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Biomedical subjects

A McCabe

Publications and source records attributed to A McCabe.

15 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2000

Culturally sensitive assessment of narrative skills in children.

The clinical legacy of William Labov's narrative analysis framework is explored. In recent years, the importance of narration for children's developing literacy and discourse skills has been widely recognized. This article describes a three-step process for assessing children's narrative discourse: elicitation, coding, and scoring. The influences of cultural differences on narration are also presented, with implications and suggestions for culturally sensitive assessment.

Child↗
PubMed2000

Theory of spatiochromatic image encoding and feature extraction.

We consider how to interpret, filter, and cross-correlate complex-value color (hue and saturation) images by using a single discrete Fourier transform: the spatiochromatic discrete Fourier transform. The model defines new types of spatiochromatic oriented sinusoidal gratings, termed rainbow gratings, which encode the variation of color over space. We demonstrate how color-opponent detectors observed within the vertebrate visual system can be easily defined by linear filters within this representation. This model also allows us to filter and detect both spatial and chromatic patterns in images by using a single cross-correlation procedure. In doing so, we explore a new form of the Cauchy-Schwartz inequality applied to complex-valued scalar products. Results demonstrate the power of this form of spatiochromatic matched filtering in detecting signals embedded in such a significant amount of noise that they are not visible to the unaided human eye.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

Sparfloxacin versus ciprofloxacin for the treatment of community-acquired, complicated skin and skin-structure infections.

Fluoroquinolones have been shown to be effective in the treatment of complicated skin and skin-structure infections, in part because of their broad-spectrum antibacterial activity against causative pathogens that are resistant to older antimicrobial agents. We enrolled 603 adult patients (>58% male, >85% white) in a double-masked, double-dummy, randomized, multicenter trial to compare the efficacy and tolerability of sparfloxacin (400-mg loading dose followed by 200 mg once daily) with those of ciprofloxacin (750 mg twice daily) for 10 days in the treatment of community-acquired, complicated skin and skin-structure infections. The primary efficacy variable was clinical response, based on assessment of signs and symptoms, in the clinically assessable population. Patients in the sparfloxacin and ciprofloxacin groups were comparable with respect to demographic characteristics, underlying diseases, medical history, and laboratory test results. Wound infection was the most common diagnosis, and Staphylococcus aureus was the most frequently isolated pathogen. For the 475 clinically assessable patients, the clinical success rate (percentage of patients cured or improved) was 90.1% (210/233) with sparfloxacin and 87.2% (211/242) with ciprofloxacin. In this analysis (95% confidence interval [CI], -2.8 to 8.6) and the intent-to-treat analyses (95% CI, -4.2 to 6.2), results with sparfloxacin were statistically equivalent to those with ciprofloxacin (95% CI, -1 to 15.3). For bacteriologically assessable patients, eradication rates were 87.0% (141/162) with sparfloxacin and 79.9% (123/154) with ciprofloxacin (95% CI, -1 to 15.3). Eradication rates of S. aureus and coagulase-negative staphylococcal infections were 90.2% (101/112) with sparfloxacin and 77.9% (88/113) with ciprofloxacin. For patients with 2 or more pathogens at baseline (mixed infections), bacteriologic success was 87.6% for sparfloxacin and 77.9% for ciprofloxacin. Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections were eradicated or presumed eradicated in 71.4% (10/14) of sparfloxacin-treated patients and 87.5% (7/8) of ciprofloxacin-treated patients. Overall success rates in the bacteriologically assessable patients for sparfloxacin (84.6% [137/162]) and ciprofloxacin (78.6% [121/154]) were statistically equivalent (95% CI, -2.5 to 14.5). Tolerability was assessed in all patients who received study medication. The overall frequency of treatment-related adverse events was comparable in the 2 treatment groups (26.5% sparfloxacin, 23.3% ciprofloxacin). Drug-related adverse events involving the digestive system occurred in 7.1% of sparfloxacin-treated patients and 19.0% of ciprofloxacin-treated patients; photosensitivity reactions were reported in 11.1% of patients in the sparfloxacin group and 0.7% of patients in the ciprofloxacin group (P < 0.001). The mean change in QTc interval from baseline to the maximum on-treatment value was greater in the sparfloxacin group (9 milliseconds) than in the ciprofloxacin group (3 milliseconds) (P = 0.005; 95% CI, 0.002 to 0.010). The efficacy of sparfloxacin was comparable to that of ciprofloxacin in the treatment of community-acquired, complicated skin and skin-structure infections, including those caused by staphylococci, the most common pathogens. Sparfloxacin's once-daily regimen, high skin-tissue penetration, and improved activity against gram-positive cocci make it a therapeutic alternative to ciprofloxacin for patients who are not at risk for photosensitivity reactions or adverse events associated with prolongation of the QTc interval.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

Encouraging narratives in preschoolers: an intervention study.

Twenty economically disadvantaged preschoolers (mean age 3;7) were randomly assigned to an intervention or a control group, and their mothers' styles of eliciting narratives from their children were assessed before and after intervention. Mothers of intervention children were encouraged to spend more time in narrative conversation, ask more open-ended and context-eliciting questions, and encourage longer narratives through back-channel responses. Children's narrative and vocabulary skills were assessed before and after the year-long intervention and 14 children participated in a follow-up assessment a year later. Narrative measures included the number and length of narratives as well as how decontextualized and informative they were. Intervention children showed significant vocabulary improvement immediately after intervention terminated, and a year later they showed overall improvements in narrative skill. In particular, intervention children produced more context-setting descriptions about where and especially when the described events took place. Such decontextualized language has been emphasized as important for literacy acquisition.

Child Behavior↗
PubMed1999

Vascular surgical society of great britain and ireland: Re-evaluation of criteria for reoperation in carotid endarterectomy using intraoperative duplex imaging

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to compare data obtained during surgery with data collected at 6 weeks after operation to evaluate appropriate criteria for reoperation. METHODS: One hundred and twenty consecutive patients undergoing carotid endarterectomy had duplex scans at operation and 6 weeks later. Neurological evaluation was also documented. RESULTS: Of 96 patients who had a normal intraoperative duplex scan by standard criteria, 91 had normal scans at 6 weeks. One occluded an internal carotid artery (ICA) at 6 weeks with no symptoms. Four had kinks or high-grade contralateral lesions leading to velocity enhancement but no filling defect. All were asymptomatic. Twenty-four patients had abnormal intraoperative scans. Thirteen patients had visible kinking of the ICA or reperfusion hyperaemia; 12 of these patients had normal 6-week scans and one had a mild residual kink but no symptoms. Eleven patients had visible colour-filling defects and significant velocity enhancement. Nine of these were reopened and refashioned. Subsequent duplex imaging was satisfactory in all cases and 6-week scans were normal. One patient had an occluded ICA at operation and developed a dense stroke after operation. Another had residual raised velocities distally which remained at 6 weeks. This patient had no symptoms. CONCLUSION: Intraoperative velocity measurements alone cannot be relied upon as an indication for reoperation. Significant velocity enhancement combined with a visible filling defect appears to represent a satisfactory criterion for reoperation. There were no complications as a result of reoperation. There was no early restenosis in the whole group and there were no neurological sequelae in any patient with a satisfactory scan using the above criteria.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1998

Randomized, double-blind clinical trial of amphotericin B colloidal dispersion vs. amphotericin B in the empirical treatment of fever and neutropenia.

We conducted a prospective, randomized, double-blind study comparing amphotericin B colloidal dispersion (ABCD) with amphotericin B in the empirical treatment of fever and neutropenia. Patients with neutropenia and unresolved fever after > or = 3 days of empirical antibiotic therapy were stratified by age and concomitant use of cyclosporine or tacrolimus. Patients were then randomized to receive therapy with ABCD (4 mg/[kg.d]) or amphotericin B (0.8 mg/[kg.d]) for < or = 14 days. A total of 213 patients were enrolled, of whom 196 were evaluable for efficacy. Fifty percent of ABCD-treated patients and 43.2% of amphotericin B-treated patients had a therapeutic response (P = .31). Renal dysfunction was less likely to develop and occurred later in ABCD recipients than in amphotericin B recipients (P < .001 for both parameters). Infusion-related hypoxia and chills were more common in ABCD recipients than in amphotericin B recipients (P = .013 and P = .018, respectively). ABCD appeared comparable in efficacy with amphotericin B, and renal dysfunction associated with ABCD was significantly less than that associated with amphotericin B. However, infusion-related events were more common with ABCD treatment than with amphotericin B treatment.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1995

Rice balls and bear hunts: Japanese and North American family narrative patterns.

In past research, the form of Japanese children's personal narratives was found to be distinctly different from that of English-speaking children. Despite follow-up questions that encouraged them to talk about one personal narrative at length, Japanese children spoke succinctly about collections of experiences rather than elaborating on any one experience in particular (Minami & McCabe, 1991). Conversations between mothers and children in the two cultures were examined in order partly to account for the way in which cultural narrative style is transmitted to children. Comparison of mothers from the two cultures yielded the following salient contrasts: (1) In comparison to the North American mothers, the Japanese mothers requested proportionately less description from their children. (2) Both in terms of frequency and proportion, the Japanese mothers gave less evaluation and showed more verbal attention to children than did North American mothers. (3) Japanese mothers pay verbal attention more frequently to boys than to girls. In addition, at five years, Japanese children produce 1.22 utterances per turn on average, while North American children produce 2.00 utterances per turn, a significant difference. Thus, by frequently showing verbal attention to their children's narrative contributions, Japanese mothers not only support their children's talk about the past but also make sure that it begins to take the shape of narration valued in their culture. The production of short narratives in Japan is understood and valued differently from such production in North America.

Child Language↗
PubMed1993

Remembered voices.

The speech children spontaneously quote was examined in two studies. In Study 1, a corpus of personal narratives from 96 children aged 4;0 to 9;0 was analysed; Study 2 investigated reported speech in 25 younger children aged 1;2 to 5;2 interacting with their parents. In both studies, the frequency of reported speech increased with age. Direct quotation was more common than indirect or summarized quotation at all ages. In Study 1, children quoted themselves more frequently than any other speaker, and their mothers more frequently than their fathers. Directives were the most commonly reported speech act from the distant past in both older (Study 1) and younger (Study 2) children. In Study 1, girls used reported speech more frequently than did boys, and their quotations were more direct in form than were those of boys.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1991

Effect of fibrinogen concentrates on blood loss in total knee arthroplasty.

Total knee arthroplasty has been associated with marked blood loss that occurs despite the use of a tourniquet and minimal postoperative suction drainage. Autogenous fibrinogen cryoprecipitate was used to coat the operative site with a fibrin clot to determine the effect on postoperative blood loss. A method of determining the inapparent blood loss was used based on the red cell mass of the patient and using the hematocrit at the same point of time in relationship to the surgery for the control and study group. The magnitude of tissue extravasation was surprising, and it was almost double the blood loss expected by traditional methods. The benefit of using fibrinogen concentrates is exclusively confined to the inapparent blood loss and not the postoperative blood loss.

Administration, Topical↗
PubMed1989

Replication of an RK2 miniplasmid derivative in vitro by a DNA/membrane complex extracted from Escherichia coli: involvement of the dnaA but not dnaK host proteins and association of these and plasmid-encoded proteins with the inner membrane.

A DNA/membrane complex extracted from a miniplasmid derivative of the broad host range plasmid RK2 cultured in Escherichia coli capable of synthesizing new plasmid supercoiled DNA in vitro was treated with antibodies that were made against or reacted with the dnaA and dnaK host-encoded proteins, respectively. Anti-dnaA protein antibody inhibited total plasmid DNA synthesis significantly and the synthesis of supercoil plasmid DNA almost completely. In contrast, anti-dnaK protein antibody and nonimmune serum had little or no effect on total plasmid DNA synthesis. Both proteins were found to be present in the inner but not outer membrane fraction of E. coli. A variety of miniplasmid-encoded proteins which had previously been found in the DNA/membrane complex have also been localized to the inner but not outer membrane fraction. These include an essential initiation protein of 32 kDa (and an overlapping protein of 43 kDa coded for by the same gene), as well as a 30-kDa protein that may be linked to incompatibility functions. Various extraction methods were used to distinguish between the associated and the integral nature of the plasmid-encoded proteins. The results demonstrated that the essential replication proteins (32 and 43 kDa) as well as the 30-kDa protein was tightly bound to the inner membrane. Computer analysis of the amino acid sequence of the 32 (and 43)-kDa protein revealed a hydrophobic region that is only half that normally required to span the membrane. Other interactions are discussed with respect to attaching this protein to the membrane.

Antibodies, Bacterial↗
PubMed1988

Maternal speech to verbal and higher functioning versus nonverbal and lower functioning autistic children.

The relationship between autistic children's level of functioning and maternal speech to children was examined. Ten higher functioning verbal and 10 lower functioning nonverbal children were videotaped in a 15-minute interaction with their mothers. Results revealed that mothers of the higher functioning verbal children asked more questions, used more language modeling, gave more reinforcement for language, and answered more children-initiated questions than did mothers of the lower functioning nonverbal children. Mothers of the nonverbal children employed more directives, used shorter mean lengths of utterance, and reinforced their children's motoric rather than spoken behavior. Far from being poor models for linguistic behavior, mothers of autistic children appear, therefore, to be quite responsive to their children's relative capabilities.

Autistic Disorder↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Narrative skills following traumatic brain injury in children and adults.

Personal narratives serve an important function in virtually all societies (Peterson & McCabe, 1991). Through narratives individuals make sense of their experiences and represent themselves to others (Bruner, 1990). The ability to produce narratives has been linked to academic success (Feagans, 1982). Persons who have sustained a traumatic brain injury (TBI) are at risk for impaired narrative ability (Dennis, 1991). However, a paucity of information exists on the discourse abilities of persons with TBI. This is partly due to a lack of reliable tools with which to assess narrative discourse. The present study utilized dependency analysis (Deese, 1984) to document and describe the narrative discourse impairments of children and adults with TBI. Ten children (mean age 12;0) and 10 adults (mean age 35;2) were compared with matched controls. Dependency analysis reliably differentiated the discourse of the individuals with TBI from their controls. Individuals with TBI were significantly more dysfluent than their matched controls. Furthermore, their performance on the narrative task revealed a striking listener burden.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Narrative Assessment Profile: discourse analysis for school-age children.

The assessment of narrative skills of school-age children is described using a comprehensive discourse analysis approach, the Narrative Assessment Profile. The following dimensions of narration are evaluated: topic maintenance, event sequencing, explicitness, referencing, conjunctive cohesion, and fluency. The purpose of this article is to describe the development of these six dimensions and their symptoms in impaired narrative discourse. Assessment and intervention guidelines are presented.

Adolescent↗