Search

ABSTRACTEmpirical research on advanced literacy skills among students in elementary and middle school, and on literacy instruction related to such skills, was reviewed to map current scientific knowledge on the topic, and to map identification methods and terms used to describe these students. A comprehensive search in three databases was conducted. Twenty-six studies met the criteria for inclusion. Relevant results were summarized after a data extraction and thematic analysis. The majority of the included studies were conducted in North America on elementary school students. Five research themes were identified, where the overarching results emphasize needs for a differentiated literacy instruction, both in terms of content and tasks, explicit instruction, ability grouping, and enrichment to enable gifted students to develop according to their potential. Furthermore, the findings indicate the importance of teacher professional development and access to resources such as appropriate materials and time.

A review of treatment and assessment modalities for torture victims and the psychological and physical consequences of torture is presented. Psychological treatment and assessment of victims is typically organized by criteria for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). PTSD basically consists of four symptom clusters: denial, avoidance and psychic numbing; reexperiencing the trauma; hyperarousal; and depression, which leads to withdrawal, detachment and guilt. Methods of torture, often politically motivated, are both physical and psychological, relying on fear and deprivation. Women often report suffering, sexual abuse and persecution from family members, and sexual assaults from political tormenters. Children tend to be verbally silent about issues related to brutal treatment or the witnessing of violence and death. Treatment of Holocaust survivors and Vietnam veterans with PTSD has been based on a cognitive and supportive approach which includes the establishment of trust between patient and therapist, mourning the loss of loved ones, country or culture, and dealing with denial and avoidance, survivor guilt, shame and humiliation. However, PTSD-related therapy has been criticized as being too narrow when it comes to political violence, since it reduces a cultural, historical and political problem to an individual psychological level. In many countries, psychiatrists must face politico-ethical issues when treating victims. Medical treatment can be traumatic for victims who fear surgical instruments and vulnerability. Research with Vietnam veterans has led to a basis for the biological treatment of psychological symptoms related to chronic sympathetic hyperarousal, reexperiencing trauma, and depression. Ultimately, however, recovery requires therapy, the support of family and friends, and a climate that can provide a growing sense of security. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

We report here a comprehensive characterization of a 3d organometallic complex, [V(Cp)2Cl2] (Cp = cyclopentadienyl), which can be considered as a prototypical multilevel nuclear qudit (nuclear spin I= 7/2) hyperfine coupled to an electronic qubit (electronic spin S= 1/2). By combining complementary magnetic resonant techniques, such as pulsed electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) and broadband nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), we extensively characterize its Spin Hamiltonian parameters and its electronic and nuclear spin dynamics. Moreover, we demonstrate the possibility to manipulate the qubit–qudit multilevel structure by resonant microwave and radiofrequency pulses, driving coherent Rabi oscillations between targeted electronuclear states. The obtained results demonstrate that this simple complex is a promising candidate for quantum computing applications.

Optical signals come from coherences between quantum states, with spectral line widths determined by the coherences’ dephasing dynamics. Using a 2D electronic spectrometer, we observe weak coherence- and rephasing-time-domain signals persisting to 1 ps in the Fenna–Matthews–Olson complex at 77 K. These are coherences between the ground and excited states prepared after the complex interacts once or three times with light, rather than zero-quantum coherences that are more frequently investigated following two interactions. Here, we use these small but persistent signal components to isolate spectral contributions with narrowed peaks and reveal the system’s eigenenergies.

BackgroundThe thermal servo-controlled systems are routinely used in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) to accurately manage patient temperature, but their role during the immediate postnatal phase has not been previously assessed.ObjectiveTo compare two modalities of thermal management (with and without the use of a servo-controlled system) immediately after birth.Study design and settingMulticentre, unblinded, randomised trial conducted 15 Italian tertiary hospitals.ParticipantsInfants with estimated birth weight <1500 g and/or gestational age <30+6weeks.InterventionThermal management with or without a thermal servo-controlled system during stabilisation in the delivery room.Primary outcomeProportion of normothermia at NICU admission (axillary temperature 36.5°C–37.5°C).ResultsAt NICU admission, normothermia was achieved in 89/225 neonates (39.6%) with the thermal servo-controlled system and 95/225 neonates (42.2%) without the thermal servo-controlled system (risk ratio 0.94, 95% CI 0.75 to 1.17). Thermal servo-controlled system was associated with increased mild hypothermia (36°C–36.4°C) (risk ratio 1.48, 95% CI 1.09 to 2.01).ConclusionsIn very low birthweight infants, thermal management with the servo-controlled system conferred no advantage in maintaining normothermia at NICU admission, while it was associated with increased mild hypothermia. Thermal management of preterm infants immediately after birth remains a challenge.Trial registration numberNCT03844204

Somatic motor neurons are selectively vulnerable in spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), which is caused by a deficiency of the ubiquitously expressed survival of motor neuron protein. However, some motor neuron groups, including oculomotor and trochlear (ocular), which innervate eye muscles, are for unknown reasons spared. To reveal mechanisms of vulnerability and resistance in SMA, we investigate the transcriptional dynamics in discrete neuronal populations using laser capture microdissection coupled with RNA sequencing (LCM-seq). Using gene correlation network analysis, we reveal a TRP53-mediated stress response that is intrinsic to all somatic motor neurons independent of their vulnerability, but absent in relatively resistant red nucleus and visceral motor neurons. However, the temporal and spatial expression analysis across neuron types shows that the majority of SMA-induced modulations are cell type–specific. Using Gene Ontology and protein network analyses, we show that ocular motor neurons present unique disease-adaptation mechanisms that could explain their resilience. Specifically, ocular motor neurons up-regulate (1) Syt1, Syt5, and Cplx2, which modulate neurotransmitter release; (2) the neuronal survival factors Gdf15, Chl1, and Lif; (3) Aldh4,that protects cells from oxidative stress; and (4) the caspase inhibitor Pak4.Finally, we show that GDF15 can rescue vulnerable human spinal motor neurons from degeneration. This confirms that adaptation mechanisms identified in resilient neurons can be used to reduce susceptibility of vulnerable neurons. In conclusion, this in-depth longitudinal transcriptomics analysis in SMA reveals novel cell type–specific changes that, alone and combined, present compelling targets, including Gdf15, for future gene therapy studies aimed toward preserving vulnerable motor neurons.

Copyright of Studium (00394130) is the property of Edizioni Studium and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Systematic reporting of cultural variables in research publications is important to address disparities in diagnostics and treatment for children with ASD from diverse backgrounds. The present review examined reporting of cultural factors in ASD publications in the Swedish research context by using the GAP-REACH checklist developed by the Cultural Committee of the Group for the Advancement of Psychiatry. Thirty peer-reviewed articles published in English between 2013 and 2015 met inclusion criteria. Depending on research designs, 46% of the reviewed studies defined cultural factors using various proxies for ethnicity to describe study participants; none of the studies used the “race” variable; 23.3% provided rationale for inclusion of cultural factors. The checklist in its modified form is applicable within the Swedish context.

Toxoplasmosis is one of the leading parasitic diseases worldwide. Some data suggest that chronic acquired toxoplasmosis could be linked to behavioral alterations in humans. The parasite infects neurons, forming immunologically silent cysts. Cerebral microcirculation homeostasis is determinant to brain functions, and pathologic states can alter capillarity or blood perfusion, leading to neurodegeneration and cognitive deficits. Albino mice were infected with Toxoplasma gondii(ME49 strain) and analyzed after 10, 40, and 180 days. Infected mice presented decreased cerebral blood flow at 10 and 40 days post infection (dpi), which were restored at 180 dpi, as shown by laser speckle contrast imaging. Intravital microscopy demonstrated that infection led to significant capillary rarefaction, accompanied by neuroinflammation, with microglial activation and increased numbers of rolling and adherent leukocytes to the wall of cerebral capillaries. Acetylcholine-induced vasodilation was altered at all time points, and blood brain barrier permeability was evident in infected animals at 40 dpi. Infection reduced angiogenesis, with a decreased number of isolectin B4–stained blood vessels and a decrease in length and branching of laminin-stained capillaries. Sulfadiazine reduced parasite load and partially repaired microvascular damages. We conclude that T. gondiilatent infection causes a harmful insult in the brain, promoting neuroinflammation and microcirculatory dysfunction in the brain, with decreased angiogenesis and can contribute to a neurodegenerative process.

We demonstrate that the [Yb(trensal)] molecule is a prototypical coupled electronic qubit–nuclear qudit system. The combination of noise-resilient nuclear degrees of freedom and large reduction of nutation time induced by electron–nuclear mixing enables coherent manipulation of this qudit by radio frequency pulses. Moreover, the multilevel structure of the qudit is exploited to encode and operate a qubit with embedded basic quantum error correction.

The use of d-level qudits instead of two-level qubits can largely increase the power of quantum logic for many applications, ranging from quantum simulations to quantum error correction. Magnetic molecules are ideal spin systems to realize these large-dimensional qudits. Indeed, their Hamiltonian can be engineered to an unparalleled extent and can yield a spectrum with many low-energy states. In particular, in the past decade, intense theoretical, experimental, and synthesis efforts have been devoted to develop quantum simulators based on molecular qubits and qudits. However, this remarkable potential is practically unexpressed, because no quantum simulation has ever been experimentally demonstrated with these systems. Here, we show the first prototype quantum simulator based on an ensemble of molecular qudits and a radiofrequency broadband spectrometer. To demonstrate the operativity of the device, we have simulated quantum tunneling of the magnetization and the transverse-field Ising model, representative of two different classes of problems. These results represent an important step toward the actual use of molecular spin qudits in quantum technologies.

The article presents a case study of Chase Secondary School in British Columbia which is seeking for a display technology that would support teachers to facilitate learning among its students. Mark Wereley, a faculty member, has grabbed the opportunity to send an entry to the NEC Star Student program contest and won the $25,000. The school has used the prize for the purchase of liquid crystal display (LCD) desktop monitors and projectors which provide ease to both teachers and students.

Bevacizumab has been widely used as a vascular endothelial growth factor antagonist in the treatment of retinal vasoproliferative disorders in adults and, more recently, in infants with retinopathy of prematurity. Recently, it has been proposed that vascular endothelial growth factor acts as a protective factor for neurons and glial cells, particularly in developing nervous tissue. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of bevacizumab on the developing retinas of juvenile rabbits.

The ability of UV radiation to stimulate color change in vertebrates is well known; however, the signaling pathway involved is not fully explained. Since nitric oxide (NO) is among the candidates for this role, in this study the participation of NO signaling in the pigment migration induced by UV radiation in melanophores of the crab Chasmagnathus granulatuswas investigated. When the NO donor, SIN-1, was incubated with pieces of epidermis, there was an induction of a dose-dependent pigment dispersion (in vitro assays). When male adults were exposed to different doses of UVA and UVB, NG-nitro- l-arginine-methyl-ester, an NO synthase (NOS) blocker produced a decrease of the pigment dispersion induced by UV (in vivo assays). However, in similar assays, 2-phenyl-4,4,5,5-tetramethylimidazoline-1-oxyl-3-oxide, an NO scavenger, decreased only the pigment dispersion induced by UVA. Interestingly, buthionine sulfoximine did not produce any change in pigment dispersion induced by UVA (in vivo assays) and SIN-1 (in vitro assays). Our results using NADPH-diaphorase histochemistry and immunocytochemistry against nNOS indicated the production of NO by epidermal cells. In conclusion, we suggest that NO is a key molecule for the induction of pigment dispersion in the melanophores of Chasmagnthus granulatus, and also that NOS activation is a fundamental step for this process.

The visual system as an interface between the environment and the living organism can serve as a sensitive indicator especially in studies that deal with effects of radiation. The crab retina as the seat of the photoreceptors and the lamina ganglionaris as the place of second order neurons were the targets of our study. Conventional specimen preparation techniques for transmission electron microscopy (TEM) are adequate to preserve any modifications that may occur as a consequence of the experimental treatment. In this study we analyzed by TEM how retinal and lamina ganglionaris cells of the crab Ucides cordatus responded to a 30 min exposure to ultraviolet C (UV-C) and ultraviolet B (UV-B) radiation with doses of 7200 and 590 J/cm, respectively. The results show that damaged cells occurred in both retina and lamina ganglionaris , but that the retinal cells were affected to a greater extent. Morphological alterations of the pigment granules and an increase in the quantity of lipid droplets of the retinal cells were also observed. Additional changes include an increase in heterochromatin, nuclear karyolyses and karyorrhexes, distention of rough endoplasmic reticulum and mitochondrial disruptions. The observed morphological changes are indicative of apoptotic processes and show that an exposure to light of wavelengths of 254 and 312 nm may be injurious to the visual system of invertebrates.

Summry—Glial cells in higher invertebrate groups are usually recognized on the basis of their location and general morphological or functional criteria. In this study of the crustacean visual system, we have approached the analysis of the relations between glial cells and the extracellular matrix by classical histochemical methods for carbohydrates at the light and electron microscopic levels, carbonic anhydrase histochemistry and by the biochemical characterization of sulphated polysaccharides. Periodic acid—Schiff‐positive glial cells and processes were observed in the retina, basement membrane below the retina and in the optic ganglia. Carbonic anhydrase was not detected in the retina but it was demonstrated in all optic ganglia. The biochemical analysis of the extracellular matrix confirmed the alcian blue reaction and showed that sulphated polysaccharides are not abundant in the optic neuropils. This article describes into more details the crustacean visual system glial cells classification, and the relation between them and the extracellular matrix. In addition, they show that glial cells are the main components of the retinal basement membrane.

Heparin is an intracellular product of vertebrate mast cell currently used as exogenous anticoagulant. Despite of the potent biological activities of exogenous heparin, its physiological function has not been clearly established yet. Here, a heparin with similar structure and anticoagulant properties to the mammalian counterpart was shown to occur as the intracellular product of test cells, a cell monolayer that surrounds egg of the invertebrateStyela plicata(Chordata-Tunicata). As in the case of mammalian mast cells, heparin from the ascidian test cells is removed from the intracellular granules after incubation with compound 48/80. Following fertilization, the test cells surrounding the developing larva still retain heparin as metachromatic granulation. In the adult invertebrate, heparin occurs as intracellular granules at the apical tip of epithelial cells surrounding the lumen of both intestine and pharynx, in close contact with the external environment. This is the first description of the presence of heparin in cytoplasmic granules of epithelial-like cells around the lumen of sites exposed to external agents. This arrangement may reflect the participation of heparin in defense mechanisms in this invertebrate.

This paper analyses the contradictions in the Swedish school organisation between the intentions of an implemented integration of pupils with disabilities, and the actual dramatic increase of pupils enrolled in special units. The study is a multiple case study of the functions and conditions of special support in differentiated educational settings (such small teaching groups, special units, cooperation classes) based on interviews with special educators and observations in three schools with such differentiated groups in the county of Stockholm. None of the studied groups were homogeneous, but most of the children in them had in common some kind of vulnerability. The potential or actual reactions of teachers and peers in the regular settings seem to be a common criterion for placement in the differentiated setting. Psycho-medical diagnoses were not always a prerequisite for enrolment in the special units; they were not always accurate and they were not sufficient to get special support. Problematic aspects that would have to be changed, in a school valuing individual differences, are the funding system, the grading system, the working methods, the attitudes towards parents and the personnel's competence regarding disability. Theoretical implications such as the compartmentalisation of values and goals are presented, and some further investigative tasks are suggested.

In the last two decades widespread use of torture by totalitarian governments has been reported in over 60 countries. This situation concerns physicians who are sometimes called upon to see the victims. This paper reports the psychiatric findings in a group of 41 Latin American refugees who arrived in Canada from 1977 to 1979 and alleged to have been subjected to political persecution and torture under the military rulers of their own countries. Most of them, young educated men, were apprehended violently and imprisoned under conditions below the minimum international standards. Systematic physical and psychological torture was the rule, including blindfolding, beatings, electrical shocks, sexual abuse and threats of execution or sham executions. These experiences were followed by a cluster of psychiatric symptoms and physical evidence of trauma compatible with the history given. This pattern constitutes the torture syndrome included under category 308 and 309 of the DSM-III and ICD-9. The alleged professional conduct of 19 doctors who saw 21 of these patients is discussed. A list of codes of medical ethics, intended to guide and protect doctors confronted with this difficult problem, is included.

The distribution of axons by size in the optic tract of the South American opossum, Didelphis marsupialis was studied. Thin and semi-thin sections were examined, and measurements of axonal diameter were made on electron micrographs taken from various locations across the optic tract of normal opossums. In order to determine the contributions of the different axon diameter classes to the crossed and uncrossed retinofugal pathways, measurements were also made from the tracts of opossums in which one eye had been enucleated 5 weeks previously. Within the opossum's optic tract, the axons are partially segregated by their size: the deepest parts of the tract contain only fine and medium-sized axons, whereas coarse axons are also present superficially. In the middle of the tract, all three size classes are present. At increasingly superficial positions, there is a steady reduction in the proportion of medium-diameter axons, and an increase in the number of the finest axons. Medium and coarse axons contribute to both the crossed and uncrossed pathways, and the uncrossed component is displaced superficially relative to the crossed component. The fine axons in the deeper parts of the tract arise from both retinae, while those in the superficial parts of the tract, near the pial surface, are virtually all crossed. The opossum's optic tract thus displays the segregation of axons by size found in placental mammals, and follows a pattern reminiscent of that found in carnivores. Such a common organizational plan, particularly the similarities between the didelphids and carnivores, is suggestive of an early acquisition of parallel visual pathways in mammalian phylogeny. Since the fiber order in the optic tract of eutherians is a chronological map of axonal arrival during development, these results suggest that a conserved developmental mechanism has led to a common organizational plan.

The authors examined physical health in relation to length of psychiatric hospitalization. One hundred and three consecutive patients admitted to an Ontario psychiatric hospital were studied for age, sex, marital status, living arrangements, previous psychiatric hospitalizations, psychiatric diagnosis and length of stay. The patients were classified as physically healthy, with minor or with major illness present.Physical health was found to have a significant association with length of psychiatric hospitalization. Healthy patients tended to stay a shorter period of time (1–3 days) and those with major illness stayed longer (greater than 21 days). As expected, marital status and psychiatric diagnosis were also associated with length of stay; married persons stayed for shorter periods and those with functional and organic psychoses stayed longer.The direct association between physical health and length of hospitalization has not been reported before and, in considering the role of the mental hospital, psychiatrists and administrators should be constantly aware of the physical health needs of psychiatric patients.

The authors examined the association between a number of factors (individual predisposition, psychosocial stress, job dissatisfaction) and accidents at work and the neurotic disability that may follow them. The concept of individual proneness and of environmental stress are discussed in the light of the relevant literature. Data was collected from an automotive industrial plant in Ontario and from a large department store in Toronto during 1974 and 1975. A questionnaire including a list of life events, a job dissatisfaction scale and a brief mental health rating scale was used. Data from the company medical records as well as an assessment by the plant physician at the time of the accident were also included. A positive past history of medical, surgical, psychiatric episodes and accidents significantly differentiated between a group of workmen which had accidents and controls that did not. Job dissatisfaction was related to the probability of missing excessive time from work and of developing a neurotic complication after an accident. The authors concluded that accidents are part of a larger pattern of surgical, medical and psychiatric episodes in the life of a particular individual and that job dissatisfaction as an index of occupational stress tends to have an adverse effect on the overall psychological response and recovery following accidents.

In this study, we have examined the genesis of neurons of the retinal ganglion cell layer of the opossum Didelphis marsupialis by [3H]-thymidine autoradiography. Our results suggest that most neurons surviving to adulthood are generated in postnatal life from day 1 to day 23. Cells are generated according to a coarse gradient from the retinal geometric center to the periphery. Regional analysis of soma size distributions in different cohorts suggest that this gradient is actually formed by two partially-overlapping, concentric waves of cell proliferation. Most medium and large ganglion cells are formed during the early wave, whereas most displaced amacrine cells and small ganglion cells are formed during the late wave. Our results confirm the appropriateness of the opossum as a model for studies of development of the mammalian visual system.

Reportedly, the People's Republic of China has made great progress in health care services, particularly at preventive, primary and community levels. Information on their psychiatric services is still scarce. A group of 12 health professionals visited the country for three weeks in July 1977. This paper provides a description and an analysis of the network of mental health services using a sample of one mental hospital, six general hospitals and a number of health units in cities, factories and communes. The basic principles of policy and administration are those of a collective socialism with strong central guidelines and considerable local administrative initiative. Admissions to the mental hospital in Shanghai reveal that 83% are young acute schizophrenic cases and very few are neurotic or non-psychotic. This distribution stands in great contrast with admissions to mental hospitals in the West, as is the case in Canada, where schizophrenics represent only 12% of all first admissions to mental hospitals and non-psychotic or minor conditions amount to two-thirds. An impressionistic survey of Chinese traditional medicine rooms in general hospitals revealed that a good proportion of their cases (60-70%) are diagnosed as suffering from minor organic or vague organic conditions without evidence of organic pathology and which in the West would be considered as neurotic or psychosomatic conditions. Outside the institutions, in the communes of the rural and urban areas behavioural, interpersonal and family problems are not defined specifically as mental health problems, but handled within the moral and political ideology prevalent in the country. None of the general hospitals visited had a psychiatric unit, but every patient in every hospital or health unit in the cities and countryside received a combination of traditional Chinese medicine (herbal preparations, acupuncture and moxibustion) besides the Western or modern type of treatment.Officially mental illness is not considered a major problem and it is given very low priority in medical school curricula or in the planning of health services. It is concluded that psychiatric services in China are concerned primarily with cases of psychosis and severe neurosis, that neuroses are viewed as general health problems, and personality and behaviour disorders are considered social or community matters.

This paper reports a retrospective study of the frequency, severity, modalities and mental health consequences of torture in 28 Latin American refugee women in Toronto. The data on these women and a comparison group of male torture victims were retrieved from case records in a hospital outpatient clinic.The results support the hypotheses implicit in the scanty literature available that the frequency and effects of torture in women differ from those found in men. Infernale victims, as in their male counterparts, the severity of the torture was related to the degree of their political involvement. However, torture was more frequently sexual, and its consequences more often affected the women's sexual adaptation.

We present a detailed study of the ZF‐μSR precession signals in AF YBa2Cu3O6+xfor a series of 0.06\,\leq\,x\,\leq\,0.39 ceramic samples. Careful analysis of the temperature and oxygen content dependence shows a complex behaviour of the magnetic field at the muon site. The two main novelties are that a) the muon does not diffuse freely above 250 K, as previously stated, and that b) mobile holes phase separate, inducing a finite size reduction of the AF order parameter.

The role of the Workmen's Compensation Board in establishing the extent to which a disability is due to an accident, and then allocating compensation has, for half a century, been carried out with fairness and skill. However, when it comes to cases of psychiatric disability the guidelines for judging causation and assigning compensation are somewhat simplistic and inadequate. The purpose of this study was to establish more accurate and reliable criteria to assist clinicians and medicolegal experts in assessing and compensating the person with a psychiatric disability. The material studied in the present pilot project comprises 50 cases referred to the author for psychiatric consultation from the year 1967 to 1971. In terms of socioeconomic background and clinical features these findings are similar to those reported in the literature, including an outstanding prevalence of hysterical symptoms. Correlation analysis between the pre-accident and accident variables and the post-accident variables or psychiatric impairment were most significant for variables related to the circumstances of the accident (type of accident, psychological threat posed by the accident). This study has permitted clarification of a number of conceptual and methodological problems, and recommendations are given for a prospective comprehensive research project on accident neurosis.

Summary National statistics of mental illness suggest great differences in morbidity patterns between Canada, the USA and the UK, with the highest rates of illness occurring in Canada. Statistically, Canada and the US possess higher rates of schizophrenia and diseases of the senium but lower rates of affective illnesses than the UK. The US-UK study demonstrated that when the diagnostic process was standardized, the differences between the two countries disappeared. This paper examines a sample of 255 Canadian patients hospitalized in Toronto and compares the results of standardized techniques of diagnosis with the routine hospital diagnoses of the same patients. Conclusions of the study were fourfold. First, psychiatric diagnoses made by standardized techniques can achieve a high degree of reliability as measured either by inter-rater comparisons of item ratings (92 percent) and diagnoses (80 percent) or by correlation with computer diagnoses obtained by the CATEGO program (75 percent). Second, comparisons of project consensus diagnoses with routine hospital diagnoses revealed that agreement between the two was highest in Toronto, lowest in New York and intermediate in London. Third, a comparison of the project diagnoses of psychogeriatric patients in the three centres revealed no differences in morbidity between the three countries. Finally, the fallacy of generalizing from studies in one country which have not controlled for diagnosis to populations in other countries, is exposed.

The syndrome of acute paranoid reaction is studied within the Canadian context. The main purpose of the study is to clarify its nosology and diagnostic criteria so that its diagnosis becomes more reliable and true epidemiological rates may be established.The historical development of the concept is briefly outlined in a review of the world literature, with particular attention being paid to its defining characteristics. The differential diagnosis with schizophrenia and paranoid states is of great importance given the different prognosis and treatment. Evidence from the literature is presented to show the role of sociocultural factors in the causation and diagnosis of this syndrome.Canadian data of first admissions to mental hospitals with diagnoses of reactive psychosis, including acute paranoid reaction type, for the years 1969–1973, in selected provinces, are presented. Rates of reactive psychoses as proportions of all admissions and all admission psychoses are compared with rates available for other European and Third World countries. Canadian national rates are lower and it is argued that the lower incidence is partly attributable to misdiagnosis which in turn is due to psychiatric training and to the neglect of the role attributed to sociocultural factors in the genesis of this condition.

Utilisant les donnees a la disposition du Bureau Hydrographique du Po sur le transport trouble en suspension, relevees sur de nombreux cours d'eau pendant differentes periodes qui vont de 1918 a l'annee 1960, on a effectue une etude sur la degradation du sol dans le bassin du Po.On a ensuite cherche une correlation entre la degradation unitaire (degradation par mm d'afflux) et l'affluence elle meme, apres la subdivision en trois classes des bassins du Po selon leur degre d'erodibilite.Enfin on a essaye une reelaboration des valeurs de la degradation moyenne annuelle evaluees d'apres le transport en suspension pour tenir compte du transport par entrainement sur le fond et du transport en solution dans les eaux, utilisant et generalisant les donnees orientatives se rapportant a des situations particulieres ou bien a des bassins.

A follow-up to the Sävsjö school project, a universal intervention, from 1998 to 2002 is presented in this paper. The project was a cluster-randomised trial aimed at improving the literacy of beginners from the perspective of factors like achievements, mental health, school satisfaction, and reading capacity at the end of grade 3, while using an alternative curriculum. Half of all the six-year-olds (n=92, of whom 48 attended single-age classes and 44 attended mixed-age ones) starting kindergarten were assigned to the intervention group. The comparison group (n=85) followed the regular curriculum. The follow-ups after grades 9 and 12 show that the improvements observed after grade 3 persisted at the end of grade 9 in the experimental group attending single-age classes, but they were not sustained for those who had attended mixed-age classes. The students who had attended the experimental single-age classes were more likely to have completed their studies at the end of grade 12.

Erythropoietin may have neuroprotective potential after ischemia of the central nervous system. Here, we conducted a study to characterize the protective effects of erythropoietin on retinal ganglion cells and gliotic reactions in an experimentally induced oligemia model.