The peripheral viewing of dials.

Four Ss each read dials of four pointer designs at lateral displacements of 10° from 10° to 80°. Results were analyzed in terms of time and error scores. No significant differences were found among the pointer designs. "If reversal errors are ignored, the ability to discriminate pointer position when the dial is displaced as much as 40° from the fixation point is good. Even at 80°… readings are better than chance." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A prospective, double-blind, randomized study of the effects of perioperative steroids on palatoplasty patients

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether perioperative steroids affect the outcome of patients who undergo palatoplasty. DESIGN: A prospective, double-blind, randomized study. SETTING: A university medical center. PATIENTS: Twenty patients undergoing primary repair of a cleft palate. INTERVENTION: A prospective double-blind technique was used to randomly assign patients to receive a placebo or dexamethasone sodium phosphate perioperatively. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Patients were monitored for postoperative airway distress, fever, oral fluid intake, days of hospitalization, and wound healing. RESULTS: The use of perioperative steroids was associated with shorter hospitalizations. No adverse sequelae from the administration of steroids were identified. CONCLUSIONS: In our current managed care environment, the use of perioperative steroids may play an important role in reducing health care costs.     

Psychology and the future.

Asked 9 distinguished psychologists to comment on psychology and the future. Predictions for the future included (a) program evaluation research will expand; (b) students preparing or the practice of psychology will increasingly seek the PsyD degree; (c) psychology will be more responsive to real-life crises such as pollution, energy resource depletion, urban decay, and international conflict, and will receive more federal support to the extent that it can contribute to the solution of such problems; (d) continuing education is likely to flourish; (e) the discipline of psychology will become still more fractionated; and (f) the future will bring a merging of humanistic and scientific orientations in psychology. (19 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effect of E1 type prostaglandin on hypoxemia in a cyanotic congenital cardiac malformation

Prostaglandin type E1 has been administered on 4 different occasions in a newborn with a ductus-dependent complex congenital cyanotic heart disease. Dramatic improvement of the arterial oxygen concentration followed each prostaglandin infusion. Increased pulmonary circulation and widening of the ductus arteriosus were seen on angiographic examination. Transient flushing of the skin and mild pyrexia were the only complications noted. It is advised that prostaglandin type E1 be used in ductus-dependent heart diseases as an emergency therapy when indicated.