practitioner in the past year. Survivors were more likely than controls to consult with any specialist (68% vs. 46%), including an oncologist (29% vs. 0.3%). Survivors' consultations with oncologists increased with concurrent physical health problems (adjusted odds ratio [OR(adj)], 1.7, 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.4-2.1), history of high risk therapy (OR(adj), 2.4, 95% CI, 1.9-2.9), and multiple treatment series (OR(adj), 2.2, 95% CI, 1.7- 3.0), but decreased with time since diagnosis (OR(adj), 0.3, 95% CI, 0.2-0.4). CONCLUSION: Although most survivors reported consulting with at least 1 healthcare practitioner in the past year, the large majority did not report consulting an oncologist and thus may not be receiving optimal follow-up care. Moreover, consultations decreased with time since diagnosis, exactly when risk of late effects increases. This limited preventive care could have major implications on survivors' long-term health.     

A phase locked loop device for automatic detection of sleep spindles and stage 2.

A method is described using phase-locked loops which, as electronic frequency detection devices, provide the basis of a relatively inexpensive system of automatic sleep spindle detection. It is acceptably reliable at quite high rates of data processing.