The preschool child witness: Errors in accounts of traumatic injury.

Because errors in recall are an important contributor to assessments of children's credibility as witnesses, the author explored children's errors when recounting details of trauma injuries that resulted in hospital Emergency Room treatment. 37 preschool aged children (aged 2–5 yrs) and 11 9-yr-olds (comparison Ss) were recruited in the emergency room and interviewed at home both within a few days of the injury and after 6 mo. Adult witnesses were also interviewed to corroborate children's accounts. Although 2-yr-old Ss made more errors than did older children, the information provided was accurate, even 6 mo after their injuries. The errors were not random; rather, information that was likely to be important in real-world cases was retained quite accurately, while some other categories of information (e.g., the 1st person to respond to their injury) were more error-prone. (French abstract) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Genetic markers in the blood of animals: a historical review

One-photon emission computed tomography (OPECT) was used to examine 87 patients with the epileptiform syndrome. Eighty five patients had impaired drug distribution which was suggestive of varying degree cerebral circulatory disorders. OPECT with a Tc-99m-gm-pao used in patients with the epileptiform syndrome revealed the morphological substract of brain structures. OPECT findings in the patients suggested the brain structural microcirculatory changes to be diffuse and focal, of varying magnitude. There was no clear correlation between clinical manifestations and OPECT and CT findings.     

Smallpox: an historical review

The first protection against smallpox, a disease known already in old China and India, consisted in rubbing infectious material from smallpox patients into the scratched skin of children. Lady Montagu brought this method from Turkey to England in 1721. This "variolation", however dangerous, was adopted in Europe during the eighteenth century mainly by the aristocracy. But it was Edward Jenner (1749-1823) who in 1796 used cowpox to protect against smallpox without the risk of acquiring the disease. During more than 60 years the "vaccination" was carried out from "arm to arm" with a certain risk of transmission of syphilis. From 1864 on the vaccine was mainly produced on cows to avoid this risk. The WHO managed in 1978 to eliminate smallpox from the planet by vaccination. The smallpox outbreaks, the inoculation, the vaccination and the production of cowpox vaccine in Luxembourg are described.     

The effect of hearsay witness age in a child sexual assault trial.

This study investigated the effect of a hearsay witness on perceptions of an alleged victim in a sexual assault trial. Male and female participants read a fictional criminal court case summary involving a sexual assault, in which a 7-, 16-, or 25-year-old hearsay witness testified on behalf of a 6- or 15-year-old alleged victim. The prosecution case included the testimony of 1 primary witness: the alleged child victim, a hearsay witness, or a clinical psychologist. A post hoc control group had no primary witness. The hearsay witness led to as much support of the alleged victim as the child and the expert witness and more support than the control group. Women were consistently more supportive of the alleged victim than men. A 3-way interaction of age of hearsay witness, age of alleged victim, and sex of participant was discussed in terms of the effect of these factors on how mock jurors use hearsay testimony in a child sexual assault trial. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Anterior knee pain syndrome: a historical review]

The aim of this study was to determine whether advances in angioplasty techniques have improved results in multiple vessel coronary disease and to compare present results with those reported in randomised trials comparing angioplasty and surgery. The hospital results of two cohorts of multivessel coronary patients treated by angioplasty during two different periods were compared (group 1: 1990-1991. group 2: 1994-1995). The first period corresponded to the inclusion period of randomised trials comparing surgery and angioplasty. The patients in group 2 (n = 449) were older than those in group 1 (n = 424), had more triple vessel disease, more severe angina and more previous angioplasty attempts. Moreover, there were more cases of unfavourable lesions. Nevertheless, the clinical success rate was high in group 2 (92% vs 84%; p < 0.001) and the major complication rate (death, myocardial infarction or emergency bypass surgery) was lower (2.9% vs 6.1%; p = 0.02). The main technical difference between the two periods concerned the use of coronary stents (12% vs 8%; p < 0.001). The fact of being in group 2 was identified by multivariate analysis as an independent predictor for clinical success and a lower major complication rate. The authors conclude that, since the publication of randomised trials comparing angioplasty with coronary surgery, the hospital results of angioplasty have significantly improved. This should be taken into account in considering the clinical applications of the results of these trials.     

From child to witness to jury: Effects of suggestion on the transmission and evaluation of hearsay.

Two interlocking experiments simulated the transmission of hearsay from children to adult hearsay witnesses and from the hearsay witnesses to jurors. Thirty-one children (ages 5–6 years) each observed a janitor either clean or play with toys in a laboratory. Each child was interrogated about the janitor in either a neutral manner that elicited an accurate account or a suggestive manner that elicited an inaccurate account of what the janitor had done. In Experiment 1, adult "witnesses" (N?=?112) each observed one of these interrogations and then recounted what the child had said. In Experiment 2, a 2nd group of adults in the role of jurors (N?=?104) each heard the account of one of the hearsay witnesses then made judgments about what the janitor had done. Jurors were sensitive to the quality of the hearsay evidence. They gave no weight to hearsay that recounted the inaccurate statements of a child who was questioned suggestively but gave appropriate weight to hearsay that recounted the accurate statements of children questioned in a neutral manner. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Suggestibility during the execution of a posthypnotic suggestion.

Determined whether the execution of a posthypnotic suggestion is accompanied by a transient reinstatement of hypnosis. 11 student volunteers were given a verbal inhibition of their name and address as a test suggestion before, during, and after the execution of each of 4 posthypnotic suggestions differing in level of difficulty and degree of anxiety-producing properties. Each suggestion was either preceded or followed by the administration of the test suggestion under hypnosis. Reinstatement of hypnosis (an increase in susceptibility) occurred during the execution of the posthypnotic suggestions, and at no other time, for only 2 ss. Reinstatement always occurred during the execution of the test suggestion if it was executed under hypnosis before it was given posthypnotically. Anxiety and difficulty were not influencing variables and there were unexpected manifestations of psychopathology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Forensic child and adolescent psychiatry: a review of the past 10 years

BACKGROUND AND METHODS: Risk factors for recurrence of Crohn's disease and the evidence for progress in reducing recurrence following resection were reviewed. A Medline based literature review was carried out. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Only smoking has been confirmed as a significant adverse risk factor for recurrence. Evidence for differing recurrence rates in fibrostenosing disease and perforating disease is inconclusive, but such a classification along with the endoscopic findings of recurrence may have a place in the analysis of therapeutic trials. Minimal resectional surgery with clearing of only macroscopic disease seems to be justified, with no clear benefits from different anastomotic techniques. Recent trials offer encouraging evidence of the usefulness of 5-aminosalicylic acid, particularly higher-dose regimens started early after resection, although the long-term benefits are uncertain. The oral steroid, budesonide, offers a potent treatment with minimal side-effects, but evidence of its prevention of recurrence is presently weak.     

Role of the vascular component in growth of solid tumors: a historical review

Angiogenesis is a fundamental biological process by which new capillary blood vessels are formed. It is essential in many physiological conditions, such as embryonic development, ovulation and wound repair, and pathological ones, such as arthritis, diabetic retinopathy, and tumours. Solid tumours have angiogenesis capacity, and tumour growth and metastasis are angiogenesis-dependent. Neoplastic cell populations can grow to form a clinically evident tumour only if the host produces a vascular network sufficient to sustain tumour growth. Furthermore, the new blood vessels provide a gateway for tumour cells to enter the circulation and metastasize to distant sites. Tumour angiogenesis is essentially mediated by angiogenic molecules elaborated by tumour cells. We review here the most important literature on this topic and emphasize the crucial and paradigmatic role of this biological process and its relevance in a possible anti-angiogenic therapeutic approach to the treatment of solid tumours.     

The Truro Murders in retrospect: a historical review of the identification of the victims

I have subcloned and sequenced the genes cmtB and cmtA of Escherichia coli K-12 which lie adjacent to the tkt gene on the chromosome. The genes cmtB and cmtA could encode a cytoplasmic protein (EIIA) and an integral-membrane protein (EIIBC), respectively, of the bacterial phospho enol pyruvate-dependent carbohydrate phosphotransferase system. High similarity to the Enzymes IIMtl of Escherichia coli K-12 (gene mtlA) and of Staphylococcus carnosus was detected, but the two genes did not complement mannitol-negative E. coli mutants without the use of a heterologous promoter.     

Ophthalmology in Toronto from 1887 to 1946: a historical review

Although rarely, several conditions may cause malabsorption through lymphatic obstruction. Primary lymphangiectasia, a genetically determined disease characterized by diarrhoea, steatorrhoea and protein-losing enteropathy, is one of these conditions. The Authors report their experience in three cases of small bowel lymphangiectasia occurring in adults and discuss diagnostic and therapeutic problems of the disease.     

Narrative and historical truth in child psychotherapy.

The child diagnosis/assessment literature has traditionally emphasized the importance of data collection and integration as a prelude to treatment. The clinician, however, must also be concurrently engaged in a distinct and phenomenologically different task: that of initiating an intersubjective discourse with the child to enhance the unwinding of the narrative account. Because the assessment process is often geared toward the cultivation and synthesis of "data," historical truths become an important source of validation for clinical hypotheses and sometimes a near-exclusive referent of the assessment process. Failure to consider the importance of the child's narrative, however, will always restrict the flow and content of the intersubjective discourse between child and clinician and inevitably lead to unsatisfactory therapeutic results. Utilizing children's autogenic stories as vehicles for narrative expression is discussed and illustrated through clinical example, and the role of the story-metaphor as an instrument of therapeutic communication is also described. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

How the self became a problem: A psychological review of historical research.

Historical evidence pertaining to selfhood is reviewed. A scheme of stages is delineated, according to which the modern self and its uncertainties have evolved. These historical data are then reviewed in connection with the following four major problems regarding the self: knowing and conceptualizing the self; defining or creating the self; understanding one's potential and fulfilling it; and relating the single self to society. (127 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Delay of reinforcement: A historical review.

The independent variable of delay of reinforcement is traced from its early empirical history through the systematic treatment provided by Hull and Spence. The empirical findings and theoretical implications of recent experimental studies are noted. The effects of delay of reward and delay of punishment on the learning process are considered, the comparative studies with human Ss are reported, and the relevance of delay of reinforcement to abnormal behavior and personality is summarized. (103 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Posterior fossa epidural hematomas: a review and synthesis

The authors report three patients with posterior fossa epidural hematomas and analyze 80 additional cases in the accessible literature. They occur in the younger age groups with a clear male predominance (3.6 to 1). The loss of consciousness at the time of impact and just before surgical intervention have both proved to be factors indicating a poor prognosis. The clinical symptoms and signs were classified in three general types: increased intracranial pressure, brainstem dysfunction, and cerebellar disturbances. A fracture of the occipital bone was seen in 84.2% of the patients. The source of bleeding often remained undetermined, although a tear of the dural sinuses was a most frequent finding. An associated intracranial lesion was found in 39.7% of the cases, this being another factor indicating a poor prognosis. The overall mortality was 26.5%, while the surgical mortality was only 11.5%. Excellent results were achieved in 65% of the cases.     

Sexual abuse victimization and the child witness in Canada: Legal, ethical, and professional issues for psychologists.

The Canadian legal system has made a number of significant reforms in the last few decades regarding the rights of child witnesses and, in particular, the rights of those who have disclosed sexual abuse. This paper provides an overview of the law in Canada as it pertains to child sexual abuse victims and witnesses, and reflects on the role and responsibilities of psychologists who work with child witnesses. It reviews the effects of protection reforms and preparation programs on children who must testify, examines some of the current major issues in the research literature in the area of interviewing and assessing sexually abused children, and considers the role of the psychologists as expert witness in court. In addition, it discusses potential ethical dilemmas for psychologists who work with child witnesses, and proposes recommendations for research and clinical practice. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Suggestibility of children's memory: Psycholegal implications.

Examined the psychological mechanisms responsible for suggestibility in the accounts of young children in 4 experiments. Exp I examined whether 182 children (aged 3–12 yrs) were susceptible to misleading postevent information. Results indicate that young children (3- and 4-yr olds) are particularly vulnerable to suggestion. The subsequent experiments focused on this age range and the basis for their susceptibility to misleading postevent information. Exp II, with 102 Ss (mean age 4.6 yrs) found that Ss' susceptibility to misleading information was reduced when another child, as opposed to an adult, provided the misleading information. Therefore, suggestibility effects in children arise in part from a desire to conform to the wishes of an adult authority figure. Exps III and IV tested 2 competing hypotheses as to how postevent suggestions distort children's memories using a total of 175 preschoolers. Data indicate that postevent suggestions can in fact distort memory. Results from these 4 experiments are discussed within the context of children's eyewitness memory and the associated psycholegal implications. (66 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychological testing for child and adolescent psychiatrists: a review of the past 10 years

Vibrio cholerae O1 strains isolated mostly in Japan between 1977 and 1995 were typed according to restriction fragment patterns by cleavage of genomic DNA with Sfi I and Not I and separation by Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). Two hundred sixty five strains from human were divided into 60 PFGE patterns (provisional types). Strains of type 2-3, 3-4, 4-5 and 51-54 were dominant in the Philippines, Thailand, India and Indonesia, respectively. Types 1-1, 2-3, 2-53, and 3-4 were detected over a long period of time in contrast to the other types. Strains of the same type (Types 1-1, 2-3, 2-53 and others) isolated from the Japanese who had never been outside Japan were often found among strains from Southeast Asia. Most strains from humans were cholera-toxin (CT)-positive, while those from the environment and the sea were generally not. 23 strains from the environment and the sea in Japan were divided into 12 types. Strains of the same types as CT-positive strains from humans could not be found in the environment and sea. These results suggest that cholera in Japan is closely related with cholera in Southeast Asia and PFGE is useful for epidemiological analysis of cholera in Japan.     

Callus distraction: a new method? A historical review of limb lengthening

The technique of callus distraction can be traced back to the work of Codivilla at the beginning of the century. Subsequent to Codivilla, various crude methods of limb lengthening were used but resulted in high complication rates. Not until the work of Putti and Abbott in the 1920s and their painstaking operative technique did the results become verifiable. During the 1930s, various modifications were introduced and the apparatus was simplified. However, because of an increasing tendency to apply this technique to unsuitable cases, it fell into disrepute. After World War II, Anderson, Allan, and Ilizarov developed better equipment, allowing for a better understanding of the biologic principles of callus distraction. In the 1980s, this method was adopted for treatment of major bone defects and shortening of limbs.