A quantitative analysis of eye movements during the cover test – a preliminary report

The aim of this study was to carry out quantitative analyses of eye movements during the cover test on a group ( n = 57) of asymptomatic emmetropes. Eye movements were recorded during an automated cover test while subjects fixated a distance (3.4 m) and near (0.4 m) target. There was a significant difference between the amplitude of phoria measured after 2 s of occlusion compared to 10 s ( P < 0.01). The mean phoria after 10 s of occlusion was 0.1° (eso) for distance fixation and 1.6° (exo) for near fixation. The distribution was approximately normal for both distance and near fixation but the standard deviation was greater for near (2.0°) than distance fixation (1.4°). The pattern of eye movements during the recovery phase was more complex than is often assumed, in many cases consisting of a variety of saccadic and vergence movements involving both the covered and 'fixing' eye. The latency of the first recovery movement was significantly shorter for exophoric than esophoric deviations ( P < 0.01) and the latency of some recovery movements were very short (< 150 ms).     

Squamous cell carcinoma arising in recurrent odontogenic keratocyst: Case report and literature review

Background. Keratinizing odontogenic cysts of the mandible commonly have an aggressive clinical course, marked by multiple recurrences. Primary intraosseus carcinoma (PIOC) of the mandible is rare, and when it occurs it is often found to be arising in or closely associated with some type of cystic structure. Methods. A patient with squamous cell carcinoma arising from an odontogenic keratocyst is studied clinically, radiographically, and pathologically. Results. The patient who was documented to have an odontogenic keratocyst, 1 year later had a squamous carcinoma removed from the recurrent cyst. Conclusion. We report the occurrence of squamous cell carcinoma arising from a recurrent odontogenic keratocyst, which has not previously been documented in the literature. The literature on this subject is reviewed. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Natural history of atopic dermatitis and its relationship to serum total immunoglobulin E in a population-based birth cohort study

We investigated the natural history of atopic dermatitis (AD) in a population-based birth cohort and assessed whether children at risk of visible eczema at 5 years of age can be identified from total immunoglobulin E (IgE) levels measured at 8, 12 and 18 months. AD data collected included a whole body examination for visible eczema at 49 months (4 years) and 61 months (5 years) of age and parent completed questionnaire data throughout their early lives. Children were divided into four groups based on their natural history of early AD: persistent (AD at 1, 6, 18, 30 and 42 months, n  = 34), intermittent early onset (before 18  months of age, n  = 495), intermittent late onset (18–42 months of age, n  = 273) and unaffected ( n  = 429). Visible eczema at 5 years of age was present in 12.2% (117/957) (95% confidence interval [CI] 10.1–14.3%) of the children. Levels of total IgE at 8, 12 and 18 months of age were associated with early onset of AD, but not with AD of later onset. For all four natural history groups, the geometric mean total IgE at 12 months was higher in those who subsequently had visible eczema than those who did not. However, the degree of overlap was such that total IgE at 12 months of age was a poor predictor of eczema at age five. A cutoff point of 78 kU/l had the highest positive predictive value for visible eczema at 5 years of age of 28.6%, with a sensitivity of 12% and specificity of 95%.     

Giving patients an audiotape of their GP consultation: a randomised controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Providing patients with an audiotape of their medical consultation has been a relatively common practice in oncology clinics for some years. However, broader generalisability of the technique has yet to be examined. AIMS: To investigate the efficacy of providing patients with an audiotape of their consultation in a general practice setting. DESIGN OF STUDY: Randomised controlled trial: 95 experimental participants, 85 controls. SETTING: Routine surgeries run by two general practitioners (GPs) in two different health centres. METHOD: All patients attending GP appointments were eligible for inclusion. Patients were followed up by telephone 7-10 days later. RESULTS: More than half (61%) of the patients who received a tape listened to it. Among listeners, 64% rated the tape useful or very useful; 24% noticed information not heard in the consultation. Half of listeners (46%) said that their understanding of the consultation improved after listening to the tape. Half of the listeners (48%) shared the tape with others, of whom 71% found sharing helpful or very helpful. However, 21% of those who shared the information with others found this unhelpful or very unhelpful, suggesting that patients may need to be briefed on the potential risks of sharing. At follow-up a week later, it emerged that being given a tape had no effect on adherence with GPs' advice, nor on anxiety about conditions. CONCLUSION: Providing patients with an audiotape of their GP consultation was positively rated by many patients. Although there were no detectable clinical effects at follow-up, the technique merits further evaluation in general practice.     

A multiple family group intervention for first‐time juvenile offenders: Comparisons with probation and dropouts on recidivism

This study evaluated a multiple‐family group‐intervention program (MFGI) for first‐time juvenile offenders. The recidivism rate for subjects who completed the MFGI (the Family Solutions Program) was compared to recidivism rates of two other groups of first‐time juvenile offenders. Using logistic regression analysis predicting who will recidivate, juvenile first offenders who were placed on probation (N = 95) were 9.3 times more likely to re‐offend compared to the Family Solutions Program (FSP) graduates (N = 267). Families referred to FSP but who dropped out (most never attended the 10 session program) (N = 93) also were 4.4 times more likely to re‐offend compared to FSP graduates. An intent‐to‐treat model comparing the combined group of FSP graduates and dropouts with the probation group indicated that a youth in the probation group was 8.1 times more likely to re‐offend than a youth referred to the FSP. Results indicating better outcomes on recidivism for FSP graduates were significant for both male and female youths. Implications for policy and practitioners are discussed. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Comm Psychol 32: 177–200, 2004.     

ADAMTS-4 activity on a proteoglycan vs. a polypeptide is controlled by the ancillary domains

Introduction In combination with the catalytic domain, the ancillary domains of the ADAMTS' are proposed to regulate activity via interactions with sulfated GAGs, the extracellular matrix (ECM) and cell surface. Interactions with both GAGs and the ECM have been attributed to the thrombospondin (TSP) type 1 motifs and spacer region ( Kuno and Matsushima 1998 ; Flannery et al. 2002 ). ADAMTS‐1, ‐4 and ‐5, all undergo cleavage within their respective spacer regions ( Flannery et al. 2002 ; Rodriguez‐Manzaneque et al. 2000 ; Georgiadis et al. 2002 ), an event which has been reported to increase activity towards the interglobular domain of aggrecan and decrease the heparin affinity of ADAMTS‐4 ( Flannery et al. 2002 ; Gao et al. 2002 ). Materials and methods V5‐ and His‐tagged recombinant human ADAMTS‐4 constructs terminating after the catalytic (?DTS), disintegrin‐like (?TS), TSP (?S) or spacer region (Full) were expressed in High‐Five cells. Proteoglycanase activities of the resultant proteins were assayed with solution digests of aggrecan and a polyacrylamide‐entrapped aggrecan particle assay. Proteolytic activity was measured using a novel, nonglycosylated, reporter substrate assay. Results All forms of ADAMTS‐4 were active to varying degrees in the reporter substrate assay. Digestion of aggrecan in solution digests was apparent in all proteins with the exception of the catalytic domain in isolation (?DTS). Activity towards aggrecan decreased with increasing truncation of the protein. Discussion Removal of the cysteine‐rich‐spacer domain and further C‐terminal truncations decrease the activity of ADAMTS‐4 towards aggrecan, whilst the proteolytic activity remains intact. Cleavages releasing the ancillary domains of ADAMTS' may therefore alter the catalytic activity of these enzymes against proteoglycans and also nonglycosylated polypeptides. More information is required about potential substrates for the processed forms of ADAMTS‐4.