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Describes the change in late-stage deformational style and intensity of western portion of Narragansett Basin and determines its kinematic history. Distribution of Alleghanian deformation over areas; Relationship between deformation of basin sediments and Alleghanian dextral motion; Explanation of late phase structures by study of shear zones.

A cohort of 67 babies at risk of developing atopic disorders was followed up prospectively for 11 years. Clinical assessment and skin prick allergen sensitivity testing were performed annually over the first five years. At 11 years the cohort was restudied, symptoms were assessed by questionnaire, and bronchial reactivity (BHR) to histamine was measured. On the basis of skin testing, 35 children were atopic and 32 remained non-atopic. The expression of atopy increased with age. The lifetime prevalence of eczema, wheeze, and hay fever were 46%, 63%, and 56% respectively. The yearly period prevalence of hay fever increased with age, that of eczema declined, while that for wheeze showed a bimodal distribution with a peak before the age of 2 years and a gradual increase thereafter. Of the 21 children who wheezed before their second birthday, most never wheezed again and did not show BHR at 11 years. Of the 21 children whose first wheezing was after 2 years of age, 17 were still wheezing at 11 years and 12 showed BHR. Of the children who wheezed before 2 years of age, 10 were or became atopic, compared with 20 of the 23 children who wheezed at 11 years. These findings suggest that childhood asthma is a heterogeneous condition with atopy being strongly associated with the persistence of wheeze. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sixty eight children born in 1977 who were taking part in an unrelated study of childhood asthma were selected to have their serum cholesterol concentrations measured at birth, and at 4 months and 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 11 years of age. Concentrations of high density lipoprotein were measured at 5 and 11 years. Cholesterol values increased rapidly from birth and plateaued at 1 year. There was a further small rise just before puberty. Tracking of values was seen after the age of 1 year, but did not become established until 4 years of age. The cholesterol concentrations in girls were marginally higher than those in boys. The mean (SD) values of cholesterol (mmol/l) for boys were: at birth, 1.7 (0.4); at 1 year, 3.9 (0.9); at 5 years, 5.2 (1.9); and at 11 years, 5.0 (0.7). For girls the corresponding figures were; at birth, 1.9 (0.6); at 1 year, 4.7 (1.0); at 5 years, 4.6 (0.7); and at 11 years, 5.1 (0.7). The mean (SD) high density lipoprotein concentrations (mmol/l) for boys were: at 5, 1.16 (0.35) and at 11, 1.51 (0.23). For girls they were 1.28 (0.30) and 1.56 (0.27), respectively. The serum cholesterol concentrations in these children were high compared with published figures from north America. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmental factors were examined as determinants of clinical disease in a five year prospective study of 73 children born to atopic parents. Clinical follow up for evidence of eczema and wheezing was combined with regular skin testing, immunoglobulin assay, and respiratory viral culture where appropriate. Thirty six children developed eczema, which was often associated with a positive result of a skin test to ingestants in the first year and inhalants by the fifth year. Thirty two children developed one or more episodes of wheeze. Fifteen children wheezed once only, and not all of these developed atopy. No pattern of respiratory infection in early life was characteristic of children with recurrent wheeze. There was a significant difference in parental smoking habits between children with and without episodes of wheeze at the fifth birthday. No protective effect of breast feeding could be shown. The development of allergic disease in susceptible children is influenced by many environmental factors. Advice to families about reduction of environmental allergens continues to pose problems, but parents should be advised to avoid smoking in the child's presence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Eighty-two children admitted to hospital with exacerbations of asthma were studied to determine how many were exposed to house dust mites at the time of admission and displayed immediate hypersensitivity to house dust mites. The concentration of house dust mite allergen (Der p I) was measured in dust obtained from the child's mattress, bedroom floor and living room floor. Sixty-two (75%) children admitted had been exposed to > 10 μg Der p I/g. Sixty-seven (82%) children were sensitive to house dust mite (RAST &ges; 1 + , or weal &ges; 3 mm): 49 (60%) children were both exposed and sensitive. In contrast in a control group of 44 children, 31 (70%) (n.s) were exposed to > 10 μg Der p I/g, 10 (23%) (P<0 001) were sensitive to house dust mite, and 7 (16%) (P<0.001) were both exposed and sensitive. Seventy-three homes were revisited 6 months after the child's initial admission. During the preceding month 14 children had been readmitted, 12 were fully investigated; of these 10 were both sensitive to house dust mite and still exposed to > 10 μg Der p I/g. In contrast, of the remaining 62 children who were not readmitted, only 19 were both sensitive and still exposed to > 10 μg Der p I/g (P<0.001). In conclusion, the majority of children admitted to hospital with exacerbations of asthma were exposed to house dust mite allergen and were house dust mite sensitive. Further the results suggest that continued exposure to higher concentrations of mite allergen may be associated with the risk of readmission. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a prospective study of 92 children with at least one atopic parent, the development of the specific antibody responses to food and inhalant allergens during the first 5 years of life were assessed. By the radioallergosorbent test egg specific IgE antibody occurred in about 30% of the children with the mean peak concentration at 12 months. By the second year the prevalence of this antibody had increased whereas the mean concentration had decreased. Milk specific IgE antibody could not be shown in any subject, including four whose skin tests yielded positive results. Food specific IgG antibody was noted by antigen binding radioimmunoassays at 3 months in most children. These responses had peaked and began to fall by the fifth year. In contrast few children had detectable IgE or IgG antibody to inhalant allergens before the first 2 years of life. Both the concentration and prevalence of specific antibody, however, increased from the second to the fifth year and was greater in children whose skin tests yielded positive results. Breast feeding was associated with an increase in the prevalence of positive results from skin tests but was not associated with detectable IgE antibody to both food proteins, a lower concentration of IgG antibody to cows' milk, and was not associated with protection against the development of disease. A high level of exposure to dust mite was associated with an increased prevalence of positive results from skin tests to dust mite and appreciably higher antibody concentration. This study indicates differences in the humoral responses to food and inhalant allergens. Environmental factors appear to influence the development of these responses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forty-two children with eczema were studied for exercise-induced asthma (EIA), skin sensitivity to prick testing, blood eosinophil count, and immunoglobulins. 29 had a fall in peak expiratory flow rate after exercise greater than 20% and of these, 23 had symptoms of wheezing. 13 of the eczematous children showed a fall of less than 20%. The children with EIA showed greater cutaneous sensitivity (p less than 0.001) and a higher total serum IgE (p less than 0.025). 3 of the group with a fall of less than 20% had allergic rhinitis with skin sensitivity to grass pollen. The remaining 10 had no clinical evidence of allergic disease, other than eczema and skin sensitivity, and total IgE fell within the normal range. It is suggested that in a proportion of chilren with eczema there is little evidence of reaginic allergy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) on lung mechanics was investigated in 12 babies after operation for severe congenital heart disease. At the time of study all babies were receiving or being weaned from ventilatory support and had abnormally low lung volume or compliance. During CPAP there was a fall in the pulmonary resistance which, with a slight decrease in minute ventilation, resulted in a significant decrease in the work of breathing. It is suggested that lowering the oxygen cost of breathing may contribute to the improvement in arterial oxygenation seen when CPAP is used. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The information‐processing functions of a school counsellor prior to a student interview were analysed. His decision rules, interview behaviour and reports on students were modelled in an automated interview. During this interview, the computer requests and records courses on which the student has problems, the nature of these problems, which college the student would like to attend, his choice of major, his preferences for further high‐school courses, and any other relevant goals. Advice on the student's choice of college, major and his probable high‐school grades (based on existing records) are provided by the computer. In a comparison study forty students had the automated teletype interview as well as an interview by a human counsellor. The outputs and advice of the automated interviews were comparable with those of the counsellors. Overall preference for either form of interview was not found, although some individuals had definite preferences for one or the other. Later work with a group of eighty‐seven counsellors found they favoured automation of the information‐processing functions of counselling. A systems analysis of the work of fifteen counsellors was then carried out, the counsellors attended workshops in information‐processing technology and design ideas for a counselling system were produced jointly with the researchers. These are reported and future work is outlined. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Objectives: To compare the clinical effectiveness, acceptability, and cost benefit of administering beta2 agonists by means of a metered dose inhaler and large volume spacer with conventional nebulisers to children admitted to hospital with acute asthma.Methods: A randomised controlled trial was conducted over five months. Sixty one children older than 3 years admitted to a large teaching hospital and a district general hospital with acute asthma completed the study. Children received either 5 mg of salbutamol up to one hourly by jet nebuliser, or up to 10 puffs of salbutamol 100 microg by means of a metered dose inhaler and spacer up to one hourly.Results: Median hospital stay was 40 hours in the nebuliser group and 36.5 hours in the spacer group. Asthma disability scores at two weeks after discharge were significantly improved in the spacer group. Drug costs were pound 14.62 less for each patient in the spacer group.Conclusions: Large volume spacers are an acceptable, cost effective alternative to nebulisers in treating children admitted with acute asthma, provided that the children can use the mouthpiece, and symptoms are not severe. Their use facilitates effective home treatment by parents, with subsequent reduction in morbidity and re-admission rates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A double blind crossover study of nebulised sodium cromoglycate in 27 asthmatic preschool children was carried out over a one year period. All subjects had sufficiently severe asthma to have had at least one admission to hospital. The active treatment was sodium cromoglycate 20 mg (in 2 ml) administered by a nebuliser four times daily. Assessment was made by a diary card and clinical examination. Results were analysed in 24 subjects who completed the study. Statistical analysis allowed for order of treatment and seasonal effects. Significant results in favour of treatment with sodium cromoglycate were obtained for night cough, day activity, percentage of symptom free days, and overall severity of asthma. During active treatment there was no reduction in the rate of admissions to hospital or intravenous drugs used. The wheeze score during the week after an upper respiratory tract infection was not reduced during treatment with sodium cromoglycate. Nebulised sodium cromoglycate is a tedious prophylactic treatment for the young asthmatic child but is useful when other treatments have failed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Height and weight were recorded and nutrient intake assessed during a 1-year period in 8 short asthmatic children who subsequently received energy supplements for a further year. None received systemic steroids. Total energy intakes in 6 of the children were reduced but no relationship between intakes and linear growth was found. Linear growth performance did not improve despite the fact that energy intake was normalised by supplementation, although some children showed an accelerated weight gain. We suggest that calorie supplementation is not effective for promoting optimal linear growth in short asthmatic children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three tests for the presence of occult blood in the stools of children were examined; the orthotolidine test, the guaiacum resin test, and a modified reduced phenolphthalain test. The stools of 71 neonates, 33 normal children, and 8 children with suspected gastrointestinal pathology were examined. The 1% orthotolidine test and the guaiacum resin test produced a high number of false positive results in healthy children eating a meat-containing diet. It is concluded that a positive result by these tests is of little diagnostic value in children eating a normal diet. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To document quality-of-life (QOL), symptom distress and Karnofsky Performance Status (KPS) over time, 67 advanced cancer patients completed the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy (FACT-G) and Memorial Symptom Assessment Scale - Short Form (MSAS-SF) from the time of determination of no active anti-cancer treatment to death at 3-6 week intervals. The KPS was determined at each time point. Statistical analyses with mixed effects models were performed to examine the association between changes in QOL, symptom distress and KPS at selected time points in the advanced cancer trajectory. Median survival for the population was 115 days, and a median of 5 interviews was completed per patient. Slow steady changes in KPS, MSAS-SF and FACT-G QOL parameters started 6 months prior to death, with accelerated decline in the last 2 to 3 months and dramatic increase in psychological symptoms during the last month. Different domains changed at different rates at different selected time points. The correlation between changes in KPS, FACT-G parameters and MSAS-SF subscales at enrollment and near death suggests that when patients were stable, changes in KPS correlated significantly with changes in sum FACT-G QOL and physical well being, and with changes in the MSAS-SF subscales. However, when patients were near death, changes in KPS did not correlate with any other changes, and only emotional well being reflected changes in physical and psychological symptom distress. The sequence of changes, and how determinants of symptom distress and QOL change over time, may help clinicians assess the prognosis of terminally ill patients and plan appropriate interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]