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Biomedical subjects

P R Sheehe

Publications and source records attributed to P R Sheehe.

7 recordsLinked to original sources

Olfactory performance during childhood. I. Development of an odorant identification test for children.

Because there has been no suitable diagnostic instrument for evaluation of olfaction in children, we designed an odorant identification test for that purpose. We screened 40 microencapsulated odorants ("scratch 'n' sniff" cards) by randomly grouping them into 40 overlapping sets of five odorants each. Forty-one children, 4 and 5 years of age, tried to identify each test odorant, selecting their responses from among five photographs depicting the substances in the set of odorants. We used the results to select a subset of five odorants (baby powder, bubble gum, candy cane, fish, and orange). To determine how well these odorants could be identified by normal children, we tested another 134 subjects, 3 1/2 to 13 years of age. For children 3 1/2 years to 5 years 4 months of age, the mean (+/- SEM) percentage of correct responses increased from 66% +/- 8% to 92% +/- 2%. Thereafter the mean percentage of correct responses remained at a plateau of about 90%. The 10th percentile for the percentage of correct responses tended to be higher for girls than for boys throughout childhood. We concluded that this set of five odorants can be correctly identified by most normal children 5 years of age or older. The performances of three older subjects with Kallmann syndrome were all subnormal, but the overall efficacy of the test for evaluating children with olfactory deficits needs to be determined.

Age Factors

A prognostic model for head injury.

A prognostic model for head injured patients was developed. Patients fall into one of four prognostic categories at the end of the first hospital day: I. Discharge alive on or before the seventh hospital day. II. Discharge alive 8--42 days after admission. III. Discharge alive after 42 days, or dead after five years. IV. Discharge dead before five years. The outcome of 63% of the patients was predicted correctly. The model correctly placed, or missed by only one category, 97% of the patients observed. Errors tended to the optimistic side of observed outcomes. Age and pattern of consciousness were critical prognostic factors.

Adolescent

On the epidemiology of human toxoplasmosis in Scandinavia especially in children.

A random sample representing approx. one-third of pre-school children and approx. 95% of school children in age groups 8, 11, 13, and 15 years in a suburb of Stockholm were examined for antibodies to Toxoplasma. Antibodies were uncommon in small children. They gradually appeared throughout childhood but especially in adolescence and adult life. Antibodies were more common in females than in males. Even small girls were more often infected than boys of corresponding age. The difference becomes marked in puberty and is significant in adults. A family study revealed evidence of familial aggregation of the infection albeit with borderline significance. No correlation was found between occurrence of antibodies and the presence of cats in the families or reported consumption of raw meat. The majority of representative samples of Lapps and Skolt Lapps in northern Scandinavia lacked antibodies to Toxoplasma.

Adolescent

Neonatal respiratory instability and infant development.

This study examines the relationships between neonatal sleep respiratory instability and infant development. A group of 122 full-term healthy infants was observed during a nap within the first and fourth weeks of life. During each nap, a continuous polygraphic recording was obtained of respiratory activity and extraocular movements. The relative frequency and average duration of apneic pauses (greater than or equal to 2 sec) in each testing session for an infant were employed to calculate a measure of respiratory instability (PSA4) previously found to be related to the occurrence of prolonged sleep apnea. 28 of the infants in this study were maintained at home on apnea monitors. The Bayley Scales of Infant Development were administered to each infant at approximately 9 months of age. Comparisons of infants with high versus low PSA4 values and of monitored versus unmonitored infants were not strongly distorted by imbalances in birth weight, sex, race, birth order, method of feeding, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) sibship, parental education, age at developmental assessment, and developmental tester. Those with increased respiratory instability (PSA4 greater than or equal to -0.04) within the first week of life averaged significantly lower in mental and psychomotor development. Utilization of home apnea monitors was not significantly associated with developmental scores.

Child Development

Terminology.

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HLA Antigens