bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Effectiveness of the DISTAR Reading Program for Children with Learning Disabilities
Authors: Kuder S. Jay 
Published: December 2008

The staff of the Journal of Learning Disabilities receives a number of research reports that we and the consulting editors believe would be of interest to some of the readers. Because of space constraints it is not possible to publish all of these manuscripts. Consequently, we ask some authors to provide us with a brief discussion of their study and findings to publish as a Research Brief. Readers who wish a copy of the entire report should write directly to the author(s).—JLW The reading achievement of students with learning disabilities who received reading instruction through the DISTAR program was compared to that of similar students using basal reader materials. The overall reading scores of the groups were not significantly different following 1 and 2 years of instruction, although students in the DISTAR program had somewhat better word attack skills.
Phonetic Coding and Reading in College Students With and Without Learning Disabilities
Authors: Apthorp Helen S. 
Published: December 2008

This study examined whether adult speech production and oral reading were related independent of auditory short-term memory and vocabulary. Forty-four university students served as subjects for the study. They ranged in age from 17 to 28 years old; 26 were men and 18 were women; 11 were students with learning disabilities and 33 were students without disabilities. All subjects were tested individually on tasks requiring multisyllabic pseudoword repetition, oral reading, memory for digits, and vocabulary. In both groups—with and without learning disabilities—significant correlations were found between pseudoword repetition accuracy and reading, suggesting that poor readers also have more inaccurate speech production. The correlations remained significant after controlling for both memory and vocabulary. A scatter plot of the speech-reading relationship showed performance overlap between groups, as well as within-group heterogeneity. Significance of the findings is discussed, and issues for future research are identified. is an assistant professor of special education at Central Connecticut State University. Her research interests include individual differences and risk for language and reading problems. Address: Helen S. Apthorp. Department of Special Education, Central Connecticut State University, 1615 Stanley St., New Britain, CT 06050.
The Assessment Process in Wisconsin: Perceptions of Ebd Teachers
Authors: Hazelkorn Michael N. , Frankenberger William R. , Euclide Brenda L. 
Published: December 2008

The purposes of this study were to (a) examine the evaluation procedures and instruments used for placement decisions in programs for children and adolescents with emotional or behavioral disorders (EBD), and (b) determine the usefulness of evaluation information in the development of individual education programs (IEPs) and instructional planning. Four hundred fifty of the approximately 1300 teachers of students identified as EBD in Wisconsin were randomly selected to respond to a questionnaire. The questionnaire was designed to provide information about two recent referrals, including: (a) whether the student was placed in an ED program, (b) what evaluation instruments/ procedures were used by each member of the multi-disciplinary (M-team), (c) how helpful the evaluation data were in the development of IEPs and as well as for instructional planning, and (d) what factors influenced the choice of evaluation instruments/procedures. The most frequently used evaluation instruments/procedures typically have been the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children - Revised (WISC-R), student interviews, Behavior Rating Profile (BRP), Behavior Evaluation Scale (BES), and classroom observations, respectively. EBD teachers rated the classroom observations, student interview and behavior rating scales as the instruments most helpful in the instructional planning process. Teachers generally found the evaluation data to be helpful in planning their IEPs. Teachers chose their evaluation instruments and procedures based on the ease of administration and scoring.
Lead-induced oxidative stress adversely affects health of the occupational workers
Authors: Khan DA , Qayyum S , Saleem S , Khan FA 
Published: December 2008

Lead is a persistent toxic metal and associated with impairment of various body functions in occupational workers. The main objective was to determine the lead-induced oxidative stress and adverse health effects by biochemical markers in industrial workers. One hundred and forty-eight males consisting of 87 lead-exposed industrial workers and 61 controls were included. Blood lead level (BLL) was determined on a 3010B ESA lead analyzer. Blood complete counts were done on a hematology analyzer. Biochemical markers including serum uric acid, urea, creatinine, phosphate, alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and gamma glutamyltransferase (GGT) were measured on a Selectra E auto analyzer. Serum malondialdehyde (MDA) was measured spectrophotometrically and C-reactive protein (CRP) on Immulite-1000. Results revealed that lead-exposed workers had significantly high BLLs, median (range), 29.1 (9.0–61.1) μg/dL compared with controls, 8.3 (1.0–21.7) μg/dL. Oxidative stress (MDA, GGT) and inflammatory markers (high-sensitivity CRP) were significantly increased ( P ≤ 0.05). Blood pressure was raised, whereas hemoglobin was decreased in exposed group ( P ≤ 0.002). Serum urea, uric acid, phosphate, and ALT were significantly raised in lead-exposed workers ( P ≤ 0.001). Serum albumin, total proteins, and glomerular filtration rate (GFR) were decreased. Blood lead showed a significant positive correlation with serum GGT ( r = 0.63), MDA ( r = 0.71), CRP ( r = 0.75), urea ( r = 0.34), creatinine ( r = 0.51), and uric acid ( r = 0.29) ( P ≤ 0.01). It is concluded that lead exposure increases oxidative stress that correlates with adverse changes in hematological, renal, and hepatic function in the occupational workers. Elevated blood lead has positive correlation with oxidative stress, inflammatory and biochemical markers that might be used to detect impairment in the body function in lead exposed workers.
Effect of vitamin E on reproductive function in the mice treated with 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin*
Authors: Xu JP , Yin YP , Zhou XQ 
Published: December 2008

The study was conducted to determine the effects of vitamin E on reproductive performance in mice treated with 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD). The 75 female and 40 male mice were randomly assigned into five groups. The levels of both TCDD and vitamin E given by gavage were 0 and 0 (Control group), 100 and 0 (experimental group I), 100 and 20 (experimental group II), 100 and 100 (experimental group III), and 100 ng/kg/day and 500 mg/kg/day (experimental group IV), respectively. Males and females were mixed to mate at the ratio of 1:2 after 4-week experiment. The gavage treatments were continued until the end of gestation in female mice after mating. The results showed that the litter number, survival rate, and body weight at birth of offspring in experimental group I had significantly decreased, and the females’ pregnancy rate and pup sex ratio in experimental group I had the decreasing tendencies when compared with the control group. The litter number in experimental group III, survival rate in experimental group II and III, body weight at birth in experimental group III and IV exhibited significant increase compared with experimental group I. The female pregnancy rate in both experimental group III and IV recovered to 100%, but there were no significant differences when compared with experimental group I. The pups’ sex ratio had a gradually increasing tendency with increase of vitamin E level, but there was no significant difference among experimental group I–IV. The results suggest that TCDD could induce reproductive toxicity in mice, whereas vitamin E alleviated adverse effects on reproductive performance in mice caused by TCDD.
Möbius Syndrome: Evidence for a Vascular Etiology
Authors: D'Cruz O'Neill F. , Swisher Charles N. , Jaradeh Safwan , Tang Thomas , Konkol Richard J. 
Published: December 2008

We report five infants with restricted lateral gaze, facial diplegia, feeding difficulty, and/or respiratory disorders without significant pulmonary disease. Viral studies were negative in all patients. Two children had radiologic findings that included brain-stem hypoplasia and symmetric calcification in the dorsal tectum at the junction of the midbrain and pons. Autopsy of one of these two children demonstrated capillary telangiectasia in the mesencephalon and pons. The other three children had normal computed tomographic (CT) scans. However, their autopsies revealed focal brain-stem necrosis with calcifications but without vascular malformation. We suggest that the capillary malformations in one of our patients directly resulted in a vascular-induced necrosis and the manifestation of Möbius sequence. The similarity of symmetric neuropathologic findings in the three other patients and the CT scan in the one surviving patient suggest focal hemodynamic changes restricted to the posterior circulation, indirectly supporting a vascular theory of embryopathogenesis. (J Child Neurol 1993;8:260-265).
Agent Orange Toxicity: a Quantitative Perspective
Authors: Stevens Kingsley M. 
Published: December 2008

1 The minimum toxic dose of tetrachloro-dibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) for man has been calculated from monkey and human data to be 0.1 ?g kg-1. 2 The amount of TCDD which man takes in from his environment is about 1/2050 of that present in one square metre of his immediate environment. 3 The average concentration of TCDD present in Vietnam immediately after spraying Agent Orange was 8 ?g m-2. 4 A soldier directly sprayed would attain an internal body concentration of 7 × 10-5?g kg-1 or 1/1750 of the minimum toxic dose; soldiers moving through previously sprayed areas would ingest much less. 5 These quantitative aspects indicate that the dioxin sprayed with Agent Orange in Vietnam cannot have caused systemic illnesses in Vietnam veterans or birth defects in their children.
Acute Studies to Investigate the Mechanism of Action of Caffeine as a Teratogen in Mice
Authors: Elmazar M.M.A. , McElhatton Patricia R. , Sullivan F.M. 
Published: December 2008

1 In Charles River CD 1 mice, a single dose of 100 mg kg-1 caffeine injected intraperitoneally on day 14 of pregnancy caused a low incidence of cleft palate in the fetuses. 2 Single oral doses of caffeine of 200 and 300 mg kg-1 but not 100 mg kg-1 on day 14, caused cleft palate in some of the fetuses, but was clearly toxic to the dams. 3 Oral doses of caffeine up to 300 mg kg-1 on day 14 of pregnancy did not reduce utero-placental blood flow, placental transfer function, or amniotic fluid volume. 4 An oral dose of 100 mg kg-1 caffeine induced a marked stimulation of adrenocortical secretion producing plasma corticosterone levels of 1248 ± 129 ?g per 100 ml by 2 h and with elevated levels persisting more than 8 h. 5 It is suggested that the elevated plasma corticosterone is the cause of the cleft palate induced in mice by caffeine. Since corticosterone is a known cleft palate inducer in mice but not in man these results do not predict a hazard from normal caffeine consumption in man.
Uranium in Bone: Metabolic and Autoradiographic Studies in the Rat
Authors: Priest N.D. , Howells G.R. , Green D. , Haines J.W. 
Published: December 2008

The distribution and retention of intravenously injected hexavalent uranium-233 in the skeleton of the female rat has been investigated using a variety of autoradiographic and radiochemical techniques. These showed that approximately one third of the injected uranium is deposited in the skeleton where it is retained with an initial biological half-time of ∼40 days. The studies also showed that: 1 Uranium is initially deposited onto all types of bone surface, but preferentially onto those that are accreting. 2 Uranium is deposited in the calcifying zones of skeletal cartilage. 3 Bone accretion results in the burial of surface deposits of uranium. 4 Bone resorption causes the removal of uranium from surfaces. 5 Resorbed uranium is not retained by osteoclasts and macrophages in the bone marrow. 6 Uranium removed from bone surfaces enters the bloodstream where most is either redeposited in bone or excreted via the kidneys. 7 The recycling of resorbed uranium within the skeleton tends to produce a uniform level of uranium contamination throughout mineralized bone. These results are taken to indicate that uranium deposition in bone shares characteristics in common with both the 'volume-seeking radionuclides' typified by the alkaline earth elements and with the 'bone surface-seeking radionuclides' typified by plutonium.
Acute Inhalation Toxicity of Some Halogenated and Non-halogenated Hydrocarbons
Authors: Clark D.G. , Tinston D.J. 
Published: December 2008

1 The relative potency of effect of a wide range of halogenated and unsubstituted hydrocarbons on the central nervous system (CNS) and the heart of experimental animals have been determined.2 The chemicals used caused either stimulation or depression of the rat CNS after 10 minutes' inhalation of concentrations ranging from 0.24% to > 80% (v/v), and cardiac sensitization in dogs after 5 minutes' inhalation of 0.12% to approximately 80% (v/v).3 The toxicity could not be correlated with chemical structure, molecular weight, the presence or absence of various halogen atoms or the degree of saturation, but it was inversely related to the saturated vapour pressure. When the results were expressed on a thermodynamic scale the chemicals had similar potencies at relative saturations of 0.004 to 0.044 It is suggested that the effects of these chemicals on the CNS and the heart are probably structurally non-specific, and the chemicals may be regarded as physical toxicants whose effects are predictable from their physico-chemical properties.
Suspected Solvent Abuse in Cases Referred to the Poisons Unit, Guy's Hospital, July 1980-June 1981
Authors: Francis J. , Murray V.S.G. , Ruprah M. , Flanagan R.J. , Ramsey J.D. 
Published: December 2008

1 From July 1980 to June 1981, requests for information as to management or prognosis were received concerning 324 patients (219 male, 91 female) aged 3-31 y (median 15 y) in whom 'solvent abuse' was suspected.2 The principal symptoms reported were unconsciousness (37), drowsiness (62), 'collapse' (7), convulsions (6), ataxia (35), chest pain (9), nausea/vomiting (20), renal impairment (3) and behavioural disturbances (84). At least 105 patients were admitted to hospital, and 1 was dead on arrival.3 The products abused in 290 clinically diagnosed cases were: adhesives (214), correcting fluids (23), chlorinated solvents (17), fuel gases (18), petrol (5), BCF fire extinguishing agent (5) and others (17). The co-ingestion of alcohol or other drugs was suspected in only 27 cases.4 Specimens of blood and/or urine were received for analysis from 117 patients. The clinical diagnosis of solvent abuse was confirmed in 71 cases and solvents were detected in 2 further instances. Ethanol/other drugs were detected in 18 instances, either together with solvent(s) (9) or alone (9), although no compounds were detected in the remaining 35 cases.5 Toluene (and/or raised urinary hippurate/creatinine ratio) was detected in 52 of the analyses, 1,1,1-trichloroethane in 14 and trichloroethylene (and/or trichloroethanol) in 12. Ethanol was detected in 7 instances, and other drugs (principally benzodiazepines) in 13.6 Although the presenting symptoms and outcome were usually unremarkable, these results emphasise that some patients can develop serious illness such as collapse or convulsions, which may prove fatal, while chronic solvent abuse can be associated with renal impairment.
Solvent Abuse from a Health Education Perspective
Authors: Woodcock Jasper 
Published: December 2008

1 The development of health education and preventive strategies for solvent abuse requires the adaptation of findings and data from other fields and other countries. Experience with illicit drugs suggests that simply denying access to a particularly abused substance may only serve to shift abusers towards other substances. It is, therefore, necessary to acquire evidence on which to judge the relative harmfulness of different substances. Data from the USA on the overall mortality from solvent abuse and on the relative involvement of different solvents is summarized. 2 Findings from health education researches lead to the conclusion that (a) health education is not an effective way of preventing experimentation with solvents, but (b) health education can be effective in modifying abusers' choices of substance and styles of use. 3 Combining these different types of information led to the production of a leaflet suggesting health education strategies that might reduce the likelihood of physical harm befalling solvent abusers. 4 Finally, a plea is made for reports of toxic effects from abused substances to include the kind of data that would assist the development of preventive strategies.
Solvent Misuse: Educational Implications
Authors: Evans Martin 
Published: December 2008

1 This article confines itself to an investigation of the possible educational strategies which might be helpful in the prevention of solvent misuse. The empirical evidence for the effectiveness, or otherwise, of the drug education generally is examined and from this the appropriateness of various approaches is assessed. 2 A model unit of teaching material which can be used in a prevention of solvent misuse programme is offered. 3 A brief discussion of some of the ethical considerations related to education about solvent misuse is presented.
Organochlorine Pesticide Residues in Human Milk in Great Britain, 1979-80
Authors: Collins G.B. , Holmes D.C. , Hoodless R.A. 
Published: December 2008

1 The concentrations of some organochlorine pesticides and polychlorobiphenyl compounds have been determined in 102 samples of human milk collected between January 1979 and September 1980. 2 Comparison of the results with those from a limited study undertaken in 1963-4 shows a decline in residues' levels. 3 The concentrations of organochlorine pesticides and polychlorobiphenyls in human milk samples from residents in Great Britain compare favourably with data obtained in other countries.
The Pulmonary Macrophages of Human Smokers: Decreased Surface Fc Receptor Concentrations on Heavily Particle-laden Cells
Authors: Plowman P.N. 
Published: December 2008

1 Human pulmonary macrophages (PM) have been obtained by broncho-pulmonary lavage from smokers and non-smokers. Smokers' PM tend to be larger cells with more particulate intracytoplasmic inclusions than non-smokers' cells. 2 Electronmicrographs show that the majority of inclusions are electron dense and within lysosomes. Other lysosomal inclusions in smokers' PM are needle-like structures and lamellar bodies. 3 A rosette assay that detects changes in surface Fc receptor expression was used to compare the Fc receptor expression of a PM subgroup that was heavily particle laden with a 'clean' PM subgroup. 4 There is strong evidence for reduced surface Fc receptor expression in heavily particle laden PM. The possible explanations of this difference are discussed.
Quantification of the Interaction Between Barbiturates and Alcohol and Interpretation of Fatal Blood Concentrations
Authors: Stead A.H. , Moffat A.C. 
Published: December 2008

Barbiturates and alcohol are frequently found in combination in cases of accidental or intentional fatal self-poisoning. Unfortunately, the lack of any precise knowledge concerning their interaction creates difficult problems when an interpretation of toxicological data is sought.1 In the following work the joint action of single barbiturates and alcohol is examined and a means of quantifying it is presented.2 The effects of different amounts of alcohol on fatal amylobarbitone, butobarbitone, pentobarbitone, phenobarbitone and quinalbarbitone blood concentrations are compared.3 Combined alcohol-barbiturate blood concentration curves connecting those concentration pairs equally effective in causing death are used to quantify the increase in toxicity.The quantitative effects of alcohol appear to be greater with the shorter-and longer-acting barbiturates than with the intermediate-acting derivatives. The different modes of interaction are discussed in terms of the physico-chemical and pharmacokinetic properties of the drugs.
Effect of Calorie Restriction on the Fate of Hyperplastic Liver Nodules Induced by Concurrent Administration of Lasiocarpine and Thioacetamide
Authors: Sambasiva Rao M. , Jago Marjorie V. , Reddy Janardan K. 
Published: December 2008

1 Hyperplastic liver nodules were induced in F-344 rats by concurrent administration of lasiocarpine (50 ppm in diet) and thioacetamide (50 mg/kg body weight twice weekly) for 15 weeks.2 The effect of carbohydrate calorie and total calorie restriction on the fate of hyperplastic liver nodules was examined.3 The incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma was the same in all groups of rats irrespective of the magnitude of carbohydrate calorie restriction and 50% total calorie restriction.4 These studies demonstrate that carbohydrate or total calorie restriction has no effect on the progression of hyperplastic nodules to hepatocellular carcinoma.
Transplacental Carcinogenesis with Radioactive Phosphorus
Authors: Berry C.L. , Amerigo J. , Nickols C. , Swettenham K.V. 
Published: December 2008

1 An attempt was made to produce a model of osteogenic sarcoma using 32P transplacentally. 2 Fetal tissues appeared to be resistant to irradiation as no tumour was induced at an increased frequency in treated animals. 3 Tumours that normally occur in our strain (Sprague-Dawley rats) showed a clear tendancy to occur earlier in post-natal life in treated animals compared with controls.
Therapeutic, Toxic and Fatal Blood Concentration Ranges of Antiepileptic Drugs as an Aid to the Interpretation of Analytical Data
Authors: Stead A.H. , Hook W. , Moffat A.C. , Berry D. 
Published: December 2008

1 Problems associated with the interpretation of analytical results are often related to the ineffective presentation of reference information. Concentration-response curves overcome many of the problems by presenting all available information concisely and by allowing clear comparisons between drug concentrations associated with different pharmacological responses. Although visual comparison of such curves is possible, it can be advantageous to represent them numerically.2 Numerical representations are used in the present work to compare sub-therapeutic, optimally therapeutic, toxic (side-effects and severe effects), and fatal blood concentrations of the commonly prescribed antiepileptic drugs.3 Blood drug concentrations accounting for 50% of the population (EC50) are expressed in relation to the concentrations accounting for 10% (EC10) and 90% (EC90) of the population in each clinical category.4 Such EC10-EC50-EC90ranges are shown to represent adequately the concentration-response curves. They demonstrate the overlap between drug blood concentrations associated with the various responses and give a good indication of the expected response at any concentration. The concentration ranges are therefore a very useful interpretative aid in therapeutic drug monitoring, emergency toxicology, and forensic toxicology.