The forgetting of stimulus attributes in latent inhibition

Numerous studies have demonstrated that the forgetting of stimulus attributes is a common occurrence; that is, organisms forget the specific characteristics of training stimuli over long retention intervals, while retaining general information of the training stimuli themselves. However, most studies have examined this effect after a learning episode, and there have been virtually no accounts to test whether the forgetting of attributes occurs for stimuli presented prior to training. Therefore, this experiment was designed to test that possibility, and it examined whether the forgetting of stimulus attributes occurred prior to training for the flavor stimulus in a conditioned taste aversion (CTA) procedure. Specifically, a latent inhibition (LI) procedure was used to measure the extent of forgetting for a pre-exposed flavor over short and long retention intervals. The results indicate that rats forgot the specific characteristics of the flavor stimulus (CS) while retaining memory for pre-exposure sessions over a long retention interval. That is, subjects pre-exposed and conditioned with different concentrations of sucrose showed no LI effect with a 1-day delay between pre-exposure and training, but demonstrated a generalized LI with an 8-day delay between pre-exposure and conditioning. This experiment provides further evidence for the robustness of the forgetting of stimulus attributes, and demonstrates that this specific type of forgetting also occurs prior to the learning of a CTA task.     

Carotid atherosclerosis and thrombotic stroke. Diagnostic and therapeutic perspectives]

Carotid atherosclerotic lesions can be studied with color-Doppler ultrasonography vascular systems. Ultrasonography of the carotid plaques at major risk for the development of cerebrovascular ischemic events showed the following characteristics: irregular surface, degree of stenosis > 70%, intimal hemorrhage and ulceration. The plaques with these ultrasonography patterns have to be considered for surgical approach (TEA). The other patients with carotid atherosclerotic lesions will be initially treated with diet and changes of life style to obtain the correction of cardiovascular risk factors (i.e. hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, diabetes). Furthermore, medical therapy with antithrombotic agents will be instituted which, used with good results also in acute cerebral stroke, proved to be effective in the reduction of vascular events in patients with extracranial atherosclerotic plaques. However, it has not been clarified if the positive effect of antiaggregation therapy in carotid atherosclerosis is due to the inhibition of the progression and plaque growth or if other hemorheological factors are involved.     

Stage T1 glottic carcinoma: results of radiation therapy or laser excision

A retrospective analysis was made of the data on 60 patients with stage T1 glottic carcinoma (43 T1a, 17 T1b) who received radiation therapy and 17 patients with T1a disease who underwent laser excision as the primary treatment modality. Patients who received radiation therapy achieved 3- and 5-year actuarial local control rates of 92% and 89% for T1a and 77% and 77% for T1b disease, respectively. In patients who underwent laser excision (all with T1a disease), the 3-year local control rate was 77%. Of the 42 evaluable irradiated T1a patients, 31 (74%) had a normal to near-normal voice, eight (19%) had mild or intermittent hoarseness, and three (7%) had persistent hoarseness. Of the 13 evaluable patients in the laser-excision group, four (31%) had a normal to near-normal voice, five (38%) had mild or intermittent hoarseness, and four (31%) had persistent hoarseness. The difference in the quality of voice between these two groups is statistically significant (P = .012), although the ultimate local control rate after salvage therapy for irradiated patients (97%) was similar to that for laser-excision patients (94%).     

Clinical and economic impact of enterovirus illness in private pediatric practice

OBJECTIVE: To characterize the acute clinical course and economic burden of nonpolio enteroviral (NPEV) illness in the summer/fall season as seen in private pediatric practice. METHODS: We prospectively studied 380 children aged 4 to 18 years with systemic NPEV syndromes presenting to private suburban pediatric practices. Seventy-three asymptomatic controls were concurrently enrolled. Clinical diagnosis of NPEV illness was based on the presence of fever plus at least one of the following: headache and stiff neck (n = 2); myalgia and malaise (n = 105); nonpuritic maculopapular rash (n = 10); papulovesicular stomatitis (n = 214); papular rash of the hands, feet, and mouth (H/F/M) (n = 30); or pleurodynia (n = 11). Study participants were enrolled during a 4-month time span (July-October, 1994) and followed daily for 14 days. A parent symptom diary card and twice weekly phone contacts by study nurses characterized the illness to include the frequency of health care contacts, the necessity for laboratory tests, medication use, and school/work absenteeism. RESULTS: Three hundred seventy-two (98%) children completed the study; 122 (33%) of the patients were confirmed to be infected with NPEV. Confirmed NPEV infection was more frequently observed in Rochester, NY (85/147 = 58%) than in Scottsdale, AZ (32/224 = 14%). The age group 4 to 12 years comprised 79% to 90% of the enrollees, depending on the syndrome. Median duration of illness and median number of missed days of school/summer camp/work for the enrolled patients was: meningitis (7 days ill, 2 days missed), myalgia/malaise (9 days ill, 3 days missed), rash (6 days ill, 4 days missed), stomatitis (7 days ill, 2 days missed), H/F/M (7 days ill, 1 day missed), and pleurodynia (8 days ill, 3 days missed). Direct medical costs varied from $69 per case to $771 per case and indirect costs, attributable primarily to parent missed work and/or sick-child care, varied from $63 per case to $422 per case for H/F/M and meningitis, respectively. In households, H/F/M spread to 50% of siblings and 25% of parents. CONCLUSIONS: In our study population, NPEV infection: 1) caused sufficient illness to prompt physician visits in summer and fall; 2) occurred more frequently in 4 to 12 year olds than in adolescents; 3) produced various clinical syndromes concurrently during the same months in the same season of a given year; 4) varied in occurrence geographically; 5) was characterized by numerous symptoms of longer duration than previously recognized; and 6) produced a significant economic impact by generating both direct and indirect costs.     

Adding purpose to the repetitive exercise of elderly women through imagery

Many studies have documented the effectiveness of verbally elicited imagery in the enhancement of motor skills in young, nondisabled populations. The present study examined the effects of verbally elicited imagery in the encouragement of two exercises (i.e., reaching up to pick apples and reaching down to pick up coins) in elderly women. The subjects were 27 women between 62 and 96 years of age who were selected from a nursing home, a residential retirement home, and a foster care home. All of the subjects received imagery as well as control conditions, but in a counterbalanced fashion. The Wilcoxon matched-pairs signed rank tests indicated that the imagery condition elicited significantly more repetitions of the reaching-up exercise than did the control condition (z = 2.25, p [one-tailed] = .012). The results in the reaching-down exercise were generally in the same direction but difficult to interpret statistically. The results are discussed in terms of other recent research investigating ways to add purpose to therapeutic exercise through occupation. Clinicians are urged to explore the advantages and disadvantages of imagery-based occupations in treatment.     

Optic disc haemorrhages and vascular abnormalities in a glaucoma population

Purpose: To retrospectively examine the optic disc photographs of a glaucoma population for optic disc haemorrhages, vascular occlusions and vascular abnormalities. Methods: The optic disc photographs of 906 eyes of glaucoma and suspect glaucoma patients were examined. Optic disc photographs were taken annually, where possible, with the follow-up period varying between 1 and 14 years duration (mean, 2.89). Glaucoma patients are regularly reviewed every 4–6 months and glaucoma suspects every 1–2 years, depending on the ophthalmologist. Low-tension glaucoma patients were reviewed more frequently (mean, every 2.6 months). The results of the findings were compared to a control group of 39 subjects with a mean follow-up period of 7 years, using Fisher's exact test. Results: It was found that during the period under review, 7.4% (n= 67) of eyes had optic disc haemorrhages. The highest frequency of optic disc haemorrhages (37.5%) was found in the low tension glaucoma group (P= 0.0001) followed by 11.4% of primary open-angle glaucoma eyes (P= 0.03). In the normal group there were three eyes with optic disc haemorrhages and one with a disc collateral, which constitutes 5.1% vascular changes in this sub-group. Of the study eyes 2.8% had central retinal vein occlusions, 1.3% branch vein occlusion, 1.2% disc vessel abnormalities (loops) and 1.1% disc collaterals. Discrete nerve fibre layer haemorrhages and microaneurysms were found in 0.8% and 1.8% of eyes, respectively. Conclusions: A total of 16.8% of the eyes observed in this study had either disc haemorrhages or vascular changes. The underlying trend of vascular and haemorrhagic changes in glaucoma are demonstrated in this sample, which is in general agreement with previous studies. The high percentage of optic disc haemorrhages in low tension glaucoma is highlighted. The presence of microaneurysms and nerve fibre layer haemorrhages is interesting but of unknown significance.