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Biomedical subjects

J C Hardy

Publications and source records attributed to J C Hardy.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Predicting poor-communication status in preschool children using risk factors present at birth.

The speech and language status of 662 children between the ages of 30 months and 5 years was determined through the use of parent report information. Twelve of these children were reported by their parents to have been diagnosed as having a speech-language disorder, and 50 of these children were found to be at or below the 10th percentile in language development for children of their age. Information about family background and birth history obtained when these children were born was evaluated with respect to its power to predict speech-language status in these preschool children. A set of risk criteria was found to accurately predict 55% of those children with poor communication skills and 76% of those with normal communication development. This prediction was improved by the addition of data about the child's birth order. These results suggest that programs of preschool identification should consider the inclusion of a registry of children who are at risk for a communication disorder.

Birth Order

A child with signs of developmental apraxia of speech with whom a palatal lift prosthesis was used to manage palatal dysfunction.

A client is described who exhibited a large number of characteristics consistent with developmental apraxia of speech (DAS). The exhibited symptoms included excessive nasal resonance and nasal emission of air due to velopharyngeal port dysfunction, for which successful management was achieved by use of a palatal lift prosthesis. The results of the client's use of the lift, in conjunction with her speech and language remedial programming, is presented.

Apraxias

Retroperitoneal fibrosis in two patients with Parkinson's disease treated with bromocriptine.

Retroperitoneal fibrosis has been observed in two patients with Parkinson's disease treated with bromocriptine. The patients complained of abdominal or lower back pain and presented with various degrees of renal insufficiency, with anuria in one. Laboratory evaluation furthermore showed an increased sedimentation rate and inflammatory anemia. Computerized tomography disclosed marked retroperitoneal thickening, and biopsy was performed in one patient. The symptoms appeared eighteen months and five years after treatment was started, at doses of 20 and 22.5 mg of bromocriptine daily. The medication was discontinued in both patients and steroid therapy was initiated, with resolution of all clinical, biological and radiological evidence of disease. This potential but rare complication of a widely prescribed drug warrants monitoring of renal function and sedimentation rate in patients undergoing bromocriptine treatment.

Aged

[Leiomyosarcoma of the scrotum].

Scrotal leiomyosarcoma is a rare tumor which may occur from each muscular structure of the scrotum. A brief review of the literature and the therapeutic possibilities are presented.

Aged

Toxin production by strains of Aeromonas hydrophila grown in laboratory media and prawn purée.

Toxin production by four strains of Aeromonas hydrophila grown at 30 and 37 degrees C in two laboratory media and prawn purée was studied. Three different cell lines were used to test for cytotoxic activity, haemolytic activity was tested against rabbit and guinea pig erythrocytes, proteolytic activity was assayed with azo-casein and enterotoxic activity using the suckling mouse assay. Results showed reduced cytotoxic and haemolytic activities in prawn purée compared with the two media, but in most cases increased proteolytic activity. No enterotoxic activity was observed in prawn purée although it was occasionally detectable in both laboratory media.

Aeromonas

The concurrent validity of the Minnesota Child Development Inventory as a measure of young children's language development.

The extent to which the Minnesota Child Development Inventory (MCDI), could be used to estimate levels of language development in 2-year-old children was examined. Fifty-seven children between 23 and 28 months were given the Sequenced Inventory of Communication Development (SICD), and at the same time a parent completed the MCDI. In addition the mean length of utterance (MLU) was obtained for each child from a spontaneous speech sample. The MCDI Expressive Language scale was found to be a strong predictor of both the SICD Expressive scale and MLU. The MCDI Comprehension-Conceptual scale, presumably a receptive language measure, was moderately correlated with the SICD Receptive scale; however, it was also strongly correlated with the expressive measures. These results demonstrated that the Expressive Language scale of the MCDI was a valid predictor of expressive language for 2-year-old children. The MCDI Comprehension-Conceptual scale appeared to assess both receptive and expressive language, thus complicating its interpretation.

Child Development

[Prostate hypertrophy. Surgical experience in Belgium. Multi-center study of 1,140 patients of 80 years and older].

An inquiry organized by the Belgian Society of Surgery brought data on the mortality and morbidity of surgery on patients of 80 years and older for benign prostatic hypertrophy in a total number of 1,140 operations. Consensus exist to see this surgery as planned surgery. The mortality was 73 (6.3%) without statistical difference between endoscopic and open surgery. The morbidity of 824 patients was 165. This last figure relates to the big series in the literature. The mortality is in direct relation to the age of the patients. Evaluation of cardio-pulmonary risk (70.8% of the mortality), operation on indication at earlier diagnosis and prospective studies on the risk of operation in this population group are indicated.

Aged

Palatal lift prostheses for treatment of palatopharyngeal incompetence.

It appears that the palatal lift prosthesis is an effective prosthesis to improve palatopharyngeal incompetence in selected patients. Despite the inconvenience and problems associated with a prosthesis, this procedure is indicated for selected patients who have anatomically normal palates that are dysfunctional. The ultimate benefit of the palatal lift prostheses to the speech of the patients is not the subject of this report. However, it should be noted that many patients can benefit from speech therapy after a satisfactory prosthetic result has been achieved.

Acrylic Resins