Some practical perspectives for educating gifted children

This article identifies common characteristics of educationally related programs that form a common basis for understanding and working with gifted programs. Special approaches and programs for educational enrichment as well as specific activities that have been successful are discussed.     

聋幼儿情绪状态对认知发展的影响

为促进聋幼儿各方面的正常发展，使其早日回归主流社会，我们对聋幼儿进行了认知和情绪表现的研究。通过问卷调查、观察和实验研究得知，聋幼儿的认知发展和良好情绪的培养是分不开的，认知内容适中有利于聋幼儿良好情绪的培养，而良好积极的情绪又可促进聋幼儿认知的发展。对此，我们实验并总结了培养聋幼儿积极情绪和促进认知发展的方法。     

Acute effects of high-dose thyrotropin releasing hormone infusions in Alzheimer's disease

Thyrotropin releasing hormone (TRH) was administered intravenously to ten patients with Alzheimer's Disease (AD) in a high-dose paradigm, thought to maximize central nervous system effects and potentially produce facilitation of cholinergic function, a known property of the neuropeptide. Acute effects of TRH on behavioral, cognitive and physiologic measures were assessed after patients received 0.1 mg/kg TRH, 0.3 mg/kg TRH and placebo, the higher TRH dose and placebo being given in a randomized, double-blind fashion. Patients showed statistically significant increases in arousal and improvement in affect, as well as a modest improvement in semantic memory, all after receiving the higher TRH dose. Both TRH doses produced transient rises in systolic blood pressure, with no effect on diastolic blood pressure, heart rate or temperature. This study suggests that high-dose TRH can be safely administered to AD patients and is neurobehaviorally active; further studies are needed to determine the extent and mechanism of the cognitive and psychobiological properties of this peptide in AD and other neuropsychiatric disorders.     

新胆碱酯酶抑制剂对实验性重症肌无力的治疗作用

本文应用实验性重症肌无力模型研究了7种新的胆碱酯酶抑制剂对实验性重症肌无力的治疗作用,其中包括6种二甲氨基甲酸烷氧(烷硫)基苯酯及1种中草药提取物,大多数化合物对乙酰胆碱酯酶有较强的抑制作用,并见到有不同程度的治疗效果。二甲氨基甲酸-3-叔丁基-4〔2-(1-哌啶基)乙氧基〕苯酯不仅明显改善肌无力症状,而且毒性小、副作用较新斯的明轻,值得进一步研究。     

Predictive value of clinical characteristics for 'benign' multiple sclerosis

We studied a cohort of 496 patients who had multiple sclerosis (MS) for at least 10 years. Ten years after disease onset, 151 had benign MS defined as an Extended Disability Status Scale (EDSS) ≤3. Between benign and non-benign patients we compared gender, age at clinical onset, relapsing–remitting or primary progressive, symptoms at onset, recovery from first relapse, time between first and second relapse, number of relapses in the first 5 years, use of immunomodulatory drugs, and EDSS scores at 2, 5 and 10 years. A multivariate regression analysis showed that a relapsing–remitting course, a low EDSS score at 5 years, and a low number of relapses in the first 5 years were predictive for benign MS at 10 years. Other factors had no additional value. Thirty-five of the 51 patients (69%) with benign MS at 10 years were still benign at 20 years. A low 10-year EDSS score was the only clinical variable associated with a benign course at 20 years. Our results suggest that within the first 5 years from onset it is not possible to predict a benign course. Disease course, EDSS score and relapse rate at 5 years are predictors for benign MS at 10 years.     

The clinical phenotypes of juvenile bipolar disorder: toward a validation of the episodic-chronic-distinction.

BACKGROUND: Recent research has addressed the issue of subtyping juvenile bipolar disorder (JBD). Accordingly, we set out to find out, in a naturalistic sample of bipolar children and adolescents with mania and mixed mania, whether the most useful subtyping should be based on clinical features (elated vs. irritable) or course (episodic vs. chronic). METHODS: We studied 136 patients, 81 male patients (59.6%) and 55 female patients (40.4%), mean age 13.5 +/- 2.9 years, meeting the DSM-IV diagnosis of bipolar disorder, assessed by a structured clinical interview (Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School-Age Children-Present and Lifetime Version [K-SADS-PL]). RESULTS: Regarding course, 77 patients (56.6%) had an episodic course and 59 patients (43.4%) had a chronic course. Patients with chronic course were significantly younger, had an earlier onset of JBD, and presented a more frequent comorbidity with disruptive behavior disorders. According to the prevalent mood disturbance, 75 patients (55.1%) showed an elated and 61 patients (44.9%) showed an irritable mood. Elated mood was more frequent in patients with episodic course, whereas irritable mood was more frequent in the patients with chronic course. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that chronic versus episodic course may be a putative differential feature. Further validation of such a distinction would require prospective studies, temperament evaluation, gender and neurobiologic approaches, and differential psychopharmacologic assignment and response.     

食管癌三维适形后程加速超分割放射治疗的疗效分析

目的评价三维适形后程加速超分割放射治疗食管癌的疗效及放疗反应、并发症。方法2002年2月至2004年5月,71例食管鳞癌随机分成两组,三维适形后程加速超分割组36例,食管病变上下外约4cm,前后、左右外约0.5~1cm作为PTV1,每次2GY,每周5次,DT40GY后,病变上下外约2cm,前后、左右外约0.5~1cm作为PTV2,每日2次,每次1.5GY,间隔4~6小时,总疗程6周,总剂量67GY/38次。非三维适形后程加速超分割组35例,时间、剂量、分割方式同适形组。所有病例均采用8MV-X外照射。结果1、2、3年的生存率和原发肿瘤的局控率,与非适形后程加速超分割比较,适形组明显提高,分别为88.9%、75%、63.9%比68.6%、51.4%、40%和86.1%、72.2%、58.3%比65.7%、48.5%、34.3%。适形组的急性放射反应明显低于非适形后程加速超分割组,两组有显著差别。结论本研究的初步结果表明食管癌适形后程加速超分割放射治疗的疗效优于非适形后程加速超分割组。     

糖尿病是一种心血管疾病和心身疾病的观点探讨

本文就糖尿病患者最早就诊的是心血管内科医师,以及负性情绪可明显影响糖尿病的发展进行了分析,并提出改善心境可明显增加自我控制糖尿病的能力。     

Ambulatory monitoring of ultraviolet erythema in photosensitive subjects

Little is known about whether patients with photosensitive disorders exhibit a different ultraviolet erythema time course from subjects with a normal response to sunlight. We have described the application of an instrument for ambulatory monitoring of the development of ultraviolet erythema by a reflectance method in a group of patients with chronic actinic dermatitis (CAD) and in a group of normal subjects. Investigations of the time course have been reported previously but the techniques used relied upon manual measurement. Consequently sampling frequencies have been considerably lower than the one-minute sample rate used here. We have not demonstrated any difference in the rate at which erythema develops and peaks between patients with CAD and subjects with a normal response to sunlight.