Orofacial dyskinesia, frontal lobe dysfunction, and coping in older people with psychosis.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether orofacial tardive dyskinesia (OTD) is associated with frontal lobe dysfunction and whether either are related to the coping abilities independent of psychiatric symptoms in older people with psychotic disorders. METHODS: A total of 52 patients, aged over 65 years or over, who satisfied International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision criteria for psychotic disorders (F20-F29) were recruited into the study. OTD was measured using the Abnormal Involuntary Movements Scale and Waddington et al.'s (1993) criteria. Neuropsychological measures were specifically selected to assess different aspects of frontal function and coping was measured using a semistructured interview. Psychiatric symptoms were assessed using the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS). RESULTS: Patients with OTD showed more severe global cognitive impairment compared to patients without OTD. Group differences on measures of frontal lobe dysfunction were not maintained following adjustment for global cognitive impairment. Patients with OTD did not differ from patients without OTD on coping measures. Scores on the general psychopathology subscale of the PANSS, which includes symptoms associated with depression and anxiety, consistently predicted patients' negative perceptions of stressors and appraisals of coping, but cognitive impairment did not predict coping independent of symptoms. CONCLUSION: The association between coping and general psychopathology in older patients with psychosis warrants further investigation as both variables may be amenable to psychological interventions.     

Increased production of peroxidation products associated with cardiac operations. Evidence for free radical generation

We investigated the degree and time course of neutrophil sequestration into human lungs during cardiac operations. At the same time, measurement of the concentration of peroxidation products in the plasma was used as an index of oxidant free radical activity. The study was performed in two groups of patients. Group A (n = 11) had studies extending over the entire operative period and showed a highly significant sequestration of neutrophils into the lung, together with a highly significant (p less than 0.001) rise in peroxidation products from 2.8 +/- 0.12 nmol/ml(mean +/- standard error of the mean)before bypass to a peak of 5.05 +/- 0.13 nmol/ml at the end of bypass. As these changes occurred only during the time after release of the aortic cross-clamp, we investigated this period in more detail in a second group of patients (Group B, n = 7). Results from this group showed that significant release of peroxidation products occurred at the same time as pulmonary neutrophil sequestration. This study has produced evidence of increased oxidant activity in the lung associated with cardiac operations. Nevertheless, it is not known whether the neutrophils sequestered into the lung alone induced the increased activity. Similarly, whether neutrophil-derived oxidant species are the sole cause of lung tissue injury remains unproved.     

The genetic and epigenetic basis of ependymoma

Introduction  

Although ependymoma is the third most common pediatric brain tumor, we know little about the genetic/epigenetic basis of its initiation, maintenance, or progression. This is due in part to the heterogeneity of the disease, as well as the small sample size of the cohorts analyzed in most studies.