Client participation: increasing opportunities for severely mentally handicapped adults

It is very important for severely mentally handicapped people to use the skills that they have and to be helped to expand these skills. Being given more opportunities for participation helps severely handicapped people lead more ordinary and happier lives. This article describes ways in which staff of residential and day accommodation for severely mentally handicapped adults can give their clients more opportunities to participate actively in everyday aspects of life such as cooking, cleaning, recreation, gardening and shopping. Ways of organising staff, providing age-appropriate activities, and encouraging even the most severely handicapped to participate are also discussed.     

Expression of epidermal growth factor receptor in glottic carcinoma and its relation to recurrence after radiotherapy

expression of EGFR was determined immunohistochemically in two groups of patients with glottic carcinoma, one that recurred after a full course of radiotherapy and one that did not. Using a 4-graded scale (-, +,++,+++) 80% (12/15) of the recurrent carcinomas had a staining intensity and proportion of stained cells of ++ or more. The same figure for non-recurrent carcinomas was 39% (7/18). The difference is statistically significant (chi-squared with Yates' correction, P &<5). The results indicate that an increased expression of EGFR may influence the rate of recurrence of glottic squamous cell carcinoma after radiotherapy.     

High Density Lipoprotein Particle Size Distribution in Cord Blood

ABSTRACT. Cord blood from 73 full term healthy newborns and blood from adults were analysed for the protein content of high density lipoprotein subclasses separated by gradient gel electrophoresis. Cholesterol and triglyceride concentrations of very low (VLDL), low (LDL) and high (HDL) density lipoproteins were also analysed and newborns had lower concentrations of cholesterol and triglycerides in VLDL, LDL and HDL ( p < 0.001) than adults. The HDL_3c subclass, comprising the smallest particles of the HDL particle spectrum, was the major component for newborns and the minor one for adults and was the only lipoprotein fraction with a higher concentration in cord than in adult blood. No sex differences were present for any of the lipoprotein levels of the newborns. Serum cholesterol concentrations were positively correlated to HDL_2b r = 0.49, p < 0.001) and HD_2a levels (0.42, p < 0.001), correlations confined to the cholesterol contents of HDL ( r = 0.72 and r = 0.67 respectively, both p < 0.001). Serum triglycerides were inversely correlated to HD_2b and HD_2a, levels in male newborns only ( r = 0.38 and r = 0.34 respectively, both p < 0.05). Irrespective of sex, gestational age and birthweight the newborns had 2 typical HDL subclass distributions, characterized by high or low levels of HDL_2b and HDL_2a. The newborns with high HDL_2b and HDL_2a levels also had low VLDL lipid levels and high HDL cholesterol concentrations.     

通痹灵总碱对类风湿关节炎滑膜成纤维样细胞增殖的影响

目的：探讨通痹灵总旗对类风湿关节炎滑膜成纤维样细胞增殖的影响。方法：分离培养类风关患者滑膜成纤维样细胞，IL-1D刺激，不同浓度通痹灵总碱作用后，MTT法测定细胞增殖率。结果：通痹灵总碱能显著抑制滑膜成纤维样细胞增殖，并且抑制作用呈明显的量效关系。结论：通痹灵总碱可抑制类风关滑膜成纤维样细胞增殖。     

Visceral Leishmaniasis Complicating Polycythemia Vera

Abstract. A case of visceral leishmaniasis is presented, where a pre-existing polycythemia vera obscured signs of the infection. Visceral leishmaniasis is a life-threatening but curable protozoan infection of the reticuloendothelial system. We wish to report a case where symptoms and signs were obscured by a preexisting hematologic disease, polycythemia vera.