When dynamic, the head and face alone can express pride.

Prior research suggested that pride is recognized only when a head and facial expression (e.g., tilted head with a slight smile) is combined with a postural expression (e.g., expanded body and arm gestures). However, these studies used static photographs. In the present research, participants labeled the emotion conveyed by four dynamic cues to pride, presented as video clips: head and face alone, body posture alone, voice alone, and an expression in which head and face, body posture, and voice were presented simultaneously. Participants attributed pride to the head and face alone, even when postural or vocal information was absent. Pride can be conveyed without body posture or voice. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Interplay of function morphemes and prosody in early language.

Previous studies have demonstrated that children are aware of the function morphemes in their language despite their failure to produce them. However, none of these studies tested whether children are aware of the linguistic contexts in which particular function morphemes occur. Only if children are aware of such co-occurrence patterns could they use function morphemes to determine the linguistic categories of words and phrases. Young 2-yr-olds demonstrated their awareness of function morpheme co-occurrence patterns by performing better in a picture identification task when the target word was preceded by a grammatical article than an ungrammatical auxiliary. Children who heard the sentences produced in a female voice performed better than those who heard a male voice, and this was especially true for sentences exhibiting the most regular co-occurrence patterns. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Gender, the state, and constructing the old as dependent: lessons from the economic transition in Poland

Emotional state affects the physiological mechanism involved in phonation. Differences in acoustical parameters of the voice under stress have been attributed to the coping mechanism used, which is based on the individual's perception of the situation. This study examines the relationship between coping strategies, personality, and voice in female subjects, ranging in age from 19.3-55.7 years, diagnosed with vocal nodules or polyps. The differences between coping strategies and personality are examined and compared with another group with no history of voice pathology. The relationship of personality and coping strategies to voice quality variables is reported. Results show that patients use emotional coping strategies more and cognitive coping strategies less than the comparison group. Type of voice pathology was found to be related to dominance, and a number of coping and personality variables were found to correlate significantly with voice quality.     

Capillary refilling time in newborn babies: normal values

AIM: To assess the normal values of capillary refilling time (CRT) in healthy newborn babies; to assess the effect of different nursery containers (incubator, radiant warmer, crib), phototherapy, birthweight, gestational age, size for gestational age and sex on CRT; to compare CRT at different body sites as well as to assess the variation between observers. METHODS: Healthy neonates (n = 469) of different gestational ages and different sizes for gestational age, were studied 1 to 7 days after birth. CRT was measured in four of the most suitable sites-namely, midpoints of the sternum and the forehead, the palm of the hand and the plantar surface of the heel (defined as chest, head, palm and heel, respectively). The applied pressing time was 5 seconds. CRT was measured with a manual stopwatch. RESULTS: Only the chest and the head distribution curves followed the Gaussian curve. The mean values and standard deviation of CRT in all tested nursery containers, including phototherapy for the chest, ranged from 1.82 (0.34) seconds to 2.01 (0.423) seconds, and for the head from 1.59 (0.36) seconds to 1.83 (0.31) seconds. The mean value of chest CRT was always longer than the head CRT for all parameters. Significant differences were found between different nursery containers, receivers, and non-receivers of phototherapy and between observers. No difference was found between sex, birthweight, gestational age and size for gestational age. CONCLUSIONS: The upper limit of normal for neonatal CRT was 3 seconds. Nursery containers, phototherapy, and observers produced significantly different results, but the differences were not clinically important. CRT values of the midpoints of the sternum and the forehead are the most consistent.     

Linking mechanical injury to multiple non-communicable diseases: a hypothesis

Expelling materials forcefully from any of the body orifices during coughing or Valsalva manoeuvre (straining) on defaecation generates a sudden rise in pressure in the head, chest and abdomen simultaneously with compression of structures contained therein, resulting in a widespread crushing effect. Clinical observations that provide instances of major focal injuries due to this mechanical factor, evoke an argument that other, minor, concealed, recurrent injuries exist. The cumulative effects of these recurrent mechanical injuries and the body responses to them cannot be totally chaotic and are bound to result in focal and/or systemic effects resembling those due to common non-communicable diseases. On the other hand, major environmental risk factors of common non-communicable diseases are found to be responsible directly or indirectly for forceful expulsion of materials from body orifices. Thus, because of the observed non-random pattern of relationships which are unlikely to be due to chance it is tempting to speculate that mechanical injury may be an important common pathway linking diverse environmental risk factors with common non-communicable diseases.     

Perceived spatial organization of cutaneous patterns on surfaces of the human body in various positions.

The perceived spatial organization of cutaneous patterns was examined in three experiments. People identified letters or numbers traced on surfaces of their body when the relative spatial orientations and positions of the body surfaces and of the stimuli were varied. Stimuli on the front or back of the head were perceived with respect to a frame of reference positioned behind those surfaces, independent of the surfaces' position and orientation. This independence may relate to the way in which the sensory apparatus on the front of the head is used in planning action. Stimuli on other surfaces of the head and body were perceived in relation to the position and orientation of the surface with respect to the whole body or trunk (most of which was usually upright). Stimuli on all transverse/horizontal surfaces were perceived with respect to frames of reference associated with the head/upper chest area. These frames were also used for stimuli on frontoparallel surfaces in front of the upper body. These observations may result from the use of "central" frames of reference that are independent of the head and are associated with the upper body. Stimuli on surfaces in other positions and orientations (with two exceptions) were perceived "externally"—that is, in frames of reference directly facing the stimulated surface. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Pediatric trauma

Trauma is the leading cause of death in infants and children. Caring for the pediatric trauma victim requires a systematic approach which utilizes an understanding of the anatomic and pathophysiologic characteristics that make children different from adults. Child abuse frequently presents as trauma, making a high index of suspicion for mechanism and severity of injury an important component of trauma assessment. A basic approach to managing pediatric trauma with emphasis on initial stabilization is presented, followed by discussion of specific areas including head and neck trauma, chest trauma, abdominal trauma, and extremity trauma.     

Laparoscopic treatment of inguinal hernia

It is always important to treat conditions which may be cancerous with respect and, where there is suspicion, to take biopsies for histological examination. A hoarse voice may, in addition, be a sign of tuberculosis of the larynx, and the clinical appearance can be similar to a carcinoma. Preoperative chest x-ray (not always performed) and an awareness by the histologist of such a possibility are important now that this condition is increasing in frequency in parallel with conditions where immunological status is compromised.     

Overt head movements and persuasion: A self-validation analysis.

The authors report 3 experiments that examine a new mechanism by which overt head movements can affect attitude change. In each experiment, participants were induced to either nod or to shake their heads while listening to a persuasive message. When the message arguments were strong, nodding produced more persuasion than shaking. When the arguments were weak, the reverse occurred. These effects were most pronounced when elaboration was high. These findings are consistent with the "self-validation" hypothesis that postulates that head movements either enhance (nodding) or undermine (shaking) confidence in one's thoughts about the message. In a 4th experiment, the authors extended this result to another overt behavior (writing with the dominant or nondominant hand) and a different attitude domain (self-esteem). (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Metastatic squamous cell carcinoma in a liver graft. Report of a case diagnosed by fine needle aspiration

We studied the effect of deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the ventral intermediate thalamic nucleus on voice symptoms in seven patients with essential tremor. All had undergone DBS for management of hand tremor. Five of the patients had received unilateral implants; two were treated bilaterally. Each reported improvement in hand tremor with thalamic stimulation (a 1-to-3-point change on a 5-point severity scale). Voice tremor was evaluated with and without stimulation using patient and clinician severity ratings, and acoustic measures (rate and amplitude). Four of the seven patients showed reductions in voice symptoms in at least two of these measures, although degree of change differed (e.g., from 1 to 3 points on the 5-point severity scale). Voice gains typically were restricted to those patients with the more severe symptoms and did not parallel improvements in the upper extremities. It appears that reduced voice tremor may be an additional benefit of DBS for some individuals.     

Head Orientation position during birth and in infant neonatal period, and hand preference at nineteen weeks

This study of lateral preferences of normal full-term infants found, as predicted, that infants who were delivered from a left occiput anterior or transverse birth position (head turned to the right) exhibited a neonatal right supine head orientation and a right-hand preference in visually guided reaching tasks at 19 weeks. Contrary to prediction, infants delivered from a right occiput anterior or transverse birth position (head turned to the left) did not exhibit a left-sided preference in either neonatal head position or hand preference. Results are discussed in relation to other research which found a right shift in neonates' head orientations and in the distribution of hand preference in the human population. The findings suggest further investigation into the relationship between prenatal and postnatal postural asymmetries and the continuing development of laterality.     

Voice-specific information and the 20-second delayed-suffix effect.

Conducted 2 experiments with a total of 201 university students to investigate the nature of the delayed-suffix effect reported by M. J. Watkins and A. K. Todres (see record 1981-09636-001). In both experiments, Ss were presented lists of digits for serial recall. At the end of each list, either a tone or a voice reading aloud the word go was presented. The voice was either in the same voice that read the digits or in a different voice. Past research has indicated that the tone control produces the least interference, followed by the different-voice suffix, which in turn produces less interference than the same-voice suffix. The results of the present experiments indicate that when Ss were tested on immediate recall for the lists, the typical ordering of tone control, different-voice suffix, and same-voice suffix on recall at the last serial position was found. However, when there was a 20-sec filled interval between the last list item and the suffix, there was only a difference between the tone control and the same- and different-voice suffixes with no difference between the latter 2 conditions. In addition, Exp II failed to support a simple attentional account of the differential influence of voice in the immediate and delayed-recall conditions. It is concluded that the results support a perceptual tuning mechanism in which perceptual specificity decreases with the passage of time. (26 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Activity of common marmosets (Callithrix jacchus) in limited spaces: Hand movement characteristics.

The increasing popularity of marmoset monkeys (Callithrix jacchus) in anatomical, behavioral, and electrophysiological studies has called for a detailed analysis of their natural behavior within limited spaces. In the present study, the authors analyzed hand movements during horizontal and vertical progressions in a cylinder. The trajectory of each hand covered the entire cylinder floor during horizontal progressions and the entire cylinder wall during vertical progressions. Different marmosets have different patterns of hand movement. The average maximum angle of hand movements for all marmosets during horizontal and vertical progressions oscillates, although the average over time is constant and similar for both hands, whereas head movements during horizontal progressions become smaller with successive progressions. Another observed difference between rats and monkeys was in the size of head and hand movements at the beginning of each experimental session. During the 1st horizontal progression, all marmosets moved their heads to a greater extent than their hands. This sequential head and hand movement is referred as bistable behavior. The bistable pattern of motor behavior, which was also observed in successive progressions, may be derived from an inherent fear of predators or exploratory interest of a novel environment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Continuous purification of porcine lipase by rotating annular size-exclusion chromatography

Non-accidental head injury, be it shaking, impact(s) or a combination of the two, is characterised by subdural and/or subarachnoid haemorrhages with retinal haemorrhages, but minimal or absent external cranio-facial trauma. The classical assault scenario depicts the infant being gripped around the head, face, chest and abdomen and shaken or being gripped by a limb and swung. This gripping might be expected to leave physical evidence in the form of bruising. A study was undertaken to establish the prevalence, distribution and pathological association of external bruising in 24 cases of fatal non-accidental head injury in children. At autopsy, 17 cases had new external bruises, 15 old external bruises and 13, a combination of both. However, seven (29%) cases showed no fresh external bruising and five (21%) showed no external bruising at all. Thus, external bruising may be absent in children with fatal intracranial injury. The face was shown to be the commonest site of bruising followed by the forehead and buttocks. Limb, chest and abdominal bruising were found to be uncommon. Retinal haemorrhages were confirmed in 23 (96%) cases. It is hypothesised that bruising, when present, may be a result of abuse in the form of punches and slaps rather than due to gripping during the assault. We discuss why gripping does not necessarily result in external bruising.     

Computed tomography in evaluation of patients with stage III melanoma

BACKGROUND: Metastatic disease is detected infrequently by computed tomography (CT) in early stage melanoma. The diagnostic yield of routine CT for stage III melanoma is less established, despite extensive use in clinical practice. METHODS: Charts from 347 asymptomatic patients with stage III melanoma were reviewed. Findings suggestive of metastatic melanoma identified by head or body CT, chest radiography, bone scan, or liver function studies were confirmed histologically or by progression of disease. RESULTS: Individual CT scans identified 33/788 (4.2%) instances of metastatic melanoma, with 66/788 (8.4%) false positive studies. No metastases were identified among 104 head CT scans. Chest CT had the highest yield in patients with cervical adenopathy (7/35, 20%), and the lowest yield with groin adenopathy (1/50, 2%). Pelvic CT diagnosed metastases in 7/94 (7.4%) patients with groin adenopathy, but no patients with palpable axillary (n = 76) or cervical (n = 21) nodes. Metastatic melanoma was diagnosed in 11/136 (8.1%) patients having complete body CT imaging (chest, abdomen, and pelvis), including six patients (4.4%) identified by CT alone. CONCLUSIONS: Routine CT in patients with clinical stage III melanoma infrequently identifies metastatic disease. Head CT in the asymptomatic patient, chest CT in patients with groin adenopathy, and pelvic CT in the presence of axillary or cervical adenopathy are not indicated. Selective use of chest CT in patients with cervical adenopathy or pelvic CT in the presence of groin disease may be useful.     

Limited conscious monitoring of motor performance in normal subjects

Normal subjects traced sagittal lines on a graphic tablet using a stylus held in their right hand. The hand was hidden by a mirror in which they saw the lines projected from a computer screen. In normal trials, the line seen in the mirror exactly corresponded to the traced line. In perturbed trials, a bias was introduced by the computer, so that the line appeared to deviate in one direction (right or left) by a variable angle (2, 5, 7 or 10 degrees). Subjects consistently displaced their hand in the opposite direction for producing a visually sagittal line. After each trial, they were asked in which direction they thought their hand had moved. In perturbed trials, they grossly underestimated the hand deviation. In addition, a post-hoc analysis revealed that one group of subjects misperceived the direction of their hand movement in the direction opposite to the perturbation (Group 1, including 9 Ss), whereas the other group gave responses in the correct direction (Group 2, including 4 Ss). In a second session using the same experimental paradigm, a motor response was asked for: subjects had to indicate the perceived direction of their hand during each trial by drawing a line with their eyes closed. Again, responses indicated a poor conscious monitoring of motor performance. These results suggest that normal subjects are not aware of signals generated by their own movements.     

Critical review of phonosurgical methods in the treatment of sulcus vocalis

INTRODUCTION: Sulcus vocalis is an epithelial invagination along the free edge of the membranous vocal fold. It interferes with the glottic closure and vibration pattern. Sulcus vocalis provokes voice fatigue, hoarseness and breathiness, and it usually appears in association with hyperkinetic phonatory pattern. Hyperkinesis develops secondarily, due to the compensatory effort to overcome the deficiency in glottic closure. The treatment of sulcus vocalis is very difficult. Phonosurgery is used, and is followed by postoperative voice therapy. PHONOSURGICAL OPERATIONS: Various surgical techniques are used in the therapy of sulcus vocalis. Over a 10-year period we have operated on 1550 patients with benign lesion of the vocal folds, of whom only 11 had sulcus vocalis (0.7%). We carried out various surgical techniques. a) Excision of sulcus A longitudinal incision of mucosa is performed along the upper surface of the vocal fold, distant of the free edge. Mucosa is undermined caudally, and sulcus is detached from its base. Sulcus is then removed by surgical scissors. With this technique we could not provide physiological phonation and vibration pattern, in spite of an apparent improvement in the voice. b) "Slicing mucosa" technique This procedure was suggested by Pontes, and it also begins with a longitudinal incision followed by creation of inferiorly based slices of mucosa. c) Excision plus rhyroplasty Excision of sulcus is combined with thyroplasty type I in order to achieve medialization of the vocal fold. It can be used in cases with severe glottal gap in order to improve the results of excision. d) Implants Various materials were used in order to enlarge the mass of the vocal fold. In our patients, the results of this procedure were inferior as related to excision surgery. DISCUSSION: The surgical procedure which is safe and accepted by the majority of surgeons has not yet been at our disposal. The treatment of sulcus vocalis should start with voice therapy, which lasts as long as the patient shows a progress. Only then the surgical procedure can be discussed. We obtained the best results with the combination of excision and voice therapy. However, the surgeon and the patient must be aware that the treatment is demanding and long-lasting.     

Aortic stenosis. Occurrence, pathogenesis, diagnostic strategy and therapeutic indications

Incidence, pathogenesis, diagnostic strategy and indications for treatment. Aortic stenosis is a serious disease which should be diagnosed early because of the good operative results. For this reason it is important to be aware of the disease particularly in the elderly and in patients with a history of rheumatic fever (e.g. immigrants). The diagnosis should be suspected in the patient with one or more of the three following symptoms: dyspnoea, angina pectoris and syncopes, and who has a systolic ejection murmur at the base of the heart with transmission to the neck and a reduced or absent second heart sound. First priority next to routine examinations (stethoscopy, ECG, x-ray of the chest) is referral to echocardiography. The echocardiographic results in combination with the patient's history and the clinical examination almost always form a sufficient basis for the timing of the operation. Indications for operation are given.     

Transiet atrial fibrillation after minor head injury

Two patients developed transient rapid atrial fibrillation after a blow on the head. There was no evidence of neurological damage or organic heart disease on subsequent investigation. Neither patient was aware of the cardiac irregularity.     

Speaking up in groups: A cross-level study of group voice climate and voice.

Despite a growing body of research on employee voice—defined as the discretionary communication of ideas, suggestions, or opinions intended to improve organizational or unit functioning—the effects of shared or collective-level cognitions have received scant attention. There has also been relatively little research on voice within work groups. Our goal in this study was to address these important gaps by focusing on the effects of group-level beliefs about voice (i.e., group voice climate) on individual voice behavior within work groups. We conducted a cross-level investigation of voice behavior within 42 groups of engineers from a large chemical company. Consistent with our hypotheses, group voice climate was highly predictive of voice and explained variance beyond the effects of individual-level identification and satisfaction, and procedural justice climate. Also consistent with predictions, the effect of identification on voice was stronger in groups with favorable voice climates. These findings provide evidence that voice is shaped not just by individual attitudes and perceptions of the work context, as past research has shown, but also by group-level beliefs. The results also highlight the importance of broadening our conceptual models of voice to include shared cognitions and of conducting additional cross-level research on voice. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)