To what extent does IQ 'explain' socio-economic variations in function?

Background  

The aims of this study were to examine the extent to which higher intellectual abilities protect higher socio-economic groups from functional decline and to examine whether the contribution of intellectual abilities is independent of childhood deprivation and low birth weight and other socio-economic and developmental factors in early life.     

Discordant repeat size and phenotype in Kennedy syndrome

Previous reports in the literature have described correlation of increasing repeat length with severity of the phenotype, in Kennedy syndrome. We describe male siblings with different repeat lengths, with lack of expression of the phenotype in the sibling with the longer repeat length. The phenotype was identical to motor neurone disease. There is variability of expression in Kennedy syndrome and repeat length even in siblings cannot be taken as a conclusive indicator of severity. CAG repeat length cannot be used to predict the natural history of Kennedy disease. The diagnosis of Kennedy syndrome should be considered in male patients presenting with atypical motor neurone disease.     

INTERFERONS IN ONCOLOGY

SUMMARY The interferons are natural glycoproteins secreted in response to various stimuli, including viral infection. They have antiviral, antiproliferative and immunomodulatory effects on different target cell populations. Since recombinant human interferons have become available, they have been tested in a wide range of malignancies. They are well established in the treatment of hairy cell leukaemia, chronic myelogenous leukaemia and multiple myeloma. Although they have documented activity against lymphoma, melanoma, renal cell cancer and carcinoid tumours, their role in the treatment of these tumours is less clear. In the common solid tumours, such as lung cancer and colorectal cancer, the use of interferons remains experimental. Here we will summarise their practice applications in oncology, using randomised studies where available to establish their place in multi-modality treatment. We will not discuss their use as antiviral or immunomodulating agents in viral and autoimmune diseases, multiple sclerosis or after organ transplantation.     

Controlled investigation of the amobarbital interview for catatonic mutism.

OBJECTIVE: Clinical reports over the last 60 years suggest that the amobarbital interview is effective in relieving catatonic symptoms. This has never been substantiated with methodologically sound trials. The authors postulated that a randomized blind comparison of intravenous amobarbital and saline would demonstrate the superiority of amobarbital in relieving catatonic mutism. METHOD: The subjects were 20 inpatients with catatonic mutism. They were randomly assigned to either saline (N = 10) or a 5% amobarbital solution (N = 10), and the infusions were administered intravenously at a rate of 1 cc/min or less over 10 minutes by a blinded physician. A second blinded physician administered a semistructured interview during the infusion to control for the effect of suggestion. A third blinded physician rated patient responsiveness, reactivity, and arousal. Any patient who was unresponsive to the initial infusion was crossed over to the other infusion. Interviews were videotaped for determination of interrater reliability. RESULTS: In the initial infusions, six of 10 patients responded to amobarbital and zero of 10 responded to saline. Four of the saline nonresponders responded when given amobarbital. Response was evident by the 4th minute of the amobarbital infusion. Interrater reliability was high. The responders and nonresponders differed significantly in the variance of the weight-adjusted amobarbital dose, and the responders tended to be older and female. CONCLUSIONS: Intravenous amobarbital is superior to saline in relieving catatonic mutism, although only 50% of these patients responded. The nonresponders were distinguished from the responders by a greater variance in the weight-adjusted dose of amobarbital.