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Biomedical subjects

M Tait

Publications and source records attributed to M Tait.

18 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2004

Audit of neurosurgery senior house officer training in the United Kingdom and Eire: a postal survey.

An audit was performed to describe the current training conditions of senior house officers in neurosurgery in the UK and Eire. A postal questionnaire was sent to all neurosurgery senior house officers in a 6-month training period between February and August 2003. The questionnaire covered most aspects of working pattern, training and job satisfaction by the end of the 6-month post. The results from the audit showed that there are deficiencies in certain areas of the current system being employed for senior house officer training. Improvements to this training system in line with the establishment of a generic neurosciences training programme will benefit future surgical trainees.

Education, Medical, Continuing↗
PubMed2001

Communication development in young deaf children: review of the video analysis method.

It is widely recognised that preverbal communication skills underpin development of spoken language. This historical review outlines the establishment of a quantitative methodology for assessing preverbal communication skills in children with hearing aids and cochlear implants. The method is shown to be reliable and free from observer bias. The review also summarises findings from a series of cross-sectional and longitudinal observational studies utilising the methodology. Profoundly deaf young children, either with cochlear implants or successful users of hearing aids, show similar patterns of preverbal communication development that contrast with those of unsuccessful hearing-aid users. Preverbal measures obtained 12 months after implantation are predictive of late performance on speech perception tasks. Moreover, there is a significant association between the preverbal measure of 'autonomy' obtained before implantation and later speech perception performance. This latter finding has important theoretical implications for understanding of language development and suggests that intervention that promotes autonomy in adult-child interaction may lead to improved outcomes. Such intervention could be commenced as soon as deafness is discovered.

Child, Preschool↗
PubMed2001

Use of the telephone in prelingually deaf children with a multichannel cochlear implant.

OBJECTIVE: To assess progress in the use of the telephone in a group of prelingually deaf children after cochlear implantation. SETTING: Tertiary referral pediatric cochlear implant center in the U. K. STUDY DESIGN: A prospective study was undertaken on a consecutive group of 150 congenital and prelingually deaf children up to 5 years after implantation. The study group was confined to prelingually deaf children aged less than 7 years at the time of implantation. No child was lost to follow-up, and there were no exclusions from the study. At the time of the study, 129 children had reached the 1-year stage, and 91, 68, 40, and 23 had reached the 2-, 3-, 4-, and 5-year intervals, respectively. METHODS: A specifically designed profile was used to assess the telephone use of the implanted children. Regression analysis was used to assess the correlation between the results of the telephone profile with the outcomes of the Iowa sentence test and connected discourse tracking. RESULTS: After implantation, prelingually deaf children showed significant progress in telephone use over time, not reaching a plateau at the 5-year interval (median score 27 with maximum score available 34). The results of the telephone profile showed significant correlations with the other tests of speech perception (correlation coefficients from 0.47 to 0.79, all statistically significant p < 0.0001). CONCLUSION: The telephone profile provided a useful method of monitoring children's telephone use. The profile was easily administered, and it was sensitive in assessing the progress of prelingually deaf children with cochlear implants. Outcomes from the profile were highly correlated with results from other widely used closed- and open-set tests.

Child↗
PubMed2000

Preimplant measures of preverbal communicative behavior as predictors of cochlear implant outcomes in children.

OBJECTIVE: Comparison of preverbal communication behavior in young children before receiving cochlear implants with outcomes 3 yr after implantation on speech identification and speech production tasks, to assess whether outcomes can be predicted from characteristics inherent to the child before implantation. DESIGN: Video recordings of preverbal communicative behavior were examined before use of the implant to quantify turn-taking and demonstration of autonomy by the child. Speech identification ability was measured 3 yr after implantation based on the Iowa Closed-Set Speech Perception Sentence Test, continuous discourse tracking, and an observational measure of telephone use. Speech production ability was measured 3 yr after implantation by the Edinburgh Articulation Test. Associations between the preimplant measures and the 3-yr outcomes were assessed by correlation analysis of data from 33 children. RESULTS: The 3-yr performance measures of speech identification were correlated with the preimplant measure of autonomy. Telephone use and speech production ability were not significantly associated with the preimplant measures. CONCLUSIONS: Up to a fourth of the variance in speech identification performance 3 yr after cochlear implantation of young children may be predicted from characteristics that are inherent to the child before implantation. Those characteristics are represented by the demonstration of autonomy in preverbal communicative interactions, whether by means of vocalization or by gesture. If those characteristics are acquired during infancy, outcomes in children with auditory prostheses including cochlear implants may be enhanced by activities that encourage autonomy in early years.

Child Behavior↗
PubMed2000

Approach to communication, speech perception and intelligibility after paediatric cochlear implantation.

The aim of this study was to explore the relationship between approach to communication, speech perception and speech intelligibility after cochlear implantation of young children with profound early deafness. A prospective speech perception and speech intelligibility assessment was undertaken on a consecutive group of implanted children. There were 46 children at the three-year, 26 at the four-year and 20 at the five-year intervals. All had been born deaf or deafened before the age of three and received cochlear implants before the age of seven. Their speech perception ability and the intelligibility of their speech were measured before cochlear implantation and annually thereafter. The children's communication had been classified by their teachers of the deaf at each interval into one of two categories: those using an oral approach and those using a signing approach. Results revealed that at all intervals, those children classified as using oral communication significantly exceeded those using signed communication on measures of speech perception and intelligibility (p<0.05). When those children who had changed from signed to oral communication were compared at the three-year interval with those who used oral communication throughout, there was no significant difference in their results. However, it remains to be explored whether children use oral communication after cochlear implantation because they are doing well, or whether they do well because they are using oral communication.

Child↗
PubMed1999

Metabolic, hemodynamic, and cardiac effects of captopril in young, spontaneously hypertensive rats.

Spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) demonstrate elevated blood pressure, cardiac hypertrophy, glucose intolerance, and insulin resistance compared with age-matched Wistar-Kyoto rats (WKY). We investigated concurrent effects of captopril on blood pressure, cardiac mass, myocardial enzyme activities, glucose tolerance, and insulin action in young male SHR. At 10 weeks of age, SHR were randomized into two groups, one receiving distilled water, the other a captopril solution (50 mg/kg body weight/day). We also examined age-matched WKY receiving distilled water. Blood pressure was measured by tail-cuff during the 4-week treatment period and oral glucose tolerance was tested at the end of treatment. Hearts were weighed and ventricular tissue was assayed for activities of 3-hydroxyacyl-CoA dehydrogenase, citrate synthase, and hexokinase. Growth rates were similar between captopril-treated and control SHR, but less than those of WKY. Captopril reduced blood pressure (134 +/- 8 v 177 +/- 8 mm Hg, P < .05) and left ventricular mass (-18%, P < .05) in SHR. Cardiac enzyme activities also changed with captopril treatment, reflecting an increased capacity for beta-oxidation of fatty acids and reduced potential for glucose phosphorylation in the left ventricle of SHR. Serum concentrations of glucose, insulin, and free fatty acids after a brief fast and in response to oral glucose were not different after captopril treatment, suggesting no improvement in insulin action or glucose tolerance. In summary, treatment of young male SHR with captopril reduces blood pressure and cardiac mass, and promotes a small but significant increase in cardiac capacity for oxidation of fatty acids and reduction of glucose phosphorylation. In contrast, metabolic effects of captopril on oral glucose tolerance and insulin action were not evident.

Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors↗
PubMed1999

Cochlear implants in young children: the relationship between speech perception and speech intelligibility.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the relationship between measures of speech perception and speech production after cochlear implantation of young children with profound congenital and prelingual deafness. DESIGN: A prospective study was undertaken on a consecutive group of children with profound deafness. There were 126 children at the preimplantation interval and 71, 50, 26, and 20 children, respectively, at the 2, 3, 4, and 5 yr follow-up after implantation. Speech perception and speech intelligibility were assessed using hierarchical rating scales. Spearman rank correlation coefficients were used to determine the statistical correlations. All patients were either congenitally deaf or deafened before the age of 3 yr and were implanted before age 7 yr. The patients all received the Nucleus multichannel cochlear implant system with the most appropriate speech encoding strategy. RESULTS: Speech intelligibility at 5 yr was strongly correlated with speech perception at the 2, 3, 4, and 5 yr intervals after implantation (Spearman coefficients 0.77, 0.81, 0.58, 0.58; p < or = 0.01). Speech intelligibility at the 2, 3, and 4 yr intervals also correlated in a similar manner with earlier speech perception abilities (p < or = 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that speech intelligibility between 2 and 5 yr after implantation in young children with congenital and prelingual profound deafness can be predicted by measures of earlier speech perception.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1998

Congenitally deaf children following cochlear implantation.

The aim of this study is to determine the auditory performance of congenitally deaf children following cochlear implantation. A prospective study is undertaken of 71 such children who have been implanted in a dedicated paediatric cochlear implant centre and who have been followed up to 3 years following implantation. All children are aged less than 8 years at the time of implantation and all receive a multichannel cochlear implant system. No child meeting these criteria has been excluded from the study. The average age at implantation is 56.5 months (range 27 to 93 months, standard deviation 15.9 months). Auditory performance is assessed by using the Categories of Auditory Perception (CAP) scale which is developed primarily as a clinical tool for evaluating profoundly deaf young children following cochlear implantation. The median score prior to implantation on this scale is Category 0 (no awareness of environmental sound), at the 1 year interval is Category 4 (discrimination some speech sounds without lip-reading), and at the 2 and 3 year interval, the median score on the CAP scale is Category 5 (understanding of common phrases without lip-reading). These results indicate the ability of cochlear implants to provide significant auditory receptive skills to young congenitally deaf children.

Child↗
PubMed1998

Speech perception in children after cochlear implantation.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to determine the speech perception ability of congenitally and prelingually deaf children after cochlear implantation. STUDY DESIGN: A prospective study was undertaken on a consecutive group of 119 congenitally and prelingually deaf children up to 5 years after implantation. The study group was confined to children between 2 and 7 years of age at the time of implantation. All were implanted with multichannel cochlear implant systems. No child was lost to follow-up, and there were no exclusions from the study other than one child with auditory nerve aplasia. METHODS: The Iowa Matrix Closed Set Sentence Test and Connected Discourse Tracking were used to assess closed- and open-set speech perception, respectively, without lip reading. SETTING: The study was conducted at a tertiary referral pediatric cochlear implant center in the United Kingdom. RESULTS: It was possible to formally test closed-set speech discrimination on 83, 55, 32, 21, and 15 children at 12, 24, 36, 48, and 60 months, respectively. On the Iowa Matrix Test, the median score was 0% at 12 months, reaching a plateau of 99% at 36 months. On Connected Discourse Tracking, the median scores at 12, 24, 36, 48, and 60 months were 0, 0, 21, 40, and 53 words per minute, respectively. CONCLUSION: Congenitally and prelingually deaf children who receive cochlear implants before the age of 7 years have significant closed-set speech perception abilities develop in <3 years after implantation. Their ability to perform open-set tasks without lip reading is limited in the first 2 years but shows significant improvement, not reaching a plateau, at the 4-5-year interval after implantation.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1997

Smokeless nicotine administration is associated with hypertension but not with a deterioration in glucose tolerance in rats.

Cigarette smoking is a major risk factor for coronary heart disease. To further investigate the relationship of nicotine with other cardiac risk factors, we studied the impact of nicotine on blood pressure and glucose tolerance. Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly assigned to receive nicotine or placebo pellets implanted subcutaneously. Weight gain was controlled by pair-feeding, and was not significantly different between nicotine- and placebo-treated animals. Blood pressure (in mm Hg) increased throughout a 3-week treatment period in nicotine-treated animals and was significantly higher [P < .05 by two-way ANOVA] than in placebo-treated rats. Blood pressure returned to normal within 1 week following exhaustion of the pellets. Oral glucose tolerance tests performed 2.5 weeks after pellet placement showed similar glucose, insulin, and free fatty acid (FFA) profiles by two-way ANOVA. In summary, smokeless nicotine exposure leads to sustained but reversible hypertension without deterioration in glucose tolerance or insulin action when weight gain is controlled. We conclude that in rats smokeless nicotine adversely affects the coronary risk profile by increasing blood pressure.

Administration, Oral↗
PubMed1997

The predictive value of measures of preverbal communicative behaviors in young deaf children with cochlear implants.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether measures of early communicative behavior in young children obtained within the first year after implantation could predict speech and language skills measured 3 yr after implantation. DESIGN: An unselected sample of 17 children receiving multichannel cochlear implants under the age of 5 yr were monitored over a 3 yr period. During the first year after implantation, the development of early communicative behavior was measured at intervals using an established video analysis technique. Three years after implantation, four outcome measures were taken: the IOWA closed-set sentence test, a measure of continuous discourse tracking ability, a rating of ability to use the telephone and a global rating of auditory performance. RESULTS: There was a significant correlation between the video analysis measure taken at the 12 mo interval, specifically the extent of auditory and vocal behaviors, and three of the outcomes obtained at the 3 yr interval: both performance-based measures and the telephone rating. When the four outcomes were aggregated to form a composite measure, the correlation was highly significant. There was no significant correlation between the composite measure and the video analysis measures obtained earlier than the 12 mo interval. CONCLUSION: Development of a predominantly auditory and vocal style of early communicative behavior is predictive of relatively high levels of skill on speech and language tasks measured 2 yr later.

Child, Preschool↗
PubMed1995

Comparative study of the inhibition of rat and tobacco squalene synthase by squalestatins.

Squalestatins 1-3 and a series of S1 analogues modified at the C-1, C-3, C-4 or C-6 position were able to inhibit squalene synthase, a key enzyme in both cholesterol and phytosterol biosynthesis, in microsomal rich preparations from both rat liver and N. tabacum. IC50 values varied between 4 and 2000 nM, and similar inhibition values were observed in both systems. The structural requirements for maximal activity at each position are discussed.

Animals↗
PubMed1994

Comparison of early communicative behavior in young children with cochlear implants and with hearing aids.

Analysis of preverbal behaviors, which are the natural precursors of language development, was performed in three groups of young children with severe/profound hearing impairments, based on video recordings of interactions with a known adult. All groups were matched for age at assessment. One group of nine children had Nucleus multichannel cochlear implants with the MSP sound processor, whereas the other two groups of nine children each used conventional hearing aids. The first hearing aid group had unaided hearing threshold levels averaging 101 dB and were proficient users; the second aided group had hearing threshold levels averaging 114 dB and were poor users. Over the assessment period lasting 12 mo, starting at implantation or entry to nursery school according to group, implantees and proficient hearing aid users developed a strongly vocal/auditory style of communicative behavior, especially the implantees. This contrasted with a strongly visual/gestural style developed by the poor hearing aid users. It is concluded that implantees develop their early communicative behavior along lines that are similar to proficient hearing aid users, but more rapidly and more strongly in the vocal/auditory direction.

Auditory Perception↗
PubMed1989

Ciguatera and mannitol: experience with a new treatment regimen.

Ciguatera is a distressing, hitherto-untreatable and not rare disease which results from the eating of ciguatoxin-contaminated fish from tropical and subtropical waters. We report here the results of a pilot study to assess the efficacy of mannitol therapy in ciguatera poisoning. Twelve adult patients (six men) have been treated, five of whom--who were ill acutely--experienced a significant benefit from this therapy, in three cases, with a hitherto-unexperienced dramatic reversal of symptoms. We conclude that an intravenous infusion of 1.0 g/kg of mannitol which is given over 45 minutes, after rehydration if required, can be of significant benefit to at least some acutely intoxicated victims. We postulate either a reduction of axonal oedema, or a scavenger effect, or both, as the mechanism of the beneficial effects of mannitol. Ciguatoxin is rich in hydroxyl groups, and causes microscopic oedema of neural tissue. If our conclusion of the beneficial effects of mannitol therapy is confirmed, this will offer the first effective therapy for acute phases of this disease, and has promise of preventing much long-term morbidity.

Acute Disease↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Antibiotic therapy.

The nurse's role in the administration of antibiotics involves more than just giving medication to patients. Sue Jordan and Mike Tait describe how antibiotics work, their side effects, and the important aspects of nursing care for patients on these powerful drugs.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗