Hearing impairment and cognitive development]

The study of the cognitive abilities of hearing-impaired children is important for both practical (e.g. to determine appropriate teaching strategies) and theoretical reasons (e.g. to examine the role of language in thought processes). The aim of this paper is to examine the cognitive function of hearing-impaired children from a review of the literature. If most studies show that deaf children are similar to normal children in virtually all aspects of cognitive function, many studies also emphasize pronounced differences in their academic achievement. Besides the degree of hearing loss and the age at onset of deafness, environmental factors (such as parental support and educational methods) seem to play an important role in the cognitive development and academic success of these children. This underlines the importance of the measures adopted for the deaf children as they may have a positive or negative impact on their development.     

Failure of genetically selected miniature swine to model NIDDM

Ten young adult miniature swine from a line reported to be genetically selected for glucose intolerance and eight normal controls were obtained from Colorado State University. They were consecutively exposed to 4 mo of a high-fiber, low-fat standard swine diet; 4 mo of a high-sucrose, high-fat, low-fiber diabetogenic diet; and 4 mo of excess diabetogenic diet for obesification. Results of oral glucose tolerance and intravenous insulin tolerance tests conducted at the end of each regimen were compared. Hyperglycemia was not observed in any animals after any manipulation. Insulin sensitivity was also not influenced by diet. We conclude that F7 low-K miniature swine from this colony fail to model human non-insulin-dependent diabetes.     

Influence of pregnancy, lactation, litter size and diet energy density on the stomach and intestine of sows

In the first experiment, 52 sows, each having raised one litter, were randomly assigned to the five following groups: control (nongravid) for pregnancy (CP), 110 d pregnancy (P110), control (nongravid) for lactation (CL), 4-wk lactation with 8 (L8) and with 12 (L12) piglets. In a second experiment, 36 sows, each having raised three litters, were randomly assigned to the following groups: control group (nongravid) fed a low-energy-density, 1% tallow diet (CLED) and two lactating groups, one fed the low-energy-density diet (LLED) and one fed a high-energy-density, 10% tallow diet (LHED). At slaughter, the stomach, small and large intestine and cecum were excised, emptied and freed from fat. Lengths and pre- and post-defatting weights were measured. Portions of tissues were homogenized and analyzed for protein, pepsin, maltase, RNA and DNA. Pregnancy had no effect on the weights of the different components of the gastrointestinal tract. Liver and small intestine weights were larger in lactating sows than in the CL group. Sows nursing 12 piglets had heavier livers than those nursing 8. The fundic mucosa of the latter had higher total pepsin activity and total protein and RNA contents than that of L12 sows. LHED sows had heavier small intestine and lower total pepsin content of the fundic mucosa than LLED sows.     

On verification of hyperthermia treatment planning for cervical carcinoma patients.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to verify hyperthermia treatment planning calculations by means of measurements performed during hyperthermia treatments. The calculated specific absorption rate (SAR(calc)) was compared with clinically measured SAR values, during 11 treatments in seven cervical carcinoma patients. METHODS: Hyperthermia treatments were performed using the 70 MHz AMC-4 waveguide system. Temperatures were measured using multisensor thermocouple probes. One invasive thermometry catheter in the cervical tumour and two non-invasive catheters in the vagina were used. For optimal tissue contact and fixation of the catheters, a gynaecological tampon was inserted, moisturized with distilled water (4 treatments), or saline (6 treatments) for better thermal contact. During one treatment no tampon was used. At the start of treatment the temperature rise (DeltaT(meas)) after a short power pulse was measured, which is proportional to SAR(meas). The SAR(calc) along the catheter tracks was extracted from the calculated SAR distribution and compared with the DeltaT(meas)-profiles. RESULTS: The correlation between DeltaT(meas) and SAR(calc) was on average R = 0.56 +/- 0.28, but appeared highly dependent on the wetness of the tampon (preferably with saline) and the tissue contact of the catheters. Correlations were strong (R approximately 0.85-0.93) when thermal contact was good, but much weaker (R approximately 0.14-0.48) for cases with poor thermal contact. CONCLUSION: Good correlations between measurements and calculations were found when tissue contact of the catheters was good. The main difficulties for accurate verification were of clinical nature, arising from improper use of the gynaecological tampon. Poor thermal contact between thermocouples and tissue caused measurement artefacts that were difficult to correlate with calculations.     

Repeated measurements of mite and pet allergen levels in house dust over a time period of 8 years

BACKGROUND: Studies of the association between indoor allergen exposure and the development of allergic diseases have often measured allergen exposure at one point in time. OBJECTIVE: We investigated the variability of house dust mite (Der p 1, Der f 1) and cat (Fel d 1) allergen in Dutch homes over a period of 8 years. METHODS: Data were obtained in the Dutch PIAMA birth cohort study. Dust from the child's mattress, the parents' mattress and the living room floor was collected at four points in time, when the child was 3 months, 4, 6 and 8 years old. Dust samples were analysed for Der p 1, Der f 1 and Fel d 1 by sandwich enzyme immuno assay. RESULTS: Mite allergen concentrations for the child's mattress, the parents' mattress and the living room floor were moderately correlated between time-points. Agreement was better for cat allergen. For Der p 1 and Der f 1 on the child's mattress, the within-home variance was close to or smaller than the between-home variance in most cases. For Fel d 1, the within-home variance was almost always smaller than the between-home variance. Results were similar for allergen levels expressed per gram of dust and allergen levels expressed per square metre of the sampled surface. Variance ratios were smaller when samples were taken at shorter time intervals than at longer time intervals. CONCLUSION: Over a period of 4 years, mite and cat allergens measured in house dust are sufficiently stable to use single measurements with confidence in epidemiological studies. The within-home variance was larger when samples were taken 8 years apart so that over such long periods, repetition of sampling is recommended.     

Comparison of yogurt, soybean, casein, and amino acid–based diets in children with persistent diarrhea

Although previous studies have shown successful treatment of persistent diarrhea (PD) with the use of yogurt-based diets, some recent ones speculate the need of special formulas for the nutritional management of PD complicated cases. In the present study, we tested the hypothesis that the consumption of 3 lactose-free diets, with different degrees of complexity, is associated with lower stool output and shorter duration of diarrhea when compared with the use of a yogurt-based one on the nutritional management of PD. A total of 154 male infants, aged between 1 and 30 months, with PD and with or without dehydration, were randomly assigned to 1 of 4 treatment groups. Throughout the study, the patients were placed in a metabolic unit; their body weights and intakes of oral rehydration solution, water, and formula diets, in addition to outputs of stool, urine, and vomit, were measured and recorded at 24-hour intervals. Four different diets were used in this study: diet 1, yogurt-based formula; diet 2, soy-based formula; diet 3, hydrolyzed protein-based formula; and diet 4, amino acid–based formula. Throughout the study, only these formula diets were fed to the children. The data showed that children fed the yogurt-based diet (diet 1) or the amino acid–based diet (diet 4) had a significant reduction in stool output and in the duration of diarrhea. The use of an inexpensive and worldwide-available yogurt-based diet is recommended as the first choice for the nutritional management of mild to moderate PD. For the few complicated PD cases, when available, a more complex amino acid–based diet should be reserved for the nutritional management of these unresponsive and severe presentations. Soy-based or casein-based diets do not offer any specific advantage or benefits and do not seem to have a place in the management of PD.     

Presence of beta human papillomaviruses in nonmelanoma skin cancer from organ transplant recipients and immunocompetent patients in the West of Scotland

Background  Nonmelanoma skin cancer (NMSC) has been linked to cutaneous human papillomaviruses of the genus beta (betaPV).
Objectives  We sought to assess the presence of betaPV in NMSC biopsies from a group of Scottish skin cancer patients, both immunocompetent (IC) patients and immunosuppressed (IS) organ transplant recipients.
Methods  One hundred and twenty-one paraffin-embedded skin tumours (27 actinic keratosis, 41 intraepidermal carcinoma, 53 squamous cell carcinoma) and 11 normal skin samples were analysed for the presence of betaPV by a polymerase chain reaction–reverse hybridization assay designed to detect the presence of the 25 known betaPV genotypes.
Results  In IC patients, betaPV was detected in 30 of 59 (51%) tumours and two of 11 (18%) normal skin samples ( P  =   0·046). In IS patients, betaPV was found in 27 of 62 (44%) tumours; no normal skin samples were available for comparison. The most frequently found genotypes were HPV-24, HPV-15 and HPV-38. Of those tumours infected with betaPV, 28 of 57 (49%) were infected with more than one genotype (range 2–8). Tumours from IS patients were from a younger age group (mean age 57·4 years) than IC patients (mean age 73·8 years). Multiple infections were more common in tumours from IC patients (21 of 30; 70%) compared with those from IS patients (seven of 27; 26%) ( P  <   0·001). In the IC group, age did not appear to influence the distribution of single and multiple infections whereas in IS patients the proportion of multiple infections to single infections increased with age. There were no multiple infections in normal skin.
Conclusions  A wide spectrum of betaPV types was detected in our samples. Further characterization of betaPV in vivo is needed in order to determine the mechanisms by which the virus contributes to cutaneous carcinogenesis.