'The singing hospital'--integrated group therapy in the Black mentally ill.

Integrated group therapy was originally introduced at Sterkfontein Hospital in 1957, and reintroduced 6 years ago in an effort to overcome difficulties in communication with approximately 100 Black male and female mental hospital patients. This therapy consisted mainly of song and dance activation, sociodrama, psychodrama and behavioural modification methods. These techniques are flexible, and can be carried out by proxy therapists working with doctors and psychologists.

Acyl phosphate and cyclic AMP inhibition of reactions of D-glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase with aldehyde and acyl phosphate substrates: multiple inhibition analysis.

The effects of the inhibitors trimethylacetyl phosphate and cAMP have been determined in reactions catalyzed by D-glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase. These inhibitors must influence the oxidation of aldehydes through substrate dependent cooperative conformational changes. Both trimethylacetyl phosphate and cAMP give sigmoidal 1/V vs (I) plots in oxidation of glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate, but exert linear competitive effects on the acyl phosphatase site in acylation reactions of beta-(2-furyl) acryloyl phosphate.

Pseudomembranous croup.

During a 2-year period, 7 children were seen with a severe form of laryngotracheobronchitis associated with sloughing of the respiratory epithelium and profuse mucopurulent secretions. We have called this condition pseudomembranous croup. The children had severe upper airways obstruction, appeared toxic with high fever, and were older than the typical age group for viral laryngotracheobronchitis.

North West Thames registry of neurological disease.

A feasibility study has been carried out to determine whether a population-based registry of neurological disease can be established using the Hospital (Inpatient) Activity Analysis (HAA) records for England and Wales. The study provides a valuable opportunity to use and test the HAA system. The neurological disease chosen was the Guillain-Barré-Strohl syndrome (GBS), because it would be expected that most patients would be admitted to hospital, and recurrent attacks or chronicity are rare.

Phonological performance in gerontological speech.

The older speaker's production of phonology is affected by physiological and anatomic changes that occur with age. The differences in phonatory performance between a group of 20 young adults (aged 21 to 32) and 20 older adults (aged 68 to 82) were measured in the articulatory rate dimension. Spectrographic measurement revealed that older adults produced significantly longer vowels, longer silent intervals of stop consonants, and shorter voice onset time values than young adult speakers.

Does LD100 E coli shock cause myocardial failure?

We have documented that myocardial dysfunction occurs in canine endotoxin shock and have designed this study to determine the effect of lethal live E coli-induced shock on the myocardium. Small adult heart "donor" dogs (wt range 6-9 kg) were infused with LD100 E coli (N = 12) or saline (N = 16) for 30 minutes. Two hours later, heart transfer surgery was initiated and once completed the isolated working left ventricle was allowed to equilibrate in the extracorporeal circuit of a "support" dog (wt range 22-32 kg).

Steiger on refraction: a reappraisal.

Seventy years ago Steiger, a Swiss ophthalmologist, found the distribution of corneal powers to follow a normal (binomial) curve. He noted a wide range of values among emmetropes, and he also knew that their axial lengths varied significantly. He expected that normal distributions would be found for other components of refraction and also for refraction as a whole, and in seeking a controlling mechanism he recalled the multifactorial pattern of inheritance of such characteristics as stature.

Vasopressin release during sepsis and septic shock in baboons and dogs.

Plasma vasopressin concentration was measured by radioimmunoassay in lightly anesthetized baboons and dogs before and during experimental Escherichia coli septic shock. Since vasopressin is a potent vasoconstrictor, and activator of clotting factors and a myocardial depressant, we postulated that, if found in substantial amounts in the plasma, vasopressin may contribute to the physiopathology of the septic shock syndrome. Quite high plasma vasopressin concentrations were found in both baboons and dogs.

Frequency variability in the aged voice.

Fundamental frequency variations were examined in readings of the fourth and fifth sentences of the "Rainbow Passage" and in the sustained vowel /a/ produced by 20 young adults and 20 older adults. The Tektronix Visipitch provided the fundamental frequency contour (frequency variations in continuous reading) and Honeywell Visicorder determined frequency perturbation in the sustained vowel. Results showed that older speakers produced lower pitches, larger intonational ranges, and greater numbers of inflections in reading than did younger speakers.

Documentation in pediatric laryngology.

Endoscopy in pediatric laryngology continues to develop and broaden its horizons. The need for documentation of the various pathological conditions has become more apparent. The upper lateral airways radiological study together with endoscopic photography allows permanent objective documentation of the changes occurring in any part of the upper respiratory tract from the nose and nasopharynx to the bronchi and segmental openings.

Endoscopy in esophageal atresia and tracheoesophageal fistula.

Between 1970 and 1979 152 infants born with the anomaly of esophageal atresia with or without tracheoesophageal fistula or of congenital tracheoesophageal fistula without atresia were treated at the Royal Alexandra Hospital for Children, Sydney. Recent developments in endoscopic equipment and new techniques of anesthesia allow detailed examination of the respiratory tract and esophagus with minimum trauma and maximum safety. Symptomatology relating to the airway and to the esophagus after surgical repair often occurs in patients who may have tracheomalacia, esophageal anastomotic stricture, esophageal reflux and sometimes recurrent or residual fistula.

Congenital tracheal stenosis.

Twenty-one cases of congenital tracheal stenosis seen at the Royal Alexandra Hospital for Children 1971 through 1980 were reviewed with regard to the clinical features, associated anomalies, endoscopic findings and radiological evaluation. Congenital tracheal stenosis was usually a serious problem often associated with other major anomalies of the respiratory tract, esophagus, or skeleton. There was no set pattern of presentation.

Effectiveness of steroid/antibiotic treatment in primates administered LD100 Escherichia coli.

Early aggressive therapy with maintenance infusions of methylprednisolone sodium succinate and gentamicin sulfate significantly increases the probability for survival of baboons given LD100 Escherichia coli. The present study was designed to determine if baboons would recover when initiation of treatment was delayed until they had sustained E. coli-induced systemic hypotension for a period of approximately three hours.

Survival of primates in lethal septic shock following delayed treatment with steroid.

We recently developed a methylprednisolone sodium succinate (MPSS)/gentamicin sulfate (GS) regimen that prevented death in baboons given a 2-hour infusion of LD100 E coli (J. Surg. Res.

Elevated plasma vasopressin concentrations during endotoxin and E. coli shock.

Plasma vasopressin concentrations, measured by radioimmunoassay, were remarkably elevated during endotoxin and E. coli shock. The concentrations were often above 500 pg/ml in dogs and above 300 pg/ml in baboons; they reached 1200 pg/ml in two dogs and 1800 pg/ml in another.

Endoscopy and biopsy in gastroesophageal reflux in infants and children.

The clinical features of abnormal gastroesophageal reflux in infants and children extend beyond repeated vomiting and include dysphagia, pain, bleeding, failure to thrive, esophageal stricture, and recurrent respiratory symptoms including aspiration pneumonitis and cyanotic attacks. The unreliability of the traditional barium swallow examination as a diagnostic test is well known. This study reports the results of endoscopic assessment and esophageal biopsy in 100 infants and children and relates them to the clinical findings and the changes in the contrast esophagogram.

Endoscopy in congenital tracheal anomalies.

Advances in anesthesia and instrumentation miniaturization of endoscopes and high quality fibreoptic systems now allow safe, detailed and precise endoscopic examination of the upper and lower respiratory tract in neonates as well as older children. When the clinical features and radiographic changes suggest a congenital abnormality of the tracheobronchial tree endoscopic examination can give useful information. We believe congenital anomalies of the trachea, particularly areas of congenital stenosis, are not as uncommon as has been supposed.