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Biomedical subjects

J Fodor

Publications and source records attributed to J Fodor.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1991

A cross-cultural study of major depression and family functioning.

Patterns of family functioning in families with a depressed member from two cultures (North America and Hungary) were compared. In both cultural settings, families with a depressed member reported poorer family functioning than the control families. Comparisons between the two depressed groups, however, showed that the response to family dysfunction by the two cultures differed. While depressed families in Hungary reported difficulties in setting family rules and boundaries, those in North America experienced impaired functioning in solving problems, communicating, being involved with each other, and in overall functioning. These results are discussed in terms of the interplay between culture, depression and family functioning.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Connectionism and the problem of systematicity: why Smolensky's solution doesn't work.

In two recent papers, Paul Smolensky responds to a challenge Jerry Fodor and Zenon Pylyshyn posed for connectionist theories of cognition: to explain the existence of systematic relations among cognitive capacities without assuming that mental processes are causally sensitive to the constituent structure of mental representations. Smolensky thinks connectionists can explain systematicity if they avail themselves of "distributed" mental representation. In facts, Smolensky offers two accounts of distributed mental representation, corresponding to his notions of "weak" and "strong" compositional structure. We argue that weak compositional structure is irrelevant to the systematicity problem and of dubious internal coherence. We then argue that strong compositional (tensor product) representations fail to explain systematicity because they fail to exhibit the sort of constituents that can provide domains for structure sensitive mental processes.

Cognition↗
PubMed1988

Radiotherapy alone or in combination with surgery in the management of stage III breast cancer.

239 women with stage III carcinoma of the breast were treated by primary radiation therapy from 1977 to 1985. Of them 212 had an objective response and 27 showed no response to irradiation. From the objective responders, 105 patients were subjected to mastectomy and axillary dissection and in 107 cases the radiotherapy was not followed by surgery. Patients of operated group had a 71% and the RT alone group had a 61% local-regional tumor control at 5 years. The analysis of local-regional recurrences revealed that none of the operated patients had axillary recurrence but 8 had in the RT alone group. Postirradiation surgery is recommended for patients who have residual disease especially in the axillary region. The 5-year survival rate of operated patients was significantly better, 58% vs. 35%. However, these results are not comparable since the incidence of less favourable cases was higher in the RT alone group. Chemotherapy was initiated for the 27 patients who failed to respond to RT, but results were unsatisfactory. None of them survived three years. Further studies are needed to explore the role of chemotherapy in this stage of breast cancer.

Adult↗
PubMed1987

Prognostic significance of residual disease after radiation therapy of stage III breast cancer.

239 Consecutive women with stage III carcinoma of the breast were treated by primary radiation therapy (RT) from 1977 to 1985. The response rate was 89%, the 5-year survival 40% and the local-regional tumor control (LTC) 59%. For the 27 non-responders, postirradiation chemotherapy was initiated but they died within 3 years. 105 Patients were subjected to mastectomy and axillary dissection after RT. In 107 cases, the RT was not followed by surgery. Systemic treatment consisted of hormonal therapy in both groups. The RT plus surgery group had better survival rate, 58% vs. 35% at 5 years. However, the incidence of less favorable cases was higher in the RT alone group. Histological findings in the operated group are analysed to determine prognostic significance of residual disease. No residual or only damaged microscopic disease was found in the breast in 36% of the cases. The axillary lymph nodes (ALN) were free of disease in 42% of the women. Patients with negative ALN after RT had significantly better 5-year survival (82% vs. 43%) and LTC (85% vs. 60%) rates. Decreased chest wall recurrence rate was associated with no residual or damaged microscopic disease in the breast (5% vs. 21%). The disease-free ALN were more common after 50-80 Gy telecobalt than after 40-50 Gy kV irradiation (51% vs. 33%). Primary tumor size (phi less than 5 cm vs. phi greater than 5 cm) had no significant impact on histological findings or on prognosis. Residual disease is mainly a marker of tumor-host relationship which indicates the biological aggressiveness of the disease.

Adult↗
PubMed1979

Basal cell carcinoma treated with MTDQ and irradiation.

Patients with basal cell carcinoma of the skin were treated with combined MTDQ (6,6'-methylene-bis-(2,2,4-trimethyl-1,2-dihydroquinoline)) administration and irradiation. Significantly better results were obtained with a skin exposure of 2 000 R combined with MTDQ than with the same dose alone. The results were comparable to those obtained with an exposure of 4 000 R. MTDQ administration induced decrease of tissular malonaldehyde concentration and suggested the peroxide-decomposing action of the radiation sensitizer.

Adult↗
PubMed1979

[Rapidly growing carcinoma of the penis].

After a brief review of the cancer of the penis the case of a 24-year-old man is described. After five months of the rapidly progressing cancer of the penis no radical operation could be performed in the intact tissue. The importance of biopsy is stressed which has to be repeated, occasionally involving the preparation of series of slides.

Adult↗
PubMed1976

Dose contribution to regional lymph nodes from gynecological remote afterloading cobalt-60 sources.

Dose contribution to the regional lymph nodes from high dose rate gynecological intracavitary technique was studied. For computer, calculating radiation dosage, rectangular lymphograms were taken. The average dose to point B and obturator nodes was nearly equal, 29-28% of point A dose. The common iliac nodes received the lowest dose, 14% of point A dose on the average. Due to the wide variation in the position of the uterus (deviation and dislocation), the dose at each of the two corresponding points or nodes (right and left side) was never equal. The effect of the uterus deviation and dislocation on the dose distribution was also studied in computer model display. We managed to describe this effect by an exponential curve. Because of the wide variation in the position of the uterus, only the individual dose calculation to the lymph nodes makes it possible to determine the most accurate amount of additional external irradiation.

Cobalt Radioisotopes↗
PubMed1976

Peripheral blood lymphocyte counts and survival in breast cancer.

The lymphocytes in the peripheral blood of patients with breast cancer were studied. Peripheral blood lymphocyte counts were found to be significantly lower in the short-survivors when compared with the long survivors. Lymphocyte count may be a host factor, that influences survival in breast cancer.

Breast Neoplasms↗
PubMed1975

[Changes of peripheral leukenic lymphocytes during radiotherapy and clinical symptoms of indirect radiation effect].

Leukaemic lymphocytes are much more sensitive even to local irradiation than non-leukaemic ones. The substantial drop in the number of lymphocytes id partly due to indirect radio-biological effects. It appears likely that the antigens liberated by the damaged tumour cells under the action of radiation augment immunoreaction thus causing additional pathological cells to be destroyed (radioinduced immune processes).

Antigens, Neoplasm↗
PubMed1975

Vitiligo and malignant melanoma.

Six patients with vitiligo and malignant melanoma are reported. The relationship between vitiligo and melanoma seems to be a firm one. This process is supposed to represent an expression of induced autoimmunity.

Aged↗
PubMed1972

Longitudinal study of heart disease in a Jamaican rural population. I. Prevalence, with special reference to ECG findings.

A long-term epidemiological study of heart disease in a representative rural community in Jamaica was started in 1962-63 and the first follow-up survey was carried out in 1967-68. This report describes the prevalence of several cardiovascular characteristics at each survey, and their associations with other measurements. The nature of the electrocardiographic abnormalities and their relationship with symptoms of effort pain and prolonged chest pain suggests that much of the disease seen in this population is ultimately ischaemic in origin despite evidence that classical myocardial infarction and severe coronary atheroma are relatively infrequent. Nevertheless both the symptoms and the electrocardiographic abnormalities had features that were not completely typical of occlusive disease of extramural coronary arteries. These findings are discussed in terms of the four conditions-hypertension, conventional coronary heart disease, small artery disease, and cardiomyopathy-that are believed to account for most cases of heart disease in this community, and it is concluded that the overall pattern of disease cannot be explained by any single disorder of overriding importance. The evidence suggests that all may be important contributors.

Adult↗
PubMed1972

Longitudinal study of heart disease in a Jamaican rural population. 2. Factors influencing mortality.

The relationship between cardiovascular characteristics and mortality was investigated in an epidemiological study of heart disease in a representative adult rural community in Jamaica. Of 449 men and 469 women followed up for 5 years, 36 men and 28 women died and the data concerning their status as regards arterial pressure, electrocardiographic abnormalities, and histories of effort pain at the intial survey have been analysed. Cardiovascular disease, and heart disease in particular, was the major cause of death in this population. Blood pressure levels exceeding 160/95 mm Hg had been recorded in about one third of the men and half the women who died and a clear trend was found between overall mortality and arterial pressure. Symptoms of effort pain and ECG abnormalities compatible with myocardial ischaemia, both of which were unexpectedly common, appeared to have independent prognostic significance. The prognosis of each was worse when associated with hypertension; hypertension unaccompanied by either effort pain or ECG "ischaemic" abnormality, on the other hand, caused no excess mortality in either sex within the period of follow-up. Although classical myocardial infarction was confirmed to be relatively infrequent, myocardial disorders with many of the features of ischaemic heart disease are an important cause of death in rural Jamaicans.

Adult↗
PubMed1972

Longitudinal study of heart disease in a Jamaican rural population. 3. Factors influencing changes in serial electrocardiograms.

A longitudinal survey of heart disease in adults in a representative rural population in Jamaica provided an opportunity to study factors influencing the progression and incidence of electrocardiographic abnormalities in serial tracings taken at a 5-year interval. An analysis of changes occurring in those with ECG abnormalities compatible with ischaemia at the first survey showed that progression from a less severe to a more severe category was greater in men than in women, in hypertensive than in normotensive subjects, and, among men, in those with the amplitude criteria of left ventricular hypertrophy. The incidence of abnormal Q/QS patterns was greater in men than in women, and that of all abnormalities suggesting ischaemia was greater in hypertensive than in normotensive persons; in men, it was greater in those with high amplitude R waves. The incidence cases showed S-T and T wave abnormalities, the great majority of which were classified as showing features compatible with ischaemia rather than with strain secondary to hypertrophy. These findings, which are discussed in terms of their possible causes, seem to confirm that much of the heart disease in this Jamaican community has features of myocardial ischaemia despite other evidence that extramural coronary vessels tend to be spared from such severe occlusive atheromatous disease as is found in many other populations.

Coronary Disease↗